Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [16]

Sssss—!

Beedrill's venom-coated stinger plunged fiercely into Dragonite's back.

The venom spread instantly through the wound, coursing through its body and turning its plump, orange-yellow face a sickly purple.

Poisoned!

"This should calm you down, don't you think, Mr. Lance?"

Stephen said casually.

"Cousin Lance's Dragonite… was defeated so easily…"

Claire could hardly believe her eyes.

The cousin she viewed as an invincible trainer was…

And what's more, the masked guy hadn't even issued a single command.

It was all Beedrill's solo effort!

What Claire didn't realize was that Stephen couldn't even command the Beedrill if he tried.

"All right then, time to say goodbye~ Beedrill, lend a hand, will you?"

Stephen waved dismissively while winking at the Beedrill, signaling it to help carry someone.

Beedrill glanced down at its stinger-tipped arms and fell silent.

"Are you kidding me? Do I look like I have hands?"

But considering Giovanni's orders,

Beedrill reluctantly used its stinger to pierce Anders' collar and lift him.

"You think this is over? Team Rocket scum born of evil!"

Just as Stephen was about to leave, Lance's chilling voice rang out again.

"Huh?"

He turned back,

Only to see Lance by Dragonite's side,

His hand resting on its plump, round belly.

In moments, the puncture wounds on Dragonite's back and its purplish complexion healed visibly, faster than any potion could achieve!

"Viridian… Power?"

Stephen recalled the legend,

Once every decade, Viridian Forest chose a trainer from its homeland, granting them nature's power.

Lance, Giovanni, and—if she had been born yet—Yellow were among those chosen.

Giovanni rarely displayed his Viridian powers.

Lance and Yellow, however, had abilities centered on healing and communicating with Pokémon.

Yellow was especially gifted in healing, earning her the title of The Healer!

"This world does have its share of people with special powers," Stephen mused.

In Sinnoh, some possessed the Aura to communicate with legendary Pokémon.

Kanto's Sabrina and Unova's Caitlin both wielded psychic abilities, albeit differently:

Sabrina leaned toward magic, turning people into dolls,

while Caitlin favored raw force, using her psychic powers to fight directly.

Speaking of which, does being a protagonist count as a special ability?

"Still, even if you've healed, it's meaningless, right? My Beedrill's level is higher than your fat Dragonite's, Mr. Lance."

Stephen remained unfazed.

"Stop calling my Dragonite fat!"

Lance retorted furiously.

"You can insult me, but leave my Dragonite out of this!"

The next second, Lance's anger shifted to a cold smirk.

"Fine then. Allow me to demonstrate my Twin Dragon Strategy."

In regulated battles, Lance was slightly inferior to Agatha, the Indigo League Champion.

But in unrestricted life-or-death combat, it was a different story.

Lance excelled at such battles, particularly against villains like Team Rocket.

Here, trainers could be attacked directly, multiple Pokémon deployed, and unorthodox strategies employed.

Among his favorites was the Twin Dragon Strategy,

with Dragonite as the main attacker and two Dragonair as support.

"Bzzt~"

However, just as Lance prepared to call out his Dragonair duo,

Stephen pulled something from his pocket and pressed it.

Lance didn't pay much attention, already holding two shrunken Poké Balls. He pressed the central buttons, ready to throw them.

But the next moment, something unbelievable happened.

The Poké Balls didn't enlarge!

"Cousin! Look at that!"

Claire shouted, her tone trembling with fear, pointing at Stephen.

Lance turned to see Stephen holding a remote control with an antenna.

"You did this?"

Lance gritted his teeth.

"Do you know about 'Magnet Pull,' Mr. Lance?"

Stephen asked, smiling.

Before Lance could answer, Claire interjected,

"Magnet Pull? Like the ability Magneton has?"

Clap, clap!

Stephen applauded her.

"Correct! Magneton and Probopass possess an ability that prevents Steel-types from fleeing.

I adapted this ability to create this magnetic remote control. Pressing this button…"

He pointed to the red button on the remote,

"…activates a special magnetic field that disables Poké Ball mechanisms, making it impossible for Pokémon to be released!"

Hearing this, Lance was livid.

He'd faced strong enemies before, but never one so infuriating.

It was like building a powerful Blue-Eyes White Dragon deck,

only for your opponent to counter with a troll deck that toyed with you to death.

The frustration was unparalleled!

"Of course, if your Pokémon can unleash an attack from inside the Poké Ball, you might break it open…

Though you'd need precise control to avoid harming the trainer."

In the manga, Red's Pikachu had once charged an attack inside its Poké Ball to help defeat Giovanni.

But breaking out of a Poké Ball was risky.

The confined space made it hard to build power and too much force might harm the trainer nearby.

For now, the Pokémon in Lance's Poké Balls hesitated, unwilling to take the risk.

"Damn it! Dragonite!"

Left with no choice, Lance ordered Dragonite to charge solo.

"Told you, it's no match for Beedrill."

As Stephen spoke, Beedrill tossed Anders aside and turned to face Dragonite.

Thunder Punch vs. Poison Jab!

As the attacks were about to collide,

Beedrill suddenly sidestepped, dodging the punch.

Dragonite's attack missed entirely.

In the next moment, Beedrill's stinger struck Dragonite's neck!

"Dragonite!"

Lance's rare display of panic was apparent.

"Cousin! Behind you!"

Claire cried out in fear.

Turning, Lance saw a shadowy Umbreon standing silently behind him.

"Haah~"

Umbreon let out a yawn, releasing a mist that hit Lance square in the face.

"Not… good…"

A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and Lance's vision blurred as he fell into a deep sleep.