Pokémon: The Ashes Beneath Saffron

Rine Frostfang once dreamed of waking in the Pokémon world. When death grants that wish, he is reborn beneath the golden skyline of Saffron City with memories of another life and knowledge no ordinary child should possess. But this is not the bright adventure he remembers. The orphanage that raises him is a hidden Team Rocket facility—one that turns abandoned children into obedient soldiers. On recruitment day, Rine’s dream of becoming a licensed Trainer ends in blood. Forced to prove his loyalty, he learns that weakness is punished, compassion is exploited, and survival demands increasingly monstrous choices. His first Pokémon is a feral female Houndour born from a rare mutation, possessing the combined power of Dark, Fire, and Electric energy. Starved, unstable, and suffering from the very power that makes her valuable, she refuses to be controlled. Rine must earn her trust while hiding his own growing abilities: Identify, psychic manipulation, aura control, and a dangerous affinity for Dark energy. Together, they descend into Saffron’s criminal underworld, where Pokémon are weapons, children are resources, and every promotion is purchased with suffering. Missions bring new enemies, uneasy allies, and a cunning Ghost-type who chooses to follow Rine for reasons of his own. Meanwhile, Lyra—a gifted disciple of Sabrina—offers Rine a path beyond Team Rocket, though trusting her may prove as dangerous as remaining loyal. As violence becomes easier and the person he once was begins to disappear, Rine is forced to confront a horrifying truth: Team Rocket is no longer merely turning him into a monster. It may have already succeeded. Escaping will require more than strength. Rine must protect the Pokémon who placed their faith in him, expose the organization that stole his childhood, and reclaim the dream he thought had died beneath Saffron City. But freedom carries a price—and Team Rocket never releases what it owns.