Darkness reigned the realm as nothing could be seen. No sound could be heard within the dimension as a boy with a pair of red eyes was on the pitch black floor in a sprawled out position on his face. Red stayed still before he tried to move his body only to be rewarded with failure which made him chuckle to himself when his thoughts start to arise. 'Every time.' His thoughts echoed with the realm as each word grew more in volume, showing his bottled rage in his voice.

'Every time.' He mentally said to no one as the realms echoes his thoughts to the open.

'Every single time.'

'Why does this happen to me?!' He mentally shouted to no one in particular, receiving no reply or answer. Hours pass within the realm, making the teen lose his sanity as he was glued on the ground. Seconds felt like an eternity before Red's eyes started to scan the area only to be met with pure darkness before he suddenly noticed a small ray of light that started to blink within the realm, growing stronger the more it flashes. Before the teen realized it, the shadows started to dissipate from the light as the realm started to get brighter. Red had to close his eyes as the entire realm was enveloped by a powerful white light, leaving him blind as he once again started to lose his consciousness.

Red could barely feel something rubbing on his face which made him slightly open his eye with his remaining strength.

Slowly opening his eyes and regaining his consciousness, Red was immediately reintroduced to the intense pain that was coursing through his body, causing him to mentally scream and shift in his position which resulted in a quiet growl and a slight shift of his body.

'Well, at least it's progress.' The teen commented before sighing as he tried his best to move his face and eyes to scan the area, seeing the destruction and demolition that was brought upon the district. As he continued scanning, he then noticed something blue and black within his peripheral vision. Trying his best to move, Red barely shifted in his position which caused the creature to be awoken as it turned its face to him. The teen's eyes went wide as he recognized the Pokemon which he tried his best to mouth his words which barely left his mouth as a whisper.

"Shinx."

After he barely uttered the Electric-type, it nodded before it started to rub its face against him.

'I'm glad you're alright.' Red thought, trying his best to form a smile which half succeeded as he felt the Pokemon nuzzling him.

"You…need…to…go…" The raven haired teen muttered to the best of his ability, making Shinx look at him in horror before it yelped to protest and sat down next to the trainer, refusing to leave the heavily injured teen.

'Sorry, Shinx. I am beyond saving, I can't move inside my bag to get the medicine and I can even tell you where it is.' Red thought before he felt his energy fading, his eyes closing once again as he tried his best to keep them open. As he tried his best to fight in order to stay conscious, he could barely hear shuffling behind him which startled the red eyed youth.

'What the?' Red thought in worry for Shinx's wellbeing before feeling some form of liquid entered his mouth, causing him to accidentally swallow it out of shock which made the teen started to cough. When he finished coughing, he looked around, seeing Shinx with a vial of orange liquid between its paws and a wide smile across its face.

"What the?" He stated before he realized that he was slowly gaining back his control over his body as he was able to barely get off the ground, causing Shinx to jump up and down excitedly at the teen's regained mobility.

'I'm able to move. These things work quicker than I thought.' He thought in shock, looking at his hand and balling it into a fist multiple times to test how fast his body is moving currently. 'I'm not fully back but it's at least something.'

Baffled by the sudden change in his condition, he turned again to glance at Shinx's direction with a smile on his face before he picked up the vial that was within the Electric-type, reading the contents on the bottle.

'Wait. It's one of my emergency Full Restore. Guess he didn't take out everything out of my bag. Talk about luck.' The teen realized, petting Shinx which caused it to squeal happily before he tried his best to move towards to his backpack, falling immediately but was able to slowly break his fall. After he got back his breath, he then successfully reached for his bag as he examined the contents and items within it. As he searched his bag, he realized that a good amount of his items were ransacked as he started to count the amount of things in his bag. 'I have a few of my emergency medicine left. Hopefully, it can bring me to Pewter City. At least he didn't steal my Berries. Had to go through a lot to get those.'

"Thanks…for that…" Red barely uttered, locking his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he patted the Electric-type as best as he could which earned a happy roar from Shinx. When he finished, he looked at the empty vial with a confused expression on his face as a question appeared in his mind.

"How did you know this was the right one?" He thought aloud silently, turning to the Pokemon who walked up to him and then nuzzled his leg which put a smile on the teen's face. After gaining more mobility, Red, now equipped with his cap, tried to push himself off the floor which he struggled to do so as he staggered back and forth until after a few minutes until he was able to stand upright with some help from Shinx and the wall. As he wandered through the destroyed streets, he realized that the city was empty, quiet as there is not a single sign of anyone.

"Where is everyone? Hope they're ok." Red said quietly, looking around curiously as he was able to gain enough strength to limp without support. Shinx, who was walking beside him, was searching the area until it noticed something, immediately running towards a pile of rubble and calling out to the teen, who quickly followed it. It pointed to the pile of rubble, scratching it until Red tried his best to lift up the rocks which was difficult due to him not being fully recovered from the poison. As he moved most of the rubble out of the way, his eyes widen when he saw the old man and a young woman under it, both covered with scratches and bruises. Noticing him, the old man smiled weakly at the teen while the woman's face hardened, looking at Red suspiciously which caused him to use his cap to cover his face.

'It's the old man from yesterday.' The scarlet eyed teen thought as he assisted them out of the debris. After they were out, the woman grabbed the old man, dragging him away from Red which resulted with him pulling his hand away from her, walking towards the teen.

"Grandpa, he's a murderer! Get away from him!" she said, causing Red to flinch at what she called him. Noticing this, the elderly man turned to his granddaughter, sighing as he turned around and made his way to the red capped teen.

"Thanks, boy. You saved me and my granddaughter's lives and for that, I give you my gratitude." The old man thanked the teen, holding out his hand for a shake. Red was about to shake his hand until he suddenly sensed something ominous in the air, pushing the old man towards the woman who quickly caught him. Witnessing this, the granddaughter was about to scold the boy until a huge bomb of acid was blasted at the spot that the man was initially, surprising the three of them.

"Run away, now!" Red shouted with as much effort as he could, motioning for them to go away. Suddenly, his vision was crippled as the smokescreen quickly started to envelop the area around him, making him lose sight of Shinx who was right beside him, alerting him of its presence by wrapping its tail around his leg. Realizing that the Pokemon is alright, Red started to run in the other direction away from the two civilians with the Electric type closely behind him. He then ran through the streets and alleyways of the city until he reached a clearing where he stopped there, searching for anything that moves. He then spotted a huge ball of gas coming towards them before disappearing in an alleyway, much to Red's confusion as he recollected his thoughts from his previous confrontation.

"Wait! Didn't that thing blew up the last time I saw it?! Like seriously how?! Unless it got a Revive or something or that's straight up another Koffing? I call hacks!" Red stated annoyingly as the Pokemon reappeared from an alleyway which the teen responded by quickly taking out his slingshot and securing a shot to the Pokemon face, causing the Pokemon to cry in pain before it fazed back into the purple smoke.

"Shinx, stay close, alright?" He commanded to which it obliged. The red capped teen then went reloaded his pockets with as much ammo as he could find, preparing himself for any attacks.

"Shinx, if you can hear or see that Koffing, just yell, ok?" Red ordered softly to which the Pokemon nodded, searching for any signs of the Poison type. It barked once in a certain direction, making Red immediately turn and shoot in that direction. He didn't hear any sounds which means he missed the shot, making him clicked his teeth in annoyance. Immediately after his missed shot, a ball of sludge was hurled towards the two, both of them dodging it in time as they watch it dissolve into the ground, making a sizzling sound. After a few attempts in the smoke, the duo was started to get better at pinpointing their assailant and dodging incoming attacks before he successfully got a shot which made the Koffing groan in pain. "Now, Shinx. Tackle." As soon as he heard its groan, he ordered Shinx to attack, which it did, tackling the Pokemon onto the ground.

Hearing the result, Red went through the poison cloud, covering his mouth with this jacket as he ran towards the source. As he reached the Pokemon, he started to relentlessly hitting the Koffing along with Shinx until it was almost unconscious. As it fainted, it started to glow, causing the duo to stop their attacks, looking at the Pokemon in confusion. The glow got stronger which then made the red capped teen's eyes widen as he realize what it was doing.

"Oh no." Red muttered, grabbing Shinx and sprinting away from the creature, who glowed stronger as the fumes started to envelop it. The teen jumped behind a car as the Koffing exploded which engulfed the area in a purple smoke and poisonous gas cloud, causing the ground to shake roughly from the result of the shockwave.

As the smoke cleared, everything was demolished by the powerful attack that was unleashed. Red opened his eyes to see the results of the explosion, his expression changing to shock and horror as he witnessed the damage done by the attack.

'Woah.' He thought as he looked at the craters and beoken walls and buildings around him before he started to wander through the eerie silence of the destroyed street with Shinx in his arms who decided to climb onto his shoulder. The teen searched the area for the source of the attack, covering his mouth along with the Electric type so that they don't inhale too much of the poisonous gases. After the red capped teen reached at the end of the street, he found a big crater which had an unconscious Koffing laying in it.

'Man. It did a number on the street. Man, I'm glad that it's down for the count.' He thought, looking at the Poison type with a hardened expression before he went off to the direction of the park, wanting to avoid the toxic fumes. Suddenly, they noticed it glowed with an intense red light, startling Red and Shinx as the teen tried to wonder what's happening with the Pokemon before his eyes widened.

'Wait, it's returning to its trainer meaning that I can find the thug who took Pikachu away and get her back.' As he thought that statement, the red light then retreating into the city to which they quickly followed it, trying their best not to lose sight of the red light.

"Keep an eye out, Shinx." The teen said to the Pokemon while chasing after the glow throughout the city. After a few minutes of pursuing the light, Red pursued it until he reached outside the city, watching the light be absorbed into a Pokeball. Vincent put the ball into its inactive mode before he put in his pocket, smirking as he threw various bags of items on the back of the truck. As he did, he noticed the red capped teen in front of him causing his eyes to widen in surprise. "Impossible… This can't be…" he muttered as he glared in shock at the scarlet eyed boy.

"You!" Red shouted, pointing at the silver haired thug as he was trying to catch his breath after the long chase.

"Give back Pikachu." He said in a lower tone, glaring at the silver haired man and his accomplices as one of them watches the teen with eyes of disbelief.

"V, I thought you took care of the brat!" said Reggie who was in a van, getting it ready with Gregory in shotgun seat. Fueled with rage and adrenaline rushing through his veins, Red ran towards them before colliding into something which got him confused as he saw nothing in his line of sight. The red capped teen went again but only got the same result as he once again crashed into something, with Shinx experiencing the same conclusion. They both then let out their hands only to touch a transparent wall before them which they try to find an exit or a weakening in the barrier, only to be rewarded nothing as they heard Vincent's laughter.

"Sorry, kid. I like this Pokemon. I think I'm gonna keep it." The silver haired man said, grinning as he got unto the van. Red started to bang his fist harshly onto the invisible wall, trying to get to the band of thieves before they leave. The sounds of siren were getting closer, making the man clicked his teeth as he had to retreat, jumping on the back of the vehicle and stating for his accomplices to leave now. Noticing this, Red tried harder as he let out all his might to push whatever was blocking him, along with Shinx's assistance. Unfortunately, the van drove off, with Vincent's laughter echoed through the area as a Pokemon revealed itself by his side with a smile on its face.

"No. Get back here. Come back!" Red yelled desperately, punching, scratching and banging the wall with his head, along with Shinx trying to break through the invisible barrier. Hearing the engine of the car started as they began to drive off, Red could only watch with his eyes getting wet as the mancontinued to laugh at the young teen's failed attempts.

"Sorry for the short convo but we have to be going. Look at the bright side, kid. You lived to see another day. Don't worry, I'll take real good care of the rat for you." Vincent said as they started to disappear into the distance, leaving only the duo.

"No…" Red said before falling on his knees and looking at the ground, stretching his arm out in the direction off to the runaway vehicle. He started to shake as he just blankly look out to the distance, his heart cracking as time goes on.

"I failed…her I failed her." He said in a shaky tone. His gaze now descending to the ground as its his main focus now.

Tears build in his eyes as he gritted his teeth in frustration, clenching his fist angrily as he continuously punching the ground, ignoring the bruises that he's giving himself as he does so. Shinx looked at the teen in concern, walking up to him and then snuggling against him which the teen ignored. As the Electric type continued nuzzling and cuddling him which caused Red to pause and look at it, sighing shakily as he massaging its fur.

"Thanks, Shinx." He said before hugging it, sobbing softly as he looked back in the direction the men have escaped and the thoughts of his partner with them. The thought made the teen sick as he let go of Shinx and had to vomit by the nearby bushes, finished after a minute as he rubbed his aarm acorss his face.

'I'm so sorry, Pikachu.' Red thought as he panted, continuing to cry as reality hit him for the second time. 'You helped me but I couldn't help you.' He resumed, staying on the road as the sirens gets louder and louder.

In the deep of the forest stood three men, on the back of a van conversing with each other in the quietude of nature with all of them grinning happily as one of them made a statement. "We're finally out of that damn city. Thought it would never happen."

They continued celebrating until they heard a clapping sound that startled them, looking around them to see nothing, Pokeballs ready in hand.

"Amazing. Truly amazing. That was a great display." Someone said from within the shadows. The figure slowly approached the men, the sun revealing a man dressed in black as he wore a sinister smile on his hooded face.

"Gotta say, I love what you did with the city." He continued before stopping a few feet from the van. The men stood up and walked to him, examining him as they got closer with Vincent standing in front of the man.

"Who are you?" The silver haired man asked the man threateningly, looking the man dead in the eyes as he questioned him. His two accomplices in the back readied themselves in the case of a battle. The figure then lifted his arms, not taking his eyes off Vincent as he stated. "Don't worry. I'm not here to fight. I'm simply here to scout for people with talents and you guys fit the bill." He then extended his arm to the silver haired man before he said something from his mouth that made the men's eyes widen in shock as they left his mouth.

"Would you like to join Team Rocket?"

After a few minutes of crying, Red stopped sobbing as he gazed at the distance, his cap covering his eyes as the morning breeze gently blows through the road. He still didn't want to believe it, blinking his eyes and pinching himself to see if he could wake up but his partner and friend is gone and there is nothing he could do. He then stood up and remained there for minutes with his thoughts stuck to the events that occurred until a voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Red?" He turned towards the direction of the sound but when he did, his red eyes widen as he saw the owner of the voice.

'Yellow?'

Sup there, guys. I wonder how you guys felt about the last chapter. Trust me, that was not the spur of the moment, that idea has been there since the start of this project. Also, yes. Shinx is back. Once again, thanks for taking your time to read my story and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. The next chapter will be coming out very soon. Either later today or tomorrow. Well, see ya. Enigma out!