Capítulo 42: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [42]
Upon hearing Stephen's words, the television audience erupted in shock.
Daisy, the eldest granddaughter of Professor Oak, looked at her grandfather in disbelief.
"Grandpa, what... what does he mean?"
Professor Oak was equally bewildered, murmuring Stephen's earlier statement to himself.
"As a villain, you're unqualified?"
If you reverse the meaning, isn't he saying that Altair is a villain?
"That's impossible!"
Professor Oak muttered incredulously.
Elsewhere, viewers watching the live broadcast shared the same reaction. Not just the general public—even high-ranking members of the Pokémon League were in disbelief.
Sinnoh Region, Celestic Town
In a modest house, the renowned historian Dr. Carolina and her two granddaughters mirrored Professor Oak's stunned expressions.
"Gym Leader Altair is a villain? Is this guy... joking?"
Cynthia, standing beside her Garchomp, was equally taken aback. She had heard of Altair—a gym leader with Elite Four-level strength, widely known for his good reputation in the Johto Region. Stories of him helping the weak were common.
He was considered a paragon of virtue among gym leaders, much like Kanto's esteemed Leader Giovanni.
And yet, Joker claimed he was a villain?
"This has to be a lie," Dr. Carolina speculated.
"A ploy to distract him and create an opening to escape."
Sitting between her grandmother and older sister, two-year-old girl licked her lollipop and spoke in her babyish voice,
"Grandma and Sis are talking about something so complicated. I don't understand, but that masked big brother looks cool!"
Indeed, many children and young girls watching the broadcast had the same thought. Regardless of whether Joker was lying or telling the truth, the confidence with which he delivered his speech about "maintaining a poker face" was undeniably charismatic.
"My dear sister, don't idolize bad guys!"
Cynthia playfully knocked her little sister on the head.
...
Back at the scene, Aldus scoffed.
"Still trying to stall with lies at this point?"
"It's a shame for you," he continued. "You've accused the wrong person. My brother's reputation, not just in the League but across the Pokémon continent, is beyond reproach. If you accused me, someone might believe it—but him? You might as well claim that all Kanto gym leaders are Team Rocket members."
Many viewers nodded silently at Aldus' words. That's right—Altair was known for his virtuous and kindhearted nature. Joker's accusation had to be baseless, a classic case of an evil Team Rocket member trying to manipulate the narrative.
Stephen merely smiled.
"Think whatever you want. Anyway, I'll be leaving now. The results weren't exactly what I planned, but I still gained plenty. Farewell, everyone."
With that, he pressed a button on his suit. The back of his coat unfolded into a triangular glider—black, like a thief in the night.
"Trying to fly away?"
Aldus immediately understood his intention. But with the Pokéballs still malfunctioning, he couldn't send out his Flying Pokémon to stop him.
"Will, let's go!"
"I have my codename!"
Will grumbled.
Stephen took out his remote control and pressed another button. Instantly, Jynx transformed into a beam of red light and returned to Will's belt.
The sight sent shockwaves through the trainers present. Without a doubt, that was the Pokeball remote control.
And if Will could recall his Pokémon, that meant... Pokéballs were functional again!
"Go, Machamp!"
"Do your best, Dodrio!"
In an instant, all the trainers instinctively reached for their Pokéballs.
But—
"Joker's escaping!"
Officer Jenny shouted as the motorized hum of Stephen's glider filled the air. He and Will began to ascend.
"Don't even think about it!"
Clair rushed forward with her Dragonair, but Umbreon tilted her head slightly and unleashed a dazzling flash of light.
A blinding glare enveloped the scene, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
"Damn it!"
Clair struggled to move forward through the light, squinting to see Stephen's smirk.
"Miss Clear," he said, smirking, "let me tell you something."
"If I'm a master artist, your cousin is nothing more than a critic—someone who nitpicks my work but can never create anything himself."
As the light faded, Umbreon returned to her Pokéball as a red beam of light.
"Skarmory!"
Altair wasted no time, releasing his Skarmory into the sky above the villa.
But Stephen and Will had vanished.
"Gym Leader Altair, which direction did they fly?" the commanding Officer Jenny shouted.
From atop his Skarmory, Altair looked around in confusion. After scanning the skies, he replied with a blank expression:
"There's... nothing. Besides my Skarmory and the TV station's helicopter, there's no other flying object nearby."
"What did you say?!"
Jenny exclaimed in shock.
"How... how could that be?"
Clair stammered, mouth agape.
"Two people, alive—they just vanished?"
Dragon Elder blinked slowly, his expression unreadable. It seemed he had a thought, but he merely smiled without elaborating.
"Challenging Lance so openly... ha, these young people..."
Standing behind the Elder Dragon in plain clothes, Stephen feigned surprise while listening to his remark. Old man, you're overthinking this.
"I only said that because it sounded cool in the moment."
As for mentioning Lance... well, among the people he'd interacted with, Lance had the highest reputation.
Can't exactly name Giovanni, can I?
"Arf! Arf!"
The tension was broken by a bark. A Houndour suddenly appeared and lunged at Aldus, snapping at his arm.
Fortunately, his Alakazam reacted quickly, countering with a Thunder Punch just before its teeth made contact.
"Houndour!"
Rihua rushed over and cradled the injured Pokémon.
"What's with that dog?"
Aldus demanded, clutching his arm, which now bled slightly. His expression darkened as he glared at the Houndour in Rihua's arms.
This unexpected scene immediately drew everyone's attention to the little girl cradling the feral Houndour.
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