Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [111]
Ka ka ka!
The protective barrier shrouding Slowbro of Will's kept emitting sounds like shattering glass under the impact of Steven's Metagross's Meteor Mash.
The semi-transparent shield, too, began to show spiderweb-like cracks, visible to the naked eye, under the force of the steel-heavy punch.
Boom!
After about two or three seconds of deadlock, the Meteor Mash broke through the shield and went straight for Slowbro's dumb-looking, silly face.
"Got him!"
Officer Jenny in the back cheered upon seeing this.
However, in the last split second, with the Meteor Mash only five centimeters away from that silly face, Slowbro's body glowed faintly blue again.
The semi-transparent hemispherical protective shield reappeared, completely blocking the weakened Meteor Mash from making contact!
"It used Protect twice in a row!"
Steven's expression shifted dramatically.
How is this possible?!
He knew very well that just like how Hyper Beam requires a cooldown period after being used due to its high energy consumption—leaving the user vulnerable—most trainers wouldn't dare use such high-risk moves without a guaranteed win.
Similarly, the move Protect also comes with a downside.
Although it's not as extreme as Hyper Beam or Giga Impact, there is still a risk: after using it once, attempting to use it again immediately greatly increases the chance of failure.
Moreover, Slowbro is a Pokémon known for its slow reaction speed.
How could it possibly execute Protect twice within less than three seconds?
"Stevent! Over there!"
At this moment, Riley noticed something unusual and pointed to Slowbro's tail.
Steven raised his eyes to look.
He saw that on Slowbro's tail, the Shellder—which had evolved into a shell—had its eyes glowing with a faint blue light.
Stevent's face immediately turned to disbelief as he exclaimed:
"Could it be… the second Protect… was it used by that?!"
Officer Jenny and the surrounding police were all equally stunned and incredulous.
"As expected of Hoenn's number one genius, you figured it out in one go."
Will grinned smugly.
"How about it, huh? The Parental Bond power Joker gave my Slowbro."
"That's impossible!"
On the other side, Lance, who had also noticed the situation, frowned deeply.
His former colleague Lorelei also had a Slowbro, so Lance was relatively familiar with this kind of Pokémon.
While it's true that Slowbro evolves when Shellder bites onto Slowpoke's tail, strictly speaking, Slowbro is essentially a fusion evolution of two Pokémon into one.
However, as Professor Oak explained, it's the Slowpoke part that primarily controls the body, while the Shellder, despite retaining self-awareness, doesn't possess control over the body—let alone the ability to use moves!
And what was this Parental Bond nonsense?
Slowbro's natural abilities are supposed to be Oblivious, Own Tempo, or Regenerator, right?
"Ice Beam."
Stephen's calm command rang out.
Lance's pupils shifted focus.
He saw Glaceon leaping high into the air, opening her mouth to unleash an Ice-type move aimed directly at his Dragonair No. 1.
"Hmph! Flamethrower!"
Lance scoffed and shouted.
Did you think I wouldn't have countermeasures for Ice-types?
Dragonair No. 1 raised its head and released a pillar of flames.
And without needing Lance to issue another command, Dragonair No. 2 followed up with its own Flamethrower.
The two streams of fire converged into one, forming an even larger pillar of flames like a roaring fiery dragon.
The Ice Beam collided with the fire pillar.
The clash lasted only two seconds before the silvery beam was overpowered and pushed back by the combined flames.
"It's not over yet! Let me show you and your comrades the true meaning of the fusion of wind and fire!"
Lance shouted triumphantly.
The Dragonite beneath him, serving as his mount, flapped its wings.
Hurricane!
It was here—the fusion of wind and fire!
Lance's favorite battle combination involved one Dragonite and two Dragonair.
The strategy often had Dragonite act as the main attacker, with the Dragonair duo playing support.
But the roles could also be reversed!
The Hurricane from behind fanned the twin Flamethrowers.
In an instant, the originally long, pillar-like flames spread out, forming a dome-like firestorm—a fiery tsunami!
It was akin to Madara's Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
"Holy crap!"
Will involuntarily twitched under his mask.
If, in the past, Lorelei could somehow manage a 30-70 split against Lance, with a bit of exceptional performance edging it to 40-60, now it was a 20-80 or even 10-90 situation.
"You're not the only genius here!"
Riding atop Dragonite, Lance grinned confidently and shouted:
"In Alola, a scientific genius also emerged. He invented TM which greatly strengthened my dragon army! Our League also has geniuses! Don't think you're the only capable one in the world!"
In this reality, Pokémon aren't restricted to learning just four moves.
And Dragon-type Pokémon typically have the most diverse move pools.
As for the Dragonite line, although it never received any later-stage enhancements like Mega Evolution, exclusive Z-Moves, or Gigantamax, its move pool remains one of the richest among all dragons.
It could learn moves from many types: Dragon, Flying, Water, Fire, Electric, Fighting, Rock, Ground…
The issue was that no matter how talented Lance and his dragons were, mastering these off-type moves would still require significant time and effort.
But with the invention of TM, everything changed.
High-power moves like Flamethrower or Hydro Pump, which were previously difficult to teach, became accessible—at a price.
For ordinary trainers, these machines were prohibitively expensive.
But for Lance? He didn't care about money.
The amount he had spent on these machines could easily exceed six figures—equivalent to the cost of a house.
For most trainers, this would be an astronomical sum.
But for Lance? He didn't care about money at all.
While the learning with TM didn't have the overpowered effect of Rare Candies that directly boosted levels, they massively expanded the attack options for his team.
Now, Lance had truly ascended to the level of a champion!
However, upon hearing this, both Karen and Will—who had been awestruck by Lance's display of power—suddenly looked amused.
They couldn't help but anticipate Lance's reaction when he learned the truth.
"Mr. Lance, this move is overkill!"
Cynthia's concerned voice rang out.
The range of this fiery dome was far too massive; it would engulf Joker as well.
She'd heard rumors that Lance was ruthless in dealing with criminals, but this was a bit much.
"You're underestimating Joker."
Karen's voice suddenly drew Cynthia's attention.
Cynthia frowned slightly.
What does she mean?
At that moment, the orb necklace around Glaceon's neck began to glow red instead of blue.
Whoosh!
Sparks flew.
Fluffy red fur swayed in the wind.
Glaceon had transformed into a Flareon!
Even Lance's eyes widened as he watched the Flareon leap straight into the fiery whirlwind created by his three dragons.
Then, like a Fire Dragon Slayer from a certain guild, it opened its mouth and swallowed up all the flames!
Flareon's ability: Flash Fire!
It absorbs Fire-type moves, takes no damage, and converts the flames into its power!
"Here, take it back."
Stephen chuckled.
In the next moment, the enhanced Flareon raised her head, opened her mouth, and unleashed a powerful blast of flames.
Heat Wave!
Dragonite quickly crossed its arms to shield its trainer, but even protected, Lance could feel the scorching heat threatening to ignite him.
"It can even transform into Flareon?!"
Meanwhile, Karen, Cynthia, Will, and Stephen's battles continued.
"It's like a Ditto, but even scarier!"
Though the Parental Bond Slowbro was troublesome, Steven's overall strength still surpassed Will's, allowing him to spare some attention to Lance's situation.
"It's not just as simple as Ditto-like transformations."
Will smiled slyly.
"When Joker's Umbreon changes forms, its abilities and fighting style also adapt. For instance, Jolteon excels at speed and quick attacks, Flareon absorbs flames with Flash Fire, and Umbreon defends exceptionally well against attacks…"
"Terrifying, isn't it? Joker's power."
Steven's expression grew increasingly serious.
"Even your Slowbro… has been modified by him?"
"Modified? That sounds awful."
Will laughed loudly and shouted:
"This is helping my partner break through a limit!"
"Dumb! Shell! Double Surf!"
Just like Stephen naming his three Houndooms, Will had also given his Slowbro names.
Slowpoke and Shellder, fused through evolution to become Slowbro, focused together and exerted their combined strength.
Two surging waves rose from either side of Slowbro and merged in the next second.
The tsunami looked as though it would swallow everything, rushing toward Steven and his Metagross.
"Even stronger than Wallace's Milotic—!"
Steven gritted his teeth in silence.
...
...
"Insignificant!"
At the center of the battlefield, Lance shouted.
At the same time, his three Dragons successfully blocked Flareon's Heat Wave.
After all, Dragon-types have excellent resistances, and these three were Lance's main battlers.
A single Heat Wave, even a boosted one, wasn't enough to bring them down.
From his elevated position, Lance looked down and noticed that Flareon had already reverted to Glaceon.
"Hmph! Trying to increase your damage output, huh?"
Lance immediately saw through Stephen's strategy.
Fire types didn't deal much damage to Dragons, so switching to Ice was the logical choice.
But...
"I already told you! Ice-types are meaningless before me!"
"Dragonite! Rock Slide!"
Under their trainer's command, Dragonite raised both arms and roared.
Dozens of boulder-sized rocks appeared out of thin air around it. With a powerful swing, Dragonite sent the rocks hurtling down like a torrential storm.
Rock Slide!
It didn't matter if the opponent was Fire or Ice—against Rock-types, they were at a disadvantage!
"Surf."
Stephen gave the command.
Glaceon transformed into Vaporeon, raising her head high and summoning a massive wave.
A towering wall of water, over ten meters high, cut off the incoming rocks.
Then, the water wall split open, creating a path.
Through the gap, three Houndoom leaped out.
They were Joker's three Houndooms!
"What can three dogs do?"
Lance scoffed and gave a knowing glance.
No verbal command was necessary—his two Dragonair had already understood his intent.
Rumble—!
What had been a relatively clear sky moments ago was suddenly covered by dark clouds. A faint rumble of thunder echoed.
Crash!
Within seconds, torrential rain began to pour, covering the entire Lostlorn Forest.
Double Rain Dance!
"This way, your three dogs are completely useless!"
Lance smirked.
Fire-type moves were naturally weakened in rainy conditions.
And with such a heavy downpour, even a Fire-type ultimate move would struggle to reach 20% of its usual power.
...
"Lance is going all out!"
At the edge of the Lostlorn Forest, Alder wiped the rain off his face.
He had already guessed who was responsible for this downpour.
...
Meanwhile, aboard a plane flying over Nimbasa City, Mary and her best friend Whitney were on a trip to the Unova region.
Through the window, Mary caught sight of the stormy weather east of Nimbasa City, complete with lightning and thunder.
"Whitney! Look, look!"
Mary anxiously tapped her friend on the shoulder.
"Huh?"
A sleepy Whitney wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
...
...
"You're finished!"
With one hand pointed to the sky, Lance declared with full dramatic flair:
"Dragonair! Thunder + Hydro Pump! Dragonite! Hurricane!"
Thunder, a powerful but notoriously inaccurate Electric-type move, received a drastic accuracy boost in rainy weather due to water's conductivity. It was now nearly guaranteed to hit!
Hydro Pump, a Water-type ultimate move, would deal double its usual damage in the super rainstorm conditions.
Hurricane, another high-powered but low-accuracy move, similarly gained a massive accuracy boost thanks to the rain.
The combined might of these three moves was unfathomable.
Dragonair #1 charged its horns with electricity, sending bolts into the storm clouds, and triggering a massive lightning strike in the next second.
Dragonair #2 opened its mouth and unleashed a colossal water jet.
Meanwhile, Dragonite flapped its seemingly comical wings, summoning a water tornado.
The three attacks converged into an overwhelming assault. Earth-shattering wouldn't even begin to describe it.
Even with his usual confidence, Stephen was starting to doubt himself.
Karen and Will were both visibly shaken.
"Everyone, get back!"
Cynthia urgently warned.
She silently vowed never to team up with Lance again.
This guy fought with no regard for the consequences!
"Thinking of using Umbreon to block it?"
Lance smirked mockingly.
Umbreon, the tankiest member of the Eeveelution family, was renowned for its resilience. Even Elite Four Aldous acknowledged Joker's Umbreon's endurance.
But against this attack? Forget Sutephen's Umbreon—even Agatha, the current Indigo League Champion, wouldn't attempt to block it head-on!
"Riley! Up here!"
Stephen, crouching atop his Metagross, pulled Riley onto its back, preparing to retreat from Lance's attack range.
Riley said nothing, staring intently in Joker's direction.
What's going on?
His Aura was sensing something unusual.
Riley wanted to warn Lance that something was off.
But the sheer scale of the Thunder + Hydro Pump + Hurricane combo drowned out any chance of his voice being heard.
Finally, the triple assault landed.
The enhanced Water, Lightning, and Wind attacks struck where Joker, his Vaporeon, and the three Houndoom stood.
For anyone familiar with Naruto, the scene would have felt eerily familiar—like the detonation of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Boom—!
Countless cracks spread out in all directions. The violent quake caused even the Unova elites stationed at the forest's edge to stumble.
...
"Ah!"
At the western edge of the forest, Elesa—Nimbasa Gym Leader and Unova's top idol—fell on her backside. Her Emolga quickly helped her up.
"Thank you, Emolga…"
Elesa thanked her Pokémon before rubbing her sore bottom, fearfully muttering:
"W-What on earth is happening in the forest?"
...
Back at Nimbasa Airport—
"Hurry, hurry, Whitney! Something big is happening over there!"
Fresh off the plane, Mary dragged Whitney toward the eastern Lostlorn Forest.
Mary had specifically chosen Nimbasa City because the headquarters of the Kodai Network was located there.
And now, upon arrival, she had witnessed this spectacle.
After spending a year studying journalism on her own, Mary was certain something major was unfolding over there.
"Alright, alright, but we can't just run there."
Still being dragged along, Whitney pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Tauros.
The two friends climbed onto its back and charged toward the eastern Lostlorn Forest.
...
...
At the center of the Lostlorn Forest battlefield—
The dark storm clouds blanketing the forest had been blown away by the sheer force of the attack.
Below, the ground was littered with shattered branches and fallen trees.
Standing atop Metagross's back, Steven surveyed the scene. Hoenn's top genius revealed a rare look of shock, murmuring:
"As expected of the Indigo League's next Champion… Wallace and I still have a long way to go."
"Oh, right—Riley, were you about to say something earlier?"
After his remark, Steven seemed to recall something and turned to Riley beside him.
"N-No, it's nothing… It's just that during the battle between Lance and Joker, I had a strange feeling."
Riley shook his head.
Elsewhere, Cynthia emerged from behind a tree that had been toppled by the hurricane. Her usually flawless golden hair was now a bit messy.
Looking at the scorched battlefield, she swallowed nervously.
"Joker… could he have been…"
From the opposite side, Karen and Will also stepped forward.
"Damn it!"
Karen gritted her teeth and glared upward at Lance riding on the back of the Dragonite.
Swoosh—!
Suddenly, a cold, curved beam of light streaked through the air, hitting the massive, round belly of the Dragonite beneath Lance with pinpoint accuracy.
The Dragonite's eyes bulged so much from the pain that they almost popped out of their sockets.
If it were still in full health, with the bonus from its Marvel Scale ability, it might not have been this dramatic.
But after such a prolonged battle, it was already in the yellow HP range.
Now, after taking this hit, how could it possibly feel okay!?
The shock on Lance's face was no less intense than what his beloved Dragonite felt.
He looked down.
There stood Joker, hands in his pockets, smiling mischievously from directly below.
And at his feet, the source of the Ice Beam—a Glaceon!
"You—you... How are you here!?"
This might be the most shocking moment in Lance's 20 years of life.
"Heh~ Not telling you~"
Stephen grinned slyly, his expression full of mischief as if his prank had succeeded.
At the same time, from one of the Poké Balls on his belt, his newly recruited Zorua also bared her teeth and gave the same wicked smirk as her trainer.
Meanwhile, the Bewear standing nearby stared blankly at Zorua.
To be honest, among the four current teammates, none of them had ever been capable of shocking Bewear.
But just now, the Bewear was genuinely startled.
Goodness, what a ruthless ability!
PS: I guess this fanfic is double chapter from now on?