Soon, at Aldus' request, Ritsuki ordered his subordinates to bring over a large cement truck. One by one, the severely injured Pokémon—including the Houndours, Ursarings, Teddiursas, and Murkrows—were loaded into the truck bed for transport.
At that moment, Giovanni approached together with Stephen and Will.
"Oh? Mr. Giovanni, you're here too?"
Ritsuki looked at Giovanni in surprise.
"I heard that President Ritsuki encountered some trouble, so I came to take a look."
Mid-sentence, Giovanni's gaze shifted to Aldus.
"But it seems the Elite Four resolved the matter before we had the chance to step in."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Aldus," Giovanni said, extending his hand courteously.
"The pleasure is mine. The reputation of Gym Leader Giovanni precedes you," Aldus responded formally as he shook Giovannii's hand.
"What's the plan for handling these Pokémon?"
Will asked, pointing to the wild Pokémon piled up in the truck bed.
Aldus initially did not intend to answer but, seeing that the child was with Giovanni, decided to explain.
"I plan to send them to my father. He will find suitable trainers for them."
Suitable trainers?
Hearing this, Stephen's expression turned a bit odd.
These Pokémon had been forcibly removed from their habitat and severely injured—especially the Houndour clan, who had just witnessed their leader die right before their eyes. For them, being released back into the wild would likely be the best outcome.
Unless you find trainers with Naruto-level persuasion skills, taming them would be nearly impossible—not even Ash could manage!
Aldus wasn't aware of this detail.
"We're planning to host a banquet this weekend and invite Lord Caishen, along with other notable figures from the Johto region. Mr. Giovanni, would you and your young companions like to join us?"
Ritsuki extended the invitation warmly.
"And Lord Caishen is?"
Stephen asked curiously.
Giovanni explained, "Aldus' father—the wealthiest man in Johto and a renowned philanthropist."
However, Giovanni politely declined Ritsuki's invitation.
"As much as I'd like to, I need to return to Kanto. Staying away too long might not sit well with those in charge."
Having observed enough, Giovanni was now certain that Stephen would not align with the League, allowing him to leave with peace of mind.
"I see... Then what about you two?"
Ritsuki redirected his question toward Stephen and Will.
As a businessman, Ritsuki excelled at investing in potential. These two boys, close to Giovanni, were bound for greatness.
"Thank you for the invitation, Uncle Ritsuki. If there's nothing else, we'll try to attend," Stephen replied noncommittally, though his interest in Aldus—a character absent from the original storyline—was piqued.
...
Back at the house, Will was still dazed.
The events at the construction site had been a lot to process, especially witnessing the two Houndooms being crushed to death before his eyes. That scene would haunt him forever.
"Stephen-kun, I'm heading back to Kanto. If anything comes up, just get in touch," Giovanni said.
Dressed in a scarf and gentleman's hat, he looked every bit the gambler on a mission.
"Thank you for your support during this time, Uncle. Consider this a token of appreciation."
Stephen handed two items to Giovanni.
One was a Pokemon Disruptor that temporarily disabled Poké Balls, an invention Giovanni recognized.
The other...
"This is... an Evolution Stone?"
Giovanni inspected the green Evolution Stone curiously. Its color was distinct from the red Fire Stones, yellow Thunder Stones, and white Moon Stones already discovered.
"I call it the Leaf Stone. It can evolve certain Grass-type Pokémon. While I know you don't currently have any Grass-types on your team, it might come in handy someday."
Hearing this, Giovanni nodded approvingly.
His organization had members specializing in Grass-types, some even serving as trusted aides. After all, Grass-types often had excellent synergy with Poison, a favorite type among villainous groups.
"You never fail to impress, Stephen-kun."
Leaving these words and an appreciative glance, Giovanni turned and departed.
The two gifts alone justified his extended stay in Johto. Losing his son had been a blow, but discovering such a treasure of a protégé made up for it.
Will, who had been lounging on the couch in a slump, suddenly sprang up in alarm.
"Hey! Stephen, those things you gave to Mr. Giovanni...!"
Giovanni's surprise had stemmed from the Leaf Stone.
Will's shock, however, was over the Pokemon Disruptor!
Everyone knew it was Joker's invention!
Could it be...? Was Stephen actually—
"Why so shocked? Didn't you suspect me from the beginning?"
Stephen's rhetorical question left Will utterly speechless.
"Y-you... you..."
"You're about to ask, 'How did you know?' right?"
Stephen interrupted with a smirk.
He continued tending to a Pokémon egg as he explained, "From the moment you offered to be my guide and take me to the Moss Rock, I knew."
"Why would an ordinary person go out of their way for a stranger? Maybe someone like Ash might, but you? Not."
Will was stunned, his brain now overwhelmed by a fresh question: Who's Ash?
But a more pressing question surged forward.
"Then why are you—"
Stephen cut him off again.
"Your next words are, 'Then why are you revealing your identity now?'"
"Then why are you... huh?!"
Will's eyes widened in shock.
"It's simple: because now you're an accomplice."
After finishing his egg care routine, Stephen began tinkering with a set of test tubes filled with various liquids.
"Accomplice?"
Will was utterly lost.
Stephen pulled out his phone, opened a video, and hit play.
In the video, Will's maniacal laughter echoed as he repeatedly kicked a bloodied Bishas.
["Ha ha ha! Ora! Ora! Ha ha ha!"]
The scene painted Will as a textbook psychopath.
Will stared in disbelief. In the video, it was clear he and Stephen had acted together.
If this video ended up with Officer Jenny—or even a random passerby—it would look like Will was the main instigator, while Stephen was just a reluctant accomplice.
"If I go down, do you think you'd walk free?"
Stephen's question left Will speechless.
A thousand thoughts converged into a single phrase:
"Stephen, you tricked me!"