The Kanto region was painted in the vibrant green and gold of midsummer, a season that hummed with the promise of adventure. In the quiet, nostalgic lanes of Pallet Town, this promise took the form of Professor Oak's annual summer camp. It was a cherished tradition, a chance for the town's children to take their first steps into the vast world of Pokémon. Eager parents entrusted their kids to the esteemed Professor, who graciously organized the event free of charge, his passion for nurturing the next generation shining as brightly as ever.
A crowd of excited children buzzed outside the gates of the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory, their voices a cheerful chorus of anticipation. Among them, however, one boy stood apart. His calm, almost unnaturally composed face was framed by short black hair, partially covered by a simple red and white cap. He wore a black sleeveless vest over a red jacket, his hands tucked into fingerless gloves. He looked ready, not for a simple nature walk, but for a journey.
This was Red.
To an outsider, he was just another Pallet Town kid. But Red held a secret that separated him from everyone else on the planet. He was not native to this world. He was a transmigrator, a soul from a world called 'Earth' given a second chance. His first life had been a hollow one; a fractured home life had left him feeling like an outsider, and his only escape, his only source of a genuine smile, was the world of Pokémon he saw on screens and in games. But in the relentless grind of his old world, such "useless hobbies" had to be abandoned for survival.
Then came the accident—a moment both tragic and inevitable. A screech of tires, a young girl frozen in the path of a speeding truck. Driven by a desperate, heroic impulse he didn't know he possessed, he had moved. He had saved her, trading his life for hers.
His soul, judged worthy by some cosmic force, was guided here. He was reborn in Pallet Town, into the Ketchum family, as the twin brother of the loud, passionate, and endlessly optimistic Ash.
From the moment he could form a conscious thought, Red knew he was different. He awoke not just to a world of Pokémon, but to his own latent abilities: a subtle, powerful psychic potential and the pulsing energy of Aura that connected him to all living things. His intelligence was staggering, a fact that left even Professor Oak, a titan in the field of Pokémon research, in a state of constant awe.
Wisely, the Professor had kept Red's abilities a closely guarded secret. In a world with organizations like Team Rocket, a child with psychic powers and Aura sensitivity would be a priceless and vulnerable asset.
(Seven years...) Red thought, his eyes scanning the familiar woods beyond the lab. (It's been seven years since I arrived. Pokémon are every bit as magical as I dreamed. You can't truly understand the wonder of this world until you've lived it.)
"Hey, Red! Spacing out again?"
A familiar, slightly arrogant voice snapped him from his thoughts. Red turned to see the spiky, reddish-brown hair of Gary Oak, the Professor's grandson and one of the few people Red considered a genuine friend.
"Yeah, c'mon, big bro!" Ash bounced over, his own energy a stark contrast to his twin's stillness. "Don't be such a stick in the mud! This is gonna be fun!"
A rare, small smile touched Red's lips. "Alright, alright. Since you both insist..."
He couldn't deny them. Ash and Gary were two of the handful of people who could effortlessly break through his quiet reserve.
A moment later, Professor Oak himself appeared, his kind eyes twinkling. "Alright, everyone! Settle down, settle down! A grand adventure awaits!"
And so, the summer camp began. For most, it was a wonderful, wide-eyed experience. For Red, it was… boring.
The Professor led them into the forest that bordered the town, his voice a steady, gentle guide as he pointed out different Pokémon and explained crucial survival tips for aspiring trainers. Most of the kids hung on his every word, their hands shooting up with questions. Professor Oak answered each one with patience and warmth, showing none of the pretension one might expect from a world-renowned authority. It was easy to see why he was so beloved.
Inevitably, however, a few weren't paying attention. Ash was too hot-blooded, too eager to do something, to sit still for a lecture. And Red… Red already knew all of this. He had absorbed most of the world's theoretical Pokémon knowledge by the age of five.
Professor Oak sighed internally. The Ketchum twins were a handful. Ash was a bundle of reckless energy, while Red was his polar opposite. Red wasn't just the most promising youth in Pallet Town; his understanding of Pokémon theory surpassed that of most graduate-level researchers. His only perceived "flaw" was his cold, distant personality—a misunderstanding, as Red was simply quiet around strangers but deeply loyal to his friends and family.
The Professor sometimes wondered if Delia Ketchum had somehow given all the calm and intellect to one twin and all the passion to the other. Red's brilliance was simply off the charts. To help with his family's finances, he'd started working as Oak's lab assistant at five years old. By seven, he had anonymously authored three revolutionary research papers, which Oak had published under his own name to protect the boy's identity.
On the Multiple Evolutionary Paths of Eevee
A Comprehensive Study of the Fairy-Type
Unlocking Latent Potential: A Treatise on Hidden Abilities
These papers had sent shockwaves through the global research community, catapulting the Kanto region's academic prestige leagues ahead of the others. While Professor Oak's name was on the cover, careful insiders had noted that the groundbreaking theories felt less like an old master's refinement and more like a genius's paradigm shift.
"Red, where are you going?" Oak's voice cut through the air. He'd just noticed Red slipping away from the group, heading deeper into the woods alone. Despite knowing about the boy's powers, the Professor couldn't help but worry. He was still only a seven-year-old child.
"Don't worry, Professor. I won't do anything dangerous," Red called back, his tone confident.
Professor Oak didn't believe him for a second. He knew what Red was capable of. What some might call a prodigy, Oak privately considered a force of nature. He'd witnessed Red, at age six, happily challenging his Arcanine to a footrace—and almost keeping up. He'd seen him casually shatter boulders with a one-handed Aura Sphere just to practice his focus. This boy was anything but ordinary.
"I'll be back in half an hour," Red said over his shoulder. "You know I can't stand playing with the other kids."
With that, he vanished in a faint shimmer of blue light—Teleport.
Professor Oak sighed, a weary but fond smile on his face. "You're a child yourself, Red..."
Alone, Red inhaled deeply. The crisp scent of pine and damp earth filled his lungs. Finally free from the group, his mood lifted instantly. But the peace was short-lived.
His Aura flared—a subtle ripple in the world's energy that only he could perceive. It was a warning. There were people nearby, adults, moving with a disciplined stealth that didn't belong in these tranquil woods.
Effortlessly, he teleported into the high branches of an ancient oak tree, his presence completely masked. A few hundred meters away, he saw them: a squad of figures in black uniforms, each bearing a stark, red 'R' on the chest. They swept through the undergrowth with practiced efficiency, their leader consulting a strange tracking device.
(Team Rocket? What are they doing here?) Red wondered. The logical move was to return and warn the Professor. But his senses told him this was urgent. If he left, he might lose them. It was a risk he couldn't take.
He teleported closer, landing silently in the shadows of another tree, now close enough to hear their hushed voices.
"Captain, are you sure about this? Are there really traces of Mew here?" one of the grunts asked, his voice laced with doubt.
The captain whirled on him, snarling. "Are you questioning the word of Dr. Fenris?!"
The grunt flinched. The captain's voice dropped, now holding a note of fear. "No one questions Dr. Fenris. He's one of Giovanni's top minds—the architect behind half of our most important projects. If he says Mew was here, it was here. Now keep your eyes peeled!"
(Mew? Giovanni? Dr. Fenris?)
Hiding in the darkness, Red processed the information, his mind racing. He had knowledge from another life, hazy memories of stories and games, but this world was terrifyingly real. He couldn't rely on a script that might not exist. Team Rocket was here, in his hometown, hunting for a Mythical Pokémon. And he was the only one who knew.
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