May sighed. How the hell did she end up in Kanto?
She had been only a couple of months away from starting her very first Gym Circuit in Hoenn. She was so ready—ready to race Brendan for Gym Badges and prove who was really the stronger trainer.
But then he happened.
That charismatic Champion who casually took a seat at her family's dinner table. The guy was exactly her age, yet had apparently already conquered an entire region and become a Champion.
"I'm building this new tech start-up," Blue had told her parents at the time.
"Why is my father such a nerd?!" May groaned. After seeing just a few of the gadgets this so-called start-up had developed, her mom and dad were instantly sold. And when Blue showed them the significant pay bump they'd be getting, that sealed the deal.
That's how her parents ended up moving to Kanto.
Now she felt just like Brendan all of a sudden—he and his family had moved from Johto to Hoenn just a few weeks ago. And now it was May who was moving away, right before the Circuit began. Only she had been dragged to Kanto, of all places.
Kanto was cool, sure—but wasn't it that old-school region no one really talked about anymore? There were exactly three things everyone knew about Kanto: Pikachu, Charizard, and Professor Oak.
So why didn't she just stay in Hoenn?
Well, first of all, you either had to be eighteen to legally live on your own, or you had to earn your Pokémon License—which you could only get from your regional professor, starting at age seventeen.
And just before she could finally get hers… her parents decided to move. Of course. And like most parents, they weren't about to leave their only daughter behind.
So here she was. In Kanto.
"I wanted a Torchic," May sniffled.
She had dreamed of having one since she was a little brat. But Kanto didn't give out Torchic as starter Pokémon. That much was clear. Yes, Charmander was probably the second most famous Pokémon in the world—right behind Pikachu—but to May, it was still no Torchic.
She was currently standing in a line with other prospective trainers. Some people were still ahead of her. Why was she even here again?
"This is a… hmm… how should I put it? Oh yes! A training camp for all new trainers in the Kanto region!" Blue had said with suspicious cheer. "May, you should go to Viridian City. Not only will you get your starter Pokémon, you'll also meet your peers and gain experience—working with them, not against them!"
It hadn't been her decision. Of course not. Her parents had made up their minds the moment they heard that overly cheerful sales pitch from Champion Blue himself.
All she had wanted was her Torchic.
May peered toward the front of the line, where a stylish woman stood like a gatekeeper, blocking access to Victory Road. That woman—Rosa, was it?—exuded sheer coolness. Everything about her radiated confidence, from the way she stood to the way she glared. And oh, that glare. Whenever someone pissed her off, it could freeze the soul. May had no idea why it terrified her so much, but it did. Deeply.
Still, like she'd done with the thirteen trainers before, May leaned in, eavesdropping on Rosa's newest exchange.
Each of those previous trainers had been handed a choice of three starter Pokémon—three! Half of them May had never even heard of. How the actual hell? How many starter Pokémon was Kanto handing out these days?!
"I'm Bill," came the next trainer's introduction.
Rosa tilted her head, intrigued. "Bill? As in the Bill?"
"Oh, yeah," he replied, clearly exhausted by the recognition. "The one who created the Pokémon Storage System. Not that it matters much anymore. These days, everyone's inventing something more absurd than the last…"
May's brow furrowed. Wait. Bill?! The guy who was a worldwide legend—and a globally criticized recluse. People always complained he was lazy, but everyone agreed: if Bill decided to do something, he could probably reshape the world.
Rosa's tone softened, laced with curiosity. "So, why are you here, Bill?"
He gave a dramatic sigh. "I used to have this lovely sea cottage on Route 25. Then Blue decided to turn the entire area into a Dragon-type Gym. Unleashed a swarm of dragons across Routes 24 and 25. They're everywhere now."
"Oh," Rosa blinked, momentarily thrown.
May's eyes widened. Dragons? It was hard enough finding a single dragon Pokémon, let alone a swarm.
"And then," Bill muttered, "he bribed me."
Rosa smirked knowingly. "He did, didn't he?"
"Eeveelutions," Bill breathed, eyes gleaming. "My favorite line! Turns out there are more than three evolutions. The bastard still won't tell me how many, says I have to earn it. But Espeon and Umbreon? Aren't they magnificent?"
May swallowed. This man was practically panting over Eevee evolutions. He wasn't just a fan—he was an obsessive.
"So, what did Blue want from you?" Rosa asked, clearly entertained.
"Two things," Bill grumbled. "First, I have to join the new Dragon Gym."
"Oh?" Rosa chuckled.
"And second," he sighed, rubbing his temple, "I'm now the CEO of his latest tech venture—Capsule Corporation."
May gasped before she could stop herself. Capsule Corporation?! That was the flashy startup her parents had just joined. And this guy was the CEO?
"So he's establishing Capsule Corp on Route 25?" Rosa asked, brow raised.
Bill nodded. "Yup."
"Interesting…" Rosa murmured. "Since you're joining the Dragon Gym, you're not getting the usual selection of starter Pokémon. There's some kind of ritual for trainers entering that territory, isn't there?"
"Oh, yeah," Bill confirmed. "Clair runs that whole thing. She's very particular. Luckily, I've already got my dragon." He released a Dratini in a flash of light.
"Perfect," Rosa said smoothly. "And you're heading to Victory Road because…?"
"Blue," Bill said flatly, as if that single name explained everything.
And then, without another word, he brushed past her and followed the trail of trainers ahead.
The next person in line was... a kid. A literal kid. Tiny, maybe seven or eight years old, with big blue eyes and a head full of wild blonde hair.
Rosa raised an eyebrow, visibly thrown. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Aren't you a bit young for Victory Road?"
"I'm already eight," the girl declared proudly, puffing out her chest. "I came all the way from Unova to get here!"
"You did?" Rosa asked, voice cracking slightly.
May blinked. For the first time ever, she was seeing the ever-composed Rosa—unofficial President of the Kanto League—look actually nervous.
"I'm Elesa!" the girl introduced herself with a dramatic twirl. "And I'm here in Kanto because I finally found my mom!"
That was the moment Rosa fell off her stool.
"YOUR MOM!?" she shouted, practically shaking.
Mini Elesa nodded vigorously and pulled a magazine out of her overstuffed backpack. The cover showed a tall, glamorous woman—adult Elesa, the Electric Gym Leader and fashion icon.
"See?" the little girl beamed. "She looks exactly like me! The orphanage said I was separated from my parents during a weird government thingy. But now I found her! She's like… a big me!"
Rosa blinked rapidly, trying to piece this together. "H-Honey... how on earth did you travel from Unova to Kanto all by yourself?"
"Oh!" Mini Elesa nodded enthusiastically. "It was a long journey! When I was in that desert—"
"Desert?" Rosa echoed, horrified.
"—I met this super cool guy! He was fighting a black dragon, you know?"
Rosa's mouth dropped open. A black dragon?
"I told him I wanted to go to Kanto," Mini Elesa continued, clearly loving the attention. "Well… I kinda lied. I really wanted to come find my mom, but I told him I just wanted to visit 'cause it's the coolest region!"
Rosa leaned forward warily. "And then what?"
"Then he summoned this big water star Pokémon I've never seen before! And it just—poof!—teleported me here! I told him my mom lived in Kanto, so he didn't have to worry. He was super nice. Gave me these before he left!"
She held up a set of six Poké Balls.
Rosa stared at them in silence. "Damn it, Blue… you really didn't notice?"
Rosa looked at the three starter Pokémon for the Electric-type Gym. Magnemite. Mareep. Toxel. She was almost ready to give one of them to an eight-year-old kid, just so the young version of her friend could protect herself. Blue already acted, though.
"Anyway," Rosa sighed. "Why are you headed to Victory Road? That place is way too dangerous."
"Oh, I'm ready!" Mini Elesa chirped. "The cool guy gave me these!"
She opened her bag, which seemed to defy physics, and pulled out what looked like hundreds of Max Repels.
"Because… why not," Rosa muttered, rubbing her temples.
"And look!" Mini Elesa pointed back at the magazine. "See the picture of my mom? Look closely!"
Rosa squinted. In the far corner of the photo, almost hidden in the background, stood none other than Blue.
"It's the cool man!" Mini Elesa said with a gasp. "He's standing right next to my mom! Now I know why he was so nice to me! He's my dad, right?!"
Rosa fell off her stool a second time.
"You know what?" she groaned from the floor. "You're more prepared than half the trainers I've seen today. Go on. Knock yourself out."
"Thanks, Aunty!" Mini Elesa chirped.
And with that, the pint-sized storm named Elesa marched off toward Victory Road, her bag of Repels swinging wildly behind her.
Rosa had always felt uneasy knowing there were two versions of themselves roaming the world. Sooner or later, they'd have to deal with that issue. She just didn't expect it to be this soon.
May was ecstatic. It was finally time for her to receive her starter—until, abruptly—
"Out of the way, you stupid girl."
A shove knocked her to the side.
"Asshole!" May snapped, glaring at the boy who'd pushed her. He looked about fourteen, with unruly, shoulder-length red hair and a permanent scowl etched into his face.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Rosa asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Silver," the teen grunted. "I heard I can get a starter Pokémon here. That true?"
Rosa smiled sweetly. Then, without warning, Silver began to float several feet off the ground. His limbs flailed as if struggling against an invisible hand holding him aloft.
"Try not to be so rude in front of our esteemed president," came a sarcastic voice.
"Caitlin," Rosa chuckled as she watched Silver writhe in midair. Caitlin's psychic abilities were as sharp as ever—but now they seemed even more refined. "You here to climb Victory Road, too?"
"I've no illusions of beating that bastard," Caitlin replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm here to observe the new generation. What do you think—do they have potential?"
Rosa glanced at May, who had just dusted herself off and stood back up.
"Oh, I think this generation will be something special," she said thoughtfully. "Some of the current Gym Leaders might actually need to watch their backs."
"You're May, aren't you?" Rosa added with a smile.
"Y-Yeah…" May stammered, eyes darting from the floating boy to the woman casually levitating a few feet above the ground. "Um… hello?"
"Hello, darling," Caitlin greeted her with a grin. "Never seen a psychic before?"
May shook her head, wide-eyed.
"Well, I'll be blunt," Rosa said. "Blue wants you for the Steel Gym."
"The Champion?!" May blinked in disbelief. "Why me?"
"Well, aside from Red and Leaf," Rosa said with a shrug, "you're probably the most promising of the bunch—at least, according to Blue. No one knows what the future holds, of course."
"I… I am?" May muttered, stunned.
"If you accept the offer to join the Steel Gym," Rosa continued, "we have something for you."
A Poké Ball opened with a burst of light, and a Torchic landed in front of her.
"TORCHIC!"
May squealed, utterly overjoyed. She scooped up the tiny Fire-type and hugged it tightly.
Watching May nearly squeeze the Torchic to death, Rosa chuckled softly. It reminded her of herself—back before everything fell apart. "You can also choose a second starter. Your options are: Aron, Cufant, or Honedge."
"I only recognize Aron!" May said without hesitation, still cuddling the Torchic. "So I'll take him!"
Rosa turned to Silver, still suspended in the air. A wicked grin spread across her face. "You're going to the Flying Gym."
"WHY?!" Silver barked, thrashing indignantly.
"Oh, you're a handful," Rosa mused. "Perfect for Skyla. She's great at turning problems into potential. Why not Flying, Silver?"
"I'm not wasting my time training useless birds!"
"'Useless birds?'" Rosa repeated with a laugh. She flicked a Poké Ball into the air, and a majestic Articuno emerged in a shimmering cascade of ice and wind. "You think this is useless?"
Silver froze—this time, not because of Caitlin's power.
"There are two more legendary birds in Kanto," Rosa continued. "And Johto has its own pair. Still think Flying-types are just birds?"
"…That wasn't my brightest comment," Silver muttered.
"Not to mention," Rosa added with a sly grin, "Flying-types are immune against Ground-type moves. Isn't that an interesting advantage? Especially against Kanto's most powerful Gym Leader—Giovanni."
Caitlin and Rosa watched as Silver's expression slowly shifted. The gears were clearly turning.
"…Fine," he said. "What are my options?"
"Fletchling, Wattrel, or Rookidee," Rosa replied. "One commands fire, another channels lightning, and the last is a tank that turns Steel."
Silver's scowl twitched into a smirk. "Rookidee looks like it belongs on my team."
"Welcome to the Kanto Pokémon League. You're now part of the Flying Gym under Skyla's command."
With a loud thud, Silver dropped to the ground. He scooped up his new Pokémon, shot a venomous glare at Rosa and Caitlin, and stormed off toward Victory Road.
Rosa sighed. "What a day… I think I've finally gotten through all the key recruits. So what brings you here, Caitlin?"
"I'm overseeing the developments on Victory Road," she replied. "But officially? I'm just another rookie taking on the challenge."
"So it is a challenge," Rosa muttered. "I knew Blue was cooking up something twisted."
"Why so cynical, Rosa?" came a new voice.
Blue appeared before them, flanked by his ever-faithful Starmie.
"Blue!" Rosa greeted with a bright smile.
"It's been ages," Caitlin said, pulling him into a hug.
"Don't worry, ladies!" Blue laughed boisterously. "Project Victory Road is complete. All the test subjects are already inside. And now, I'm onto something even bigger!"
At that moment, Lt. Surge materialized beside him—teleported by what appeared to be an Alolan Raichu.
"Commander," Surge saluted, as if they were in a military operation. "All units are in position. We're ready to strike!"
Another figure materialized without warning—this one didn't need a Pokémon to teleport.
She floated effortlessly above the ground, her long, dark hair billowing outward as if each strand had a will of its own. An aura of enigma clung to her, deeper and more unnerving than even Caitlin's. Her eyes gleamed with unsettling calm—like she already knew everything about you… even things you hadn't yet discovered yourself.
It was Sabrina.
Rosa's eyes flicked between the three figures now assembled before her:
Lt. Surge.
Sabrina.
Blue.
Kanto's most dangerous trio… what the hell are they planning?