Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [141]
"Mm... mm..."
No one knew how long had passed before Gordie let out a soft groan, fluttered his eyelids, and slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the massive face of Bewear, filling his entire field of vision.
"Waaahhh—!"
Next to her, Nessa also stirred awake at Gordie's scream, blinking a few times. However, the first person she saw was Stephen.
"Dr. Stephen, I... um..."
Nessa looked a little embarrassed, but her eyes held more confusion as she glanced around.
What... what just happened?
She vaguely remembered a strong sense of suffocation welling up in her chest, and then everything went black.
"Sorry, Bewear still hasn't fully mastered this power," Stephen explained as he helped Nessa up.
After half of the people regained consciousness, Stephen turned to Mustard and explained, "This is the Conqueror's Haki, a force capable of intimidating enemies. Even in my team, only Bewear has managed to grasp this power. Of course, Conqueror's Haki has far more applications than just this..."
Mustard stroked his beard, his expression a mix of shock and delight. "Well, well, today this old man has truly seen something incredible, hoo-hoo~"
"A genius..."
Both Rose and Goodshow, the two League Presidents, sighed in admiration.
Meanwhile, Nessa stared blankly at Stephen's back, thinking to herself: "Sonia, is this the same feeling Leon gave you back then?"
Stephen continued, "Master Mustard, as the strongest Fighting-type trainer of this era, I believe your Pokémon would be well-suited for Haki."
Mustard's eyes immediately lit up.
Even though he had retired for many years, encountering such a fascinating and powerful battle technique—how could he not be tempted?
Standing behind him, Rose couldn't help but smile.
Although Mustard had retired and could no longer officially represent Galar in competitions, one mustn't forget that Leon was Mustard's disciple.
If Mustard learned this ability, wouldn't he pass it on to Leon?
Rose could already envision Leon's team mastering this powerful technique and utterly overwhelming Lance in battle.
On the other hand, Goodshow's expression turned grim.
If Rose could think of this, so could he.
Losing the Pokédex licensing rights to Rose was already giving him a headache.
And now, Haki too?!
But in the next moment, Stephen changed the subject.
"However, I'd also like something from Master Mustard in return."
"Oh? What could this old man possibly have that would interest little Stephen?" Mustard asked curiously.
"Master Mustard, those two Urshifu from earlier—one must be male, the other female, right? Do they have any offspring yet?" Stephen got straight to the point.
"Oh-ho~ Haha, I was planning to leave that to my most outstanding disciple. But if it's you, little Stephen, I'm sure you could raise it well..."
As Mustard spoke, he reached into his pocket.
He already had two Urshifu, and he was getting on in years.
He didn't have much energy left to raise another one.
Originally, Mustard had intended to entrust it to one of his top disciples.
But since Stephen had asked, why not grant him this favor?
However, to his surprise, Stephen extended his hand and pointed to Karen.
"No, Master Mustard. I think that Pokémon would be better suited for my companion."
"Me? Stephen, me?" Karen pointed at herself, utterly stunned.
The others shared the same bewildered expressions.
"Stephen, this isn't fair!"
Will shouted dramatically, "Isn't the Galarian Moltres already meant for Morgan? And now Urshifu too?! You can't just—just because she can give you—wait, no, I mean—you can't favor her just because of that!"
It was an age-old truth: people don't resent scarcity, they resent inequality.
Even though Will knew that Karen held a slightly higher status in Stephen's heart, this was blatant favoritism!
Two legendary Pokémon?! That's way too much!
"Urshifu has two forms—Fighting/Dark and Fighting/Water. Do you think it suits you?"
Under Karen's murderous glare, Stephen calmly asked Will.
Will opened his mouth but couldn't come up with a rebuttal.
In the end, he could only mutter a single word:
"Damn."
"Stephen, Moltres is already enough for me. I don't need..." Karen tried to refuse.
"I already have a bear in my team. If I add Urshifu, their roles will overlap."
Stephen patted Linlin on the shoulder.
In the original anime, Ash traveled for 20 years and caught many Pokémon.
But if you looked closely, you'd notice he rarely caught another Electric-type.
That's because Pikachu had already secured that spot.
Urshifu was the same—its fighting style overlapped too much with Bewear.
If it joined Stephen's team, it would likely end up sitting on the bench.
And unlike Zorua, which was just a cute little Pokémon that enjoyed eating and lounging around, Urshifu was a battle-hungry Pokémon.
It needed to fight.
That made it unsuitable for Stephen's team.
"Well... okay..."
Karen had no more arguments and could only accept.
"He does take care of his people, huh..."
Gordie sighed, feeling just like Ash's group had back at Professor Oak's lab.
Most people, when given a chance to obtain a legendary Pokémon, wouldn't care about things like role overlap.
They'd just take it.
But Stephen considered his Pokémon's feelings and chose to pass it on to his companion instead.
That was true selflessness.
"If he became my new dad, that wouldn't be so bad..."
Gordie muttered to himself.
Galarian Articuno went to that chubby guy, Galarian Moltres and Urshifu went to that white-haired girl, and he got nothing.
Gordie genuinely thought Stephen was too generous.
If Dr. Stephen were his new dad... well, it wouldn't be unacceptable.
After all, Master Mustard and his wife Honey had a 30-year age gap.
His mom and Dr. Stephen were only 20 years apart.
That wasn't too bad, right?
"Little Stephen, you make a good point. In that case, this little one..."
Mustard agreed, realizing Stephen's reasoning was sound.
Even if this Kubfu became stronger than its parents, it probably wouldn't get much battle time in Stephen's team.
That would be too sad.
He then prepared to hand the Poké Ball containing Kubfu to Karen.
"Wait a moment!"
A loud voice interrupted.
Bea stepped forward and shouted:
"Can that person raise Kubfu properly?!"
Everyone in the dojo knew that Master Mustard intended to entrust Kubfu to an outstanding disciple.
To be honest, if it were given to Stephen, Bea would have no complaints.
Whether it was his overwhelming power when battling against Galarian Articuno or his deep understanding of martial arts just now, Bea believed there was probably no better trainer in the world to raise Kubfu than Stephen.
But... who was this white-haired girl?
They had trained so hard for so long, yet none of them had earned Master Mustard's approval.
Why did this outsider get to just walk in and take a legendary Pokémon away?!
"Just because you have an amazing teammate?"
This made the stubborn Bea quite unconvinced.
"Oh? So, little girl, you think you're more qualified than me?"
Karen smirked mischievously, using Frieren's face.
She had never been polite to anyone other than Stephen.
"At the very least, let me see if you're more qualified than me."
Bea revealed a Poké Ball.
Karen's lips curled up slightly, and with a flick of her wrist, she sent out her own Poké Ball.
There it was—Incineroar!
…
"H-Hariyama is unable to battle. Incineroar wins."
Two minutes later, Gordie, acting as the temporary referee, stammered while announcing the result.
Although the battle lasted two minutes, anyone with eyes could see that this girl Morgan was merely toying with Bea.
Otherwise, she could have ended the battle in one minute—no, maybe even within thirty seconds!
The ten-year-old Bea bit her lower lip hard, trying her best to hold back her tears.
Meanwhile, standing beside Mustard, the two Ushifu had witnessed the entire battle.
"Looks like I'm at least more qualified than you."
Karen propped her chin up with one hand and smirked.
Bea turned and ran out.
Stephen sighed. "She's just a ten-year-old girl. Did you have to be so serious?"
Karen winked playfully. "I'm just letting her understand the cruelty of the world in advance."
However, using Frieren's face to do so gave her a somewhat comical, child-pretending-to-be-mature look.
"Little bear, from now on, you'll be following big sis, got it?"
Karen crouched down, clapped her hands like calling a puppy, and spread her arms toward Kubfu.
Kubfu blinked twice, appearing a little nervous as it cautiously walked toward Karen.
Just as the shy Kubfu was about to reach her—
A blurry shadow suddenly darted out, scooping up Kubfu and hugging it tightly while rubbing its face against it.
"Wuuhh!"
Kubfu, whose face was being aggressively squished, let out a distressed cry.
I... I can't breathe!
Watching the Bewear, who was holding Kubfu as if it were the most precious thing in the world, Karen was momentarily speechless.
"The child-obsessed issue acts up again..."
...
...
...
The three of them—Stephen, Karen, and Will—decided to temporarily stay at Mustard's dojo.
Galarian Articuno wasn't very convinced by Will because he hadn't captured it alone.
This made Galarian Articuno's attitude somewhat similar to a future Charizard of Ash, thinking Will was unworthy.
Will felt he needed to find a secluded place, release his ace Pokémon, and properly train this arrogant Articuno, reminding it who was boss.
Meanwhile, Karen wanted to learn from Mustard, as no one understood how to train Kubfu better than him.
For these reasons, Stephen decided to stay on Isle of Armor for the time being.
At the same time, Chairman Goodshow was still negotiating with Rose over the publishing rights of the Pokédex, staying in Galar alongside Lorelei.
As for Iono, who had come to Galar just for the excitement, she also temporarily joined Mustard's dojo.
Though Mustard specialized in Fighting-type Pokémon, as a former Galar League Champion, his understanding of Pokémon training and battles was far beyond just one type.
This was evident from the diverse types of Pokémon used by his disciples.
On her second day at the dojo, Iono sought out Honey and requested to use the dojo's computer to upload a video.
That evening, a new video appeared on Iono's channel:
["The Pokémon Whose Face Screams Invincible!"]
Because Goodshow was busy arguing with Rose, he didn't boost Iono's video this time.
Yet, even without assistance, within three days, the video topped the trending charts again.
Capturing Legendary Pokémon was rare enough, but defeating a Legendary with a Bewear, an ordinary Pokémon, generated even more attention.
Not to mention, Iono was already a hot topic.
Galar's Palace Gate Daily:
["Dr. Stephen and our former Galar League Champion Mustard are getting along well, exchanging insights on Pokémon training. As we all know, our proud Champion Leon was once Mustard's disciple, and he continues to learn from him. We can already anticipate the day when Leon claims the title of 'Strongest Champion'! Additionally, with the first-day launch event of the Pokédex in a month, we are on the right track!"
Kalos' Lumiose TV:
["After capturing the Galarian Articuno, Mr. Will embraced Dr. Stephen. Perhaps our previous speculation was wrong—Dr. Stephen may not be interested solely in women, or he may not be limited to just women. For more details, stay tuned for our continuing coverage!"]
Alola's Manalo Daily:
["This incident confirms that Dr. Stephen chose to give the Pokédex publishing rights to Rose for the sake of his companions, rather than, as some dirty-minded individuals suggest, for a certain widowed Gym Leader. Additionally, the reason Dr. Stephen chose to collaborate with President Lusamine was due to her charisma and shared ideals. Some malicious media outlets should immediately stop spreading false rumors!"]
Johto's Goldenrod TV Station:
["Dr. Stephen is a man of deep loyalty. However, this does not contradict the possibility that he has been deceived by temptresses. We firmly believe that beauty is fleeting, but friendship is eternal. Since his two closest companions, Will and Morgan, are both from Johto, we trust that when a certain unfaithful woman grows old and loses her charm, Dr. Stephen will return to Johto for the sake of friendship."]
...
In New Bark Town, Johto, a boy around Ash Ketchum's age, wearing a backward cap and with an Aipom on his head, typed a comment:
["No worries, her daughter can take over in the future.]"
One minute later, his screen displayed:
[Your account has been banned.]
...
Meanwhile, in Goldenrod City
Mary was furious.
She had just finished writing an article summarizing her interview with Iono, adding her analysis.
She focused on the Viridian Incident, detailing its causes and consequences.
She credited Joker for resolving the incident, arguing that he was not the "evil anarchist" that the League claimed.
She also pointed out that Olivine Gym Leader Altair was highly suspicious—after all, it was the attack on Olivine Gym that led to Joker's downfall two years ago.
"Hmph! The League is full of hypocrites! And that Dr. Stephen isn't a good person either!"
She clenched her fists.
The Viridian Incident had been forcibly suppressed, and it was all thanks to Dr. Stephen.
After a long silence, she purchased a train ticket to Olivine City.
"Olivine Gym is hiding something!"
"Smea-Smea, let's go!"
...
While Will was busy training Galarian Articuno and Karen was focused on Kubfu, the tag-along Iono had teamed up with Bea, Gordie, and other young Galar trainers to receive Mustard's guidance.
For once, Stephen was acting alone.
In the Potbottom Desert, a hidden part of Isle of Armor—
BOOM!
Raikou let out a thunderous roar, sending a 100,000-volt lightning strike crashing down.
Nearby, three Houndooms with glowing purple eyes weaved through the lightning, unleashing Overheat together.
But in the next second—
A massive water tornado surged from the center of the storm, colliding head-on with the triple Overheat.
Surf!
At the crest of the tsunami-like Surf attack stood none other than one of the Three Legendary Beasts—Suicune!
As the waves crashed and the Triple Surf attack sent water vapor soaring, flames suddenly ignited beneath Suicune's feet.
It had transformed into Entei! With its powerful physique, it charged fiercely toward the three-headed Hellhound.
The three-headed beast opened its bloodthirsty maws wide. Maria and Rose clawed wildly at Entei's sides, while Sina lunged like a vampire, attempting to sink its fangs into Entei's throat.
On the other side of the battlefield, a fairy-like Altaria, adorned with soft pink feathered wings, spread them wide and unleashed a dazzling pink light.
Dazzling Gleam!
Below, a Bewear narrowed its eyes and slammed a heavy fist into the ground.
Earthquake!
Sand and dust surged up, forming a barrier to block the Dazzling Gleam attack.
However, something strange happened—the radiant light of Dazzling Gleam passed right through the sand barrier, phasing through as if it were a Phantom Force attack from a Ghost-type Pokémon, and struck Bewear's face directly.
Bewear furrowed its brows, its pupils suddenly contracting.
An invisible aura erupted from its body, stirring up an endless storm of dust that engulfed not just the cave—but the entire mountain!
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Under the terrifying pressure of the shockwave, two soft "thuds" sounded behind Bewear.
It was the Swablu and a small Zorua, both collapsed on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Altaria that had been soaring in the air vanished like a mirage.
An illusion!
Zorua had attempted to use its illusion ability to assist Swablu in a surprise attack on Bewear. However, Bewear had seen through the trick and dispelled it using its Conqueror's Haki.
Standing atop a rock in the middle of the desert, Stephen glanced at the wild Pokémon around him—Cubones, Sandacondas, and Sandslashes—all rolling their eyes and knocked out. He raised an eyebrow at Bewear and said:
"Linlin, from now on, don't unleash your Haki without my order."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Isle of Armor, Karen and her Kubfu sat together on the beach.
The newly formed duo had just finished a training session and were completely out of breath.
"Hey! Morgan, how about a fair samurai duel? Using our new partners?"
A familiar voice called out. It was Will, grinning mischievously as he flew over, riding on a Galarian Articuno.
In just a few weeks, Will had already tamed this proud Psychic bird.
After all, with Will's strength, if he had sent out his main team initially, he could have captured Galarian Articuno by himself.
"Are you asking for death?"
Karen shot him a cold glare.
Their new partners?
That would be Kubfu versus Galarian Articuno.
Was that even a fair fight?
Unless Karen had a Galarian Moltres to even the odds.
Of course, Will understood this logic. But the problem was—if Karen got Galarian Moltres, he wouldn't stand a chance against her anymore!
"Did you find any rare Pokémon?"
Karen brushed back her sweat-dampened bangs.
Unexpectedly obtaining a legendary Pokémon like Kubfu had left her restless.
She wasn't the type of girl to simply accept a gift without giving something in return.
No matter how close she was to Stephen, if she received such a powerful Pokémon, she felt the need to repay the favor.
Since Will now had such a convenient transportation Pokemon, she ordered him to find a rare Pokémon as a return gift.
Will was dumbfounded.
"What does your return gift have to do with me?"
But when Karen rolled up her sleeves and flexed her fists, Will had no choice but to comply.
The problem was—the rarest Pokémon on the Isle of Armor was Kubfu, owned by Mustard.
There was nothing rarer than that!