Chapter 3

"So you are telling me that you were human before you became a PokeHuman by choice?" Issei asked as Jericho nodded in response.

"Correct, my master. Alice and I had different reasons for wanting to become a PokeHuman so we could accomplish our goals. My goal was to become a true knight since back in my home, my father wanted me to be a trophy wife for my fiancé, but I was able to destroy my engagement to him." Jericho said as she continued her spar with her master to strengthen him for the battle that would take place. Sona and Issei were able to make it to the first gym just last night, but both of them wanted to be ready for the gym leaders.

Issei was taking time before the match he had with the gym by training with Jericho and his Pokémon team so they would be ready. Yindra wanted to participate, but Issei denied the request since the legendary wouldn't do well against Rock and Ground types, which made sense to the Dragon of Ideals. Issei did promise Yindra that when there was a gym that would be suitable for the young legendary, then Issei would allow Yindra to face in battle.

Issei's team for the gym battle would be Jericho the Gallade, Axew, and Treeko. Issei wasn't sure that his Ralts were the best choice to use in the battle, but surprisingly, the tsundere was okay with the team since she wanted to support Issei to make sure he didn't lose.

Sona, on the other hand, was training with her Larvitar, Aurora, and Alice since the naughty girl wanted to have some fun with the gym leader and her Pokémon. Sona was a bit skeptical of letting the Ghost out into battle, but Issei was able to convince her to give Alice a chance. Aurora wanted to prove to her mother that she was capable of defending herself against foes so she could help her mother. Larvitar is a strong Pokémon that is excellent in defense and speed, which is surprising due to its small size.

"Well, at least we will be ready for the fight against our first gym, though I'm a bit nervous because of the possibility of there being regional variants of the Johto League Pokémon," Issei said as he recalled the possibility of the Pokémon in the Johto Region being different than in the game. That theory was proven true since Larvitar, Mudkip, Treeko, and even Ursaring had variant forms, which means that gym leaders may have regional variants as well.

"There is always a possibility of that master, but I do believe we have a chance to beat them since we do have a team that combines speed and power," Jericho said as Issei nodded while blocking another sword swing from Jericho before ending the sparring match.

The two smiled as they began to take a breather while Issei looked to see Treeko help Axew with Dragon Rage's aim. The lovable Axew was a friendly Pokémon on his team, but Issei noticed that Axew was a bit on the naive and innocent side, which had Issei concerned about his actions around the small dragon.

"Hey guys! Why don't you take a breather and come over here for some water and food?" Issei called out as the two nodded and headed towards their partner before enjoying some berries and water. Issei looked at the sky and smiled as the sun began to rise.

"Heh. Who would've thought that the sunrise here would be so beautiful?" 'Even if it is another world.' Issei said as he looked at Jericho and could tell that she still looked human but with Pokémon attributes such as Gallade's color scheme and the blade arms. The horn on her chest seemed to glow when she was near Issei, but he could also tell that Jericho had definitely trained her whole life to be a knight more than anything.

"It's kind of strange since I expected you to use the Galar Gardevior to combine with you instead of the Gallade of Sinnoh," Issei said as Jericho chuckled in response.

"Well, granted, I was tempted to go for the Galar Gardevior, but the fighting style didn't suit me, which is why I preferred to go down the traditional route with Gallade," Jericho said as Issei nodded before asking her.

"Do you recall anything about the organization, like any people or a location?" Issei asked as Jericho pondered her memories before speaking to him.

"I recall a woman and a man standing behind a glass wall looking at me. Gallade was awake and next to me when the process was about to begin. The woman was speaking to the man about something, but it was hard to hear them, and once they flipped the switch, I could see Gallade's memories and feel his emotions. Gallade could see my memories as well, but he seemed to be happy that he was fusing with me." Jericho said as she looked at her horn and smiled at it.

"Before I was able to take over the fusion completely, he told me that my horn would resonate with the one who not only defeated me in battle but also the one whose soul resonates with my own. After the fusion ended, I wound up in a place where I met fusions who were like me. People who wished to fuse with a Pokémon for different reasons. I recall many tests for me to test my powers and know my weaknesses until I was paired with Alice before a scientist named Colress informed us to head to a town to test our abilities against trainers and their Pokémon."

Jericho said that Issei had more questions than answers since he couldn't understand why this organization wanted to do PokeHuman fusions or who's the one responsible for this.

"Well, that is a surprise, but I'm still surprised to see that it's even possible. I've heard of things like Mega Evolution and Z Crystals, which allow Pokémon and Humans to form a stronger bond between them. Still, I never thought about possibly combining Pokémon and Humans." Issei said as Jericho chuckled in response.

"You are correct. There have been some times when Pokémon and Humans were able to establish such a strong bond that they were able to fight as one being. I was skeptical about it as well, but seeing how strong I am now makes me think that I could gain a form similar to that. So shall we meet up with Sona?" Jericho asked as Issei nodded in response before returning Treeko and Axew, then headed towards the Pokemon Center to see Sona was reading a book. At the same time, Alice was in a corner with a sign around her neck. Aurora was giggling at the defeated Ghost before waving at Issei.

"Hey Dad!" Aurora said as Sona looked up from her book and smiled at Issei before greeting him.

"Ah! It's nice to see you again. How was the training?" Sona asked as Issei sat next to her and nodded.

"I feel like we're ready, but I'm worried since I'm not sure what we're up against or how these battles work," Issei said. He wasn't sure what kind of Pokémon he would face, but he had faith in his team that they would win.

Sona was nervous as well since even though she was a bit stronger in close combat thanks to Issei's assistance, the Sitri Heiress was still worried about facing her enemy since her strengths relied on support and defense rather than speed and power, like Issei's style.

"Well, Aurora and I will do some more training. I still want to try some of those techniques I read about in the guidebook for defenses." Sona said as Issei didn't mind since while Issei sucked in terms of magic, even with some of Sona's teachings, Issei still had a tremendous amount of experience in terms of combat and would be able to fight alongside his team.

Issei then voiced some suggestions for Sona to work on for her training, which flattered the Sitri Heiress since she was grateful for Issei's assistance in her training. The two then departed as Sona headed to the training grounds again while Issei smiled and headed towards the gym.

Issei was a bit sad that Sona wouldn't be there to show her support, but he knew that Sona wanted to get stronger with her team as well, so he didn't mind as he located the gym and headed inside to see a teacher of sorts instructing the students that followed her around the gym.

Issei recalled that the first gym leader, Roxanne, was a teacher but was impressed by her skills, as well as her team members assisting Roxanne's teachings, until a small golem Pokémon tugged her dress and pointed at Issei.

Roxanne looked at the person and was shocked to see Issei before checking her watch.

"Oh my! You're supposed to be my challenger today. I am terribly sorry, but I can't fight you today since I'm teaching a class today." Roxanne said apologetically until a voice shouted behind her.

"This is why I keep telling you that being a Gym Leader and a teacher need to be prioritized." The voice said as both Roxanne and Issei looked to see Greta walking towards the group of kids, smiling at them, before looking at Roxanne.

"Which is why your class will be experiencing a real-life battle today," Greta said as the kids looked amazed while Roxanne blushed at the idea of her students watching her battle.

"B-But-!"

"No buts. You committed when you decided to become a Gym Leader and made sure you would be able to fight today. It's not my fault that one of your teachers got sick and you didn't call in one of the substitute teachers." Greta said as Roxanne looked like she was beaten in battle and nodded.

"Okay," Roxanne said as she looked at Issei and led him to a plains-looking arena before an orb appeared in front of them both.

"Now allow me to explain how this battle works. Before the battle can begin, we both transfer a bit of our magic into the orb, and our side of the arena shall emerge within so we can fight on a side that supports our team. Also, the challenger has the option of either having a normal three Pokémon battle or three Pokémon and a Trainer battle." Roxanne said as Issei pondered the two choices before asking.

"How does the latter option work?"

"Ah, well, you will be participating in battle with the three Pokémon you choose. The battle will end when both Trainer and Pokémon are defeated in battle." Roxanne explained as Issei pondered this and decided to go for the latter.

"I choose three Pokémon and Trainer Battle," Issei said as he placed his left hand on the orb and transferred some of his magic into it. The magic began to create an arena that was covered in grass and a few tall trees while Roxanne did the same thing as Issei, as her side turned into a rock-type arena with a couple of boulders.

"Then let's begin," Roxanne said as she took out two Pokeballs and threw them into the air. "Let's go, Geode! And Ash, too!"

Two Pokémon emerged from their Pokeballs as they prepared for battle. Roxanne walked into the field and took a deep breath before preparing herself.

"Hm? Never seen those versions of a Grimer and Geodude." Issei said as he pulled out his Pokédex and saw the entries.

Grimer: The Coal Tar Pokémon

A Poison and Rock Type.

This version of Grimer is made up of hot asphalt. Often used in cities to help fill potholes, this Pokémon's body reaches temperatures of just over 300 degrees.

Geodude: The Golem Pokémon.

A Psychic and Rock Type.

A Delta Species discovered by the professors of Unova they are easily mistaken for parts of ruins and may surprise travelers attempting to use them for a bench.

"Interesting," Issei said as he then called out his team. "Jericho! Axel! Let's roll!"

Jericho and Axew emerged as Issei smiled at the nickname he gave to Axew before heading into the arena and summoning his sword, surprising Roxanne since she could tell that the sword was not to be underestimated.

"Now then, shall we get started?" Roxanne asked as Issei nodded in response before the two shouted commands.

"Geode! Use Rollout. And Ash, use Sludge Bomb!" Roxanne shouted as Geodude rolled out while Grimer fired a barrage of sludge bombs at the trio until Issei and Jericho smiled at each other.

"Axel. Use Dragon Rage." Issei said as Axew nodded and fired a massive blue energy dragon that blasted through the Sludge Bombs until Jericho headed towards Geodude and blocked the Golem.

"We can handle these two. Plus, this is going to be fun." Jericho said as she kicked away Geodude with Leaf Blade, which surprisingly didn't do any damage to the Rock type before Issei's eyes widened as he recalled the info on the Golem's ability.

"Sap Sipper. Grass-type moves won't do any damage to Geodude! Use Night Slash instead!" Issei shouted as Jericho nodded and slashed the Golem so many times that the Golem's body was a bit chipped from the barrage of slashes until Geodude used Iron Defense to increase its defense.

Axel, on the other hand, was using Dragon Rage to keep Ash the Grimer at bay before Roxanne kept Axel away from her Pokémon by using the earth to protect them.

"Rock Shield!" Roxanne shouted as she slammed her hands together and placed them on the earth as Grimer was protected by a dome made of rock magic.

"Makes sense," Issei said as he assisted Axel in dealing with Grimer until Roxanne began to shoot boulders at the duo, which forced Issei to pick up the small dragon and take the boulder as it pushed Issei back a bit.

Axew looked worried for Issei, but his master reassured the tiny dragon that he was okay before Issei set the dragon down and then placed a hand on the boulder—used a Force Palm to send it right back at Roxanne, who was frightened by the attack before Grimer appeared and took the attack by using Harden to make it more solid.

"Thanks, Ash," Roxanne said as Grimer smiled at her until the boulder began to crack. Geodude flew through the boulder while Grimer and Roxanne were hit in the stomach with the incoming bullet.

Geodude was struggling to stand as Roxanne helped the Golem stand back up as Grimer braced itself for an attack from Axel.

"Now Aqua Tail!" Issei shouted as Axew smiled as it formed an Aqua-like tail that slammed into Grimer and would've sent it to the wall had it not been for Jericho ready to face the enemy.

"Jericho! Drain Punch!" Issei shouted as Jericho nodded and readied her fist as she slammed it against Grimer, who looked like a massive amount of force hit it until the sludge-like Pokémon flew to the wall and fainted on the ground.

"Uh oh. Looks like you lost one, Roxanne. What now?" Greta asked as Roxanne bit her tongue while thanking Grimer and returning him to his Pokeball.

"Thanks, Ash. I really appreciate your support. Leave it to us." Roxanne said as Grimer nodded before Roxanne struggled to stand up, even with Geodude next to her, as he slowly began to heal herself.

Issei, on the other hand, looked at his left arm and saw that his bruises were healing right now until he checked on Axel and Jericho before gasping at her arm.

"Jericho! You've been poisoned. Can you still fight?" Issei asked as Jericho was shocked at the poison in her system, but she could still fight, so she nodded in response.

"I can still fight. I'll give it all I've got, but we need to take out Roxanne." Jericho said as Issei nodded in response before summoning his sword while Axel climbed on Issei's left shoulder and growled at them.

Roxanne was nervous as she could tell that Issei was made to tank a lot of attacks and punch with so much power, similar to that of a Machamp and Lucario. Roxanne wasn't built for power but was excellent at using magic to make defenses to protect her team; however, when it comes to strength and stamina, she could be more substantial compared to Greta.

"Not bad, but you won't be getting any better than that," Roxanne said as she tossed her partner. "Let's go NosePass!"

"NosePass!" The massive NosePass roared as it began to charge at Issei with its enormous size.

"Nose!" NosePass roared as it slammed into Jericho before Issei helped Jericho stand her ground. At the same time, Axew yelled as he leaped onto the NosePass's head, causing the massive Pokémon to try and grab the small dragon, but Axel wasn't letting the Pokémon catch him.

"Keep him busy, Axel!" Issei shouted as Axew nodded and continued to hold on with its tiny claws while Issei and Jericho rushed towards Roxanne and Geodude, which made the Golem get ready to fight as Roxanne was now standing with rock-like armor around her arms.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Roxanne yelled as she and Geodude charged at Issei and Jericho. Roxanne tried to strike Issei, but the heavy armor made her punches slow and predictable. Issei used his sword to clash with her fists before Jericho used a Psychic to send Geodude into Roxanne, which damaged her armor a bit until Issei rushed towards her with his sword glowing in a bright golden light.

"Take this! Holy Slash!" Issei shouted as the Holy Magic of the sword destroyed Roxanne's armor before Geodude was hit by a deadly barrage of Night Slash one last time until the Geodude's defense failed it as it fainted in Roxanne's arms.

Roxanne returned the Geodude and saw that Nosepass was struggling to send Axew off it's body.

'It's only me and Nosepass left, which allows us to use the ultimate technique.' Roxanne took out a crystal and called out to Nosepass.

"Nosepass! We're going to use that technique!" Roxanne shouted as she took the crystal and crushed it in her hand. Nosepass roared as its body was filled with power until Roxanne gave the order.

"Use your special technique! Continental Crusher!" Roxanne shouted as Nosepass shouted as the boulders from the rock arena began to rise. A massive pillar was created above Nosepass before the Pokémon sent it right at the trio.

Issei looked to see that Jericho was resisting the poison in her body but was still struggling to stand, while Axew looked worried at the massive attack. Issei looked at his sword and then at Jericho, who nodded as if she knew what he was thinking before Issei looked at Axew.

"Axel. Got enough power to use one last Dragon Rage?" Issei asked as Axew nodded before it growled as the draconic energy built up inside of the dragon's body. Jericho readied her last attack with all of the power inside of her, while Issei sheaths his sword and begins to steady his breathing while focusing on his fists.

Issei saw his magic form around his body like armor as he looked at the boulder while his body became more of a dragon as he channeled all of it into his left hand.

"Now! Give it all you got! Axel! Dragon Rage! Jericho! Use Final Stand!" Issei shouted as he punched the ball of energy at the pillar.

"Dragons Ascension!" Issei shouted as the ball of energy became a dragon while Axew blasted the Dragon Rage, which took on the form of a Water-like Dragon. Finally, Jericho unleashed one final slash of her sword as it cut through the pillar, shocking Nosepass as the dragons attacked, connected to the Pokémon, and made a massive explosion in the air.

Greta and the children covered their eyes while Roxanne struggled to stand as the force of the explosion knocked her off her feet. Issei held on to Jericho as she collapsed in his arms while Axew smiled and flashed Issei a thumbs up.

Issei chuckled at the small dragon as the smoke cleared to reveal that Nosepass was knocked out and defeated. Greta smiled at this as she announced the victory.

"Nosepass is defeated. Roxanne is defeated, as well as her other two Pokémon, which means Issei Hyoudou is the victor!" Greta yelled as the students clapped to congratulate Issei and his team. Issei smiled and thanked his partners.

"Thanks, Jericho. Axel. You two are awesome." Issei said as Jericho smiled at him while Axel smiled and gave Issei a large grin. Roxanne was tired but couldn't help but smile at Issei and his team as she couldn't believe that she was pushed past her limit and hardly given time to think of a strategy.

'Greta was right. I really am out of shape. Starting tomorrow, I'm training so I can give him a real battle.' Roxanne vowed in her mind as she slowly got up and walked over to Issei before pulling out a badge from her pocket.

"You've earned it. You really made me feel like I need to become stronger since you gave me little to no time to make my strategy come to life." Roxanne said as she handed the badge to Issei, who accepted it and thanked her.

"Thank you, Roxanne, and don't worry about it. We all feel a bit out of shape. Honestly, I was worried about Jericho being able to fight against the poison in her system." Issei said as he returned Jericho to her Pokeball while Axew got on his shoulder and smiled at the gym leader before Roxanne shook his hand.

"Just know that I intend to head to the Pokémon League, so don't think you won't see me again. Next time we meet, I'll give you a run for your money." Roxanne said with confidence, which made Issei smile at her challengingly.

"I look forward to seeing that," Issei said as he headed to the Pokémon Center while Greta smiled at her friend and helped her to the resting area.

Roxanne never let the smile leave her face as she had a new reason to get stronger and, even better, take her job seriously as a Gym Leader.

'I got to thank that kid next time I see him. He'll be one heck of a challenger for the others.' Greta said as she placed Roxanne down on her seat. She smiled at the healing spring taking care of her injuries while Greta went back inside to deal with Roxanne's class.

Roxanne sighed as she looked at the ceiling while recalling how she was a strong fighter, but her desire to become a teacher and her role as a Gym Leader was troublesome since she hardly had time to train her team, which is why Greta usually ran the gym while Roxanne enjoyed helping out at the school. Unfortunately, Greta warned her time and time again to train when she has a moment since she'll get rusty if she lets herself spend too much time on her role as a teacher.

Roxanne tried to train her team, but her desire to become a teacher for young children made her choose to fulfill her role as a teacher. Still, unfortunately, her Pokémon lost some respect for their trainer since they liked being able to battle as much as their master wanted to teach. Greta offered to take the gym full time and still use fighting and rock types, but Roxanne denied it since she wanted to give her students an experience of a real-life battle.

Sadly, Roxanne disappointed herself and her students by denying herself the time to get stronger with her Pokémon. Still, now that she faced someone with incredible power, she vowed once again to take her role seriously and meet him again for real with her team alongside her.

"Just you wait Issei Hyoudou. I'll be ready for you, and my team shall show you our true inner beauty." Roxanne said as her eyes, for the first time in a long time, sparkled like a geode in the light.

Also, it would be good for her to take some time off due to Roxanne being a pushover by the other teachers.

Unknown Location

"So the trainer that captured the Gallade Knight has obtained his first badge?" A man asked as a woman pulled up an electronic file and nodded.

"Indeed. Name is Issei Hyoudou. Issei comes from the Hoenn Region and specializes in close combat and using the powers of a dragon. However, he seems to have a strong connection to his Pokémon, which may be due to the magic he has within him." The woman explained as the man nodded and asked.

"What kind of magic does he wield?"

"Dragon, Fire, Flying, and Dark magic, as well as a sword user. He seems also to be able to adapt to his enemy's fighting style. He defeated Roxanne despite the woman being a bit rusty. Are you interested in recruiting him to our group?" The woman asked as the man rubbed his chin before nodding.

"Yes, but we need more information on his progress. Send in Jason and Lila. Tell them to investigate and observe the boy but not to engage him unless I say so. Oh, and have there been anything from Cyrus or Colress about Project New Horizons?" The man asked as the woman tapped a few keys on her tablet and nodded.

"Yes. Cyrus has located the trio and is preparing his generals to fight them. Still, Colress also wishes to inform you about the Paradox Pokémon that he has given us to use in our experiments. I'm a bit concerned with the robotic ones since they seem to be more advanced than I like. I do stress that we need to be careful with the Time Machine since there is a possibility of them getting free or, worse, ending up in the other regions." The woman explained as the man scoffed at her.

"In order to create a world where I rule as Supreme Ruler, I must have the greatest and strongest powers in both humans and Pokémon, so even if that means going into the past and future, then I'll do that to achieve my dream. After all, don't you desire a world where you can become one with the Pokémon you have with you?" The man asked as the woman smiled at this and cradled the Pokeball in her hand.

"Of course. I'm just worried since bringing Pokémon from the past and future can be very dangerous to our timelines. Maybe we can hold off on bringing more Paradox Pokémon from the past and future to the present?" The woman asked as the man pondered this before nodding.

"Very well. Keep an eye on the Paradox Pokémon and those Ultra Beasts. They're under your care, which means if they get loose into the world, then it's on you. Is that clear, woman?"

"...Yes."

The man and woman had a staring match for a while until the man chuckled at the woman before walking away from her.

"Then I expect some good things from you, Lillie; after all, a King needs a Queen to rule alongside them, no?" The man said as he left the room while Lillie smiled at the man and nodded.

"Of course, N, after all." Lillie smiled as she looked at her Pokeball and released the creature to reveal a Niheligo, which cuddled up to it as Lillie had a wide grin on her face with her hair covering her left eye.

"Our parents made sure to keep us around long enough to use us when they were about to die. Isn't that right, Lillie?" 'Lillie,' she said as she smiled at her beloved Pokémon and snuggled up to it. "And to think that the former leader of this project took over their own son's body, isn't that right, N?"

Lillie laughed as she could only imagine her daughter's shock from beyond the grave as she loved her youthful and beautiful body.

"Soon, our perfect world will be created for me and my future husband to rule over."

And so, not only has Issei Hyoudou achieved his first badge, but he also gained a rival to challenge him when she's ready.

Stay tuned for next time as Sona Sitri prepares to give an icy battle to the Dojo Master, Greta!

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See you all next time on Ice Queen vs. Dojo Queen.

Now, as for the Geodude and Grimer, they are Pokémon from the Pokémon fan games Xenoverse and Insurgent. Hope to see you all next time!