Enzo walked into the VIP lounge. He immediately scanned the luxurious room with a sharp tactical gaze. He felt a massive wave of genuine relief wash over him when he realized that the terrifying Sinnoh Champion Cynthia had already departed from the venue to avoid any further unwanted interactions.
Several wealthy guests and high-ranked trainers approached him to offer their enthusiastic congratulations. Still, Enzo politely navigated through the crowd until he found Misty waiting for him near the catering table with a look of deep gratitude on her face.
"Thank you for avenging my defeat and for bringing the trophy home to our city," Misty said with sincerity, but Enzo gently raised a hand to stop her before turning around to wave Steven Stone over to their location.
The silver-haired Hoenn boy looked slightly nervous and clearly out of his element as he realized exactly what Enzo wanted him to do, clearing his throat awkwardly before looking at her.
"Misty, I wanted to offer you a deeply sincere apology for the lack of respect I displayed during our match because I was dealing with an urgent personal issue that forced me to rush the battle without regarding your dignity as a trainer," Steven said with a genuinely regretful tone while adjusting his jacket.
Misty shook her head with a mature smile and responded with class as she crossed her arms.
"You don't have to apologize for winning because I was simply too weak to stop you, but trust me when I say that I am going to train harder than ever to make sure I never lose like that again."
Satisfied with the peaceful resolution, Enzo left them to talk and walked over to where Lt Surge and Professor Birch were enjoying a drink by the panoramic window. The massive Electric-type master slammed his heavy hand on Enzo's shoulder and laughed loudly, almost spilling his drink with pure enthusiasm.
"Congratulations, my boy, how does it feel now?" Surge asked with pride before immediately suggesting that they should go out to celebrate the victory with a massive party tonight.
Enzo respectfully declined the offer with a polite smile because he remembered exactly what happened the last time they celebrated together and preferred to avoid any potential disasters tonight.
"Thank you for the opportunity, but I really need to rest today," Enzo replied calmly.
Professor Birch chuckled at the interaction and asked jokingly while looking at Enzo.
"So are we really going to be neighbors in the future, or was that just for the show? I need to know if you are actually going to Hoenn."
"I am definitely going there, but only after I handle some urgent matters here in Kanto," Enzo confirmed firmly, prompting the professor to smile warmly and offer his complete assistance.
"When you are there, if you need anything at all, I am in Littleroot Town," Birch guaranteed with a nod.
Daisy approached the group a moment later and looked directly at Enzo with a humble expression.
"Enzo, look, I know we haven't actually spoken before, and I was pretty cold to you during the opening ceremony, so I wanted to apologize for that," Daisy said with a genuine and relaxed smile. "You did an amazing job bringing the trophy home to Cerulean today, so seriously, if you ever need anything in this city, just let me know."
Enzo nodded his head in thanks, and Daisy turned her attention to include Steven in the conversation with a more serious look.
"Do not forget that the exclusive Kanto League Auction will be exactly two days from now," she warned with a professional tone.
Enzo and Steven both confirmed their attendance before saying their goodbyes to prepare for the events to come.
As Enzo finally stepped away from the suffocating crowd of wealthy elites and walked toward the quiet exit of the VIP lounge to catch his breath, he suddenly felt a familiar cold pressure materialize directly inside his mind.
"Congratulations on your victory," Sabrina's silky voice echoed clearly within his thoughts, carrying a tone of amused approval that no one else in the room could hear.
Enzo did not break his stride or change his expression as he projected a respectful mental reply back to the powerful psychic.
"Thank you, Executive."
"Do not thank me for simply following a direct order from the Boss," Sabrina corrected him immediately with a sharper mental tone. "And do not forget that you still owe me a personal favor for my assistance with Cynthia, but for now, you should probably answer your phone."
Enzo frowned slightly in confusion as the telepathic connection abruptly severed, and only then did he feel the physical vibration of his phone buzzing insistently in his pocket. He pulled the device out to see Lilian's name flashing on the screen and answered the call while stepping into the empty hallway to ensure his privacy.
"Enzo! Oh my god, congratulations!" Lilian screamed excitedly on the other end of the line. "I am so incredibly sorry that I could not be there to see you win in person, but we watched the whole thing live!"
"It's okay, don't worry about it," Enzo replied with a calm voice, seamlessly shifting his tone to sound like a genuinely concerned friend to extract information. "How are things over there in Pallet Town? Did the police find anything new about the attack?"
Lilian let out a heavy sigh, and her voice instantly lost its cheerful energy.
"They actually found the bomber," she whispered nervously. "The international police confirmed he was a member of Team Aqua, but... they found him dead before they could ask him any questions, so we still don't know why they targeted us."
Enzo narrowed his eyes at the news but kept his voice warm and reassuring for the girl.
"I am going to handle some business for a few days, but then I promise I am going straight to Hoenn to deal with them personally," Enzo vowed with a dark undertone that Lilian interpreted as protective loyalty.
"Okay, just please be careful," Lilian said softly before they said their goodbyes and hung up.
Enzo finally stepped out of the secured stadium exit and was immediately blinded by the frantic flashing of countless cameras as a deafening wall of noise hit him from every direction. He deliberately ignored the desperate questions from the aggressive reporters to focus entirely on the massive ocean of loyal fans who had waited for hours just to catch a glimpse of the Rookie Tournament winner.
Enzo spent a long time moving patiently through the barricades to sign everything from extended arms and replica Poké Balls to the backs of shirts, making sure to thank the people who supported him until a reinforced police cruiser finally escorted him safely back to his hotel.
Once he was safely inside, he immediately teleported away to the main floor of the secret warehouse.
Rony, Leni, and Proton were already waiting for him with bright smiles and immediately erupted into cheers to congratulate their leader on the monumental victory that had just been broadcast.
As Enzo was thanking his loyal subordinates for their hard work, he heard the heavy and painful sound of someone slowly climbing the basement stairs and turned around to see Instructor Viper emerging from the shadows.
He was covered almost entirely in thick white bandages and looked incredibly weak, but he was alive and standing on his own two feet after miraculously surviving the brutal ambush orchestrated by George.
"Instructor Viper, I am truly relieved to see that you managed to survive that cowardly ambush," Enzo said with genuine warmth as he walked over to shake the man's uninjured hand. "How are you feeling right now?"
"I feel absolutely horrible," Viper grumbled with a painful grimace as he leaned heavily against the railing for support. "But I suppose feeling pain is better than being dead."
Proton waited for the moment to settle before stepping forward with a serious business expression to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Now that the tournament is over, should we proceed with the Fairy plan?" Proton asked eagerly.
"Everything is ready to go on my end, whenever you give the signal," Leni added quickly while checking his clipboard.
Enzo thought for a moment and shook his head firmly to stop the operation.
"No, we are going to wait a little longer because I intend to sell the Pokémon in the Galar region, which means we need to remain here for at least two more days to attend the exclusive League Auction to see if there are any rare items or unique business opportunities to acquire before we finally leave, but I want you all to start packing everything immediately to prepare for the trip," Enzo explained calmly.
The group agreed with the prudent decision and spent the rest of the night sharing a few celebratory drinks to honor the victory, keeping the atmosphere light and controlled before they all eventually went to sleep to recover from the long and exhausting day.
The entire following day was consumed by the grueling logistical effort of completely dismantling the secret laboratory inside the warehouse as Ronnie and Leni tirelessly packed the delicate scientific equipment and the valuable Pokémon containers into reinforced steel shipping crates to prepare for the long and dangerous journey to the Galar region.
The focused silence of their work was suddenly broken late in the evening when Proton walked up to Enzo with a serious expression and handed him a tablet displaying a perimeter breach alert to inform his leader that the wild Zubats they bribed with high-quality food to patrol the area had successfully cornered a persistent intruder near the south wall of the compound.
Enzo immediately walked out into the cool night air to investigate the disturbance and found a blonde girl covered in dirt and desperate tears cowering behind a shivering Meowth while trying to protect herself from two screeching Zubats that were diving aggressively to drive her away from the territory.
He waved his hand to instantly dismiss the wild bats who retreated into the darkness upon recognizing their employer, and as he stepped closer into the light he immediately recognized the intruder as the girl Anna the one who worked for the Madame, with a purely analytical gaze he noticed that she had actually followed his earlier advice to obtain a Meowth and a green potential one at that.
"Enzo, thank god I found you! You have to save Madame right now, or else he is going to kill her!" Anna screamed desperately while recalling her Pokémon.
"Who is going to kill her?" Enzo asked with a frown as he stopped a few feet away from her.
"A Team Rocket agent just destroyed the entire Black Market looking for her! We need to hurry and save her before it is too late!" Anna pleaded with wide, terrified eyes, but Enzo did not move an inch.
"Wait, what exactly did the Madame do to warrant that kind of destruction?" Enzo asked with a sharp suspicion in his voice.
Anna bit her thumb nervously and looked away before admitting that Madame had been spying on Enzo and his subordinates for weeks and had decided to secretly purchase a massive shipment of the same Pokémon that his team had been buying and catching, hoping to profit from the same market spike.
Enzo instantly realized the severity of the situation because, other than himself, only two people in the entire world were currently buying those specific Pokémon, and if the Madame had intercepted a shipment that was intended for Giovanni or Nero, then she had effectively signed her own death warrant.
"I could save her, but why should I risk my life for a spy who tried to steal from me behind my back?" Enzo asked coldly, making it clear that her betrayal was not part of their deal.
"Please, Enzo, you have to save her! I will do anything you want!" Anna begged him, but Enzo just looked at her with skepticism until she gained a sudden burst of courage and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Enzo, it's me," she said with a trembling voice, leaving him even more confused.
"Should I know you?" Enzo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I was your roommate at the orphanage, the one who was terrified of the dark," Anna revealed with tears streaming down her face. "You used to let me sleep in your bed because I was too afraid of being alone."
Enzo stood there frozen for a minute as his mind was violently pulled back twenty years to the moment he first arrived in this world, remembering how his initial excitement about living in a fantasy had quickly crumbled into a deep depression within the cold walls of the orphanage until he met a small, bullied kid who became his shadow.
He remembered protecting that kid from the other bullies and becoming inseparable from him, listening to the beautiful songs the kid used to sing to comfort them both, until a rich man suddenly heard the talent and paid the orphanage to adopt the child, leaving Enzo alone again to search for answers that led nowhere until he eventually joined Team Rocket.
"That is impossible because the singing kid I protected was a boy, so you are lying to me," Enzo stated firmly, rejecting the possibility.
"I was never a boy, I just had short hair… but wait, I can prove it, for example, you always cross your arms and touch your chin when you are thinking hard, just like you are doing now," Anna said softly, causing Enzo to stiffen.
Enzo was not naive enough to trust a simple observation, so he narrowed his eyes and decided to test her with information that no one else could know.
"If you are really that kid, then what was our room number?" Enzo asked sharply.
"It was Room 42," Anna answered instantly and correctly.
"And who was the teacher I hated the most?" Enzo pressed without skipping a beat.
"It was Mr. Thorne, the one with the cane," she answered correctly again.
Enzo looked at her with a mixture of shock and hesitation before asking the final and most important question to verify her identity once and for all.
"Then sing the song that you used to sing to me back then," Enzo commanded quietly.
Anna's eyes fell to the floor, and her shoulders slumped in defeat as a wave of genuine misery seemed to wash over her.
"I don't sing anymore," she whispered with a voice so full of deep, broken sadness that Enzo knew instantly it could not be faked.
"Well then, let's go," Enzo said after a long silence, accepting her truth but keeping his guard up. "But remember that if you lied to me about any of this, even if I die tonight, my followers will hunt you down and kill you."
He turned to his team to issue the final orders, telling Ronnie to stay behind and guard the warehouse while signaling Proton to grab his gear and join them, before releasing his Porygon-Z to envelop the three of them in blue light and teleport them directly to the back of the antique lamp shop.
As soon as Porygon-Z materialized, the group in the back of the antique lamp store, Enzo immediately noticed that the usual chaos of the Black Market had been replaced by a silent atmosphere where shattered stalls and smoking debris filled the corridors that used to be teeming with criminals and illegal traders.
As they advanced cautiously toward the exclusive Spa area, the ambient temperature began to drop precipitously with every step they took, transforming the warm and relaxing steam that used to permeate the air into a freezing and cutting fog that made breathing difficult and instantly froze the moisture on the rough stone walls.
When they finally entered the main pool hall, they were met with a terrifying sight.
Madame's elite guards had been transformed into solid ice statues with expressions of terror eternally frozen on their faces, and in the center of the main pool was Madame herself trapped in solid ice up to her waist, unable to move a single millimeter of her body while shivering violently from the hypothermia.
Enzo walked to the edge of the pool with a look of disappointment and looked down at the woman who was staring up at him with blue lips before speaking with a calm and lethal voice.
"I specifically warned you that it was much better for your health if you never met my backer in Team Rocket, didn't I?"
Sitting casually on the opposite edge of the pool with his feet on the frozen water was a hooded man, and looming directly behind him was a colossal Regice that almost touched the high ceiling of the room, emitting an aura of cold so absurd that it seemed to distort the very air around it.
The man slowly removed his hood to reveal Nero's expressionless face and looked at the newcomer with a subtle nod of acknowledgment.
"Congratulations on your impressive victory in the Rookie Tournament, Enzo," Nero said with a monotonous tone that contrasted sharply with the violence of the scenery.
"Thank you, Executive Nero," Enzo replied respectfully while maintaining his posture despite the biting cold. "But I am going to have to ask you not to kill her just yet."
Nero looked at him with genuine curiosity in his eyes and tilted his head slightly to the side as he gestured toward the frozen woman.
"Do you actually know what she did to deserve this visit?" Nero asked calmly.
"I know everything," Enzo confirmed without hesitation.
"Then tell me, do you think that spying on a Team Rocket Squad Leader and attempting to intercept a shipment personally designated for the boss is something that can be forgiven?" Nero questioned with a coldness that rivaled his legendary golem.
Enzo had to admit that there was no forgiveness for such an act and shook his head negatively, which caused Madame to panic absolutely and try desperately to appeal to reason through her chattering teeth.
"Enzo, please! We had a deal! Tell him that we can solve this financially, and I will pay whatever it takes!" Madame screamed in terror.
Enzo looked at her with absolute coldness in his eyes and responded with the brutal truth as he turned his back on her.
"Yes, we had a deal," Enzo said simply. "But spying on my operations was never part of it."
"Enzo, I am begging you, spare her life! She is the only reason I am even breathing right now! I was going to kill myself and end it all, but she was the one who saved me from that darkness, so please, I will do absolutely anything you ask if you just spare her!" Anna screamed through her tears as she threw herself at Enzo's feet, clutching the hem of his coat in pure desperation while the freezing air continued to drain the life from the room.
Enzo looked down at the sobbing girl for a brief second before turning his gaze back to the hooded executioner on the other side of the pool, raising his hand calmly to intervene just as the colossal Regice began to gather a lethal amount of energy between its icy hands.
"Wait, Nero," Enzo commanded with a steady voice that echoed through the cavern. "Killing her right now would be a waste of resources that we cannot afford to lose."
Nero paused the attack but did not lower his hand, looking at Enzo with a dangerous glint in his eyes that promised violence if the explanation wasn't satisfactory.
"She made a fatal mistake by trying to intercept a shipment that was personally designated for the boss," Nero reminded him with a cold tone. "You know better than anyone that stealing from the Boss is an immediate death sentence that cannot be appealed."
"I agree that she made a stupid mistake, but she is far more useful to us alive and in debt than she is as a frozen corpse," Enzo argued logically, stepping between the legendary golem and the frozen woman. "If you kill her now, the entire Black Market collapses into chaos, but if she lives, she works for us forever."
Madame, realizing that this was her only chance at survival, forced her frozen jaw to move and shouted her offer through chattering teeth.
"Take it all!" she screamed desperately. "I have the entire shipment of those Pokémon in the secure vault, and I will give every single one of them to you for free as compensation if you just let me live!"
Nero looked at Enzo, considering the value of the free merchandise, and Enzo nodded his head before adding his own personal condition to the deal.
"The shipment goes to Nero to repay the insult to the Boss," Enzo declared firmly as he looked at Madame. "But for the act of spying on my team, I am taking something else from you."
"Anything, Enzo, just name it," Madame sobbed.
"I am taking Anna," Enzo said coldly as he pointed to the blonde girl on the floor. "From this moment on, she is no longer your protégé or your servant; she belongs to me and will come with us immediately."
Madame looked devastated at the thought of losing that girl, but she knew she had no room to negotiate and nodded her head in defeat.
"Fine," Nero agreed after a tense silence, finally lowering his hand. "But I am warning you, Enzo, that if she ever makes a mistake like this again, it won't just be her who suffers the consequences."
With a simple gesture, Nero recalled the massive Regice into its Ultra Ball, and the temperature in the room instantly began to rise, allowing Madame to gasp for air as the ice around her waist started to crack and melt.
"You are only alive right now because of me, so remember that debt for the rest of your life," Enzo whispered to the shivering woman before turning to his subordinate. "Proton, take Anna to the warehouse immediately and explain the rules to her."
Anna looked at Enzo with eyes full of profound gratitude and whispered a sincere "thank you" before following the silent Proton out of the ruins of the spa.
Once they were alone with the shivering woman, Enzo crouched down by the edge of the pool and looked Madame directly in the eyes to give her one final, secret directive.
"I have a specific task for you to prove your loyalty," Enzo said in a low voice so that no one else could hear. "I need you to use your connections to find a survivor from the Pallet Town disaster named Red and transfer him directly to the Cerulean Orphanage."
"You want me to take care of a child?" Madame asked, confused by the strange request.
"I want you to ensure his physical safety so that he doesn't die, but I forbid you from helping him with anything else," Enzo ordered with a dark and cruel tone. "He needs to see what the real world is like and feel exactly how the League treats the forgotten, so let him rot in that orphanage, but keep him alive until I have a use for him."
"The Boss wants to speak with you personally right now," Nero informed him with a tone that allowed no room for negotiation as he watched Madame shivering in the melting ice.
Before Enzo could even ask for time to prepare or clean the dust from his clothes, Nero released his Alakazam from its Ultra Ball, and the powerful psychic Pokémon instantly enveloped both of them in a distortion of space that twisted their surroundings from the frozen ruins of the underground spa to the sterile and imposing corridors of Team Rocket's secret Headquarters.
As they walked down the long, dimly lit hallway toward the executive elevator, Nero broke his usual silence to offer a rare compliment regarding the strategy Enzo had employed during the tournament finals.
"Your tactical decisions in the arena were impressive," Nero commented while keeping his gaze fixed forward.
"Thank you, Executive," Enzo replied with a respectful nod. "And I must say that your ability to forge a bond with a high-level wild Regice in such a short amount of time is nothing short of terrifying."
Enzo glanced around to ensure they were alone before projecting a telepathic question directly into Nero's mind to avoid any listening devices.
"What is the situation regarding George?"
"That is exactly one of the topics the Boss wishes to discuss with you," Nero replied mentally as they stopped in front of the massive double doors made of reinforced black metal.
Nero stepped aside to guard the entrance, signaling that Enzo was to enter alone, so the young captain straightened his jacket, took a deep breath to compose himself, and pushed the heavy doors open to step into the lion's den.
The office was spacious and dimly lit, dominated by a massive mahogany desk where Giovanni sat with the air of a man who owned the world, while his Persian lay curled at his feet with eyes that seemed to track Enzo's every movement with predatory intelligence.
[ SYSTEM SCAN — TARGET IDENTIFIED ]
Specimen: Persian
Level: 85
Potential: DEEP BLUE
Ability: Limber
Typing: Normal
Moves Detected: Fake Out, Slash, Bite, Screech...
Obs: " High-speed predator. Close-range engagement is not advised. Recovering strength after a major battle."
Giovanni stood up slowly from his leather chair and walked around the desk with a welcoming smile that did not quite reach his cold eyes, extending a hand to congratulate his subordinate.
"Excellent work in the tournament, Enzo," Giovanni said with a smooth and commanding voice. "You have brought a great deal of profit to our organization and proven that my investment in you was well placed."
Enzo was about to shake the hand of the most powerful man in Kanto with a surge of pride, feeling a genuine sense of accomplishment as he waited for the big reward that surely awaited him after such a flawless performance.
However, the moment he looked directly at Giovanni, a violent glitch tore through Enzo's vision, turning his interface from its usual calm blue to a flashing, chaotic red and black that screamed imminent danger.
[ SYSTEM WARNING]
CAUTION: Target has been in prolonged contact with Entity [DARKRAI].
WARNING: Extremely high levels of nightmare residue detected.
Enzo froze in place as the blood drained from his face, his eyes locked on Giovanni's smile, which now seemed more terrifying than anything he had ever anticipated.