Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

By the Seaside Cabin, in the Living Room

"Aldus may be one of the Elite Four of the Indigo League, but unlike Champion Agatha and the other three members of the Elite Four, he doesn't spend much time at the Indigo Plateau. Instead, he sticks by his father, Master Caishen, giving off the impression that he's not an Elite Four member at all, but rather his father's bodyguard."

Will pulled out a chalkboard filled with information on Aldus's family. Prominently featured was the bald old man, Master Caishen, who had attended a banquet in Ritsuki's mansion.

The scene was eerily reminiscent of the planning sequences in Ocean's Eleven, where the protagonists prepared for a heist.

Clicking his tongue, Will added, "His father is the richest man in Johto and has donated a lot of money to the League. The League turns a blind eye to everything he does."

Will was fully on board with their plan to target Aldus. After all, he had joined the group simply because hanging around Stephen seemed like it wouldn't be boring.

Going after a member of the Elite Four?

The mere thought of it thrilled him to no end.

"Are we going after Master Caishen first?" Rihua asked with a sidelong glance. However, that might not be easy. As the wealthiest man in Johto, Master Caishen's assets were spread across the region.

Unlike Silph Co., which had worldwide branches but was headquartered in Kanto's Saffron City, Master Caishen's businesses had no known headquarters. Or at least, no one knew where it was. Finding him would be a challenge.

"Not necessarily," Stephen replied, pinning a photo to the center of the chalkboard. The photo depicted Master Caishen's younger son, Aldus's brother—Altair!

Rihua's expression shifted slightly. She remembered now: Altair was the Gym Leader of Olivine City!

Unlike his father and brother, whose movements were elusive, Altair, as a Gym Leader, naturally spent most of his time at his gym. After all, even when Brock and Misty traveled extensively with Ash in the future, they temporarily passed their Gym Leader responsibilities to their siblings.

"Altair is one of the strongest trainers in Johto—or rather, he's probably the strongest," Will said, biting his lip in excitement. "They say his strength rivals that of the Elite Four. This is big—we should notify the press before we make our move and let them broadcast our victory!"

"Stop causing trouble!" Rihua snapped. She had no desire to attract unnecessary attention. Their goal in targeting Altair was to use him to track down Aldus. If they startled Aldus or alerted the League, the entire operation would be ruined.

"We're not doing this to fight," Stephen said calmly. "The key is to find Aldus's whereabouts and investigate the shady dealings behind their family."

"Aw, what a shame. I was looking forward to fighting an Elite Four-level opponent," Will said, visibly disappointed.

"You'll have plenty of chances to fight in the future. The target is Aldus!" Rihua shot back, barely able to tolerate his foolishness. Still, their plan to confront Elite-level opponents required Will's strength, so she had to endure him.

...

Olivine City, like Cianwood City, was a coastal city with a bustling harbor in the Johto region. It was also one of the largest metropolitan areas in Johto. From its harbor, long-distance ferries could transport passengers to Kanto.

During Ash's era, the local Gym Leader was Jasmine, who specialized in Steel-type Pokémon. However, even in the future, Jasmine was considered one of the youngest Gym Leaders. She was likely still traveling as an ordinary trainer at this point.

Across from the Olivine Gym, Stephen, Rihua, and Will sat at an outdoor table of a restaurant, watching the gym entrance from across the street. They had already confirmed that Altair was currently at the gym; the operation could begin.

"Slurp, slurp~" Will noisily slurped his spaghetti, speaking with his mouth full. "Stealing stuff is a nighttime activity, right? Let's fill our stomachs first. By the way, Rihua, are you going to eat this strawberry cake? If not, I'll just—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Will's hand reached for Rihu's cake.

Smack!

Rihua slapped his hand with a fork. "Thief!"

Stephen analyzed the situation. "There are two options: we either sneak in while he's asleep at night and look for any incriminating evidence, or we make our move while he's distracted during a Gym Challenge."

Hearing this, Will and Rihua exchanged glances and unanimously chose the first option. After all, sneaking in while someone was asleep would likely give them more time to search.

...

"Hello, I am Jasmine. I'm here to challenge Gym Leader Altair today."

At that moment, a girl who appeared to be about six or seven years old, at least two years younger than Will, approached the gym entrance. She spoke in a soft, childlike voice to the security guard.

Jasmine?!

Hearing the name, Stephen instinctively looked toward the gym entrance. There stood a pale-skinned, short-haired girl with gray shoulder-length hair.

Was it that Jasmine?

"Perfect. Since we've got nothing to do during the day, we might as well watch the show," Stephen said, his interest piqued.

The little girl's words had caught the attention of not only Stephen and his group but also many onlookers. Since Kanto and Johto shared the same Pokémon League, trainers in both regions could compete in the Indigo League by collecting eight gym badges from either region. This meant there were over 20 gyms to choose from (the anime confirmed that Kanto alone had more than 10 gyms).

Most trainers preferred to challenge the weaker gyms, like the Pewter Gym under Brock's father or the Cerulean Gym under Misty's mother.

Altair, however, was widely recognized as the strongest Gym Leader in Johto, with strength comparable to the Elite Four. Few dared challenge him, much like Giovanni of the Viridian Gym.

This was precisely why Giovanni could afford to spend so much time in Johto with Stephen—no challengers dared to face him.

When word spread that someone was challenging Altair, the audience seats in Olivine Gym quickly filled up. People wanted to see who was brave—or foolish—enough to take him on.

As a result, Stephen, Rihua, and Will blended into the crowd without drawing any attention.

"Young lady, you don't appear to meet the League's minimum age requirement for trainers," Altair said, frowning slightly behind his sunglasses.

The League required trainers to be at least 10 years old to receive a starter Pokémon, embark on adventures, and participate in gym challenges or the League competition. The girl before him was underage.

"Y-Yes, I'm only six years old," Jasmine stammered, her face flushed red as she nervously addressed Altair under the watchful eyes of the crowd. "I just got my first Pokémon from my grandfather yesterday. I-I grew up in Olivine City, and I've always heard people say that Gym Leader Altair is the strongest trainer in Johto. S-So I wanted you to be my first opponent!"

Her timid demeanor, reminiscent of Hinata Hyuga, immediately drew reactions from the audience.

"Wow, this little girl's got guts. She just got her starter Pokémon yesterday and already wants to challenge Altair?"

"Sigh, I thought we'd get to see an epic battle. Turns out it's just a baby match. Boring."

"Yeah, it's going to be a one-hit KO. Let's go."

Several audience members prepared to leave, unimpressed by the prospect of a mismatch. Seeing this, the young Jasmine grew even more nervous, her face turning pale as tears welled up in her eyes.

Just as Jasmine was on the verge of tears, Altair's stern voice rang out: "Why mock this child? Isn't her courage something we should all admire?"

His words silenced the audience, leaving those who had stood up feeling ashamed. They hesitated, unsure if they should stay or leave. Meanwhile, the remaining spectators looked at Altair with admiration.

"Well said, Gym Leader Altair!"

"No wonder he's the pride of Olivine City!"

Rihua let out a soft, derisive snort. "What a show-off."

As someone who harbored deep resentment toward Altair's family—his brother had killed her Houndoom's parents—Rihua naturally held no goodwill toward Altair.

Stephen, however, remained silent. To be honest, he didn't think Altair was putting on an act. Having lived through three lifetimes, Stephen trusted his ability to gauge people.

Of course, if Altair's acting skills were on par with someone like Aizen Sosuke, then Stephen admitted he wouldn't be able to tell.