Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 196: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

The League Champions who had returned to their respective regions from Alola had already settled in and logged into their Hall of Fame at their respective League headquarters.

Except for Lance, all the champions made public appearances on programs to share their thoughts about taking up the role of Champion.

On a program broadcast by Lumiose TV in Kalos, Diantha and Lysandre appeared on-screen together.

Fire-type Elite Four member Malva hosted the show, interviewing them about their thoughts on becoming the new Champion and League Chairman, respectively.

Alola's Stephen, Indigo Plateau's (Kanto + Johto) Lance, Hoenn's Wallace, Sinnoh's Cynthia, and Kalos' Diantha—a total of five new champions ascended to their positions in one go.

For a time, words like "Champion" and "New Era" dominated the headlines of major media outlets.

["The Birth of Alola League's First Champion: Stephen"]

["Some Kalos Residents Question Whether the New Champion Truly Reaches Champion-Level Strength; Official Response Pending"]

["Champion Alder Reflects on the Frustration of Being Compared to So Many Young New Champions"]

["Lance Allegedly Proposing a Triple Role as Champion, Elite Four Member, and Investigator Following the Aldous and Altair Incident, Sparking Distrust Among Indigo Plateau's Elite Four"]

...

In addition to the simultaneous rise of five new champions, another matter drew significant public attention.

It appeared that the Indigo League did not plan to elevate Lance to the sole Champion position. Instead, after Aldous' defeat at the hands of Karen, the vacant Elite Four position was filled.

Media reports suggested that Lance intended to hold dual roles as both Champion and Elite Four member.

Two days later, the Indigo League confirmed this news and posted an official announcement:

"Let us congratulate the Indigo League as it officially enters a new era.

Indigo League Champion: Lance

Elite Four: Lance, Agatha, Lorelei, Bruno

Gym Leaders: Giovanni, Blaine, Sabrina..."

In the comment section below the announcement:

["Oh my God, so Lance is holding three roles as Champion, Elite Four member, and Investigator? Does he have a second liver growing somewhere?"]

["Seems like Aldous incident scared the Indigo League. They're afraid of promoting another Elite Four member who might also turn out to be a spy."]

["Giovanni and Blaine are old hands, so they're probably trustworthy, right? I thought they might promote Giovanni to be an Elite Four member."]

["Honestly, I feel like Lance didn't perform as well as Giovanni during the Indigo Plateau battle. Giovanni would've made a stronger Champion, and they could've left the rest of the positions unchanged."]

...

On the plane, Stephen blinked as he saw the Indigo League's official announcement.

If things didn't go off track, Lance would lose to Blue in a few years and hand over the Champion position.

Then, not long after, the shortest-lived Champion in history would be born.

Back when Stephen played the game in a previous life, he had always been curious about why Lance had to simultaneously hold the roles of Champion and Elite Four member. Didn't he find it exhausting?

Now he understood the reason—because the Aldous incident had scared them.

Having a spy among the Elite Four was one thing, but in some regions, even the League Chairman was a traitor.

Stephen glanced at the fourth trending topic on the Hot Search: ["Lysandre Succeeds as Kalos League Chairman"], and couldn't help but mock it.

He casually scrolled through the trending topics and sent Sonia a message, asking her to prepare a certain bootleg yellow electric mouse for action.

Then, letting out his Zoroark and other Pokémon, he pulled out the second-generation Pokédex and started a game of Pikachu Racing.

...

The sensational buzz brought by the rise of five new Champions temporarily distracted the people of the Pokémon world from the fear sparked by the Indigo Plateau battle two months ago.

At least, this was the case outside of the Kanto region.

Various programs began analyzing the power shifts after the leadership changes in each League.

People from every region hoped their region was the strongest. After the Indigo Plateau battle, this topic became even more openly discussed.

After all, the battles involving the League, Team Shadow, and Team Rocket on the Indigo Plateau had sounded the alarm for the entire world.

The League needed to have enough strength to protect its citizens.

"Hello (^o^)／～! Good morning, afternoon, or evening, everyone!"

In the studio of Paldea TV, a pink-and-blue-haired girl wearing an oversized jacket waved her sleeve at the camera with a toothy grin:

"Welcome to this week's episode of Paldea Commentary! I'm the special host, Iono! Who's here to narrate? Iono's here!"

"And me, Galar's Valerie! Please take care of me, everyone."

Valerie, holding a microphone, walked into the frame as well.

"Today, Iono and I will be interviewing two heavyweight guests on the show: Miss Geeta, the Champion and Chairwoman of Paldea League, and Mr. Rose, the Chairman of Galar League."

As the two top idols of Paldea and Galar sat on the left-side sofa, Geeta and Rose, the two League Chairmans, took their seats on the right.

Valerie, who had replaced Nessa as the Water-type Gym Leader in Galar after Nessa moved to Alola, asked with curiosity:

"Chairman, many viewers online are curious. What would the rankings of the regional Leagues' strength look like?"

With that, Iono pulled a whiteboard to the center of the stage.

Rose confidently took the marker handed to him and wrote on the board:

[Alola ≥ Galar > Paldea > Indigo > Sinnoh > Unova > Kalos]

Seeing this, the audience—whether genuine or hired extras—erupted in murmurs.

They could accept Alola ranking first, but... how did Galar and Paldea surpass Indigo?

Even Valerie, now representing Galar, blinked in confusion. It took her a few seconds to recover and ask, "Chairman Rose, could you explain why you ranked them this way?"

Rose explained, "Dr. Stephen has proven that he possesses the strength of an entire regional League by himself. Along with his two companions, Morgan and Will, who both have Elite Four-level strength, and my brother Peony, it's reasonable to rank Alola first."

"Uh... that does make sense, but why Galar?"

Although Valerie was trying to align herself with Galar, she genuinely couldn't understand Rose's confidence in ranking Galar above Indigo.

"While Leon currently has a significant gap compared to Dr. Stephen, I believe that in less than two years, his strength will reach a level equal to Dr. Stephen's. Along with the abilities of Raihan and the Sword and Shield Kings, and considering Piers' comments on his younger sister's unmatched talent, I believe this generation will usher in a new era for Galar."

Rose concluded confidently.

Once Leon's strength improved further and Eternatus was officially handed over to him, Rose believed a new era of two supreme champions—Stephen and Leon—would dawn.

"Chairman, Piers just messaged me saying his younger sister wants to move to Kanto," Oleana whispered to Rose from the audience.

"Hmm!?"

Rose almost lost his composure.

Damn it, Kanto again!?

Fine, I'll remember this!

No one steals from me. You'll regret this next time you need help!

At this point, Geeta also stood up and wrote her ranking on the board:

[Alola >> Paldea ≥ Galar > Indigo > Sinnoh > Unova > Kalos]

Rose raised an eyebrow at her ranking.

"Chairman Geeta, do you think Paldea is stronger than Galar?"

Geeta made her habitual nose-touching gesture and smiled, "As a Champion, I admit I'm not as strong as Leon. But in terms of overall regional power, I believe Paldea can compete with Galar. Of course, Dr. Stephen is in a league of his own—no comparison there, haha!"

Geeta's confidence came from a recent report by her two genius researchers, Professors Sada and Turo.

The report stated they were working on a device that could change a Pokémon's type during battle.

There are no usage restrictions, but after each use, you need to return to the Pokémon Center to replenish energy.

You should know that in the original series, there are four methods for Pokémon enhancements.

Aside from the Terastal phenomenon, the other three—MEGA Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax—each have their limitations.

Only a very small number of Pokémon can undergo MEGA Evolution, and even then, you need to find the corresponding evolution stone.

For example, Lance's ace Dragonite cannot MEGA Evolve. If he wants to MEGA Evolve, he can only choose Gyarados or Aerodactyl.

This is considered one of the downsides of MEGA Evolution.

Trainers like Wallace and Iris also suffer in this regard, as their ace Pokémon, Milotic and Haxorus, cannot MEGA Evolve.

As for Z-Moves, not even mentioning whether a trainer is willing to embarrass themselves by dancing awkwardly, it can only be used once in a certain period.

And when you perform the dance, your opponent immediately knows you're about to make a move—it's too telegraphed, making it somewhat impractical.

In real battles, unless your teammates assist, Stephen feels that Z-Moves aren't very practical.

As for Dynamax, it goes without saying. Except for Eternatus, which can use Dynamax anywhere, other Pokémon can only Dynamax in areas with Power Spot.

For example, Spikemuth has no Power Spot, so Pokémon cannot Dynamax there, which led to the town's gradual decline.

This makes Dynamax the most limited of the four enhancement methods.

But the Terastal phenomenon doesn't have these issues.

It doesn't have the exclusivity of MEGA Evolution, where only a small number of Pokémon can be enhanced. Nor does it have the location-based restriction of Dynamax.

Although its power boost isn't as extreme as MEGA Evolution or Dynamax, it has no restrictions.

Once the Terastal phenomenon is fully implemented, Geeta is confident that it can collectively elevate the strength of all trainers in Paldea.

This is the source of her confidence!

Iono and Valerie exchanged glances.

They had no idea what kind of trump card had up her sleeve.

But are you underestimating the Indigo League too much?

After all, it's the headquarters alliance of the Kanto and Johto regions combined.

Not to mention, Lance, Agatha, and Gym Leader Giovanni are all Champion-level trainers.

Bruno and Lorelei are rumored to be on the verge of reaching Champion-level as well.

The veteran Elite Four member Blaine is ranked as the second-strongest Gym Leader in Kanto.

It's also said that Koga from Fuchsia Gym and Sabrina from Saffron Gym are about to break through to the Elite Four-level.

With such a lineup, Valerie felt that even if Stephen led Alola, they wouldn't dare claim to be stronger than the Indigo League.

Although it's clear that both of them have a grudge against Kanto, there's no need to openly belittle the region, right?

However, until the end of the show's recording, neither Iono nor Valerie mentioned this issue—it was an unspoken agreement.

After all, they needed to give their boss some face.

The show featuring the two rebellious chairmans recording together... let's just say it was unexpected but also made sense.

After all, their shared disdain for the headquarters was already a well-known secret.

...

Stephen was also quite busy.

After the official establishment of the Alola League, Gym Challenges naturally began as well.

Originally, this had little to do with Stephen.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

After all, he wasn't a Gym Leader and didn't need to participate in challenges.

He only needed to battle the winner of next year's inaugural Manalo Conference in Alola.

But unexpectedly, just two days after returning from Michina, Stephen received a call from Kukui:

["Something terrible has happened, Dr. Stephen! Gym Leader Sofu can't hold on anymore!"]

Hearing Kukui's heart-wrenching cries, Stephen was momentarily stunned.

Who's Sofu again?

It took him a while to remember—Sofu was the current Island Kahuna of Poni Island and the newly appointed Ground-type Gym Leader.

He was also the grandfather of Hapu, the Island Kahuna of Poni Island during Ash's time.

"This is way too coincidental, isn't it?" Stephen couldn't help but complain.

Although during Ash's time, Sofu had already passed away, there were still nearly four years before Ash's journey.

For him to pass away now seemed a bit too early.

...

A week later, Stephen and the others, dressed in black, attended Sofu's funeral in the Seafolk Village on Poni Island.

Stephen himself didn't feel much sadness.

After all, he had only met Sofu once at a banquet last month when returning to Alola from Galar, and they barely exchanged words.

"A Gym Leader who didn't even get to participate in a single challenge before passing away—this must be a first in history, right?"

At the memorial service, Will quietly muttered.

"Shut up!" Karen scolded harshly.

Though even she felt the situation was bizarre.

"Dr. Stephen, now that Sofu's position as Gym Leader is vacant, who do you think should take over?"

After the memorial, Professor Kukui approached Stephen with a troubled expression.

"Well..."

Just as Stephen was about to answer, his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and said to Kukui, "Sorry, Professor Kukui, let me take this call."

Kukui nodded, and Stephen stepped out of the funeral hall to answer.

"Hello? Uncle, is Pryce about to make a move?" Stephen asked as he answered.

The caller was none other than Giovanni.

["Not yet,"] Giovanni replied. "I just heard that one of your Gym Leaders passed away. There should be a vacancy, right? Do you need me to send Orm over to help?"]

Among the three, Sird and Carr had already been wanted by the League due to their high-profile actions.

Sird had teamed up with Karen to steal Goodshow's grandson's Latios and Darkrai.

Carr was a bomb enthusiast who always turned his missions into dramatic spectacles.

Orm, however, was very different. Despite his large and imposing stature, he was extremely low-key in both his demeanor and battle style.

He preferred using underhanded tactics rather than direct confrontation, making his personality seem inconsistent with his appearance.

Because of this, Orm had not yet been wanted by the League.

Now that there was a vacancy in the Alola League Gym Leaders, Giovanni thought Orm might be a good fit to fill the position.

"Forget it, Uncle. He's not suitable."

Stephen rejected the offer outright.

Not to mention that the Trio Beasts were primarily responsible for managing Rocket's underground operations in Johto. Moving one of them to Alola would disrupt operations in Johto.

Additionally, Stephen wanted the Alola League to remain clean, avoiding interference from members of criminal organizations.

["Alright then. Let me know if you run into any difficulties. Oh, by the way, I wanted to tell you something. Blaine and Fuji both mentioned to me that after the Mewtwo Project is complete, they want to leave Team Rocket. What do you think?"] Giovanni asked, switching topics.

Blaine and Fuji?

Hearing these two names, Stephen was momentarily stunned.

After some thought, he remembered that Blaine and Fuji had already left Team Rocket by the time Red and Blue began their journeys.

Considering the timeline, it made sense.

"That's great. Let's treat the Mewtwo Project as their final task in Team Rocket. Let everyone part on good terms. Also, let the members know that after they leave, no one is allowed to harass their daily lives.

I'm sure they'll give Team Rocket face and won't leak anything to the League or anyone else," Stephen replied.

Actually, even if he didn't say it himself, Stephen believed that Giovanni would do the same.

Ignoring the shameless things Giovanni had done, purely from the perspective of being a boss, he was indeed someone worth following.

["Hmm, I think so too. By the way, Lusamine should already be asleep by now, right? What a pity, I was planning to come up with a scheme where you could kill Faba right in front of that widow to max out her favorability towards you. But it seems that's unnecessary now. I'll think about whether that guy still has any value later. If not, you can just take him away and hand him over to Lusamine. Even though I think her favorability towards you is already maxed out, if you let her deal with him herself, she might be so pleased that she'll unlock some new ways to reward with you."]

Giovanni said this with a perfectly serious expression.

When it came to his subordinates, Giovanni had always been relatively kind.

But Faba? From the very beginning, Giovanni never considered him a subordinate.

Back then, Faba betrayed Lusamine for his own interests. So how could anyone guarantee that he wouldn't betray Giovanni for greater benefits in the future?

Giovanni planned to find an excuse to optimize him once the Mewtwo project was complete.

Stephen: ...

"Big brother Champion! Look!"

At that moment, Acerola, who was also attending the memorial, pointed to the sky and shouted.

Stephen turned to look.

That's... an Ultra Wormhole!?