Chapter 43: Steven, Screw You!
On the private island in Alola...
Steven stared at the countdown on the screen, his expression conflicted.
Honestly, even as the Hoenn Champion and heir to the Devon Corporation, he desperately coveted the rewards offered by the livestream.
The opportunity was right in front of him. All he needed to do was answer correctly, and he would receive a reward!
Besides... Asher was sitting beside him. Surely he could help?
"Brother Rehsa... Which answer do you think I should choose?"
Asher reclined on his lounge chair with a cocktail beside him, his tone languid.
"Just buzz in. You might get lucky and win a reward."
Steven’s eyes lit up.
"Excellent!"
[Countdown: Three, two, one...]
[Ding! The answering period has begun!]
An enormous red button appeared in the center of the screen.
Steven gritted his teeth and pressed it.
[Ding! Answering opportunity successfully claimed!]
[Congratulations to Steven for claiming the answering opportunity!]
The VIP Seats instantly erupted.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Wallace]: ??? Steven, you just pressed it without hesitation?!
[Steven]: I did.
[Lance]: Interesting. Steven, are you certain you know the answer?
[Steven]: Lance, please do not question a gentleman’s intuition.
Thrilled that he had successfully claimed the question, Steven hurriedly patted Asher’s arm.
"Brother Rehsa, which answer is it?"
Asher blinked.
"Huh? I don’t know."
Steven’s eyes widened.
"You—you don’t know?!"
"No."
Asher blinked innocently.
"Then why did you tell me to buzz in?!"
"Oh, that."
Asher settled back onto his lounge chair.
"I was only saying it casually. You clearly wanted to answer, so I thought I should encourage you."
Steven felt his blood pressure soaring.
He took a deep breath and desperately tried to calm himself.
Now was not the time to settle accounts with Asher.
The countdown was still running.
He had to choose an answer.
"Forget it!"
Steven closed his eyes and relied upon the instincts of a Champion as he selected an option.
[Ding! Contestant Steven’s answer: B. Four Pokémon.]
The screen flashed.
[Incorrect answer!]
[Punishment: You must imitate an Onix burrowing through the ground for ten minutes. You cannot stop during this period!]
The smile on Steven’s face froze.
"What?!"
The next instant, an invisible force seized control of his body.
He sprang upright from the lounge chair, pressed both arms tightly against his sides, joined his legs together, and began wriggling across the ground like an Onix.
He did not move particularly quickly, but his form was extraordinarily accurate. Maintaining the perfect posture of an Onix tunneling through the earth, he squirmed directly past a palm tree.
"Wh-what kind of punishment is this?!"
Steven continued shouting as he wriggled forward.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Wallace]: Hahahahahahahahahaha!
[Raihan]: What am I looking at?! The heir to the Devon Corporation! The Hoenn Champion! Crawling across the ground while pretending to be an Onix!
[Leon]: That posture... is quite powerful.
[Wallace]: I recommend recording this and using it as the opening performance at the Devon Corporation’s annual banquet.
[May]: So B was actually wrong?! Then what’s the correct answer?
[System Notification: Correct answer: D. Six Pokémon.]
After the punishment finally ended, Steven dragged himself back.
He collapsed facedown across the lounge chair. His bathrobe was wrinkled into a mess, and several strands of hair had fallen untidily across his forehead.
Even Asher could no longer maintain a straight face.
Worse still, the entire punishment had been broadcast worldwide. Steven was probably about to lose a considerable number of female admirers.
As Steven watched everyone in the chat continue mocking him, he irritably ran a hand through his hair.
He was the dignified heir to the Devon Corporation.
When had he ever endured such humiliation?
Then he noticed Asher gloating beside him.
Steven’s eyes shifted.
He immediately thought of a way to divert everyone’s attention and revealed a brilliant smile toward Asher.
The moment Asher saw that smile, a chill ran down his back.
What the hell?! Steven, what are you planning?!
[VIP Chat Group]
[Steven]: Everyone, look who I found! @Asher
The smile on Asher’s face instantly froze.
You bastard!
I’ve been lurking carefully for so long, and now you’ve dragged me into the open just like that?!
Steven, screw you!
[VIP Chat Group]
[Wallace]: ?
[Cynthia]: ?
[Professor Oak]: ?
[Diantha]: ?
[Lance]: ?????
[Wallace]: Steven, who did you just tag?!
[Misty]: Wh-what is going on?!
[Lance]: Steven, are you certain this isn’t a joke?
[Gary]: Steven, that isn’t a very funny joke.
[Steven]: It isn’t a joke. I’m watching the livestream with him right now.
[Steven]: Brother Rehsa, stop hiding and come say hello.
[Lorelei]: Rehsa?
[Steven]: Ahem. That’s the name he gave me. He claims to be called "Rehsa," although we all know it’s a fake name.
[Misty]: Steven, could you take a photograph?
[Steven]: Of course~
[Steven]: [Image]
In the photograph, Asher was reclining on a lounge chair beside a hot spring with a facial mask covering his face. A cocktail decorated with a tiny umbrella sat beside him beneath a parasol, while a beautiful woman in a swimsuit massaged him.
Steven stood beside him, giving the camera a thumbs-up with an extraordinarily smug expression.
The chat group completely exploded.
[Dawn]: H-he-he-he—he’s Asher?! The Asher from the parallel world?! And he’s in our world?!
[Daisy]: Well, well. Our future brother-in-law has finally appeared.
[Violet]: And he’s been enjoying a vacation.
[Lily]: Misty, your husband certainly knows how to enjoy himself.
[Misty]: Aaaaaah! Stop saying things like that!
[Ash]: Wait, wait, wait! Asher actually exists in our world?! Wasn’t he supposed to be a variable exclusive to the parallel world?!
[Gary]: It appears all our previous deductions need to be reconsidered.
[Cynthia]: Steven, please explain how you found him.
[Steven]: Fate. It was purely fate. I came to Alola on business, and the hotel I booked happened to be the same one where he was staying. We encountered each other in the lobby.
[Lance]: You happened to meet him? Was it really that simple?
[Steven]: Of course. I was only examining the stones inside the hotel’s display case. When I raised my head, I saw him stepping out of the elevator.
[Wallace]: So when you said you were "working overtime at the hotel," you were actually with him?
[Steven]: Yes. We’re soaking in a hot spring on a private island. I treated him to seafood sashimi, and we’ve been having a wonderful conversation.
[Lorelei]: You’ve only known each other for a short time, yet you’re already soaking in a hot spring together?
[Steven]: Friendship between men requires no time.
[Raihan]: Why does that sound so strange coming from Steven?
[Leon]: I actually find it reasonable. Steven has always been enthusiastic toward people who share his interests.
[Bruno]: So Asher is also a stone enthusiast?!
[Steven]: He’s far more than an enthusiast! He identified the origin and craftsmanship of my tie pin with a single glance! Someone with that level of discernment would be considered a veteran even among serious stone collectors!