Pallet Town – Oak’s Laboratory

  The light shimmered as Alakazam teleported into the heart of the lab, psychic energy crackling in the air. Delia Ketchum stumbled forward, clutching two sleeping infants—Ash and Gary—against her chest. Her heart pounded. She’d barely caught her breath when she saw them.

  Inside the lab, Leaf’s parents, Oak’s longtime research assistants, stood by the windows. One held their infant daughter, the other had a hand on young Daisy Oak’s shoulder as they all stared outside in stunned silence.

  Delia followed their gaze.

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  Out beyond the fields of Pallet Town, a battle raged—Samuel Oak, the Champion himself, stood alone against a dozen of the most powerful trainers in Indigo.

  Not challengers. Not rogue agents.

  Clan elders. The patriarchs and matriarchs of the old world.

  They stood in a wide circle around Oak, dressed in robes and insignia that belonged to an age long past. Behind them stood armies of high-tier Pokémon, many of them Champion-class. All of them stared down the man who had shattered their grip on power.

  And yet Oak—calm, unshaken—stood tall. His lab coat stirred gently in the wind. The only Pokémon at his side was his Dragonite, already circling above, engaging the enemy’s fliers.

  Then he turned.

  He saw Delia. Saw the babies. Saw the fear in her eyes.

  His voice carried across the field.

  “You’re not just attacking me,” Oak said. “This is about Phoenix. About Ryder.”

  From the other side of the battlefield, a voice answered—Salvatore Razzo, gray-bearded and grim, stepped forward.

  “I’m sorry, Samuel. But it has to be done.”

  “Phoenix is growing too strong—stronger than you were at his age. If he becomes Champion, the clans will never rise again.”

  Oak’s eyes narrowed.

  “So it’s fear, then. You’re afraid of a boy with no bloodline.”

  “I’m afraid of what he’ll become,” said another voice—General Santos, clad in Johto’s military uniform. His voice was cold, precise. “Men without clans build their own. And sometimes… they become worse than the ones they replaced.”

  Oak stepped forward.

  “The clans have hoarded power for centuries. They caged knowledge. Controlled progress. Phoenix is what happens when the people are free.”

  A third voice cut in—an older woman, matriarch of the Maki Dark Clan.

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  “And when the people are free, they forget their place. We’ve protected these lands for millennia, Samuel. That legacy is ours to guard.”

  Oak’s voice thundered like distant storm clouds.

  “You’ve protected nothing. You’ve stagnated us. Our children suffer because you feared their strength.”

  He lifted a Pokéball.

  “I won’t let the old world strangle the new.”

  He threw it.

  The battlefield exploded in light.

  Nidoking emerged with a thunderous roar, stomping the ground. Then came Alakazam, Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise—his full team. The air itself seemed to pull away from them, as if the battlefield knew these were no ordinary Pokémon.

  Each had gone beyond Champion-level—legends forged in the same fire as their trainer. Together, they could hold dominion. And now, they would defend it.

  The enemy responded in kind.

  Four Pokémon stepped forward—each on the cusp of myth.

  A weathered but terrifying Feraligatr, belonging to General Santos.

  A regal, battle-scarred Nidoqueen, at Salvatore’s side.

  A moonlit Umbreon, eyes glowing violet, led by the Maki matriarch.

  And a deceptively soft-looking Wigglytuff, whose fairy aura shimmered with ancient power.

  Behind them came dozens of Champion-tier Pokémon, summoned in waves to overwhelm Oak’s team with sheer numbers.

  But they made one fatal mistake.

  They attacked Oak on his land.

  Nidoking stepped forward and bellowed—a deep, resonant call that echoed through the valleys and forests surrounding Pallet Town.

  And the world answered.

  From the skies, a Pidgeot dove in with a piercing cry, slashing through enemy lines. Two Raticates burst from the tall grass, attacking the enemy’s flanks with calculated fury. From the sea, a massive Lapras rose, singing a song that made even battle-hardened trainers flinch. And many others answered to the Champion’s call.

  Oak said nothing.

  His team split as if by instinct—years of battle flowing through muscle memory.

  Dragonite tangled with Feraligatr, wing against claw.

  Nidoking collided with Nidoqueen, their clash shaking the earth.

  Venusaur and Blastoise took on Umbreon and Wigglytuff, slowly gaining ground.

  Charizard roared into the skies, hunting enemy fliers like a dragon god.

  Alakazam stood beside Oak, hands glowing, eyes closed—watching for anything that dared come near his trainer.

  The battle raged.

  Minute by minute, Oak’s side endured. His Pokémon fought with the calm brutality of legends.

  One by one, the enemy’s edge dulled.

  Umbreon fell first—Hydro Cannon tore through her shield, and Solar Beam followed, ending it. Then came Wigglytuff, caught in a crossfire and sent hurtling backward, her body bursting in a final flicker of light.

  “You were always a monster, Samuel,” Salvatore said from across the battlefield, blood in his voice. “We never stood a chance…”

  Oak didn’t answer.

  The enemy forces began to crack. Some fled. Others hesitated. General Santos made his choice—retreating into the ocean with his Feraligatr and remaining water-types, vanishing into the ocean.

  Only Salvatore Razzo remained.

  He recalled his Nidoqueen—wounded, near death—and clenched his jaw.

  “You won’t take everything, Sam.”

  He hurled three Pokéballs.

  Golem. Weezing. Electrode.

  “Explosion!” he shouted.

  Time slowed.

  Oak’s team moved.

  “Protect,” Oak commanded calmly.

  Shields shimmered around his Pokémon as energy flared in the enemy ranks. Alakazam, standing beside his trainer, raised his hands—and a barrier of psychic light wrapped around the lab itself.

  Then came the blast.

  A triple detonation turned half the battlefield into a crater of smoke and fire.

  But Oak was still standing.

  His team unharmed.

  The lab—intact.

  And Salvatore Razzo… was gone.

  The rest surrendered. A few fled. Most were dead.

  Samuel Oak turned, smoke rising behind him. He walked toward the lab, footsteps slow but steady, his team silent beside him.

  The door opened.

  Delia stood inside, eyes red, holding both children tight.

  “Where are Ryder, Portia and Phoenix?” Oak asked, voice hoarse.

  Delia didn’t answer.

  She just met his eyes—and slowly shook her head.

  “They were ambushed. Outside Saffron. Forty-five minutes ago.”

  “There were too many. Too many…”

  For a long moment, the Champion said nothing.

  Then, for the first time in decades, Samuel Oak paled in fear.