Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [153]
Time rewinds approximately half a day.
On a remote southern island in the seas of the Hoenn region...
Buzz buzz buzz—!
A helicopter bearing the Pokémon League logo descends onto this uninhabited island.
The powerful gust from the rotor blades startles the local Pokémon, such as Wurmple and Zigzagoon, causing them to flee in the opposite direction.
The helicopter door opens.
Stepping out is none other than Tobias.
"Is it here?"
Tobias asks as he disembarks.
"Yes, Master Tobias."
The pilot, who had been flying the helicopter, also steps down and replies,
"According to the intelligence received by the chairman, a pair of Eon Pokémon siblings reside on this island."
Eon Pokémon.
Any experienced Pokémon Trainer would immediately recognize that this refers to Latios and Latias.
They are known as the Eon Pokémon.
The most famous legend about these siblings is naturally the one about Alto Mare, the Water Capital in the Johto region.
It is said that Latios and Latias are the guardians of that city.
However, like the Legendary Beasts, Latios and Latias are part of a species rather than unique individuals.
And according to intelligence reports, two of them reside on this island.
"If they're Psychic and Dragon-type Eon Pokémon, then my Darkrai will have a great advantage."
A confident smile appears on Tobias's face as he strides toward the depths of the island, surrounded by his team of guards.
However, what they fail to notice is that two figures are quietly following them from behind...
At the heart of this remote southern island lies a small waterfall.
When Tobias and his group arrive, they spot a pair of blue and red Pokémon playing joyfully under the waterfall with a group of Water-type Pokémon.
"As expected! It's Latios and Latias!"
Tobias's eyes gleam with excitement beneath his bangs.
Without hesitation, he pulls out a Poké Ball.
"Go! Darkrai!"
The ominous aura of the Dark-type Pokémon immediately makes the Psychic Dragon siblings uncomfortable—especially since this Nightmare Pokémon, Darkrai, is feared for inducing endless nightmares.
The moment Tobias releases Darkrai, both Latios and Latias snap their heads toward him in alarm.
The wild Pokémon that had been playing with them scattered in fright.
Meanwhile, Tobias's guards waste no time.
As soon as Darkrai is deployed, they surround the area, sending out Pokémon such as Crawdaunt, Mightyena, and Froslass, forming an impenetrable blockade to prevent the siblings from escaping.
All of these Pokémon counter the Eon duo's typing.
This mission was meticulously planned.
"Latios, Latias—let me capture you."
Tobias smirks as he steps forward, standing behind his Darkrai.
"Shaa?"
Latios furrows his brows, clearly displeased.
He and his sister had grown accustomed to living in seclusion here.
However, if they encountered a human they liked, he wouldn't necessarily mind traveling with them—
After all, unlike the Latios and Latias of Alto Mare, they had no duty to protect a city.
But this human before them? Latios's first impression was not good.
If you want to battle me one-on-one to capture me, fine.
But bringing a whole team of Pokémon to gang up on us?
To Latios, who values honor and fairness, this felt unacceptable.
"Shaa!!"
With a sharp cry, Latios spreads his jet-like arms, clearly entering battle mode.
Looking at the situation, it was clear—there was no avoiding a fight.
"Darkrai! Dark Void!"
Tobias smirks and waves his hand, issuing the command.
If Cynthia—who had known Tobias since childhood—were here, she would roll her eyes and say,
"Dark Void again? Seriously?"
Ever since Tobias obtained Darkrai, his signature strategy had been Dark Void, Dark Void, Dark Void—putting his opponent to sleep and finishing them off with Dream Eater.
A one-trick pony, but an effective one.
Against any Trainer below Elite Four level, his tactic was nearly unbreakable.
Since this was a wild Latios, unlike the one in Alto Mare, it meant that this Latios could be captured through a normal battle.
But at the same time, it also meant that his strength was likely inferior to the one in Alto Mare.
Without the responsibility of defending a city, his training was probably less rigorous.
Moreover, Tobias's guards had completely blocked off any escape routes.
Even if Latios wanted to grab his sister and flee—he couldn't.
However, both Latios and Darkrai were Mythical Pokémon, meaning they were extremely powerful.
Even with the type disadvantage, a quick victory was unlikely.
And as Cynthia had once mentioned—Tobias doesn't even use Darkrai to its full potential.
Thus, even with multiple Trainers assisting him, Darkrai was struggling to take Latios down quickly.
Splash!
Suddenly, Latios dives into the waterfall, making it difficult for Darkrai to track his position.
Tobias hesitates for a brief moment before adjusting his command:
"Darkrai, use Thunderbolt!"
But that moment of hesitation was all Latios needed.
Latios burst out of the waterfall, unleashing a deep purple dragon flame—
Dragon Pulse!
"Mr. Mime, Misty Terrain!"
At that exact moment, Latios launched Dragon Pulse, and one of Tobias's guards, who had a Kantonian Mr. Mime, issued a counter-command.
Mr. Mime pressed its hands against the ground, releasing a soft pink mist that coated the battlefield, forming a protective aura over all Pokémon on their side—including Darkrai.
Boom—
The Dragon Pulse hit its mark.
However, despite the powerful attack, the Nightmare Pokémon only staggered back a few steps.
It didn't cause much damage.
Latios' expression changed slightly.
The trainer of Mr. Mime chuckled, "As expected, Fairy-type power can greatly neutralize Dragon-type moves. Dr. Stephen truly deserves to be called the League's finest scientist—he has completely altered the balance of Pokémon battles."
Originally, Psychic-types already had little effect on Darkrai, and now Dragon-type moves had their power halved.
Latios was now truly backed into a corner.
"Dark Void!"
Finally, Darkrai unleashed its signature move.
The dark void hit Latios directly.
Latios struck head-on and felt its eyelids grow heavier and heavier, only vaguely seeing a human throw a Poké Ball toward it.
Damn it… whatever. The loser shouldn't make excuses…
"I've captured Latios!"
Tobias, who threw the Poké Ball, shouted excitedly.
However, at that moment—whoosh!
A sinister pulse of darkness shot through the air.
The Poké Ball Tobias had thrown was shattered in midair.
Tobias, his guards, and even Latias—who was anxiously watching from the waterfall's edge, unsure of what to do—were all stunned.
W-what just happened!?
Immediately after, an Ultra Ball flew out.
It struck the now-sleeping Latios.
The Ultra Ball automatically opened, emitting a red light that pulled Latios inside.
Before the ball could even signal a successful capture—
A Honchkrow had already swooped in, clutching the ball in its talons and flying toward the right side of the waterfall.
Everyone turned their heads.
They saw the Honchkrow land in front of a masked woman, presenting the Ultra Ball to her.
"I've captured Latios."
The masked woman smirked playfully, her voice dripping with mockery as she repeated Tobias's own words.
"You—!"
For once, Tobias displayed an expression of genuine anger.
After doing all that work, had he just handed over the victory to someone else?
"Young Master Tobias, be careful!"
One of the guards immediately recognized the intruder and shouted while stepping protectively in front of Tobias:
"That woman is one of Joker's associates—Masked Girl, Karen!"
"Oh my, Miss Karen, they've seen through your identity."
Sird stepped out from behind Karen, smiling.
"Hmph~ The League already knew my true identity from the beginning."
Karen scoffed.
From the very start, the League's top officials—headed by Goodshow and Lance—were aware of Karen's true identity.
The only reason her wanted poster still only showed her masked face was because her father, Ritsuki, held considerable influence.
Out of respect for him, the League had refrained from publicly revealing her true appearance.
"Now, what about that one?"
Sird glanced toward the still-stunned wild Latias by the waterfall, who was frozen in fear, unsure how to react.
"…Having more options isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Karen pondered for a moment before setting her sights on the frightened dragon.
She wasn't sure whether Ao (the blue one) or Aka (the red one) was the one Stephen preferred, so she figured she might as well grab both.
"Oh~ Then my target shall be him."
Sird smiled slyly, turning her focus toward Tobias.
More precisely—toward Tobias's Darkrai.
"Are you sure? That Pokémon already has a trainer."
Karen raised an eyebrow slightly.
Sird grinned even wider. "Don't worry, Miss Karen. Training Pokémon that already have owners—that's my specialty."
...
Ten minutes later.
"Stop crying! I'll be entrusting you and your brother to the world's best trainer. You'll be thanking me later!"
Karen spoke impatiently, looking through the translucent Poké Ball lid at the teary-eyed dragon inside.
Battling this Latias—who had been sheltered under Latios's protection her entire life—reminded Karen of her past challenge at the Olivine Gym.
She had barely started the battle when her opponent started whimpering, making her hesitate to strike.
Latias bit her lip tightly, trying hard to hold back her tears.
She was mostly just terrified of Karen.
Karen turned to look at the grassy field.
The guards lay scattered like toppled dominoes, their Pokémon sprawled beside them.
Tobias wasn't faring much better.
At that moment, he was kneeling on the ground, his expression eerily similar to Sasuke's when he was paralyzed by Orochimaru's killing intent in the Forest of Death.
"Die? Or hand over Darkrai?"
Sird, standing beside a Persian, licked her lips and sneered menacingly.
With her androgynous voice and chilling demeanor, she truly gave off Orochimaru vibes.
Feeling the oppressive killing intent emanating from Sird, Tobias had only one thought—
She's serious. She'll actually kill me.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
His mind on the verge of breaking, Tobias—just like Sasuke during the Chunin Exams—tremblingly pulled Darkrai's Poké Ball from his coat.
Inside the ball, Darkrai could only watch—just like Naruto witnessing Sasuke hand over the Heaven Scroll to Orochimaru—his heart filled with disappointment.
Unlike Naruto, however, Darkrai wouldn't be giving Tobias a punch to the face.
Sird's grin grew even wider.
Excellent.
A crack had already formed in their bond.
Now, all she had to do was widen that crack further.
"Pathetic."
Karen stepped forward and scoffed coldly.
"Miss Karen, you specialize in Dark-types, don't you? How about I give you this Darkrai?"
Sird waved the Poké Ball teasingly in front of Karen, though it was unclear if she was serious or just messing with her.
"No need. You stole it, so it's yours."
Karen replied indifferently.
As a Dark-type expert, it would be a lie to say she didn't want Darkrai.
But she recalled something Stephen had once said—"Credit belongs to those who earn it. Stealing someone else's achievements is disgusting."
Watching the two figures walk away without looking back, Tobias—only after they had completely disappeared—finally swallowed dryly.
Forcing himself to suppress his fear, he shakily pulled out his phone and sent a message in a group chat:
[Help me, League members.]
The camera zoomed in on the chat window, revealing the group name—
"A Loving League Family"
Almost immediately, replies came flooding in:
Group Owner · Pokémon League United: [What's wrong, child?]
Member · Loves Ice Cream: [Why did you leave the Battle Castle without saying goodbye? Caitlin still wanted a rematch with you.]
Member · Selling Stones for Devon: [My dad insists I become the Hoenn Champion, but I just want to hurry to Kalos. I heard they've discovered a ton of new stones there.]
Member · Liza Doesn't Fight: [Did something happen? I'm watching this year's Galar Star Tournament—wish we could get Leon's Charizard to promote Charizard Valley.]
Member · Lance (Not a Doduo): [Clair, are you watching too? By the way, the camera keeps focusing on Dr. Stephen… huh? His movements seem a bit odd.]
....
....
A Few Hours Later, West Sea Route of Kaina City.
This was the closest city to the Southern Island.
"Miss Karen, are you heading back to Galar next? In that case, I'll return to Kanto first and report back to Mr. Giovanni."
In the waiting hall of Kaina Airport, Sird said this to Karen.
"Hmm, at least before Stephen's birthday…"
Before Karen could finish her sentence, a sudden announcement from a flight attendant echoed through the broadcast:
["Attention all passengers, attention all passengers. Due to weather conditions, all flights from this city will be suspended starting today. I repeat, all flights from this city will be suspended starting today…"]
Sird frowned as he looked up at the night sky. Though darkness had fallen, the weather was perfectly calm.
"All flights suspended? That's way too strange."
Karen half-closed her eyes, pulled up her hood to hide the upper half of her face, and quickly walked out of the airport.
Somehow, she had a bad feeling.
They needed to leave quickly.
Since they couldn't fly out of Kaina City, the only option was to take a detour to another major city up north—Lilycove City.
However, after some effort, Karen and Sird managed to find a car and head toward the northern outskirts of Kaina City, planning to take Route 111 to Lilycove City.
But what they saw shocked them.
In the middle of the night, a large number of security personnel, led by Officer Jenny, were stationed at the highway exits with Arcanine, Granbull, and other canine Pokémon, stopping and inspecting every vehicle.
"What's going on? Why such strict inspections!?"
Even the driver couldn't help but complain.
Sitting in the backseat, Karen and Sird frowned.
Had they been discovered?
Sachi analyzed in a low voice:
"Kaina City is the closest city to that isolated island. It makes sense that someone would predict we'd come here after leaving. But… would that coward have the power to lock down an entire city in the middle of the night?"
Karen furrowed her brows.
She herself came from a wealthy family, but shutting down an entire city for personal reasons? That was beyond anything she could imagine.
Unless… it was someone like Steven Stone, a true elite among the wealthy.
"Or maybe it's not aimed at us. Maybe Team Magma or Team Aqua is causing trouble," Sird speculated.
In recent years, the Hoenn region had seen the rise of Team Magma and Team Aqua—two organizations that, while not as powerful as Kanto's Team Rocket or Johto's Team Shadow, still caused enough chaos to be a headache for the Hoenn League.
At that moment, the two cars ahead of them finished their security check, and their vehicle moved forward slightly.
They noticed that the officers were checking passengers' belongings—especially their Poké Balls.
Karen and Sird's expressions changed slightly.
Without a word, they both got out of the car and walked in the opposite direction.
"Huh? Hey, you two—"
The driver was confused for a moment, but by the time he realized what was happening and tried to call out to them, the two had already disappeared into the night.
"Captain, over there!"
A sharp-eyed officer at the checkpoint noticed the movement and alerted Officer Jenny.
Jenny looked up just in time to see two figures getting out of a car and heading the other way.
"Stop right there!"
The Kaina City Police Captain shouted and led her team in pursuit.
"Honchkrow!"
"Starmie!"
Hearing the commotion behind them, Karen and Sird didn't hesitate any longer.
They each pulled out their flying mounts, leaped off the overpass, and took off.
"We've found the suspects!"
Officer Jenny urgently reported through her radio.
...
Meanwhile, over on the western waterways of Kaina City…
A group of elite Hoenn League Trainers, led by Sootopolis Gym Leader Wallace, had blocked off the piers to prevent the suspects from escaping via boat.
Standing beside Wallace was Phoebe, one of the current Hoenn Elite Four.
Yawning, Phoebe rubbed her eyes and muttered, "So, we all got called out here… just to help some rich kid find his lost toy?"
Wallace, whose androgynous features could probably rival Grusha from Paldea, frowned and warned her:
"Phoebe, don't say things like that. He is, after all, the grandson of the Pokémon League President."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Phoebe responded dismissively.
Damn. She hated dealing with these privileged rich kids.
Just then, Wallace's phone rang.
It was his girlfriend, Winona.
"Wallace! We've found the targets!"
Winona, stationed at the southern exit, reported while sending her Altaria into action.
Standing beside her was none other than Tobias!
As he watched the Hoenn League's top Trainers being gathered, Tobias couldn't help but smirk.
This was his ultimate revenge.
So what if you're strong? Raw power means nothing without influence. Who do you think you are?
(Author's Note)
Tobias being Chairman Goodshow's grandson is a fan theory from a writer I follow. While it's not official, I find it quite interesting and fairly reasonable.
Otherwise, it's hard to explain why someone with two Legendary Pokémon didn't even make it past the first round of the Elite Four Challenge.
(According to the original anime, winning the Lily of the Valley Conference grants the right to challenge the Elite Four. If you win, you can replace a member. However, since Sinnoh's Elite Four remained unchanged, it suggests Tobias didn't beat a single one of them.)
Of course, the more logical explanation is that the writers simply created Tobias as a plot device to stop Ash from winning the championship—after that, he was never relevant again.