Apart of me likes rhat the pokemon are training in there pokeballs, i think, realistically, if pokemon was real then humand would do sometjing lilenthat but it aldo makes the relationship between Red and his pokemon more like a scientist and his test subjects. Like he just views them as tools instead of potential allies. I just think that a more hands on aproach wouldve made character development and bonding more easy to see and visualize.

It is fascinating to see a more scientific perspective about the pokemon world. I just wish i had the same fascination with our worlds science thay i do this ones.

I cant wait to see the reactions to them discovering whats underneath the mansion, and damn Red just tell someone about Sabrina alreadyyy i feel like that piece of info would convince a lot of people tbh
Anyways thanks for the chapter i always look forward to the beginning of the month because of this fic :

Happy birthday, DayStarELD.

“Back when Red was attending school, he read a history book”
Still too much interesting stuff in this story, DayStarELD.
“scans of a preserved journal from some pre-pokeball trainer recounting their experience”

‘It is impossible to study the past, unless you have a time machine. We can only study the records of the past. History is the study of the human condition.’
- TIKHistory

“further in a few minutes than she could walk in an hour”
Now I’m imagining a full cavalry unit of ponyta, led by Marshal Joachim Murat of the French Empire.
“predator instincts”
Charizard may seem like apex predators, but are there pokemon that prey on charizard?
“a herd of miltank”
Miltank can be downright lethal…
“Red doesn’t feel in control, and hasn’t for months”
Ever since he volunteered his services in the Silph HQ, he had been turned into a government asset. Even if Team Rocket is destroyed, then what? I highly doubt Interpol would let him go.
“how it felt to discover the secret lab”
Leaf is trying so hard to keep this investigation under wraps but there is simply no hiding it at this point. More and more people are going to learn of it. I’d be surprised if Giovanni doesn’t know of the discovery of the lab already.
“then CoRRNet has to be informed”
Trust no one. Not Neasman, not Wendy.
“This is Blaine’s territory, so we’d need to go over his head”
Blaine had to have known after Mewtwo’s escape that the lab was going to be discovered sooner or later. He isn’t stupid.
“in case he’s in on it”
He’s in on it. And Blue knows it; he knows that there is just no way that Blaine couldn’t have been involved. The Cinnabar Leader is in this up to his neck.
“If we’re going to anyone, it has to be Interpol”
This is so frightening to me; there is no way to guarantee that none of these factions are compromised.
“deliberately trying to create powerful pokemon”
Instead of capturing and training existing wild pokemon, Giovanni took DNA from an ancient and powerful one and spliced it with human DNA…what made him decide to do that?
“lands their region in a diplomatic incident”
Giovanni had help and support, within Kanto and possibly beyond it as well.
“only if we can provide at least some proof of it”
I’ve noticed that none of them want to venture into the lab itself just yet. They are afraid of what they might find.
“the resources he’s been given by the local and international police departments to evolve all his pokemon”
Interesting.
“ordered the right food from Alola”
Wait, what?
“he likes his pokemon better as a pikachu than he would as a raichu”
Boo!
“If he evolves, he wouldn’t be able to do either”
Well, Red, it’s your fault for not being more buff! To the gym with you!
“research assistants”
I love this.
“done through their own pokemon”
Red Verres may now be one of the most feared individuals on the entire planet.
“he’s not going to divert any significant time or resources to it”
Now that Red has told him about the lab, however, Looker would likely have it at the back of his mind from now on.
“if she decides to give up now”
Yeah, Leaf isn’t going to let this go, and Red knows it.
“We’ve got a few teams on the island who can do it”
They cannot be trusted. No one can.
“letting other people dictate what happens feels even worse”
This is becoming a personal thing for Red, and it is already affecting his judgment.
“the lanky hunter volunteered to be part of Red’s guards”
But not the other hunter? Why?
“When did he give that agency up? He has power”
I thought of Mewtwo himself.
“They all turn to Blue”
Right now, he’s the one that really worries me.
“I want to know if Blaine is part of this”
You already do, Blue. I think everyone in this group is aware that Blaine has to be involved. They don’t have concrete evidence, but if he’s not involved, then he’s grossly incompetent.
“Blue says after a minute”
Blue is making me more worried. He’s going to do something. I can see him contacting his grandfather Sam and then just the two of them venturing into and investigating the underground lab.
“if it’s real, isn’t a threat”
One thing is certain; the people who made it are going to come after it. And they are never going to stop until they have it back under their control.
“the thing that’s warning everyone about the unown”
Red deduced this from his conversation with Sabrina.
“when Red winces from the light of the headlamp”
Ha!
“now that they’ve stopped”
Mewtwo was taking a big risk in sending out the dreams. Giovanni was probably attempting to track and intercept him using those, so I’d say Mewtwo was correct to stop.
“only the third time”
Now I’m curious about the previous two times.
“he’s probably freaking Looker out”
Not paranoia when you really do have enemies.
“Interpol’s Indigo headquarters”
Ooh, so Interpol’s got a HQ at Indigo itself.
It makes no sense to me that Indigo would only consist of the league. People still need food, water and electricity after all. I’m guessing that when the League tournament comes along, huge numbers of people travel to Indigo to become spectators. When is the next tournament due to take place?
“Mount Silver looms above them, one of the few peaks higher than the one they’re nestled between”
I remember the chapter in which Leader Misty and her Second explore the newly-discovered cave in the Cerulean region.
“The building was rapidly constructed in the space of a couple weeks”
…wow. So the HQ is brand-new. And only made recently, after the Sliph HQ Heist. Why did they choose to build it in Indigo?
“Jenson doesn’t ask”
He’s a really quiet guy, isn’t he?
“the hunter’s professionalism”
They are just people like everybody else. Did Jenson always want to become a hunter? If not, how did he end up as one?
“We’re meant to keep you safe”

‘If Coleman Reese isn’t dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital.’
- The Dark Knight (2008)

“leaving Sabrina out of it for now”
She’s guilty, Red. And you know she is. She introduced you to Giovanni. Connect the dots. See what is right in front of you. You already know who the leader of Team Rocket is. You just don’t want to acknowledge it.
“Looker is up from the desk again and pacing the room”
I both love and hate that we don’t get to see Looker’s perspective of this scene.
“This isn’t important. It’s nothing. Why am I here?”
Looker has a certain set of beliefs and priorities. He clearly has been given his fair share of hoaxes and wrong accusations/cases.
“Red reminds himself that Looker needs him, that the whole region does. Maybe even the world”
I grinned evilly at this. Evil-Red-Verres would be amazing. Dammit, now I want that story. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
“I can have some guys dig around”
Now I’m imagining Interpol agents asking why Looker has sent them to investigate this place or this person, and of course being told that it is need-to-know; just get the intel and send it to Looker, you don’t need to know the rest.
“finding an active base”
There is no active base, is there?
“To be clear”
I laughed at this. Looker isn’t stupid. He can tell that Red isn’t going to let this go.
“Not Darryl”
This scene is awesome. Something very significant just happened in this scene; Red is becoming a leader in his own right, asserting and gaining authority.
“he doesn’t have the passion for it”
Ah. So Darryl’s the sort of person who’s in it from 9 to 5.
“Red grimaces”
Dammit, now I want to know about the Interpol agents that Red works with.
“Who is your first, then? You, Sir”
Ha!
“Been a while since someone tried to manipulate me with flattery”
Next time, Red, buy him an ice cream.
“the ability to fully inhabit another mental state could also make him a great actor”
Oh yeah. The sky is the limit for Red. Other actors who put years of work into their craft would say that it isn’t fair.
“I’ll give her a full squad”
Looker has to be aware that he cannot trust everyone in Interpol. If not traitors or infiltrators, they could just be incompetent. Like that CIA agent in the first Splinter Cell game; turns out he isn’t a traitor, just an idiot who used his own laptop instead of the CIA-issued computers, thus resulting in outside factions being able to gain classified CIA data.
“If people got special treatment or privileges in decision-making just based on how powerful they were”
I laughed at this. Looker probably is facing resentment from other Interpol and government agents at how important Red has become.
“This hybrid is intelligent, can be reasoned with”
And that’s what has gotten Blue so frightened.
“it chilled his blood to hear how casually they dismissed the implications”
Careful, Blue. If you assume that Mewtwo can only be a great threat, it may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“whether it cares at all about the things they do”
Mewtwo as a villain…yeah.
“no amount of reason would stop it from doing what it wants with them”
Giovanni created something that is just too powerful, and he knows it. He just wanted something with the ability to match and overcome the Stormbringers. But he went far and beyond his own success parameters.
“he should probably read her story”
Yes, he should.
“my guess is we’d ignore it”
No they won’t.
“thinking of how to stop it if we needed to”
I’ll say it yet again; Mewtwo is never going to find peace.
“wonders what Gramps would say”
He’s going to tell Sam. Probably already made up his mind to do so.

While this might be a bit late, Happy Birthday.
Your passion for this story is inspiring to say the least, and it's obvious that even in this *short* chapter you've managed to get me as excited and giddy as I was when reading the first chapter.
This story has been consistently awesome and I can't wait to read more.

Your record is unbroken! You know, you may be the most consistent writer on all of fanfic? A decade long streak really deserves some kinda trophy. Or cake! And it's your birthday! Two cakes!
Loving the complicated interpersonal maneuvering going on here, everyone freaking out in their own way and trying to get everyone else to react the way they want. For a chapter with no battles, there was palpable tension through out.
Also noted Red checking out his potential future brooding ground. Red being driven out of hiding after a dark and difficult time dealing with legendaries, giovanni, and *ick* public opinion, by a young and idealistic trainer fresh off two league wins sounds like fun epilogue material. But I'm getting ahead of things.
I am positively frothing at the mouth for all the reaction shots of everyone when they find out the mansion basement is legit and has really unsettling background music.
As always thank you!
And happy birthday!

I caught up! Wow, their right on the cusp of discovering something huge!

I love to see these three work as a team again after so long.

I find it a little funny, or maybe very fitting, that there's no concept of a judicial system that doesn't rely so heavily on psychics.

Omg, team rocket just made themselves known.

I've been binge reading the last ten chapters. Feeling a little guilty for not leaving reviews.

This is really intense. I love how you've set up the Rocket take over of Silph co.

Ditto! :0

I really like reading Naoto's pov. His fear and terror of ditto seemed to be extreme. Considering how ditto is used in the game, for breeding, I wonder if we'll ever get to that point in the story. Where ditto is just another pokemon curiousity, and not a horror film irl.

Happy Birthday Leaf!

Glad to see Blue get more comfortable with failure. Scared to see him take Koichi's words into practice... It's ominous advice, and it sounds like something bad might happen. From what I know of people, people placed in hard situations might grow in the short term, but not in the long term. Old pains (physical and emotional) can cripple you more in the long term; any short term reward is not worth it. It doesn't feel worth it to put pokemon through unnecessary trauma.

Also, that alert at the end... I would guess mewtwo's escape but... Hmmmm...

Red's conversation with Giovanni is :o shocked pikachu face.

They mostly discussed the possibility of research results being used nefariously or criminally. But did they ever discuss the ethics behind the research itself?

Oh my! The secrets out! I wonder what Sabrina and Giovanni are going to do with this information. Perhaps they were the best people to tell. Perhaps they were the worst.

And Rei?

Oh damn, how is Leaf going to handle this situation?