Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

The next day, Stephen and his two companions walked out of the guesthouse, preparing to head to the Oak Research Institute.

The first-generation Pokédex had been completed, and today, Stephen planned to say goodbye to Professor Oak and the group of young trainers.

Originally, the main participants of the summer camp were supposed to leave yesterday. However, due to the media surrounding the research institute, they had no choice but to delay their departure by a day.

Buzz—!

Feeling his phone vibrating in his pocket, Stephen took it out and checked.

It was a news notification:

["Unexpected Incident in Goldenrod City, Johto Region"]

Stephen clicked on it and saw that an unexpected incident had occurred in Goldenrod City, Johto, the day before.

The Pokémon Research Center Headquarters in Goldenrod City was attacked by a rampaging wild Salamence.

The attack caused multiple security personnel casualties. According to reports, the Johto League had determined that the primary responsibility for the incident lay with Norman, a Johto native who was originally scheduled to take up a Gym Leader position in Hoenn.

At the time, Norman was in charge of the research center's security.

As punishment, the League ordered Norman to compensate for all economic losses incurred by the research center and banned him from participating in Gym Leader assessments for the next five years.

Will leaned in to glance at the news and commented, "Johto, huh? Yesterday, that old man Goodshow also went to Johto, right? You don't think there's some connection, do you?"

Salamence was already known for its aggressive nature, and a wild Salamence attacking human settlements wasn't exactly unheard of.

However, Will had seen it with his own eyes—yesterday, after receiving a phone call, Goodshow's expression had drastically changed.

He had only left one sentence—"I need to head to Johto immediately"—before boarding a helicopter and leaving.

From Goodshow's expression at the time, it was not a trivial matter.

After all, what could scare the League's Chairman like that?

And now, just a day after Damalanchi's sudden departure for Johto, the news was reporting that Johto's research center had been attacked.

That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?

"Wow, Will, you managed to think this far? Have you been hanging around Stephen for so long that your intelligence has finally made a comeback?"

Karen teased, her pink lips curving into a smirk.

Will rolled his eyes and pretended not to hear Karen's sarcastic remark. Instead, he turned to Stephen and asked, "Stephen, what do you think?"

They had long learned to take news reports with a grain of salt—or even outright doubt them.

Some things can only be truly understood once experienced firsthand.

"The Rayquaza captured by Devon Corporation."

As soon as Stephen spoke, Will and Karen's expressions changed.

Stephen slightly turned his head, looking at his two companions.

"Where do you think Devon Corporation would transport it?"

The three of them had all seen it—Steven's father, Mr. Stone, had ordered his subordinates to load Rayquaza onto a transport truck. But where it was headed, they had no idea.

After all, they had been too busy trying to save Aster at the time.

"That's obvious—Rustboro City, Hoenn."

Will answered without hesitation.

Rustboro City was the largest port city in Hoenn and also the headquarters of Devon Corporation.

In Will's mind, if Mr. Stone had captured the Rayquaza, he would naturally bring it back to his home base immediately.

Karen glanced at Will. Okay, his intelligence had indeed improved a little, but only just a little.

"Or… could it have been taken to the Goldenrod Research Center?"

After a brief moment of thought, Karen made her speculation.

"Why do you think that?"

Stephen asked as he led them toward the research institute, chatting along the way.

"At the time, Mr. Stone brought so many people from Hoenn to Johto to capture Rayquaza. There's no way the locals in Johto didn't know about it—they must have been involved in some way. After all, wasn't the person in charge of security at the time Norman, a Johto native?"

Karen reasoned:

"Since Rayquaza was captured in Johto, the Indigo League wouldn't just let Mr. Stone take the Legendary Dragon back to Hoenn without a fight. They would try to keep it here."

"And now, coincidentally, the news is reporting that the Goldenrod Research Center was attacked. I suspect this is just a cover-up by the League. The real truth is that Rayquaza escaped, and they're using this incident as an excuse to deceive the public. It wouldn't be the first time they've done something like this."

Will, who had been about to retort, suddenly found himself at a loss for words after hearing Karen's analysis.

Alright, fine. She thought things through more thoroughly than I did.

Thinking about it carefully, the research center was a pretty suitable place to contain Rayquaza. And if they had managed to capture a Legendary Pokémon, of course, they would want to study it.

Having followed Stephen for so long, Will had learned this lesson well.

"So you're saying… Rayquaza is no longer in the League's hands? Should we… do something about it?"

Will blinked and asked.

"Not for now. If we do anything, it'll have to wait until she wakes up."

The "she" Stephen referred to was, of course, Aster, who had been transferred to Alola but remained in a deep coma.

The situation surrounding Rayquaza was much too complicated.

It involved not only the Hoenn League and the Indigo League but also Devon Corporation and several other major corporate giants.

And if the Salamence attack on the research center wasn't just a coincidence, then the culprit was most likely Aster's junior, Zinnia.

There were simply too many people and factions involved.

Stephen already had plenty of things to deal with.

Until Aster woke up, it was best to pretend they saw nothing.

[Mew~ Were you guys just talking about Rayquaza?]

Right at that moment, a voice—innocent and childlike—echoed in their minds.

Telepathy?

The three instinctively looked around.

But before they could react, a pink blur floated in front of them.

"Stephen!"

Before they could even see what it was, another dark shadow leaped into Stephen's arms.

Who else could it be but Zorua?

"Did you have fun?"

Stephen cradled Zorua in his left arm while using his right hand to pat her on the head.

Zorua nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm! Mhm!"

Meanwhile, Karen finally got a good look at the pink figure—Mew!

Unlike Zorua's loli voice, another childlike but slightly different tone echoed in their minds through telepathy:

[Were you guys just talking about Rayquaza?]

Karen and Will turned their heads simultaneously to look at the floating pink feline, who was tapping its chin with its tiny paw while tilting its head at them.

"Uh… y-yeah."

Will nodded blankly.

Even though they had encountered Legendary Pokémon before, this one's personality was… quite different from the last.

"Rayquaza was captured by humans, but you don't need to worry—it has already escaped."

Stephen returned Zorua to her Poké Ball and continued on his way to Professor Oak's lab, chatting idly with Mew.

It was as if the legendary Pokémon wasn't a mythical beast at all, just a child making conversation.

[Hmm? I don't care about it, I'm just curious about what happened.]

[But you said it was captured? What happened? That big guy is so strong—how could it be caught?]

At this moment, Mew looked like it had been possessed by Eru Chitanda, its big sparkling eyes staring straight at Stephen with an expression that screamed, "I'm very curious!"

Stephen: ...

 Damn, how can it be so carefree?

Oh, well, it's not surprising—after all, Mew never gets involved in any conflicts, whether between Pokémon or humans.

It only enjoys playing without a care in the world.

...

Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's Laboratory...

Oleana was already there waiting for Stephen's arrival, while her boss, Rose, was sitting across from Professor Oak, testing the Pokédex functions.

"This is amazing, absolutely amazing."

After trying out the Pokédex, Rose's keen business instincts immediately told him that this invention, like Poké Balls and Technical Machines, would take the world by storm upon release.

No wonder Professor Oak was regarded as the League's top genius scientist.

Bzzz—Bzzz—!

Just then, on the other side of the lab, Lorelei's phone rang.

Although Chairman Goodshow had rushed to Johto yesterday, Lorelei did not accompany him.

She had been instructed to stay behind and keep an eye on Rose.

Well, mainly because Goodshow was worried that Rose might pull some kind of stunt again.

And he was right to be concerned.

Standing next to Rose at that moment was a girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old—around the same age as Stephen—who looked as graceful as a mermaid.

Lorelei took out her phone and glanced at the screen, her expression changing instantly.

The message was from the League Headquarters.

It contained a photo of a child, likely around ten years old, wearing a hood that obscured the upper half of their face.

And this child was commanding a Noivern to wreak havoc on a building.

Lorelei recognized the building—it was the Goldenrod City Pokémon Research Facility, the same one that had just been reported in the news.

Along with the photo, the League Headquarters stated that this child was the culprit behind yesterday's attack on the research center.

They ordered the Elite Four and Champions of both the Indigo League and the Hoenn League to capture them at all costs.

That's right—only the Elite Four and Champions received this message. Not even Gym Leaders were informed.

After all, the Rayquaza incident involved too many powerful factions. The fewer people who knew, the better—even among their ranks.

Seeing the message, Lorelei frowned slightly.

She had just seen the news earlier, and now this message from Headquarters…

Thinking back to the League Chairman's expression after that phone call yesterday, she knew things were far more complicated than the news reports suggested.

"Those people… what have they done this time…?"

Lorelei bit her lower lip lightly.

Even though she was part of the Elite Four, she disliked some of the decisions made within the League.

Had they done something shady again this time?

If the truth was just a research facility attack, why not simply issue an open warrant for the suspect?

Why the secrecy?

...

Meanwhile, in Goldenrod Hospital, Johto...

"Master Steven, the president is fine. You may go in now."

A doctor stepped out of the examination room and informed Steven Stone, who was waiting outside.

Steven nodded and placed his hand on the doorknob, still thinking about what had happened yesterday.

Who was that masked person?

Why did they try to kill his father?

If he hadn't arrived in time to stop them, his father might have already…

"Father, what exactly happened yesterday…?"

As soon as Steven entered the room, he couldn't wait to ask his father.

"Let's go. We're returning to Hoenn."

Before Steven could finish speaking, Mr. Stone got up and walked toward the door, leaving his son confused.

He didn't intend to drag Steven into this mess.

On the way back, Steven kept pressing for answers. Eventually, an impatient Mr. Stone brushed him off with, "It was just an assassin sent by a business rival."

It wasn't entirely untrue, but it was not the full story either.

...

Back at Professor Oak's Lab...

At the entrance, Stephen looked at Mew and said, "I've told you everything you wanted to know. Aren't you leaving?"

Mew was still processing the story, amazed at how bold humans had become.

They dared to capture Rayquaza—and succeeded?!

After a moment, Mew finally snapped out of its thoughts and looked curiously at Stephen.

[Huh? You don't want to catch me?]

Mew disliked appearing before humans because everyone who saw it always tried to capture it.

But this guy? Not only was he not trying to catch it, he was even telling it to leave.

"I choose my partners based on fate."

Stephen shrugged.

In his past life, fans often joked that Ash Ketchum never really caught Pokémon using traditional battles and Poké Balls.

It was either talk-no-jutsu or sheer luck.

Stephen didn't entirely agree with Ash's training methods, but when it came to catching Pokémon, they were quite similar.

Unless he specifically needed a Pokémon's unique ability—like Zorua's—he wouldn't go out of his way to capture any particular Pokémon.

Mew's powers were undeniably incredible, but honestly, they overlapped a bit with Zorua's.

So Stephen didn't feel a strong need to capture it.

"Alright then, that's it. Goodbye."

Stephen waved at Mew, then pulled the door handle and stepped into the lab.

"Stare~~~~~~"

Mew half-closed its big eyes, staring at Stephen's back as he disappeared inside.

Human, you have successfully caught my attention.

...

...

...

Inside the house, aside from Professor Oak, Rose, and others, the four brothers of Pallet Town, Hilda, Serena, and other summer camp kids had also arrived one after another.

Today, they were finally going back to their respective homes.

 However, before leaving, they wanted to say goodbye to Stephen.

 Over the past few days, his lectures had taught them a lot.

Suddenly—

"Gyaaahhh—!!"

A heart-wrenching scream erupted from the backyard of the research lab.

Some curious summer camp kids turned to look toward the source of the sound.

They saw Ash pressing his hand on the head of an electric mouse, but the Pikachu looked annoyed and immediately released an electric shock, frying Ash into an afro-haired mess.

Red, Blue, and the others were already used to such sights.

"Is… is this Pikachu suitable for me…?"

Ash, now charred and lying face-down on the ground, muttered weakly.

Yesterday, Professor Oak approached him and introduced this Pikachu, saying that Stephen believed it would be a great partner for him.

At first, Ash was thrilled.

Even though he wasn't the brightest, he had realized over the past three days of lectures that Stephen was an incredible person.

For him to suddenly say that this Pikachu suited Ash… did that mean he saw something special in him?

Yes, yes! That must be it! After all, he was destined to become a Pokémon Master!

Brimming with confidence, Ash immediately hugged Pikachu, ready to declare something grand and forge a deep bond with it—

And then… he got electrocuted again.

From the moment Professor Oak entrusted Pikachu to him until now, not even 24 hours had passed, yet Ash had already been shocked more than ten times.

"Pika~"

Pikachu turned its head away in disdain.

Ash looked like he was about to cry.

Why did Dr. Stephen think this little guy was a good match for him?

"Hah! A disobedient electric rat and a trainer who can't even memorize type matchups—what a perfect pair. Brother Stephen has an eye for people!"

Gary seized the opportunity to mock Ash.

At first, he was a bit upset that Stephen had chosen to give Pikachu to Ash.

But now, seeing this… wow, they were a perfect match.

Both were third-rate!

"What did you say!?"

Ash jumped up in fury, tackling Gary as they started wrestling.

Red and Blue acted like they saw nothing.

They were used to it.

"He recovered so fast…"

Serena couldn't help but marvel at how Ash went from being near-death to full of energy in just a second.

"Ah! Big Brother Stephen, good morning! ( )."

Suddenly, Iono cheerfully waved and called out.

Everyone looked up and saw Stephen walking into the house with two companions.

Rosa and Hilda were also about to greet him,

But before they could, Rose suddenly dashed forward at an astonishing speed and grabbed Stephen's hand.

"Dr. Stephen! Long time no see, long time no see!"

Rosa, who had just opened her mouth but hadn't had a chance to say anything yet, muttered under her breath,

 "This old man… his belly is so big, yet he runs so fast…"

Even Stephen was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.

"Oh—Chairman Rose, long time no see."

"I've already used the Pokédex, and it's even better than I imagined!"

Rose was full of praise for the Pokédex that Stephen and Professor Oak had developed together.

Stephen felt a little embarrassed.

After all, this was just the first-generation model, which only had basic Pokémon scanning and analysis functions.

Later, he planned to add features like move detection, and maps, and even fusing it with Rotom to create an overpowered device.

Stephen intended to take an approach similar to how Nvidia sold graphics cards—releasing upgrades little by little.

Suddenly, Rose remembered something and waved someone over.

A tan-skinned girl stepped forward, looking at Stephen with a mix of displeasure and curiosity.

"Here, Dr. Stephen, let me introduce you. This is Nessa, the Gym Leader of Hulbury in Galar. She will also be the spokesperson for the Pokédex's advertisements."

As he spoke, Rose kept giving Nessa meaningful glances.

Under the watchful eyes of Karen, who looked like she wanted to kill someone, and Lorelei, who had an openly hostile gaze, Nessa reluctantly extended her hand to Stephen.

"Dr. Stephen, hello, I'm Nessa."

"Ah… hello, hello."

Stephen himself wasn't sure what kind of expression to make.

Rose was using this tactic again.

I mean, shouldn't this kind of thing be done secretly?

Why in front of so many people?

"Chairman, the private jet is ready."

At this moment, Oleana walked up and informed Rose.

Rose nodded and turned to Stephen.

"Dr. Stephen, let's take the helicopter to Viridian Airport first, then board the private jet to Galar."

"Big Brother Stephen, we're also preparing to return to Unova. Thank you for your guidance these past few days!"

Finally finding an opportunity to speak, Rosa cheerfully bounced up and called out.

Stephen wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but even though she was still far from puberty, it felt like Rosa had a noticeably greater bouncy compared to Serena and Hilda, who were the same age.

"Good luck! I hope one day the world will tell me about your achievements."

Stephen's words made the little ones' eyes sparkle with excitement.

"Oh right, take these."

Stephen suddenly picked up several first-generation Pokédex devices from the research table and handed them to Rosa, Hilda, Iono, and Serena.

Hilda was shocked.

"This… this is too valuable! We can't accept it!"

"Take it. It's only the first-generation model. Just keep it as a memento. By the time you reach the age where you can go out on adventures, this version will be completely outdated."

Stephen chuckled.

"Blue, Gary, aren't you going to say 'thank you, Big Brother Stephen'?"

Daisy called out to her two younger brothers, who had just received their Pokédex.

After all, the Pokédex was only officially released in Alola and Galar.

As kids from Kanto, her two younger brothers technically weren't eligible to own one.

Stephen giving them these devices was bending the rules for them.

Realizing this, the two quickly bowed and thanked him.

"Thank you, Big Brother Stephen!"

Iono, Red, and the others also expressed their gratitude.

Standing in the back, Goh and Trip were dumbfounded, staring at Stephen, who still hadn't handed them anything.

W-wait… what about us?!

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