Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice

"Wait, what? Why are you guys back again!?"

At the seaside cabin, Will opened the door to find three hungry Houndours staring up at him. He froze in place, dumbfounded.

He had been staying at Stephen's place for only a short while, but in just two days, the number of visitors at the door had already surpassed those of the entire previous month.

Well, technically, the ones knocking weren't even people.

The three Houndours paid no attention to Will.

After two days of observation, they had figured out that the chubby little guy had no authority in this house.

The moment the door creaked open, they slipped through the gap and darted inside.

They ran straight toward Stephen, who was busy working at a lab table. One of the Houndours, eyes full of excitement, sprang up, aiming to jump into his arms.

A shadow flashed.

With precision and speed, the Umbreon lying in the corner intercepted the Houndour in mid-air, slamming it down with a clean strike.

The other two Houndours froze.

Since returning from the forest, Stephen had kept Umbreon inside her Poké Ball to avoid Rihua's suspicion. Now that she was finally let out, there was no way she would let a bunch of newcomers steal the spotlight.

'As long as I'm here, you're all just concubines at best!'

"Woof! Woof!"

The two remaining Houndours puffed up their chests, barking loudly in protest.

"Quiet."

Stephen's frown deepened as he uttered the word.

Instantly, all three Houndours and Umbreon fell silent, though the Houndours and Umbreon continued to glare at each other. Their eyes locked like warriors in a standoff, faint sparks of tension crackling between them.

Unbothered by the chaos, Stephen continued working at his lab table. He calmly drew a small sample of blood from his fingertip and placed it under a microscope.

"Hmm… The Viridian Power's cellular structure still isn't stable enough," he muttered to himself.

After wrapping up his observations, he glanced at the three Houndours now sitting in a line like students waiting to be scolded.

"Alright, what's the deal with you three? Why are you back? And where's that short-tempered one?"

His gaze swept around the room, searching for the ill-tempered Houndour that had been with them before.

"Woof woof!"

One of the Houndours trotted up and sat right in front of him, wagging her tail like an obedient dog seeking praise.

Stephen crouched down and reached out to pat her head.

"Umbreon!"

Umbreon's ears twitched, and she growled in protest.

Stephen chuckled.

"Relax, I need physical contact to activate my Viridian Power."

"Umbree…"

Umbreon pouted and lay down in the corner, looking away with a sulky glare.

As Stephen rested his hand on the Houndour's head, she rubbed against his palm, acting more like a spoiled cat than a wild dog.

"Woof! Woof!"

Not to be left out, the other two Houndours shuffled over, nudging his sides and demanding their share of attention.

Umbreon's forehead twitched.

'Are you kidding me? Enough already!'

With his left hand petting the first Houndour and his right hand alternating between the other two, Stephen's Viridian Power activated. Through his connection with them, he pieced together their thoughts and emotions.

"So, the short-tempered one decided to go with Rihua, huh?"

Will raised an eyebrow, catching on.

"Wait, are you saying that grouchy Houndour partnered up with that girl? Seriously? It agreed to be someone's Pokémon?"

"Looks like something must have happened between them while we weren't looking," Stephen replied casually.

His gaze shifted back to the trio in front of him.

"So, what about you three? Coming back here—does that mean you're choosing to stay with me?"

He didn't even need to use his Viridian Power to understand the answer.

The three Houndours sat neatly in a row and nodded in perfect unison.

Unfortunately, their fierce, wolfish faces made them look more like a gang of delinquents than adorable pets. If they'd been something cuter—like Eevees or Growlithes—they'd probably be melting hearts online.

But Stephen didn't mind. He liked his Pokémon like this.

Back in his past life, his cousin had a French Bulldog—ugly as sin, but somehow its silly face grew on him. He'd always enjoyed petting it.

"Hey, Stephen, are you seriously taking them in? I thought you didn't like Houndours. I mean, considering…"

Will trailed off, recalling how Stephen had acted toward Rihua's Houndour.

"That one had a bad temper," Stephen replied bluntly.

He didn't dislike Pokémon by species. Even if a Kricketune randomly joined him, he wouldn't mind raising it.

But temperament? That was non-negotiable.

Take Ash's Charizard, for example. Sure, it eventually became one of his strongest Pokémon, but at the start? No thanks.

Charizard had been disobedient and borderline insufferable, acting like it was too good for its Trainer. Ash saved its life, yet it refused to listen to him.

If Stephen had been in Ash's position, he would've benched it at Professor Oak's lab in an instant.

"Woof woof!"

Realizing Stephen had agreed to take them in, the three Houndours tackled him, licking his face furiously.

Wham!

Wham!

Wham!

Three dull thuds echoed as Umbreon launched a flurry of Quick Attacks, knocking each Houndour away with pinpoint accuracy.

'Enough is enough! I'm the real boss here!'

...

As noon approached, Stephen started cooking lunch.

"Don't cut the meat unevenly," Stephen scolded Will as he clumsily chopped up the ingredients.

"If the slices are too thick or too thin, they won't cook evenly."

"We should just catch a Gardevoir and let her handle all this," Will grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Stephen glanced at him.

"With that attitude, you'd be strung up on an online forum."

Once the food was ready, Stephen called out, "Umbreon, Houndours—time to eat."

Umbreon ate with her usual grace, calm and elegant.

The Houndours? Not so much.

They spun in circles, chomping at the washbasin Stephen used as a makeshift food bowl.

"Stop it! There's enough for everyone!"

Stephen separated them, finally bringing order to the chaos.

As they ate, he glanced at the three Houndours.

"Should I give them names?"

If he didn't, calling out "Houndour" would just confuse them all.

While Stephen pondered names, Umbreon stared at the Houndours and scoffed.

'Names? Tch, peasants.'

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Ahhh!"

Startled, Will accidentally cut his finger with the knife, yelping like a cartoon character. Stephen tossed him a band-aid without even looking.

"What is it now? This house has been way too lively lately," Will muttered, heading to the door while applying the band-aid.

He opened it—then froze.

It was another Houndour.

The three Houndours inside turned to look, their faces filled with disbelief.

Wait, didn't you leave with that human girl?

Will stared blankly at the visitor.

"Seriously? What's with all these dogs lately?"