He didn't wait for her to process. He didn't wait for the scream that was stuck in her throat. Enzo grabbed the Officer by the waist and tackled her into the hard dirt of the hill, shielding her body with his own just as the world ended.
BOOM.
It wasn't the sound of rain. It wasn't even the sound of a bomb. It was the wet, sickening crunch of biology meeting geology. From their vantage point on the hill, they didn't just hear it; they felt it. The ground beneath them rippled violently, like a drum skin struck by a giant's hammer.
The first Wailord impacted the town square, directly below them. The massive Pokémon, artificially evolved and filled with hundreds of tons of pressurized seawater, hit the earth like a kinetic meteor. Upon impact, the creature's body couldn't sustain the pressure. It ruptured. A tidal wave of blood, water, and blubber exploded outwards, tearing through the brick walls of the nearby houses as if they were made of paper.
BOOM. BOOM. CRASH.
Then the others fell. The sky rained whales. The sound was deafening—a cacophony of breaking timber, shattering glass, and the roar of sudden, violent floods rushing through the streets. A massive shadow eclipsed the sun directly above the research district. A Wailord crashed into the eastern wing of Professor Oak's lab, obliterating the structure instantly, sending a mushroom cloud of dust and debris into the air.
Lilian was screaming beneath him, her hands covering her ears, paralyzed by the sheer impossibility of the horror. "What is happening?! Oh my god, no! NO!"
Enzo lifted his head, shaking the dust from his hair. His face was a mask of perfect, rehearsed shock, but his eyes were scanning the destruction below with cold precision. Target hit. Laboratory compromised. Casualties... high. The panic is absolute.
"We are under attack!" Enzo yelled, pulling Lilian to her feet. She stumbled, her eyes wide and wet, staring at the crater where the park used to be. "Focus, Jenny! We need to move, now!"
He grabbed three PokeBalls from his belt and threw them into the air. "Krookodile! Houndoom! Zoroark! With me!"
The three dark Pokémon materialized on the grassy hill. They looked down at the burning, flooded town, sensing the fear and death in the air. Houndoom growled, the fire in its belly reacting to the adrenaline. Krookodile slammed its tail on the ground, ready for violence.
Lilian was trembling, reaching for her Poké Balls with shaking hands, dropping one in her panic. "My... my aunt... the people... they are dying Enzo..."
"We save who we can!" Enzo commanded, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her hard to snap her out of the shock. He whistled sharply, pointing at Lilian's remaining Poké Ball. "Release your Arcanine! We need speed to get down there!"
Lilian nodded, relying on Enzo's stability to keep her from breaking down. She released her Arcanine. The large fire-dog roared, planting its feet firmly in the grass, its fur bristling at the scent of blood. Enzo didn't hesitate. He grabbed Lilian's hand and hoisted her onto the saddle, then vaulted up behind her, taking the reins.
"Krookodile, slide down and clear the debris! Houndoom, use your howl to find survivors!" Enzo ordered, his voice projecting authority over the screams rising from the valley.
Then, amidst the dust and the chaos, with Lilian distracted by the horror of her hometown being erased, Enzo didn't speak. He didn't even look at the Fox directly. Instead, he activated his telepathic link, slicing through the mental static of the panic around them.
Go, Enzo's voice echoed directly inside Zoroark's mind, sharp as a knife. Find the boy. Find the mother. Become the Professor. Break him, like we trained.
Zoroark's eyes narrowed. The fox gave a barely perceptible nod, a wicked grin flashing for a split second. While Arcanine surged forward, leaping down the hill to "save the day," Zoroark didn't follow. The Illusion Fox stepped backward into the tree line, his form shimmering and shifting, fading into the shadows, heading straight for Red's residence.
Enzo kicked Arcanine's sides. "Go! Toward the smoke!" he shouted, playing the hero while his assassin moved in the dark.
Red's residence was no longer a home. It was a grave. One of the Wailords had crashed into the street adjacent to the house, and the shockwave of pressurized water and displaced earth had shattered the foundation. The roof had collapsed inward, turning the cozy living room into a jagged cage of timber and plaster.
Inside the suffocating cloud of dust, a small boy was screaming. Red was on his knees, his hands bloody and raw from clawing at a massive wooden beam. Tears streamed down his face, cutting tracks through the grime.
"Mom! Mom, please! Wake up!"
Under the pile of debris, Delia Red's mother was pinned. Her face was pale, streaked with blood, her breathing shallow and wet. She was trapped, crushed from the waist down by the main support beam of the house. She opened her eyes weakly, looking at her son with terrifying helplessness.
"Red..." she wheezed. "Run..."
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Red screamed, pulling at the wood with all his might. But he was just a child. The beam didn't move a millimeter.
Then, a silhouette appeared in the hole where the front door used to be. Red looked up, desperate hope flooding his chest. He recognized the silhouette instantly. The lab coat. The gray hair. The posture of authority.
"Professor!" Red cried out, his voice cracking with relief. "Professor Oak! Help! My mom is stuck! Please, use your Pokémon! Help us!"
The figure stepped into the light. It was Samuel Oak. Or at least, it looked exactly like him. The Professor looked down at Red. Then, his gaze shifted to Delia, trapped and dying in the rubble. Red waited for the command. He waited for a Machamp, a Dragonite, anything. He waited for the hero of Pallet Town to save the day.
But "Oak" didn't move. The Professor stared at the dying woman with eyes devoid of any warmth. He reached up slowly, adjusting his glasses with a precise, clinical movement. He looked at his watch, then back at Red. Then, without a word, he turned his back.
Red's eyes went wide. The world seemed to freeze. "Professor?" Red whispered, confused. "Where are you going?!"
The figure didn't stop. He walked away from the wreckage, stepping over a broken picture frame of Red and his mother, choosing to leave them to die.
"NO!" Red screamed, a sound that tore his throat. "COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE HER! PROFESSOR!"
The betrayal hit him harder than the falling whales. The symbol of safety, the devotion his mother had for him, just for him to look at his mother dying, and walk away. Red fell forward, sobbing, his spirit shattering into a million pieces.
WOOSH.
A blur of motion cut through the dust. The "Professor" vanished into the shadows, dissolving into purple energy just as a new figure burst onto the scene.
Enzo skidded to a halt, his chest heaving. He didn't look like a clean trainer anymore; he was covered in dust, sweat, and the blood of strangers he had helped on the way. He saw Red. He saw the beam.
"Move, kid!" Enzo roared, shoving Red aside gently but firmly.
Enzo grabbed the massive wooden beam with both hands. He didn't use a Pokémon. He used his own body, his veins popping in his neck as he strained against the crushing weight. "ARGHHH!" Enzo yelled, lifting. The wood groaned. It moved. Just enough. "Pull her out!" Enzo shouted at the empty air, pretending he was talking to a Pokémon, but then realized he had to do it himself. He braced the beam with his shoulder and reached down with one hand, grabbing Delia's arm.
He dragged her free from the crushing weight, laying her on the clearer part of the floor. He dropped the beam—THUD—and fell to his knees beside her.
"Mom!" Red crawled over, grabbing her hand.
Enzo checked her pulse. It was thready. Fading. Her internal injuries were catastrophic. Enzo knew instantly she wouldn't make it, but he played the part. He pressed his hands to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Stay with us," Enzo said, his voice urgent. "Come on…"
Delia's eyes fluttered open one last time. She didn't look at Enzo. She didn't look at the ruin of her house. Her eyes found Red. She tried to smile, but blood bubbled at the corner of her lips. She squeezed Red's hand, a weak, final grip. Then, the light went out. Her hand went limp.
"Mom?" Red whispered. He shook her arm. "Mom?"
Silence. The roar of the destruction outside seemed to fade away, leaving only the sound of Red's breathing. "Mom, please..." Red's voice broke. "Don't go..."
He buried his face in her chest and screamed. It was a primal, agonizing sound of pure loss.
Enzo sat back on his heels. He wiped the blood from his hands onto his pants. He watched the boy cry. He watched the trauma take root and fester. Slowly, Enzo moved closer. He didn't say it was going to be okay. He didn't offer empty platitudes. He wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling Red's face into his chest, shielding his eyes from the sight of his dead mother.
Red fought at first, thrashing in his grief, but then he collapsed against Enzo, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Enzo's shirt like a lifeline.
Enzo looked down at the boy. He took off his jacket. He draped it over Red's small, shaking shoulders, wrapping him in warmth and protection.
"Let it out, kid," Enzo whispered into Red's ear, his voice low and dangerous, like a vow forged in iron. "Cry everything you have to cry now..."
Red looked up, his eyes red and swollen.
"I promise you," Enzo said, staring directly into Red's soul. "I will find who did this and they will pay…"
Red gripped the lapels of Enzo's jacket. He nodded, burying his face back into Enzo's chest.
Enzo held him tight, looking over the boy's head at the dead body of Delia. His expression was unreadable to the outside world, but inside the fortress of his mind, a single thought echoed with cold satisfaction.
I'm sorry, Red is mine now, but I promise I will treat him well, so rest in peace.
The sound of scrambling boots on gravel broke the moment. Lilian Jenny arrived, breathless, her face streaked with soot and tears. She froze when she saw the scene: the collapsed house, the dead mother, and the boy wearing Enzo's jacket, shaking in his arms.
"Enzo..." she gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Is she...?"
Enzo looked up. His expression was a masterpiece of grim determination. He didn't answer the question; the body on the ground was answer enough. He stood up, gently lifting Red and guiding him toward Lilian.
"Take him," Enzo commanded, his voice rough. "Take the boy and the body to the safe zone at the edge of town. Get them out of here."
"But—"
"I'm staying," Enzo interrupted, turning back toward the chaos where the fires were burning hottest. "There might be more people trapped. I have to try."
Lilian looked at him with awe and heartbreak. She nodded, hoisting Red up and signaling for her Arcanine to help carry Delia's body.
"Be careful," she whispered. Then she ran.
As soon as she disappeared into the smoke, Enzo's posture changed. The slump of grief vanished. His spine straightened. The hero was gone, but the Team Rocket squad leader remained.
He pulled the TR Device from his pocket. Two messages were blinking green.
> Proton: Asset secured. The electric rat is secured.
> Ronnie: Extraction complete. Swap successful.
Enzo let out a breath. Perfect. The chaos was absolute. The distraction was working.
But then, something that wasn't planned happened, something that hadn't happened since the trial island appeared.
[SYSTEM ALERT: NEW QUEST CHAIN INITIATED]
> Project Mewtwo: Phase 1
Objective: Infiltrate Oak's Research Laboratory Server Room.
Task: Copy all biological research data.
Status: 0/1
> Project Mewtwo: Phase 2
Objective: Distraction.
Task: Ensure Kanto forces are diverted to Pallet Town to allow Team Rocket Island Strike Team to acquire Mew DNA.
Status: IN PROGRESS
> Project Mewtwo: Phase 3
Objective: ????????
Requirement: Complete Phases 1 & 2 to unlock.
Enzo stared at the blue holographic text floating in the smoke-filled air. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath, the sound harsh and guttural. "It had to be now..."
He quickly grabbed his TR device. "Porygon2," he whispered. "Can you access Oak's servers remotely? I need you to wipe them." The Pokémon Telepatic beeped a negative binary code. Encryption is too high. Firewalls active. Physical access required.
Enzo's mind raced. He had intended to stay in the public eye, racking up karma points by saving civilians, solidifying his alibi. But the System didn't care about his PR campaign.
If he ignored this, he would fail the Quest. And failing a "Project Mewtwo" quest wasn't an option, he knew that in his last life, the Mewtwo project failed, and because of that, Giovani almost went mad.
He made a decision instantly. He looked toward the burning ruins where his Pokémon were working. Zoroark, Enzo projected, the command slicing through the mental link. Change of plans.
The dark fox looked up from a pile of rubble. Take my form, Enzo ordered. You are Enzo now. Stay with Krookodile and Houndoom. Be heroic. Let everyone see 'me' saving lives. I need to vanish.
Zoroark didn't hesitate. His form shimmered, twisting and growing until an exact duplicate of Enzo stood amidst the flames.
The real Enzo retreated into the shadows of a collapsed garage. He moved with practiced speed, stripping off his tattered shirt and pulling a compressed bundle from his belt. Seconds later, he was gone. In his place stood a figure clad in the Black Tactical Suit. No logos. No Team Rocket 'R'. Just matte black armor weave, a utility belt, and a full-face rebreather mask to filter the dust and hide his identity.
He scanned the perimeter. One of the Wailords had detonated against the east wing of the Research Center, blowing a massive hole in the reinforced wall. There's my door.
He sprinted toward the breach, moving like a ghost. He reached for his belt, bypassing the balls of his "public" team. He grabbed the one that didn't exist on any official registry, and his shadow gained a life. "Corviknight. Gengar. Kill mode."
The three Pokémon materialized in the flooded hallway inside the lab. "Clear the path," Enzo said, his voice distorted by the mask. "No witnesses. Human or Pokémon."
He tapped his TR Device while running. "Proton. Send me the blueprints you used to locate the Pikachu. Now." "Boss? That wasn't in the plan—" "Just send it!" Enzo barked. A second later, the schematic loaded on his HUD, highlighting the fastest route to the Server Room.
Enzo moved forward, and death followed him. A research aide stumbled out of a room, bleeding. He saw the black figure. "Help! I—" Gengar rose from the floor shadow. A Shadow Ball to the chest silenced the plea instantly. Enzo stepped over the body without breaking stride. A wild Rattata, escaped from a cage, scurried across. Corviknight's steel wing bisected it against the wall.
They reached the Server Room. The heavy blast doors were dented but holding. "Corviknight. Breach it." The poison gas mine slammed into the metal. BOOM. The doors flew inward, twisted off their hinges.
Enzo walked into the nerve center. A senior scientist was frantically typing at a terminal, plugging in a hard drive. Beside him stood a security guard and a massive Nidoking. The guard spun around. "Freeze thief! Nidoking, crush him!"
"Corviknight. Decapitate that thing." The command was flat. Emotionless. The steel bird became a silver blur. Before the Nidoking's foot could touch the ground, Corviknight swept past. SHING. The Nidoking's head slid off its shoulders. The massive body collapsed with a thundering crash.
Gengar didn't wait for orders. He lunged at the scientist, using confuse ray to put the man into a permanent coma before he could hit the upload button. Enzo shoved the unconscious body out of the chair and plugged Porygon2 into the mainframe. "Do it. Copy everything."
Porygon2 merged with the port. The screen flashed with scrolling data. [DOWNLOADING: 10%... 20%...]
Enzo felt a strange sensation from Porygon2, but time was running out. "Intruders!" a voice yelled from the corridor. Another Professor appeared at the broken door, eyes wide with panic. He threw two Ultra Balls. A Alakazam and a Golem burst out. "Contain them!" the Professor screamed, hitting the emergency release for the lab's holding pens.
The hallway flooded with panicked, angry Pokémon. "Hold the line!" Enzo roared.
Corviknight and Gengar threw themselves into the fray. Corviknight became a wall of steel, deflecting rocks and psychic blasts, while Gengar wove through the attacks, firing sludge bombs. But they were outnumbered ten to one. Weezing floated in front of Enzo, acting as a living shield, taking hits that would have killed a human.
[DOWNLOADING: 65%...]
"Faster, Porygon2!" Enzo yelled, watching Corviknight buckle under pressure. "We don't have time!" Porygon2 beeped frantically. Processing speed at maximum. Data volume is too high.
Enzo looked at the screen. The progress bar was crawling. The enemies were closing in. "Override the safety protocols!" Enzo commanded. "Push the hardware! Evolve if you have to, just get it done!"
Porygon2's eyes flashed red. It analyzed the threat. It analyzed the data stream. It calculated the probability of survival at current processing speeds: 0%. It needed more power. It needed to break the code.
ZZZRRRT!
Porygon2 didn't glow with the soft white light of normal evolution. It convulsed. Static electricity exploded from the console, shattering the screen. The Pokémon's body twitched, distorted, and separated from reality. Its smooth edges jagged, its head detached and floating freely.
[ SYSTEM STATUS — EVOLUTION COMPLETE ]
Specimen: Porygon-Z (VIRUS ACTIVE)
Level: 41
Potential: LIGHT BLUE
Ability: Adaptability
Typing: Normal
Moves Detected: Teleport, Tri Attack, Nasty Plot, Thunderbolt...
Obs: "Evolution successful."
The Virtual Pokémon let out a digitized screech that sounded like a dial-up modem screaming. It dove back into the server. [DOWNLOADING: 98%... 100%.] It wasn't a download anymore; it was a consumption. Porygon-Z ate the data in a microsecond.
"Done?" Enzo asked, sweat pouring down his neck inside the mask. Porygon-Z emerged, twitching erratically, its eyes spinning. Data Secured. Delete Source?
Enzo smiled beneath the mask. A cruel, sharp smile. "Burn it all."
Porygon-Z fired a Zap Cannon straight into the server racks. Sparks erupted, drives melted, and Professor Oak's entire database was reduced to slag.
"Retreat!" Enzo barked. He recalled Corviknight and Gengar—both on their last legs—and glanced at the mob of Pokémon flooding the room, Professor Oak right behind them.
Enzo's voice went ice-cold. "Weezing… your turn."
Weezing grinned. Its body bloated, glowing white-hot.
BOOM.
Enzo recalled Weezing, grabbed Porygon-Z, and triggered his Teleport device.
The blast stayed contained within the server wing—but it was devastating. The ceiling collapsed, burying the evidence of the infiltration under tons of concrete.
[LOCATION: OUTSIDE THE LAB]
Enzo materialized in a dark alley three blocks away. He stumbled, coughing—the jump scrambling his insides.
He didn't stop.
In seconds, he stripped off the tactical suit and stuffed it into his inventory. He smoothed his hair, wiped the blood from his cheek, and sprinted toward the main street.
Zoroark, he projected telepathically. Come to me.
In the distance, the "Enzo" helping an old lady suddenly blurred and vanished into the shadows, dashing toward the alley. Seconds later, the Fox arrived. They locked eyes. The swap was seamless. Zoroark dissolved into his Poké Ball, and the real Enzo stepped out of the alley—messy, covered in soot, and looking exhausted.
He checked his TR Device. Two notifications blinked green.
> Proton: Success, I'm back at the base.
> Ronnie: I'm clear. I'm arriving at base. No one suspects a thing.
Enzo let out a breath. He spotted a lost child crying near a collapsed wall. He walked over, picked the kid up gently, and began walking toward the Police Station, which had been converted into a makeshift shelter.
When he arrived, the image was terrifying. The station was overflowing. Wounded people lay on the floor. Children were crying over bodies covered in white sheets. The smell of antiseptic mixed with the smell of death. For a moment, Enzo froze. He looked at the chaos. I did this, he thought. The realization hit him like a physical blow. I caused this.
"Enzo!" A voice pulled him from the abyss. It was Lilian. She ran to him, her face pale. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," Enzo lied, his voice hoarse. He handed the child to a nurse. "Is... is it over?"
"Help is arriving," Lilian said, wiping tears from her face. "You helped so many people, Enzo. If it wasn't for you... God, I don't even want to think about it. People from other cities are arriving now."
She pointed toward the sky. "Professor Oak got here first. He came on a Charizard."
Enzo looked up. Samuel Oak was indeed there.
Then, a flash of pink light illuminated the square. Sabrina. The Saffron City Gym Leader materialized out of thin air, accompanied by her Alakazam. She surveyed the destruction with an unreadable expression. Her eyes scanned the crowd and locked instantly onto Enzo. We meet again, Enzo, her voice echoed directly in his mind, bypassing his ears. Enzo didn't look at her. He kept his head down, playing the victim. Always a pleasure to be in your presence, Executive Sabrina, he projected back.
Sabrina chuckled mentally, a cold sound, and turned away to begin lifting massive debris piles with her telekinesis, playing her part in the "rescue."
As the situation stabilized, a new wave arrived. Not heroes, but vultures. The Press. News helicopters circled overhead. Vans from Kanto News Network pulled up. Reporters swarmed the area, filming the dead, the ruins, and the crying children.
Enzo saw his moment. He walked over to the steps of the police station and sat down. He put his face in his hands, trembling slightly. He looked like a young man who had just witnessed the end of the world. A female journalist spotted him. She recognized him. She recognized the rising star. "It's Enzo!" she shouted.
She ran over, shoving a microphone in his face, her cameraman zooming in. Enzo didn't move immediately. He waited for the red light on the camera to turn on. He looked up. He let the "shock" slip just enough to reveal a raw, terrifying anger.
"Enzo... you were at ground zero," the journalist asked, breathless. "What happened here? Who did this?!"
Enzo stared into the lens. He spoke quietly at first, forcing them to lean in. "I saw them," Enzo whispered. Then his voice rose, filled with a righteous venom. "I saw the man on the Fearow. I heard what he said."
He stood up slowly. "I will end them," Enzo declared, his voice shaking with calculated rage. "I swear on my life. I don't care how long it takes. I will win the tournament. And then... I will go to Hoenn. And I will hunt down Team Aqua."
The crowd around them went silent. "They will pay," Enzo snarled. "They will pay for every life they took in Pallet Town today!"
The reaction was instant. The people standing nearby—survivors, neighbors—caught the spark. "Team Aqua?" someone shouted. "The water fanatics?" "I heard the man, too!" another survivor yelled. "He said the sea came to collect its debt!"
A wave of hatred washed over the crowd. Most of them didn't even know who Team Aqua was an hour ago, but now, they had a name for their pain. The anger spread like wildfire.
Professor Oak walked into the square just as the mob was turning violent. He looked terrible. His lab was gone. He had just passed the ruins of Red's house and knew his favorite mistress, Delia, was probably dead. He was grieving, distracted, and exhausted. "Professor!" the crowd shouted, turning on him. "What are you going to do?! Team Aqua destroyed our homes! You have to kill them!"
Oak raised his hands, trying to placate them. "Please, everyone, stay calm. We need to assess the situation. We can't jump to—"
"Calm?!" a man yelled. "Look at this kid!" He pointed at Enzo. "He's promising to avenge us! He's going to Hoenn to exterminate them! Why aren't you doing anything?"
"Who is he?" Oak asked, blinking and disoriented. "That's Lilian Jenny's boyfriend," some old lady whispered loudly enough for the cameras to hear. "They spent the whole day together. He saved half the town while you were gone!"
Oak looked at Enzo. He saw the cameras. He saw the narrative slipping away from him. He realized that if he didn't act, the anger would consume the League's reputation. He needed a hero. He needed a lightning rod to channel this rage. And here was this boy, offering himself up.
Oak composed himself. He walked over to Enzo. The cameras turned to frame the two of them. "Trainer Enzo!" Oak called out, his voice commanding.
Enzo looked up, feigning surprise and awe like he was a fanboy. "Professor Oak...?"
Oak stopped in front of him. He looked at the boy—a kid who, in his eyes, was just a brave, traumatized victim. "Enzo," Oak said solemnly. "Even though you are not from Pallet Town... you stood tall in our darkest hour. Pallet Town is in your debt."
The flashbulbs erupted. "I know it is unfair to ask this of a young trainer," Oak continued, placing a heavy hand on Enzo's shoulder. "But you promised to avenge this town. Are you willing to fulfill that vow?"
Enzo forced tears into his eyes. He nodded firmly. "Yes, Professor. I will do whatever it takes. I will find the guilty. I will make sure justice is served."
"Then go," Oak said, posing for the perfect shot, effectively knighting Enzo as the Avenger of Pallet Town. "You have my full support. Bring justice to them and avenge this day."
The two shook hands. The image was broadcast across the entire region: The Grandfather of Pokémon passing the torch of vengeance to the rising star. Oak turned back to the Research Center ruins, his face falling as he walked away. Enzo watched him go. He turned back to the police station to "help" the survivors.
Inside his mind, the Architect smiled. The old man thought he was using Enzo to calm the mob. He had no idea he had just endorsed the monster who destroyed his life.