Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Stephen-kun, I found it! That guy Anders is planning to escape from Johto to Kanto using Route 45."

Two days later, Giovanni glanced at the message on his phone and turned to Stephen.

"Wow~ No wonder he's the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto; his information network is truly impressive."

Stephen, who was busy at a sewing machine, gave a thumbs-up.

Like Spider-Man, he had designed a battle suit to conceal his identity.

"Hehe, this should have been reported to the league, but if I did that, wouldn't I be letting go of a rare experimental subject?"

Giovanni said with a mischievous smile.

After all, if Anders were caught by the league, his fate would be sealed—he'd end up in a league prison. In that case, this rare test subject would be gone. It was better to capture him and make use of him.

However, spending so much time with Stephen often made Giovanni forget that he was still, on the surface, a Pokemon League Gym Leader. His expression just now was not one a kind-hearted trainer should have shown.

"That's for sure."

Stephen stood up and pulled the completed clothing from under the sewing machine. It was a black trench coat-style outfit. Nearby, there was a freshly carved mask—white with black patterns.

A black trench coat, a white mask, and red gloves.

Once Stephen changed into this outfit, any of his past life's fellow cultured people who saw him would surely exclaim, "Isn't that the outfit of the main character from Persona 5?!"

That's right; it was the attire of the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

"Alright, now no one will recognize me."

Stephen looked in the mirror, clearly satisfied with his appearance.

"Hey, Stephen-kun, just in case, take this with you."

As the wind whistled, Stephen reflexively raised his hand to catch the item thrown to him. Looking down, he smiled.

"Looks like the uncle doesn't trust my strength."

"Route 45 is very close to Blackthorn City," Giovanni reminded him with a smile.

Stephen glanced at the city map on the wall, then shrugged self-deprecatingly.

"Thinking that far ahead? Thanks, uncle."

With that, Stephen and Umbreon disappeared under the bright moonlight.

After sitting down, Giovanni glanced at an email on his phone. The sender was his most trusted subordinate—Archer.

[BOSS, Anders hopes that after he arrives in Kanto, Team Rocket will take him in.]

That's right; Giovanni's information wasn't from his role as a League Gym Leader. It came from his identity as the leader of Team Rocket.

Anders had been doing business with Team Rocket. After snatching Pokémon from rookie trainers, some were sold on the black market, while others were handed over to Team Rocket. Now that he couldn't survive in Johto, he sought refuge in Kanto under Team Rocket's wing.

"You're getting old... Anders, you no longer hold any value."

Giovanni smirked.

"You're already 35 this year; it's time to be optimized."

Since Anders had outlived his usefulness, it was better to recycle him as nourishment for Team Rocket's new blood.

...

Route 45

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Accompanied by rapid breaths, a figure ran along the road on the southern outskirts of Blackthorn City.

"Damn... The phone won't connect... Where's the helicopter?"

Anders collapsed under the shade of a tree, sitting on the grass while cursing into his phone. The screen displayed a message from Team Rocket instructing him to wait on Route 45, where they promised a helicopter would pick him up for Kanto.

However, Anders had waited for days without any sign of the helicopter. Moreover, his attempts to contact Team Rocket were fruitless.

"Damn it, those guys wouldn't go back on their word, would they?"

Furious, Anders muttered, "If I can't have a good time, you won't either!"

If he ended up in a league jail, he'd spill everything he knew about Team Rocket's dealings.

If Giovanni had known what Anders was thinking, he'd likely laugh. Team Rocket had committed far worse crimes than Anders could expose. What kind of impact could his little business dealings have?

"Are you Mr. Anders?"

A childish voice came from ahead, drawing Anders' attention.

Looking up, he saw a kid—no older than ten—dressed entirely in black, with a mask covering the upper half of his face. The boy was walking slowly toward him.

"Is Team Rocket so desperate they sent a kid to pick me up?"

Anders grumbled irritably, standing up from the grass.

"Where's the helicopter?"

"Ah?"

Stephen was momentarily taken aback, but he didn't bother to correct Anders. With a smile, he said, "I don't know what you're talking about, but it's better to avoid helicopters. They tend to crash."

"What?"

Anders blinked in confusion. Before he could process the remark, the masked boy raised a finger. A Poké Ball on his waist opened.

Before the white light fully dissipated, a ghostly shadow dashed toward Anders, claws gleaming as they aimed straight for his throat.

"Dam—"

Startled, Anders instinctively cursed. Before he could finish, his Pokémon, sensing its owner's crisis, leaped from its ball. Using Metal Claw, it blocked the surprise attack from Umbreon.

The two Pokémon were locked in a brief stalemate before Umbreon gained the upper hand. With a follow-up Iron Tail, she sent her opponent flying.

However, the Steel-type move didn't seem particularly effective. Though Anders' Pokémon was knocked back, it quickly dug its claws into the ground. Two parallel grooves formed in the grass as it skidded to a halt, unharmed.

Finally, Stephen got a clear view of the Pokémon—it was a Dugtrio from the Unova region.

"But it seems tired... Hasn't it had much rest after running around with you for days?"

Stephen remarked with a smile.

The Dugtrio was likely Anders' main Pokémon. Otherwise, it couldn't have reacted so quickly to a surprise attack. But it was clearly in poor condition, dragged around by its owner without proper food or rest.

"With a Pokémon in that state, do you think it can beat my Umbreon?"

Stephen asked with a faint smile.

It looked like capturing this first test subject would be easier than expected.

"Damn Team Rocket!"

Anders roared, his anger boiling over. At this moment, he felt like if he were from Planet Vegeta, he could transform into a Super Saiyan.

Convinced the masked kid was sent by Team Rocket to eliminate him, Anders' fury reached its peak.

Stephen blinked under his mask.

Hmm... Think what you want.