Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [166]
The villainous organization wants to overthrow the League—or rather, create a new world.
Stuff like this, back when he played games and watched anime in his previous lives, honestly felt way overdone.
But in Stephen's eyes—whether it was Team Flare's Lysandre or Team Plasma's Ghetsis—their brains didn't seem as sharp as Shadow's leader, Caishen.
Indeed, during their peak, these organizations did outmatch the local leagues in power.
If not for the protagonist's divine intervention, Team Flare and Team Plasma really could have toppled the Kalos League and the Unova League.
But Stephen doubted they ever considered one critical question: Even if you take down the local league, aren't you worried about other leagues coming after you?
Shadow, on the other hand, picked a much better moment to make their move.
Caishen astutely seized on the fact that the League was currently in a period where the strength of older champions like Alder and Agatha was steadily declining, while newer champions like Lance and Cynthia hadn't yet fully matured.
This was the perfect time to launch an attack on the League.
His chances of overthrowing the League's rule were far higher than those of Team Plasma or Team Flare.
To put it bluntly: if Team Rocket jumped in and added fuel to the fire right now, the Pokémon League could genuinely become history.
But in Stephen's view, the League's collapse wouldn't do him much good either.
Moreover, there was an even more vital question to consider.
"Uncle, do you think if the League falls, we could become the new rulers?"
Stephen asked in return.
"Hmm?"
Giovanni's expression froze.
Stephen's voice came again: "If we help Shadow destroy the League, the result would simply be another war between our two organizations afterward. Even if we win against Shadow, would the people of this world accept us? What would we do then? Kill everyone who opposes us?"
Giovanni fell silent for a moment. Indeed, that was a problem.
The situation Stephen was facing now was very similar to the late-stage scenario in his previous life in the world of pirates.
In that world, countless factions sought to overthrow the dominant world government.
Although Stephen hadn't lived to see the outcome in his previous life, he was certain the world government was doomed.
That organization had rotted to the core—it only needed a gentle nudge to collapse.
The Pokémon League's position in this world was indeed somewhat similar to the world government's as a symbol of domination.
But the difference was like night and day.
The reason lay in the people's recognition of the Pokémon League's authority.
Sure, the Pokémon League had internal problems. Otherwise, how else could a situation like Kanto's arise, where five out of the eight main Gym Leaders were part of Team Rocket?
But overall, the League was still clean.
If you overthrow it, the billions of people at the grassroots level won't accept your rule.
So what would you do then? Kill everyone who disagrees with you?
That'd make you worse than the Celestial Dragons.
"Then what? Help the League? Honestly, I don't want to," Giovanni said, displaying a rare moment of exasperation.
He admitted that replacing the League with Team Rocket was impossible.
But helping the League? The very thought disgusted him to his core.
"Why not just pretend you didn't see anything? Stay out of it," Stephen said with a chuckle.
"That's not an option. Viridian City is one of the closest Kanto Gym locations to the Indigo Plateau. If I don't show up, they'll suspect me after this war ends."
For now, Giovanni still didn't want to give up his disguise as the Viridian Gym Leader. He needed that identity for certain activities.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Giovanni's eyes lit up as he came up with a good idea.
"Right. We don't have to side with either the League or Shadow. Why don't we fight both at the same time?"
Hearing this, Stephen's brain momentarily froze.
Wait, Uncle, are you serious?
"Haha, of course, I don't mean directly attacking both the League and Shadow. My plan is..."
Giovanni then detailed his plan to Stephen.
After listening, Stephen couldn't help but give him a mental thumbs-up.
Through two lifetimes, Giovanni was undoubtedly the most cunning conspirator he'd ever met.
Giovanni's plan, in summary, was to destroy Shadow while significantly weakening the League's power. This would allow the League to survive the crisis but leave them too weak to go after Team Rocket for a long time.
To put it in perspective, it was a bit like the Blackbeard Pirates during the Marineford War in Stephen's past life.
Who won the Marineford War?
On the surface, it seemed like the Navy, because Whitebeard, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, died, and Ace, the would-be successor, also died.
The Navy's main forces largely survived.
But as anime fans knew all too well, the real winner was Marshall D. Teach and the Blackbeard Pirates.
And now, Giovanni wanted to play the role of Blackbeard!
...
As Lance's Gyarados, Lorelei's Lapras, and Dewgong were successively defeated, the Indigo League's side gradually fell into a disadvantage.
The defeat of one Champion-level Pokémon and two Elite Four-level Pokémon was one reason.
Another critical factor was that the League's trainers had to protect the spectators who were initially frozen by Articuno while also fighting Shadow.
The Shadow Pokémon, strengthened by dark power, were a nightmare. Not only had their strength increased dramatically, but their emotions were sealed, and they couldn't feel pain.
This alone gave most trainers a massive headache.
"Graveler, Rollout!"
The current Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock's father, Flint, sent out a Graveler to fight after his Onix was defeated.
Though labeled a mediocre trainer during Karen's challenge of the Kanto region, that was only in comparison to someone as gifted as Karen.
Being a Gym Leader in Kanto meant Flint had some merits, at least compared to ordinary trainers.
"Don't get in my way!"
Graveler, rolling at high speed, knocked aside two Shadow Pokémon before being intercepted by a Shadow member who looked like an ape—none other than Gorik, the mid-tier Shadow officer Stephen's group had encountered six months ago in the Ilex Forest.
Gorik swung his long arms, nearly dragging on the ground, and tossed out a Poké Ball.
A massive steel beast landed in front of the rolling Graveler.
It was an Aggron!
The faint dark aura surrounding its body left no doubt—it was also corrupted by Shadow's dark power!
The Aggron swung its tail, glowing with metallic light as if it were a baseball bat.
Its Iron Tail met Graveler's rolling form head-on.
A resounding crack echoed through the stadium as Graveler cried out in pain.
The spherical Graveler was sent flying like a home run baseball, hurtling toward the entrance of the arena—directly where the frozen spectators lay trapped.
"No!!!"
In front of their televisions, the families of the spectators screamed, their faces pale with horror.
If Graveler crashed into them...they didn't even want to imagine the outcome.
"Machamp!"
Bruno's shout rang out.
A humanoid Pokémon with four muscular arms leaped into the air, spreading its arms wide to catch the falling Graveler.
Thud—
The moment he landed, cracks spread across the silvery frozen ground.
Bruno!
He was the only member of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four who hadn't sought out a one-on-one showdown with the Shadow Organization's top officers. Instead, he unleashed his Fighting-type Pokémon to cut through the grunts like a whirlwind, ensuring that the attacks of the Shadow goons wouldn't harm the large number of spectators frozen in the ice.
"Phew…"
For a moment, countless spectators collapsed onto the ground in relief.
That… that was too close…
"I'll hold them off! Hurry and get the frozen civilians out of here!"
Bruno turned and shouted to the officers and League trainers.
He might just be the only member of the Elite Four who still cared about the lives of the victims. The other three, either due to personal priorities or other circumstances, were too busy battling the Shadow Organization's top forces to worry about anything else.
Smack!
Just as Bruno finished speaking, the sound of a sharp impact rang out behind him.
Bruno turned to look.
What he saw was a massive rocky arm casually sweeping through the air without using any special moves. The frozen ice sculptures shattered like brittle cookies, scattering across the ground.
Regirock, the Rock Titan!
Beside it stood a former colleague—ex-member of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four, and now a high-ranking officer of the Shadow Organization—Aldous!
"Aldous, you—!"
Bruno's face instantly turned red with rage.
"Do you care about these things?"
Aldous crossed his hands behind his back, expressionless.
Crack!
As he spoke, Regirock swung its massive arm again, shattering two more ice sculptures.
"Stop it!"
Bruno roared in fury. His Machamp, fists poised like blades, launched a Brick Break attack aimed directly at Regirock.
However, just as Machamp's attack was mere inches from Regirock's face, its body froze in place, unable to move forward. Looking down, Machamp realized its feet were encased in ice.
Looking up again, Bruno saw Regice, the Ice Titan emerging slowly from behind Regirock.
"How foolish, losing your composure over these ants," Aldous sneered.
Although Aldous had rarely worked alongside the other three members of the Elite Four, he knew Bruno was the only one among them with any sense of humanity. As long as hostages were involved, Bruno's effectiveness would be greatly diminished.
Aldous's eyes shifted subtly behind his dark sunglasses. Regirock raised its massive arm again, this time aiming for the surrounding ice sculptures instead of Machamp.
Bruno was furious. "Didn't I tell you to stop?!"
He immediately sent out two of his main Pokémon, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, commanding them to attack Regirock with Sky Uppercut and High Jump Kick, respectively.
"I told you, it's better not to waste time caring about these useless lives," Aldous said coldly.
Regice spread its arms wide, its hands glowing silver under the sunlight. From its palms shot two beams of icy light—Ice Beams!
Both Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee were hit in the side and staggered in pain, losing their balance. In that split second, Regirock twisted its massive wrist and delivered a crushing blow to the same areas struck by the Ice Beams.
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, both of Bruno's Pokémon felt as if their internal organs had shifted.
Cough!
The two Elite Pokémon were sent flying like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily to the ground.
Some of the trainers in the audience, with sharp enough eyesight, could even see the two Pokémon coughing up blood mid-air.
"Bruno!"
"Damn it! That traitor Aldous!"
"This is terrible—after Lance's fall, now Bruno's two main Pokémon have also…"
The defeat of Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee plunged the League supporters worldwide into a wave of despair.
"Are you guys okay?!"
Bruno turned to shout at his two Pokémon lying far away.
To be honest, in moments like these, he should have been focusing all his attention on his opponents. But his concern for his Pokémon outweighed his reason.
As expected, Aldous didn't let this opportunity slip by.
"The first of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four… will fall here."
Aldous's voice dripped with malice, like that of a reaper.
Regirock raised its massive arm again. Its heavy fist, now shrouded in a layer of energy, came crashing down like a meteor.
"Bruno!"
From the Hoenn region, Brawly, a Fighting-type Gym Leader and Bruno's close friend, cried out helplessly.
Countless people around the world instinctively shut their eyes, unable to watch.
Many had already imagined the gruesome scene of Bruno being crushed into a pulp by the legendary Pokémon.
Fwoooosh—!!
However, a streak of black and red flames descended from the sky, hitting Regirock's fist mere inches from Bruno's head.
Regirock tried to push through with its punch, but the black-and-red flames suddenly intensified, forcing it back.
Bruno turned toward the source of the flames, as did the rest of the world.
What they saw was a bizarre, malevolent-looking Moltres, engulfed in black-and-red flames, exuding an almost sinister beauty. Standing atop it was a white-haired girl!
"Sonia, look! It's Morgan!" Nessa exclaimed.
"That's great—just in time!" Sonia said with relief.
But Nessa muttered with a hint of annoyance, "If it's her, she might help turn the tide in Kanto's favor…"
Steven Stone, observing the battle from afar, added, "Did she know about Aldous being a mole from the start? Is that why she's targeting him now?"
He turned to the pilot beside him. "Faster! Get us to the Indigo Plateau as quickly as possible!"
Indeed, just as Steven had joined the Kalos League to help fight Team Flare in the original story, he was now en route to support Kanto in its desperate hour.
Unlike his later mission to Kalos, Steven had also brought Wallace along this time.
Meanwhile, Cynthia was also on the move.
Due to the proximity of Hoenn and Sinnoh to Kanto, there was a slim chance they could still make it in time.
As for other regions' champions and elites, although they were rushing to the Indigo Plateau as well, most of them were unlikely to arrive in time.
"Step aside. He's mine."
Karen cast a cold, murderous glance at Bruno.
Bruno suddenly recalled that during the Indigo League tournament, Karen had publicly declared to reporters on more than one occasion that she intended to challenge Aldous.
So, these two did have some kind of grudge…
But regardless of the reasons, her strength was a welcome addition to the battlefield.
Bruno quickly stepped back a few paces but couldn't help voicing his concern: "Are you sure about this? He has the three Regis!"
"Hmph!"
Karen responded with nothing more than a cold snort.
The Galarian Moltres beneath her flapped its wings, and black and crimson flames engulfed the sky, descending upon Aldous and the Three Regis.
"Do we have some kind of grudge? Hmm... never mind, it's not important."
Noticing the genuine killing intent in the girl's eyes, Aldous instinctively asked a question.
But in the next second, he dismissed the thought entirely.
Unlike his soft-hearted younger brother, he had no mercy when it came to killing.
He couldn't even remember how many lives he had taken.
In the words of Gin: "The faces and names of those I've killed—I never bother remembering them."
Faced with the Galarian Moltres's signature move, Burning Rage, the Regirock raised its massive arms and slammed them into the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Giant, jagged spires of stone erupted from the ground, converging into a formidable wall of rock spikes.
It was a Stone Edge attack!
The black and crimson flames clashed with the Stone Edge, sending a web of cracks rippling outward. The arena walls began to fracture, yet the collision showed no sign of stopping.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
At that moment, faint red lights suddenly appeared on the chest of the Galarian Moltres, resembling the laser sights of a sniper rifle.
It was "Lock-On," ensuring the next attack would hit without fail!
"Watch out! It's a Zap Cannon!"
Bruno, who had released all his remaining Pokémon to carry the ice sculptures, turned his head and shouted, even holding one sculpture in each arm himself.
The one preparing the high-density electromagnetic energy ball near Regirock was none other than the last of the Three Regis—Registeel!
Boom—!
In the next instant, the Zap Cannon fired as a streak of golden energy from between Registeel's claws.
Seeing this, the Galarian Moltres soared upward with Karen, desperately trying to avoid the attack.
However, the Zap Cannon seemed to have a tracking system—no matter how the Moltres turned, ascended, or dove, the electromagnetic beam relentlessly pursued it.
After "Lock-On," the next attack was guaranteed to hit!
"Miss Morgan's situation looks extremely dangerous!"
Daisy, who had fled to the mountainside with her brothers and other civilians, turned to look back at the battlefield. She saw Karen and the Galarian Moltres being chased by the Zap Cannon and cried out.
"Isn't Dr. Stephen here?"
Professor Oak suddenly remembered something.
Where was Stephen?
In this kind of situation, they desperately needed a powerful Trainer to lend a hand.
If he joined the fight, the situation might change entirely.
And what about that chubby kid with the Articuno?
If those two joined, the battle might lean in the League's favor, even just a little.
"Brother Stephen left on a journey yesterday. I heard he went to rescue a Trainer he knows who was in danger," Gary replied.
"Why does it have to be now..."
Professor Oak gritted his teeth.
...
Karen, kneeling on one knee atop the Galarian Moltres, turned her head to glance at the thunderous energy cannon chasing her. She then lowered her gaze to Aldous on the ground below.
Karen patted the back of the Moltres.
Understanding her signal, the Galarian Moltres instantly increased its speed, diving directly toward Aldous on the ground like a meteor trailing black and crimson flames.
As a seasoned Elite Four member, Aldous instantly saw through Karen's plan.
"Heh~ You want to dive toward me and then make a last-second turn so that I get hit by the Zap Cannon instead, don't you?"
As he spoke, the Three Regis stepped forward, mimicking the same gesture of bringing their palms together to form a glowing thunderous ball of energy.
"Such a cheap trick—do you think it'll work on me?!"
With Aldous's sharp shout, the size of the electromagnetic balls in the hands of the Three Regis swelled by another third.
"No! Even if they're all Legendary Pokémon, there's no way to block four Zap Cannons at once, with type matchups being this unfavorable!"
Chairman Goodshow cried out in alarm.
At the moment when the lone Zap Cannon fired by Registeel and the triple Zap Cannons concentrated by the Three Regis were about to converge, trapping Karen and her Moltres in a deadly pincer attack—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
An invisible wave of energy descended from the heavens, enveloping Aldous and the Three Regis.
Because the Three Regis lacked facial features, it was impossible to discern their emotions.
However, their movements suddenly froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button. The electromagnetic cannons in their hands failed to fire immediately.
Aldous, a seasoned Elite Four member, suddenly dropped to one knee.
Meanwhile, dozens of Trainers belonging to both the Shadow faction and the League were struck as if by an invisible club to the back of their heads. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed to the ground in a daze.