Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Stephen, are we... not going after Aldus anymore?"

The warm lunch hour had ended, and it was time for the afternoon training session. During the break, Karen walked over to Stephen and asked.

"They'll be on high alert for a while, and who knows how many tricks that family still has up their sleeves."

Stephen glanced sideways and replied:

"Don't rush. Let's focus on getting stronger ourselves first."

"I... I understand."

Karen looked a bit downcast, but she knew Stephen made sense.

"That said, I do have an idea to track down that guy, Aldus," Will suddenly chimed in, joining their conversation.

Though Karen didn't expect this idiot to have any brilliant ideas, she figured it couldn't hurt to hear him out. So, brushing her hair back, she asked with a hint of sarcasm:

"Oh? Then let's hear it, Mr. Will."

Will didn't seem to catch the sarcasm in her tone. He let out a few odd chuckles before saying:

"That guy may be up to shady business in the shadows, but on the surface, he's still one of the Elite Four of the Indigo League."

"If that's the case, then after the annual Indigo Conference, there's always the Elite Four Challenge... he has to show up for that, right?"

Hearing this, Karen's eyes lit up.

The Indigo Conference, an annual event, gathers trainers from across the region who have earned all eight Gym Badges in one year. The tournament is held on the Indigo Plateau.

The winner of the tournament earns the right to challenge the Elite Four of the Indigo League.

Defeating any of the current Elite Four members allows you to take their place.

If someone defeats all four, they even get the chance to challenge the Champion and possibly become the new Champion themselves.

As Will said, while Aldus's movements were often mysterious, his public identity as one of the Elite Four meant he would have to appear at the Elite Four Challenge.

"Never thought you, of all people, could come up with a decent idea," Karen said, likely complimenting Will for the first time since she joined the group.

Will rolled his eyes, unsure if she was praising or mocking him, and then added, "But the thing is, for the past two years, no trainer has even been able to get past Lorelei, so Aldus hasn't appeared in the Elite Four Challenge at all."

That's right. Although Aldus was one of the Elite Four, he hadn't shown up at the Elite Four Challenge in recent years.

This was due to the current power ranking among the Indigo League Elite Four: Lorelei < Bruno < Aldus < Lance (based on the game rankings).

Thus, challengers would always start with Lorelei, the weakest of the four.

If no one could defeat Lorelei, then naturally, Aldus wouldn't need to make an appearance.

"So, it's still better to dig up some leads on Aldus and take him out directly, isn't it?" Will suggested.

If Karen were to follow this method of finding Aldus, she'd have to challenge eight Gyms, compete in the Indigo Conference, and then defeat Lorelei and Bruno to finally face Aldus.

To Will, that was way too complicated—a massive detour.

Karen didn't respond immediately but instead turned to her Houndoom.

"Houndoom, what do you think?"

"Woof, woof~"

Hearing the name of its enemy, Houndoom let out a low growl.

"I can't understand a word it's saying. Stephen translate," Will said, shrugging.

"Don't make it sound like I'm Meowth," Stephen retorted, giving Will a light punch. Then, placing a hand on Houndoom's back, Stephen used his Viridian Force to sense Houndoom's thoughts. He translated for Karen:

"It's asking, 'If we do it this way, can I kill my enemy in front of the whole world?'"

Karen smiled brightly. "You think just like I do, Houndoom."

Sneaky revenge? That's no fun. Public vengeance is so much more satisfying.

Not only will I take you down, but I'll do it in front of the entire world!

I'll make you pay for what you've done!

Stephen silently watched Karen and her Houndoom, both of them fired up.

To be honest, he found their plan a bit childish.

But then again, Karen was still a kid. It was natural for her to think this way.

Besides, vengeance like this would certainly be more satisfying.

"But the Indigo Conference is less than a month away, isn't it? There's no time," Stephen pointed out.

With less than a month left, even if you just rushed between eight cities, it'd be hard to make it in time.

Not to mention, with the tournament registration deadline approaching, the number of challengers would skyrocket.

Challenging a Gym would almost certainly mean waiting in line.

"I have seven badges. Want to borrow them?" Will said, pulling seven shiny badges from the inside pocket of his jacket.

Before joining Stephen's team, Will had been collecting Gym Badges too.

"The closest Gym to Cianwood City... should be the Mahogany Town Gym, right? Want to give it a shot?"

Ever since joining Stephen, Will had lost interest in the Indigo Conference.

But he was very curious to see Karen take revenge on Aldus.

Killing an Elite Four member in front of the world? That sounded exciting.

"Idiot, the League keeps records of who earned each badge!" Stephen snapped.

Do you think the League is stupid?

Every time a Gym is challenged, the participant's information is recorded and sent to headquarters.

When you register for the tournament, the League verifies the records.

Otherwise, why would anyone bother challenging Gyms? It'd be easier to just steal someone else's badges.

"Also, Karen, do you think you're strong enough to defeat Lorelei and Bruno right now?" Stephen asked, hitting Karen with a hard truth.

That instantly silenced both Karen and her Houndoom.

He was right.

If they went the sneaky route to find Aldus, Stephen and Will could help.

But if Karen chose the Elite Four Challenge route, she'd have to rely on herself.

"Think it over carefully," Stephen said before returning to training his Umbreon, Maria, Rose, and Sina.

He sat on a rock by the beach, holding the egg left behind by an Altaria, speaking gently to it:

"Look, everyone's working hard to welcome you into the world. You're going to grow up healthy and strong. That's what your mother wanted too..."

"Well... good luck," Will said awkwardly after a long pause, offering the best encouragement he could muster before wandering off.

Karen, along with her Houndoom and Murkrow, stood frozen in place, lost in thought.

...

Two days later, Karen made her decision.

"Stephen, I've decided. Houndoom and I are going to take our revenge in front of the whole world."

She had thought it through. Even if Stephen and Will helped, all they could do was track down Aldus.

In the end, the fight would still be hers alone. She would have to settle her grudge herself.

If both methods ultimately led to her facing Aldus one-on-one, why not choose the one that she and Houndoom would enjoy more?