Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 185: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

Two weeks had passed.

Outside the Kanto region, other regions seemed to gradually forget about the brutal war that had previously unfolded.

Thanks to Kukui's efforts, all nine regions affiliated with the League had agreed to participate in a large-scale friendship tournament to celebrate the official establishment of the Alola League.

After consulting with Goodshow, Kukui decided to allow the Elite Four and candidate champions from each region to participate. Goodshow agreed to hold this tournament for three main reasons:

To divert the public's attention.

To showcase the League's strength, reassuring the public that the League was still capable of protecting them.

To officially promote candidate champions like Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha to their rightful positions.

Originally, Goodshow and the other League chairpersons planned to hold regional tournaments in their respective areas to promote their champions. For instance, the interrupted Indigo Plateau Conference was intended to elevate Lance to replace Agatha. Similarly, in Hoenn, the Ever Grande Conference was planned to push Steven Stone into Champion, to be followed by Sinnoh, Kalos, and Unova...

Oh, right—Unova was a special case. Although Alder's strength had declined following the death of his main Pokémon, they still hadn't found a suitable successor. Alder would probably have to remain in his position for a few more years.

After discussions with the other League chairpersons, Goodshow decided to use this opportunity to promote all these young trainers in one swift move, symbolizing the beginning of a new era for the League.

For a time, the world's attention was focused on Alola.

...

Meanwhile, in the southern coastal area of the Johto region, in the city known as the Water Capital—Alto Mare:

"During the Alola Friendship Tournament, we, as Team Rocket's boss and Joker, will launch a surprise attack on Mahogany Town and take out that old man. What do you think, Stephen?"

Sitting back-to-back with Stephen in a quiet café, Giovanni took a sip of coffee and asked.

Giovanni could no longer tolerate Pryce. The old man was a completely uncontrollable factor—and, more importantly, terrifyingly strong. Giovanni had witnessed firsthand the legendary Master-Class strength, only spoken of in rumors.

Even if he and Stephen teamed up, they might not be able to take Pryce down quickly. Moreover, once they made their move, it would mean completely burning bridges with Pryce. They had to strike with absolute certainty—if they decided to act, they needed to ensure Pryce was eliminated in one blow.

The reason Shadow failed, aside from Giovanni and Stephen interfering, was mainly because they hadn't severed communication between the regional Leagues.

Halfway through the battle, reinforcements from Hoenn—Steven Stone and Wallace—arrived, followed by Cynthia, Volkner, and Flint from Sinnoh. Then came Alder from Unova, Diantha from Kalos... one after another.

This was the main reason for Shadow's failure.

Giovanni believed the Alola Friendship Tournament was an excellent opportunity. According to official announcements, the Elite Four and candidate champions from all regions will attend the event.

"Mahogany Town isn't a major city, but it does have a significant population. If the commotion gets too big, it will immediately attract the League's attention," Stephen pointed out the flaw in Giovanni's plan.

"Besides, the League isn't stupid. Kanto will almost certainly send only Lance, maybe Agatha as well while leaving the rest of their forces behind to guard against Team Rocket."

The League also had smart people. If Giovanni could think of using the Alola Friendship Tournament to cause trouble, the League wouldn't overlook this possibility.

"And if you're using the Joker identity, you can't use Bewear. That makes taking down Pryce even less certain. Ideally, we'd have someone weaken Pryce first before we step in."

Mahogany Town, while not a major metropolis, was still a town with a Pokémon Gym—it was no small settlement. If a battle broke out, civilians would inevitably be drawn in, especially with the three strongest individuals of the current era fighting: Stephen, Giovanni, and Pryce.

There was no doubt—once the fight started, Mahogany Town would be wiped off the map. The town's residents being caught in the crossfire was a foregone conclusion.

Although Stephen wasn't as benevolent as Ho-Oh, he still tried to avoid involving ordinary people in his actions whenever possible.

More importantly, using the Joker identity in a public setting meant he couldn't use Bewear or Zamazenta. His lineup of Shadow Lugia, Umbreon, and Giovanni's Beedrill was a risky match against Pryce's two ace Pokémon.

Stephen didn't mind losing—provided that losing came with no consequences. However, this battle had consequences—losing here would be catastrophic.

In Stephen's opinion, if they were going to go all-out against Pryce, it should at least be in a secluded, unpopulated location, where he could use his complete lineup: Shadow Lugia, Umbreon, Bewear, and Zamazenta.

If someone could act as cannon fodder to weaken Pryce beforehand, that would be even better.

"That might be tough, don't you think, Boss?"

Sitting at another table, pretending to be an ordinary customer while keeping an eye out for League spies, Sird chimed in.

Alongside Sird, Carr and Orm—members of the "Three Beast Warriors"—were also blending into the crowd in plain clothes.

Under Giovanni's orders, the Three Beast Warriors were responsible for managing Shadow's underground resources and operations in Johto.

In Sird's view, Stephen's plan was reasonable but nearly impossible to execute.

First, Pryce wasn't an idiot. Why would he allow himself to be lured to a secluded area for an ambush? He'd see through such a scheme.

Second, who in this world, besides Stephen and Giovanni, could go toe-to-toe with Pryce?

Who? It couldn't possibly be Lance, who had lost his ace Pokémon, could it?

"I'll figure something out. Just wait for my word," Stephen said, leaving the café.

Alto Mare, known as the Water Capital, resembled a city built on water. It was strikingly similar to Venice from Stephen's previous life but lacked the same charm.

In a deserted alley, Stephen pulled out two red-and-white Poké Balls and lightly tossed them.

Pop! Pop!

The balls opened, releasing two Pokémon that would shock anyone who saw them.

From the Poké Balls emerged none other than the twin guardians of the Water Capital, who had statues in the city's central fountain plaza: Latios and Latias.

"Goodbye," Stephen waved at the twin dragons. The two Pokémon within the Poké Balls on his belt responded in kind.

As Stephen had expected, these two dragons, who had been corrupted by Shadow, were indeed the guardian deities of the Water Capital. Thus, they wouldn't follow a human.

This was also why Latias hadn't chosen to leave with Ash.

Stephen had chosen Alto Mare as the meeting place with Giovanni partly to take this opportunity to release the twin dragons.

Latios gave Stephen a grateful look before leaving.

Latias, however, seemed reluctant to part. After a few moments of hesitation, she flew over to Stephen.

At that moment, the clouds parted, and warm sunlight shone down.

The dragon scales on Latias reflected the sunlight, transforming her into a human girl—it was Sonia.

The next moment, Sonia tiptoed and kissed Stephen on the cheek.

She then waved goodbye and ran into another street, like the closing scene of a romantic movie.

"Did I just steal Ash's storyline?" Stephen muttered, touching the cheek that had been kissed.

Honestly, Pokémon and girls who liked Ash were quite pitiful. The kid had major amnesia—he forgot all about his previous adventures as soon as he entered a new region.

Not just Latias—even Serena seemed forgotten when Ash reached Alola.

But more than that, Stephen was curious why Latias had chosen to transform into Sonia.

["Maybe it's because you've been meeting that orange-haired girl a lot lately."]

Zoroark speculated.

It was indeed a possibility.

Because Stephen had been visiting Sonia's space research institute multiple times in recent days to make use of a certain mischievous cat's ability, Latias might have chosen to transform into Sonia's face just now, considering Sonia had the closest relationship with Stephen.

"Let's head home," Stephen stretched lazily and walked in the opposite direction of where Latias had departed.

However, he didn't notice that, just as Latias transformed into Sonia and gave him that playful kiss, several individuals happened to emerge from the street on the opposite side of the river, witnessing that very scene.

These people were none other than Goodshow and the Four Elite Trainers of the Indigo Plateau!

As Stephen had predicted earlier, Goodshow planned to send only Lance to participate in the Alola Friendship Tournament, while Agatha, Lorelei, and Bruno stayed behind to guard the Indigo Plateau.

Today, Goodshow came to Alto Mare after hearing that a pair of dragon siblings had settled there, hoping to try his luck and recruit them to strengthen Lance's team.

In the past, whenever Goodshow received information about legendary Pokémon, his first thought would naturally be his beloved grandson, Tobias.

However, after the incident in Slateport City, Goodshow realized that his grandson simply couldn't control legendary Pokémon. Moreover, Lance was a better candidate for training legendary Pokémon, especially considering that dragons were his specialty!

What Goodshow and his team hadn't anticipated, though, was that instead of spotting the legendary Pokémon, they stumbled upon such a shocking scene.

Lance crossed his arms, maintaining his usual indifferent expression.

"Trainers don't need women," he muttered.

Meanwhile, Bruno silently shifted a step away from where Lorelei was standing.

Agatha grinned mischievously, her sharp smile betraying her amusement. "That young girl... never seen her before. Found himself a new one, has he?"

Lorelei, outwardly displaying the same disdainful expression as Lance, betrayed her inner restlessness by the faint tremor of the icy thunder beneath her office lady attire. It was clear her feelings were far from calm.

Goodshow looked distressed.

"That girl seems to be quite something. Looks like Lorelei just lost another advantage..."

...

As the Alola Friendship Tournament drew near, tourists from various regions began arriving in Alola.

Elite Trainers and champion candidates from different leagues also made their way to visit Stephen at the Aether Foundation, where he lived.

The first group to arrive was the Hoenn delegation, led by Steven.

Currently, the Hoenn Champion was Drake, the original head of the Hoenn Elite Four in the series. As expected, he would lose to Steven in next week's tournament and step down from the championship to rejoin the Elite Four.

Stephen guided the Hoenn group on a tour of Aether Paradise. Along the way, Wallace asked Stephen about his unique Altaria.

Because Wallace's niece's starter Pokémon was a Swablu, she was very interested in Stephen's unusual Altaria, so she asked her uncle to inquire about it.

Stephen brushed off the question with, "It might be an Alolan form of Altaria. The specifics are still under research."

After asking on behalf of his niece, Wallace couldn't help but bring up a personal question.

"Dr. Stephen, do you think there's still a chance for me and Winona?"

Stephen was a bit surprised—he hadn't expected Wallace to come to him for relationship advice.

Steven and the others nearby seemed to think Stephen could provide a suitable solution. After all, Stephen's romantic escapades had made headlines multiple times.

What was even more bizarre was that Stephen's fanbase was divided into several factions:

Those who supported Stephen with Morgan.

Those who shipped Stephen with Lorelei.

Those who were all for Stephen and Nessa.

But the most numerous faction was the harem supporters.

Some even left comments on Alola's official accounts saying, ["Dr. Stephen should date more women. As fans, we feel more engaged that way. If he enjoyed photography, it'd be even better."]

Recalling the original series where Winona and Wallace had split up, Stephen said, "Winona's personality makes her a tough one to deal with. I'd recommend finding someone else."

In the original story, Winona had broken up with Wallace because she felt overwhelmed by his superior strength.

Although they reconciled after a major battle, Stephen thought that if Winona's self-critical nature didn't change, their relationship would still fall apart later.

"If the guy being stronger than her makes her unhappy, would she be happy with someone weaker?" Stephen mused.

With her ambitious personality, Stephen doubted she'd settle for anyone weaker either.

"She's just too much trouble."

"How could you say that..." Wallace looked dejected.

Stephen didn't continue discussing the topic with Wallace. Their views on relationships were completely different.

Wallace believed that a key only fits one lock and that once you've chosen someone, it's for life.

Of course, according to Steven's leaked intel, Wallace hadn't even had the chance to unlock anything before getting dumped.

Stephen, on the other hand, believed relationships shouldn't be forced. If one didn't work out, just move on to the next.

After a while, representatives from other leagues began to arrive.

"What happened to him?" Leon asked, pointing at the disheartened Wallace.

"Winona problems," Stephen replied casually.

"Still not over it, huh?" Leon remarked, surprised.

Wallace and Winona's breakup had stirred up quite the discussion in their champions' chat group back then.

"Dr. Stephen, I didn't get the chance to prepare a gift for your birthday party last time, so I brought one now," Diantha said with a smile, handing Stephen a gift box.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Stephen opened the box.

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Inside was a peculiar stone, about the size of a marble.

"I've never seen a stone like this before," Steven said, intrigued.

Diantha smiled. "It's a newly discovered type of stone from the Flare Foundation's research department. Professor Sycamore says it contains mysterious power, but its exact effects are still under study. I asked them to give me one so I could present it to Dr. Stephen as a gift."

Alder smirked mischievously. "You just want Dr. Stephen to help with your research, don't you?"

"Don't talk nonsense," Diantha shot back. "I have no such intentions. Besides, this stone is so beautiful—it would make a perfect pendant or ring, wouldn't it?"

Soon, Cynthia arrived with the Sinnoh delegation, accompanied by Flint and Lucian.

Beside Cynthia was a striking young woman with an unusual hairstyle—Sheena!

Seeing her, Stephen couldn't help but think of a plan.

...

The Alola League's Manalo Stadium, located on an artificial island near Aether Paradise, was abuzz with activity on the day of the opening ceremony.

Fireworks lit up the skies above Alola's seas, while cruise ships ferried waves of visitors to the venue.

"Wow! That's Clair, the new Gym Leader of Blackthorn City!"

"Her legs are so long and she looks so cool! I heard she just took over her father's position and became the Gym Leader of Cianwood City. She must be here to support Lance!"

"Champion Cynthia is so elegant!"

"Nessa's figure is as amazing as ever!"

"Wallace! Who's the top and who's the bottom between you and Steven?!"

The arrival of champions, elite trainers, and gym leaders sparked intense excitement among fans.

While most greeted fans with smiles and signed autographs, Wallace wore a dark expression.

Not only had he failed to get advice from Stephen on how to reconcile with Winona, but now even his orientation was being questioned.

Steven wasn't much different. Even though he was a rock enthusiast, that didn't mean he wanted to be treated as gay.

"It's fine! At least most people think you're the dominant one in the relationship. After all, Wallace looks like a woman anyway."

The Hoenn Dark-type Elite Four member, Sidney, teased him.

"Shut up!"

The Hoenn Twins shouted in unison.

...

...

At the small public battle arena next to the Manalo Stadium.

Everyone's attention was focused on the main grand stadium, so no one noticed that the three strongest trainers of the time were gathered here.

Stephen casually tossed a dark Poké Ball to Pryce, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

"What about the information on Celebi?"

Pryce caught the ball and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his coat, his tone remaining cold as ever.

"Nothing."

Stephen replied nonchalantly.

In an instant, a vast and overwhelming pressure, as deep as the sea and as heavy as a mountain, spread outward from the three of them.

Bewear, Beedrill, and Swinub.

The three Pokémon jumped out of their Poké Balls.

The three formed a triangular stance, glaring at each other.

A small stroke of luck amidst the misfortune was that there wasn't a fourth person present.

Otherwise, the next second, they'd be retching from the sheer oppressive aura.

"There are tens of thousands of people gathered on this artificial island right now, aren't there? Maybe even hundreds of thousands?" Pryce squinted his eyes and said, "If they found out about the true identities of the famous Dr. Stephen and the highly respected Gym Leader Giovanni, I imagine the news would spread across the world in no time."

Giovanni clenched his fists tightly in his pockets.

This damn old man!

Stephen spoke again:

"Besides Celebi, there is another Legendary Pokémon capable of controlling time. Its power far surpasses Celebi's."