Sabrina.
Needless to say, those familiar with the original story already know that Sabrina possesses a powerful Psychic ability. Even though she lacks full control over her powers, she can still be considered a quasi-Elite-level Gym Leader.
Her father, the former owner of the Saffron Gym, also has strong Psychic abilities. While he hasn't reached the Elite level, his strength is still at the quasi-Elite stage. If he weren't so obsessed with his daughter and unwilling to go against her, perhaps he could've helped her return to normal when she was still young. With his strength, it wouldn't have been too difficult.
Now that we've covered the Saffron Gym, let's look at the remaining three Gyms in the Kanto Region.
First, the Fuchsia Gym, led by Koga. Known as a future Elite Four member, Koga is already an Elite-level Poison-type Pokémon Trainer. Eventually, he does indeed become one of the Elite Four in the Johto Region.
Next is the Cinnabar Gym, led by Blaine. He was once an elite Fire-type trainer for the Alliance. Due to personal reasons, he retired from official duties and took over the Cinnabar Gym.
And then there's the final Gym — Viridian Gym (also called Tokiwa Gym). Everyone knows who its current leader is: Giovanni, founder of Team Rocket and one of the most notorious villains in the Pokémon world. While the other Gym Leaders are mostly at the quasi-Elite or Elite level, Giovanni is on an entirely different playing field — his strength reaches the level of a Pokémon Champion.
While most assume Giovanni's strongest Pokémon is Mewtwo, that isn't the case. His true trump card is a seemingly ordinary Beedrill, which he raised since childhood. Through years of experience and deep connection, this Beedrill is stronger than most could imagine.
All things considered, the Kanto Region could easily be called the strongest in the world. On the surface, the Alliance boasts the Elite Four, but many Gym Leaders in Kanto secretly possess similar or greater power.
Also, while they're called the "Elite Four," these trainers are truly Champion-level in terms of strength. Think about it — would there really be just four Elite trainers in an entire region after all these years of development? That would be ridiculous.
It's more accurate to think of the Elite Four as the strongest four Elite-level trainers in the region. Just like in the game that Red played before he crossed into this world, the difficulty is hellish. Without Elite-level strength, it's practically impossible to defeat the Elite Four.
Even with cheats, it would still take years for Red to reach their level — unless those cheats were extremely overpowered.
---
As Red stepped out of the Rainbow Gym's doors, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
> "Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating the Grass-type Pokémon and unlocking a new achievement. You've received 1 Grass-type Energy Cube."
> "Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating Pokémon Tangela. You've earned 60 points."
> "Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating Pokémon Vileplume. You've earned 260 points."
> "Ding! Congratulations to the host for defeating Pokémon Venusaur. You've earned 550 points."
> "Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Rainbow Badge. You've earned 1,000 points."
"System, open panel," Red commanded.
> "Okay."
---
[Trainer Panel]
Host: Red
Age: 12
Special Abilities:
Evergreen Power Lv2 (180/200)
Psychic Lv1 (60/100)
Points: 7,750
Pokémon:
Charizard (Gym Intermediate)
Pidgeot (Gym Intermediate)
Shiny Beedrill (Gym Beginner)
Pikachu (Elite Advanced)
Squirtle (Elite Intermediate)
Haunter (Elite Advanced)
Main Missions:
1. Defeat Gyms and collect Badges: (5/8)
2. Challenge the Indigo League Conference
Trainer Assessment: Gym Intermediate
System Backpack:
Keystone Bracelet
Deluxe Ball x2
Ordinary Poké Ball x6
Charizard Evolution Stone
Beedrill Evolution Stone
Pidgeot Evolution Stone
Fire Charcoal
Pokémon Evolution Stone Set
Energy Blocks (Fire, Flying, Normal, Rock, Ground, Poison, Water, Bug, Psychic, Grass)
Tennis Ball x1
Mysterious Water Drop
Gengar Mega Evolution Stone
[Etc.]
---
"Not bad at all," Red muttered with a grin as he reviewed his stats on the floating virtual screen. "Another free Energy Cube and 1,880 points — puts me around 7,000 to 8,000 total. Just need a couple thousand more to hit five digits."
After claiming victory and earning the Rainbow Badge, Red originally didn't plan to stay in Rainbow City. His Pokémon — Pikachu and Pidgeot — hadn't used up much energy, so he considered heading straight to Crimson City.
But as he passed by a large building, something made him stop in his tracks.
It was the Rainbow Game Corner — the famous game city.
Red stared at the towering structure for a moment, then nodded to himself. "If I remember correctly, this game city is actually owned by Team Rocket. It's one of their major bases in the Kanto Region."
Although he didn't know all the details, Red had done some research on Rainbow City before arriving. According to what he had learned, this Game Corner was one of the most iconic buildings in the entire region. Every day, countless people visited — some walked away with massive winnings, others left penniless.
A place of dreams and disasters.
Though it was officially recognized and licensed, the sheer turnover rate made it a perfect front for an underground organization like Team Rocket.
"If Team Rocket really is using this place as a base... then it makes sense. It's a good source of income, and most people wouldn't suspect a thing."
Red stared up at the brightly lit Game City. "Team Rocket... I guess it's about time I got involved."
He thought about the current strength of his team — Charizard, Pikachu, Haunter, and the others were reaching new heights. If he didn't act now, when would he?
With his decision made, Red stepped forward.
"If my name is Red, then I can't live in hiding. It's time to do something bold."
With determination in his heart, he walked straight toward the Game City's entrance, ready to stir the hornet's nest that was Team Rocket.
---