"Yozora!"
Bill had been tense and panicked just moments ago, but the instant he caught sight of Yozora, a wave of relief and delight washed over his face.
He knew full well—though Yozora was only a Rookie Level Trainer, his strength was extraordinary.
Over two months ago, Yozora had single-handedly repelled two of Team Rocket's elite members!
"Yozora, please—help me one more time!" Bill scrambled toward him in a panic.
Within seconds, a mob of black-clad figures surged into the alley after him.
"Damn it, don't run!"
"Stand where you are!"
All of them wore identical black uniforms, each chest emblazoned with the bold red "R." They were unmistakably Team Rocket.
They clearly intended to drag Bill back with them—but their path was cut short. At Yozora's command, Aegislash slashed forward with a single Sacred Sword, cutting them all down before they could even release their Pokémon.
This time, they didn't even have the chance to fight back.
It was almost routine now.
Yozora casually stepped forward and began stripping them of resources.
Bill blinked at the practiced ease of his movements. "Yozora… are you really that short on money?"
"Not just short," Yozora replied flatly without looking back, "I'm desperate."
Bill froze, then sighed in realization.
Of course. Yozora came from an ordinary family. On his road to becoming a powerful trainer, money must be tight. Unlike himself—born into wealth, a man of science who'd never lacked for funding—he had never once had to worry about funds.
That thought stung. Twice now, Yozora had saved him. This time, he would have to properly repay the boy.
But Yozora's question interrupted his guilt. "Bill, this is the second time already. It looks like Team Rocket won't stop until they have you."
Bill gave a weary sigh. "This time is different from before."
"Oh?" Yozora paused his search, listening closely.
"The last time, they wanted me for a secret experiment. They planned to use the DNA of the mythical Pokémon Mew, combine it with human genes, then inject all manner of negative emotions… in order to create a Pokémon powerful enough to rival, even surpass, Mew itself."
"So it was tied to Mewtwo…" Yozora's eyes sharpened.
"As I understand it," Bill continued, "when they failed to capture me, they replaced me with Blaine."
He chuckled dryly. "Yozora, perhaps you didn't know—though Blaine is the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, he's also a high-ranking officer of Team Rocket. In academia, his genius matches mine and even rivals Professor Oak himself."
Yozora wasn't surprised. He had long known Blaine was secretly Rocket-affiliated, a scientist of terrifying brilliance.
In the original manga, the Specials, Blaine had been one of the creators of Mewtwo. Mewtwo's very genes bore his mark—he was practically Mewtwo's father.
The world Yozora now stood in seemed to be a hybrid of many canons, yet the key relationships remained consistent. Giovanni was still the leader of Team Rocket, no matter the timeline.
"But before that," Bill said grimly, "Blaine had been leading their research on Porygon."
"Now that he's been reassigned to Mewtwo's project, Porygon development has been halted. But there's too much profit, too much conspiracy behind it. Team Rocket will never abandon it. That's why they want me—to replace Blaine and continue the project!"
Yozora's eyes lit up. The puzzle pieces clicked together.
This wasn't in the original story, but Bill's explanation fit perfectly, giving clarity to Team Rocket's hidden machinations.
"So you refused. That's why you ran?" Yozora asked, still rummaging through loot.
"Of course I refused!"
Bill shuddered. "Yozora, listen carefully. Porygon has no heartbeat, no soul, no emotions. It's nothing but code. Can such a thing even be called a Pokémon?
"What terrifies me most is this: Porygon can be mass-produced. And every single one can be fully controlled by humans.
"Think of the implications! If Team Rocket manufactured ten million, a hundred million Porygon… and controlled them all—what kind of power would that be? A force great enough to start wars!"
Yozora froze. He hadn't considered that.
But now that Bill had said it—his heart ran cold.
Porygon wasn't weak. It had two further evolutions. At its final stage, its strength rivaled the fully evolved starters. Imagine not just one, but millions, even hundreds of millions of them. That was a force capable of reshaping, even destroying the world.
Imagine… a hundred million Charizards.
By the time Yozora finished looting, he had counted over two million Pokédollars in cash and goods. With his earlier haul, that made more than three million total.
Not bad.
He bound the Rockets together with rope and tossed them onto the pile with the earlier group, then turned to Bill.
"Bill, even without you, Team Rocket could always find someone else to continue the Porygon project."
Bill hesitated. "Yozora, what exactly are you suggesting?"
"Rather than letting Team Rocket control such power… why not let us control it?"
Yozora's eyes hardened. "Bill, you can agree to help them. But secretly, program Porygon with two layers of code. The first, shallow code lets Team Rocket think they control them. The second, deeper code—only you can unlock."
Bill's eyes widened. His lips moved in a whisper. "Yes… yes, of course. That way, if Rocket ever truly tries to dominate the world… I could seize control of every Porygon and turn their weapon against them."
"But that would put you deep in enemy territory," Yozora warned. "Your safety would never be guaranteed."
"It doesn't matter."
Bill raised his chin proudly. "If it's for humanity—no, for the whole world—then I would die without regret. Besides, once I'm working for them, I'll be their golden goose. Tell me, Yozora—would you kill your golden goose?"
Yozora laughed softly. But deep down, his respect for Bill swelled.
This was a man whose stature truly rivaled Professor Oak's, not just in scholarship, but in character.
"Ah, right—take this." Bill suddenly pulled out a device and handed it over.
Yozora blinked. A cell phone.
So they'd finally been invented.
It was primitive, with only call and text functions, but still—this was the first step. Yozora knew that in time, smartphones… even Rotom Phones would surely follow.
The device held only one number—Bill's.
"Very well, Bill. If you need anything, I'll give everything I have to help," Yozora said solemnly.
Bill was too great a man to fail. If Yozora could not equal his greatness, he would at least support it.
"And since it was my suggestion, if your life is ever endangered, Bill—I'll fight to the death to save you."
"Good. Then I'll return and report to Team Rocket. Once I'm back, this farce will be over." Bill smiled.
Yozora nodded in understanding.
He was sharp enough to grasp it immediately—
Bill's escape was never real. Team Rocket staged this chaos to divert the police and escort him back safely.
As long as Bill was returned, the rest of the small fry could surrender and rot in jail—it didn't matter. For Rocket, everything was disposable, save profit.
"Oh, and take this too. It's useless in my hands." Bill tossed him a stone, as if by chance.
Yozora caught it—and his breath hitched.
A gemstone, unlike any other.
Shaped in three perfect sections, like a peeled banana.
One glowed crimson, like a flawless Fire Stone.
One shimmered cerulean, like a perfect Water Stone.
One gleamed golden, like the purest Thunder Stone.
And together, fused as one—
The legendary Tricolored Evolution Stone.
It had appeared only once in the old manga. To think, in this world, Bill had obtained one.
"Yozora," Bill explained with pride, "according to my research, if an Eevee uses this stone, it can evolve at will—no, transform at will—into Flareon, Vaporeon, or Jolteon. And it can freely switch between the three forms at any time!"
Yozora's eyes widened in awe.
Eevee, shifting seamlessly between fire, water, and lightning. This stone was practically invincible.
If he ever sold it, it would fetch at least a hundred million.
But he never would.
Something so rare—perhaps unique—was beyond price. If he sold it and later regretted it, what then?
No. Far better to raise a super-Eevee himself.
Three evolutions, interchangeable at will.
The coverage… the power… it was overwhelming.
(End of Chapter)