The group reached Vermilion City under a blazing summer sky. The port city was alive with the shouts of sailors, the smell of salt spray, and the glint of sunlight reflecting off masts and ship hulls. The streets bustled with merchants hawking wares, Pokémon trainers parading their teams, and children chasing Magnemite that bobbed like balloons overhead.
Ash's eyes lit up. "Whoa! Look at all the ships!"
Pikachu perched on his shoulder, ears twitching excitedly at the new smells and sounds.
Misty shaded her eyes, her orange hair gleaming in the sun. "It's so busy here…"
Brock grinned. "Vermilion's famous for its harbor. But the real reason we came is the Gym."
Ren, trailing with his notebook tucked under his arm, tilted his head slightly. "Lieutenant Surge. Military background. Specializes in electric brute force. Tactically one-dimensional, but overwhelming in power."
Cael walked beside him, smirking. "And what? You already know how the match ends?"
Ren's gaze flicked to her. "No. I only know Surge prefers force over finesse. Watching Ash fight him will be… educational."
Ghastly hovered above, chuckling softly as if amused by his master's understatement.
The Vermilion Gym looked more like a fortress than a place of sport. Steel doors, riveted beams, and electric conduits lined the walls. Inside, the battlefield was metal-plated, humming faintly with energy, and the scent of ozone stung their noses.
A towering man in fatigues stood at the far end, arms crossed, his Raichu looming at his side. Surge's voice boomed across the hall:
"So, another challenger, huh? You the kid with the Pikachu?"
Ash stepped forward, determined. "That's right! I'm Ash from Pallet Town and I'm here for a Thunder Badge!"
Surge laughed, deep and mocking. "Ha! You've got guts, kid, I'll give ya that. But guts won't save ya. My Raichu's been trained since the day it evolved. Power, speed, experience your Pikachu can't match it."
Ash clenched his fists. "We'll see about that!"
Ren's pen scratched across his notebook. Opponent relies on intimidation. Expects brute dominance. Predictable overconfidence.
Cael leaned toward him, whispering with a grin: "I kinda like him. Strong, direct. Not like you with your creepy shadow nonsense."
Ren didn't respond. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes glimmered faintly.
"Battle start!"
Surge barked the first command. "Raichu, Thunderbolt!"
Lightning erupted from Raichu, a blinding crackle that lit the entire Gym. Pikachu barely leapt aside, the bolt scorching the floor where he had stood.
Ash gasped. "Hang in there, buddy!"
Pikachu darted back, trying Quick Attack but Raichu was faster, intercepting with a body slam that sent Pikachu tumbling across the metal floor.
Surge laughed. "See that, kid? Power wins every time! Evolve your Pikachu and maybe you'd stand a chance!"
Ash's fists clenched. "No! Pikachu doesn't need to evolve we'll win as we are!"
Pikachu staggered upright, cheeks sparking defiantly.
Misty bit her lip. "This looks bad…"
Brock's brow furrowed. "Raichu evolved too early. It skipped learning speed techniques. Pikachu might still have an edge."
Ren closed his notebook slowly. His voice was calm, clinical. "Adaptation. The smaller shadow can slip where the larger cannot."
Ash seemed to hear his words, because he suddenly grinned. "You're right… Pikachu, we'll use our speed!"
"Quick Attack, now!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu blurred across the battlefield, narrowly dodging Raichu's Thunderbolts. Sparks sizzled off the metal floor as Pikachu leapt from wall to wall, a blur of yellow light.
Surge scowled. "Raichu, stop messing around Body Slam!"
Raichu lunged, but Pikachu slipped under it, darting behind. With a crackle, Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt directly into the floor the current surging up through Raichu's feet.
Raichu yelped, convulsing.
"Now! Quick Attack into Iron Tail!" Ash cried.
Pikachu leapt high, tail glowing white, and struck Raichu squarely across the head. Raichu crashed to the ground, dazed.
The referee raised his hand. "Raichu is unable to battle. Winner: Pikachu!"
Ash whooped, scooping Pikachu into his arms. "We did it!"
Surge stepped forward, stunned then grinned. "Kid… you got guts, and brains too. Take this Thunder Badge. You earned it."
The badge gleamed in Ash's hand, lightning-shaped and radiant.
As the group stepped outside into the Vermilion sunlight, Ash was still buzzing. "Three badges! We're on fire!"
Misty smiled, though she tried to look unimpressed. "Pikachu really surprised me."
Brock nodded. "Ash showed real growth there."
Ren, however, was silent. He flipped through his notebook, his pen scratching quickly.
Brute force is exploitable. Speed and adaptability counter raw power. A shadow that slips between blows can unmake giants.
Cael walked beside him, arms crossed. "So, Mr. Ghost Boy, what did you think?"
Ren didn't look up. "Predictable. Surge relied too heavily on intimidation. His Raichu was fast, but not subtle. Ash adapted. That is all."
Cael smirked. "You make it sound so boring. I thought it was amazing. Surge fights like a real warrior direct, no nonsense. None of your smoke-and-mirrors."
Ren glanced at her, voice flat. "And yet he lost."
Her smirk faltered, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Tch. One day, I'll wipe that smug tone off your face. Machop won't lose to tricks forever."
Ghastly cackled above them, the sound bouncing between playful and sinister.
Ren only wrote one more line in his notes: Rivalry deepens. She clings to fists. But fists alone cannot strike shadows.
As the sea wind swept over Vermilion and gulls cried overhead, the tension between light and shadow between brute strength and cunning grew sharper still.
That night, as the group camped outside the city, Ren sat alone by the fire. Ghastly floated at his side, its form flickering with the firelight.
"Power is nothing without precision," Ren murmured. "But even precision isn't enough against fate."
Ghastly's eyes gleamed.
In the darkness beyond the fire's edge, for just a heartbeat, two small, round eyes glowed faintly, watching again.
Ren didn't move. Didn't speak. Just closed his notebook and whispered:
"…I see you."
And the shadow slipped away into the night.