My Pokemon Turned into Girls?!

Generally speaking, cross-regional invasions by foreign Pokémon don't happen. The reason is simple: wild Pokémon usually don't have the ability or inclination to migrate such long distances. Even if they're owned by trainers, the fact that they've traveled with their trainers from one region to another usually means they've formed a bond and are unlikely to be abandoned easily.

Wait, now's not the time for a Pokémon biology lesson. Kazuki slapped his forehead hard, forcing himself to focus on the life-or-death situation in front of him.

Should he fight? The question was whether they could win. If there was a way to resolve this peacefully, there was no need to put himself and Hei at risk.

Kazuki's mind raced, recalling everything he knew about Aron. Its diet consisted mainly of… iron ore. Or rather, anything made of steel was fair game for it.

Thinking of this, Kazuki reached into his backpack with one hand, his eyes nervously fixed on the hostile Aron to prevent it from launching a surprise attack.

Soon, his fingers brushed against something cold and hard. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he pulled out a few stainless steel forks and spoons—utensils he had packed for picnics.

"Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you," Kazuki said, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. He opened his hand, showing the steel utensils to the Aron.

The Aron seemed somewhat swayed by this gesture. Hesitantly, it took a step forward. After confirming that Kazuki wasn't making any suspicious moves, it began to move faster, quickly closing the distance between them.

Kazuki crouched down, extending his hand toward the Aron. Its blue eyes were completely focused on the hard "food" in front of it, and it slowly opened its mouth.

*Crunch…* 

Kazuki's smile froze. 

Blood splattered as sharp teeth pierced his flesh. 

Hei let out an angry roar, lunging at the Aron, but the nimble creature dodged the attack.

Spitting out the blood-stained utensils, the Aron's eyes gleamed with disdain. Its earlier act of being lured by the "food" had been a ruse. 

Its real goal was to disable Kazuki's hand.

It hurts! I thought my bones were going to be crushed! Kazuki's forehead was drenched in cold sweat. 

Fortunately, Hei's quick intervention had prevented the Aron from biting down hard enough to damage his bones.

"Hei, Sand Attack!" Kazuki shouted through the pain. He was furious now—his goodwill had been repaid with a vicious bite, and no one could tolerate that.

"Awoo!" Hearing its trainer's command, Hei immediately dug its claws into the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand that flew toward the Aron. The Aron, unable to dodge in time, got a significant amount of sand in its eyes, forcing them shut.

"Now, Bite!"

Hearing Kazuki's voice, the Aron hurriedly opened its eyes, which were now bloodshot. Through its blurred vision, it saw a gray dog lunging at it with its jaws wide open. It was too late to dodge!

In a desperate move, the Aron lowered its head and charged forward. But Hei, more agile, sidestepped the attack and clamped its jaws onto a crack in the Aron's armor.

Normally, Hei's bite wouldn't have been effective against the Aron's tough shell. 

But by sheer luck, Hei had found a weak spot—a crack in the armor—and its sharp teeth sank in.

The Aron let out a pained cry, thrashing wildly to shake off its attacker. But after so many battles, its stamina was no match for Hei's full strength. Hei pinned the Aron down, making it impossible for the steel-type Pokémon to break free.

The outcome of the battle was clear. Even if Kazuki, who had already bandaged his wound, didn't intervene, the Aron would eventually be worn down.

But… something felt off. The Aron's hostility toward Kazuki was unusually intense.

Pokémon were simple creatures. They didn't harbor hatred without reason. Combined with the fact that it had somehow ended up far from its natural habitat…

As Kazuki pondered this, a sudden chill ran down his spine. Without hesitation, he shouted to Hei, who was still grappling with the Aron:

"Hei, get away from there!"

Though confused by the order to abandon such a perfect opportunity, Hei obediently leaped back. The moment it did, a large white net fell from above, trapping the Aron in place.

"Nice work, kid," came a familiar voice from behind. Kazuki turned quickly to see the middle-aged man who had given him the first aid supplies standing there, his pale face wearing a chilling smile.

The man holstered the net launcher at his waist and pulled out two Poké Balls. Two flashes of red light later, a fat brown rat and a spherical rock with four arms appeared in front of him.

A Raticate and a Graveler… both fully evolved Pokémon. There was no way Hei could take them both on. Beads of sweat rolled down Kazuki's neck as he took a step back.

"If you're here to catch that Aron, it's all yours. We won't interfere," Kazuki said, trying to keep his voice steady. By now, he had a pretty good idea of who the man really was.

A Pokémon poacher—a ruthless criminal who made a living by selling Pokémon parts or the Pokémon themselves. They would stop at nothing: poaching, stealing, even murder.

"You're smart, kid. And you've done me a big favor," the man said, his cold gaze shifting to the struggling Aron in the net.

"This little guy snuck up on me while I was unloading my cargo and took a chunk out of my arm. If it weren't for you leading me here, I might not have found it so easily."

As a poacher who primarily operated in the Hoenn region, he had come to Pewter City for a big deal. But before he could meet his buyer, his "cargo" had injured him.

Thanks to the boy's appearance… the painkillers he had given Kazuki had tracking devices embedded in them. If the signal stayed in one place for too long, it likely meant the boy had encountered the "cargo." He had originally hoped to coax the boy into searching for it, but this worked just as well.

"Don't bother struggling. That net's specially made for you," the poacher sneered as the Aron tried in vain to bite through the net. He then turned his attention back to Kazuki.

"Tell you what, since we're such good friends, hand over that Poochyena, and I'll let you go."

So he's dropping the act… Kazuki's heart sank. There was no way he was giving up Hei, but the odds of winning against the poacher were slim. Unless… Kazuki's eyes shifted to the trapped Aron.

"Hei! Buy me some time!" Kazuki ordered decisively. He then sprinted to the net, grabbing the strands and pulling with all his might to free the Aron.

"Naive! Raticate, Tackle!"

The Raticate shot forward like a rocket, its head glowing white as it charged at Hei.

"Hei, Sand Attack, then dodge!"

Hei kicked up another cloud of sand, obscuring the Raticate's vision and causing its attack to go wide. Hei narrowly dodged the blow.

Seeing his Pokémon's attack miss a mere Poochyena, the poacher's expression darkened. "Graveler, Rollout!"

The Graveler let out a strange cry, then curled into a ball and began to spin. As it picked up speed, it barreled straight toward Kazuki.

"Hei, don't—" Kazuki started to order Hei to dodge, but he quickly realized the Graveler's target… was him!

"Hei! Stay back!" Kazuki shouted, stopping Hei from rushing to his aid. As the rolling boulder grew larger in his vision, Kazuki fought the urge to close his eyes and tightened his grip on the net.

The impact felt like being hit by a speeding car. Kazuki was sent flying, his organs feeling like they were being rearranged. When he hit the ground, he lay there like a ragdoll, still clutching the white net.

At the same time, the Aron, now free from the net, looked at the boy lying on the ground in stunned silence.

"How stupid… a Pokémon without its trainer is no threat. Remember that in your next life. Raticate, use Crunch on the Aron!"

The Raticate, furious at being outmaneuvered earlier, opened its mouth, revealing razor-sharp teeth, and lunged at the Aron.

"Hei… Bite." Kazuki's voice, weak but determined, rang out. Hei leaped forward, sinking its teeth into the Raticate's thigh. The Raticate howled in pain, trying to turn and attack its assailant, but Hei's grip was unrelenting.

"Useless! Graveler!"

Hearing its trainer's command, the Graveler turned toward the fleeing Aron, preparing to use Rollout again. But before it could curl into a ball, a weight suddenly pressed down on it. Two arms and two legs locked around its body from behind.

"You're not going anywhere!" Kazuki's voice came from behind the Graveler.

"What the hell?!" The poacher's face turned pale as if he'd seen a ghost. Surviving a direct hit from Rollout was one thing, but pinning down a Graveler with sheer strength? Was this kid even human?