Under the clear blue sky, a Pidgeotto led a flock of Pidgey as they soared across the horizon.
In the grassy field below, wild Pokémon like Rattata and Oddish, known for their gentle temperaments, snoozed peacefully under a large tree.
Nearby, under another tree, a boy who appeared to be around ten years old stared blankly at the sleeping Pokémon, muttering to himself,
"I can transmigrate twice?"
Yes, this was Stephen's second transmigration. His first had taken him to the world of One Piece.
There, he joined Vegapunk's science team and even surpassed Vegapunk in technological achievement. Unlike Vegapunk, who—despite his groundbreaking innovations—wavered between allegiances, sometimes aligning with the Revolutionary Army and other times working for the World Government, Stephen's stance was crystal clear:
"Both the Navy and the Pirates are nothing but scum!"
After mastering Vegapunk's technology, Stephen chose to collaborate with Sabo of the Revolutionary Army. Yes, with Sabo, not Monkey D. Dragon.
Why? Because Stephen found Dragon utterly unreliable. The man who always looks at the east: when his subordinates were captured, when his comrades were betrayed—he just stood there, doing nothing.
In the end, Stephen led an army of Seraphim, teaming up with Sabo and the Revolutionary Army's four commanders to launch a full-scale assault against the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
The war rivaled the scale of the Marineford War.
Finally, when they reached the Empty Throne and confronted Imu—the enigmatic figure whose gender remained uncertain—Stephen fell victim to an ability he hadn't fully understood.
"Sigh..".
If only Stephen had trained in the Pokémon world first and learned how to protect himself, none of this would have happened.
But what shocked Stephen the most was this: after dying once in the One Piece world, he was granted a second transmigration! This time, to the world of Pokémon.
"Growl~"
As Stephen reminisced about his heroic past, his stomach growled like rolling thunder.
"Now that I think about it... I've been here for two days and haven't eaten a thing."
Stephen patted his stomach.
"Oddish~ Oddish~"
Seemingly hearing his complaints, an Oddish used Razor Leaf to skillfully cut some berries from the tree above him. Several Pecha Berries fell neatly in front of Stephen.
"Hmm? For me?"
Stephen's eyes lit up.
"Oddish~ Oddish~"
The Oddish nodded with a cheerful smile.
"Good, good! What a kind little one."
Stephen picked up the Oddish, gave it a gentle pat, and asked for directions to the nearest city. Grabbing the Pecha Berries, he waved goodbye to the group of Oddish and set off.
"This place feels like a utopia—so much better than that hellhole of a world in my previous life."
Munching on the berries, Stephen walked toward the city, grumbling to himself.
In his past life, he had read countless One Piece fanfictions where the transmigrated protagonists either became pirates or joined the Navy. But in Stephen's opinion, both sides were equally rotten. Sure, there were exceptions, but the majority were beyond saving.
After nearly an hour of walking, Stephen finally arrived at a seaside city.
"First, I need to find an adult and ask where I am."
He scanned the area, thinking. If this was the Kanto region, he planned to seek out Professor Oak—the man who wasn't Ash's father but might as well have been. With the advanced technology he had mastered from the One Piece world, securing a position as the professor's assistant should be easy.
"Hmm, her then," he murmured, noticing an elderly woman standing nearby.
"Are you... really my Eevee?"
As he approached, he heard the elderly woman's trembling voice.
Getting closer, Stephen spotted a shiny Umbreon sitting in front of her—a Pokémon that likely belonged to her. But the woman clutched her hands to her chest, trembling as though she might collapse.
The Umbreon didn't look much better. Seeing its beloved trainer recoil in fear, it seemed as though its entire world had crumbled.
"T-this black fur... And those red eyes... So unlucky... So terrifying!"
Umbreon's pupils dilated as its small body trembled as if struck by lightning.
"Seems like this world isn't as perfect as it seemed," Stephen thought.
Just as Umbreon tried to step forward to comfort its trainer, the woman instinctively stepped back.
"D-don't come near me!"
That single step created an unbridgeable rift between them.
"Stay away... Don't come closer!"
The elderly woman turned to flee, but Stephen stepped in front of her.
"Hey, granny, have you never seen an Umbreon before? It's just one of Eevee's evolutions. There's no need to be so scared. Black is pretty cool, don't you think?"
Stephen recalled how much effort it had taken him to evolve Eevee into Umbreon in the game.
"Wh-what Umbreon? Get out of the way! If you like it so much, you can have it!"
Without a second glance, the woman ran past Stephen.
"Seriously? She doesn't even know about Dark-type Pokémon?"
Stephen turned back to the Umbreon, its head hanging lifelessly.
"Uhh... How about this? Little black one, why don't you come with me for now? I'll figure out a way to reverse your evolution back into Eevee, and then you can return to your trainer. Sound good?"
Umbreon's face shifted from sorrow to shock. Was this kid insane? It had never heard of an Eevee being able to de-evolve!
What Umbreon didn't know was that Stephen had been itching to start scientific research ever since arriving in this world. Pokémon evolution was just one of the subjects on his list.
"But in the meantime, you'll have to help me forage for food. I don't work for free," Stephen added.
In his first life, Stephen had teamed up with Sabo not out of righteousness but because the World Government had targeted him, suspecting Vegapunk of disloyalty.
Though Stephen didn't see himself as a saint, he had no intention of associating with lunatics. So, he struck first, leading to the legendary battle at Mary Geoise.
"Umbreon~"
After a long pause, the Umbreon let out a soft cry of agreement. It had no home to return to. What other choice did it have?