Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice-Chapter 178: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice []

"Big Brother Stephen will win, Big Brother Stephen will definitely win..."

In an ordinary home in Aspertia City, Unova, Rosa, with twin ponytails and holding the first-generation Pokédex, muttered to herself:

"Shadow Lugia's stamina is already at its limit. It barely managed to block Zacian's Sacred Sword just now by hanging on. It can't have any strength left to fight. Big Brother Stephen will win..."

Rosa's thoughts mirrored those of countless trainers around the world.

Shadow Lugia had already been relying on Joker's mysterious powers to temporarily recover some strength, but it was far from its peak condition when it was first released by Caishen at the start of the war. From the very beginning, it had been suppressed by Zamazenta.

And yet, it had just taken two consecutive Sacred Swords from Zacian, one of which was in its Crowned Sword form.

The fact that it was still standing was entirely due to Joker's top-tier training and commanding skills.

"Hah..."

Sure enough, in the next second, the entire world saw Shadow Lugia hovering above the Indigo Plateau take a shallow breath.

Though it tried hard to conceal it, its massive, ominous body, seemingly a manifestation of pure evil, was visibly trembling in the close-up shot!

At this moment, a singular thought emerged in the minds of people across the globe—It's reaching its limit!

Now, Shadow Lugia was likely struggling just to stay airborne.

"Dr. Stephen, Shadow Lugia is about to collapse. Seize this chance to take it and Joker down together..."

At the scene, Diantha couldn't help but shout.

"That's right, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Lorelei, the staunchest hawk in the League after Lance, immediately echoed.

"Surround Team Rocket! Ignore the shadows for now! We absolutely cannot let Team Rocket escape!"

Goodshow decisively commanded, abandoning the pursuit of the Shadow faction and focusing all forces on Team Rocket.

However, under the expectant gaze of everyone, Dr. Stephen hesitated, his expression uncertain, and did not launch an attack.

"What's wrong with Brother Stephen?"

Gary frowned in confusion. "This is the perfect opportunity!"

Beside him, Red, Blue, and even the always reckless Ash were furrowing their brows.

Why wasn't he making a move?

This was the perfect moment!

A bead of sweat slid down Dr. Stephen's face.

[I can't push my own master into a corner, right?]

Joker's eyes narrowed slightly, his thoughts turning inward: This was a risky gamble after all.

Calling Zacian here had been a strategic move to awaken a sense of crisis in Shadow Lugia.

To make it realize that unleashing its full potential required a top-tier trainer to partner with it.

And now, the fact that Joker was standing on Shadow Lugia's back meant the plan had worked.

Initially, the plan didn't include Zamazenta.

This way, once Joker obtained control of Shadow Lugia, he could leave with Giovanni and Team Rocket openly and proudly.

As for Shadow Lugia, it could be put to sleep and tamed later.

But Zamazenta's unexpected intervention forced Joker to revise the plan on the fly.

He had to release Shadow Lugia early and execute an improvised taming strategy.

This impromptu plan had also succeeded, using the simplest and most effective method to tame Shadow Lugia.

But now there was another problem—how to escape?

At that moment, Joker noticed the conflicted look in Dr. Stephen's eyes, followed by a familiar telepathic voice in his mind:

["Master, how about... I go easy on you?"]

Go easy? You could flood the ocean and it still wouldn't be enough!

Joker glanced at the Sword and Shield duo standing beside Dr. Stephen.

Then he looked down at the wheezing Shadow Lugia beneath him, which, if it were in a game, would have only 1 HP left.

If you still couldn't win in this situation... Damn it, even Admiral Kizaru would have to kneel and shout, "When it comes to going easy, you're my idol."

["Why aren't you moving? Then let me end this embodiment of evil!"]

At that moment, Zacian's commanding, feminine voice rang in Dr. Stephen's mind.

With a leap, the blue glow of the Sword of Kings surged through her fangs, the blade's aura tearing through the air with an unstoppable force.

Behemoth Blade!

Dr. Stephen's face turned pale.

Joker raised an eyebrow slightly.

The risky gamble Joker had mentioned earlier actually referred to Zacian.

During the earlier treatment of Bewear, Joker's Zoroark, disguised as him, had used telepathy to explain the plan to Zamazenta.

That was why Zamazenta knew the script.

Otherwise, how do you think Shadow Lugia managed to hold out for so long while ignoring Joker's direct commands?

That was entirely because the Shield King had been pulling its punches.

But Zacian was a different story!

From the moment she joined the battle, she had no time to listen to Zoroark explain the plan.

And even if she had, there was no guarantee Zacian would cooperate!

After all, Zacian's personality was like a gentler version of Akainu's—she wouldn't attack civilians, but asking her to help tame Shadow Lugia, this embodiment of evil, and even act in a staged performance?

Dream on!

"Protect!"

Joker shouted.

A massive, pitch-black, semi-transparent barrier formed around Shadow Lugia's body.

But Zacian was relentless, her sword's glow dazzling as it descended. The light of heaven seemed to dim for a moment.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

A sword strike so powerful it could make even Dracule Mihawk envious, so awe-inspiring it would leave Shanks speechless, so devastating it could make Kozuki Oden question his life choices.

The sword aura slammed into the dark shield.

Screeech! Screeech! Screeech!

The terrifying sound of blades cutting through barriers echoed endlessly.

The mountains surrounding the Indigo Plateau were sliced apart like meat on a chopping board.

And this was with the dark shield absorbing most of the attack.

"So this is the power of a top-tier Legendary Pokémon?"

Karen exclaimed, her voice trembling with awe.

Stephen had once mentioned in casual conversation that even among Legendary Pokémon, there were differences in strength.

Ho-Oh, for example, was more of a support-type Pokémon and ranked mid-to-low in combat power.

But at the pinnacle of power stood a select few, most of them Dragon-types.

Among them was an exception—Zacian, the Sword King!

At the time, Stephen had said that even among the strongest Legendary Pokémon, fewer than three could definitively defeat the Sword King in a one-on-one battle.

Seeing it firsthand today, his words rang true.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed.

Amid the storm of energy, a crack appeared on one side of the dark shield.

In the next moment, the shield on the right side shattered completely.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The left side soon followed, breaking apart entirely.

Even though the Sword of Kings' glow had dimmed, shrinking from the size of a massive blade to its normal state, it still retained considerable destructive power.

In the next instant, the blade struck Shadow Lugia's throat.

Shadow Lugia, already extremely weakened, widened its eyes in shock.

And then, like a crashing helicopter, it plummeted straight to the ground.

"Shadow Lugia can no longer fight!"

Alder excitedly waved his arms and shouted.

The crowd erupted in cheers at the sight of Shadow Lugia losing its ability to battle for the second time.

But many people couldn't help but notice the strange expression on Dr. Stephen's face as he watched Joker and Shadow Lugia fall together.

He looked panicked, even deeply worried.

"Why... is Brother/Dr. Stephen making that face?"

At the scene, Diantha and Cynthia, as well as Nessa, Serena, and the others watching on TV, all had the same thoughts.

Thud—!

Shadow Lugia landed first.

The ground briefly shook as if struck by a magnitude 10 earthquake.

At the last moment, a Latias leaped out of its Poké Ball and caught Joker in the nick of time.

Tap!

Even so, some sharp-eyed trainers noticed something.

Something had fallen from Joker's body.

Squinting to take a closer look, the world collectively gasped in shock.

That was...

Joker's broken half-mask!?

The next second, all eyes turned incredulously to the figure standing with his back to the crowd.

The atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of the moment during the Fourth Shinobi World War when Obito's mask was shattered by Naruto.

Finally, the figure standing with his back to everyone slowly turned around.

The right half of his mask had been shattered, revealing the entirety of his right side.

However, crimson blood trailed from the corner of his eye—likely a fresh wound from Zacian's sword slash.

But that didn't stop his true face from being exposed to the entire world.

"Ste... phen..."

In faraway Magnolia Research Lab, Nessa stared wide-eyed, muttering the two syllables with a voice trembling from inner turmoil.

Her emotions reflected that of the entire world.

At the scene, everyone's gaze switched back and forth between Joker, who wore a broken half-mask, and Dr. Stephen, who wore black-framed glasses.

Wallace: "W-What's going on? They... They look identical!?"

Cynthia: "This... What in the world...?"

Chairman Goodshow: "You two... Who exactly are you...?"

Even Zacian, who had just landed, looked utterly baffled. It glanced at Joker, then back at Dr. Stephen.

No, wait—what is this? What's going on here?

"Sigh..."

Joker let out a deep sigh.

Exposed, huh?

There was no helping it now...

His eyes swept toward himself on the other side.

Realizing this, Zoroark prepared to drop his disguise.

There was no need to keep pretending anymore.

Meanwhile, Karen and Will discreetly placed their hands on the remaining Poké Balls strapped to their belts.

Since everything had been revealed, there was no longer any need to continue the charade.

Just as Joker and his group were about to drop the act,

Clap, clap, clap...

A slow clap echoed through the air.

Everyone turned their heads toward the sound.

It was... the Rocket Team Leader?

Giovanni, his face obscured by a low-brimmed fedora and a high-collared coat, casually strolled between Joker and Dr. Stephen, smirking as he spoke:

"Marvelous. Truly marvelous."

"Two brothers, bound by the same blood, now standing at the brink of battle. I always knew this day would come, but I never imagined it would be in such a grand setting."

Brothers!?

Hearing that word, the world erupted into chaos.

Wallace: "B-Brothers?! No wonder they look identical..."

Diantha: "Dr. Stephen has a brother? That's... unexpected."

Lorelei: "I've never heard Stephen mention this before."

Chairman Goodshow: "No, wait! If Stephen-kun has a brother, then why...?"

"Why did he join Team Rocket, is that what you're asking?"

Giovanni interrupted Chairman Goodshow with a sly grin.

"Good question. If you want to talk about that, you'd have to thank your precious League."

Giovanni's words made Goodshow's face turn pale.

"What do you mean by that!?"

"Stephen and Joker—two young men with justice in their hearts.

One, a doctor by day, healing Pokémon for trainers with limited resources.

The other, a vigilante by night, striking down criminals.

Both pursued their ideals of justice in their ways.

Originally, things were like that..."

At this point, Giovanni's tone shifted, his smile growing sinister:

"But because of one event, Joker's perspective changed entirely."

Hearing this, many elite trainers of the League fell into deep thought.

Clair, who had crossed paths with Joker a few times, ventured a guess:

"Could it be... the Olivine Gym incident?"

"Congratulations, correct!"

Giovanni, like a game show host, gave Clair a big thumbs-up before continuing with an even broader grin:

"At the time, Joker noticed something suspicious about Altair, the Olivine Gym Leader. He and his two companions, Mask Girl and Psychic Fatty, decided to investigate."

"And as it turns out, they were right, weren't they?"

As he spoke, Giovanni gestured toward Altair, now handcuffed by Cynthia.

"But delayed justice isn't justice. After that incident, how did the League treat Joker? Surely none of you have forgotten unless your memory is failing you."

At this, not just the trainers on Victory Road, but the whole world fell into a heavy silence.

During that time, Joker was practically the Pokémon world's version of Konoha's White Fang, vilified and scorned like a rat in the street.

"So that's why Joker joined Team Rocket?"

Goodshow asked in a trembling voice.

"And that's why I must thank your League."

Giovanni laughed heartily.

"Who would've thought that the king of Team Rocket would be a gift from the League itself?"

After finishing, Giovanni turned to Dr. Stephen and asked with a smile:

"Well then, Dr. Stephen, what will you do? Will you throw your brother into prison? Or perhaps... will you kill him?"

Hearing this, Diantha suddenly realized:

"So that's why Dr. Stephen hesitated earlier when deciding whether to attack Joker!"

Millions of viewers watching on television also had expressions of sudden comprehension.

Gary: "I see now... If I had to fight my brother Blue, I'd hesitate too."

Blue: "Oh please, stop flattering yourself. If you fought me, I'd just knock you out instantly."

Even so, Blue sighed. He understood.

Standing against your brother—how painful that must be.

Red, as always, said nothing. But he clenched his fists tightly, his eyes betraying a flicker of anguish.

At this moment, Zoroark finally recovered from the shock.

Holy crap, this old human outdid himself. To think he came up with such a dramatic move in such a short amount of time!

Even the Pikachu at Sonia's feet was wide-eyed with amazement.

This twist was truly something else!

Finally, Dr. Stephen gestured for Zacian and Zamazenta to back down.

His gesture carried the unmistakable air of someone saying, "If anyone still wants to cause trouble, you'll have to face us."

But Zacian's gaze turned inexplicably cold.

She had already sniffed out the truth with her canine nose.

The Dr, Stephen before her wasn't the same person she had encountered before.

Though she didn't know what kind of trick they were pulling, Zacian was certain they were playing her for a fool.

[Sister, let's deal with this later, alright?]

Zamazenta leaned close to Zacian, trying to play mediator.

...

Joker took out an Ultra Ball, recalled the unconscious Shadow Lugia lying on the ground, and, before walking over to Giovanni, exchanged a glance with Dr. Stephen.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, this look was interpreted as a sign of "a brotherly rift."

...

Serena, Rosa, Touko, and the other future protagonists who had received Pokédexes from Stephen looked at the forced smile on Dr. Stephen's face.

All they wanted was to rush to his side and tell him, "It's okay to cry."

Even at a time like this, the Doctor was still pretending to be strong; the burden he carried was truly too heavy.

...

Spikemuth, Galar.

A five-year-old punk girl pursed her pink lips tightly, imagining a scenario where she and her brother had a falling out. The thought scared her so much that she immediately dismissed it.

But compared to the rest of the world, who sympathized more with Dr. Stephen, she had a better impression of Joker.

On one hand, thanks to her rock-and-roll brother's influence, she was drawn to a bad boy style. You could tell just from her preference for using Dark-type Pokémon.

And Joker's journey of becoming the phantom thief who eventually turned into a criminal boss perfectly aligned with her fantasies.

["Marnie, I will be heading to Kanto. Stay home and behave, okay?"]

At that moment, Piers's phone call came through.

Originally, Chairman Rose had told them they could go back.

But upon seeing Team Rocket entering the fray, Leon declared that they couldn't just leave like this. So, they decided to turn around and head to Kanto to provide reinforcements.

"Big bro, can I join Team Rocket someday?"

Marnie held the phone and asked.

"What!?"

Piers, aboard the plane, jumped three feet in shock.

...

Meanwhile, Lorelei, whose efforts to combat criminals were second only to Lance, remained silent.

She knew this was the best opportunity to take down Joker and Shadow Lugia, this dangerous duo.

If they missed this chance, it was highly likely—no, certain—that they'd never get another.

But seeing the forced smile on Dr. Stephen's face, Lorelei couldn't help but feel pity.

Because your brother was saved, you're so happy, aren't you?

You... are such a kind person.

"Wait a moment."

At this moment, Giovanni spoke again.

Everyone turned their attention back to the leader of Team Rocket.

He pointed at Dr. Stephen and continued:

"I would like Dr. Stephen to come with me to escort us safely down the mountain."

Giovanni spoke with a smile in his tone:

"Of course, you'll have to leave all your Pokémon on the mountain, including that bear and those two dogs."

"Impossible!"

Even Steven, who wasn't particularly close to Dr. Stephen, couldn't help but shout.

Let Dr. Stephen go down the mountain alone with you.

Do you think we, the League, are idiots?

"No way. Shadow Lugia is already out of commission; we need to hold onto some leverage."

Goodshow turned to Dr. Stephen and said:

"Stephen-kun, don't listen to them. Don't go!"

Without Dr. Stephen, if the League faced another crisis like this in the future,

Who would stop it!?

What worried Goodshow even more was the possibility that Team Rocket's leader, playing the emotional card, might try to recruit Dr. Stephen.

If that happened, the League would be doomed!

"Don't you want to take this chance to say a few words to your brother?"

Giovanni added.

At these words, Dr. Stephen's expression changed slightly before he began walking forward.

Will: "No!! Stephen!!!"

Morgan: "Are you crazy!!??"

Stephen: ...

Their acting is getting better and better, huh?