"Besides, Stephen doesn't care much about Legendary Pokémon, right?"
Will gave his own opinion.
Having been with Stephen for so long, he had noticed that Stephen didn't have much interest in Legendary Pokémon. If nothing else, if Stephen had wanted one, he wouldn't have let w go so easily back in Pallet Town.
"None of your business."
After confirming that Will was of no help, Karen lost interest in talking to him.
Will shrugged and left, riding on the Galarian Articuno.
The three had been working together for several years. Due to their genders, whenever they went on missions, Stephen and Will always shared a room, while Karen had her own. Will had long been used to this arrangent, but recently, every morning when he woke up, he noticed that Stephen's blanket was always tented rather high.
"Rather than Legendary Pokémon, I think Stephen has other things he wants more," Will muttered under his breath.
...
Stephen sat to the right of Mustard, discussing Pokémon training thods with him.
"Stephen, I found sothing really interesting."
Will, who had been scrolling through his phone while eating, suddenly leaned toward Stephen.
Stephen glanced over and saw that Will's phone displayed a group chat nad "Joker Fan Club."
Will chuckled. "Although the hype around the Viridian Incident has been suppressed, you—oh, I an, Joker—has been getting much better public opinion lately. So of the fan groups that were previously shut down by the officials have even co back."
"So what? Did you leak insider info in exchange for so spicy pics?" Stephen asked with amusent.
"As if! If I wanted to see those, I could just wear my battle suit and sneak into the won's bath—ow!"
Before Will could finish, Karen kicked him hard under the table.
After coughing awkwardly, Will composed himself and said, "Do you know what the group admin's userna is?"
Seeing how smug Will looked, not only did Stephen get a bad feeling, but even Karen had a vague guess.
"Don't tell ..."
Will clicked on the group chat and showed them.
The admin's profile picture was a close-up of Joker giving a rebellious smirk to the cara. And the userna?
[Joker's #1 Fan.]
"Just a coincidence, right?" Karen suddenly rembered the alias Mary had used back at Professor Oak's lab.
"Nope, it's Mary-chan!"
Iono suddenly squeezed in, pointing at one of the group admins nad [Iono's Chronicles]. She grinned. "And I'm an admin too!"
"Big Brother Stephen, are you also a fan of Joker? Want to add you to the group? Mary-chan posts news updates and analysis of Joker-related events in the chat every day." Iono offered.
Will had joined the group earlier after hearing about it from Iono and found it amusing.
Hearing this, Stephen was intrigued and joined the group with Karen.
When Iono accepted their requests, she suddenly rembered sothing and seriously warned Stephen:
"Big Brother Stephen, whatever you do, don't reveal your identity! Mary-chan hates you. If she finds out who you are, she'll kick you out."
Iono then explained why.
Mary believed that because of Stephen, Joker's heroic deeds during the Viridian Incident didn't receive as much attention as they deserved. Though she suspected the League had a hand in suppressing the news, she still blad Stephen for it as well.
To her, both the League and Stephen were just two sides of the sa corrupt coin.
Stephen: ...
Karen and Will exchanged glances.
Mary's admiration for Joker was obvious to anyone who wasn't blind. But sohow, she managed to both adore Joker and hate Stephen at the sa ti.
What kind of logic was that...?
As soon as Stephen and Karen joined the group, the chat was flooded with enthusiastic ssages.
["Welco, newcors!"]
["Your IP says Galar! Has Joker's na spread that far?"]
["Speaking of Galar, that new Pokédex everyone's been talking about is about to launch in both Galar and Alola, right?"]
["Rose is such a scumbag. He'll do anything to attract attention to his region. And Dr. Stephen is no better for going along with it!"]
["He's from Johto but keeps working abroad. What a traitor to our region!"]
["Enough about that! Look at this screenshot—Joker is so handso!"]
["Isn't this from when Joker saved Iono-chan? That first-person angle is amazing! It's like I'm the one in his arms!"]
The conversation quickly derailed.
What started as a welco for newcors turned into a rant against Stephen and Rose, and then into a Joker appreciation thread.
Stephen was honestly impressed by how long these girls could obsess over just a few pictures.
Seeing them gush over his photos, Stephen couldn't help but type:
["Honestly, he's just alright."]
The next second, his phone displayed:
[You have been removed from the group by the admin.]
...
Stephen: ...
Iono then received a private ssage from Mary:
["Stop adding random people to the group."]
Iono scratched her head and turned to Stephen. "Big Brother Stephen, want to make a new account?"
"No need."
Seeing Karen and Will struggling to hold back their laughter, Stephen felt utterly exasperated.
What the hell was this situation...?
...
As Stephen prepared to head to the Potbottom Desert, he ca across Bea sparring with her Machoke.
Yes, she was fighting her Machoke—fist to fist, leg to leg—rather than just standing on the sidelines like most trainers.
Machoke ford a knife hand with its right hand and launched a Brick Break at Bea.
Stephen was stunned.
That thing could kill her!
"Hah!"
However, Bea suddenly let out a Bruce Lee-style battle cry and struck upward with a powerful kick, landing a solid hit on Machoke's wrist.
"Ugh—"
Machoke winced in pain and stumbled back a couple of steps.
Stephen was speechless.
If Bea had fought Karen herself back then, maybe she wouldn't have lost so quickly.
"Huh? Dr. Stephen?"
Noticing him watching, Bea greeted him.
"Bea-chan, I have a special training regin. Want to give it a try?"
"R-Really? Is it a Pokémon training thod you created yourself?" Bea's eyes lit up with excitent.
"No, it's not for Pokémon. It's for training you."
Bea:???
After setting up a personalized training plan for Bea, Stephen received a call from Lusamine.
She inford him that Rose had scheduled the Pokédex launch event to coincide with the Galar Star Tournant in a month and that she would be attending as a guest partner.
After discussing the Pokédex and so personal matters, Stephen ended the call with a simple, "I'll be waiting for you."
That night, Chairman Goodshow and Lorelei arrived on the Isle of Armor to bid farewell to Stephen.
They are preparing to return to Kanto.
"The publishing rights for the Pokédex are probably a bust."
Seeing Goodshow's livid expression, Will couldn't help but lean close to Stephen and whisper his thoughts.
Stephen shrugged. Ever since he heard Lusamine say over the phone this morning that she was coming to Galar, he had already guessed the outco.
Lorelei joined the conversation, saying, "Rose insisted that the Indigo League transfer two Elite Four-level trainers to Galar, but after extensive negotiations, they still couldn't reach an agreent."
Initially, Rose wanted Giovanni and Bruno.
From Rose's perspective, these two were strong and had good temperants—perfect candidates for the Elite Four.
But Goodshow refused.
Because Giovanni and Bruno weren't just Elite Four-level—they were Champion-level!
How could they give them to Galar, that rebellious upstart?
Goodshow hesitated for a long ti before eventually proposing a counteroffer: trading Blaine and Sabrina for Rose's request.
Because these two were genuinely Elite Four-level.
That's right—the strength of the Indigo League was just that overwhelming.
Blaine was a veteran trainer, while Sabrina, the youngest Gym Leader in Kanto, had already stepped into Elite Four-tier strength.
Initially, Rose considered it and thought it was acceptable.
Because he could tell that this was Goodshow's final offer.
But, unfortunately, Blaine and Sabrina themselves refused.
With that, negotiations completely broke down.
After hearing Lorelei's explanation, Stephen didn't know what to say.
Blaine was currently busy with the wtwo Project, so of course, he couldn't leave.
And Sabrina... well, there was no need to elaborate.
"Did Chairman Goodshow co up with any counterasures?"
Stephen asked.
The Pokédex was extrely important to trainers, especially new trainers.
Yet, as the headquarters of the Pokémon League, the Indigo League, which governed Kanto and Johto, didn't even have publishing rights.
While this wouldn't shake its dominance as the leading league, it would certainly allow Alola and Galar—especially Galar, the rebellious upstart—to close the gap.
"The Chairman plans to push Lance to the top at this year's Indigo Conference," Lorelei adjusted her red-frad glasses. "Sa strategy as before—divert attention."
During the Viridian City disaster, Goodshow had used this trick before—shifting public attention to Stephen to divert focus from Joker.
This ti, he planned to shift public attention to Dragon Master Lance so people would stop focusing on the Pokédex issue.
But to be honest, this ti, Goodshow probably wouldn't be able to replicate his previous success.
For one, the public had already anticipated Lance replacing Agatha as the new champion of the Indigo League.
It wouldn't generate nearly as much hype as Stephen's lecture, where he revealed groundbreaking information about Legendary Pokémon and the Fairy-type Pokémon.
Besides, if Goodshow knew how to market things, did he think Rose didn't?
"Dr. Stephen,"
After exchanging pleasantries with Mustard, Goodshow quickly stepped up to Stephen, grabbing his hand before Stephen could react.
"Five years from now, make sure you don't renew Rose's contract!"
What Goodshow ant by "renewing the contract" was the publishing agreent Stephen had signed with Rose for the Pokédex.
Rose had compensated Stephen by assisting him in capturing Galar's Articuno and Moltres, two Legendary Pokémon.
In return, Stephen granted Rose the publishing rights—but only for five years, not permanently.
After all, for a revolutionary invention like the Pokédex, giving away permanent publishing rights in exchange for just two Legendary Pokémon?
That would be wishful thinking.
But five years was more than enough ti for Galar to strengthen itself.
"Of course, of course,"
Stephen had always planned to make the Pokédex available across all regions anyway. As it happened, five years from now would also be the ti Ash Ketchum started his journey.
By then, the Pokédex might have already been upgraded to Rotom Pokédex.
Hearing Stephen's confirmation, Goodshow finally felt relieved.
Even though Rose had taken advantage of him, five years was too short a ti to close the massive gap between Galar and Indigo.
Galar didn't even have a full Elite Four lineup, while Kanto's current Champion and all four Elite Four mbers were at Champion level!
Or at least had Champion potential.
On top of that, the strongest Gym Leader, Giovanni, was also Champion-level. Bruno was a veteran Elite Four, psychic prodigy Sabrina, and ninja Koga had also stepped into Elite Four-tier strength.
Forget five years—even in ten years, Galar wouldn't be able to surpass Indigo, let alone if you included Johto!
After comforting himself, Goodshow felt much better.
"We're heading back to Kanto. What about you, Dr. Stephen? What are your plans?"
Goodshow asked.
"Chairman Rose is still helping track down Galar's Moltres, and I also have to attend the upcoming launch event. As for after that..."
At this point, Stephen hesitated briefly.
"Stephen, I want to participate in this year's Indigo Conference,"
Suddenly, Karen interjected.
Stephen and Will's expressions changed slightly.
They then noticed the Poké Ball on Karen's waist, where Houndoom's eyes burned with fierce determination.
Will smacked his forehead and muttered, "I almost forgot... this matter..."
Finding Aldous—or rather, seeking revenge against his Kingdra.
That was the reason Karen had joined the team in the first place.
It had been so long that even he had forgotten.
"Oh? Morgan-chan, you're interested in the Indigo Conference?"
Goodshow's eyes lit up. "How many badges do you have?"
"None."
Karen's answer left Goodshow in stunned silence.
The tournant was only two months away, and she had zero badges. Wasn't this ridiculous?
Not to ntion, as the tournant approached, the number of challengers at each Gym would skyrocket.
Even if she reached the Gyms, she'd likely have to wait in line for a battle.
At this point, with no badges... there was no way she'd make it in ti.
"You can, but your team composition..."
Stephen wasn't concerned about her collecting badges in ti—he was more worried about her roster depth.
Even if she included the Kubfu she just received, her team would only have four Pokémon at best.
And with less than three months, it was unlikely Kubfu would evolve into Urshifu in ti.
Raising a legendary from its base form to its final evolution took years.
For a Legendary like Kubfu, the process would take even longer.
"No problem. I want to travel alone for a while and catch more strong partners to strengthen my team."
Stephen was curious. "Alone? You don't need and Will with you?"
Karen chuckled. "Sotis, a girl just wants so ti alone."
This was a lie.
Her real plan was to secretly go out and see if she could find a powerful Pokémon to capture as a birthday gift for Stephen.
That's right—Stephen himself had forgotten, but in two months, it would be his birthday.
To a man who had lived three lifetis, birthdays ant nothing except another year of aging.
But Karen rembered clearly.
Everyone else looked at her strangely.
Little lady, you have zero badges, and you want to gather a full team and qualify for the Indigo Conference in two months?
A Pokémon Special Forces training arc, huh?
Seeing Karen determined to go, Stephen didn't insist, nodding.
"Alright, I'll contact you when we find Galar's Moltres. You'll need to catch it yourself."
"Thanks."
Karen smiled, even more determined to bring back an amazing birthday gift.
"Lorelei, why don't you stay here instead of going back to Kanto?"
Hearing that Karen was leaving, Goodshow had an idea and whispered to Lorelei:
"Let's take advantage of the situation."
The publishing rights to a Pokédex alone aren't enough to put Galar on equal footing with Kanto, but if you add Stephen into the mix, the situation changes entirely!
Lorelei: "...Chairman, my relationship with Stephen is purely professional."
"Dr. Stephen, could you tell more about the training thod you ntioned before?"
Bea seized the opportunity to join the conversation.
Chairman Goodshow pointed at Bea and said in exasperation,
"See? If you don't take the initiative, you'll lose not only to Morgan, who's always by Stephen's side but even to this little girl."
"Chairman, I'm not your tool to win over Stephen."
Ever since coming to Galar from Kanto, Lorelei hadn't spoken a single word to Nessa.
Yet their situations were strikingly similar.
Their respective chairn kept pushing them toward Stephen.
This annoyed Lorelei greatly.
In Lorelei's eyes, Nessa had only secured her position as a Gym Leader because of her looks, and now she was being used by Rose as a bargaining chip to win Stephen over.
How pathetic.
As soone destined to reach Champion-level strength in the future, Lorelei would never stoop to such disgraceful tactics.
"Sigh... If you like soone, go for it. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
Goodshow let out a sigh.
It was true—Nessa was just a pawn in Rose's plan to recruit Stephen. Similarly, Goodshow was using Lorelei in the sa way.
However, while Rose saw Nessa as nothing more than a tool, Goodshow genuinely hoped to facilitate a happy relationship.
Although Lorelei wasn't as extre as Lance, she wasn't far off.
Goodshow sincerely wished for soone to help share Lorelei's burdens.
Just like Peony, the forr Galar Champion and Rose's younger brother—Peony had once been a fierce and wild fighter. But after getting married and having a daughter, he had llowed out and beca more approachable.
Goodshow hoped that Stephen could play a similar role in Lorelei's life.
However, things weren't as simple as he had imagined.
How could soone as outstanding as Stephen possibly lack female attention?
Didn't Nessa resist Stephen at first too?
And now she was calling him "Dr. Stephen" with enthusiasm.
If Lorelei didn't take the initiative, was she expecting Stephen to chase after her instead?
On what grounds?
Goodshow suddenly noticed how Lorelei's blouse seed ready to burst at the chest.
Then he glanced at the younger girls like Morgan and Nessa.
Emmm... okay, maybe Lorelei did have an advantage of her own.
Silently, Goodshow prayed that Stephen would never be surrounded by busty won in the future—otherwise, even Lorelei's only advantage would be gone.
PS: Oppai is Justice!
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