Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 212: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

"Feeling conflicted, aren't you? Miss Shirona."

Stephen raised his hand and made a "please sit" gesture to Cynthia, smiling warmly. "Keeping such a big secret in your heart—these past few days, you must not have been sleeping well, right?"

Cynthia, still in her growth phase but already showing signs of her sharp figure, took a deep breath. After a while, like a balloon deflating, she asked, "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything. On the contrary, I'm more curious about what you want."

Stephen said calmly, "I'm a little curious—what are you so nervous about, rushing over here from Sinnoh in such a hurry?"

Cynthia bit her lips tightly. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore, and the words she had buried deep in her heart poured out like a flood. "If Hoopa falls into your hands, Team Rocket could strike any region at any time! I can't let that happen!"

She had kept these thoughts bottled up for far too long. Once the floodgates opened, the words spilled out uncontrollably.

Stephen bent slightly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "First of all, I'm not that interested in Hoopa. It came to me on its own. Second... why are you so convinced that if I had Hoopa, I'd attack the regions?"

"You guys, back at Indigo Plateau and Lily of the Valley Island—"

Cynthia was about to argue back, but her words stopped halfway in her throat. Because, thinking back to those two events, she realized that neither Stephen nor Team Rocket were the primary instigators.

"Looks like you've figured it out," Stephen said with a shrug. "At the end of the day, wasn't it Shadow and Caishen who acted first in Indigo and Lily of the Valley? We just picked up the leftovers—just like with that Jewel of Life incident. Although you probably won't believe me, the Jewel of Life that Sheena had from her ancestors a thousand years ago was a fake. The real one was sealed in the ruins the entire time. So when the news said I stole the Jewel of Life from Sheena, it was completely false."

He shrugged again.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Cynthia asked, her expression complicated. Her lips, bitten so hard, had turned pale.

"You're trying to say Team Rocket is innocent? Do you even know how many horrible things they've done—"

"I know."

Before Cynthia could finish her sentence, Stephen interrupted her, speaking in an unbothered tone: "Large-scale violent capture of wild Pokémon, taking promising Pokémon even if they already have trainers, monopolizing the underground black market, conducting illegal transactions, and Pokémon experimentation..."

"Team Rocket has done plenty of heinous things. I know that better than you."

Cynthia's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting him to describe his organization as heinous. For someone who, though not from a noble family, had grown up in a sheltered environment, his bluntness was overwhelming.

"Since you know all of that, then why—"

"Me? I'm an orphan. Before I turned ten, I was wandering in the wilderness. Five years ago, I ended up wandering to Cianwood City in Johto. You probably know that too, right?"

Stephen poured himself a cup of tea, taking a sip before pouring one for Cynthia as well. She, however, had no interest in drinking tea.

"Back then, it was Saori Joy from the Cerulean Pokémon Center who gave me a meal and helped me register for an ID. That's why, just last week, I gave her—or rather, the Joy family—my latest research on the healing capsule as a token of gratitude."

"Isn't that a threat?"

Cynthia blurted out instinctively.

Stephen froze for a moment, then broke into laughter after two seconds. "You're overthinking it. With your current strength, do you think I'd need to go to such lengths to threaten you?"

His laughter grew more unrestrained. "If I wanted to threaten you, I'd just find some small room, corner you, and say, 'Miss Shirona, you wouldn't want me to destroy the League, would you?' Isn't that much simpler?"

Cynthia's face turned slightly red.

Now that she thought about it, he was right. If Stephen wanted to threaten her, he could've just come to Sinnoh and put a knife to her throat. Why go through so much trouble? But wait... why did this logic feel so off?

Realizing this, Cynthia silently cursed Stephen in her heart.

No wonder there were so many rumors about him—damn Playboy!

"After that, that man... the leader of Team Rocket came to me."

Stephen continued his story. "He taught me Pokémon battle strategies, and breeding techniques, and funded my scientific experiments. From that moment on, I became, more or less, a member of Team Rocket."

Cynthia's eyes revealed a trace of unwillingness. "That's just how criminals win people over."

"In my hometown, there's a saying: Judge actions, not intentions. I didn't care what he was thinking at the time. What mattered to me was whether or not he helped me."

Since Cynthia already knew his true identity, Stephen didn't bother hiding anything. He released all his Pokémon at once—Umbreon, Bewear, Shadow Lugia... letting them do as they pleased.

Umbreon, like an affectionate ragdoll cat, immediately jumped onto the couch and curled up on Stephen's lap to sleep. Zoroark tugged at Stephen's sleeve, looking exactly like a child seeking permission to play with a phone.

With a helpless expression, Stephen handed over his Pokédex to Zoroark. She eagerly opened the communication app and contacted a certain yellow rodent for some online gaming.

Watching this, Stephen couldn't help but wonder if he should warn Zoroark to stay away from that slacker Mew.

"Whoever helps you, you help them. That's... that's just being morally blind! Team Rocket is evil! Before knowing their true identity, helping them might've been understandable. But now that you know what they are, you should—"

Cynthia snapped out of her shock from seeing Stephen's powerful Pokémon and began to argue again.

"Should what? Should I switch sides from Team Rocket to the League?"

Stephen asked, smiling. "Aren't I already one of the League's champions?"

Cynthia: ...

She had forgotten that this guy had another identity!

"And it's not like I'm only repaying Team Rocket. Saori Joy helped me register for an ID and gave me a meal, so I gave her family the healing capsule. Professor Oak gave me research ideas, so I gave him half the royalties from the Pokédex. Chairman Rose helped me a lot too... oh, I haven't repaid him yet, but I will eventually."

Stephen shrugged. "Honestly, Miss Shirona, in terms of contributions to the League, over the past five years—heck, even ten years—who's done more than me?"

Cynthia fell silent again.

If Stephen had only left her speechless earlier, now she truly had no words.

Not just the past five years—over the past ten years, perhaps even since the League's founding, there weren't many people whose contributions could compare to Stephen's. And there were still a few major accomplishments he hadn't even mentioned!

The reason Cynthia didn't dare to report Stephen wasn't just because of his unparalleled strength. It was also because of his position as the idol of countless young trainers. If he were to fall from grace, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Team Rocket is evil, and the League is good. I'm not interested in debating that," Stephen said again. "I have no interest in such discussions. I just know I'll never do anything I'll regret."

He continued: "I do what I want and live as I please. That's my life philosophy. Don't overthink it."

"What you're most worried about is me fully siding with Team Rocket and overthrowing the League, right? That's the last thing you should worry about."

Stephen reassured her: "The League isn't perfect, but it's healthy overall. More importantly, it has the support of the people."

"Like Shadow's attempt to overthrow the League through violence, under the eyes of the entire world—that was the epitome of stupidity, in my opinion."

"No one wants to live under violent rule. Even if Shadow had gotten lucky and succeeded without Team Rocket's interference, they wouldn't have lasted. Sooner or later, a new strong force would've risen to overthrow them."

"The same goes for Team Rocket. Their negative image is deeply ingrained in the public's mind. Replacing the League is impossible. Being the underworld's kingpin is the best they can hope for."

Stephen spread his hands as if to say: "That's all there is to it."

"Isn't that already terrifying enough?"

Cynthia muttered to herself, feeling a bit speechless.

A dark organization ruling the entire underground world of the Pokémon continent—

It's practically like a sword of Damocles hanging over the League's head.

Cynthia thought that if Team Rocket truly developed to that point someday, it would inevitably lead to an earth-shattering war with the League.

"And besides, there's no need for you to worry about something that far off right now. Doesn't Sinnoh itself have a bunch of issues waiting for its Champion to deal with?"

Stephen shifted the topic with a casual remark.

"Are you talking about Lily of the Valley Island? Mr. Cyrus has already taken over and is handling the reconstruction work there," Cynthia frowned slightly, assuming Stephen was referring to the devastated Lily of the Valley Island.

Although the place was in ruins, with the miraculous power of Pokémon and the financial resources of the Cyrus Group,

Cynthia believed the restoration wouldn't take too much time.

"Mr. Cyrus..."

Hearing Cynthia's formal way of addressing Cyrus, Stephen couldn't help but show a subtle, suppressed smile.

"Heh~ In any case, you can handle my identity however you like," Stephen said as he stood up. "Either report me to Mr. Goodshow or keep this secret buried in your heart for the rest of your life."

"But if you choose the latter, you'd better be careful when you get married in the future. Make sure to see a doctor in advance to confirm you don't have the habit of sleep-talking. Otherwise, you might accidentally spill the beans."

At the end, Stephen half-joked with a smile.

"Take some time to relax here in Alola, this vacation paradise. After all, that Mr. Cyrus will be handling your work for now, isn't that right?"

With that final remark, Stephen patted Cynthia on the shoulder and left her standing alone, lost in thought.

The Lily of the Valley Island incident eventually concluded with the Sinnoh League's former chairman voluntarily taking the blame.

The Cyrus Group announced it would fully take over the island's restoration work, garnering a massive amount of votes for Cyrus, the group's CEO.

During the election process, there was hardly any suspense or formidable opponents, and at just under 25 years old, the young entrepreneur Cyrus was elected as the new chairman of the Sinnoh League.

Following Stephen and Goodshow's advice, Cynthia temporarily took a vacation in Alola.

After learning this, Caitlin, who had recently received an invitation from the Unova League's chairwoman and transferred from Sinnoh to Unova, hurried over to check on Cynthia. She asked if Cynthia was feeling unwell lately.

Cynthia explained that she was just a bit tired after the Lily of the Valley Island incident.

But while Cynthia claimed she was on vacation, in reality, she was secretly observing Alola—Stephen's territory.

She wanted to see for herself what kind of person Stephen was.

When she learned that the original Ground-type Gym Leader, Sofu, had passed away without even holding a single Gym battle and that Professor Kukui was temporarily acting as Gym Leader, Cynthia considered whether she should transfer here to take over as Gym Leader, so she could keep an eye on Stephen.

When Caitlin heard about Cynthia's plan, she was utterly dumbfounded.

"Why would you give up being a Champion just to become a Gym Leader?"

"Miss Cynthia, you're not falling for that playboy, are you?" Caitlin's eyes gradually lost their sparkle.

Because, aside from that, she couldn't think of any other reason why Cynthia would abandon her Champion title and lower herself to become a Gym Leader in a foreign region.

"I was just saying that casually. Don't take it seriously."

Seeing her young admirer's reaction, Cynthia quickly changed her tune.

Indeed, the idea wasn't rational.

Not to mention whether Sinnoh would even let her go, just imagine how others would perceive her if she did this—

Would people think she had a crush on a criminal?

Just imagining that scenario made Cynthia feel deeply uncomfortable.

The next day, while having afternoon tea with Caitlin, Cynthia picked up a newspaper and sipped her tea.

It was a newspaper from Mesagoza, the capital of the Paldea region—

Mesagoza Daily: [Lance Declines Geeta's Invitation and Rejects Terastalization]

Seeing this headline, Cynthia raised her eyebrows with interest.

The Paldea region had developed a new Pokémon enhancement method called Terastalization.

Initially, Cynthia had wanted to see it for herself, but the unresolved chaos of the Lily of the Valley incident, combined with her frustration over Stephen's true identity, had made her forget about it.

So Lance had already gone ahead?

After carefully reading the report, Cynthia couldn't help but smile faintly.

The report revealed that Terastalization is a method that changes a Pokémon's type during battle.

To be honest, its power wasn't as strong as Dynamaxing or Mega Evolution, but it was far more convenient to use.

Dynamaxing required being in specific locations with Dynamax energy spots, which were mostly limited to Galar's stadiums.

Some stadiums didn't even have them.

So, if you encountered dangerous Pokémon or criminals in the wild, relying on Dynamaxing to turn the tide was almost impossible—

Because there were no energy spots in the wild.

As for Mega Evolution, while it could be used anytime, anywhere, the stones were too hard to find. And even if you did find one, it might not match your Pokémon.

Terastalization, on the other hand, was much more convenient—any Pokémon could use it, anytime, anywhere.

However, there was still one issue.

The Tera Orb, the item needed for Terastalization, had to be recharged with "Tera Energy" at a Pokémon Center in Paldea after each use.

In other words, if you left the Paldea region, you could only use Terastalization once. After that, you'd have to return to a Pokémon Center in Paldea to recharge before using it again.

It was quite inconvenient.

(In the game, if Eternatus is in your party, the Tera Orb doesn't require recharging and can be used indefinitely.)

The report stated that Geeta had invited Lance to transfer to Paldea so he could use Terastalization without restrictions.

But Lance ultimately declined.

Lance also announced that he wouldn't use Terastalization, with the media speculating it was because he spent most of his time outside of Paldea, making recharging too troublesome.

According to a leak from Kalos' Lumiose TV, the real reason was that upon Terastalizing, the types of Lance's two Dragonites changed to Flying type, which greatly displeased the Dragon Champion.

Stephen wasn't concerned about the report.

He had Wicke arrange a new home for Meray and Hoopa.

Watching the excited girl and mischievous little Pokémon after the move, and then glancing at one of the Poké Balls on his belt containing the Destruction Cocoon,

Stephen felt that Team Flare wouldn't be able to cause trouble anymore, right?

After all, even if Lysandre managed to capture Xerneas as the key to activating the Ultimate Weapon, it could only grant someone the Power of Eternal Life—

It couldn't unleash the Power of Destruction to destroy everything without Yveltal.

...

...

Time quietly passed.

Without anyone paying attention,

At the beginning of the new year, two boys who had just turned ten received their first Pokémon—a Charmander and a Squirtle—from Professor Oak at his lab in Pallet Town, marking the start of their journey as Pokémon Trainers.

When the two 10-year-old boys embarked on their journey, their younger brothers also came to the entrance of Pallet Town to see their older brothers off.

After watching the two leave, the younger brothers quickly started fighting again.

As always, they took out their starter partners—Shiny Stufful and Pikachu—for a battle.

The result was unsurprising: the Pokémon that had yet to awaken the 50/50 ability was pinned to the ground and thoroughly beaten by the Shiny Stufful.