Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [41]

"That Umbreon, such superb acting."

Atair immediately shifted his gaze toward the Umbreon by Stephen's feet.

Although he knew from Professor Oak's lectures that Umbreon naturally possessed excellent defense abilities, it had just taken a Rock Slide directly from his Marowak. That must have hurt like hell.

But even so, it maintained a queenly composure on iher face, using this demeanor to lull her opponents into a false sense of security.

What a terrifying performance.

"Thank you for the compliment," Stephen said with a faint smile, glancing at his Umbreon, who was receiving a spa treatment from Jynx.

"Just as she lived up to my expectations, I must repay her with a flawless victory."

"Final move! Dark Pulse!"

Umbreon suddenly opened her mouth. Violent, malevolent energy shot out in a ray, heading straight for the staggering Marowak.

"In due time, this will become a force the entire Pokémon continent fears," Altair silently assessed Stephen, his thoughts inexplicably mixed with a hint of excitement.

"Rock Slide!"

Following its trainer's command, Marowak took a deep breath and mustered its remaining strength to stand, slamming its club into the ground. Rocks scattered and flew toward the approaching energy wave.

However, Marowak was already at its limit. Within seconds, its movement faltered, and its technique lost precision.

At that moment, Dark Pulse broke through the Rock Slide's defense and struck Marowak directly!

Announcer Will stepped in with a timely declaration:

"Marowak is unable to battle. The winner is Umbreon!"

Meanwhile, Rihua and her Houndour in its Pokéball were completely stunned.

Did they defeat the Elite Four-level Altair?

"Although it was a two-on-one battle, I guess you could say it was a successful challenge above our rank," Stephen said with a grin.

"May I ask you a question, Mr. Altair?"

Altair looked at Stephen with confusion.

He continued,

"When you demanded those wild Pokémon from Ritsuki, was it really to help them find suitable trainers?"

At these words, Altair's brow instinctively furrowed.

Stephen pressed on,

"An Elite Four-level trainer like you couldn't have failed to notice—these Pokémon, displaced from their homes by humans, and even separated from their parents in some cases—do you really think they could live in harmony with humans, let alone follow their commands? Do you believe that?"

Altair remained silent. Though his sunglasses concealed his eyes, his microexpressions and slight fidgeting betrayed his unease.

"So there is something fishy going on," Will interjected. Though not the sharpest, Stephen's words had convinced him that something was off.

It was as good as confirmed.

Houndour, still in Rika's Pokéball, fumed silently.

Humans did have ulterior motives!

If it weren't for Stephen's poke ball disruptor remote controller disabling the Pokéball's lock mechanism, Houndour would have burst out and attacked that human.

"Mr. Altair, what exactly is your family planning?"

Stephen asked with a sly smile.

Altair kept his silence, but this time someone else answered for him.

"No need for him to answer that."

From behind Altair stepped his brother, Aldus, one of the Indigo League's Elite Four!

And that wasn't all.

"Joker, you criminal! I'll avenge my cousin Lance!"

A girl arrived, accompanied by her Dragonair.

"Oh my, isn't this Miss Clair? How's Mr. Doduo doing?"

Stephen asked with a teasing grin.

"My cousin is not called Mr. Doduo!"

Clair, who was a fan of Lance, exploded in anger.

And the commotion wasn't over yet.

Woo-woo-woo—!

Police sirens blared as multiple Officer Jennys arrived, flanked by Growlithes and Manectrics. Grabbing a megaphone, one of them shouted,

"Joker! You are surrounded. Surrender immediately!"

Above the villa, a helicopter bearing a TV station logo hovered over the scene.

["Dear viewers, this is Cianwood TV,"] announced a reporter on the broadcast.

["As you can see, in the villa of Cianwood City's esteemed entrepreneur Mr. Ritsuki, the League criminal Joker and his accomplice have been surrounded by Elite Four member Aldus and the local police."]

["Viewers may recognize Joker as the individual responsible for stirring up chaos across the Johto region. It seems his apprehension will soon bring a major blow to Team Rocket."]

Elsewhere, many people familiar with Stephen tuned in to watch the broadcast, their expressions ranging from disbelief to amusement.

In Pallet Town, Professor Oak paused mid-slurp of instant noodles, staring at the screen that showed a masked boy no older than eleven or twelve.

"That child invented a device to disable Pokéballs? At his age?"

Since Stephen's invention of the poke ball disruptor, the League had sought Professor Oak's expertise in countering it.

Professor Oak sighed.

"I study biology, not engineering. Shouldn't they ask Devon or Silph Co. for this?"

Meanwhile, in his living room, a young woman in her early twenties sat with two young boys, aged seven and four, on either side of her. She said gently,

"Red, Ash, you mustn't grow up to be bad children like that."

Beside her, a brown-haired girl of similar age to Rihua told her brothers,

"Green, Blue, the same goes for you."

Green rolled his eyes.

"I'm aiming to be the League Champion. Why would I do something as dumb as committing crimes?"

Red: "..."

In Goldenrod City, Whitney and her friend Maple held hands on a couch, watching the news.

Maple clenched her fists nervously.

"Big brother..."

In Viridian City, inside the secret base beneath the Viridian Gym,

"This looks bad, Boss. Should we contact our Johto division to prepare bail money?"

Archer stood beside Giovanni, glancing at the news projection with concern.

"No rush," Giovanni replied, stroking his Persian.

"I want to see how the boy handles this situation."

...

At that moment, Stephen spoke up in the news broadcast,

"Mr. Altair, let me teach you a tip about being a villain."

He raised his right index finger and, with a didactic tone, continued with a smile,

"No matter what kind of desperate situation you're in, never panic. Always maintain a poker face.

"Because the moment your face shows panic, you've already lost.

"Even if your schemes are exposed, never lose your composure. Whether your opponent is a notorious criminal or a powerful trainer, remind yourself to maintain a poker face at all costs.

"No matter how painful it gets, endure it. Like my Umbreon—never show your weakness to the enemy.

"So, as a villain, you're simply unqualified."