Flashbulbs popped in a frenzy as a crowd swarmed the entrance of the Vermilion City Gym. The murmuring grew louder. All eyes were fixed on the words and actions of one boy. Before the cameras and reporters, Ash stood in front of the mother and daughter who had been protesting regarding Chris's whereabouts for over 100 days. He bowed his head low.

  “...I am sorry. Truly.”

  Neither the mother nor the daughter even looked at him. His hollow apology only fueled their rage. Without even glancing at his face, the woman shouted.

  “Why is the World Champion apologizing? The person who should really be apologizing is someone else! Bring him here!”

  Ash looked at the face of the child, who he assumed was Chris’s daughter. A child who should have been free of worries wore an expression filled only with sorrow and anxiety, looking as if she might crumble at any moment. Ash realized once again, painfully, that his love for traveling had blinded him to what he truly needed to see. He bowed deeply to them once more.

  “You are right. There is someone who truly needs to apologize, and that person is me. As the Pokémon World Champion, I failed to protect your husband. I will bear the heavy responsibility of that failure. I am truly sorry.”

  Refusing to even look at Ash, Chris’s wife shot back in a sharp, venomous tone filled with resentment.

  “Then… how exactly do you plan to take responsibility?”

  Even for Ash, this was something he couldn't answer. Dense as he might be, he knew all too well that this situation could not end happily. Nor could he lift the heavy curse placed upon this family right now. Any clumsy words of comfort or promises of compensation would be nothing but lies and illusions in the face of their singular conviction: 'We want to see our dead family member.'

  As the crowd waited for his answer amidst the relentless camera flashes, Ash couldn't find the words. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to speak.

  Then, a voice cut through the silence.

  “Isn't the answer simple? Just judge the person responsible for commanding the Rubbish Island bombing and Lt. Surge, who led the attack.”

  A woman spoke quietly but heavily to Ash. Her voice, dominating the crowd, caused the people to part way for her. She had ocean-blue wavy hair and walked slowly toward Ash, flanked by several menacing-looking men.

  The moment Ash saw her and her entourage, he felt a murderous intent unlike anything he had ever experienced. He had faced many villains with grand ambitions, but the killing intent radiating from them was raw, venomous evil—born purely for survival. Ash struggled to stand his ground, trying not to collapse under the pressure.

  ‘This woman… is different. She’s on a completely different level from any villain I’ve faced before.’

  She gestured for the menacing men to remove Ash’s bodyguards, then stood before the stiffened boy. Her arrival was more than enough to grab the attention of the scoop-hungry reporters. Seeming to enjoy the barrage of camera shutters, she extended a hand to Ash.

  “Sorry for the intrusion.”

  Ash shook her hand in a daze. Was it a defensive instinct? Without realizing it, he gripped her hand tightly. Finding his reaction cute, she raised the corner of her lips in a slight smile.

  “I haven't introduced myself, have I? World Champion? And to all the reporters gathered here?”

  When one reporter collapsed in fear of her overwhelming aura, she looked down directly at him as he tried to crawl away.

  “My name is Karen. I run the Dark/Rock Bar, a haven for mercenaries on Rubbish Island. And I am also a ‘victim’ of the Rubbish Island Bombing.”

  Her declaration was a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the crowd and the reporters.

  “A mercenary from Rubbish Island? Those dirty workers are victims too?” “Wait, the Kanto/Johto League definitely announced it was a civilian rescue mission!” “What’s the truth?”

  With just one sentence, Karen threw everyone into a state of panic before anyone could react. Their "common sense" had been completely shattered. In the midst of the chaos, Chris’s daughter tugged at Karen’s clothes with a small, trembling hand.

  “Are you… a survivor of that bombing?”

  That question was the trigger. Chris’s wife, who had been standing in a daze, collapsed. Stopping her protest, she clung to Karen’s leg. Abandoning all dignity and pride, she wailed, tears and mucus running down her face.

  “Please tell me! My husband… Where on earth is Chris? My child and I miss him so much.”

  Her desperate screams filled the air in front of the gym. Seeing her wretched state, the malice and killing intent that seemed permanent on Karen’s face vanished, replaced by a softer expression. Karen gently lifted the woman who was sobbing on the ground and carefully wiped her tears with a handkerchief from her pocket.

  “So you are Chris’s wife. I heard about you often from him.”

  At Karen’s gentle words, the wife’s sobbing began to subside. Karen closed her eyes. The flashes and the noise faded away, and memories of Chris flashed by like a panorama.

  A moment later, Karen opened her eyes, filled with a resolve that only she could carry. She declared slowly and calmly.

  “Alright. I will tell you the truth. I know exactly what happened to Chris on Rubbish Island.”

  She paused for a moment, let out a deep sigh, and laid the heavy truth before the Chirs’s wife.

  “I was the one who brought Chris to Rubbish Island to commission him.”

  At Karen’s words, Chris’s wife let out a scream of uncontrollable rage. Understanding her feelings, neither Karen nor her subordinates stopped the woman from grabbing Karen by the collar.

  “What?! So it was you…!”

  Unable to suppress her anger, the wife began to attack Karen with fists and kicks, thrashing like a Pokémon in a desperate struggle. Karen took the blows without flinching, calmly continuing to spill the heavy truths.

  “Aaaahhh!!”

  The menacing bodyguards flinched and moved to intervene, but Karen raised a hand to stop them. She simply looked at the wife gripping her collar with sad eyes.

  “I asked him to write an article about the ‘Illegal Pokémon Copying Case’ happening on the island. But since I was busy, I asked a skilled mercenary—not myself—to escort him.”

  Once again, the murmurs grew louder. The reporters looked visibly shocked at the phrase “Illegal Pokémon Copying,” whispering amongst themselves.

  “Illegal Pokémon Copying Case? Isn't that the huge scandal where a challenger in the recent League used genetically modified Pokémon?” “Right, right. It wasn't widely reported, but rumor has it a Kanto League challenger used them to try and become Champion.” “I thought that case was quietly closed because they claimed he won with his own Pokémon?”

  The reporters' whispers grew into a roar as a massive suspicion began to form a complete picture.

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  The wife, having lost her reason, pounded on Karen’s chest and shoulders. Her fists lacked physical strength, but the resentment they carried struck deep into the bone. Karen staggered but accepted every blow. With each thud, she swallowed the pain and calmly vomited the rest of the truth.

  “However, that night, ‘Code Name Butterfree’ was activated. Lt. Surge’s forces invaded and bombed every inch of Rubbish Island.”

  Karen spoke calmly about Chris, but eventually, the tears she had held back spilled down her cheeks.

  “And from what we confirmed… we couldn't even recover Chris’s body. I am sorry. We had no choice but to list him as missing.”

  Strength drained from the wife’s hands. Karen reached deep into her coat and pulled something out. It was a Rotom Phone, completely destroyed and unusable.

  Wiping her tears roughly, Karen handed Chris’s keepsake to his wife.

  “This is the only thing of his I could find.”

  Composing herself, Karen looked at the keepsake with a bitter expression.

  “I am a criminal who shouldn't exist in this world. I may be arrested someday, but for the sake of my old friend’s final moments, I risked everything to find you.”

  Staggering to her feet, Karen bowed her head in atonement before the wife weeping over the keepsake.

  “Please, forgive me.”

  Hours later, the crowd and reporters had dispersed. Only the cawing of crows broke the silence in front of the Vermilion City Gym. As Karen turned to leave, Ash blocked her path, his lips trembling. He seemed to have something to say, but he was still cowed by the immense killing intent she radiated.

  Seeing his childish demeanor, Karen let out a dry chuckle.

  “World Champion Ash Ketchum… They say you’re the strongest for beating Leon, but you’re still just a brat. A baby.”

  She was mocking him completely. Ash clenched his fist, anger welling up, but he knew better than anyone how pathetic he had been—mute as a Magikarp in front of the protesters. But he adjusted his hat and squeezed his fist tighter. With trembling eyes, he retorted as if refusing to lose.

  “That’s right, I’m still a brat! But!”

  Ash shouted with all his might.

  “Before that, I want to ask you something! Is everything you said true?”

  At Ash’s boldness, the corners of Karen’s mouth lifted. Though his clenched fist looked cute to her, watching the growing pains of a child becoming an adult right before her eyes was strangely endearing.

  “Yes. Most of it is true. Except for exactly ‘one thing’.”

  Karen paused meaningfully, and Ash urged her on urgently.

  “Just one thing?”

  Meanwhile, in the basement of the Vermilion Gym. The sound of digging grew louder, and light began to leak in before Mina’s eyes. She tensed her body to defend herself.

  ‘Hey Tool, hurry… help me!’

  Tool—no, Chris—did not answer her desperate plea. Was he refusing to help? Or was he too shocked to do anything? No matter how much she twisted her body, no transformation occurred. Nothing happened.

  Thud. A strong light shone on her. Squinting against the glare, Mina saw a young-looking soldier stop shoveling and stare down at her. Seeing Mina terrified, the soldier looked at a photo in his pocket for a moment.

  Just then, the voices of other soldiers echoed out.

  “Did you find anything?”

  The soldier who found Mina covered her up again and shouted back.

  “…Doesn't look like there’s anything here!”

  To the soldiers, the place was a disaster zone. The blackout caused by Mina’s electric surge and the bazooka blast from an unknown soldier had turned the area into a complete ruin.

  From far away, a sloppy answer returned, as if searching for Mina was a hassle.

  “Hurry up and clear it, then dig somewhere else!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  Confirming the voices had faded, the soldier dug Mina out again with his hands. Waiting for this moment, Mina threw a punch, but the soldier subdued her instantly. His reaction speed was so fast that Mina ended up eating dirt, her face planted in the ground.

  “Wha… mmmph!”

  Suppressing her, the soldier whispered quietly, like someone trying to help.

  “Quiet! I’m trying to help you.”

  “....?”

  When Mina stopped resisting, he let her go. Still creaky because Chris wasn't helping her, Mina stood up shakily and dusted herself off. Spitting out the sand from her mouth and composing herself, she glared at the soldier who helped her with suspicion.

  “Who are you? Why are you helping me?”

  The soldier handed her a combat knife stained with unknown blood. Leaving the bewildered Mina behind, he reloaded his rifle and urged her.

  “I’ll explain on the way out.”

  Mina looked baffled. But since she had to follow his orders to escape, she followed him, keeping her guard up.

  How long had they walked? Checking the map on his Rotom Phone, the soldier confirmed they were on the first basement level. Judging it to be a relatively safe zone, he lowered his rifle and sat down for a moment.

  “I am Private First Class Chris of the Vermilion City 1st Special Operations Unit, assigned to the rescue mission during the Rubbish Island Bombing.”

  In other words, this soldier was another one of Chris’s family members, and an atoner. Private Chris took out a photo of the journalist Chris and looked at it.

  Hearing his name, Mina’s eyes filled with an unbearable guilt, but she put on a brave front.

  “Same name as that idiot I know. Even talk like him.”

  Private Chris’s face was covered by a black mask except for his eyes, but the way he looked at Mina was unusual. Was it a mix of love and hate? Compassion for an enemy who was also a friend?

  “That’s correct. My uncle is the journalist Chris from Brown News, one of the victims of the Rubbish Island Bombing.”

  “....!”

  Mina’s instinct about the complex emotions she saw in him wasn't wrong. Sensing killing intent in his eyes, she prepared to attack, but Chris did nothing. Instead, he spoke frankly.

  “After my uncle disappeared, I investigated within the military. I found that the last record he left was an investigation about you, and that he met you.”

  If Mina remembered correctly, Mr. Sparkle had also arrested her as a mercenary and assassin of Ash. It was certain he hadn't captured her because she absorbed Chris. This made Mina even more suspicious of Private Chris’s actions.

  “...Wait. If those records exist, the government, the military, and even the media should know about it, right?”

  Private Chris stood up again, tapped the ceiling with his shovel, and began digging upwards.

  “The higher-ups are stubborn fools, so I intentionally omitted and deleted the records from my report. They probably don't know much. Besides, people don't really care that much about this incident in the first place.”

  Faced with his pure faith, Mina felt an unbearable guilt. If I tell him the truth, will this young man kill me? Maybe dying would be easier. With a bitter expression, Mina transformed her hand into pink slime to help dig.

  “I see… You’re that curious about the truth… If you knew the real truth, you’d want to kill me…”

  “…What do you mean…?”

  Mina showed him the Ditto on her head. The Ditto was still agonizing, unable to find an answer. As dirt fell on it, the startled Ditto shouted.

  “Boss! What are you doing…?”

  There was no mistake. That voice belonged to his uncle, the journalist Chris. Clang. Private Chris dropped his shovel, his strength failing him.

  “....?! That voice… Uncle?”

  Startled, the Ditto retreated back into Mina’s body. Watching Private Chris’s bewildered eyes—visible even through his mask—Mina smiled bitterly with empty eyes.

  “I’m not even human anymore. I’m just a monster who absorbed your uncle and uses him as a minion. Will you still not kill me?”

  “....”

  Chris picked up the shovel from the ground. Slowly, he approached Mina. Mina closed her eyes, waiting for the cold blade to strike her neck.

  “Go ahead, kill me. I’ve already decided to d…”

  Clang! But the shovel struck the blocked wall, not Mina. Instead of attacking her, Private Chris threw the shovel in front of her.

  “Do not die.”

  “…What?”

  Private Chris began digging frantically, calming his trembling hands. His eyes were bloodshot.

  “After my parents died, Uncle Chris took care of me with infinite love. I still vividly remember him crying when I enlisted.”

  Even in front of Mina, who was undoubtedly an enemy he should kill, he spoke without hesitation.

  “But actually… I think it’s a relief.”

  It defied all common sense. Thinking Private Chris had also gone mad, Mina picked up the shovel he threw and began digging upward.

  “You must be out of your mind, too.”

  Was it their desperation? The thick wall of dirt collapsed, and a small beam of light shone down, growing until sunlight enveloped them both. Blinded by the strong light for a moment, they paused. Private Chris didn't hold back his words.

  “No. I know my uncle well. He has a fiery temper sometimes, but for the sake of justice, Uncle Chris wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself.”

  Private Chris jumped up to the surface and extended a hand to Mina.

  “I don't believe the uncle I knew would have saved you without a reason. So please, don't let his sacrifice be in vain. Survive.”

  Mina hesitated. Does a monster like me deserve another chance? Humans are the ones who destroyed me… that’s why I killed so many of them without regret. But for this moment, she questioned if she deserved redemption.

  “I…”

  Can a monster like me be allowed a chance? But refusing the hand extended by the victim's family would also be running away. With trembling hands, Mina grasped his hand. Private Chris forcefully pulled her up to the ground.

  “Don't say anything. Somehow, we made contact, and Ms. Karen has arrived here. This is the last chance I can give you. Run. And…”

  Mina clenched her fist.

  “And? Run away?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Mina looked at Vermilion City, dyed in the colors of twilight. She could run away like a coward. She could live in hiding with a new identity. But… at the suggestion to run, Mina returned not as a coward, but as the mercenary MN.

  “Private Chris, the moment you helped me, you can't go back to that unit either, right? You can run away. A new life might be waiting for you. Maybe Karen will help you.”

  “....”

  Mina watched as the sun set over Vermilion City, the sky turning to dusk.

  “Sadly, I can't run away. I shouldn't run away. And for a monster like me, a ‘chance’ shouldn't exist. There is only one thing left to do. Put an end to this dirty story.”

  In Vermilion City, where the tragedy began, two beings revealed their resolve for their own growth. Mina looked toward the Vermilion Gym, and Ash looked at Karen.

  “I, Mina…”

  “I, Ash…”

  “Must move forward!”

  “Must know more!”