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Zanas' Fire Red Nuzlocke Chapter 8: Prologue

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The phone was ringing loudly, too loudly. It rang in a way that used to drive the aging professor mad in his youth, but since had become a bearing of news and excitement. Samuel Oak pushed away from the table, pulling away from the remains of a broken PokeBall he meticulously picked at, and zoomed across his office while on his prized wheeled desk chair. Soft, poofy and filled with foam padding, Oak was always able to recline comfortably in his expensive chair, and never had to feel guilty about any bird Pokémon having to lose their feathers for his comfort.

Oak reached the other end of the room quickly, ramming his stomach into the edge of another table as he flung his arms in the air and let out a silent 'weeee' that transformed into an audible grunt. He cautiously moved away from the killer table, feeling for only a brief moment like he was going to puke. He didn't thankfully. It would have been a strange thing to explain to his interns when he made them clean up his mess in the morning. Oak took a deep breath as he picked up the phone, trying to speak clearly but instead coming off as a bit strained to the person on the opposite end.

"He-…hello, Professor Oak speaking…oh." Oak heard the distinctive cackle of the young man's voice, and couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Of course it would be you calling me this late at night, Eddy." Oak smiled as he leaned back in his oh-so-amazing chair and propped his feet up on the desk lazily, leg propped over the other. "So what news do you have to share with me?"

Oak listened carefully to the youngest of the Joy siblings, nodding and smiling wider and wider with the news brought to him.

"So…that bad?" He paused. "Well, I suppose you were wrong once again."

The young nurse didn't appreciate Sam's comment, and began barking like a provoked Houndoom as he listed excuse after excuse for his failed theory. Oak groaned as he reached for his coffee which, to his disappointment, he had left on the table across from him. He put the phone down gently, so as not to give Eddy any hint of his leaving, and rolled back over to grab his coffee, which had cooled down to a more drinkable temperature. Sam took a sip and winced slightly from the unexpectedly weak kick of the drink.

The professor placed the coffee mug back on the table and reached deep into the cabinet just overhead. His arm wiggled past the recently cleaned beaker's and test tubes and pulled back out to reveal a half-finished bottle of vodka. Sam poured a glass shot's worth of the alcohol into his coffee, and stirred the mixture around in the mug, careful not to spill any on the floor or his hand.

After taking another sip and getting the punch he craved, Oak walked back to his seat and got comfy. He returned his legs to the desk and picked the phone up to continue his conversation. To no surprise, Eddy was still talking, but showed signs of ending his rant soon. The professor continued to sip his drink, smiling with each sip he took until as the boy paused to take a breath.

"So, when can I expect my other loud-mouth to come home?" He was extremely pleased with him-self and he didn't try to hide his satisfaction. But that moment would be brief. Sam's satisfaction nosedived straight into a realm of disbelief and anger when Eddy continued his report.

"He-THEY did what?!" If anyone had been in the lab with the professor, they would have surely jumped in fear and chaos would have spread through the building like it was on fire. Most of the Pokémon were asleep in their PokeBalls, thankfully, and since the lab doubled as Oak's home, it gave people all the more reason to respect the man's privacy after hours.

"Why in the Reverse World would Brock go so far?! All I asked of him, of both of you, was to scare Zanas into giving up on the journey, not to beat him to an inch of his life!" Eddy commented on the man's anger and even though it got on his nerves, Oak took a breath and refused to let Eddy's arrogant persona and his temper get the better of him

"How long are the doctors saying?" Eddy didn't give any smart remarks, but couldn't give a straight answer either, since he didn't have one. "Then what do you think." There was a long pause, but the young Joy gave his best guess, not even bothering to call it a hypothesis.

"With that many broken bones, Brock might as well have just paralyzed the poor kid." Sam took a long shot of his mug, clenching his fist over his face as he fought through the tense aftereffect. "Ugh…I'd love to hear his excuse for attempting to murder a family friend."

The explanation was long and really should have been more focused on the events rather than opinion, but Eddy relayed more than enough for Sam to understand. The professor grew quiet as his mind and heart raced together, one telling him what he needed to accept and the other not wanting to believe a word of it. He must have been silent for some time, because Eddy had to say his name over and over to bring him back to the conversation. Once he'd return to reality, Sam downed the rest of his coffee and made a face of regret the second it slid down his throat.

He slumped in his chair and hung up the phone, not before telling Eddy he would call him back soon. He looked to the ceiling, covering his face with his hands as he let sleep creep up on him but not take him yet. As he turned his head to the clock, Oak read 10:10 P.M. and gave a long unnecessary moan of annoyance.

"He just had to lose his mind at that moment," Oak sighed but followed it up with a chuckle. "Well then, I don't have to worry about him putting up a fight now do I?" Oak chuckled some more but stopped himself before he began a full on laugh. It was disrespectful to find someone else's pain so funny, no matter how at peace it made you feel. He reached for his coffee mug out of habit, realizing that he had already gulped down the last of his drink. Sam shrugged and got up from his seat and made his way toward the sink in the far right corner of his office.

He'd had enough to drink, and he planned to wake up semi-sober the next morning, if he could help it. As he lazily moved to the sink, the slashing light of his portable T.V. flashed what looked like half the colors of the rainbow off of the walls. Oak recognized the color scheme as the, opening to one of the few news stations he ever watched nowadays, the World Wide Watch. The W.W.W. wasn't that old compared to the ever popular Satellite News Station, but it was less opinionated on political matters, or any matter really in comparison. He always preferred being given the news, not being told how to feel about it.

Sam finished drying off the mug and ran his finger inside to check for any leftover grinds. When he was satisfied, he placed the mug down next to the sink, turned the faucet off and made his way over to the broadcast. He still knew he would have to call Eddy back, but if that overanxious nurse was up this late, he could wait a few minutes for Sam to catch up on the events of the world.

As he sat down, the screen flashed that an urgent report was going to be shoved into the show's time slot last minute.

"Well, so much for seeing the newest Skitty videos on the web this week," Oak quipped.

He always had a cynical sort of humor, even when something serious was being discussed. Most people figured he was just naïve to his surroundings, which made his jokes all the more funny to him.

Oak shifted the T.V. to aim toward the desk where the phone sat, and rushed across the large office to pick up the device and make the necessary call. When the ringing stopped and Eddy's voice came through, the professor had gone quiet.

Joy was already watching the broadcast live from Pewter and from what the young computer wiz had gathered, so was the entire region that is and once was Kanto.

The message wasn't just playing on the news stations or online. For about 3 hours, every advertisement screen in Saffron City that latched onto buildings, like the Silph Co. headquarters, showed the same bright red timer counting down.

The initial video that came before the timer was what caught everyone's attention. While interrupting whatever toy or beauty cream advertisement was on at the time, a clip showing only a blood red capital "R" with a black background painfully fizzled and cut its way into screen time. Anyone under the age of twenty would not recognize this symbol, and it's likely many twenty-somethings would be left in the dark. However, the rest of Kanto shuddered and froze in place, mesmerized by the mocking symbol of the region's past.

For five minutes, the red symbol loomed over the heads of Saffron City's citizens, while the companies who owned the buildings attempted to shut down each screen. It would be hours from the original screening of the terrorist group's reveal that any of them managed to know how to turn off the virus that plagued their system, and it would have taken even longer just to turn it off.

A dark growl of a voice, clearly edited to hide the speaker's identity, began speaking as the "R" fizzled away and began showing pictures of different cities and locations of Kanto and the young Johto region.

"I don't feel that an introduction is necessary for many of you," the voice began, sounding refined and calm even through the editing. "But for those of you too new to the world and its past, I'll give you the courtesy."

The video cut in the same broken manner as before, showing an artist's rendition of the war that took place years ago. It showed the carnage of the war for both human and Pokémon alike, with blood and bodies flung across the field of battle, de-limbed and broken soldiers continuing to fight till their very last breath. Then another artist's work appeared, and another's as the voice continued to speak.

"We are what remain of a true leader's ideals. We are the growing family of warriors and pure Kantoians that were forsaken and disgraced years ago."

Again the video cut, showing the graveyards placed in the town of rest, Lavender, as well as showing the memorials made to the soldiers and Pokémon that kept the region safe.

"These false idols, your false heroes, were mindless drones of a self-serving government, afraid of new ideas and methods of equality. A government you still serve today. A government that many of you only now, see as faulty and broken as we claimed it to be years ago."

Another cut, and the video began to show different towns of both regions, zooming out and showing another town which zoomed out to do the same until the screen showed multiple different clips of the towns across Kanto and Johto.

"This region has been divided. Not because of our attempt at making a better world, but because of your lack of understanding. Because of your lack of acceptance to change, we are a divided power and we will be overrun by outsiders. We are here to take back all of Kanto. We are here to fix that damage your government escalated and forced upon us all."

Each screen now fizzled and cut away showing only static until the entire screen was static itself.

"This time, we will not hold back. In order to make change exist, it must be forced into existence."

The red "R" returned, as well as multiple silhouettes of different people. Body type and faces were covered by the shadows and blended into the background. The only part of their bodies that were shown was their eyes. Bright, blood red, matching the "R" placed behind them. The camera zoomed out and moved up to show an ever growing platoon of these people.

These red-eyed individuals followed the camera and began to call out in a monotone chant, a sort of motto. They grew louder and louder, as the camera moved away, as well as more passionate with their words, until they were screaming madly at the camera as if demanding the world to listen to them.

"To shield the world from its own devastation, to unite all people within our nation, to dethrone the harlots of truth and love, to bring all down and ascend above. Power and Unity. The Red Army fights for all that's right. Follow our cause or fear our might!"

Just as before, the static shifted and jumped the video to a new scene. The red timer gave its first appearance at exactly 11:30 p.m. and since then had been counting closer and closer to zero from its three-hour time limit.

"This will be our one and only sign of mercy. People of Saffron City, take what valuables and pets you can carry and find shelter elsewhere. We have need for this location and your cooperation will be appreciated by us all. Phase one of re-construction will begin when the timer reaches zero. For those of you unable to vacate before this time, I personally apologize for what happens to you. For those too stubborn to heed our warning, you will not be missed in the new Kanto built upon your ashes."

At the time, many people stopped to listen for any more words, but none came. The timer continued to tick away silently on the screens while those poor employees of Silph Co. and others worked desperately to stop what was to come. Some citizens fled, grabbing their families and what material possessions they could. Most others ignored the warning.

Eddy screamed into the phone, trying to get Sam's attention, but the professor just shushed him and eventually hung up, needing to listen to what had happened. He didn't stick to one station, no matter how trustworthy he found W.W.W. to be. He needed to get everyone's additions to the story and learn about any details missed. It had only been an hour since the devastation of Saffron, but things were still getting worse and worse with each passing second. The only large company building left standing was Silph Co.'s, while all the others were toppled over into another building or a patch of homes or just having collapsed on itself.

It would take days for anyone to actually come up with an estimated number of victims, most of them being deaths. Add in the chaos that citizens and possibly members from the Red Army were creating, and the city would truly be lost to Kanto for no less than a year.

He couldn't stand looking at the T.V. anymore, another hour having passed since he started watching the broadcast. Sam could see the sun peeking out of the sky, the clouds a shade of dark blue and pink, with gold trailing just behind both. He needed sleep. He needed more to drink. He needed to call Eddy back. Plans were going to change to the most desperate and half-assed ideas. He pushed the buttons of the phone slowly, exhausted by how late it was, or early, and over everything that had just transpired.

Eddy picked up the phone, but kept silent. It took the professor a long moment to give his instructions. If it were any other day, or any other group that had attacked, he would have rather bit his own tongue out then say these words. Too bad for Zanas, this wasn't any other day nor any other threat.

Oak took a deep breath and, in a broken voice, he mumbled. "Take…take him to Cerulean…Teach him…tell Brock to…Tell him he wins."
Edit: I belive I fixed some time continuity issues but I could be wrong so feel free to point out specifically where my flub is.

Rise of The Red Army

Previously /Next

First

So here is my second update within my weekly limits guide. I wanted originally to have this in by Saturday, but with how things are going I think that a Saturday or Sunday submission are a good amount of time to submit these things.

So in this chapter we learn what Oak has been up to and a bit of what he is planning, when we suddenly get hit with the reveal of team rock-i mean The Red Army.

I decided to drastically change how Team Rocket would be mostly to just fit the realizations ill be bringing up and to fit the world better. Also a big hand to :icondeathshadow1991: for helping me write out the new catch phrase for the terrorist group as well as help me tremulously on how the video should go in that scene. I Really appreciate your help with that.

Next week another chapter and soon I hope to have a new cover art to fit into the new chapter soon. Thanks again for reading and constructive criticism is always welcomed.

Rules

Nuzlocke Forums

Comissions

Roster:
Duke=13
Prince=11
Babe:12
Pepper:12
Hector:5

Caught:4
Deaths:none

Cover Art by :iconlunareden:
Editing/Co-writer: This time by :iconmightierfire:
Comments27
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JessieShadowhold's avatar
I like the different point of view for this one, and I especially love the re-tooled Rocket Motto. I honestly thought "Jessie! James!" at the appropriate times in this.