>>39692364>>39692321>>39692549>>39692700>>39692967Don't forget that in ORAS during the Delta Episode, Wallace battles you with a team that's almost identical to his champion team from Emerald and he describes it as him not holding back. So we can assume that at least in ORAS he's already on par with or stronger than the Elite Four, but not necessarily as strong as Steven.
It's possible Wallace chooses to be a Gym Leader to protect Sootopolis and the Cave of Origin, although admittedly there's nothing in the game to support this idea specifically.
