"You wanna fight, jerk?!"
Ash grabbed Gary by the collar; the two rolled around like street punks.
Everyone except Nemona was used to this by now.
Under Lusamine's signal, assistant Wicke distributed their files to the assembled League Chairmans and Champions.
Red and Blue hardly needed an introduction. Their performance at last year's Alola League stunned even the champions.
Their progress was frighteningly fast.
Ruby, Sapphire, Rosa—these 10- and 11-year-old rookies hadn't made big nas for themselves, so the elites were curious.
"You two are from Unova?" Alder was delighted to see Rosa and Hilda.
Stephen chuckled, "They're talented. I bet you'll retire soon and let them take over."
Actually, in the original, one of them should have already beco the Hero of Truth, capable of replacing Alder.
But Lance intervened, so Reshiram had to choose a partner early.
"If Team Rocket hadn't made trouble, Nemona would've been Paldea's champion this year," Geeta added, then scanned the ten kids.
These were likely the best new generation fighters from each region.
Kanto alone had four... traitorous, but talented.
"Let us in!" Noisy voices ca from outside.
A boy with a backwards cap and a handso but awkward boy stumbled in—Gold and Silver!
"Sorry, we're late." Even Gold blushed under all those eyes, quickly blaming Silver. "It's his fault!"
Normally, Silver would snap back, but today, he didn't feel like it.
"Giovanni's son—" Soone started, but Stephen spoke first: "Silver is our youngest investigator, already at Elite Four level."
"Stephen-kun, you're not planning to use him as a hostage against Giovanni, are you?" Carolina asked warily.
"No, I volunteered!" Silver interrupted, determined. "I have to destroy Team Rocket myself."
"Letting kids fight... is there no other way?" Agatha was distressed.
The Pokémon world was mostly sunny, not like Naruto, where kids went to war.
Stephen had once been shocked that Itachi fought in wars at age four.
He could barely pee straight at that age!
"No worries, I'll have w protect them. All these kids are at least Elite Four level—they're precious assets," Stephen replied.
Plus, each was a protagonist with plot armor, and with that lazy cat watching them, he couldn't imagine anything going wrong.
"Don't be so sure—one of us is famously hit-or-miss," Gary said, rubbing his bruised mouth.
"Shut up!" Ash, now sporting a black eye, retorted.
Stephen didn't comnt. Ash's strength was truly Schrodinger's—sotis he could battle legends, sotis a rookie's Snivy could flatten him.
"With this, we're sure to win!" Wallace exclaid.
After reviewing the twelve new trainers' files, even without counting Ash's unpredictable strength, Red, Blue, Nemona, and Serena (who'd trained with Stephen since she was seven) were all champion-level.
Red and Blue were high-tier champions.
The other six, aged 10–11, were at least Elite Four level.
With this boost, even if Team Rocket had plenty of champions, they couldn't win.
Now Wallace could fulfill his promise to Winona: "Marry after the war!"
"Don't jinx it... what if Team Rocket has secret weapons?" Stephen smiled faintly.
The League decided not to announce the kids' participation.
After all, the oldest was only 15—letting these kids fight was embarrassing.
And the League had jinxed itself too many tis by celebrating early.
...
Team Rocket HQ.
Green leapt back, face red.
"What are you doing?!"
A blue-haired girl pouted at Green (Mom?), "Dad always said Mom used to stuff Pokéballs in her shirt, so I wanted to see if it's true."
"Rember Uncle Wallace and Aunt Winona got married after this war? They'll divorce anyway, so let's sabotage it and save Uncle Wallace the dowry," a five-year-old boy mused.
An older silver-haired girl whacked his head. "Don't ss with history! Aren't you good friends with Aunt Winona's son?"
"Pfft—flat as Aunt Karen!" he teased.
"You're asking for it!"
Chaos erupted.
"Airi, stop fighting!" a curvy young girl tried to intervene.
"Um... can I go fight over there? I miss my mom..." an orange-haired boy asked.
But no one cared.
"Is this a daycare now?"
Team Rocket's officers gaped.
Giovanni, anwhile, smiled like a grandpa picking up his grandson.
...
August 14—the war began.
In sheer numbers, the League still had an overwhelming advantage.
Not counting Officer Jennys and Rangers, just the Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, Frontier Brains, and Champions were intimidating.
"Are you sure, Cynthia? In your condition..."
Caitlin looked at Cynthia's pregnant belly, worried.
Cynthia smiled in front of the screen, "I'm just in charge of logistics."
Not just her—Nessa, Sonia, Mary, and the whole family stayed in the rear.
This war to decide the world's fate looked like a family picnic.
Caitlin was speechless, then, glancing at the man at the front line, whispered, "Is he... real?"
Cynthia nodded. Caitlin was curious: "And the one opposite... a double?"
Cynthia didn't answer, just watched the broadcast quietly.
This was what she ca for.
"Scared now? It's not too late to back out—let Brother Stephen use Hoopa to send you ho," Gary nudged Ash.
"Who's scared, jerk?!"
"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved his tiny fists.
"Your legs are shaking, you idiot," Gary pointed.
"I'm just excited!" Ash shouted like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"Quiet, they're coming!" Ruby yelled.
Of all the kids, he was probably the most nervous.
His dad was on the enemy's death list, after all.
Ash and Gary stopped bickering and looked ahead.
The wild Pokémon had been evacuated; the vast, empty plains now filled with six golden rings, each rapidly expanding to over ten ters wide.
Countless Team Rocket grunts in "R" uniforms poured out.
The lackeys didn't faze the League's elites. Even the Four Generals only made the Jennys and Rangers nervous—not the champions.
Until—
Whoosh!
A raging blue dragon-tornado shot from the rightmost ring, aid straight at Steven's Hoenn forces!
"GA Evolution!"
Steven crossed his hands into an "X," pressing two Key Stones on his suit.
The Key Stones flashed rainbow, synchronizing with his Pokémon.
GA tagross! GA Diancie!
Princess Diancie stepped forward, raising her tiny hands.
A pink diamond storm spread out—not to attack, but to form a shield as big as a football field, blocking the dragon-tornado.
"Tch! Would've been easier if they'd just died," a voice snarked from the ring, as a giant dragon erged.
The first show of force for Team Rocket.
Rayquaza!
Following closely: the Dragon Sisters of the Seven Warlords—Zinnia and Aster!
Then more appeared, making the League's hearts race.
Sird!
Colress!
And... Giovanni!
"Next will be Joker, right? This must be history's strongest cri group, but... we'll win," Agatha stepped forward to encourage the young ones.
"Youngsters, stick behind —you're the League's future, your lives are precious."
Though she had a weird temper, even controlling colleagues in the manga, Agatha had long served the League.
"Don't worry, old grandma—just enjoy tea in the back, we've got this," Blue said, stepping forward.
Gary glanced at Stpehen at the front, suspecting it was his presence that gave everyone such confidence.
"Haven't even started, and you think you'll win?" Giovanni laughed. "We have young talent, too."
He stepped aside, and the golden ring shimred.
A five-year-old boy jumped out, waving at Blue, "Oh! Isn't that Kanto's forever runner-up, Uncle Blue?"
Blue froze. Who was this brat?
And "Uncle Blue"? ?
"Who's that kid?"
"No idea. Team Rocket's secret weapon?"
"No way... so young?"
The League wondered—if letting 11–12-year-olds fight was extre, what was this five-year-old?
"Wow, everyone's so young!" The boy pointed at the League's team, shouting things like "Uncle Gary's still got no beard," "Ash is here too," "Aunt Winona looked pretty before marriage," and other confusing remarks.
"Please stop embarrassing us," the orange-haired boy said, clearly older.
But the black-haired boy ignored him, pointing at Stephen, "Hey! Young Da—mmph!" Before he could finish, the orange-haired boy rushed up, covering his mouth.
More kids erged from the rings—a child army just like the League's, ages ranging from 5 to 15.
"Who are those kids?" The League was baffled.
Team Rocket's secret weapons, maybe.
But sohow, Steven, Rose, and others familiar with Stephen felt these kids looked familiar...
In the backfield, Cynthia, Sonia, Mary, and others compared the broadcast, muttering, "That hair color looks like Mary-chan's, and so shy—must be hers," "A bit dark-skinned, I think I know whose that is," "Haha, that condescending look is just like Karen's..."
Caitlin's eyes widened. She felt like she'd overheard sothing huge.
At the front line.
From the central ring, a black boot stepped out.
A masked man with wavy black hair blowing in the wind.
Evil Hoopa followed like a guardian beast.
In an instant, all the League's confusion turned to terror.
He's here!
Joker!
If Stephen weren't standing at the front, the League might have turned and fled.
Stephen and Joker locked eyes, then both smiled.
In the rear, Cynthia stared at Joker on the screen, her gaze softening with maternal affection.
PS: I bet that's her future child.
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