Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Ah?"

 Stephen froze on the spot for a few seconds after hearing this, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"What's going on?" he asked with a puzzled face.

Giovanni replied, ["Ho-oh! It came back and revived all the victims caught up in the battle."]

Giovanni then retold the events that had just unfolded in Viridian City to Stephen.

Stephen: …

Alright, while its temperament isn't as saint-like as Xerneas, Ho-oh is indeed the epitome of a benevolent Pokémon.

Giovanni smirked mischievously and said, ["What a pity, Stephen, that you missed the scene where the three Indigo League Elite Four members were publicly shamed. Sigh, it's too bad the one who got beaten up was Bruno, the peacemaker. If it had been Lance, that would've been much more entertaining."]

Giovanni reminisced about the moment Bruno got beaten earlier. If only Bruno had been replaced with Lance… ha, now that would've been a spectacle.

Stephen: …

Stephen was momentarily speechless.

Uncle Giovanni could be pretty childish sometimes.

After confirming that Ho-oh hadn't been captured again, Stephen hung up the call with Giovanni and said to the other two, "Now there's nothing to worry about."

According to Giovanni's final update, he had already signed a temporary peace agreement with Pryce over the phone before calling Stephen.

For the time being, Pryce wouldn't make any moves to capture them.

"Waaaaa—!"

Overwhelmed with relief, Will couldn't stop himself from bursting into tears. "Finally, we can get a good night's sleep!"

Although Karen wasn't as dramatic as Will, she leaned against a nearby tree trunk and let out a long sigh of relief.

After all, being targeted by a Master-level Trainer was like living with a constant thorn in your side.

Seeing the two looking like they'd just survived a disaster, Stephen couldn't help but smile.

Even as someone who had lived three lifetimes as a transmigrator, he felt a little nervous when dealing with Pryce.

Let alone Karen, who had just turned 13, and Will, who was only 11.

Stephen reached out to pull the two of them into a hug, one on each side. "Anyway, we've survived another ordeal. Let's take this time to rest and recover!"

"Ugh, I swear I won't go out looking for trouble again!"

Will cried loudly, sniffling and tearing up.

He loved thrills, sure, but these past few days had taken it way too far.

Especially the battle with Pryce—he had genuinely felt like he'd almost met the Grim Reaper!

On the other side, Karen couldn't help but shoot a disdainful glare at Will.

Life would've been so much easier without this fool.

...

"Wait a second, this is Route 1, isn't it?"

While the three were chatting, Stephen suddenly remembered something. Route 1 in the Kanto region connects two cities—Viridian City and Pallet Town!

"It's Route 1. Why do you ask, Stephen?"

Karen asked curiously.

Stephen flashed a radiant smile and waved his hand. "Let's go! Let's visit the starting point that symbolizes new beginnings."

"Huh?"

Karen and Will were momentarily confused but, as usual, followed behind Stephen without further questioning.

Pallet Town—the place where countless Pokémon fans in Stephen's previous lives had started their dreams. Of course, this included Stephen himself.

Walking from Viridian City to Pallet Town via Route 1 was no short journey. At an ordinary walking pace, it would take about four days.

But the three weren't in any particular rush. Like a miniature version of Ash, Misty, and Brock from the original trio, they returned to a long-lost sense of everyday adventure.

After deciding on their next destination, Stephen soon received a message from Lorelei:

[Stephen, that Masked Man has reappeared. Based on what we know, two days ago he fought Joker's trio and four Legendary Pokémon in Viridian City. According to Giovanni, Joker has already been rescued. Be careful.]

After reading the message, Stephen could infer that Giovanni had temporarily pacified the League.

Although the League was 99% unlikely to uncover anything substantial, Stephen was certain the Masked Man would soon be put on a wanted list.

After all, the battle in Viridian City had been far too big of an event.

Many citizens had been caught in the chaos, becoming firsthand witnesses and victims.

This is also why Stephen chose to use "Joker" instead of his real identity.

"Stephen, what are you looking at?"

 Will came over.

Stephen calmly put his phone away.

 If this guy found out that Lorelei had messaged him, it would cause unnecessary trouble.

"Nothing. Is the food ready?" Stephen asked in return.

Unlike the original trio of protagonists—Ash being reckless, Misty serving as the sarcastic one, and Brock as the dad figure—Stephen's trio rotates cooking duties when camping outdoors. Today was Will's turn.

"We ran out of ingredients long ago. Did you forget that we were too busy running from Viridian City to release Ho-Oh and didn't have time to restock supplies?"

 Will shrugged.

"Should we fly straight to Pallet Town or head back to Viridian City?" Karen asked.

"Forget it, we're almost there. Since nothing big is happening, we might as well walk step by step and enjoy the atmosphere," Stephen replied with a smile. "We can pick berries, forage for wild vegetables, or fish. There are plenty of ways to gather food in the wild."

"Then I'll go fishing! I can temporarily regress my Slowbro into a Slowpoke. I've heard that Slowpoke is great at using its tail as a fishing rod," Will said excitedly.

"I hope you're eaten by a Gyarados," Karen said with a pout.

"Huh? What's your problem, you evil woman?"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Stephen said, patting Karen on the back. "Let's go pick berries."

The three split up.

Stephen and Karen walked side by side through the forest. Karen brought up a topic:

 "Stephen, what are you planning to do about what Giovanni mentioned before?"

Karen was naturally referring to the matter Giovanni had brought up on the phone—asking Stephen to devise a perfect plan to capture Celebi.

"Well… I plan to stall for now," Stephen replied honestly.

The methods for capturing Celebi had already been explained in the original story.

One method was devised years later by Professor Oak—or rather, his friend Kurt—using feathers from Ho-Oh and Lugia to craft a GS Ball capable of sealing Celebi.

Once Celebi was captured in the GS Ball, it couldn't use its time-traveling abilities and therefore couldn't escape as it had in Ilex Forest.

The second method was used by Iron-Masked Marauder, a Rocket Team executive (and an unlucky guy who Stephen and Will had already dealt with).

He used a new type of Poké Ball called the "Dark Ball," which was presumably a Rocket Team invention.

This Poké Ball could steal other people's Pokémon, brainwash them, and, at the cost of their life force, unlock their hidden potential.

To summarize, one method involves imprisonment, and the other brainwashing.

Stephen personally thought the second method was more efficient. Although the first method prevented Celebi from escaping, what could you do if it flat-out refused to cooperate?

The second method was much more straightforward—just brainwash it and give it orders.

However, it was undeniably cruel. Celebi, a dignified Mythical Pokémon, was almost drained dry after being controlled for less than half an hour.

In Stephen's view, the so-called "Dark Ball" was a complete failure.

Wait a minute!

Stephen suddenly remembered something.

 He had reviewed Rocket Team's research plans, but he hadn't seen anything related to the Dark Ball.

On the Contrary...

 Stephen suddenly recalled what he witnessed a year ago at the Olivine Gym: Salamance breaking through from the peak Elite level to Champion level in an instant. Then there was Elena's Gardevoir, breaking through from standard Elite level to peak Elite level in the Ilex Forest.

The principle behind Shadow's technique seemed more akin to the Dark Ball used by Iron-Masked Marauder in the future.

"Is there some connection between the two?"

 Several guesses surged in Stephen's mind.

"Stephen, is someone crying?"

 Karen furrowed her delicate brows as she glanced around.

Stephen snapped out of his thoughts and listened carefully. Sure enough, someone was crying nearby. Judging by the voice, it was a little girl.

Karen released her Houndoom, whose sharp ears perked up, and it led the way to the right.

Under the shade of a large tree stood a six-year-old girl with light brown, slightly curly long hair. She wore a straw hat and a pink princess dress, her little head lowered as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"Sob, sob... I-I told you I didn't want to come! Bad mommy! Bad mommy!"

 The girl, Serena, cried while complaining about her mother, Grace, who was far away in the Kalos region.

Because Serena was shy and timid around strangers, her mother had sent her from Kalos to attend Professor Oak's summer camp, hoping the experience would help her overcome her social anxiety.

But when Professor Oak had announced free activities, Serena had been startled by a Poliwag that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Frightened, she had run out of town, only to trip and fall.

It hurt so much!

"Bui~"

At that moment, Serena suddenly felt a warm sensation on the wound on her knee.

Her tear-filled, pearl-like eyes looked up.

She was surprised to see a Pokémon resembling an Eevee evolution, its body composed of pink and white hues. It was both adorable and elegant. The Pokémon was touching her wound with ribbon-like feelers.

In just a moment, the gash on her knee healed on its own.

"You... you are...?"

 Serena stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"This is Heal Pulse. You're fine now."

 Stephen walked up with Karen, and the Sylveon jumped to Stephen's feet, asking for a pat.