Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

The area of Alola isn't that big.

In just a little over an hour, the three of them arrived by boat at the fifth island of the Alola region—Aether Paradise.

The Aether Foundation has areas open to regular visitors, the most famous of which is the Pokemon Conservation Area.

This area is used to shelter wild Pokémon that cannot survive alone in the wild or Pokémon abandoned by humans.

But the person Stephen was looking for this time was not here.

"Hello, I'd like to meet with President Lusamine."

Stephen walked straight to the front desk and addressed the young receptionist. Seeing what appeared to be a 12-year-old child requesting to meet with the highest-ranking person in the Aether Foundation, the receptionist couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

However, she still maintained a professional tone and asked:

"Heh~ Alright, do you have an appointment?"

"No."

Hearing this, the receptionist shrugged regretfully, "Well, I'm sorry, little boy. Without an appointment, you can't meet with the President."

Damn it!

This is why the plotlines in fanfiction where people casually meet with League Presidents or Champions are so ridiculous.

"Can I make an appointment now?" Stephen changed his approach.

The receptionist blinked, barely suppressing her laughter, and asked:

"So, little boy, why do you want to meet with the President?"

"I heard the President is very interested in Ultra Beasts, and I'd like to discuss some academic matters,"

Stephen answered truthfully.

"Pfft!"

This time, the receptionist couldn't hold back her laughter. Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, she teased:

"Little boy, if you want to play games, I can send you to our Lost Child Center. There are plenty of kids there to play with."

Stephen cursed silently. People won't even believe the truth when you tell them.

But at the end of the day, it was still because this body couldn't carry the weight of Dr. Stephen's intellect.

Seriously, why does Conan get to roam around crime scenes unhindered despite looking like an elementary schooler?

"This is more troublesome than I thought. We can't even meet her," Karen muttered quietly from behind.

"Stephen, how about using the old method?" Will whispered into Stephen's ear.

The old method he referred to was, of course, sneaking in after disguising themselves—just like how the three of them had infiltrated Olivine Gym before.

"No, if we can do things openly, let's avoid underhanded tactics."

Although Stephen didn't like Detective Conan, he did agree with one of his principles:

No matter how covertly you do something, you'll always leave traces behind.

So unless it was a shady matter, Stephen preferred to act as himself, rather than as Joker.

"What now? If we can't meet her, we won't be able to get the information either," Karen frowned.

"Let's wait a few days. Lusamine isn't a Dugtrio hiding underground all the time. When she shows up, we'll approach her then."

Before coming, Stephen had already researched Lusamine's background.

Although Alola hadn't joined the Pokémon League yet, Lusamine—a remarkable woman who single-handedly developed the Aether Foundation into the most prominent enterprise in the region—was already seen by locals as the most likely candidate for Alola's future League President.

Moreover, Lusamine often appeared in the media, granting interviews to express her love for Pokémon and promoting her philosophy of "loving Pokémon as a mother loves her children."

This had garnered her significant support from the Alola populace.

So meeting her shouldn't be too difficult.

"If it drags on too long, then we'll use Will's method."

Leaving this as a final note, Stephen led the two away from Aether Paradise.

After all, his patience had its limits.

"Or we could use Uncle Giovanni's connections," Will suggested on the boat ride back to Melemele Island.

"We could just say you're Uncle Giovanni's nephew, have him make a call, and we'd get into Lusamine's residence easily, just like before…"

"Hey!"

Noticing Karen's reaction to the mention of a woman's residence, Stephen's tone grew sterner.

Will immediately realized his slip-up, coughed awkwardly and shuffled away from Karen to avoid her wrath.

"Uncle Giovanni's connections should be used sparingly."

This was mainly because Giovanni's identity as the leader of Team Rocket was bound to be exposed eventually.

If Stephen stayed too close to him, it would undoubtedly bring trouble his way.

The Pokémon world wasn't like the One Piece world, where being wanted was a badge of honor, and no matter how high your bounty, you could still walk the streets freely.

This world didn't work that way.

In the Pokémon world, being wanted—especially with your true identity exposed—was a serious problem.

While there were disguises, Ditto, and Zoroark for concealment, why hide if you could just use your face?

...

"Ugh… I'm starving. Let's skip Karen's cooking for lunch and go back to that Malasada shop from yesterday."

Back on Melemele Island, Will immediately voiced his cravings as soon as they disembarked.

Karen's face darkened—one day, she was going to sew this guy's lips shut.

"Let's get everything to-go and eat at home. I'm close to finishing my latest invention," Stephen decided.

Will flashed an "OK" hand sign and quickly darted into the Malasada store.

"He's just got a loose tongue, no real malice," Stephen said with a smile.

"You're too kind."

Karen gave him a sour look.

"You haven't met truly annoying people. My biggest regret is not wiping them out completely."

Stephen shrugged.

"They must've been awful to make you hate them so much."

Karen's curiosity was piqued.

Even the Pokémon around perked up their ears.

Gossip time!

"It's not about being awful… they're just… unbelievably infuriating. How do I put it…"

Recalling those people from his past life, Stephen's face twisted in disgust for the first time in a while.

"I'd love to meet them someday."

Seeing this rare expression of revulsion on Stephen's face, Karen's interest deepened.

"No, you wouldn't. That whole family is insane. Spending time with them will lower your IQ."

"Hey guys, I'm back! What were we talking about?" Will returned with a bag full of Malasadas.

"None of your business!" Karen immediately turned her head and walked away.

"What's her problem now?"

Will felt personally attacked. This girl was clearly out to get him!

With subordinates like this, Stephen thought to himself, is this the price of leadership, Akainu?

…

Whoosh—!

As the three of them approached their base, a sudden sound of wind slicing through the air broke the silence.

Will's expression instantly changed.

"That's the sound of my Natu using Air Slash!"

The three of them quickened their pace, reaching the cave entrance in under 30 seconds.

High in the sky, a Xatu flapped its wings furiously, unleashing Air Slash after Air Slash.

"It's my Xatu!?" Will exclaimed, both shocked and thrilled. It had evolved!

Meanwhile, Stephen and Karen focused on the ground.

"Boom! Boom!"

On the ground, a Pokémon was darting around, skillfully dodging the attacks of Will's newly evolved Trumbeak.

That's… little bear!?

The bear weaved in an S-pattern across the ground, narrowly dodging each Air Slash with the smallest of margins.

"So fast! Is that Pokémon really that quick?" Karen marveled.

The missed Air Slashes sliced through a nearby tree, cutting it clean in half and sending it crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

The bear extended its small arms and—shockingly—hoisted the tree trunk, which was more than ten times its size, above its head.

Even Stephen was taken aback.

Such incredible strength!

At that moment, a word popped into Stephen's mind—Stufful!