Chapter 122: But I Was Here First! (Power Stone Milestone Extra - 2/2)
[VIP Chat Group]
[Diantha]: Livestream, I choose Asher.
[Asher]: ?
[Misty]: Wait—you’re seriously choosing him?!
[Cynthia]: ...
[Steven]: Hahahahahaha!!!
[Steven]: I’m laughing so hard that Metagross came out of its Poké Ball by itself! Metagross, start recording immediately!
[Metagross]: Meta. (Recording in progress.)
[Wallace]: Steven truly is an extraordinary individual.
[Misty]: @Diantha, no, seriously—why him? (Smiles murderously.)
[Diantha]: Because Asher is already romantically involved with two women. If I choose him, the media won’t take it seriously, the audience won’t take it seriously, and even I won’t take it seriously.
[Daisy]: Oh? Strangely enough, I can’t find any flaws in that logic.
[Violet]: True. If she chooses Asher, everyone’s reaction will probably be, "Oh, it’s Asher again," rather than, "Oh my goodness, Diantha is dating someone!"
[Lily]: Asher has become the safe choice. In a way, that’s quite an accomplishment.
[Misty]: Everything you’re saying makes sense, but something still feels wrong.
[Diantha]: Don’t worry, Misty. I have absolutely no interest in him. This is purely to complete the punishment. We’ll dance, I’ll leave, and I won’t bother him afterward.
[Misty]: That’s more like it... No! Why did I say, "That’s more like it"?! That’s not the point! Wait, that isn’t what I meant!
[Lily]: Her left brain continues fighting her right.
[Daisy]: Misty is performing as reliably as ever today.
[Asher]: Wait, is no one going to consider how I feel about this?
[Asher]: @Screen, can I refuse?
[Screen]: The selected person cannot refuse!
[Asher]: ...
[Diantha]: Sorry. I genuinely couldn’t think of anyone more suitable.
[Punishment countdown: Teleportation to the designated venue will occur in ten seconds.]
Diantha only had enough time to exchange a glance with Gardevoir before a gentle pillar of white light enveloped her entire body.
The next instant, Diantha found herself standing on the stage of an opera house.
She looked down at herself.
At some point, her pajamas had vanished and been replaced by an elegant white evening gown.
The skirt reached her ankles and fit tightly around her slender waist. Its neckline rested beneath her shoulders, leaving her collarbones and shoulders completely exposed beneath the spotlights.
"...It even changed my clothes."
Diantha tugged at the skirt, her cheeks already beginning to heat up.
Beneath the spotlight across from her, another pillar of light descended from above.
Asher emerged from within it.
He wore a perfectly tailored black tailcoat with a neatly tied bow tie. A white rose had even been placed in his breast pocket.
The instant Diantha saw him, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least the system hadn’t paired her with a complete stranger.
However, she soon realized another problem.
Precisely because he wasn’t a stranger, the situation was even more awkward.
Diantha looked up at Asher. The instant their eyes met, she instinctively looked away.
"Miss Diantha," Asher spoke first, "did you really not consider the possibility of something like this happening before you chose me?"
"At the time, I was only thinking about minimizing the risk of a scandal."
Diantha’s voice was slightly quieter than usual.
"How was I supposed to know it would teleport us somewhere like this?"
"Well, we’re already here."
Asher rolled his wrist.
"The sooner we finish the dance, the sooner we can go home. My wife is already waiting for me to explain myself."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Misty]: Oh, so he remembers that he has a wife. (Smiles murderously.)
[Daisy]: I’ve saved a screenshot of Misty’s deadly smile. I can use it as a reaction image for the rest of my life.
[Violet]: Her husband is dancing with another woman, and she has to watch the entire thing. Misty must be experiencing some extremely complicated emotions.
[Lily]: She can’t even blame Diantha because Diantha’s reasoning really is flawless.
[Misty]: Can I blame Asher?
[Daisy]: What would you blame him for?
[Misty]: For being too attractive to other women.
[Violet]: There really is no arguing with that reason.
On the stage, every spotlight suddenly went dark.
Asher and Diantha both felt their bodies fall beyond their control.
Diantha’s left hand automatically settled on Asher’s shoulder. Her back straightened on its own, and her chin lifted slightly.
The music transitioned from its opening overture into the formal rhythm of a waltz.
The sensation of having her body controlled was strange.
Her mind remained perfectly conscious, yet her limbs refused to obey her, moving instead according to predetermined dance steps.
Diantha could feel her hand resting on Asher’s shoulder, but she couldn’t control the pressure of her fingers.
She could see Asher’s face directly before her, yet she couldn’t force herself to look elsewhere.
Asher’s right hand slid from the side of her waist to her back.
Diantha’s heart immediately skipped a beat.
Then Asher lifted her with his right arm and turned her through half a circle.
Their steps gradually accelerated, tracing one smooth arc after another across the stage.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Iris]: Miss Diantha’s ears turned red! They definitely turned red when he lifted her!
[Cynthia]: Diantha, you...
[Dawn]: I didn’t even dare breathe when Miss Diantha was pulled into his arms!
[Misty]: But I was here first! Even I’ve never done anything like that with him...
[Daisy]: It’s over. Misty has lost her mind.
[Misty]: You look like you’re having a wonderful time dancing over there! Just wait until you get home! @Asher
[Asher]: It isn’t what it looks like! I can’t control my own body!
[Diantha]: He... He’s telling the truth.
[Brock]: Damn it! Why?! Why is it always him?!
[Steven]: I’m jealous!
[Wallace]: Jealousy is a perfectly normal human emotion, but somehow, I feel as though Steven means something else by that.
[Lance]: A man can’t—or at the very least, shouldn’t.
[Ash]: Is Brock going to be all right?
[Max]: It isn’t the first time this has happened. He’ll survive somehow.
The punishment finally came to an end.
The system’s pink light once again enveloped Asher and Diantha.
[System Notification: Correct answer—D, Asher suppressing Giratina in the Reverse World.]
[Stage Three of "Master of Time and Space" has concluded.]
[Intermission: Twenty-four hours.]
[All viewers, please prepare yourselves.]
Kalos Region, Lumiose City
The pink light faded, and Diantha discovered that she had returned home. Her evening gown had also changed back into the loungewear she had been wearing before.
Diantha sat down beside the sofa, picked up a cushion, and buried her entire face in it.
Gardevoir approached and gently touched her arm, releasing a questioning cry.
"Garde?"
"I’m genuinely fine."
Diantha lowered the cushion and discovered that the tips of her ears were still burning.
She touched one earlobe before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
She had performed countless scenes opposite other actors, but the experience of having her body controlled by the system while her heart continued pounding violently had been completely different from acting.
Just then, her communicator suddenly rang.
The name displayed across the screen was...Cynthia.
Diantha stared at it for several seconds.
Then she decisively declined the call.
Meanwhile, in the Kanto Region, Cerulean City
Asher reappeared on the Gym’s sofa.
Misty sat at the opposite end with her arms crossed over her chest.
"You danced rather beautifully."
Misty tilted her head, her voice terrifyingly gentle.
"That moment when you pulled Diantha into your arms during the turn was especially tender~"
"Honey, I wasn’t moving voluntarily."
"I know."
Misty rose and walked over to him.
"But your body really was pressed closely against hers, wasn’t it?"
"Honey, please be reasonable."
"I don’t particularly feel like being reasonable right now."
Asher pressed a hand against his forehead.
He was doomed. There was probably no talking his way out of this one.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
Misty stared at him for a long time.
She had never expected that, in addition to the women exposed by the system, another woman would end up setting her sights on her husband.
Misty immediately felt her sense of crisis intensify.
She grabbed Asher by the arm.
"Come on. You’re coming back to the bedroom with me."
"Huh?"
...
TL: GAH! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME WITH DIANTHA