Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 197: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

"I think I know who it is..."

Seeing the method of attack, Stephen had already guessed which Ultra Beast had appeared.

Unlike Pheromosa, who was obsessed with its charm and loved to toy with humans and Pokémon, or Guzzlord, who was violent and focused solely on destroying everything in sight—

This one was purely focused on the pursuit of power, wanting only to test the sharpness of its blade!

While everyone was still reeling from the display of power, hurriedly summoning their Pokémon to protect themselves, the swift shadow finally came to a halt, revealing its true form to the crowd—

It was a small, paper-thin Pokémon, as light as a cicada's wing, with a design that seemed completely out of place compared to the Pokémon of this world. It looked like a paper doll.

"A body that small... can it possess such strength?!"

Acerola exaggeratedly opened her mouth wide in awe.

Kartana.

Stephen muttered its name to himself, his gaze locking onto the faintly black collar at the base of the Pokémon's neck.

It's shiny...

Not that surprising. After all, during the Manalo Conference in the original series, there had been a shiny Guzzlord. This proved that Ultra Beasts could also have alternate coloration.

Standing beside Kukui, Burnet—who had spent years researching Ultra Space and Ultra Beasts—called out its other name, or rather, its code name:

"UB-04: Blade!"

This was the code name given to Kartana by the Aether Foundation and Ultra Research Team in the past.

Despite lacking the ability to fly, the shiny Kartana floated effortlessly in midair thanks to its lightweight body. It looked around from its vantage point, seemingly assessing its surroundings.

Deciding that there was nothing else worth cutting, it turned to leave, heading back toward the Ultra Wormhole.

As expected, Kartana had a unique personality among Ultra Beasts.

It only wanted to test the sharpness of its sword.

If there was nothing left to cut, it would return home on its own.

"You seem pretty confident in your swordsmanship."

The shiny Kartana froze mid-step, turning its head to look below.

A human stood there, smiling calmly at it, accompanied by a fluffy bird with an impressive coat of feathers.

"The sharpest sword among Ultra Beasts versus my strongest shield. Want to see which is stronger?"

Stephen chuckled as he gently stroked the soft pink feathers of his Mega Altaria.

Kartana raised what could be considered its eyebrows. It didn't have typical facial features, so its mood wasn't easily discernible.

But in the next moment, Kartana made its feelings clear with action.

Su—!

Its thin, papery right arm extended to the left before swiftly slashing back to the right.

In an instant, a crescent-shaped green energy slash, about seven to eight meters wide, cut through the air with a power that even Gym Leader-level trainers would find intimidating.

"It's Leaf Blade!"

Professor Samson Oak exclaimed from beside Gary.

Indeed, it was the same move that a certain Sceptile under Ash's command in the Hoenn region loved to use.

However, unlike Sceptile, who used Leaf Blade as a close-range attack, this shiny Kartana had transformed it into a ranged flying slash.

The difference was akin to comparing East Blue Zoro to Water 7 Zoro.

"Not bad."

Interest flickered in Stephen's eyes.

Aside from Zacian, this was the first time he had seen another Pokémon use such a flying slash technique.

Mega Altaria crossed its wings in front of it in an X shape.

The green energy slash struck the cotton-like wings, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, disappearing into the fluffy feathers.

The only evidence of the attack was a deep, horizontal groove left in Mega Altaria's soft pink fluff, but even that was quickly filled in by new feathers within seconds.

"It seems your attack isn't enough to break through my Altaria's defenses," Stephen said with a faint smile.

To Kartana, however, this sounded like pure mockery.

Its arms crossed as a light purple energy enveloped its blades like an enchantment. The previously short, paper-thin arms extended to over half a meter in length.

"This time, it's Psycho Cut, huh?"

Stephen recognized the move instantly.

Kartana vanished in a flash, reappearing directly in front of Mega Altaria, its right arm thrusting forward with Psycho Cut aimed at Altaria's unprotected abdomen, where there were no feathers to block the attack.

"Hey, hey~ That's cheating! Shouldn't you try breaking through Altaria's defenses head-on?" Stephen teased.

Kartana hesitated for a split second, then redirected its attack toward Altaria's throat, where feathers did offer some protection.

Stephen's smile deepened.

He was starting to understand Kartana's personality.

But...

At the last moment, Mega Altaria deliberately stretched its neck forward, as if inviting Kartana to strike.

Kartana was momentarily startled.

Thud!

The Psycho Cut struck Altaria's throat, but instead of piercing through, Kartana felt as though it had hit solid steel. Its blade couldn't penetrate any further.

No! It was harder than steel!

Kartana glanced down and noticed that the soft pink feathers on Altaria's throat had turned jet black at some point.

"Your attack power doesn't surpass my Altaria's defense," Stephen said calmly.

Finally, he issued an attack command:

"Flamethrower!"

Mega Altaria opened its delicate beak, and a torrent of searing flames erupted forth with Elite-level intensity.

Kartana tried to retreat, relying on its incredible speed to dodge.

But before it could move half a meter, it felt something tighten around its waist.

What?

Looking down, Kartana saw a long, sky-blue tail wrapped around its midsection like a chain.

The tail's owner was none other than that infuriating bird!

"Focused on one thing and forgot the other," Stephen's voice rang out again.

But this time, Kartana couldn't hear it over the roar of flames.

BOOM!

A small explosion erupted above the funeral home.

Two seconds later, the once-mighty Kartana, now covered in black scorch marks, floated weakly to the ground like a broken kite.

"So strong! You're amazing, Brother Stephen!"

Gary exclaimed, his eyes filled with admiration.

A while ago, he was still marveling at the power of this mysterious Pokémon.

But now, upon closer inspection, it wasn't the Pokémon that was truly strong—it was Stephen!

Seeing the Shiny Kartana about to fall to the ground, Stephen casually threw a red-and-white Poké Ball.

The Poké Ball, upon hitting Kartana, opened its lid and released a red beam of light, absorbing the target into it. The ball then dropped to the ground, avoiding any secondary damage to the Shiny Kartana.

Thud!

However, before the Poké Ball even shook once, its lid popped open on its own, and the Shiny Kartana jumped out.

Stephen was stunned—this kind of situation was quite rare for him.

"Dr. Stephen, the body structure of Ultra Beasts is vastly different from the Pokémon in our world. Currently, the capture rate of regular Poké Balls for Ultra Beasts is only about 1/5 when compared to standard Pokémon..."

Kukui stepped forward to explain.

Hearing Kukui's reminder, Stephen suddenly remembered.

Later, the Aether Foundation even invented a special kind of Poké Ball specifically for capturing Ultra Beasts, called the Beast Ball.

"I see. In that case, Altaria, throw it back into the Ultra Wormhole."

Stephen waved his hand as he gave the command.

The Mega Altaria nodded and prepared to use its fluffy wings to pick up the Shiny Kartana and throw it into the rapidly vanishing Ultra Wormhole.

However, just as Mega Altaria reached out to grab it, the near-death Shiny Kartana slapped away the wing reaching toward it.

Coincidentally, at that moment, the Ultra Wormhole in the sky had completely disappeared.

"What do you mean by this?" Stephen asked.

[Master, this guy says, 'I won't go back unless I defeat this bird.']

Zoroark's translated voice rang in Stephen's mind.

Stephen was taken aback, unsure of what expression to show.

Should he be thankful that he hadn't sent out Bewear? Otherwise, this Kartana might never return for the rest of its life.

...

...

In the end, Stephen chose to keep the Shiny Kartana.

Compared to its colleagues, Kartana's personality was relatively normal.

Moreover, with Altaria keeping an eye on it, it probably wouldn't cause too much trouble.

After attending the memorial service, Stephen discussed with Kukui.

Until a suitable replacement could be found, Kukui would temporarily take over as the leader of the late Sofu's Gym.

After all, they couldn't let his granddaughter Hapu, who was two years younger than Ash, take the position, could they?

As Stephen was leaving the funeral home, Professor Samson Oak approached him and invited him to attend Gary's 6th birthday party next week.

Stephen paused for a moment and suddenly remembered something—Red and Blue should only be about three years older than Ash and Gary, right?

By this calculation, those two prodigies would also be setting off on their adventures next year.

"What kind of gift does he want?" Stephen asked in return.

He had a relatively good impression of Gary.

Aside from his early habit of mocking Ash, Gary didn't have many flaws.

In Stephen's view, a major reason for Gary's improved reputation was the fact that the rivals Ash encountered after Gary got progressively worse.

When Gary left, Paul came along with his Spartan-style training approach. Fans compared the two and found Gary to be gentle and wanted him back.

When Paul left, Trip came along—a character who was all show but lacked skill. Fans compared again and decided that Paul, though harsh, at least had strength and didn't just show off like Trip.

Then Trip left, and Alain arrived. Alain had some skill, but his use of Water Absorb made many fans feel sick. Once again, fans thought Trip wasn't so bad after all.

Professor Samson Oak thought for a moment and said, "If you have time, could you bring Gary a Swablu? He's been wanting one lately."

Swablu?

Stephen froze.

He had a strong impression of Gary's Pokémon: Blastoise, Electivire, and later a Tyranitar.

Gary's style was all about power.

Why would he want a Swablu, a Pokémon that specialized in support and technique?

Could it be that during the last autograph session, he had taken Stephen's advice to "focus on a single type" and decided to become a Dragon or Flying-type master?

Regardless, Stephen eventually agreed.

While Swablu wasn't as rare as pseudo-legendaries, it wasn't exactly common either.

With his connections, getting one wouldn't be a problem.

...

...

A week later, in the Alolan evening.

Gary's 6th birthday party was held at the Trainer's School on Melemele Island.

Yes, the same school Ash attended in the anime.

However, in his past life, Stephen never quite understood why a Trainer who had traveled through six regions would attend school.

When Stephen arrived, he saw Gary chatting with Kiawe, Lana, and others.

Huh... Did Gary just steal Ash's opportunities?

"Ah! Brother Stephen!"

Noticing Stephen, Gary ran over excitedly.

"You're getting along well with your classmates, Gary."

Stephen was surprised that Gary could get along so well with Kiawe and the others.

After all, Gary's early personality was like a toned-down version of Blue's, only maturing after his crushing defeat at the Indigo Plateau.

"Hehe~"

Gary scratched the back of his head.

His personality had matured earlier, primarily because he witnessed an epic battle at the Indigo Plateau.

Seeing the gap between himself and true powerhouses, he naturally became more humble.

"Stephen~!"

At that moment, Nessa arrived, dragging her friend Sonia along.

She wasn't particularly interested in Gary's birthday party—she came because Stephen was here.

Stephen smiled and took her hand. "I called, but your agent said you were busy reshooting a magazine cover, so I came first."

Nessa rolled her eyes at him and teased, "I could've finished in the morning if someone hadn't torn all the clothes. I wouldn't have needed a reshoot."

The group of six-year-olds nearby looked confused.

What does tearing clothes have to do with reshooting?

"Cough, cough!"

Sonia awkwardly cleared her throat, reminding the couple that there were kids present.

"Sister, you're so pretty!"

Seeing Nessa and Sonia, the girls like Mallow and Lana were full of admiration.

The birthday party soon began.

To Stephen's surprise, Professor Oak and Blue from Kanto also showed up, bringing Delia, Red, and Ash along.

Stephen was speechless.

Though he knew there was nothing between Professor Oak and Delia, the fact that they always appeared together made it easy to misunderstand.

"Here, Gary. This is a gift from your granduncle!"

The Alolan-styled Professor Samson Oak was the first to hand over a gift box.

Gary opened it, and Ash couldn't help but peek in.

"Darn it! Gary, you're cheating!"

Inside was a Poké Ball.

"Hmph! Don't you already have Pikachu?" Gary shot Ash a provocative look.

"Gary, hurry up and show us what Pokémon you've got!"

Kiawe rushed over and threw his arm around Gary's shoulder.

"Come out, my precious!"

Gary gave the Pokéball a dramatic kiss with a loud "mua" and then tossed it high into the air.

Stephen frowned deeply as he watched.

Why does this move look so familiar?

The white light fell, and two seconds later, the true form of the Pokémon revealed itself.

"Oh my gosh! It's—"

Sonia covered her mouth in shock.

Stephen, Nessa, and the others were also momentarily stunned.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

Before anyone could react further—

Bang!

A Pokéball on Stephen's belt suddenly opened by itself. Bewear appeared, grabbing the newly revealed Pokémon and hugging it tightly, rubbing its face against it non-stop.

"Don-o~ Don-o~!"

"Don-o? Don-o?"

The cries of the two Pokémon were strikingly similar, though one had a mature tone, while the other sounded innocent and childish.

"Stufful!?"

Blue shouted out the name of the Pokémon for his younger brother.

That's right—Professor Samson Oak's gift for his great-nephew was a Stufful!

And it wasn't just any Stufful—it was a shiny, orange-yellow Stufful!

"Why would you give him such an expensive gift?"

Professor Oak couldn't help but scold his younger cousin.

He had always been against giving starter Pokémon to his grandsons at the age of ten. In his view, this period should be spent learning foundational knowledge about Pokémon instead.

But Ash already had Pikachu, which had always made Gary feel jealous. Naturally, he wasn't happy about it.

Samson Oak didn't have kids of his own, so he treated the two grandsons and one granddaughter as if they were his children.

After much persuasion, he finally got Professor Oak to reluctantly agree to the idea.

What Oak hadn't expected was that his cousin would go so far as to get a shiny Stufful.

It's common knowledge that shiny Pokémon are extremely rare and can fetch sky-high prices on the market.

Even shiny Rattata are almost impossible to find, let alone a shiny Stufful, which is already a relatively rare Pokémon.

"It didn't cost that much..."

Samson Oak chuckled awkwardly.

But in reality, he had probably spent all his life savings on it.

"Baby, from now on, follow me and become the second-best Bewear in the world!"

It took Gary a lot of effort to retrieve his shiny Stufful from the arms of the Bewear, but he made his declaration with confidence.

"Don-o?"

Stufful's wide eyes were filled with curiosity, but in the end, it gave a dignified nod.

"This is for you—take good care of it," Stephen said, handing Gary another Pokéball.

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief.

Gary, you sneaky jerk, you've already pulled this off twice?!

Gary smirked as if to say: In this world, you need influence and connections to get ahead.

When the Pokéball opened, a Swablu jumped out. Everyone at the scene turned to look at Stephen.

At that moment, Blue overheard his little brother mumbling to himself:

"Next, I need to figure out how to capture a Kartana..."

PS: Okay, so Nessa and Stephen are already in a relationship. I guess the authors skipped the development of their relationship during a time skip. Damn, I missed the chance to add a lemon scene.

PS2: Read atleast 47 advanced Chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode