Stephen brought Marnie back to Alola, leaving her at the entrance of Hau'oli City's Pokémon School before departing. If nothing unexpected happens, Marnie will be studying here for the next two years alongside classmates like Gary and Lana.
Back at Aether Paradise, Lusamine handed Stephen several newspapers reporting significant recent events across various regions.
Stephen skimd over articles related to himself, such as the Sinnoh Conference battle, the ga Evolution advancents, and other familiar topics. Instead, he focused on news unrelated to him.
One report from Paldea's Desk TV caught his attention:
["The two greatest Pokémon Professors of the Paldea region have successfully invented the Tera Orb. After confirming its effectiveness in practical combat during recent experints, the technology has been handed over to the Paldea League. Under the leadership of Chairwoman Geeta, the league has decided to distribute this technology unconditionally to all students of Naranja Academy and registered trainers of the Paldea League."
Stephen's eyes lit up. With this developnt, three out of four known power-enhancent thods had already surfaced.
He continued reading and found another interesting article:
The Galarian Malokomon Economic Tis reported:
["With the assistance of Chairman Rose, Champion Leon has obtained a ga Evolution Stone for Charizard. Galar's second-strongest trainer, Raihan, claid this wouldn't pressure him, as his Duraludon has already broken through its limits and is fully prepared to face Leon's ga Charizard."]
The front page displayed a photo of ga Charizard Y squaring off against a new Steel Pokémon that bore a striking resemblance to Duraludon.
ga Charizard Y vs. Duraludon's new evolution!
...
anwhile, Lance, having returned to Indigo Plateau from Sinnoh's Lily of the Valley Island a few days prior, also saw the reports. Without hesitation, he grabbed his Poké Balls and requested a private jet from the League to Paldea.
Lance had been watching Leon and Raihan's latest exhibition match. He was intrigued by the newly discovered ga Evolution form of Charizard and Duraludon's new Steel-Dragon evolution.
However, the news about Tera Orbs in Paldea, claiming they could adapt to any Pokémon—unlike ga Evolution, which required specific Pokémon—caught Lance's full attention.
He decided to prioritize visiting Paldea. After all, ga Charizard's battle style focused heavily on special attacks and long-range combat, which didn't align with his preference. And while Duraludon's new evolutionary form was impressive, raising one from scratch would take too much ti.
After losing to that cursed Team Rocket boss, Lance was desperate to find a quick way to grow stronger.
"Lance, you don't need to be so obsessed with gaining power," Bruno tried to advise him after receiving word from Lorelei. "That little girl who owns Hoopa has already agreed to hand over Hoopa to the League. The shadowy disasters caused by Masked Man and others won't happen again."
Bruno had just read Lorelei's group ssage, announcing that ray had transferred Hoopa to the League. However, it wasn't the Indigo League but another branch.
This news brought relief to many League elites because, with Hoopa under supervision, reinforcents could imdiately arrive in any region facing a severe incident like those caused by Masked Man or Shadow Pokémon.
This was one of the rare pieces of good news for the League recently.
"I still have unfinished business with that damn Team Rocket leader!" Lance coldly remarked, ignoring Bruno's attempts to dissuade him. He boarded the plane, his eyes filled with determination.
Watching the aircraft disappear into the clouds, Bruno scratched his head helplessly.
"Forget it. I'll just go back to training with Hitmonchan and grab so Rage Candy Bars afterward to cool off," he mumbled.
Across other regions, gym leaders, Elite Four mbers, and even champions who saw Lorelei's group ssage all breathed a sigh of relief. The tragedies at Indigo Plateau and Lily of the Valley Island were finally behind them.
Moreover, given that Hoopa was entrusted to that man, there seed to be even less reason to worry.
While champions like Leon, Diantha, and even Team Rocket's Giovanni celebrated the news, Cynthia furrowed her brows so tightly that they ford an "8."
"Wait, they gave Hoopa to him? Are they insane!?"
"Book a ticket! I'm heading to Alola!" Cynthia shouted, startling the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Why was their champion suddenly so agitated?
...
That evening, a private jet bearing the Indigo League emblem landed on Aether Paradise's artificial island.
"Welco, Chairman. It's an honor to have you here," Kukui greeted the visitor warmly but couldn't help glancing at the Hoopa in ray's arms.
"So this is the Hoopa that reportedly transported the entire population of Lily of the Valley Island to Kalos in one go? Speaking of which, why didn't you just use its powers to teleport here directly?" Kukui asked curiously.
"Hoopa can't pass through its rings," ray explained briefly before asking, "Is Dr. Stephen here?"
"Yes, yes, of course! Please follow ," Kukui said hastily, leading the way.
anwhile, behind the group, Lysandre and Malva of Team Flare whispered to each other.
"This isn't looking good, Sir Lysandre," Malva said.
When Stephen took the Cocoon of Destruction, Team Flare had already been troubled enough. After much internal discussion, they concluded that as long as Hoopa remained in Kalos, there was still a chance to turn the situation around.
But now, with Hoopa being handed over to Stephen, their plans seed dood.
"Stop talking. I'm thinking," Lysandre muttered, his fists clenched.
If he had known things would turn out this way, he would've acted sooner, stealing Hoopa before it reached Stephen's hands.
Inside the residential area behind Aether Foundation's headquarters, Stephen, Lusamine, and Karen were already seated on the sofa, waiting.
"Dr. Stephen!" ray greeted warmly upon seeing him.
"It's been a while, ray-chan. I heard you encountered so scary situations. Are you alright?" Stephen stood to greet her.
ray still looked a bit shaken as she recalled the events. "I'm fine now, though it was frightening at the ti."
"Stephen-kun, you probably already know why we're here from Lorelei's group ssage," Chairman Goodshow began. "Would you be willing to take charge of this little Hoopa for us?"
All eyes turned to Stephen.
He handed a doughnut from the table to Hoopa, who eagerly accepted it, saying, "Thank you!" before taking a big bite.
At this mont, Stephen responded: "ray-chan and Hoopa get along very well. I think it's better not to separate them."
"But Team Rocket already knows about Hoopa's existence. What if they co back and take Hoopa away?" Lorelei asked worriedly.
Hoopa's abilities are too incredible.
If the League possesses it, they can prevent disasters before they happen.
But if a criminal organization gets it, unimaginable catastrophes could happen.
Especially if Team Rocket gets it—the consequences are beyond imagination!
"Dr. Stephen, I think... it's better to entrust Hoopa to you."
ray's eyes revealed reluctance, but she ultimately made up her mind and pushed Hoopa toward Stephen.
"ray..."
Hoopa, stuffing several donuts into its mouth at once, also looked reluctant.
ray's current situation is similar to Lillie's in the ga.
In the ga, after Cosmog evolves into Lunala or Solgaleo, Lillie voluntarily suggests entrusting it to the protagonist.
On one hand, she believes Cosmog should witness a broader world. On the other, Lillie knows that with her strength, she cannot handle a legendary Pokémon—even though Cosmog wouldn't reject her like Charizard rejected Ash in the early days.
But Lillie herself couldn't accept holding Cosmog back.
Since that's the case, it's better to entrust it to soone more suitable.
No wonder Lillie is so likable—she's truly sensible.
"In that case, we should—"
Lysandre couldn't help but try to interject.
Although ray had already refused the Kalos League twice before, Lysandre felt that even if there were risks, they had to keep Hoopa in Kalos.
At this point, he could only rely on Malva to showcase her true strength.
If Goodshow asked about it later, they could just say Malva was too low-key and didn't want to be Champion.
Even though he didn't believe this excuse.
However, before Lysandre could finish speaking, Lusamine imdiately interrupted: "How about this? This little girl, ray-chan, can stay in Alola with Hoopa. That way, even if Team Rocket or other villains attack, Stephen can protect you both imdiately."
Lysandre and Malva looked as if they had just seen a ghost. What's the difference between leaving ray and Hoopa in Alola and directly giving Hoopa to Dr. Stephen?
"But... the Arche Valley is my ho... My family has lived there for generations..." ray said hesitantly.
"That's fine. Don't you have a brother? Let him stay there to continue the family line, and you can co to Alola!" Karen suddenly chid in.
She hardly ever agreed with Lusamine, but this ti, they were on the sa page.
"This..." ray seed tempted.
"By the way, wasn't there a report in the Lumiose Tis recently showing Miss Malva and your brother watching a movie together? Don't disturb their ti together. Who knows, you might be an aunt next year, haha!"
Will smirked mischievously.
Malva almost grabbed the fruit knife on the table to throw it at the chubby boy.
Who's with that clingy guy—no, that person!
"Well... I'll go back and discuss it with my brother," ray said, clearly indicating she was close to agreeing.
"Don't worry. He'll definitely agree." Goodshow chuckled.
Baraz's feelings for Malva were obvious to anyone who wasn't blind.
No one likes having their little sister around when they're in a relationship.
Baraz had no reason to refuse.
Even if he did, Goodshow was confident he could persuade him.
Stephen and the others rose to see Goodshow's group off to the plane.
At that mont, a small plane bearing the Sinnoh League logo landed, catching everyone's attention.
Monts later, they saw Cynthia rushing out of the cabin.
"C-Chairman, I—I..."
Because she was in such a hurry, Cynthia stumbled on the steps and nearly fell.
Stephen caught her arm and gently said, "Be careful."
Seeing Stephen's face less than a foot away, Cynthia tightly pressed her lips together, trembling slightly.
"Cynthia, why are you here?" Goodshow asked curiously.
"I... um..."
Cynthia looked like a duck with its neck grabbed, unable to get a word out.
She had co to stop Stephen from taking Hoopa.
After all, if Hoopa fell into Stephen's hands, it would effectively an Team Rocket had it.
But even after hours on the plane, Cynthia still hadn't figured out how to stop this.
She couldn't exactly point at Stephen and say, "He's Joker! Don't give Hoopa to him!"
If she pushed Stephen too far, who knows if he might bring out Shadow Lugia or Bewear?
For days, Cynthia had been struggling with whether to report Stephen to the League.
But after seeing reports of Stephen unconditionally providing healing technology to the Joy family, revolutionizing the dical field, and earning praise across the Pokémon world, she decided to keep the secret—for now.
It was clear to her that Stephen was warning her.
I'm a hero who saved the League. I'm a revolutionary in the dical field. I'm the idol of countless young trainers.
If you speak out, think about the consequences.
This was the ssage Stephen was sending her!
However, when she saw Lorelei's ssage saying that Goodshow and ray were about to entrust Hoopa to Stephen, Cynthia realized she couldn't just sit by and do nothing.
Once Stephen had Hoopa, Team Rocket could strike any location on the Pokémon continent with precision at any ti.
That was too terrifying.
But now that she was in front of Stephen and Goodshow, Cynthia didn't know what to say.
"Are you okay, Cynthia? You don't look well..."
Goodshow frowned, noticing the unusual state of the Sinnoh Champion.
Looking closely, the dark circles around Cynthia's eyes were terrifying.
Ever since the incident on Lily of the Valley Island, Cynthia hadn't had a good night's sleep.
"Chairman, it was who invited Champion Cynthia here."
Just as Cynthia faltered, unsure of what to say, Stephen finally spoke.
"Oh?"
Goodshow was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Stephen.
"The battle on Lily of the Valley Island caused quite a bit of psychological trauma for Champion Cynthia. So, I invited her to Alola to relax. After all, as you know, Alola is one of the world's top vacation destinations."
Stephen chuckled lightly.
Goodshow nodded in sudden understanding. "That's true. Who could've expected... sigh."
The Masked Man's true identity turned out to be Pryce.
As an elite of the sa generation as Professor Oak and Agatha, Goodshow had quite an acquaintance with him back in the day.
To be honest, he could understand the reasoning behind Pryce's actions. But why couldn't he just discuss it openly with everyone? Why did it have to co to this?
As the sole witness to the entire battle, Cynthia undoubtedly took a heavy blow, so her ntal state being affected wasn't surprising.
Goodshow said considerately, "Cynthia, take your ti to relax here in Alola. I'll reach out to the new Chairman and the Elite Four to take care of the Champion's duties in Sinnoh for the ti being. Speaking of which, the new Chairman of Sinnoh... I believe his na is Cyrus, right? He's barely 25, if I'm not mistaken, yet managed to secure so many votes. Truly impressive."
After saying that, Goodshow left with Lorelei and the others.
"Dr. Stephen, I'm going to talk to my brother. I'll leave Hoopa with you for now."
ray carried Hoopa under her arm like a pet, handing it to Stephen as though she were giving away a gift.
"Oh... sure. Be careful on your way. And from now on, just call by my na—no need to be so formal."
Stephen nodded and smiled.
"Alright... I understand. Then... Big Brother Stephen, I'll get going now."
ray responded shyly.
"Do you treat every girl this gently?"
Lorelei, passing by Stephen, quipped with a smirk.
"Equal treatnt for all—just like how every Trainer should treat every Pokémon on their team fairly."
Stephen shrugged.
Lorelei rolled her eyes elegantly and boarded the plane with Goodshow.
This guy always had an excuse for everything.
In the end, Lysandre still couldn't figure out how to snatch Hoopa back from Stephen. Frustrated, he had no choice but to return to Kalos and plan his next move.
After Goodshow, Lysandre, and their group departed, Cynthia suddenly felt like a Wooloo surrounded by a pack of Houndoom.
She turned to look and found Stephen, Karen, Will, Lusamine, and the others all squinting at her.
Cynthia: ...
Is it too late to leave now?
"Miss Shirona, this way, please~"
Stephen gestured toward the door with an inviting motion.
Hearing him call her by that nickna, Cynthia's pupils contracted slightly.
This... This was the nickna Joker gave her! He's not even trying to hide it anymore?
...
Five minutes later, in the villa's living room.
"Alright, everyone, go do your own thing. I'd like to have a private chat with our Sinnoh Champion here."
After Stephen sat down, he spoke.
The others exchanged glances before Will waved his hand and left first.
Although he was curious to see what would happen, his instincts told him staying here would spell trouble.
Lusamine didn't say much either. She nodded and left as well.
The last one to leave was Karen, who hesitated slightly.
But considering it was broad daylight and Stephen probably wouldn't try anything, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "If you're into it, I can dye my hair blonde tonight," before throwing a disdainful glance at Cynthia and walking away.
Stephen: ...
I already have a blonde at ho; why go through the trouble?
If I wanted to spice things up, how about twin tails next ti?
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