Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Steven, Cynthia, are you alright?"

 Alder had fulfilled his promise—he had no intention of pursuing Joker and his group of three.

Cynthia shook her head, looking somewhat ashamed as she glanced toward Sheena.

 Sheena gritted her teeth, contemplating whether or not to use her trump card.

 She didn't want to resort to it unless necessary. After all, with so many people here, if she revealed her hidden ace… Sheena felt like her peaceful days would be over for the rest of her life.

 But she also couldn't just stand there and watch the Jewel of Life slip away from her grasp again!

Just as Stephen had walked a few meters away, he suddenly noticed Sheena. Turning around, he called out:

 "Oh, right! I almost forgot this."

Hearing Stephen's voice, everyone instinctively looked up at him.

 In the moment they turned their heads, something was thrown toward them.

 Reflexively, Cynthia raised her hands and caught it.

What landed in her arms was none other than... the Jewel of Life!

 Cynthia was utterly stunned.

 The same expression appeared on the faces of Sheena, Alder, Steven, and the others.

It… it was returned?

"What's that?"

 Mary and Whitney—two curious little girls—poked their heads out from the back of the car, staring wide-eyed at the jewel in Cynthia's arms.

"Is… is it real?"

 Steven swallowed hard.

Riley took a deep breath and placed his hand on the jewel.

 The moment his fingertips touched it, he felt an endless wave of aura, vast and boundless like the galaxy, emanating from within!

"It's real," Riley confirmed, his tone shifting from nervousness to certainty.

Other than Arceus, he couldn't fathom anyone else possessing such a tremendous aura.

"He… he returned it?"

 Cynthia was completely dumbfounded.

 Looking ahead, the three figures of Joker and his group were already out of sight.

She couldn't understand it. She couldn't comprehend it at all!

 Why go to such great lengths to swap the real Jewel of Life with a fake, only to return the real one afterward?

"Well, in any case, the legacy of the Creator has been recovered, and that's what matters. At least we don't have to live in constant fear anymore," Alder tried to ease the tension.

He couldn't understand why Joker returned the jewel either, but at least it was a good thing.

 At the very least, they wouldn't have to worry about Arceus's wrath now, right?

The legacy of the Creator!?

 Hearing those words, Kodai—who had just settled back into his seat in the car—suddenly froze.

Alder then pulled out his phone and quickly called Chairman Goodshow to report the results of their operation.

Glancing at Sheena, who was holding the Jewel of Life like it was her baby, Alder let out a long sigh of relief.

 The process was dreadful, but the outcome was undeniably good.

Far away on the Indigo Plateau, after hearing Alder's report, Goodshow shared a similar sentiment.

 Although the loss of the Dream Team Trio left him shocked, the successful recovery of the jewel outweighed everything else.

In the chairman's office, Goodshow stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking:

 ["Alder, put me on speakerphone. I have something to say to everyone."]

"Alright."

 Alder pressed the speakerphone button and placed the phone at the center of the group.

"Everyone, the chairman has something to say."

["Can you all hear me?"] Goodshow's voice came through the phone.

"Yes, Mr. Chairman," Cynthia replied.

Steven scratched his temple awkwardly. "Apologies, Chairman. After Lance fell, we really couldn't hold them back…"

Elesa bit her lip. "I was… too weak…"

["It's fine, it's fine. You've all done very well,"] Goodshow reassured them.

Although he was curious about the specifics of the battle, he chose to comfort the future pillars of the League for now.

After a few kind words to soothe the group, Goodshow's tone turned serious.

 ["I have a favor to ask of all of you."]

Agatha immediately chimed in, "Chairman, there's no need for formalities. We're all part of the League. Please, say whatever you need to."

There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the call before Goodshow made up his mind.

["Please announce to the public that this battle… was a victory for the League."]

Hearing Goodshow's request, Mary, crouching behind the car, almost cried out in shock.

 Luckily, Whitney quickly covered her friend's mouth, though she stared in disbelief.

["I know this might sound a bit shameless,"] Goodshow continued, ["but Cynthia, Steven, you two are the future of the League. You should understand why I'm asking for this."]

Goodshow's tone became more earnest:

 ["The team you formed with Lance is, without exaggeration, the League's strongest combat unit for the future."]

["If news spreads that this team was defeated by Joker's group… what will the people of the Pokémon continent think?"]

At these words, the previously shocked Cynthia and Steven both fell silent.

 Although their fame had not yet reached the peak of the original timeline, they were already well-known in Sinnoh and Hoenn.

 Locals had all but acknowledged them as the next champions of their respective regions.

Add in Lance, the esteemed head of the Indigo Elite Four, and you had an all-star team.

 If word got out that they lost to Joker?

The impact on the continent's people would be as devastating as a 7-0 soccer scoreline in Stephen's past life.

Alder, who was over fifty, understood Goodshow's reasoning even more. With an awkward laugh, he tried to lighten the situation:

 "Well, at least, in terms of results, we did win, didn't we? After all, the Jewel of Life has been recovered…"

As he spoke, Alder's voice grew quieter and quieter until he fell silent altogether.

 Damn, it felt even more humiliating!

The Jewel of Life wasn't something they had fought to reclaim. Joker had returned it of his own accord.

Behind the car, Mary was almost ready to shout, "I have never seen such shameless people in my life!"

At that moment, Goodshow's voice came through the phone once more:

 ["Is Mr. Kodai from the Kodai Network there as well?"]

Agatha called out, "Hey! Kodai, the chairman wants to speak with you!"

Having just sat down, Kodai hurriedly jumped out of the car and ran over. "Yes, Mr. Chairman, you called for me?"

["I've heard that the media across the Unova region is under your control. I'm counting on you for this matter."]

 Goodshow let out a sigh.

"Of course, of course. I'll handle it perfectly," Kodai replied obsequiously.

After narrowly escaping disaster himself, Kodai was determined to keep a low profile.

["I'll head to Unova immediately. Cynthia, Steven, you'll need to brief me on everything that happened."]

With that, Goodshow ended the call.

The atmosphere at the scene turned stiflingly awkward.

 Whether it was Cynthia, Steven, or Elesa, all hung their heads in silence.

Though they weren't as proud as Lance, as young geniuses they still had their pride.

 Having to claim victory after such a loss was humiliating!

Meanwhile, Whitney took advantage of the group's distraction to drag Mary into the nearby bushes.

 She had originally planned to say goodbye to Champion Alder, but now, it seemed like revealing themselves would only cause trouble.

"Ahem!"

 Finally, Alder cleared his throat to break the silence.

 "Everyone must be tired. Let's head back to headquarters for some rest. We'll discuss the next steps when the chairman arrives."

Saying this, Alder took it upon himself to carry the unconscious Lance into the car.

Cynthia, Steven, and the others remained silent.

 Even Steven, usually obsessed with stones, had no thoughts about the Jewel of Life in Sheena's arms. All he could think about was how Joker had managed to pull off his tactics in the battle.

Cynthia, for her part, was reviewing the fight in her mind, though one question lingered above all else:

 Why did that guy give her a nickname!?

...

In another location, Karen had just taken tonight's dinner from the deliveryman when she returned to the living room to see Will leaning over next to Stephen.

 Stephen was holding a slip of paper given to him by that glasses-wearing girl.

"Is this… that kid's phone number?" Will speculated as he looked at the string of digits on the paper.

 "They're the same two girls from Goldenrod Station, right? What are they doing in Unova?"

Will spoke while unwrapping a sandwich and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Goldenrod Station?"

 Kaen raised an eyebrow as she handed Stephen a glass of cola.

She hadn't paid much attention to the two girls, who were barely ten years old.

"At Goldenrod Station, during the Shadow incident, we saved those two kids," Will explained briefly, his mouth full of sandwich.

"Ah, little fangirls, huh? I remember back in Johto, before the incident at Olivine Gym, there was even a fan club for you," Karen teased with a smile.

"Even after your downfall, she still seems to admire you. Quite rare, huh? How about meeting her?"

Will also thought that Mary's persistence was something else.

Ever since the Olivine Incident, Joker's reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

 It was comparable to the fall from grace of certain celebrities in previous lifetimes.

Numerous fans announced their departure from his fanbase on social media.

 Yet this bespectacled young girl had managed to chase him from Johto to Unova.

 Even Will was shocked.

Was she really this persistent?

"Can I come along too?"

 Karen seemed intrigued as well.

According to Will, Stephen was undoubtedly Mary's life-saver.

 Although, in her eyes, Mary's feelings for Stephen were nothing more than a combination of gratitude and idol worship.

As for appearance, while Mary was cute, she wasn't quite on par with top-tier beauties like Cynthia, Nessa, or Lorelei.

But being this steadfast, Karen felt it was worth observing.

...

In a hotel room in Nimbasa City.

"I never expected the League to be so shameless! They lost, Lance even fainted! And yet they twist the truth like that!"

Mary, who usually had a personality reminiscent of early-stage Hinata, was now indignantly accusing the League with all the passion she could muster.

However, due to her shy nature, she couldn't bring herself to use harsh language.

 Words like "shameless," "excessive," and "disgraceful" were about the extent of her vocabulary.

Whitney wisely chose to remain silent.

 Seeing her best friend all fired up, she knew anything she said now would go in one ear and out the other.

Buzz buzz—!

At that moment, the phone on the bedside table began to ring.

 Mary lunged for it with a whoosh.

"Probably just a spam call…" Whitney thought to herself.

She couldn't believe Joker would contact her friend.

Though the events earlier in the day had made her realize the League wasn't as perfect as she'd once thought, Joker was still a wanted criminal.

The fact that the League couldn't apprehend him after so many incidents only proved how cautious he was.

 How could he possibly…

["This is Joker."]

Hearing the boy's voice from the phone, the usually bashful Mary was so excited she nearly jumped up.

"Jo… Joker? Is it really you, Joker? My… my name is Mary. Do you remember me? From the Goldenrod Station…"

Seeing her friend practically steaming with excitement, Whitney was stunned.

No way… he actually called?!

"Mm-hmm, no problem, Joker."

Mary nodded so vigorously that it looked like her head might fall off.

After hanging up, she took several deep breaths to calm herself, but the blush on her face didn't fade in the slightest.

"Ma… Mary, was that really Joker? What did he say?" Whitney asked curiously.

"Joker invited me to a café! Oh my gosh, it feels like a dream! I should've gotten contact lenses earlier… Oh no, I think my hairstyle looks plain. Should I go get my hair done first…?"

Mary held her face in her hands and spun around in circles, looking every bit like a love-struck girl.

Whitney was baffled.

She couldn't figure out what Joker was thinking. A fan meet-and-greet?

You're a wanted criminal, and you're setting up meetings with fans?!

Or was he planning to kidnap Mary?

But that didn't make sense either. Mary was a civilian with no family background.

 If Joker wanted to kidnap someone, it would make more sense to target someone like Shauntal or Caitlin.

No matter how she thought about it, Whitney felt Mary shouldn't meet with Joker.

 Even if he'd been wronged, it didn't change the fact that he was a wanted criminal.

Getting involved with him would only bring trouble.

But seeing Mary like this, Whitney didn't dare say anything, afraid it would ruin their friendship.

In the end, Whitney decided she would tag along.

...

An hour later, at an outdoor seating area of a café next to the Nimbasa City Gym.

Mary pouted and gave Whitney a look as if she were a third wheel.

Whitney, experiencing her best friend's resentment for the first time, was speechless.

"I'm only here because I'm worried about you, okay?!"

"Why aren't you wearing glasses?"

A voice suddenly came from behind Mary and Whitney.

It was the same voice from the phone earlier.

Mary was so excited she nearly jumped out of her seat.

"Just stay seated," Stephen said from the seat behind them.

"If my identity gets exposed in the future, they might trace it back to you. It's unlikely, but you should still be careful."

Mary bit her lip gently and replied in a barely audible voice, "I don't care."

Whitney, on the other hand, was starting to see Joker in a new light.

 She hadn't expected him to think so far ahead.

Meanwhile, Karen, wearing sunglasses, sat directly across from Mary, carefully sizing up the girl who was three or four years younger than her.

As expected, she had a small and delicate kind of cuteness.

At least in terms of looks, she wasn't much of a threat.

"Mary, right? I think glasses suit you." Stephen chuckled.

"Re… really? Then… then I'll keep wearing them…"

Mary fidgeted nervously, gripping the hem of her skirt.

In her rush, she hadn't had time to fix her hair and had only managed to get a pair of glasses from the optometrist.

Whitney rolled her eyes internally.

Half an hour ago, you were swearing off glasses forever!

["Good evening, citizens! Welcome to the Unova Evening News."]

At that moment, the large outdoor screen in the plaza lit up as the clock struck 6:00.

 The face of a female news anchor appeared on the screen, delivering the evening news.

The footage first showed a devastated forest.

Stephen and Karen immediately recognized it as the Lostlorn Forest, the site of the day's battle.

The news anchor reported:

["This afternoon, a team led by Unova Champion Alder, along with Lance of the Indigo League Elite Four, Cynthia of the Sinnoh League, Steven of the Hoenn League, and other League elites, conducted a pursuit operation in the Lostlorn Forest east of Nimbasa City, targeting the S-rank wanted criminal Joker and his two accomplices."]

["After a fierce battle, the dream team of Lance, Cynthia, and Steven ultimately defeated the trio of criminals led by Joker."]

["Although the three managed to escape, the team successfully recovered the Sinnoh artifact that had been stolen two months ago, thanks to the outstanding performance of these young champions, who represent the future of the League."]

["Of course, we mustn't overlook the leadership role played by our champion, Alder, in this operation."]

As soon as the news anchor finished speaking, Mary couldn't hold it in anymore.

With a slam on the table, she stood up and shouted, "Nonsense!"

Her outburst drew curious stares from the other café patrons and passersby.

Whitney quickly pulled her back into her seat.

Karen couldn't help but take another look at Mary.

 This little girl seemed more agitated than Stephen himself.

Stephen, on the other hand, was unfazed.

Whether it was the governments of his previous life or the media manipulation of his life before that, he was used to it by now.

"Lies! That's not how it happened!"

Mary puffed up her cheeks in anger after being pulled back into her seat.

She had seen the state those three were in after the battle. Did they think she was blind?

And the artifact wasn't recovered—Joker had returned it of his own accord!

"Don't let it bother you. If I were the League, I would've done the same."

Stephen spoke calmly, his back still to Mary.

He understood why Goodshow had handled it that way.

Cynthia, Lance, and Steven losing would've been a devastating blow to the League's image, comparable to the fall of the Four Emperors.

If anything, it might've been even worse.

After calming Mary down, Stephen chatted casually with her for a bit.

Aside from sitting back-to-back, the conversation had the warm, casual vibe of childhood friends catching up.

"Jo… Joker, I've made up my mind. I'm going to become a journalist—one who hosts the news. I'm going to tell the truth to everyone! I'll never lie to people like the reporters on TV just now!"

Mary clenched her fists and pointed at the news anchor still singing the praises of the dream team on the screen.

Hearing her declaration, Karen was momentarily stunned.

Was this little girl… serious?