Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"…It seems she wasn't kidnapped by Joker but willingly chose to follow him."

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Lance suddenly shot to his feet, his gaze turning cold and sharp.

Initially, Lance had treated Rihua with relative gentleness. He thought her reluctance to disclose the truth might stem from being intimidated by Team Rocket's evildoers—perhaps she had her reasons for staying silent.

But now, it seemed he had completely misjudged her.

"Calm down, Lance. There might be some sort of misunderstanding here," Goodshow reminded him.

"A misunderstanding? Even with a Poke Ball Disruptor in her possession, you still think there's room for doubt?" Lance scoffed.

For Joker to trust Rihua with such an important tool, there was only one explanation in Lance's mind—they were working together.

Was it last night that Joker managed to persuade Rihua to join him? Or had they been colluding even earlier?

Lance didn't dwell on the possibilities. All that mattered now was catching her. Regardless of the reasons behind Rihua joining Team Rocket, capturing her would lead him straight to Joker.

"Lance, don't expose Rihua's identity in public. I suspect… that child must have her reasons," Goodshow advised.

Rihua was a very gifted young trainer, and Goodshow hoped she could contribute to the League in the future. As long as her true identity wasn't revealed, cleaning up the mess afterward would be much easier.

Lance frowned but said nothing and quickened his pace as he left.

At that moment, the police received a tip-off, and Lance joined the police squad in their operation. Goodshow didn't say anything further—he knew Lance's silence was a sign of agreement.

"What exactly… happened?" Goodshow murmured to himself, glancing at the television screen, where Rihua, now a wanted criminal, was shown wreaking havoc and looting.

Goodshow had met Rihua before and saw her as a promising trainer. In his eyes, she was undoubtedly a prodigy. With Agatha aging, Goddshow had even envisioned Rihua seamlessly succeeding her in the future.

But now...

....

At the Crossroads

The arriving Officer Jenny's squad had already evacuated civilians to a safe distance of over a hundred meters. The area was surrounded by police vehicles, and reporters from Cianwood TV were stationed on-site.

The Ursaring and Murkrow had successfully escaped into the crowd, but to cover for them, Rihua hadn't had time to make her getaway.

"Young lady, recall your Pokémon and don't make any sudden moves," one Officer Jenny called out through a megaphone from the lead police car.

Facing the dense line of police officers, Rihua couldn't hide her nervousness.

"Where did Joker go? He doesn't expect me to handle this on my own, does he?" she muttered to herself.

Earlier, when she tried to contact him, Joker's only response was: "Just stay still."

Rihua had no idea what that guy was planning.

Officer Jenny holding the megaphone glanced at Rihua with a trace of sympathy and tried again, "Young lady! Why are you doing this? Is something troubling you? You can tell me—I'll try to help you—"

"Arf! Arf!"

"Arf! Arf!"

Officer Jenny's Growlithe and Rihua's Houndour locked eyes and immediately began barking furiously at each other as if they were natural enemies.

Rihua frowned under her bandages. That guy doesn't expect me to fight my way out of this alone, does he? Or worse, is he trying to make me add 'assaulting the police' to my list of crimes and escalate the situation even further?

She gritted her teeth. Fine. If I've already chosen this path, I might as well see it through to the end.

"Houndour, let's—"

"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"

Just as Rihua was about to charge forward with her Houndour, a violent wave of fiery energy descended from the sky, cutting a swath between the barking Houndour and Growlithe.

"Stop barking, you two stupid mutts!"

Everyone turned their heads toward the commanding voice. The cameraman from Cianwood TV instinctively aimed his camera at the sky.

...

"Oh, oh, oh! It's Elite Four Lance! Lance is here!"

In New Bark Town, a four-year-old girl named Kris clapped her hands excitedly as she watched the figure standing atop his Dragonite on the TV screen.

Kris was a fan of Lance, one of the Indigo League's Elite Four. While Lance wasn't as approachable as Leon, his popularity in Kanto and Johto rivaled Leon's, thanks to his incredible strength and the League's promotion.

Standing atop his Dragonite, Lance made a slow descent, flanked by two Dragonair hovering protectively on either side of him like royal guards.

As he landed, Lance crossed his arms over his chest with an air of authority and addressed Rihua coldly,

"I don't care why you're doing this, but I know one thing: capturing you will lead me straight to him."

Lance dismounted from his Dragonite and walked toward Rihua, his expression calm but intimidating. He tossed a handcuff at her feet and continued, "You have talent, but you're not foolish enough to think you can beat me, are you? So, what will it be? Surrender willingly, or call him to come save you?"

...

"So cool!"

Back in New Bark Town, a young boy named Gold, also around four years old, watched the scene on TV with shining eyes.

There was no doubt about it—when it came to dramatic entrances, nobody could outdo Lance, the Dragon Master.

Rihua clenched her teeth in frustration. Damn it, Joker! This wasn't part of the plan!

At that moment, her inner thoughts mirrored the sentiment of a certain meme: You expect me to fight Lance?!

"Champion Lance, look over there!"

Suddenly, Officer Jenny behind Lance pointed toward the sky.

Lance and everyone on the scene turned their gazes upward.

Lance's pupils contracted. He's here. He showed up.

"It's Joker! Joker has appeared!"

Many onlookers in the surrounding streets also spotted him.

Hovering above the Cianwood Department Store, the infamous League Class-A fugitive, Joker, appeared, gliding through the air on a hang glider.

"You won't fool me with the same trick twice," Lance muttered coldly.

He leaped back onto his Dragonite, rising into the air with his two Dragonair in tow.

He was already familiar with Joker's Poke Ball Disruptor from their previous encounter. That's why he released all three of his dragons as soon as he left Rihua's mansion.

With the combined might of his Dragonite and two Dragonair, even Joker's Beedrill wouldn't stand a chance.

"I don't care how you convinced that girl to join you," Lance said, flying up to face Joker in midair. "Once I've captured you, we'll have plenty of time in the League's prison to sort that out."

Landing directly in front of Joker, Lance smirked. "Now, bring out your Beedrill. Don't think your dirty tricks will work on me twice!"

At that moment, nearly all of Johto's attention was focused on the skies above Cianwood City, where Lance and Joker faced off.

Television audiences watched the scene breathlessly, while Cianwood City residents craned their necks, staring at the two figures—one clad in black and the other in red—hovering in the sky.

So captivated were they that they failed to notice a strand of webbing shoot out from the crowd, latching onto Rihua's shoulder and pulling her into the mass of people.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Or have your little tricks finally run out?"

Seeing that Joker remained silent, Lance pressed further.

But Joker didn't respond. His silence only made Lance more suspicious.

Something was wrong. Joker was maintaining a perfectly parallel glide with the ground, his hang glider spread wide. But now, he hung suspended in the air, as if frozen in place—completely defying the laws of physics.

"Dragonair, restrain him!"

Sensing danger, Lance abruptly ordered one of his Dragonair to make its move.

The Dragonair shot forward, coiling around Joker and binding him tightly in an instant.