Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

Credits: Sai Manoj Nelavalli

Cynthia and Stephen locked eyes. Beneath her bangs, Cynthia's beautiful gaze first reflected a hint of astonishment, but within less than half a second, it turned into vigilance.

"So, you came after all, Joker!"

Taking two steps back with her Garchomp, Cynthia placed Sheena protectively behind her.

"What are you doing in Sinnoh?"

Faced with Cynthia's questioning, Stephen merely smiled without responding.

After taking another couple of glances at the slightly youthful Cynthia, Stephen shifted his gaze to Karen.

"Good work. Let's go."

Karen, without wasting words, immediately recalled her Houndoom, which was already exhausted and on the verge of collapse. She then walked to Stephen's side.

"Did you get it?"

Leaning close to Stephen, Karen whispered into his ear.

Seeing Stephen nod gently, Karen finally felt relieved.

However, a tinge of doubt lingered in her heart.

Hadn't that short-haired woman just said the item hadn't been stolen?

Watching the three prepare to leave, Cynthia instinctively wanted to stop them.

But clearly, Cynthia was not the type to recklessly throw everything aside to confront criminals, unlike Lance.

After all, this was a town. Even if the residents had been told to stay indoors, a fight between herself and Joker would almost certainly drag innocent people into the chaos.

Besides, Sheena had also said the item hadn't been stolen.

There was no need to pursue them relentlessly.

Unlike Lance, who had a personality like Akainu, willing to kill a thousand innocent to kill one pirate, Cynthia, as the future Sinnoh Champion, acted more like Fujitora—she placed greater importance on protecting her people rather than simply annihilating the enemy.

"Very wise. Well then, goodbye~"

Stephen waved a finger at Cynthia with a dismissive gesture, as if saying "See you again," and then left with Karen and Will.

As the three figures disappeared into the moonlit distance, Cynthia let out a sigh of relief. She then turned to Sheena.

"Sheena, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Sheena shook her head and pulled the Jewel of Life out from her pocket. "Thankfully, it's still here."

Looking at the brilliant gem in Sheena's hands, Cynthia's gaze reflected more curiosity than amazement.

"Sheena, this is…?"

Sheena glanced around.

Noticing that the surroundings had quieted down and some townsfolk were already starting to peek outside, she said, "Too many eyes and ears here. Come with me; I'll explain it to you."

Sheena carefully tucked the Jewel of Life back into her pocket and pulled Cynthia along as they headed back to her house.

The existence of the Jewel of Life had been Sheena's greatest secret, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

But she had known Cynthia for quite some time now.

Considering how Cynthia had just protected her earlier, Sheena had complete trust in her character and decided to disclose everything, including the story of her ancestor's betrayal of Arceus.

…

Half an hour later, after hearing everything from Sheena, Cynthia's jaw dropped in shock.

Even as a history enthusiast, she couldn't help but exclaim that this was an earth-shattering revelation!

"So… you're saying that this Jewel of Life is the combined energy Arceus used to restore Michina back then?"

Cynthia stared in disbelief at the gem on the table.

Sheena nodded. "Yes. Other than that, I can't think of any other reason why Joker would come here."

Upon hearing this, Cynthia became even more confused.

If that was the case, why didn't Joker take it?

And why did he leave so decisively without obtaining his target?

At that time, it was three against one.

Even with all her confidence in her abilities, Cynthia would never claim she could fend off all three of them.

So why did he leave?

The more Cynthia thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.

"Sheena, do you mind if I report this to the League?"

Cynthia bit her lip and asked.

She sincerely felt that this matter was far more complicated than it appeared and that it was necessary to consult the League's higher-ups.

"This… I don't think that's necessary, right? After all, the Jewel of Life wasn't stolen..."

However, Sheena was reluctant.

Given the magnitude of the matter, she preferred to keep the number of people who knew about it as small as possible.

After all, as the embodiment of Arceus's energy, the Jewel of Life was a priceless treasure.

What if some bad guys want to steal it?

 Cynthia shook her head, "But Joker already knows about it. What if he comes back? Besides, I think things aren't that simple."

 As the future champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia had a broader perspective than Sheena.

Even in the best-case scenario, though the item hasn't been stolen yet, Team Rocket already knows about its existence. Next time, or the time after that, can you still protect it?

 Cynthia felt it was better to protect Sheena and not give Joker a second chance to make a move.

Sheena bit her lower lip, contemplating for a long time, and realized that Cynthia's words made sense.

 Unless she summoned those god Pokemon, she truly had no way to defend the Jewel of Life if Team Rocket tried to steal it again.

 Besides, those three had their matters to attend to—they couldn't just watch over them 24/7, could they?

"We can't delay. Let's head to Lily of the Valley Island first!"

 Cynthia was still worried Joker might double back for another attack.

 Although it was already late, she felt it was better to head to the Sinnoh League Headquarters on Lily of the Valley Island as soon as possible.

...

On the other side, after confirming that Cynthia hadn't followed them,

 Stephen and the other two stowed their battle suits into their wristbands and changed back into their usual disguises.

 After casually finding a hotel and checking in,

 Will couldn't hold back his excitement: "Hey, Stephen, hurry up and take out the treasure so we can have a look!"

Stephen unzipped his jacket, took out the genuine Jewel of Life from an inside pocket, and tossed it to Will.

 "Whoa!"

 Will was startled and lunged forward to catch the jewel.

 "Hey, hey! Be careful! This is something left behind by the Creator—it's priceless!"

 "If it's something left by the Creator, it won't break so easily," Stephen said with a laugh.

 In the anime, Arceus himself said, "The Jewel of Life is a part of my being. It is impossible to destroy so easily."

Karen also came over, snatching the jewel from Will's hands and exclaiming,

 "I can feel it—it contains immense power."

"A thousand years ago, Arceus combined the life sources of ground, water, grass, electricity, and dragons to create the Jewel of Life,"

 Stephen explained as he released his Umbreon.

 "Umbreon, give it a try."

Hearing this, Umbreon jumped onto the bed. She felt as though the glowing green jewel before her emanated an incredible allure, drawing her closer step by step.

Finally, Umbreon pressed her forehead against the Jewel of Life.

 Whoosh—

 The light of evolution burst forth.

 Her black fur transformed into lush green vines.

"What is this!?"

 Karen exclaimed in shock.

 A form of Eevee she had never seen before!?

"It's Leafeon," Stephen said with a slight smile. Then he added, "Try again."

Leafeon pressed her face against the jewel once more.

 The light of evolution flared up again.

 A long, aquamarine tail, like that of a fish, swayed in the glow.

Vaporeon!