Red woke with the sun, grabbed a piece of bread for the road, and left the Pokémon Center, heading toward Vermilion City. His path took him across a wide, dusty plain that served as an informal training ground for rookie trainers, a place where they challenged each other endlessly to hone their skills.
"Razor Wind," Red commanded, his voice bored.
His azure Scyther dispatched the opposing Rattata with a single, contemptuous swipe. The battle hadn't even been a proper warm-up. This was Red's forty-fifth consecutive victory on this plain, and the stream of challengers hoping to break his streak was beginning to wear on his patience.
"Wow, what an amazing Shiny Scyther!" the defeated trainer praised. "With your strength, I bet you could even take on A.J.!"
Red just gave a silent nod, having no desire to engage further. These trainers were weak, but worse, they were complacent. They believed that simply battling here, in this stagnant pond of mediocrity, was the path to true strength. It was nothing more than the arrogance of the ignorant.
He knew the type. In the original timeline, his brother Ash had fallen into the same trap here, racking up wins against third-rate opponents until his pride was shattered by the self-proclaimed "Beast Tamer" A.J.
Still, he couldn't entirely blame them. Most were barely ten years old, given Pokémon by well-meaning but misguided parents who didn't understand that a true bond couldn't be gifted.
A crudely painted sign caught his eye. Pokémon League Unofficial Gym. 87 Consecutive Wins!
"What an arrogant fellow," Red said to himself. If this weren't such a remote area, the League's officials would have shut down this unsanctioned gym ages ago. He knew Gary must have passed through here already; the fact that A.J.'s record still stood meant his rival had disdained to even acknowledge such a boastful, small-time operation. Otherwise, Gary's Wartortle would have put an end to it long ago.
"Are you the strong trainer everyone's talking about?" a voice called from behind him. "I hear you have an excellent blue Scyther. Care for a battle?"
Red turned. It was A.J., a whip held casually in his hand, his expression a mask of supreme confidence.
"You seem quite sure of yourself," Red replied, his tone flat.
"Let me give you a tip," A.J. said with a smirk. "I'll be using my Sandshrew. Feel free to use a Water-type, but it won't do you any good. My Sandshrew has been specially trained; it's not afraid of water anymore!"
He turned and led the way into his makeshift gym. Red followed silently.
They took their places in the simple arena.
"Go, Sandshrew!" A.J. yelled.
"Go, Pidgeotto," Red countered.
The magnificent golden raptor appeared, its sheer presence making A.J. gasp. His Sandshrew was visibly intimidated, taking a step back from the Pidgeotto's fierce, predatory gaze.
"Sandshrew, attack!" A.J. commanded, cracking his whip against the ground. Understanding the signal, his Pokémon tucked into a ball and used Rollout.
"Just petty tricks," Red murmured. All that time spent on unconventional signals could have been better used on actual training. "Pidgeotto, Steel Wing."
Pidgeotto's wings glowed with a metallic sheen as it dove, intercepting the rolling Sandshrew and knocking it to the ground with a single, powerful strike.
"How is that possible?!" A.J. said in disbelief, his whip nearly slipping from his grasp. He had always used that opening to defeat Flying-types. He never imagined it would look so childish in the eyes of a real expert.
"Hurricane."
Pidgeotto beat its wings, whipping up a violent storm. Its size, already approaching that of a fully evolved Pidgeot, gave its wings a terrifying force. Sandshrew, used to battling much smaller opponents, was nearly blown away, digging its claws into the earth to hold its ground.
"Good job, Sandshrew!" A.J. encouraged, cracking his whip again. His Pokémon used Dig, burrowing underground to escape the storm.
"It has to come out eventually," Red said calmly. "Pidgeotto, focus. Listen for it."
The golden bird closed its eyes, its sharp ears attuning to the faintest vibrations from below. Suddenly, its eyes snapped open. It wheeled, diving toward a seemingly empty patch of ground, and executed a flawless Aerial Ace, striking the emerging Sandshrew the very instant it broke the surface.
"Sandshrew, just a little longer!" A.J. pleaded, his voice sounding forced. "Don't forget our promise! One hundred straight wins, and then we start our journey! We'll get our badges and go to the Indigo League together!" He already knew it was over. The gap between them was insurmountable.
"Using a whip instead of your voice? Jumping into a pool to 'overcome' a type disadvantage? Dreaming of a journey only after you've proven you can beat the weakest trainers?" Red's voice was mercilessly sharp. "All you're doing is trying to impress yourself."
"Come back, Pidgeotto." Red recalled his partner and threw another Poké Ball. The Blood-Red Gyarados appeared, its colossal form filling the small arena. "Water Gun. Gently."
A restrained jet of water shot from its mouth, striking the struggling Sandshrew. The Pokémon let out a pained cry.
"I surrender! Don't hurt it anymore!" A.J. yelled, tears welling in his eyes. In that moment, he realized how utterly ridiculous his pride had been. A single, weak attack from this monster had terrified his partner.
"A wise choice." Red recalled his Gyarados and tossed a healing spray to the boy. A.J. wiped his tears and carefully treated his Sandshrew, who looked up at him with guilty eyes and licked his cheek.
"Leave this place," Red said, his voice softer now. "Evolve your Sandshrew. Challenge the real League Gyms. That's the only way you'll get stronger. Staying here will only make you weaker."
"Thank you... for your guidance," A.J. said, his voice thick with emotion. "I swear, Sandshrew and I will become stronger! We'll challenge you again at the Indigo Plateau Conference!"
Freed from his foolish obsession, his mind clear for the first time in months, A.J. felt a weight lift from his shoulders. At that exact moment, his Sandshrew was enveloped in a brilliant white light. A powerful, well-developed Sandslash stood in its place. A.J. threw his arms around his newly evolved partner, shedding tears of pure joy. All this time, Sandshrew had been ready to evolve, but it had suppressed its own growth to pursue its trainer's misguided dream.
"Aren't you going to show me around?" Red asked, gesturing toward the back of the gym.
The joyful A.J. eagerly led him to his training area, a room filled with fitness equipment, mostly dumbbells. He also proudly showed off a weighted harness he called a "Pokémon amplifier."
"This amplifier is a good idea," Red praised, a rare compliment. He took out his Pokédex and snapped a few photos. A.J.'s version was crude, made of simple materials, and could only be worn by smaller Pokémon. Red's team was far too large and powerful for such a device. But the concept was sound. He would ask Professor Oak to commission a team of experts to create six custom-made, enhanced versions for his own unique partners.
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