Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [114]

Even though it was only the second time Karen met Mary, and they hadn't even exchanged a word, she could see it.

The reason this girl wanted to become a journalist was all because of Stephen.

"Mary-chan, it's true that what the League says might not always be the full truth, but there is one thing—it's something I indeed did," Stephen began to speak.

"I did take the Jewel of Life for my selfish reasons. Oh, that's the so-called Sinnoh artifact they mentioned in the news."

"I'm not worth you doing anything for me. Your dream is your own; don't change it because of someone else."

Stephen had never pretended to be a virtuous person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so deep into collaboration with Giovanni.

For the sake of strengthening his Pokémon, he didn't mind taking things from others.

Stephen also didn't want Mary, this innocent and pure girl, to deify him in her heart.

"It's not like you stole it anyway," Karen interjected. "The Jewel of Life that woman had was a fake from the start."

In her view, the League's claim through the media that Joker stole the Sinnoh region's precious artifact was fake news.

The Jewel of Life in Sheena's possession had been a counterfeit all along.

It wasn't theft—it was, at best, picking up a bargain.

"You—you're Joker's companion?!"

When Whitney saw Karen suddenly chime in, she immediately guessed her identity.

Karen was wearing oversized sunglasses that covered half her face, so an ordinary person wouldn't associate her with Joker.

But her distinctive gray hair, along with her presence here, made it hard for Whitney not to connect the dots.

"Alright," Stephen interrupted Karen, standing up and placing a hand on Mary's soft reddish hair.

"Don't do such dangerous things in the future. Head back to Johto early," he said gently.

"For some reason, seeing you remind me of things from a year ago. Our meeting this time is a blessing."

Mary, feeling the warmth from his hand, suddenly noticed her head felt lighter.

When she turned to look, she saw a departing silhouette growing smaller in the distance.

The woman in sunglasses quickly followed behind him.

Mary pressed her lips together tightly, wanting to say something.

But when she saw the figure walking alongside him—that unmistakably stunning beauty, even though her face was hidden—she didn't know what to say anymore.

At that moment, Mary suddenly remembered something important and shouted:

"Jo... Onii-chan!"

Realizing there were other passersby around, Mary quickly corrected herself.

Stephen paused for a moment.

Behind him, Mary mustered her courage and shouted again:

"That—that person lied!"

"He didn't find out through Plasma Team or anything like that."

"He said he could see the future!"

The passing citizens of Nimbasa City, seeing the little girl's antics, dismissed it as child's play or make-believe.

Only Stephen and Karen, who had just experienced the events in the Lostlorn Forest, immediately understood what Mary meant.

She was talking about Unova's tycoon, Kodai!

"What?!"

Karen's face changed dramatically.

Kodai had learned about their movements by seeing the future.

Such a thing... could exist?!

At that moment, Stephen raised his hand and waved back at Mary without turning around. Then, he disappeared into the crowd with Karen.

...

"Ha..." Whitney slumped into her chair.

No matter what, this matter was over, at least for now.

But... should she tell her uncle?

Whitney hesitated.

In the end, she decided to keep it to herself.

Although she and her uncle were close, she understood that among the gym leaders of the Indigo League, her grandfather's strength was at the bottom tier.

He had no real influence, and knowing too much would only bring trouble.

"Hey... Mary, where should we go in Unova next? Or should we head back to Johto?" Whitney tugged on her friend, who was still staring blankly in the direction Stephen had left.

Mary finally snapped out of it and resolutely declared:

"Back to Johto. I need to keep learning!"

"Huh?"

"I'm going to become a journalist! I'm going to be a news broadcaster! I'm going to reveal the truth to the entire world! Joker is a good person. He is, absolutely!"

Mary clenched her fists tightly.

Whitney: ...

So everything Joker just said was for nothing, huh?

"Um, Mary-chan... did you see Joker has a female companion? That..."

Realizing that reasoning with her friend wasn't working, Whitney decided to go for a more direct approach.

Look, Joker already has a girl by his side—someone who's inseparable from him.

And judging by the way she looks, she's a top-tier beauty.

There's no point in pursuing him further, right?

Mary, now wearing her signature round-rimmed glasses, blinked and said:

"Actually... I can be the second."

Whitney: ...

Fine, fine. Do whatever you want. I'm done.

...

The next morning, as they prepared for breakfast, news of the League Dream Team trio versus the criminal Joker trio dominated headlines across the Pokémon world.

Photos of the devastated Lostlorn Forest were plastered on numerous front pages, alongside interviews with Unova's elite trainers who participated in the operation.

Unova's top beauty and gym leader, Elesa, told Flying Cloud Daily:

["This battle showed me the gap between myself and Elite Trainers like Cynthia. I'll train harder so I won't crumble so easily when facing powerful enemies in the future. Haha, to be honest, Joker took me down in one move. Huh? How did Cynthia and the others win? Oh, um, sorry, I was unconscious at the time and didn't see it."]

She ended the interview awkwardly, worried that saying more might expose her.

Compared to Elesa, who was around Stephen's age, Alder was much more seasoned. He told TV:

["It's a shame you couldn't witness yesterday's battle. Of course, I didn't see everything either, as I was tasked with guarding the forest's exit to prevent Joker's escape. But even from the outskirts, I could sense the intensity of the battle, especially the combination of moves used by Lance from the Indigo League. Earth-shattering doesn't begin to describe it. Our young trainers in Unova have a lot of work to do if they don't want to be surpassed by Kanto and Johto."]

Meanwhile, reports in other regions varied.

Sinnoh's top-selling Jubilife Daily stated:

["According to President Goodshow, Cynthia was the commander of this operation. While Lance may be slightly stronger than Cynthia in terms of raw power, her leadership and tactical skills far surpass his. Many Sinnoh gym leaders believe that Lance's slight edge is only due to his seniority. Within five years, Cynthia will undoubtedly surpass him."]

In Hoenn, Mauville TV reported:

["We've previously mentioned that Steven Stone and Wallace of Sootopolis Gym will be the future pillars of the Hoenn League. According to inside sources, Steven played a pivotal role in this operation. The only reason he wasn't given the commander position was due to his low-key nature."]

At Goldenrod City Airport in Johto.

Whitney yawned and said goodbye to her friend before heading back to her gym.

After spending the night on a plane, she was exhausted and planned to catch up on sleep.

Meanwhile, back home, Mary listened to the reports praising Lance, Cynthia, and others.

Her fists clenched tightly.

One day, I'll reveal the truth to the world.

In her room, Mary opened her laptop, which contained all the news articles she had compiled about Joker.

She had even made a PowerPoint presentation with a timeline of events.

Finally, her gaze locked onto the Olivine Gym attack incident—the turning point of Joker's reputation.

That was the event that caused Joker's reputation to plummet.

The official report claimed Joker was a psychopath seeking revenge, but Mary had never believed it.

After speaking with Stephen, she was even more convinced.

"Olivine Gym... there's something wrong there!"

...

As Mary and Whitney flew back to Johto overnight, someone else was flying to Unova.

That person was Goodshow, the president of the Pokémon League.

Accompanying him were Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha—the reigning Indigo League Champion.

Aldus wasn't present again.

Well, never mind. His family pays so many taxes every year—better to just let it slide.

The League's private jet landed in Opelucid City, where the Unova League headquarters were located.

Under the protection of Indigo's strongest trainers, Goodshow arrived at the Unova League's main office.

Waiting for him at the entrance was Lance's grandmother, the matriarch of the Dragon Clan.

"Thank you for coming so early, Mr. President," she greeted with a smile.

"Not at all, old friend," Goodshow replied with a smile, just as they prepared to enter the building.

Dong!

 At that moment, a thunderous crash echoed through the building.

 The impact was so strong that the ground trembled slightly.

Goodshow froze. "What's going on?"

The old granny sighed. "That boy... he's been like this ever since he woke up this morning."

She led Goodshow and the others to the indoor training grounds inside the building.

"Dragonite! Use your most powerful Dragon Rush!"

 "Dragonair! Both of you, move faster! Provide immediate backup for Dragonite!"

 "Aerodactyl! Keep an eye on the entire arena—you are the eyes of this team!"

 "Gyarados... sigh, you need to improve in all areas, got it!?"

Before they even reached the door, the trio from Indigo heard a familiar voice through the doors.

Lorelei and Bruno exchanged glances.

The old granny wore a helpless expression. "He's been in this state ever since he woke up this morning."

"I'll handle this."

Goodshow walked toward the door with a stern expression and grabbed the handle.

The sound of the door opening caused the person inside, who had his back to the entrance, to snap impatiently:

 "I already said I'd go to the meeting room when the time comes!"

"Lance."

Hearing Goodshow's voice, Lance's body stiffened, sweat dripping from his forehead.

 Even the Pokemons undergoing intense training all stopped their actions simultaneously.

"Are you taking out your frustration on your Pokémon?"

Goodshow, who usually resembled a jolly Santa Claus with a warm smile, now wore a cold, expressionless face.

"No, I'm not!"

After a brief hesitation, Lance emphasized his response.

Goodshow glanced at the battle-worn Dragonite and the others. The intensity of this training was obviously beyond the Pokémon's limits.

"Why did you lose?"

Goodshow asked again.

"I... I don't know..."

For possibly the first time, the normally smug and confident Lance—known throughout the Pokémon League for his bravado—showed a bewildered expression.

He truly had no idea how he lost!

 At that moment, what exactly did Joker do?!

"Then why are you venting your anger here? Instead of wasting time, why not properly review the battle and figure out what went wrong, so you don't make the same mistakes again?"

Goodshow scolded him bitterly.

 Instead of this useless rage, it would be better to reflect on the reason for his defeat.

"...Yes, Chairman."

Lance finally calmed down, recalling his dragons and following Goodshow to the meeting room.

Lorelei frowned slightly, thinking about how to console her colleague.

However, Bruno placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, signaling her not to say anything.

Though Lorelei knew Lance the longest, she clearly didn't understand men.

A man's pride is both strong and fragile.

Right now, Lance was like a woman having a mood swing.

 The best thing to do was leave him alone—any attempt to help might set him off.

In this case, time was the best cure.

"Apologies for being late," Goodshow said as he entered the meeting room.

Several people were already gathered inside.

Present were Cynthia and Steven, who had participated in the mission in the Lostlorn Forest, police representatives from Johto who had clashed with Joker before, and Nanu, the Ace Agent of the International Police, who was secretly tracking Joker's movements.

"No worries, we just arrived as well," Professor Oak said with a smile as he stood up.

Agatha snorted and turned her face away.

Once everyone was seated, Goodshow gestured toward Cynthia and Steven, who sat to his left.

"Cynthia, Steven, could you recap yesterday's battle for everyone?"

He didn't ask Lance to recount it, partly because Lance was still in an unpredictable mood and partly because he'd heard that Lance had passed out during the final stages of the battle—meaning he hadn't witnessed the entire fight.

"I'll start," Steven said as he stood and moved to the center of the room, turning on a projector.

 "The battle was primarily divided into three phases: Lance versus Joker, myself against the psychic user masked boy, and Cynthia against the masked girl."

As he spoke, the projector displayed photos of three masked individuals: Stephen, Karen, and Will.

Steven clicked the remote, and Karen's photo filled the screen.

Cynthia stood up and added:

 "The masked girl is extremely strong, using many unexpected tactics. I was able to match her, but her growth rate is alarming. Two months ago in Michina, I could completely suppress her. However, yesterday, despite fighting her for so long, I was unable to gain the upper hand. Her progress is simply too fast."

Steven nodded and switched the slide to Will's photo.

"The psychic user is not as strong as the masked girl and certainly no match for Joker. However, his Pokémon—particularly his Slowbro—is highly unusual. Hmm... Miss Lorelei, could you release your Slowbro? I'd like to use it as an example."

Without hesitation, Lorelei released her Slowbro.

Steven pointed to the Slowbro's blank, goofy face and then to the Shellder clamped onto its tail, which looked perpetually annoyed.

"As we all know, Slowbro evolves when a Shellder bites a Slowpoke's tail. Technically, Slowbro is a fusion of two Pokémon, but the Slowpoke part has primary control over the body. Correct, Professor Oak?"

"That's correct," Professor Oak confirmed, stroking his chin.

"So, when Steven called me yesterday and mentioned that the Slowbro he fought could use moves from both the Slowpoke and Shellder parts, I was shocked."

"What?! Both parts can use moves?"

Lorelei was stunned.

Slowbro had been one of her core Pokémon for years, but she had never heard of such a thing!

The entire room broke into murmurs of disbelief.

"It sounds unbelievable, but it's true," Steven said with a wry smile.

 "On the surface, my Metagross was fighting just one Slowbro, but in reality, it was two-on-one, which made it hard to gain the upper hand."

"The masked boy psychic user mentioned something about this ability being called... Parental Bond? Does Slowbro have such a trait, Professor Oak?"

Professor Oak shook his head. "No, I've never heard of Slowbro having such a trait. No Pokémon I've studied has ever exhibited this trait."

Nanu scratched his head. "One Pokémon being able to use two moves at once... that's troublesome."

Johto Officer Jenny chimed in. "Joker's crew always finds ways to turn things upside down."

Elesa added, "My Magneton is technically three Magnemites combined—does that mean it could unleash three moves at once?"

At this point, Lance, who had been sitting silently in the corner, finally spoke:

 "Whether it's the masked girl or the psychic user, they have their tricks, sure. But overall, their strength is mediocre. Crushing them isn't the problem—the real issue is Joker!"

Lance admitted that both Will and Karen had some gimmicks. But against his overwhelming power, those tricks were insignificant. The real problem was Joker!

At the mention of Joker, everyone who had witnessed yesterday's battle couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Alder nodded. "Indeed. We were monitoring the situation from the outside, but Cynthia told us—he's grown to a level that can no longer be ignored, hasn't he?"

Cynthia took the remote from Steven and pulled up a photo of Joker's sly, smirking face.

"First, his Umbreon."

"I don't know what he did, but Joker's Umbreon can freely change forms. At the start of the battle, it appeared as a Jolteon, then transformed into a new Ice-type Eeveelution, and later into a Vaporeon..."

Professor Oak: ...

 Alder: ...

 Goodshow: ...

 Everyone: ...

No, no, no... They understood each individual word Cynthia said, but when combined, they made absolutely no sense.