Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Zorua has acknowledged you, so you should be the one to capture her."

 Karen didn't hesitate and withdrew her Pokéball.

"Hmm… But you need a Zorua right now."

 But Stephen didn't refuse.

 He wasn't a simp who'd keep chasing after someone who had already made it clear they weren't interested.

 Besides, Zorua wasn't an object but a living being, and its feelings should also be respected.

"You invented that radar, didn't you? I can just catch another one."

 Karen smiled and didn't mind.

 Both she and Stephen already had Houndooms on their teams, so adding a Zorua wouldn't be a big deal.

Stephen stroked his chin and asked Zorua:

"Zorua, how far does your illusion range extend?"

[Huh? I haven't tried that yet.]

 A loli voice came from Zorua.

"Then try turning Karen into this."

 Stephen showed Zorua a picture of Frieren and pointed at Karen.

Zorua closed its eyes and activated its illusion power.

 Immediately, waves of energy rippled from Zorua, enveloping Karen.

In an instant, the silver-haired, and straight-haired Karen, transformed into a beautiful twin-tailed elf.

Stephen quickly picked up Zorua and moved ten meters away from the transformed Karen.

 After about ten meters, the illusion broke, and Karen reverted to her original form.

"The range is about ten meters."

 Stephen put Zorua down and said.

"That's already impressive."

 Karen marveled, "From what I've heard, most Zorua and Zoroark only have an illusion range of about one meter. This child has completely surpassed the limits of its species."

"Surpassed the limit."

 Hearing those words, Stephen instinctively thought of Giovanni's Beedrill, Pryce's Delibird, and Piloswine.

 Those three should be considered classic examples of surpassing limits, right?

"This range is already enough. Karen, there's no need for you to specifically catch a Zorua. This one can help you transform from a distance."

 Stephen gently patted the tuft of red fur on Zorua's forehead.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

 Karen brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, the part revealed under her mask.

 After all, she was aiming to collect all eight badges of the Indigo League.

"We'll always be together anyway."

 Stephen waved his hand dismissively.

Karen's heart skipped a beat.

 Stephen's seemingly casual "always be together" hit her right in the feels.

Will shrugged.

 In his opinion, with Stephen's habit of unintentionally flirting with girls, it was only a matter of time before he got into trouble.

"Woof woof!"

Barely five seconds after Stephen put Zorua into an Ultra Ball, Maria, Rose, and Sina jumped out of their Pokéballs and barked in alarm.

"What's wrong?"

 Will asked curiously.

"Woof woof!"

 Rose unleashed Flamethrower toward the rear right.

"Lucario! Protect!"

 A boy's voice rang out, and a Lucario leaped out of the bushes.

 It raised a semi-circular barrier to block Rose's attack.

"Arf!"

 Rose increased its output, turning Flamethrower into Overheat, completely overpowering the Lucario.

"Who's there!?"

 Karen waved her hand, directing her Honchkrow to attack.

But…

Whoosh—BOOM!

 A flare shot into the sky and exploded into fireworks.

A signal flare!

"Prepare for battle!"

 Stephen immediately guessed what was happening.

 However, he couldn't figure out how their whereabouts had been leaked.

...

Inside the Lostlorn Forest and its entrances.

When the fireworks lit up the sky, everyone searching the forest looked up simultaneously.

Even Stephen, as a transmigrator, would have been shocked to see the search lineup.

Searching inside the forest were Lance, a member of the Indigo Plateau Elite Four; Cynthia, a rising star from Sinnoh; and Steven Stone, the son of Hoenn's richest man.

In addition to these three future champions from other regions, many elite trainers from Unova were guarding the forest entrances.

At the entrance stood:

Elesa, Unova's top idol and Nimbasa Gym Leader.

Drayden, the Opelucid Gym Leader.

Miles, the current Gym Leader of Mistralton City and grandfather of future Gym Leader Skyla.

And the Unova Champion, Alder!

"Someone fired a signal flare! They've found him!"

 Alder exclaimed in surprise, then turned to look at Kodai in disbelief.

"Impressive, Mr. Kodai. How did you know Joker was here?"

After all, even the League couldn't track Joker's movements, yet Kodai, a mere businessman, had pinpointed his location so accurately.

 How?

"Heh, heh~ I have my ways. But shouldn't Champion Alder be more concerned about whether you can capture Joker?"

 Kodai rolled down the car window halfway, smirking insincerely.

"Well… that's true. But with Lance, Cynthia, and Steven here, I'm sure they can handle it. My main job is to guard the entrance and prevent those three thieves from escaping."

Alder had full confidence in Lance, Cynthia, and Steven.

 With his eye for talent, he was certain these three would become pillars of their respective regions in the future.

Sigh. But where was Unova's next pillar?

"Heh, well, I wish you all the best. But don't forget the condition the chairman agreed to: after Joker is arrested, all the Pokémon he's captured must be handed over to me."

Kodai smiled sinisterly.

Yes, this was his plan.

 Sell Joker's whereabouts to the League, with the condition that all Pokémon Joker had captured would belong to him as payment.

So what if Joker got Zorua first?

 That Zorua would still be his!

As for how he knew Joker was here, there was no way he could tell Alder.

 What was he supposed to say? "I can see the future"?

Especially since how Kodai had obtained this power was completely unspeakable.

...

Not long after, in the center of the Lostlorn Forest.

Stephen, Karen, and Will stood back-to-back, watching their surroundings.

Whoa—what an all-star lineup.

Ignoring the large number of officers led by Officer Jenny, there was Lance, Cynthia, and Steven.

 If Leon were here, the four strongest trainers of the future Pokémon League would be complete.

"As expected, Joker was first found by Riley."

 Steven wore an expression of "so it's true."

"All I could do was help in this small way. In battle, I wouldn't stand a chance."

 Riley smiled bitterly as he recalled his kneeling Lucario.

Although it hadn't fainted, if there were a health bar, it'd be in the red.

Steven patted his friend on the shoulder. "Leave the rest to us."

Cynthia spoke sternly: "Return the Jewel of Life!"

"This time, don't think you can use your little tricks again!"

Lance's eyes focused on one person only!