POKEMON : STARTING WITH FLASH METAGROSS

I... am an undercover agent?

Rax Chand stared blankly at the darkened computer screen on the desk in front of him, his brain grinding to a halt.

Am I Rax Chand?

But... I don't think I'm this Rax Chand?

Fragments of memories flashed through his mind—memories that didn't belong to him but to this body.

They replayed vividly, all the way up to the moment he powered down the computer.

Join Team Rocket…

Show off your computer skills...

Become an intelligence agent…

Assigned to the Sinnoh region...

Given a Pokémon—Cubone?!

Cubone!!!

Rax instinctively reached for his waist, pulling out a spherical object no larger than a pigeon egg.

The top was red, the bottom white, with a black line separating the two halves. A white button sat at its center, smooth and unassuming.

It felt light yet unyielding in his grasp.

A Poké Ball!!!

Rax's pupils widened as his right index finger hovered over the white button. His instincts screamed at him to press it, but caution held him back.

According to the memories, pressing it again would release the Pokémon stored inside.

And in this particular Poké Ball was the original body's only companion...

Cubone.

Rax exhaled sharply. Hesitating, he pressed and held the button for three seconds. The Poké Ball shrank back to its original size, and he clipped it securely to his belt.

He wasn't ready to face Cubone just yet—or maybe he didn't know how to.

As he rubbed his throbbing temple, Rax began to survey the room he was in.

A small, cluttered warehouse. A dim desk lamp illuminated an old computer.

But according to his newfound memories, entering a specific password would unlock the computer's true function—a gateway to Team Rocket's encrypted system.

Team Rocket...

Rax clicked his tongue. His starting point wasn't ideal.

He wasn't some promising Trainer from the Pokémon League, nor did he possess a rare starter Pokémon.

Even as a member of the infamous Team Rocket, he was just another low-ranking grunt, armed with nothing but a Cubone, a Pokémon with limited combat power.

And now, before even warming up his Poké Ball, he'd been assigned to the Sinnoh region to run... a ramen shop?!

Rax's expression twisted. Reality and inherited memories blurred together. As it turned out, he was currently in the warehouse of this ramen shop, setting up Team Rocket's system to send encrypted reports back to HQ.

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door startled Rax.

"Debugging finished, Rax?"

The voice outside belonged to Captain Yusaku, his superior.

Rax's heart tightened. But thanks to the memories he inherited, he knew exactly who it was.

He opened the door, adopting an expression of respect at just the right moment.

"Captain, the system is ready for use," Rax said confidently.

"Good, good! I knew you'd be worth bringing along!" Yusaku beamed and patted him on the shoulder.

Rax plastered on a humble smile, all the while recalling how the original owner of his body had mastered the art of underachievement.

The original Rax Chand had finished setting up the system in five minutes but intentionally took ten to seem efficient without drawing too much attention.

"Come on," Yusaku said. "The ramen shop's about to open. You're not cooking or serving, but you'll start with basic tasks—cleaning and carrying supplies. Blend in, you know?"

"Understood, boss," Rax replied, correcting himself mid-sentence.

"Haha, now that's more like it!" Yusaku laughed heartily, pleased with the shift in address.

For the rest of the day, Rax busied himself with menial tasks while processing his new reality.

He discovered plenty of key details from the original memories but found no trace of the world's connection to any known timeline.

Was it possible the events of the original series hadn't occurred yet?

No Silly Things?

No Altaria betraying the dragon clans?

And Groudon still can't fly?

Or perhaps this wasn't even the same world from the games or show. A parallel world, perhaps?

By the time dinner rolled around, Rax finally had a moment to rest.

"Good work today," Yusaku said, rolling up his sleeves. "I'll recruit more help tomorrow. For now, let me show you what I can do!"

As Yusaku busied himself in the kitchen, Rax watched in mild amusement. He couldn't shake the feeling that Yusaku cared more about being a ramen chef than leading a secret operation.

Slurp, slurp!

The rich tonkotsu broth and perfectly chewy noodles were enough to silence Rax's worries for a while.

"This is delicious!" he said, setting his bowl down with satisfaction.

"Haha! Glad you like it," Yusaku said, his eyes twinkling. "Back in the day—" He stopped mid-sentence and shook his head, a wistful smile playing on his lips.

Turning to his Pokémon, Yusaku tossed some energy cubes to his trusty Raticate and Golbat, both elite-level Pokémon that had been instrumental in his rise through Team Rocket's ranks.

"You're up, Rax. Where's your Cubone?"

Rax hesitated but knew he couldn't stall forever. Taking out the Poké Ball, he pressed the button twice.

A flash of red light materialized into a small Cubone.

Quiet. Stoic. Lonely.

The tiny Pokémon's gaze seemed to pierce through the world itself, entirely indifferent to Rax's presence.

Rax knelt, observing Cubone's diminutive frame—a yellow body with a pale belly, an oversized skull helmet, and a bone club clenched tightly in its tiny hands.

Cute... but fierce.

A small smile crept across Rax's face.

I'll start over from here. Please take care of me, Cubone.