Two days later, the Indigo League gathered the Elite Four and the Gym Leaders from both Kanto and Johto to discuss counterasures.
The result? Well... it was predictable.
They had no plan at all.
They didn't even know who the Masked Man was—how were they supposed to catch him?
And even if they did know, so what?
Who in the League had the strength to take down the Masked Man?
To make matters worse, at this critical mont, the video posted by Iono sparked another wave of public opinion online.
Before the League's reinforcents arrived, it was the Joker trio who held back the Masked Man.
Good grief—so in the end, it was criminals who stepped up at a crucial mont to prevent the situation from worsening further and to stop more civilians from getting caught in the crisis.
Now the League was even more panicked. They hurriedly took down all videos related to the Battle of Viridian City from the internet.
Otherwise, if criminals ended up as the heroes who stopped the Masked Man, where would that leave the League's reputation?
"This is ridiculous. It's not like we're interested in being heroes."
After listening to Giovanni's explanation over the phone, Will interjected with a complaint.
["The ruling class doesn't see it that way. After all, they worked so hard to pin the bla for the Olivine Gym incident on you a year ago. How could they let you clear your na so easily?"]
Giovanni's tone was full of disdain for the League.
"I don't care whether I'm seen as good or evil. I just want to live a carefree life."
Stephen remained expressionless.
"Uncle, is that all you wanted to say? If so, I'm hanging up."
["Wait, wait, Stephen."]
Giovanni stopped him.
["One more thing—be careful of Nanu."]
Nanu?
Hearing this na, both Karen and Will were montarily stunned.
They had so impression of him, but they couldn't quite rember who he was.
"What about him?" Stephen asked.
Nanu—he had only t him once at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Rainbow Corporation.
They barely exchanged words, so Karen and Will didn't have much of an impression of him.
However, in the original story, whether in the ani or the gas, Nanu had always been depicted as a mysterious and powerful figure who kept a low profile.
According to Acerola's description in the gas, the Alola League originally wanted Nanu to be one of the Elite Four, but he refused because he found it too troubleso.
This suggested that he was at least Elite Four level in strength.
In the ani, Nanu and Giovanni were old acquaintances—though no one knew what had happened between them in the past.
"After the eting, he asked a lot of questions about the Viridian City incident. On the surface, he seed to be inquiring about the Masked Man and Ho-Oh, but I could tell—what he was interested in was you, Joker."
As Giovanni sat in his private car, leaving Indigo Plateau and returning to Viridian City, he glanced out the window at the towering Indigo League headquarters and continued:
"I've already looked into it—besides being one of Alola's Island Kahunas, that guy has another identity: he's a top agent of the International Police. Be careful, Stephen."
With that, Giovanni hung up.
Back in Pallet Town, Stephen, now reminded of this, recalled that Nanu did indeed have that identity.
However, by the ti Ash began his journey in the original tiline, Nanu had already retired from the role.
"Stephen, is that Nanu investigating us?"
Will deliberately put on a sinister expression and made a hand-knife gesture.
"Should we... you know... take care of him?"
Stephen flicked Will on the forehead with an annoyed look.
"Cut it out."
Nanu might be lazy, but he was a good person.
Unless necessary, Stephen didn't like the idea of targeting good people.
"We've always been very careful to erase our traces during operations—he shouldn't be able to track us down, right?"
Karen rested her chin on one hand, analyzing the situation.
Stephen shook his head.
"Every action leaves a trace."
He wouldn't assu he was the smartest person in the world just because he was a transmigrator, even though he had already crossed over twice.
Many modern people fantasized that if they traveled back in ti, they could just plagiarize a few poems and beco pri ministers.
Did they think they were the only smart ones?
Even though Stephen had been extrely cautious when acting as Joker, never leaving behind clues, he wouldn't dare say that no one could ever track him down.
"Then what do we do?"
Karen couldn't help but worry.
"We do what we've always done. No need to overthink it."
After all, in the later parts of the original story, Giovanni's identity was exposed too, but that didn't stop him from doing whatever he wanted.
It just ant he couldn't operate openly under the sun anymore.
"As long as they are here."
Stephen patted the Poké Balls on his belt, where his Umbreon, Swablu, Houndooms, and Zorua were stored. Then, he looked at Karen and Will.
"And as long as you two are here."
"Then, I have nothing to fear."
Will silently turned his head away, wiping the corner of his eye where he thought Stephen wouldn't see.
Karen pressed her lips together tightly, swallowing the lump in her throat.
At a mont like this, she felt wrong not to hug him.
But then she saw Will—the annoying third wheel—standing right there...
She figured she should find a way to get rid of him first.
...
"Alright, kids, listen up! If you don't have your own Pokémon, you must never leave the town's jurisdiction."
In the main hall of Professor Oak's lab, Professor Oak gathered the four kids from Pallet Town, as well as the children participating in the sumr camp—including Serena—and pulled out a blackboard to lecture them on the basics of traveling.
"Wild Pokémon like Oddish and Caterpie are generally gentle, but aggressive ones like Mankey and Beedrill must be avoided at all costs. Did you see this morning's news? Another rookie trainer got into trouble because they didn't understand Pokémon behavior... sigh."
Professor Oak sighed halfway through his sentence when a child in the crowd raised their hand.
"Professor, those kinds of idiots only get into trouble because they didn't study Pokémon knowledge properly in advance. I would never make such a basic mistake."
Professor Oak was montarily stunned.
And Stephen, who had just stepped through the door and overheard this, couldn't help but laugh.
There were know-it-alls in every world.
"Oh, Dr. Stephen, you're here!"
Noticing Stephen, Professor Oak quickly waved him over.
Stephen glanced at the kid who had just contradicted Oak.
For so reason, he looked sowhat familiar.
"You are...?"
"My na is Trip."
Stephen: ...
Goodness, turns out it's Ash's most unimpressive rival.
Although every opponent Ash encountered during his Unova journey was pretty lackluster, this guy was the worst of the worst.
He got eliminated by Ash in the first round of the Vertress Conference.
And the battle was an absolute disaster.
Just thinking about Trip's performance in the ani made Stephen sick.
At least Paul was arrogant but backed it up with skill.
Trip had an even worse attitude than Paul, yet he was so weak that he got knocked out in the first round.
Did he live up to all the trash talk he did beforehand?
Trip frowned slightly, feeling that Stephen was looking down on him.
"Ahem!"
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Professor Oak coughed twice to regain everyone's attention and said:
"But when you all turn 10 and start your journeys, you'll receive a Pokédex invented by Dr. Stephen, so you won't have to worry about that."
"Um, um, Professor-san~ Does that Pokédex contain information on Legendary Pokémon? For example, the Ho-Oh that appeared in Viridian City last week..."
At that mont, a pleasant and incredibly familiar girl's voice ca from the crowd.
Stephen turned his head and nearly choked on his saliva.
What the heck?! Why is she here?!
Rare blue-pink dual-colored long hair, eyes that seed to sparkle with electric energy—
Wasn't this the sa Iono he had briefly t during the battle in Viridian?!
The fleeting shock on Stephen's face was quickly noticed by Iono, who tilted her head and asked curiously:
"What's wrong, Dr. Stephen? Is there sothing strange about ?"
Stephen quickly recovered and put on a neutral expression. "Oh, it's nothing. I just think I might have seen you in a video before..."
"Ohh! Dr. Stephen, you've seen my videos too?!"
Before Stephen could finish speaking, Iono excitedly jumped up, her eyes shining as if she were possessed by an Electric-type Pokémon.
"This was the first ti Iono uploaded a video online, and I didn't expect it to blow up with suuuuuper high traffic."
As she said this, Iono spread her arms wide, drawing curious glances from the people around her.
But the next second, she suddenly wilted like a frozen Grass-type Pokémon, looking dejected:
"But less than half an hour after I uploaded the video—just as it was about to hit a million views—the website suddenly notified that it violated regulations and forcibly took it down! So annoying!"
She stomped her feet in frustration.
If Trip or Ash acted like this, Stephen would have found it disgusting.
But with Iono—who was only ten years old—it just seed adorable.
No wonder she would eventually beco Paldea's top influencer Gym Leader.
Then, as if rembering sothing, Iono raised her phone excitedly and asked Stephen:
"Oh right, Dr. Stephen, can Iono record your lecture? After my Joker video got taken down, I've been looking for another chance to hit a million views. I never expected to et the genius scientist who invented the TM system here—Iono is so lucky!"
As she spoke, she flashed her signature shark-toothed grin.
"I'm not here to give a lecture, just working with Professor Oak on the Pokédex... Oh well, go ahead and film if you want."
Stephen thought for a mont and figured there was no harm in letting Iono record.
After all, he had promised Ho-Oh to do sothing beneficial for Pokémon-human relations.
And what he was about to discuss was sothing that should be widely known anyway.
Besides, it would eventually be sold to the public.
"Iono, what kind of video did you make? Can we see it?"
As soon as Iono sat down, two younger girls—who seed to be about the sa age as Red and Blue—ca over curiously.
"No problem! I have a backup on my phone. If you're interested, just ask to show you.
Actually, before coming to Kanto, I always thought Joker was a villain. But after eting him in person, I think he's pretty nice. Maybe the people in Kanto and Johto misunderstood him..."
As she ntioned Joker, Iono seed a little regretful.
Stephen glanced at them and his expression subtly changed.
Wait a minute... why do these two girls also look familiar?
Turning to Professor Oak, Stephen asked:
"Professor Oak, can I take a look at the sumr camp roster?"
"Huh? Oh, sure, no problem."
Professor Oak pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Stephen.
As soon as Stephen glanced at it, several familiar nas stood out:
Vaniville Town, Kalos Region – Serena.
Levincia City, Paldea Region – Iono.
Nuvema Town, Unova Region – Trip.
Nuvema Town, Unova Region – Hilda.
Aspertia City, Unova Region – Rosa.
Vermilion City, Kanto Region – Goh.
Vermilion City, Kanto Region – Chloe.
Stephen: ...
Good lord, in the ani, we only knew Serena attended this sumr camp.
But now, this many of them showed up?!
Oh right, I rember that a certain dog and the least morable female protagonist also attended a sumr camp hosted by Professor Oak.
Just not the sa one as Serena.
But now they ran into each other.
Is this the butterfly effect caused by my actions?
The bravest heroine, the influencer Gym Leader, the doujinshi king, the worst rival, the dog Goh...
Such a small sumr camp, yet it managed to gather this bunch of prodigious misfits.
Respect. Truly respect.
Every single one of them is a force to be reckoned with.
While Stephen was lost in thought, a certain dog raised his hand and asked:
"Dr. Stephen, can you explain the Pokémon called 'Ho-Oh' that appeared in Viridian City last week?"
Stephen glanced at him sideways.
Goh didn't notice the slight disdain in Stephen's eyes and said with a smug tone:
"I've already studied all the known Pokémon in Kanto. But this Ho-Oh seems to be a newly discovered Pokémon, and I'm quite interested in it. The news says it's really strong. If it's real, I wouldn't mind capturing it as my first Pokémon."
As soon as he said that, the entire crowd fell into an awkward silence.
Even the usually good-natured Iono couldn't help but furrow her delicate brows and mutter in a low voice:
"This guy's personality is annoying."
Although Iono herself wasn't injured during the incident in Viridian City, she witnessed Ho-Oh healing hundreds of victims there. Calling Ho-Oh great was by no ans an exaggeration.
Yet, despite being a legendary Pokémon with such a righteous nature, this brat showed not even a shred of reverence toward it.
Blue scoffed, "With your attitude, you think you can capture Ho-Oh? You don't even stand a chance against the three legendary beasts under its command."
Blue had coincidentally seen Iono's video as well.
A Pokémon that powerful—how could it possibly submit to such an arrogant brat?
Forget Ho-Oh, even the three legendary beasts were out of his reach!
However, upon hearing Blue's words, Stephen's expression turned a little strange.
"The shortest-reigning Champion, huh? You're setting yourself up for a slap in the face."
Because the guy in question... would manage to capture a Suicune in the future.
Oh, wait—wasn't that Suicune already being mocked by the Pokémon community as Water Dog?
A legendary Pokémon, yet it got caught in a poacher's net? The codic value was on par with the Nika Fruit.
Stephen continued explaining:
"Ho-Oh, as a legendary Pokémon, was only discovered last week. So far, we only know its na, and suspect that it's a Fire/Flying type and that it possesses strong healing abilities. It has a superior-subordinate relationship with the three legendary beasts, but beyond that, we know very little."
"Actually, for most people, there's no need to learn too much about legendary Pokémon, because the vast majority will never encounter one in their lifeti. However, understanding how they view humans is still important."
That's right—Stephen believed that, for the average person, there was no need to delve into the details of legendary Pokémon.
After all, the chances of ever eting one were slim to none.
But there was one exception.
Thinking of this, Stephen couldn't help but glance at the young boy sitting in the corner, dozing off with his eyes half-closed—Ash.
Mmm, this little guy could be called a human-shaped legendary Pokémon radar.
He could be walking down the street and sohow attract legendary Pokémon.
"How legendary Pokémon perceive humans, Dr. Stephen—can you elaborate?"
Hearing Stephen bring up this topic, Professor Oak's interest was piqued.
Iono even scooted closer so she could get a clearer shot of Stephen's handso face with her low-quality 480p phone cara.
Stephen picked up a piece of chalk and wrote three lines on the blackboard:
[Friendly Group]
[Neutral Group]
[Hostile Group]
As Stephen wrote these words, even the previously arrogant and rebellious Trip subconsciously held his breath, focusing entirely on the lecture.
Not to ntion the two geniuses, Red and Blue, who were destined to reach the pinnacle of the Pokémon world.
Only one exception...
"Zzz... zzz..."
Hearing his annoying little brother snoring beside him, Red silently reached over, grabbed Ash's shoulder, and shook him awake. For once, he spoke up:
"Pay attention."
"For example, the Ho-Oh that appeared in Viridian City last week and was officially recognized as a legendary Pokémon by the League."
As he spoke, Stephen wrote "Ho-Oh" under the [Friendly Group] category and continued:
"I'm sure you've all heard—Ho-Oh saved hundreds of lives last week. This clearly shows that it is a friendly legendary Pokémon, which is why I've categorized it as part of the Friendly Group."
Hearing this, whether it was the well-behaved Serena, the Doujin Queen Rosa, or the ever-competitive Blue, they all nodded in agreent.
If saving that many people didn't qualify as friendly, then no legendary Pokémon could be considered friendly.
Stephen continued:
"Besides Ho-Oh, the Forest Guardian, Celebi, is also undoubtedly a friendly legendary Pokémon."
As soon as Stephen ntioned Celebi, Professor Oak imdiately chid in:
"That's right, I can personally vouch for that!"
"Professor, so does that an legendary Pokémon are all quite friendly toward humans? Then I can safely go capture them!"
Goh excitedly raised his hand and shouted.
Stephen: ...
"This kid never quits, huh?"
Professor Oak, noticing the displeasure in Stephen's eyes, awkwardly laughed and tried to smooth things over:
"Goh, let Dr. Stephen finish before you ask questions, okay?~"
"There are still two more categories, after all."
Stephen pointed at the [Neutral Group] and [Hostile Group] on the blackboard.
"Most legendary Pokémon fall under the Neutral Group. For example, Rayquaza from Hoenn and Kyurem from Unova—don't particularly care about humans. Simply put, as long as you don't bother them, they won't bother you. But if you provoke them... well, you'll die a very painful death."
Finally, Stephen tapped on the [Hostile Group] category.
"This group is much smaller. So far, the only legendary Pokémon that is confird to be outright hostile toward humans is Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon from Kalos. To be precise, Yveltal is hostile toward all living things besides itself—it's pure chaos incarnate."
Stephen didn't ntion Necrozma from Alola or Eternatus from Galar, since their situations were more complicated.
Strictly speaking, neither of them hated humans.
Necrozma was in pain because humans stole its light.
Eternatus harbored resentnt because it had been sealed away for 20,000 years after losing.
But Yveltal?
That thing was just a straight-up nace to society.
Reviews
All reviews (0)