บท 49: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [49]
The Next Day, at an Intersection in Cianwood City
"According to our investigation, the Caishen Company's vehicle will be arriving from that direction in five minutes," Stephen said, pointing across the road while balancing a laptop.
"Are you sure about this? We're in the city center. Wouldn't a quieter location be safer?"
Will asked hesitantly.
"We need to make enough of a scene to ensure that more people know Rihua is working with us," Stephen replied, handing a beautifully designed mask to Rihua.
"We didn't have time to ask for your input, but how's the design?"
Rihua took the mask, placed it on her face, and donned gloves to cover her fingerprints.
"It's fine. I'm playing the villain, right? Do I need to worry about style?"
Will rolled his eyes, feeling personally attacked—he had spent hours designing his phantom thief outfit.
Stephen gave Rihua a quick once-over and smiled. "Alright. Good luck out there, our new companion."
Companion?
Hearing that word, Rihua's eyes flickered for a moment, but she said nothing.
"By the way, Rihua, should we come up with code names for ourselves? Stephen already has one, and it feels like we're being overshadowed without one," Will said, clearly hung up on nicknames.
"They're here," Stephen interrupted before Rihua could respond.
Rolling her eyes internally, Rihua muttered "idiot" under her breath. She released her Houndour and fixed her gaze on the approaching truck bearing the Caishen Corporation's logo.
"Ember Charge," she commanded coldly.
Houndour's body ignited with roaring flames, transforming it into a blazing comet that smashed into the truck's cargo compartment. Nearby drivers and pedestrians froze in shock.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" the driver shouted, pulling out a Poké Ball to defend himself.
Before he could act, Rihua calmly retrieved a remote control with an antenna from her neckline.
"That's a Pokeball disruptor?!" The driver's face turned pale.
"Flamethrower," Rihua commanded icily.
Houndour landed gracefully before unleashing another stream of fire, further widening the hole in the truck's cargo compartment. Inside were Ursaring, Teddiursa, and Murkrow—Pokémon that had been captured two nights earlier and handed over to the Caishen Corporation.
Yes, they were still being transported, neatly packaged by Ritsuke and delivered to the corporation.
But their whereabouts had been leaked, courtesy of Stephen—or rather, Giovanni.
Initially, Stephen had no intention of intervening. Whether the Caishen Corporation was genuinely rehoming these Pokémon or hiding a darker agenda, similar incidents occurred daily. He couldn't address every case.
But since Rihua wanted to join his team, this was the perfect opportunity to test her resolve.
Inside the truck, the Ursaring and Murkrow glanced around, bewildered.
"Everyone, get out!"
Rihua shouted, gesturing urgently.
The Ursaring sniffed the air and recognized her scent as one of the individuals who had tried to save them two days ago. Without hesitation, it grabbed its cubs and leaped out of the truck, followed by the Murkrow.
...
Meanwhile, Stephen was busy as well. He stepped into a nearby phone booth, picked up the receiver, and adopted a panicked tone.
"It's terrible! There's a robbery happening! Officer Jenny, please hurry!"
"Don't worry. We'll send officers immediately!"
After ending the call, Stephen dialed the local TV station.
"Hi, Cianwood City News. I've got some explosive news for you…"
When Stephen exited the booth, Will was leaning casually against the doorframe, smirking.
"Stephen, you're becoming more sinister. You used to just blackmail me with videos, but now you're forcing people into corners."
Making Rihua rob the truck in public was essentially her initiation into the group. Shared secrets are the foundation of trust.
Ignoring Will's banter, Stephen checked his watch.
"But I've got a question," Will continued, undeterred. "If we're trying to get dirt on her, why even bother with the mask? Wouldn't it be better for her to act bare-faced? That way, she'd have no choice but to stick with us. With the mask, the League doesn't even know who she is, so she could still betray us."
He had a point. Forcing Rihua to act without a disguise would leave her with no way out except total loyalty to Stephen's group.
"A young girl doesn't need to be pushed that far," Stephen replied calmly.
Forcing her to act bare-faced would strip away all hope of redemption. Allowing her to wear the mask gave her the tiniest sliver of hope, ensuring she wouldn't become truly desperate.
"Wow~ You're surprisingly gentle. For someone who ruthlessly kicked Bishas' jewel last time, I wouldn't have guessed you'd be so soft-hearted," Will teased.
"Hmm?"
"You're just so gentle."
"What?"
"The gentlest in the wor—"
"Shut up!"
The wailing sound of police sirens filled the air. Officer Jenny's team had arrived, followed by a group of reporters.
Exactly as planned.
...
At the Cianwood City Police Station
Goodshow rubbed his temples, staring at the officers who avoided his gaze.
"I don't even know what to say. How could you fall for such an obvious trap?"
Despite his frustration, the usually kindhearted chairman didn't scold them further, sighing heavily instead.
"We're sorry, Mr. Goodshow. When we heard Joker's name, we just… rushed out without thinking," Officer Jenny admitted, looking utterly dejected.
"Why would Joker kidnap a little girl? Did he think she'd uncovered his identity and wanted to silence her?"
Lance speculated with a frown.
"This..."
Jenny faltered. Joker, after all, had saved lives during the Goldenrod Train incident. Was he capable of harming a child?
["Breaking news!"]
The television in the room suddenly switched to a live broadcast. A female anchor's voice filled the station:
["Now, a mysterious female thief, accompanied by a Houndour, has attacked a Caishen Corporation transport truck and openly stolen Pokémon. The thief appears to be between 10 and 12 years old and is reportedly using a Pokeball disruptor invented by Team Rocket's Joker, confirming her affiliation with the organization."
The broadcast showed the masked girl issuing commands to her Houndour, the chaos unfolding onscreen.
The room fell into a heavy, awkward silence.
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