Chương 2: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [2]
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Stephen's stomach protested loudly once again.
"Fruit isn't filling after all."
Patting his rumbling belly, Stephen glanced at the Umbreon by his side and said,
"Let's fill our stomachs first, then think about the future."
"Umbre~"
The Umbreon nodded in agreement. Though it hadn't fully recovered from the pain of being abandoned by its original trainer, the short ten minutes spent with this young human boy were enough to sense that he bore no malice or prejudice. That alone was reason enough to follow him.
After Stephen and the Umbreon departed, a figure clad in a long black cloak stepped out from the shadows of a nearby alley. With his wide-brimmed hat and mysterious air, he resembled a gambler god fallen from grace.
Under the brim, his sharp eyes brimmed with disbelief as he muttered to himself.
"A Dark-type… reversing its evolution? That kid… Is he joking?"
Normally, he would've dismissed such talk as the delusions of an overly dramatic youngster. But after observing Stephen secretly for a brief time, he noticed something unsettling.
The boy exuded a maturity that didn't match his age, and his gaze was filled with an almost palpable confidence.
Could the boy… pull it off?
Giovanni remained silent for a long moment.
Under different circumstances, he'd have at least sent someone to tail the boy—or even observed him personally—to see if this feat was truly possible.
But not now.
Recently, Giovanni had been consumed by a different mission: the search for his missing son.
Unable to find him in Kanto, he'd extended his search to Johto. He hadn't even mobilized Team Rocket for this task. After all, Giovanni had never told anyone—not even his subordinates—that he had a child.
A child was a weakness.
As the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni had countless enemies. If word of his son ever got out, he knew all too well what would happen. So, he had kept this secret buried deep.
Yet even with all his precautions, his son had still gone missing.
"Who… could it be!?"
Giovanni clenched his teeth, his focus on Stephen dissolving as he turned and disappeared back into the shadows.
...
At the Pokémon Center.
"Big Sister, the food here is free, right?"
Stephen tilted his head and blinked his adorably wide eyes, sweetly asking Nurse Joy.
Along the way, he'd been gathering information through this cute act.
He had learned that this was Cianwood City. However, the timeline didn't match the Pokémon world he knew from the anime and games in his past life.
For instance, the current Kanto League Champion wasn't Lance, the master of Dragon-types, but Agatha, the Ghost-type master.
This meant the events he was familiar with were still several years away.
Moreover, Professor Oak hadn't yet invented the Pokédex, and the general populace was barely familiar with the Dark type—an attribute still uncommon. The Pokémon Transfer System? The healing machines? Nonexistent.
Still, one thing matched: Pokémon Centers offered free medical care, meals, and lodging.
"Yes, little boy," Nurse Joy replied warmly from behind the counter.
Her smile brightened as she looked at the adorable child before her.
Stephen, for his part, began to understand why annoying brats like Momonosuke enjoyed this kind of treatment so much.
Looking back, his first regret in his previous life was never toppling the World Government. His second? Not getting rid of that brat Momonosuke.
Upon hearing that the food was indeed free, Stephen's face lit up with joy.
I love this world!
But Nurse Joy's next words froze him in place.
"May I see your Trainer ID?"
"Huh?"
Trainer… ID?
Oh, wait!
There was something like that in the games, right? It had details like the trainer's name, ID number, and badge count. But since it was just cosmetic, he'd never paid attention to it.
Noticing his expression shift, Nurse Joy's smile became tinged with confusion.
"If you're not registered with the League, you'll need to pay. A day's lodging and meals cost 1,000 Poké Dollars."
Stephen patted his empty pocket and quickly calculated how to escape without embarrassing himself.
"This meal's on me," Nurse Joy suddenly offered.
"Wha…?"
Stephen was stunned.
Nurse Joy smiled warmly.
"It's a small amount. Don't worry about it."
...
Half an hour later, in the Pokémon Center dining hall, several trainers were staring at Stephen in bewilderment.
No—more like horror.
It was as if they were watching a starving ghost devour a banquet.
Even the Umbreon, crouched beside him with a bowl of Pokémon food, seemed to lose its appetite as it watched.
This is so embarrassing…
"Is it good?"
Nurse Joy approached with a Chansey by her side.
"Thank you, Sister Saori. I'll repay you someday," Stephen replied, giving her a thumbs-up as he swallowed another mouthful of curry rice.
From their chat, Stephen learned that "Joy" was the family name of the Joy clan, and each member had their own given name.
Through their conversation, he also gained new insights into the Pokémon world.
Only League-registered Trainers could enjoy free lodging and medical care. To register, a yearly tax had to be paid from birth. At age 10, the League would gift a new trainer a Pokémon of decent potential—usually a starter. This benefit lasted until age 20.
Well… that makes sense, Stephen thought. If anyone could freeload at Pokémon Centers for life, why would anyone work?
But this new information sparked a nagging question.
Where did Ash's mom, Delia, get her money?
Out of curiosity, Stephen asked Nurse Joy Saori about the annual tax. After hearing the answer, he became even more curious.
Was Professor Oak sponsoring her? No, no—stop! If I keep thinking about this, this story's going to get banned.
"…Stephen-kun, are you an orphan?"
Her sudden question snapped Stephen out of his thoughts.
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AbsoluteCode
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