Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [198]

The Pokémon School of Melemele Island.

Ash and Gary engaged in their very first Pokémon battle, one that would also mark a significant milestone in their lives.

When Professor Oak, acting as a referee, announced the start of the battle, Ash surprisingly pulled out his Pokédex to check what moves Pikachu could use.

This left everyone present slightly dumbfounded.

When Pikachu used Tackle, Shiny Stufful stood up on its hind legs, extended its front legs forward in a motion resembling a sumo stance, and braced itself. Pikachu, colliding with Shiny Stufful, didn't even manage to make it budge.

"How could Pikachu compete in raw strength against Stufful, a Fighting-type Pokémon? In this situation, it should keep its distance and use Thunderbolt to attack from afar."

Even Lana, known for her shy personality, couldn't help but comment.

Although they found the two boys' battle a bit crude, the others couldn't deny they were itching to join the fray. However, they weren't in a hurry to obtain their starter Pokémon before reaching the required age. It was just another year, and in the meantime, they believed that continuing to acquire knowledge was more worthwhile.

While the kids played in the schoolyard, Stephen and the others sat at an open-air camp set up next to the teaching building.

"Is that an Ultra Beast?"

Hau curiously asked, looking at the Shiny Kartana in front of the cooking station. The Pokémon exuded an air of displeasure while busy chopping vegetables.

Bea had heard rumors about Ultra Beasts. Two days earlier, the headquarters had delayed granting Alola permission to establish its own Pokémon League for two main reasons. First, they doubted Alola's overall strength. Second, Alola faced recurring incidents where Ultra Beasts appeared and caused trouble. The headquarters deemed these creatures too dangerous.

"Ultra Beasts, apart from their unpredictable tempers, aren't much different from regular Pokémon. People fear them because of their extraordinary power and the mystery surrounding their origins. The unknown always sparks fear," Stephen explained.

In truth, most Ultra Beasts were manageable, except for Nihilego, which liked to parasitize others, the grumpy Guzzlord, and the arrogant Pheromosa. However, their immense power posed a challenge for trainers who couldn't control them… much like Ash's early struggles with his Charizard.

"That's true. In my opinion, the Ultra Wormholes are even more dangerous than the Ultra Beasts themselves. They exert a certain pull, and if one opens in a crowded area, people could get sucked in. No one knows what lies on the other side. It's like what happened to Professor Mohn four years ago…"

When Kukui mentioned the name "Mohn," Burnet noticed Lusamine furrowing her brows. Beneath the table, she pinched Kukui's arm hard.

Realizing his mistake, Kukui quickly gestured an apology to Lusamine.

However, what Kukui didn't know was that Lusamine wasn't upset because he mentioned her late husband's name—it was because he said it in front of Stephen. She snuck a glance at Stephen and, seeing his expression hadn't changed, quietly sighed in relief. She figured Stephen wouldn't mind anyway. After all, when she had been about to throw away that family photo during one of their night session, Stephen had insisted she keep it. He even asked her to look at the photo while… doing it. At the time, she distinctly remembered Stephen becoming more… enthusiastic. What a pervert! No, They are both pervert!

"I recently extracted Kartana's DNA and have been developing a special Poké Ball designed specifically to capture Ultra Beasts. Once it's ready, I'll distribute them to everyone so they can capture an Ultra Beast themselves," Stephen said.

Kukui then took out the Ultra Beast sighting reports collected over the years by the research lab.

UB01: Nihilego, sighted on Aether Paradise Island.

UB04: Blaster, sighted in the outskirts of Hau'oli City on Melemele Island.

UB02: Buzzwole, sighted near the Diglett Tunnel on Akala Island.

UB05: Guzzlord, sighted near the Ruins of Abundance on Ula'ula Island.

UB03: Xurkitree, sighted on Poni Beach of Poni Island.

Kukui spread the reports and photos on the table and said, "These are all the Ultra Beast sightings recorded by the Aether Foundation and our research team so far."

"Wow, they look so weird!"

Ash, who had returned at some point, exclaimed.

"How's your battle going?" Kiawe asked, unexpectedly interested in the two boys' clumsy fight.

"Of course, I won easily. Fighting him was so boring," Gary said, hands stuffed in his pockets as he walked over with his Shiny Stufful.

"Show-off! We were just caught off guard!" Ash retorted, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Caught off guard? My Stufful didn't even break a sweat," Gary scoffed.

Stephen exchanged a knowing glance with Professor Oak, who quickly stepped in to separate the two troublemakers.

"Nihilego, Blacephalon, Buzzwole, Guzzlord, Xurkitree… Let's officially name them that," Stephen said, quickly assigning names to the five Ultra Beasts.

No one objected.

Bea's eyes lit up as she looked at Buzzwole and excitedly declared, "This one looks so strong! I want to catch it!"

Seeing Bea's enthusiasm, the others didn't know what to say. Buzzwole, with its overly muscular appearance, wasn't the kind of Pokémon most girls would like. But considering that Bea specialized in Fighting-types, her taste might differ from that of ordinary girls.

"I still want Kartana," Gary said, shrugging off his grandfather and approaching again.

Blue silently rolled his eyes. Copying Brother Stephen's team, huh?

"It's a pity there doesn't seem to be any Water-types among them," Nessa said regretfully.

Karen scoffed, "Stephen said these Ultra Beasts range from the pseudo-legendary level at their weakest to Tier-3 Legendary or higher at their strongest. Even if you had one, wouldn't it be wasted on you?"

Nessa's words reminded LKaren of Tobias' Darkrai. As a Tier-2 Legendary Pokémon, it had been poorly trained by Tobias and was only half as strong as it should have been. Fortunately, it was later taken by Sird and given a second chance.

"You—!" Nessa glared at Karen, but the latter wore a smug expression as if daring her to retaliate.

Although Karen turned a blind eye to Stephen's relationships with other women, she wasn't about to hold back when it came to arguments. She wouldn't tolerate nonsense from anyone, not even Nessa.

And truthfully, there wasn't much Nessa could do. Karen had been with Stephen far longer, was much stronger, and, well… at least their figures were evenly matched.

"All right, that's enough," Stephen intervened, putting a stop to the squabble. Sonia also stepped in, pulling Nessa back.

"Guzzlord is a Dark-type. Are you interested, Morgan?" Karen asked, pointing to the photo of Guzzlord, which showed it facing off against an Alolan Persian.

"That thing… seems like it's all about raw power," Karen said, frowning.

Guzzlord was the most flamboyant-looking Ultra Beast, with an imposing height of over five meters and a build more exaggerated than a heavy-duty tank. It was a powerhouse focused on brute force, which didn't align with Karen's preference for tactical and cunning battle styles.

This type of tank-style player is not suitable for Karen's assassin-style team.

"Isn't there a Psychic-type? "

Will interjected.

Psychic-type?

 Stephen thought for a moment. Among the ultimate beasts, the Psychic-type ones… there seem to be only two…

Fatty, you can't handle it.

...

After Pikachu recovered its stamina, Ash, unwilling to admit defeat, challenged Gary to a few more matches.

Professor Kukui, under the request of a certain bootleg yellow mouse, set up a large TV, connecting Sonia's second-generation Pokédex to it.

...

The next morning.

Rubbing his messy hair, Stephen pushed aside the hands of Karen and Mary, who were each holding onto him from either side and went to the bathroom.

Last night, they played games until after 2 a.m. before everyone finally went home.

Stephen himself was busy with work until past 3 a.m.

Mew kept spamming attacks with special attacks but kept missing, a textbook example of being bad at the game but loving to play.

Stephen decided he'd call the company's game department later to request a feature allowing mid-air longsword attacks to be canceled.

While sitting on the toilet, Stephen habitually picked up his phone.

When he looked at it… well, great! Over 30 missed calls!

 Half of them were from Meray, Hoopa's trainer, whom he had met in Kalos.

What happened?

Stephen was about to call Meray back when a news alert popped up:

Miare Daily:

["The Destruction God Yveltal has awakened on Route 1, north of Vaniville Town! All citizens are advised to avoid Route 1!"]

Feeling drowsy just a moment ago, Stephen was instantly wide awake.

But that wasn't the end of it.

He immediately opened the group chat named [League of Love and Harmony.]

This was the group chat Stephen had been added to during the Alola Friendship Tournament, initiated by Goodshow.

The group wasn't just filled with league executives, but also champions, Elite Four members, gym leaders, and other elites.

The messages had already exceeded 99+.

Stephen scrolled to the first unread message.

It was from three days ago.

Stephen rarely checked the group.

[Rock Seller, Call Devon Corp]: @[Dedicated to Winona Only]: "Bro, you focus on being the champion. I'm heading to Kalos to dig for stones."

[Dedicated to Winona Only]: "Darn it, I knew I shouldn't have taken this position. It's exhausting. Now I can't even be a judge for the current Pokémon Contest."

...

At around 4 a.m. yesterday, just as Stephen had gone to bed:

[Rock Seller, Call Devon Corp]: @Everyone: "Guys! Big trouble! I just passed by Route 1 in the Kalos region, and Yveltal has awakened! It petrified half the forest in an instant! What do we do!?"

This message, despite being sent at dawn, still garnered plenty of replies:

[Must Assemble a Legendary Team]: "Yveltal? The Destruction God from Kalos legend?"

[Must Assemble a Legendary Team]: @[League of Love and Harmony Leader]: "Grandpa! Arrange a private jet for me. I'm going to capture it!"

[Stirring the Hearts of Actresses]: "Mr. Steven, don't worry. We're used to this kind of thing. Xerneas will surely come to suppress it soon."

An hour later:

[Rock Seller, Call Devon Corp]: @[Stirring the Hearts of Actresses]: "Champion Diantha! This… this isn't right! Yveltal is already heading toward Vaniville Town. It's petrifying all the forests, Pokémon, and trees along the way! At this rate, the townsfolk might… Where's Xerneas!?"

[Stirring the Hearts of Actresses]: "Huh!?"

[Stirring the Hearts of Actresses]: "Mr. Steven, please hold off Yveltal for a bit. I'll gather reinforcements right away!"

[Rock Seller, Call Devon Corp]: "Huh? Me!?"

After quickly catching up on the chat history, Stephen understood the situation.

"That cursed bird picked a hell of a time to wake up."

He swiftly pulled up his pants, changed clothes, and left the room.

"Everyone, gather up."

Rushing to the sanctuary, Stephen called out.

Under the Eternal Tree, the likes of Umbreon and Zoroark gathered, transforming into red light and flying into the Poké Balls on Stephen's belt.

Stephen immediately dialed a number.

"Hello, Meray-chan."

As soon as the call connected, Meray's anxious voice came through.

["Dr. Stephen, did you see the news this morning…"]

Before she could finish, Stephen interrupted, "Don't worry, I'm here to handle it. Just have Hoopa open the portal."

"O-okay, I understand."

Meray tried to calm herself, then turned to the Hoopa floating by her shoulder.

"Hoopa, please."

"Got it!"

On any other day, Hoopa would have used this opportunity to demand donuts from Meray.

But seeing her so anxious for the first time, Hoopa knew now wasn't the time to mess around. Otherwise, Meray might spank it.

Hoopa tossed a golden ring from its left horn into the air.

The ring expanded rapidly by the riverbank in the Arche Valley.

On Stephen's side, a golden ring also materialized out of thin air, expanding to a diameter of ten meters in under five seconds.

"Bewear, you're up."

Hearing Stephen's command, Bewear grabbed the seven-to-eight-meter-tall Eternal Tree, lifting it in a posture akin to uprooting a massive tree.

The Pokémon in Stephen's Poké Balls, like Houndooms, Altaria, and other second-string members, couldn't help but gulp, silently marveling at Bewear's exaggerated strength.

Even Zamazenta hadn't managed to overpower her.

As for the newly joined shiny Kartana, it was completely dumbfounded.

With the Eternal Tree on its shoulders, Bewear followed Stephen through the portal.

...

Two seconds later, they arrived at the Arche Valley in Kalos.

"This ability is way too convenient," Stephen thought to himself once again.

"Dr. Stephen!"

Meray ran over with Hoopa in tow.

"I guess that Xerneas hasn't sensed Yveltal's awakening yet due to the distance. But now it should…"

Before Stephen could finish his sentence, the Eternal Tree on Bewear's shoulder began to tremble slightly.

It emitted a dazzling, multicolored holy light.

"What's this!?"

Meray and the few villagers nearby were stunned.

As natives of Kalos, they naturally knew the stories of their region's two most famous legendary Pokémon.

However, such a scene was truly something they were witnessing for the first time.

In less than five seconds, the radiant seven-colored holy light faded.

The holy stag, whose antlers glowed with seven-colored brilliance, raised its head high, its brows furrowed deeply.

Had that bird awakened?

Judging from its aura, it seemed to have been awake for some time, perhaps even causing trouble already.

Strangely, why had it taken so long for it to notice this time?

But at the moment, there was an even more puzzling issue that Xerneas couldn't understand.

"Xerne...?"

The Eternal Pokémon lowered its head and discovered a bear carrying it on its shoulder.

Wha-what was going on here?

At Stephen's signal, Bewear gently set Xerneas down.

"There's no time to explain. We're taking you to Yveltal. Hoopa, can you open the gate again?" Stephen called out to Hoopa.

"Leave it to Hoopa!"

Hoopa patted its chest confidently and threw out its golden ring for the second time.

Although Xerneas was also full of questions, the priority now was stopping Yveltal.

As the portal opened, Xerneas prepared to follow Stephen through it.

Suddenly, its expression froze.

Hmm? This aura is...

...

Ten minutes earlier.

Route 1, north of Vaniville Town in Kalos.

A chilling scene was unfolding on the beautiful suburban grasslands.

"Reeeeee—!"

The piercing cry of an evil, sharp avian Pokémon echoed across the skies. Ominous red energy beams rained down, forming a crimson energy field on the ground.

Everything touched by this field—trees, grass, flowers, even Pokémon—was drained of life, turning into lifeless gray statues.

Diggersby, Fletchling, Vivillon—common Pokémon found throughout Kalos—were all fleeing in the opposite direction of the destructive aura. Many Pokémon already turned to stone still had terror frozen on their faces.

It was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

And the source of it all was a massive, red-and-black, Y-shaped bird Pokémon with colossal wings and a long tail, suspended high in the sky.

Its fierce gaze and devilish horns atop its head made it clear it was not to be trifled with.

The God of Destruction, Yveltal!

Arguably the most ill-tempered and volatile of all Tier 1 Legendary Pokémon.

"Oh my god..."

Below Yveltal, a man dressed as a mountaineer—Steven Stone—was drenched in cold sweat as he stared at the petrified Pokémon with their terrified expressions.

He turned to look behind him.

Less than 200 meters away lay Vaniville Town.

If this monster were to enter the human-inhabited town... Steven shuddered at the thought.

It would cause devastation on a scale comparable to the Indigo League War.

"You want me to hold off Yveltal...? Champion Diantha, you're giving me way too much credit."

Steven laughed bitterly at his own words.

After his Metagross had been severely injured by Shadow Lugia, Steven knew he was no longer in his prime. While he hadn't declined as much as Lance, he had certainly dropped a tier in strength.

Even if his Metagross were at full strength, it wouldn't stand a chance against the God of Destruction.

Whirrrr!

The sound of helicopter blades suddenly came from above. Both Steven and Yveltal turned their attention to the noise.

"Steven! We're here!"

Diantha shouted as she pushed open the helicopter door.

"Finally! I'm counting on you!" Steven called back.

Diantha turned to the Kalos Elite Four members in the helicopter and said:

"Drasna and Wikstrom, you two come with me. Siebold and Malva, head to Vaniville Town and help evacuate the civilians!"

With that, Diantha leaped from the helicopter, summoning her Gardevoir mid-air to catch her with its Psychic powers.

"What's going on here? Why hasn't Xerneas shown up?!"

Diantha was also drenched in sweat.

She had been so confident after hearing about Yveltal's awakening because she believed Xerneas would come to clean up the mess.

It had been this way for the past 3,000 years.

But why hadn't Xerneas come this time?

Stephen couldn't help but wonder whether having Xerneas, the benevolent saint of Kalos, was a blessing or a curse.

The blessing was that Xerneas had always dealt with the disasters Yveltal caused.

The curse was that it had made everyone in Kalos far too complacent.

Sometimes, it's better to rely on oneself than on a Legendary Pokémon.