Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

In Vazil's eyes, that houndoom engulfed in flames, as though it had crawled out of the abyss, charged toward him with its massive, fanged jaws wide open after sending his Swampert flying.

In his pupils, Rose's figure rapidly magnified!

"Salamence, Dragon Pulse!"

Altair, who had initially planned to recall Salamence to its Poké Ball, had no choice but to intervene once more.

Rose, having already committed to using Flare Blitz, had no time to brake or change her move.

Fortunately, Maria and Sina rushed forward to intercept.

With all their might, the fire surged from their throats, burning with searing intensity as they fearlessly confronted the attack.

Double Flamethrower!

With a deafening explosion at the center of the battlefield, the ground of the Olivine Gym collapsed, and massive cracks spread outward.

Whether it was the Officer Jenny unit blocked at the entrance or the citizens watching from over a mile away, everyone could clearly see a blue-and-red shockwave erupt skyward from the gym's backyard.

"Still not resolved yet? Is Gym Leader Altair not up to the task?"

Seeing the battle drag on, Officer Jenny from Olivine Police Station grew increasingly anxious.

This was the strongest Gym Leader in the Johto region, yet he was struggling to subdue the opponent after all this time.

...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At the center of the battlefield, Maria, Rose, and Sina were simultaneously slammed into the rear courtyard wall of the gym, creating three large cracks.

And yet, in Altair's eyes, the Salamence cloaked in dark flames stood tall and unshaken, as immovable as a mountain.

The difference in power levels between the two sides was clear.

"Those three Houndooms… are they the ones that escaped two months ago?"

Altair narrowed his eyes and said:

"In just two short months, they've grown to such a degree. Truly astonishing. But… still not enough to threaten my Salamence."

He silently added in his heart: Especially not my dark-form Salamence.

At that moment, Vazil received a message through his communicator. His expression changed drastically as he shouted to Altair:

"Altair, bad news! The Olivine Police have entered the gym!"

In his panic, Vazil even forgot to add the respectful title of "Lord."

Behind his sunglasses, Altair furrowed his brows tightly.

There was no choice now. Don't blame me for this.

Muttering this inwardly, he raised his hand in a commanding gesture.

"Salamence!"

Hearing the deep, commanding tone of its trainer, Salamence's dark energy surged even more violently.

To ordinary eyes, Salamence's form showed no changes beyond its increasingly ferocious aura. But Altair, through his sunglasses, could clearly see the transformation of his partner.

"Is that… Joker!? And his two accomplices!?"

At this moment, Officer Jenny, leading her team into the scene, was also stunned.

The battlefield's chaotic situation and the flood of new information left her momentarily frozen.

But seeing Salamence's unstoppable presence, she thought to herself: Surely today will finally be the day we bring these Team Rocket members, who've wreaked havoc in Johto for over six months, to justice?

Little did she know, the most shocking twist was yet to come.

"Getting stronger again, huh…"

Although Stephen couldn't see with his eyes, the Viridian Force within him vaguely sensed that Salamence's power had risen to yet another level.

Altair, just what have you done?

Stephen grew increasingly intrigued by this Elite-level trainer who had never appeared in the original story.

Sensing the overwhelming, violent energy surging from Salamence, Stephen's expression briefly showed helplessness. But in the next moment, his face lit up with determination and anticipation.

"No choice. Let's use that! Maria, Rose, Sina!"

With Stephen's spirited shout, the three Houndooms simultaneously raised their heads, their hellish eyes glowing with an unsettling purple light.

"Wh-what's going on? Those three Houndooms… their aura is completely different from before!"

Officer Jenny felt an intense sense of unease, a foreboding dread rising in her chest.

"Howl—!"

Standing in the middle, Maria raised its head and unleashed Howl, a move capable of boosting the attack power of allies in a short time.

Meanwhile, Rose and Sina darted left and right, positioning themselves.

The three hellhounds surrounded Salamence from the front, left, and right, forming a triangular formation that trapped it in the center.

Even Altair sensed something unusual about the changes in the three Houndooms. But with Salamence in its current state, he couldn't afford to waste time analyzing. He needed to finish this quickly.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Salamence's long neck arched as it unleashed a powerful, fiery wave of draconic energy aimed directly at Maria.

Beneath their masks, Rihua and Will's faces turned pale. The power gap was too vast.

Taking that attack head-on would surely render Maria incapable of continuing the battle!

In the next moment, a translucent, pale-green protective barrier formed around Maria.

It was the move Protect.

But unlike in the games, where even a Level 1 Pokémon's Protect could block a Level 100 Arceus's attack, the real-world power gap made a significant difference.

Maria's Protect could hold off Salamence for barely a second.

Within three seconds, the barrier was already visibly cracking like fragile glass.

"Arf!"

In the brief gap, Rose leaped into the air, her fangs crackling with electric energy as she lunged for Salamence's neck.

Salamence's gaze hardened as its tail whipped up a vortex of water, sweeping horizontally.

Waterfall Tail.

But just as the attack was about to land, Rose tensed her body.

Bang—!

The super-effective Waterfall Tail slammed into Rose's side, but it didn't knock her out.

That was the move Endure, which allows a Pokémon to steel itself and withstand a potentially devastating attack.

Altair, along with several experienced trainers present, immediately noticed something strange.

That Waterfall Tail had come from Salamence's blind spot, targeting the left-side Houndoom. How had the Houndoom predicted it and used Endure in time?

"Pain Split!"

Stephen's command rang out.

Rose's entire body glowed with a bright light, symbolizing vitality, as she roared and slammed into Salamence's back like a small missile.

"Roar—!"

Salamence let out a pained cry.

The move Pain Split evenly distributes health between the user and the target.

Rose had been on the verge of fainting from Salamence's earlier attacks. The amount of energy she took from Salamence was enormous.

With her strength restored, Rose grinned menacingly, her fangs once again crackling with electricity as she prepared to use Thunder Fang.

"Twister!"

Altair barked his command.

Salamence flapped its massive, blood-red wings, whipping up a whirlwind mixed with debris from the battlefield.

The force of the wind blinded Rose, who was swept high into the air and unable to see.

"Dragon Claw!"

Salamence shot upward, its sharp claws glowing with a green light like a massive blade, slashing toward Rose.

"Take down one of them first!"

The so-called staff from Olivine Gym shouted excitedly from the sidelines.

Rihua and Will looked on in horror, their faces pale as they watched Salamence's claws close in on Rose.

"Yare yare~"

At that moment, Stephen's lips curled into a faint smile.

The next instant, Rose tilted her head just enough for Salamence's glowing claws to graze past her face.

Then, her right paw surged with dark energy as she struck Salamence directly in the eye.

"Roar!"

Salamence let out a pained screech.

"That was… Sucker Punch? But how…?"

Not only Altair's subordinates but also Officer Jenny were stunned.

Even Rihua was dumbfounded.

As a trainer specializing in Dark-types, she immediately recognized the move as Sucker Punch, a Dark-type attack that strikes first in response to an opponent's move.

But to counter with Sucker Punch, you first have to see the opponent's attack coming.

How could Rose, blinded in the whirlwind, have used it?

It was then that Rihua noticed Maria and Sina on the ground. Their glowing purple eyes were locked firmly on Rose and Salamence in the sky!