After few hours of Oak using Sleep Powder on Zeriel, Oak contacted with few scientists and with Red.
Time passed, and while Zeriel remained asleep, Oak continued working on his secret basement of the laboratory.
In the next day, Zeriel got awake by Red. Bot hesitated, but then Zeriel yawned and then slowly got up.
Red, without any word, walked towards the basement. Zeriel hesitated, still sleepy, wondering why Red was there and going there, but after another yawn, he started following Red.
In the basement, Zeriel is surprised to see what Oak had prepared, as there were machines ready, and Oak was crafting a Master Ball.
Red walked until being behind Oak, while Zeriel still sleepy remained the distance.
Oak: "Oh, good job, Red. And good morning, Zeriel. How did you rest?"
Zeriel: "... Uhm, good. What are you doing, granny?"
Oak: "Oh, your customized Pokeball. Glad you came in time. Could you tell me what colors and style you prefer?"
Zeriel: "Well... I like blue, red, black, and purple. And I don't know what style I like."
Oak: "How does a symbol in image of you sounds like? A symbol that represents you."
Zeriel: "Oh, can it be of a goat skull with sharp teeth and big sharp horns?"
Oak: "Of course. But what exact colors would you want your Pokeball to have?"
Zeriel: "Well... How about... The top to be black, the bottom to be red, and the medium to be purple, and the button of the Pokeball to be blue and green."
Oak: "You woke up inspired, did you?"
Zeriel: "Well, I guess I just... got myself out..."
Oak then started working on the Master Ball for a moment.
Zeriel: "Also, why is Red here?"
Oak: "Don't worry, he will be your trainer for a moment. just to prepare you as has to be."
Zeriel (Thought): "As has to be? Wait... Yeah, of course... Back to... As how I should've been... Just as how I must be..."
Oak: "Alright, it's done. Your Pokeball."
Oak said while turned around and hold it with his right hand lifting up proud, and taking Zeriel out of his thoughts.
Zeriel: "It looks... beautiful..."
Oak then threw it at Zeriel, and it instantly catched him. Red then walked and grabbed the Master Ball. Inside, Zeriel hesitated as everything was extremely different from the most common Pokeball, and after a moment of observing he tried to get out, but he couldn't.
After a moment, Zeriel started to get shocked and chained insdie the Master Ball, what was trying to force him to obey. Meanwhile, Red walked away to put Zeriel in fight against wild Pokemon.
After a moment, Red was in the wild, and encountered a wild Rattata, and so he put out Zeriel. When Zeriel was put out of the Master Ball, he was kneeling down and panting.
After a short moment, Zeriel noticed the situation, as he heard a strange wind whisper he felt as if he was told to Proceed.
Red: "Blast."
Zeriel: "Huh? You can... talk?... What did you say?"
Red: "Blast."
Zeriel: "What do you... even mean?"
Red: "Blast."
Zeriel: "I told you, I don't know what you mean."
Red: "Blast."
Zeriel: "... Blast... Oh, you mean... Of course was that..."
Zeriel then made a blaster appear at his left side, and then it shot a blast that insatntly defeated the wild Rattata, but also sent it to fly away to end crashing against the ground.
Zeriel (Thought): "Why does this feel... so familiar?... Of course, is because I'm a monster... Humans know what to do, in every moment... But Red... Give me a way more familair feeling, one that I... feel more warm than I understand... He reminds of... of course... Chara... She always knew everything, and what was best for me..."
Then, Red continued making Zeriel battle wild Pokemon, training him to get used to the Pokemon battles. Slowly, Zeriel leveled up his Pokemon level, as the more he defeated Pokemon.
Zeriel (Thought): "That's all I am... Numbers and skills... My STATS and abilities are all I am and for what I matter... Ironic how I ended in the same position again... From Genocide, to another loop of the same... I guess that's why I... liked that much Pokemon?"
Red then encountered a Gloom, who used Poison on Zeriel poisoning him, and Red hesitated for a second.
Red: "Heal."
Zeriel: "Huh? But... I don't know if my healing magic will recover me from... being poisoned..."
Red: "Heal."
Zeriel hesitated, but then healed himself, recovering the low HP he lost due to poison, but he remained poisoned. The Gloom then used Absorb, dealing some damage to Zeriel while also recovering itself some HP. But then Red ordered Zeriel to use his bones, and Zeriel lifted his hands up and made a wall bone raise under the wild Gloom, piercing it for an instant, and then fainting.
Zeriel (Thought): "Why I doubt? And how does Red know? This is so weird, but... I can't question it. I'm a vessel, always meant for something greater that I could have ever been, no matter what... Maybe is training me to can handle the Rare Candies... Doesn't really matter, I'm just becoming stronger. All that matters is determination, and grow stronger. But this feeling... I get from Red..."
Red then continued training Zeriel, leveling him up, and after a few battles, Red used a Rare Candy on Zeriel, and Zeriel hesitated after eating it, feeling a pusation over him. He then had a quick panic attack, but after few seconds he calmed down and took a deep breath.
Meanwhile, Ash was going to battle Koga, to obtain his fifth Gym Badge.
Zeriel (Thought): "I'm just growing stronger. It feels... different from the flame I used to feel in the past. But after my last genocide, this flame I feel covering me... Consuming me... Feel much better as it flows within me... I remember all those genocide, all those timelines... This is for what I went through all that... And learnt what I learnt..."
After a short moment, Red made Zeriel fight on his own against Red's Charizard. Zeriel hesitated, and then observed Red, and then woke up from his thoughts as Charizard used Flare Blitz, dealing barely any damage at all.
Zeriel (Thought): "Of course, it came to this... He, as the same as she, wants me to show what I'm really capable of. I learnt, changed, and went through all I did, and not for nothing. So... Stay determined, and show you don't need humans. It's kill or be killed..."
Zeriel then fought Charizard, but when threw bones, Charizard flied. When Zeriel tried to use blasters, Charizard used Flamethrower to counter the blasts or dodge them flying.
After a short moment, the battle went on with Charizard very superior, even if Zeriel was way extremely stronger and better in STATS. Until Charizard used Scary Face. Zeriel hesitated for a few seconds, confusing Charizard with Chara in the genocide route, and the face in all those timeline, and then, from within Zeriel's soul, a dust flame started to cover his soul, and then glowing.
After a short moment, Zeriel's pupils changed, his right pupil went red and his left pupil went purple with a red line covering it. And then Zeriel started to grin with an insane expression, and started attacking Charizard out of a pokemon battle way, as a lot of big bones raised from everywhere and randomly.
Charizard flied, dodging for a moment, until he got hit by one, and crashed against the ground, where then started getting combo'd by the bones, pushed from one to another constantly.
After a moment, Charizard was crashed by few bones that exploded and shattered by the collision. Charizard then went down fainted. red pulled out the Pokeball to make Charizard go back, but then a sudden sharp bone hit the Pokeball and sent it away.
Red hesitated, but then quickly grabbed the Master Ball while Zeriel made bones appear under Red to pierce him, and Red got to make Zeriel get back in the Master Ball just when the bones pierced his feet.
After a moment, Red came back to Oak by using Charizard to fly with him. Oak then treated Red, and continued planning.
Oak (Thought): "There has to be a way to handle Zeriel. Is just as dangerous as Mewtwo. But maybe can remain calm if approached properly. Maybe Mew can affect him to be more passive and obedient. But first, where is Mew?"
After few hours, Red recovered and put out Zeriel to continue training, but this time with Oak present to help in the guidance of the training.
Meanwhile, Ash along Misty and Brock, were preparing before going to Saffron City and challenge Sabrina.
Oak: "Alright, Zeriel. You had a first view of a Pokemon battle along Red. But this time, I'll teach you how is to battle against another Trainer."
Zeriel: "... Sure..."
Oak: "Don't worry, Zeriel. Wasn't this what you wanted? Become stronger and be with a trainer you wanted?"
Zeriel: "I... guess... Ugh, you humans make my head hurt and empty."
Oak: "Well, you know Red. You know what he is, who he is, and more. Let him make you stronger, and learn so you can really achieve more."
Zeriel (Thought): "Yeah... Guide me to become stronger... What a joke I am. Even after annihilating humanity, I'm still... No matter the world, I guess I'm always bonded to be chained under a human somehow. Or something greater than me."
Oak: "Are you ready, Zeriel?"
Zeriel: "... I guess..."
Oak: "Don't worry, we'll prepare you before being with Ash. He won't know how to use your abilities, so you'll have to show yourself, and make him learn different strategy styles."
Zeriel: "... Whatever, granny... Let's start this already."
Oak hesitated for a second before sending out his Tauros, and starting the battle.
Red hesitated, observing the options as were different. FIGHT, SPECIAL, SOUL, and BAG. He hesitated, but then smirked, as there was no RUN option, or POKÉMON, making him think of Zeriel may not accept to run away from a battle or be changed.
Oak: "Tauros, use Protect."
Tauros then used Protect, making a reflective shield appear in front of it. Red hesitated, still thinking for a short moment, before getting an idea for a tactic.
Red: "... Blue bone trap."
Zeriel then lifted his right hand, and blue bones raised above Tauros, piercing it but not dealing damage. Oak hesitated, wondering how the move didn't got blocked, but why it neither did damage either, but the word 'trap' made it clear to him.
Oak: "Tauros, use Work Up."
Tauros used Worked Up, but by moving it received damage from the blue bones along it raised it's Attack and Special Attack by one point each.
Red: "... Quarter blast."
Zeriel then swong his right hand from left to right, and from his eye socked a slight blue flame trail appeared, and then around Tauros appeared four blasters, one in front, one behind, and one in it's right and left side.
After a second, the blasters charged by closing their mouth full of dharp teeth, and then opened it widely shooting a blast. Tauros then got consumed by the blasts, and after a few seconds, it exploded and the blasters floated back to then dust away, and Tauron fell down fainted.
Oak: "Woah. That was a nice trick, Zeriel. You seem to be getting more and more how a Pokemon battle works, great job. Here's your reward."
Oak then gave Red a Rare Candy, who then gave it to Zeriel
Oak: "How about we continue later with other aspects? I'm sure you can shape your abilities into potent moves that will fit in many strategies and battle styles."
Zeriel: "... I guess...?"
Oak: "Oh, don't be like that with yourself. You can be the best Pokemon ever, the one designed for the best trainer ever. You could make yourself along your Trainer, the Pokemon Master."
Zeriel: "... And? Isn't that title for Pokemon? I mean... Is 'Pokemon Master', but the one doing things are the Pokemon who are fighting."
Oak: "That's true, but is for the trainer. But how about being the 'Master of all Pokemon'? A title to show that you're the Master and superior of them all."
Zeriel: "... Meeeh... I'm not really into titles."
Oak: "Yeah, people could confuse that with other meaning. But you could be fame, adored, valued higher than anything else. You could have a recognition nothing else could ever offer."
Zeriel: "... Well..."
Oak: "Just imagine the love, adoration, fame, value... Everything you could receive from everyone. All trainers, gym leaders... Everyone in this world will respect you."
Zeriel: "W-well... I... guess... Uhm... That sounds... cool?"
Oak: "It is very cool. Everyone wants to be the Pokemon Master, Pokemon Champion, and other similar things. But remember, you have to be the best. You already are the best, but you need real battles to truly become the best. Because raw strength is nothing compared in teamwork and real tactics and strategies."
Zeriel: "... I guess that's true... I mean, Charizard already made me struggle until I went... berserker? I don't know, but if one Pokemon well trained overwhelmed me and was going to win. I guess a team could easily win..."
Oak: "Exactly. But for that, you need to become stronger, get used to battles, learn to be in double and triple battles for teamwork."
Zeriel: "... Alright. I'm ready, I guess..."