Enzo remained standing in the quiet hotel room with the egg still in his hands, his eyes fixed on the dark shell. At the same time, the System window hovered at the edge of his vision like a truth that refused to disappear just because he had already accepted it.
The Galarian Moltres is unhatched and already has a light purple potential. For several seconds, he allowed himself to simply look at it.
The egg was heavy, warm in a way that did not feel natural, and far too large to be treated like any ordinary specimen.
"Alright," Enzo murmured at last, studying the shell with narrowed eyes. "First problem. I need an incubator big enough for you."
He set the egg down carefully on the bed, surrounding it with folded blankets to keep it stable, then pulled out his TR device and opened the internal Team Rocket marketplace. Rows of restricted equipment scrolled past his eyes, moving from standard transport cases to advanced containment units, medical pods, incubation chambers, field stabilization crates, and enough black market biotech to start a private war if used properly.
None of it helped.
Some of the incubators had excellent specifications on paper, with humidity control, thermal regulation, artificial monitoring systems, and enough backup power to sustain rare species through unstable conditions, but one after another they failed on the same basic issue. Too small. Too narrow. Built for valuable eggs, yes, but not for something like this.
Enzo clicked through three more listings just to make sure he was not missing some hidden custom category, then leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly through his nose.
For a brief second, Leni crossed his mind. If anyone could understand what kind of incubator this would require, it would probably be him. The thought died almost immediately. Leni was probably buried alive under the chaos unleashed by the Fairy type announcement, drowning in calls, conferences, registry work, and scientific fallout from the biggest public discovery in years.
He needed someone who understood discretion.
Enzo stared at the egg again, then reached for his device and selected another contact.
Nero picked up quickly, which somehow made the irritation in his voice worse.
"You're calling me already?"
Enzo straightened slightly. "Executive, my apologies for disturbing you again so soon."
"Is this important, or are you wasting my time?" Nero asked.
"It's important."
Nero was quiet for a second. "Then speak."
Enzo chose his words carefully. "I need something very discreet, and I need it arranged through channels that won't leave people asking questions later."
Nero gave a low, unimpressed sound. "Then talk to logistics."
"If it were something I could push through logistics, I wouldn't be bothering you."
That got him another brief silence.
Enzo continued before Nero could dismiss him. "This is private. Extremely private. I need an incubator built to handle a species that is both unusually large and unusually valuable, and I need the best specifications available. No attention, no paper trail worth mentioning, and no one asking what I plan to keep inside it."
On the other end of the line, Nero's tone shifted slightly.
"An incubator?"
"Yes."
"For what?"
Enzo paused for half a second. "A very rare Pokémon."
"That tells me nothing."
"It's large, and it has extraordinary potential. I would prefer that no one else hears about it until I am ready."
Nero exhaled slowly. "You always make things irritating."
"I try not to."
"That's a lie."
Enzo fell silent.
For a few seconds, all he heard was the faint sound of movement on Nero's side, as though the man had turned away from whatever he had been doing and was now actually thinking about the request. When he finally spoke again, the answer came in the same flat tone as before, but this time there was a decision behind it.
"Call Blaine."
Enzo blinked once. "Blaine?"
"Yes. He owes me one." Nero paused, then added, "Actually, no. After this, he won't."
That made Enzo's expression sharpen.
"I'll send you the number. You call him, you explain what you need, and you tell him I was the one who sent you. If he handles it, we're square."
Enzo took that in quickly. Nero was not just pointing him in the right direction. He was spending a favor to do it.
"Executive," Enzo said, more sincerely than before, "thank you. I owe you one."
"You can thank me next time," Nero replied. "And keep alcohol out of it."
Despite everything, Enzo almost smiled. "Understood."
The line went dead.
A second later, the contact information arrived on Enzo's screen.
Blaine.
Enzo looked down at the number, then back at the egg resting on the bed. The shell seemed almost darker in the dim light of the room, its presence pressing silently against the air as if reminding him that every minute spent hesitating was a minute wasted.
"Let's see if Nero's debt is worth as much as he thinks it is," Enzo murmured, and tapped the call button.
The call rang longer than Enzo expected.
When it was finally answered, the voice on the other end came rough with irritation and absolutely devoid of patience.
"Who is this?"
"Squad Leader Enzo, Shadow Unit Lambda," Enzo responded respectfully. "Executive Nero sent me."
There was a pause.
Then, "And why exactly is Nero sending squad leaders to waste my time?"
Enzo kept his expression still. "Because this isn't something I can ask through normal channels."
"Just speak, I'm in the middle of the most important research of all time."
"I need an incubator," Enzo said. "Large scale. Top specifications. Full environmental control. Maximum discretion."
Blaine gave a low exhale that sounded almost like a laugh. "You called me for that? Are you serious? Go bother logistics."
"If it were that simple, I would not be calling you."
That bought him a second of silence.
Enzo continued, choosing his words carefully. "Executive Nero believed you might have access to the sort of equipment that does not get listed openly."
Blaine still sounded unimpressed. "And why would I care?"
"Because Nero told me that if you handle this, the two of you are square."
That changed something, not dramatically or loudly, but enough that the irritation on the line sharpened into attention.
"I see," Blaine said. "What kind of specimen are we talking about?"
Enzo let half a second pass.
"Something connected to a legendary."
The answer hit exactly as intended.
When Blaine spoke again, the annoyance was gone. "You could have said that earlier."
"I preferred not to say it unless I had to."
"Size?"
Enzo glanced toward the bed. "Much larger than a standard egg incubator is designed for."
"Urgency?"
"Immediate."
"Power stability?"
"Best available."
This time Blaine did not waste any more words. "I have something that should work. Not standard issue, but close enough for what you're describing, assuming you are not understating the size too badly."
"I'm not."
"Good. Then I'll have it moved."
"To where?"
"Viridian," Blaine said. "In Nero's name. You pick it up there."
That made Enzo's eyes sharpen slightly. Kanto was exactly what he needed.
"I appreciate the help," he said.
"Don't," Blaine replied. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because Nero said we settle it now."
"That's good enough for me."
"Then listen carefully," Blaine said. "When you collect it, keep your mouth shut about where it came from."
"Understood."
Blaine let out one last breath. "For your sake, I hope it is. Otherwise this was a very annoying call."
The line went dead.
Enzo lowered the device and looked back at the egg.
Viridian.
That was good. More than good. It meant he now had a reason to leave Galar quickly.
Enzo had only just leaned back when someone knocked at the door.
He already knew who it had to be. Only two people in Ballonlea knew where he was staying.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, and Ratchet stepped in first with Ronnie right behind him.
Ratchet glanced at the room, at Enzo lying back comfortably, and let out a short laugh. "Now this is what I call working hard."
Enzo did not even look up properly. "Less talking. Did you find the trader?"
Ratchet opened his mouth, but Ronnie beat him to it.
"Yeah, we found him, but that's not even the biggest thing."
That made Enzo's eyes narrow.
Ronnie was already reaching for the television remote. "You've been hiding in here too long. You haven't seen what's going on outside."
A second later the screen lit up, and the room filled with noise.
News anchors. Emergency footage. Smoke over the Galar Mine. Crowds gathering. Agents of the League pushing people back. Trainers, hunters, and opportunists flooding roads and stations. Rumors were already everywhere.
Two legendary birds had allegedly been sighted in violent conflict near the newly developing wild zones.
Galarian Moltres.
Galarian Zapdos.
Enzo watched the broadcast in silence, though inwardly the satisfaction that moved through him was sharp and immediate. The feather had not just muddied the waters. It had thrown the entire region into chaos.
Better than expected.
Ratchet, who had been watching him more than the screen, followed the line of his calm expression for a second too long before his eyes shifted lower.
Then he froze.
The egg sat where it had been placed, far too large and far too strange to pass for anything ordinary.
Ronnie saw it a second later and stopped talking mid sentence.
For one stretched moment, both of them simply stared.
Enzo lifted one finger to his lips.
"Not a word."
Neither of them argued.
Ronnie nodded first, though the excitement in his face made it painfully obvious that he was already dying to ask questions. Ratchet looked less excited than unnerved, which Enzo actually preferred.
To break the silence before it got awkward, Enzo shifted the conversation himself. "How is the Impidimp recruitment going?"
That was all Ronnie needed.
The change in his face was immediate, his whole posture straightening as though he had just been handed a medal. "Great, boss. Better than great, actually. I've already got more than twenty five joining us, and and I left my Shiinotic there to continue recruiting while we came back."
That got a small smile out of Enzo.
"That pokémon was a good catch," he said. "You did well, Ronnie. Those Impidimps are going to be worth a lot."
Ronnie looked absurdly proud of himself.
Enzo let him enjoy it for exactly one second before standing up properly.
"Good," he said. "Then let's go meet this broker."
Ratchet's meeting spot was in a neglected corner of Ballonlea, far from the town's prettier areas.
The man waiting for them did not look like a smuggler.
He wore simple, practical clothes typical of a League worker. The man's expression tightened as soon as he saw all three of them.
"I was expecting two."
Ratchet answered before Ronnie could. "Plans changed."
The man's eyes moved to Enzo. "I don't like changed plans."
Enzo stepped forward and extended a hand with easy confidence. "Eric."
The man hesitated, then took it. "I prefer fast deals."
"So do I," Enzo replied. "That means we should get along."
That did not seem to reassure him much, but he still motioned them deeper into the alley and into a narrow back room attached to what looked from the outside like a storage space.
Once inside, the man got straight to the point. "What quantity?"
Enzo did not answer that first. "How do you usually move product?"
"By weight."
"I don't want it for consumption," Enzo said. "I want it for planting."
That immediately changed the tone of the conversation.
The broker studied him for a second longer, then answered more carefully. "In that case, I can sell in batches. Fifty per batch."
"Good," Enzo said. "I want four hundred batches."
The man blinked once, clearly thinking he had misheard. "Four hundred batches?"
"Yes."
"That is twenty thousand mushrooms."
"Yes," Enzo replied, maintaining the same expression on his face.
For a second the broker simply stared at him, then let out a low breath through his nose. "Then the price won't be small. Fifty thousand per batch."
Enzo did not react. "Thirty five."
The broker's expression sharpened. "Forty five."
"Forty."
"That still puts you at sixteen million."
Enzo gave a slight nod. "Then now you understand the scale."
The man rubbed at his jaw. "I can move it, but I'm not carrying responsibility past the handoff."
"That is where you are wrong," Enzo said.
The broker looked up.
Enzo's tone remained calm. "Before we go any further, I want a signed sheet. Quantity. Batch size. Confirmation that you are responsible for discrete delivery to the agreed port."
The broker actually laughed once. "You think I'm signing that? are u crazy?"
"If you want this deal, yes."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then there is no deal."
"That sounds like a threat."
Enzo met his eyes without changing expression. "No. It sounds like me deciding whether you remain useful."
That shut him up.
The air held still for a moment. Then the broker looked from Enzo to Ratchet, to Ronnie, and back again, and whatever he saw there finally convinced him this was not a bluff.
With visible reluctance, he sat, drafted the confirmation, and signed it.
Enzo read the paper once and handed it to Ratchet.
"Good," he said. "Now we can proceed."
The broker still looked unhappy, but sixteen million had already begun to work on his judgment. "It'll take time."
"You have some."
The man seemed ready to argue further, but the magnitude of the order continually pulled him back toward compliance.
"Is Ratchet in charge of the proxy exchange?"
"He is," Enzo replied.
That seemed to settle the last of the broker's concerns. They shook on sixteen million, and by the time the man walked away, already looking pleased with the size of the deal he had just secured.
Ratchet looked at Enzo. "So what now, boss?"
Enzo reached into his coat, pulled out a card, and held it out to him.
"Now you take this. There are twenty million Pokédollars on it. You use that money to build yourself a proper crew. Trainers with actual Pokémon, not dead weight. I want people around you who can protect you, move for you, and help you handle what comes next."
Ratchet took the card carefully, almost reverently.
"And buy yourself a Meowth," Enzo added.
Ratchet blinked. "A Meowth?"
"Yes," Enzo said. "They're easy to train, even for people without much experience."
Ratchet gave a quick nod. "Alright, boss. And then what?"
"Then you wait," Enzo said. "When the broker has the batches ready, he calls you. By then I'll probably be in Hoenn, but that changes nothing. You handle the contact, you handle the proxy side."
Ratchet straightened immediately. "Got it."
Enzo turned to Ronnie next and placed Hypno's Poké Ball in his hand.
"Go get your Shiinotic and the rest of the Impidimps," he said. "Then take the egg to the container. You and Hypno are guarding it until I say otherwise."
Ronnie's face lit up at once, especially at being entrusted with something that important. He nodded so hard it almost looked painful.
"Leave it to me, boss."
Without wasting another second, he took off at once.
Enzo watched him go, then called for Corviknight.
The great steel bird descended with a heavy beat of wings, and Enzo climbed onto its back without hesitation. He still had work to do in Motostoke, and if Anna and Proton had done their jobs properly, then the chaos spreading through the city was about to become very profitable.
By the time he reached Motostoke again, the city no longer felt like the same place he had moved through before.
It had become a boiling mess of rumors, League presence, opportunists, frightened civilians, and the kind of people who only appeared when they smelled money or disaster in the air. Trains were overcrowded. Streets were dense with movement. Pokémon hunters had come in from other regions. Reporters were everywhere. League officers kept trying to impose order on a city that had already slipped past orderly.
The story of two legendary birds fighting had spread like wildfire.
And in the middle of all of it, Anna and Proton were waiting exactly where Enzo had told them to be.
The moment they saw him, both of them moved at once.
Anna got there first, face bright with excitement. Proton, only a step behind, looked equally alert in a much more restrained way.
"You finally made it," Anna said.
"You have targets?" Enzo asked.
Anna smiled.
Proton replied, "More than that."
This piqued Enzo's interest.
The two of them led him into the flow of the city while speaking quickly and quietly at the same time, explaining what had happened in his absence.
Between the panic caused by the mine disaster, the attention dragged toward the supposed battle between legendary birds, and the sudden restructuring of value caused by the Fairy type announcement, large parts of the market had started shedding stock fast. Not the things everyone suddenly wanted. The things they no longer knew how to value properly.
Enzo looked at Proton. "And the Dark types?"
Proton's mouth curved faintly. "All time low."
That got a real smile out of Enzo.
Now that was what he wanted to hear.
The Motostoke black market was way smaller than Spikemuth's, but the chaos in the city had swollen it far beyond its usual rhythm. Every hidden aisle and side room seemed full. Sellers were trying to unload stock before prices moved again. Buyers were scrambling to decide what still mattered. Half the market smelled like fear, and the other half smelled like greed.
Anna led them to the first seller.
The man greeted her warmly enough, then looked at Enzo and Proton with the usual dismissive calculation of someone deciding too quickly who in a group actually mattered.
Enzo let him make that mistake.
Only when the seller started implying that some merchandise might be beyond their price range did Enzo reach into his coat and show him the Team Rocket squad leader insignia.
The man's entire demeanor changed in an instant.
"Of course," he said. "This way."
He led them into a back section where lot after lot of Dark-type Pokémon had been gathered for quick sale. Galarian Zigzagoon made up much of the visible stock, but not all of it. There were other lines mixed in as well, some evaluated, some not, many of them priced with the kind of uncertainty that made Enzo want to laugh.
He scanned quietly.
Light Green. Green. Another Light Green. A few worse. One decent. Another worth taking. He kept moving, choosing carefully while making it look like instinct and preference rather than cold, hidden analysis.
When he was done, he had pulled out roughly forty-five from the unevaluated lots alone, on top of the first batch he had already decided to take.
The seller made the calculations, brows rising higher the longer he counted.
"That comes to 35.540 million."
Enzo gave no visible reaction at all. Inside, he was almost delighted.
That price was absurdly good.
He turned to Proton and stepped aside as if he needed to discuss whether they really wanted to commit to something so large. The seller, predictably, read the hesitation in the worst possible way and hurried to cut himself before the deal could slip.
"Thirty million," he said quickly. "And I include the Poké Balls."
Enzo looked back at him and nodded once. "Accepted."
The man smiled with relief.
By the time they finished there, the pattern had been set.
The next few hours passed in a blur of repetition, pressure, and buying. One seller detailed. Five more taken in faster sequence. Anna smoothing the way. Proton staying sharp. Enzo quietly filtering trash from opportunity and sweeping up Dark type stock with better potential than any of the fools selling it seemed to realize.
By the end of it, they had spent 110 million Pokédollars in dirty money. They assembled a haul of 6570 dark-type Pokémon.
Motostoke was still drowning in chaos when they left.
Enzo barely noticed.
He was too busy watching the future stack itself into crates.
Moving the stock took time, but less than it should have, largely because no one in Motostoke was paying the right kind of attention anymore.
By the time Enzo, Anna, and Proton reached the hidden container with the latest batches, Ronnie was already there, standing guard with the kind of seriousness he usually reserved for when he was told something was extremely important.
Steelix had been positioned nearby like a living wall of iron, and Hypno remained close to the container itself, its presence making the whole place feel even more secure.
The moment Ronnie saw them, his face lit up.
"Everything's fine," he said immediately, before Enzo even asked. "I didn't let anything happen."
Enzo looked past him at the guarded container, then at Steelix, then back at Ronnie.
"Well done."
That was enough to make Ronnie visibly straighten.
Then he looked past them and saw how many crates they had brought back.
His eyes widened. "That much?"
"More than we brought," Enzo said.
Ronnie grinned like a child being shown a treasure. "Nice."
Together they loaded the new lots into the container, and with every crate that disappeared inside it became more obvious that they were leaving Galar far wealthier than they had arrived.
By the time they were done, the container was packed, and it was time to prepare for departure.
The loaded container was locked down and attached via the prepared transport rigging. Once the final checks were complete, Corviknight was called in to take the leading pull. At the same time, the rest of the system carried the actual burden to its destination.
They climbed up onto the container and took their places on top of it, the four of them settling into position while Corviknight lowered itself just enough for the heavy cables to be secured properly.
Once everything was fastened, Enzo looked over the load one last time and then turned toward Proton and Ronnie.
"This cargo is too valuable for mistakes," he said. "Ronnie, release Fearow. Proton, release Crobat. I want aerial cover the whole way. If anything gets too close, I want it seen before it becomes a problem."
Neither of them argued.
Ronnie immediately reached for his Poké Ball and released Fearow into the air, the bird circling above them with a sharp cry before climbing higher. Proton followed a second later, letting Crobat burst out in a blur of wings and speed, already sweeping the airspace around them with far more discipline than Ronnie's bird.
Anna held onto one of the secured straps as the wind picked up around them, her eyes fixed on the shrinking outline of Galar below, while Enzo remained standing near the front of the container, steady and unreadable.
Then Corviknight beat its wings once, hard enough to make the whole load shudder beneath them, and began pulling them forward.
Ronnie raised his voice over the rush of air. "So now we go straight to Hoenn?"
Enzo did not turn around. "No."
Ronnie blinked. "Then where?"
"Viridian first," Enzo said. "I have a meeting with Giovanni."
That answer settled over the group more heavily than the cold wind ever could.
No one said anything after that.
With Fearow and Crobat circling above as moving shadows against the sky, Corviknight carried them onward while Galar slowly began to disappear behind them. The container beneath their feet held a fortune in stolen opportunity, the egg hidden among cargo far too dangerous to be treated as simple profit, and the people riding above it all were no longer just thieves escaping with a haul.
As the wind hit harder against his face, Enzo kept his eyes fixed ahead.
The next phase will involve more than just money, it will also encompass politics of the world.