Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 232: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

Stephen's family continued watching the match. Facing a trainer on the opposite side whom Stephen, the transmigrator, didn't recognize at all, Red unsurprisingly took the victory in the first battle. Although it only took two moves to decide the outcome, Red's displayed strength made Karen and the others immediately see that this kid's power was already on par with the Elite Four.

To reach such heights after just a year of traveling... the last person to achieve this was Leon.

After Red, the other two Rainbow trio members from Pallet Town, Green and Blue, also began to shine.

...

A week passed, and by the time they reached the fourth round of 3v3 battles, no one had managed to defeat even a single Pokémon belonging to any of the Rainbow Squad trio.

"Kanto is about to rise again."

On the third field, the Grass Battlefield, when Blue's Arcanine crushed the opponent's three Pokémon with overwhelming force, Oleana's usually tired face showed a rare seriousness as she watched the VIP lounge's live broadcast.

Rose's expression wasn't good.

Previously, thanks to cooperation with Stephen, Galar had also gained talents like Reggie and Valerie.

But their performance wasn't as good, not even close, to these three.

The potential shown by Red and Blue reminded Rose of the time he discovered Leon.

Although Green was a bit inferior to the other two, Rose felt that given time, this girl would also become a champion-level trainer.

"Heh heh heh~ Thanks for letting us win."

Goodshow was grinning from ear to ear.

He had been paying attention to these three kids for a while; their backgrounds were very clean.

Goodshow planned that once the League Champion emerged from among them, the winner would fill the vacant spot among the Elite Four.

Listening to Goodshow's humble-bragging, the other regional chairmans and champions looked displeased.

Even if not everyone was as rebellious as Rose or Geeta, seeing Kanto's monsters popping up one after another, like bamboo shoots after the rain, made them jealous.

Why does Kanto get all the good stuff?

"Huh? Isn't that the boy who appeared in the Kalos Junior Cup before? Tch... not a match."

Steven noticed a familiar face—Alain.

He had also participated in the Junior Cup in Lumiose City, Kalos. Steven still remembered—his Charizard was defeated by Red's Charmeleon.

Truly humiliating.

And now his opponent was... Green.

"Is that... a Mega Evolution stone?"

Wallace noticed the evolution stone necklace around Alain's Charizard's neck.

"Respond to my heart, Key Stone! Go beyond evolution! MEGA EVOLUTION!"

Alain, sounding a bit overdramatic, shouted a phrase reminiscent of a Zanpakuto release line.

The Key Stone on his right hand and the Mega Stone on Charizard shone with dazzling rainbow light.

Charizard X!

"Mega Charizard X, a Fire/Dragon-type Pokémon with the Tough Claws ability, its body brimming with extraordinary power, and its black body able to burn with intense blue flames."

Sitting in the stands, Gary gave an explanation while holding the second-generation Pokédex.

"Huh? Isn't its ability supposed to be Water Absorb?"

Gary was stunned. He remembered Stephen had told them that Alain's Charizard had Water Absorb as its ability.

"But with the Dragon typing, Charizard's not afraid of water anymore. Green's Blastoise won't have much of an advantage."

Ash, sitting next to him, chimed in.

"Tch~ You actually memorized the type chart, Ash? That's a huge breakthrough for you!"

Gary exaggerated.

"You wanna fight!?"

Ash instantly bristled.

"Hmph, that guy only has one Pokémon left. Green will handle it easily."

Silver snorted coldly.

The crowd's attention was still on the match.

But what they didn't know was that the eyes of all the major underground organizations were firmly fixed on the red-haired boy sitting with the main cast.

"That's right! It's definitely Silver!"

Inside Team Rocket's secret base, Giovanni's hand, resting on Meowth's head, trembled as he looked at the screenshot of the boy in the stands.

"Boss Giovanni, we've investigated."

Matori picked up a data tablet and reported, "Young Master Silver regained his freedom last year after Elderly Pryce passed away. After that, to confirm whether Pryce's death was real, he and that girl named Green smuggled into Sinnoh. There, they confirmed Pryce's death, and their source of information was Lance."

"That guy..."

Hearing this name, Giovanni's face darkened.

Noticing the change in Giovanni's expression, Matori nervously swallowed and continued, "After learning that Silver had nowhere to go, Lance took him in, and Green returned to Pallet Town... That's all."

Sitting nearby, Stephen raised his hand and said, "When Green was taken away, she was already five years old, so it's normal she remembers her parents' faces and address. But Silver was only two. He probably doesn't remember much about you, uncle... Still, I didn't expect him to be adopted by Lance."

"So, uncle, what do you plan to do?"

Stephen switched the topic.

"Of course, I'm going to bring Silver back immediately."

Giovanni rarely looked so grim. "I can't stand the thought of him being by that guy's side for even a second."

"Bringing Young Master Silver back is easy. Whether we assemble Team Rocket to grab him openly or have the King use Hoopa's power to teleport him back, it's not a problem."

Sird smiled. "The key is what identity you want to use to reunite with Silver: as the Viridian Gym Leader, or... as Team Rocket's Boss?"

Giovanni fell silent for a while, realizing this was a real problem. Sird continued:

"I'd suggest using your Gym Leader identity. I've secretly observed Silver these days; he's the cold-outside, warm-inside, justice-driven type. If you started with 'You're the son of Team Rocket's Boss,' it'd be too big a shock."

In the original story, by the time Giovanni found Silver, his true identity was already public knowledge, so there was no other way.

But now that it hasn't been revealed yet, there's a chance to use it well.

"Hmm... Then I'll go to Indigo Plateau tomorrow and find a chance to talk to Silver."

Giovanni truly couldn't wait.

"But there's another problem, uncle."

Stephen continued, "If the League asks why you never reported your son's kidnapping back then, what will you say?"

At this, Giovanni, Sird, and the others froze.

Damn, they'd forgotten about that.

Back then, Giovanni hadn't even told his closest subordinates about having a son, let alone the League.

It was to prevent enemies from exploiting it.

But after all these years, suddenly a son pops up—how do you explain that?

"...Stephen, do you have any good ideas?"

Giovanni racked his brain for several minutes but got nowhere, so he turned to Stephen.

"Emmm... well, you'll just have to act—let Silver see your 'love' as a father."

Stephen stroked his chin.

"What do you mean?"

Giovanni asked, puzzled.

Stephen smiled, "When you invaded Alola, didn't you use this act for me at the Aether Paradise?"

Giovanni immediately understood and laughed. "Ha, guess I was too close to see the answer."

...

The next day arrived.

The current Indigo Conference finally reached the Top 32 6v6 battles.

The venue was upgraded from a small battlefield to the newly built grand Indigo Arena.

For once, the headlines weren't all about Stephen and his girlfriends.

The Rainbow Squad from Pallet Town stole the show.

Kanto's Viridian TV:

["Eight years ago, Galar's Leon debuted and became champion in a year, a feat only seen once in Galar's history. Now, Kanto has produced three such talents in a single year. But whether Red, Green, or Blue, none can challenge Champion Lance for his throne—but the winner among them will fill the current Elite Four vacancy."]

Johto's Goldenrod TV:

["The prodigy girl named Jasmine from Olivine City has been confirmed as the new Gym Leader. Sadly, after Pryce's death, the Mahogany Gym remains vacant. We think one of Pallet's trio would be suitable."

Paldea's Desk Times:

["Unfortunately, prodigy Nemona couldn't participate in this Indigo Conference due to school, but her strength is no less than Red, Green, and Blue."]

Kalos' Lumiose Times:

["Dr. Stephen's new girlfriend Sonia is rumored to be pregnant."]

...

VIP Stand Area.

"Mr. Giovanni, it's a surprise to see you here in person," said Bruno, surprised.

Though Giovanni was the strongest Gym Leader in the Indigo League, he was also the most reclusive, rarely making public appearances—even Gym challenges were usually handled by his subordinates.

Giovanni tried not to look at the right side of the stands below, smiling, "Well, Kanto has produced a few geniuses, hasn't it? I was too curious not to come watch."

After everyone sat, Diantha asked, "Do you think those three can become League Champions in a year, like Leon?"

"Impossible," said Nessa, seated next to Stephen.

She was from Galar, had traveled with Sonia, Leon, and Raihan, and witnessed Leon's growth.

"Leon only beat Champion Peony because Peony didn't try."

When Leon debuted, Rose was already the Galar League Chairman, and his brother Peony, the then-champion, didn't get along with him or want the position. After seeing Leon's talent, Peony just went with the flow and handed over the title.

Saying he gave it might be an exaggeration, but Peony truly didn't fight seriously back then.

But Lance wouldn't go easy on anyone.

If any of the three made it to him, he'd show no mercy.

While everyone debated, Giovanni glanced at Stephen, who smiled and shook his head, indicating Giovanni didn't need to hurry.

Last night, Stephen and Giovanni had discussed who would play the villain. Stephen said not to worry—the villain would reveal themselves.

Meanwhile, Cynthia, who hadn't taken her eyes off Stephen, found a chance to whisper, "What are you up to?"

"I'm just helping repair a parent-child relationship," Stephen grinned.

Cynthia was left confused.

...

Two days later, the semifinals.

The Rainbow Squad finally met in battle. In a full 6v6, Blue defeated Green with four Pokémon remaining.

After recalling her Jigglypuff, Green let out a long sigh.

Even though she'd always said she didn't care about the outcome, actually losing at this point still stung.

"Green is already excellent; it's just that those two boys are even more outrageous," commented Professor Oak.

"At her age, I may not have been as good as her," Cynthia said.

After just a year, Green's strength was touching the Elite Four level—a genius in any region.

Unfortunately, she ran into two even more monstrous trainers who reached (and even surpassed) Elite Four level in just a year. (Referring to the Special/Adventures manga, where Red and Blue reached Elite Four after a year; in the games, beating the League in a year is a stretch, but in the manga, it makes sense.)

"Stephen, is Carr coming or not?"

Giovanni wasn't interested in the Rainbow Trio Squad, whispering to Stephen.

"Relax, if not today, then tomorrow," Stephen replied.

Carr and Faba, those two idiots, only had one move left—to kidnap Silver.

Their only chance was during the packed Indigo Conference.

If Silver was taken away by Lance, they'd have no cards left.

"Carr?"

Cynthia, seated next to Stephen, was confused at first, then remembered—wasn't he a Team Rocket fugitive? Oh, right, he'd defected.

Just as Cynthia was about to ask why Stephen was bringing up Carr, Stephen's eyes suddenly narrowed. He said seriously, "They're here!"

Giovanni and Cynthia followed his finger.

Near where Silver, Ash, and Gary sat, a heavily-wrapped spectator got up and walked past them, apparently leaving. Oddly, it was right before Red's semifinal battle—why leave now?

Strangely, as he passed Professor Oak, he tossed something into the corner of the seats.

"What's going on?" Cynthia was confused.

"There's another, Shirona-chan, it's your turn," Stephen said, pulling Cynthia's hand toward the left.

There, the wife and son of Petalburg Gym Leader Norman were sitting. Another wrapped-up spectator passed by and tossed something.

It wasn't over!

As Green and Blue shook hands, someone in the front row threw something at them.

A Poké Ball?

"Probably a bomb," Stephen whispered in Cynthia's ear. Her face changed.

Instantly, Cynthia called out Garchomp, leaped onto its back, and flew towards Norman's wife and son.

The audience, who were clapping for Green and Blue, were bewildered.

"Uncle, don't forget to get hurt," Stephen said.

"Leave it to me," Giovanni smiled, sent out his Beedrill, and stabbed his shoulder, charging toward the battlefield.

All the League chairmans and champions in the VIP stand were stunned.

Cynthia leaped down—why was Giovanni following? And since when did Giovanni have a Beedrill?

Lance's face changed dramatically—he recognized that Beedrill!

Stephen stood and shouted, "Everyone get down, there's a terrorist attack!"

When the continent's top trainer and idol speaks, everyone believes him.

All 100,000 spectators immediately ducked for cover.

On the battlefield, Green and Blue also saw the Poké Ball thrown in. It opened by itself.

Out jumped... Forretress!

And at this moment, the Pokémon was glowing a fiery red.

Explosion!

"Blastoise—" Blue instinctively wanted to call his ace.

But then realized his Blastoise was already knocked out.

Damn!

Too late!

Buzz!

At the last moment, a golden ring appeared, blocking Green and Blue and sucking the about-to-explode Forretress inside.

Elsewhere in the stands, more rings appeared, absorbing the Forretresses about to detonate.

TV viewers immediately recognized—

It was Hoopa's golden rings!

But near Silver, Professor Oak, Ash, and Gary, another Forretress was about to explode!

But this time—no golden ring appeared.

All six had been used up!

"No!! Silver!!!"

At this moment, Giovanni charged over, roaring.

In the chaos, Silver turned to look.

Before he could think, Giovanni fell from above, hugging him tightly with his back to the Forretress.

"Altaria!" Stephen quickly sent out Altaria.

Its fluffy wings wrapped Professor Oak, Delia, Ash, Gary, and the others.

But... it was too late to protect Giovanni and Silver.

BOOM!!!

The right side of the stands exploded, debris flying everywhere.

Giovanni, holding Silver, was blasted into the arena.

Silver, completely unharmed, was stunned.

That person... was Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader?

Did he know Silver?

And why did he save him?

"S-Silver... Silver..."

At this moment, Giovanni, his back bloody and mangled, struggled to reach for Silver, calling his name with all his might.

Stephen blinked.

Whoa, that was an amazing effect.

After all, it was a real injury.