Ash and Goh had been enjoying their journey through the Galar region, exploring new areas and bonding with their Pokémon. The sky was clear, and the wind gently rustled the tall grass as they made their way down a familiar route. Pikachu, Cinderace, and Lucario walked alongside them, all eager for what lay ahead.
"I think we're close to the Wild Area!" Goh said excitedly, Cinderace nodding beside him.
"Yeah! I bet we'll find some rare Pokémon there!" Ash grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Just as the two were about to break into a sprint, a loud and obnoxious laugh echoed through the air.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
Ash and Goh groaned in unison. "Not again..." Ash muttered.
From the skies, Team Rocket's hot air balloon descended, revealing Jessie, James, and Meowth grinning down from their usual perch. But this time, they weren't alone. Hovering behind them was a massive mechanical Reuniclus, its limbs glowing with eerie green light.
"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted. "Don't you guys ever give up?"
Jessie flipped her hair dramatically. "Today is the day, twerp! We're taking Pikachu once and for all!"
James laughed, pointing toward Ash. "With our latest and greatest machine, we'll capture that Pikachu for the Boss, and nothing will stand in our way!"
Meowth grinned mischievously. "Yeah! Da Boss will be so proud of us!"
Goh narrowed his eyes, stepping forward with determination. "Cinderace, we're not going to let them get away with this!"
Ash's grip on his cap tightened. "Right, Pikachu! Lucario, let's show them what we're made of!"
Pikachu sparked with energy, while Lucario growled, ready for action. Cinderace stomped its foot, flames dancing around its body.
Team Rocket cackled as the mechanical Reuniclus powered up, its oversized arms crackling with green energy. "This time we'll blast you into next week!" Jessie bragged.
"Enough talk!" Ash shouted. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pika-chuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity toward the machine.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Ash followed up, Lucario forming a glowing orb of energy and launching it at the same time.
"Cinderace, Pyro Ball!" Goh ordered. Cinderace kicked a fiery soccer ball toward the machine, its speed and intensity rivaling the other attacks.
The three attacks soared through the air, merging into a brilliant display of power. But just before they could hit the machine, Team Rocket's Reuniclus fired a powerful beam from its core, a green energy cannon that collided with the trio of attacks.
For a moment, the two forces clashed in a dazzling light, neither side giving in. The air hummed with energy, and sparks flew in all directions. But suddenly, there was an ear-splitting explosion.
BOOM!
Ash, Goh, Pikachu, Lucario, and Cinderace were all engulfed in the blinding light. Ash shielded his eyes, feeling the force of the blast sending him tumbling backward.
When the light finally faded, Ash groaned, stirring from where he lay. He opened his eyes, blinking to clear his vision. He could feel Pikachu and Lucario by his side, both slowly getting back up.
"Ugh... what happened?" Ash muttered, rubbing his head. He looked around and gasped. "Wait... where are we?"
The familiar Galar landscape was gone. Instead, they found themselves in the middle of a decayed, abandoned city. The buildings around them were old, their windows shattered, and the streets were eerily empty. A damaged banner flapped in the wind, barely legible, but Ash managed to make out the words: "Welcome to Raccoon City."
"Raccoon City? What's that?" Ash wondered aloud, completely confused. He had never heard of this place before, and it definitely wasn't part of Galar.
Pikachu looked up at Ash with concern. "Pika pi?"
Lucario growled softly, its senses on high alert. Something about this place felt wrong.
Ash's heart skipped a beat. "Goh! Cinderace!" he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Where are you?!"
But there was no reply, only the sound of the wind whistling through the empty streets.
"They're not here..." Ash muttered, his eyes darting around anxiously. "Pikachu, Lucario, we've gotta find them."
Without another word, Ash picked himself up, his heart pounding. The desolate city loomed around them, its shadowy alleyways and silent buildings creating an atmosphere that sent chills down his spine. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, determined to stay close, while Lucario walked beside him, its aura senses scanning for any sign of life.
They ventured cautiously into the unknown, the unsettling quiet only broken by the occasional creak of old metal or the distant rustling of debris. Ash's mind raced with questions. Where were they? How did they end up here? And most importantly, where were Goh and Cinderace? As they walked deeper into the heart of the city, Ash felt his nerves stiffening. No matter what this strange place was, he wasn't going to leave Goh behind. He was going to find him—and he was going to make sure they got out of this creepy city together.
As Ash, Pikachu, and Lucario cautiously ventured deeper into the eerie streets of Raccoon City, a sense of unease settled over the group. The city's desolate atmosphere weighed heavily on them, with only the sound of Ash's footsteps echoing in the empty streets. The silence was unnerving, making even the slightest noise feel amplified.
"Pika-pi," Pikachu muttered from Ash's shoulder, its ears twitching nervously.
Lucario's sharp gaze darted around, its aura senses on high alert. Something about this place just didn't feel right.
Suddenly, Ash spotted movement ahead. A man was limping down the street, his back turned to them. His clothes were tattered, and his body was hunched over as if in pain. He was moaning softly, stumbling with every step.
Ash's concern flared. "Hey, maybe that guy needs help," he said, already starting toward the man.
Pikachu's fur stood on end, and it let out a sharp warning cry. "Pika-pi! Pika!"
Lucario narrowed its eyes, growling softly. "Luu-ca..."
But Ash waved them off. "Come on, guys. He's hurt! We can't just leave him like that."
Ignoring Pikachu and Lucario's instincts, Ash hurried forward, calling out to the man. "Hey! Are you okay? Do you need help?"
The man didn't respond, continuing his slow, agonizing limp.
Ash frowned but kept approaching. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" He reached out to gently tap the man's shoulder.
In an instant, the man spun around, revealing a face twisted with rot and decay. His skin was pale, his eyes milky white, and his mouth opened in a grotesque snarl. Before Ash could react, the man lunged at him with surprising speed, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah!" Ash shouted as he hit the pavement hard, struggling to push the man off him. The man's jaws snapped dangerously close to his face, trying to take a bite out of him.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out, panic setting in.
Pikachu's eyes flashed with determination. "Pika-chu!" It unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, striking the infected man squarely in the chest.
The man convulsed violently from the electric shock before being thrown backward into a parked car with a deafening crash. The impact set off the car's alarm, filling the silent streets with an ear-piercing wail.
Ash scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily. "Thanks, Pikachu... that was close."
Before he could fully process what had just happened, a low, menacing growl echoed through the streets. Ash turned, his heart pounding, to see figures emerging from the shadows—dozens of them. More infected, just like the man who attacked him. Their shambling forms moved slowly at first, but as they caught sight of Ash and his Pokémon, they picked up speed, their hungry growls intensifying.
"What... what are these people?" Ash stammered, his eyes widening in horror.
Pikachu's fur bristled, and Lucario's fists clenched, both ready for a fight. But there were too many. The horde of zombies grew larger by the second, their relentless advance leaving Ash with no time to think.
"We've got to get out of here!" Ash shouted, his voice laced with panic.
The undead horde surged toward them, their moans growing louder, more frenzied. Ash and his Pokémon tried to fend them off. Pikachu fired another Thunderbolt, striking a group of zombies, while Lucario unleashed a barrage of Aura Spheres, knocking several back. But no matter how many they took down, more kept coming.
"It's no use!" Ash yelled. "There's too many of them!"
Lucario leaped into action, grabbing Ash by the arm and urging him to retreat. Pikachu hopped back onto Ash's shoulder as the trio turned and bolted down the street, the sound of shambling feet and growls growing louder behind them.
Ash's heart pounded in his chest as they ran. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the undead horde giving chase, their decayed bodies relentless in their pursuit.
"We've got to find somewhere safe!" Ash panted, his mind racing. But everywhere he looked, the city seemed just as dangerous, with no clear place to hide.
From the rooftop of a crumbling skyscraper, Vladimir Bodrovski, codenamed "SPECTRE," crouched low, peering through the scope of his rifle at the chaotic scene below. His sharp eyes, enhanced by his advanced goggle-like device, tracked every movement of the boy and his strange creatures. The device whirred softly, switching between thermal imaging and standard night vision, giving him a clear view of the unfolding drama. At first, SPECTRE's mind raced with one conclusion: Bio-weapons. Umbrella Corporation had created numerous types of bio-engineered monsters over the years, and these peculiar creatures—one an electric rodent, the other a humanoid wolf—seemed like something straight out of Umbrella's black-ops projects. But something didn't add up. The boy, who couldn't be more than a teenager, was commanding them with ease, fighting off hordes of infected with these "weapons."
SPECTRE muttered to himself, "There's no way... a kid like that controlling bio-weapons? It doesn't make sense."
Intrigued, he activated another feature of his visor, allowing him to scan for any electronic signals or frequencies emanating from the creatures. Nothing. No indicators of external control devices, no monitoring implants, nothing that indicated they were engineered by Umbrella. They weren't bio-weapons at all—they were something different, something he hadn't seen before.
His interest piqued, SPECTRE decided it was time to inform his team leader. He pulled out his secure radio, flipping the switch to connect to Umbrella Security Service (U.S.S.) Delta Team's encrypted frequency.
"Lupo, this is SPECTRE," he said in his usual calm, precise tone.
After a brief crackle of static, a stern voice responded. "SPECTRE. Report."
"I've come across something... unusual. Not infected, not Umbrella assets. A kid—young, maybe sixteen—with some kind of creatures. At first, I thought they were bio-weapons, but they don't match any profiles. They respond to him like trained animals or something... even more obedient than our B.O.W.s."
There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a scoff. "A kid with trained monsters?" the voice of Karena LesProux, codenamed "Lupo," the cold and efficient leader of the U.S.S. Delta Team, came through with skepticism. "In Raccoon City? Sounds like you're watching some street magician's show."
"I know what I'm looking at, Lupo," SPECTRE replied, his voice unwavering. "There's something different about this boy. The infected are swarming him, and he's holding his own with those creatures. No tech, no control devices... it's almost like they're protecting him."
Lupo's voice turned serious. "If he's holding off the infected, he's a survivor. Nothing more. And his 'pets' are probably just some strange mutations. Keep your distance. We don't need any distractions from our mission. But keep an eye on him. If the boy becomes a liability, we'll deal with him."
SPECTRE smirked under his mask. "Understood. I'll keep a close watch. But Lupo... there's more to this kid than meets the eye. I have a feeling we might be dealing with something unexpected."
"You know the orders, SPECTRE. Don't let curiosity get in the way. Maintain surveillance. If he leads us to something of value, we'll make our move. Otherwise, leave him for the infected."
"Copy that, Lupo. SPECTRE out."
As he ended the transmission, SPECTRE's gaze returned to Ash and his Pokémon, who had just escaped the horde and were catching their breath behind a collapsed building. SPECTRE zoomed in on the boy's face, noticing his determined expression.
Who are you, kid?