章 37: Pokemon: I Transmigrated Twice [37]
Inside the storage room of Ritsuki's home stood a massive iron cage.
Within it were Pokémon such as Houndour, Ursaring, and Murkrow, all of whom had been defeated miserably by Aldus outside the city. Each was confined behind the iron bars.
Though their condition wasn't as pitiful as that of the Altaria and Slowpoke, who had suffered abuse in the Illusion Forest, the Pokémon here were still lifeless, collapsed on the ground. It seemed they had been tranquilized.
All the Pokémon wore restraints, but only one had a muzzle tightly secured over its mouth—a young Houndour, the offspring of those crushed to death by a fallen column.
Rihua bit her lip, approached the Houndour, and crouched in front of the cage, whispering,
"Don't worry. My father said he would hand you over to Mr. Caishen, who will help you find suitable owners..."
Before she could finish, the Houndour, which had been lying motionless, suddenly opened its eyes, startling her.
Before Rihua could react further, the Houndour thrust its paw through the gaps in the iron bars, swiping fiercely at her arm.
Had its claws not been restrained, there was no doubt it would have severed her entire arm.
"Mmph—!"
With its mouth muzzled, the Houndour couldn't fully growl, but its blazing eyes bore into Rihua with hatred.
You destroyed my homeland. You killed my parents. And now you speak of helping me!?
Rihua, bleeding heavily from her arm, didn't cry out. Instead, she calmly locked eyes with the Houndour.
"I... I've heard about what happened to you. I'm sorry for what my father did."
"I'll let you go. Try to escape and find a new home."
With that, Rihua left the storage room quickly and retrieved the keys to unlock the Houndour's cage.
Once freed, the Houndour paused, glancing back at her before turning its gaze to the other cages.
Rihua instantly understood and proceeded to unlock the others.
"You all should leave quickly!" she urged.
"But if you free them this way, they're likely to fail," an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.
Startled, Rihua spun around to see two masked young men, close to her age, standing there. They scrutinized her with bemused expressions.
"You… you are…?"
Rihua froze, recognizing one of them—the mask from the news.
Stephen, in his Joker mode, approached, checking the pulses of the barely alive Pokémon.
"They've been tranquilized. Judging by their condition and the fact they've been locked here without proper care, there's no way they'll escape this villa unnoticed," he said, systematically examining each Pokémon.
"Among them, the Murkrow are the least injured. Given their flight ability, they have the highest chance of escape."
"Next are the Ursaring. While one is seriously injured, the cubs are relatively unscathed and might make it with their elder's protection."
Finally, he crouched by the Houndour and placed a hand on its pulse.
"Hrrrr—"
The freed Houndour growled, its body tensing as it watched Stephen touch its kin.
But before it could make a move, Umbreon blocked its path, her crimson eyes fixed on the Houndour. It showed restraint; otherwise, it would have struck already.
Stephen retracted his hand after assessing the Houndour's condition.
"They're in the worst shape. Already gravely injured, and with no proper treatment, they can barely walk, let alone escape. Rationally, you should abandon them. However..."
"Arf!"
Before Stephen could finish, the Houndour lunged at him, fury overtaking its reason.
Humans should die! I will not abandon my kin!
The strike came too fast. Before Rihua or Will could react, the Houndour's claws were mere centimeters from Stephen's masked face.
In a flash, a streak of black light slammed into the Houndour, sending it crashing into the wall.
Rihua stared in shock.
It was Umbreon.
She recalled a lecture by Professor Oak. Wasn't this species identified as Umbreon?
Stephen raised an eyebrow beneath his mask.
"What's the rush? I wasn't done speaking."
The Houndour, snarling, staggered to its feet and unleashed a raging Flamethrower.
Its mind was consumed with anger and grief over its parents' death, its fury erupting after being caged for so long.
"Looking to vent your anger?"
Stephen flicked his hand.
Umbreon countered the Flamethrower with a dark wave of Dark Pulse.
"Hey, if you start fighting here..."
Will warned nervously.
With a deafening explosion, the Dark Pulse overpowered the Flamethrower, sending the Houndour flying again.
The commotion caused the entire storage room to tremble violently, even shaking the banquet hall above.
...
"What's going on?"
Upstairs, the wealthy guests, including Ritsuki and Aldus, exchanged puzzled looks.
Ritsuki sharply ordered the guards, "Go and check it out!"
Meanwhile, in the storage room, Stephen and Umbreon coldly observed the battered Houndour.
"If you want revenge, that's fine," Stephen said.
"But acting like a rabid dog lashing out indiscriminately? That's unacceptable."
"Your enemies are the owners of this house, who ordered the project. The Pokémon League, which sanctioned the expansion. Aldus, who killed your parents. I've had nothing to do with this."
"If you're so angry, go after them! Why take it out on me? Why not confront the League itself?"
Stephen loathed this kind of blind, self-righteous anger. It reminded him of certain fictional villains who misplaced their rage, causing unnecessary chaos by putting everyone in eternal genjutsu.
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