Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice - Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [95]

Credits: Jhonny Carbonó Pacheco

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, next up was the banquet and cocktail party.

This was both the opening celebration for Rainbow Company and a farewell party for Gladion and Lillie.

“Dr. Stephen, this is Olivia, the Kahuna of Akala Island,” Kukui said, his face practically exploding with joy as he eagerly introduced Stephen to a prominent figure in Alola.

“Hello, Sister Olivia. I’ll be counting on your care in the future,” Stephen said warmly, extending his hand for a handshake.

“Oh, not at all. That’s something I should say,” Olivia replied, clearly pleased with Stephen’s form of address, especially given her long-standing concerns about her age and lack of a suitable partner.

After the introductions were mostly complete, Kukui pulled Stephen aside, his expression full of gratitude.

“Dr. Stephen, I’ve got some great news for you—President Goodshow has agreed to let Alola join the League! Hahaha… hahahaha… sob… sob, sob!” Kukui, who had been laughing, suddenly broke into tears.

A dream he had worked on for so many years had finally been realized.

Burnet quickly stepped forward to hand her boyfriend a tissue, apologizing awkwardly. “He’s just too emotional. Don’t mind him, Dr. Stephen.”

At that moment, Goodshow also walked over with a smile. “Honestly, I’ve always thought Alola should be part of the League. I just hadn’t found the right opportunity before. But today, with everyone in such high spirits, I, this old man, will make the decision and finalize it.”

Burnet rolled her eyes hard while comforting her boyfriend, thinking to herself: If it weren’t for Stephen inventing the TM, would you have agreed so quickly?

“That’s kind of you, Mr. Goodshow,” Stephen said. “But… about Alola’s current strength…”

He wasn’t surprised that Goodshow had agreed to let Alola join the League a full ten years earlier than originally expected. He could guess the reasons behind it.

But to be fair, Alola’s current strength didn’t seem sufficient to form a League.

To put it bluntly, could they even gather the basic lineup of one Champion, four Elite Four members, and eight Gym Leaders?

“That’s not an issue,” Olivia interjected. “To be a Champion, you don’t necessarily need Champion-level strength. For example, the current Champion of the Kalos League, Diantha, only has Elite Four-level strength.”

Stephen: …

The overall strength of the Kalos League was indeed a touchy subject. But Stephen hadn’t expected that, before Diantha’s rise, the entire Kalos didn’t even have a Champion-level trainer.

Though, to be fair, even Diantha ranked on the lower end among League Champions. Nearly losing to Ash’s Greninja with its Bond Phenomenon had left Stephen with a lasting impression of her—not as a strong Champion.

“The basic requirements for forming a League are just a Champion and eight Gym Leaders. If there aren’t four Elite Four members, it’s fine. Galar doesn’t even have an Elite Four.”

“Isn’t that why we have you, Dr. Stephen, along with Will and Morgan(Fake Name)?” Kukui, clearly drunk and excited, blurted out, completely oblivious to how mentioning “Galar doesn’t have an Elite Four” had made Rose’s face darken.

Stephen blinked. I’m not interested in being Champion, though.

“Will and Morgan? Are they Dr. Stephen’s companions?” Goodshow asked curiously.

“Yes, that’s us, President,” Will said, grinning as he came over to greet him. “But Morgan isn’t feeling well today, so she couldn’t make it. Apologies for that.”

Lorelei, who had been listening, showed some interest. “On the way here, Professor Kukui kept praising the three of you. I’m curious—how about a little sparring match?”

Hearing Lorelei’s suggestion, Will perked up. He was curious himself—just how big was the gap between him and an Elite Four member?

Just as Will was about to agree, he noticed Stephen staring at him. Realizing what that meant, Will immediately declined with a smile.

“Let’s save it for another time. Right now, I just want to enjoy a feast.”

Will’s team lineup had already been exposed by the League. A public battle would make it too easy to give away their identity.

If Will were to use a newly captured Pokémon, that might be a different story.

But the problem is, after the Olivine Gym incident, Will still hasn’t captured a new Pokémon.

“Really? Then Dr. Stephen…”

Seeing Will refuse, Lorelei instinctively shifted her attention to Stephen.

“If Miss Lorelei doesn’t mind, how about we have a friendly match?”

Just then, a sudden voice interrupted.

Stephen and Will were startled.

That voice…

Even Goodshow froze for a moment. That voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Turning their heads, they saw a girl walking over. She had gray twin tails and a little chubby.

“Ka… uh…”

Will almost blurted out the name Karen.

But in the next second, under her sharp glare, he forcibly swallowed the “ren” part of her name.

Why does she look so different now?

“Miss Morgan is here? Speaking of which, this is the first time we’ve seen her without her sunglasses.”

Kukui blinked and said, “Haven’t seen her in a month, and this girl has put on some weight.”

“Look at that chubby little face, so cute!”

Burnet clasped her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling.

Only Stephen, who possessed the power of Viridian, keenly noticed that there was now a new Poké Ball at Karen’s waist.

Inside it, most likely…

“You borrowed Gladion’s Zorua, didn’t you?”

Stephen whispered into the ear of Karen.

“Wearing sunglasses at night would look weird, wouldn’t it?”

Karen whispered back.

“Use a new Pokémon,” Stephen quietly reminded her.

“Don’t worry, I’m not as dumb as Will.”

…

Karen then stepped up to Lorelei. “I admire you, Miss Lorelei, as one of the Indigo League’s Elite Four. Could you give me some pointers?”

Lorelei looked at the slightly chubby girl in front of her, thought for a moment, and nodded.

“No problem.”

After the two decided to have a friendly match, the guests at the banquet promptly cleared a space of about 100 square meters for Karen and Lorelei to use as a temporary battlefield.

Whether it was visitors from afar, like Goodshow, Rose, and Geena, or locals such as Kukui and Olivia, everyone watched with curiosity.

After all, according to Kukui’s earlier comment, this gray twin-tailed girl might one day become one of Alola’s Elite Four.

Might as well see her abilities now.

“Let the hunt begin! Litten!”

Karen was the first to throw out her Poké Ball.

When the small kitten appeared amid the white light, both Kukui and Burnet were stunned.

“That should be the one I gave Miss Morgan last month, right?”

Kukui looked at the Litten with its glossy red fur and nodded approvingly. “She’s raised it well.”

Last month?

Hearing those words from Kukui, Lorelei immediately concluded that this was a newly obtained Pokémon.

Using a new Pokémon to battle me?

Is she underestimating me?

Lorelei’s red lips curved into a faint smile as she casually threw out her own Poké Ball.

The Pokémon that appeared was a blue-white Sandslash!

“A blue-white Sandslash!?”

Will exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s the Alolan form of Sandslash,” Stephen explained from the side.

It must be one of Lorelei’s new partners, likely captured after she came to Alola. Perhaps it was because she noticed that Karen was using a new Pokémon as well.

Stephen suddenly remembered that in the Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! Games, Lorelei indeed had an Alolan Sandslash.

However… Steel + Ice as a type combination? Four times weak to Fighting and Fire? That’s a pretty terrible type of matchup.