You ever have that feeling when you're about to get absolutely wrecked by a guy who doesn't talk, stands on mountains for fun, and once beat Mewtwo using only a Pikachu with father issues?
Yeah. That was me. Right now.
Because according to the glowing message on my floating game interface:
[Trainer Red] is observing you.
Which is cool. Fine. Normal.
Except it's not.
Because this isn't just any Trainer Red.
This is the Save File Red. Level 100 everything. Max IVs. EV trained in the gym of pain and sweat and probably at least one emotional breakdown in Mount Silver.
And I'm about to be on his radar like a Wurmple under a microscope.
Step One: Denial
I closed the floating system menu like that would help.
"Okay, okay," I said to nobody in particular. "Maybe it's not that Red. Maybe it's a different Red. Maybe it's a local farmer named Fred who types with his elbows."
Midnight Daddy raised an eyebrow.
Karen giggled.
Tax Fraud accidentally crunched a mailbox.
Amber — Poké Mart girl and now apparently my unsolicited plot guide — just sipped her Oran soda and said, "You know exactly who it is."
I pointed at her. "You're too calm about this."
"I read ahead in the system logs," she said, holding up a clipboard. "Red's presence means you've triggered a PVP Collision Event."
"That sounds made up."
"It's absolutely real. It means another file has been loaded into the simulation. One with conflicting save data. You're in a digital turf war."
I blinked. "So... we're having a hacker battle in a Game Freak fever dream?"
"Basically," she said.
"Great," I said, already opening the menu again. "So I need to get the heck out of here."
Step Two: Run
The system had a fast-travel option. My party, bag, PC storage, and all flypoints were unlocked.
Because of course they were. This was my final save file.
So I scrolled to the map, hovered over a region I'd barely explored, and tapped Whirlpool Coast — a tropical archipelago known for three things: fruity drinks, shiny Tentacool, and a complete lack of competent trainers.
In other words: Perfect hiding spot.
I selected my shiny Lugia — "Gloombringer.exe" — from the PC, because why not go full drama while fleeing?
"Okay," I said. "Emergency vacation time. Everyone aboard."
Midnight Daddy gave me the side-eye but hopped on Lugia's back. Karen floated up like she was in a Studio Ghibli movie. Chadlax needed to be forklifted with a creative use of Telekinesis from a confused Alakazam we bribed with Poffins. Tax Fraud glided in circles until she got bored and crash-landed on the beach.
With one final check of the sky — because Red could literally appear out of thin air — we took off.
Step Three: Arrive Somewhere Worse
Whirlpool Coast was… not quite what I expected.
Sure, it was warm, tropical, and full of friendly NPCs wearing flower shirts and asking if I had any Heart Scales.
But something felt… off.
Like, the air smelled too clean.
The water sparkled too perfectly.
And every single wild Pokémon that showed up? Shiny.
I watched a golden Magikarp leap majestically from the sea and land directly into a kid's arms. The kid didn't even flinch. He just high-fived it and said, "Welcome to the team, bro."
I stared.
Midnight Daddy stared harder.
Tax Fraud burped a seagull.
Karen bounced up and down excitedly. "Is this… a shiny island?"
Amber, who had followed us using a teleporting Abra, nodded. "Yep. This place was coded as a beta event zone for an unreleased in-game event."
I frowned. "Why is it still active?"
"It's not," she said. "It was reactivated because you're here. The system is preparing for conflict."
"Like… it's putting on a suit and tie for a boss battle?"
"More like… it's cleaning up the battlefield so Red doesn't trip on a Pidgey."
Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Red
Back in Arboro Town, a figure stood silently at the edge of the Pokémon Center roof.
He wore a red cap, tilted low. His jacket fluttered in a breeze that didn't exist.
A local NPC tried to talk to him.
"Hi there! Would you like to know how to—"
Red turned his head slightly.
The NPC froze. Then de-rendered. Just blinked out of existence like bad code.
Red looked up at the sky.
[SaveFile_God has moved to Whirlpool Coast.]
He walked forward.
Didn't jump. Just walked off the roof.
And landed without a sound.
The ground cracked.
Step Four: I Attempt to Relax and Fail Spectacularly
Back at the island, I was trying to enjoy my surprise vacation.
We were on the beach. There was juice. There were hammocks.
Chadlax was the size of a food truck and currently buried in sand up to his belly, snoring.
Karen had made friends with a shiny Altaria and was braiding clouds.
Tax Fraud tried surfing and caused a minor tsunami that washed away a group of tourists and gave a local Gym Leader an existential crisis.
And Midnight Daddy…
He was meditating on a rock, facing the ocean, rings glowing faintly. His fur rippled like dark fire. His tail flicked once every six seconds.
"Dude," I said. "You good?"
He didn't respond. He was in full shonen anime sensei mode.
Amber appeared beside me. "He knows Red's coming. He's preparing."
I rubbed my temples. "How the hell do I stop this? This isn't even my final form. I'm just a guy who loaded a max save file and got yeeted into anime."
Amber tilted her head. "Well, you could always go meet him."
I choked on my juice. "Meet Red?! Are you mad?! That guy talks less than a shiny stone and hits harder than a Machamp with abandonment issues!"
"Exactly," she said. "If you want to keep this world from collapsing under dueling save files, you need to confront him."
"Or hear me out… I hide under a rock until the system forgets I exist."
"Too late," she said, holding up her clipboard again. "The system just activated a new flag."
I squinted.
Event Triggered: Final Encounter Loading...
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