Over the next few days, Will gradually ca to terms with the reality of being an accomplice.
And he figured it out—it wasn't a big deal.
From another perspective, he and Stephen essentially held leverage over each other, creating a dynamic where neither dared to make a move against the other.
Given that, it was better to coexist peacefully than to tear things apart.
Besides, teaming up with Stephen to take down Bishas had been the most thrilling thing Will had ever experienced.
It was exhilarating!
...
"Let's call it a day," Stephen said suddenly at the beach, signaling to Umbreon with a glance. Together, they returned to the cabin.
The entire morning had been spent on training battles with Will. Though not as skilled as Giovanni, Will had the potential to one day reach the level of the Elite Four. As a sparring partner, he was more than adequate.
Will returned his Exeggutor to its Poké Ball, leaving only one Pokémon by his side—a Slowpoke.
This particular Slowpoke was one Will had chosen from a group of abused Pokémon they had rescued from Bishas' lair.
Why this one?
During the rescue, while Stephen and Will were playing soccer, many of the Slowpokes had been too frightened to join in.
While this was partly due to the naturally docile nature of Slowpoke, it was clear they were also traumatized.
Noticing this, Will had pointed at Bishas—who was already in bad shape—and said to the Slowpokes, "Co on, let's fight together."
The other Slowpokes still didn't dare to act, but this one used its psychic powers to twist Bishas' lower body into a pretzel.
At that mont, whether Bishas survived or not, he was definitely on the verge of death.
Thanks to the Slowpoke's psychic attack, Bishas' scream broke all decibel records.
Will imdiately took a liking to this particular Slowpoke.
"Revengeful, huh? I like that!"
...
"What?! Stephen, you're not part of Team Rocket?!"
Over lunch, Will was shocked to learn, through casual conversation, that Stephen—or rather, Joker—was not a mber of Team Rocket.
It felt like being around Stephen brought a new surprise every day.
"When did I ever say I was part of Team Rocket?"
Stephen countered.
Will was montarily speechless.
Okay, true, Joker himself had never claid that.
But...
"The dia reported it... Uh, fine, I guess you can't fully trust what the League says either."
Will scratched his head. At this stage of his life, he believed whatever the television told him.
But after witnessing what happened at the construction site, his faith in the League had started to waver.
"Most of it is still trustworthy. But you need to think for yourself more."
Stephen's earlier remark that neither side is good had been sowhat exaggerated.
In his previous life, pirates, under the guise of freedom and adventure, pillaged and killed ordinary people. The Navy, as the lackeys of the World Governnt, turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the Celestial Dragons.
That was true enough. But applying the sa logic to the Pokémon world didn't quite fit.
Sure, the Pokémon League had its share of darkness and corruption, but it wasn't nearly as extre as the Navy in the pirate world.
"At least there's no Celestial Dragon equivalent here," Stephen muttered to himself.
"Huh? Stephen, what's a Celestial Dragon?"
Will asked curiously.
"Nothing. Eat up. By the way, I cooked, so you're washing the dishes," Stephen replied.
Will rolled his eyes. He felt it was necessary to catch a Pokémon with a good housekeeper personality—maybe even one with a perfect spouse vibe.
Hmm... Gardevoir from Hoenn sounded like a great choice!
"Stephen, let's visit Hoenn soti!"
Will shared his idea with Stephen.
Gardevoir?
Stephen paused mid-chew.
Impressive taste.
In his previous life, Will, as an Elite Four mber, had indeed owned a Gardevoir.
Gardevoir was a fan-favorite Pokémon, often dubbed the ultimate waifu by many enthusiasts otakus.
Beautiful, loyal, willing to sacrifice everything for you, and highly capable in battle—what more could you ask for?
Most importantly, no dowry required.
Stephen thought that if he'd had a Gardevoir in his pre-pre-previous life, those xxn posts on certain forums wouldn't have dared to act so smugly.
"We'll go soday. But tomorrow night, we have a banquet to attend first."
Hearing this, Will recalled an invitation from President Ritsuki a few days prior.
"Huh? Are you into banquets? Honestly, I'd rather hunt down more scumbags like Bishas and ss them up."
Ever since the incident in the Illusion Forest, it felt like sothing inside Will had switched on.
"It's not who wants to go; it's her."
Stephen tilted his head toward Umbreon, who was enjoying lunch with the other Pokémon.
"Her?"
Will's curiosity grew.
"I've discussed it with Umbreon. She also thinks Aldous's plan to match wild Pokémon with suitable trainers is unreliable."
As a Pokémon abandoned by her previous trainer, Umbreon deeply understood the feelings of Pokémon like Houndour and Ursaring, who had lost everything to humans.
Their plight was even worse than hers. At least she had found him.
Umbreon looked at Stephen with tender affection.
At the sa ti, she believed that Aldous's proposal was flawed.
Houndour, Ursaring, and the others had everything taken from them by humans. Under such circumstances, would they want to cooperate with humans again?
It was as absurd as forgiving soone who killed your family!
...This opinion, of course, shouldn't be shared with Naruto Uzumaki.
So Umbreon wanted to investigate the situation with her trainer. Both Stephen and Umbreon felt sothing was off about this proposal.
"Wow, you can have discussions like that?"
Will was amazed.
Though Pokémon could understand humans, the reverse wasn't usually true. For a Pokémon to communicate with a trainer at a human level was nearly impossible unless they had psychic abilities like legendary Pokémon or translation skills like Team Rocket's owth.
"My case is... special."
Stephen scratched his arm.
Will didn't press further and quickly shifted to a topic of interest.
"Let's go, then! It sounds fun. Oh, right, are you going as Stephen or Joker?"
Before Stephen could answer, Will excitedly continued,
"Go as Joker! I'll find a mask and join you. Ever since I t you at Goldenrod Station, I've thought that kind of life was super exciting!"
Will was already browsing for suitable masks on his computer, visibly thrilled.
Stephen's expression grew more peculiar.
He rembered that Will's future self was always wearing a mask.
Was this so sort of cosmic correction force at work?
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