Chapter 62:
August 1st.
Kanto region.
It had been a long time since the battle with Red. After retiring from the championship position, Green had grown a little indifferent.
He wandered here and there, and whenever he found a Pokémon he liked or an interesting one, he would stop and raise it. Whether the Pokémon stayed with him or not didn't matter to Green — it was a hobby born of curiosity.
After all, his goal was to complete the Pokédex.
Today he returned to the starting point of that dream: Pallet Town.
At the Oak Research Lab, Professor Oak sat on a high stool in a white coat, slurping instant noodles, when he saw a tall, thin boy with brown hair and a necklace at the door.
Professor Oak rubbed his eyes, laughed, and said, "Green, you and Red sure have good timing. He came back first, and you followed right after."
"Hmm?" Green's expression froze for a moment; the calm he'd felt returning to his hometown wavered. "Don't compare me to him!"
Before he could say more, a red figure walked out from the backyard. "Huh? Green? Why are you back too?"
On top of his head sat a semi-circular, single-brim hat like a Poké Ball; he wore a red jacket and light-blue trousers. It was unmistakably Red's style.
Red asked with interest, "Are you here for a Pokémon battle?"
Green's expression turned domineering. "Stop talking nonsense. Who's afraid of you? Let's have a all out full on battle!"
"Let's go!" Red replied.
Professor Oak watched the two leave, shook his head, and returned to his noodles. "They're both former champions, but when they meet it's like they've both got gunpowder in them."
A carefree kid in a vest suddenly burst into the lab. "Professor Oak, Professor Oak, when can I start my journey?"
Professor Oak smiled. "Oh, is that you, little one? Check your age at home. When you reach the right age you can choose your first Pokémon and set off."
Another child stomped in, complaining, "Hey, don't oversleep the day you pick your first Pokémon! With you, you'll never be a Pokémon Master. The only one who can be a Master is me!"
Professor Oak rubbed his head, smiling helplessly at the two bickering kids. Why did they remind him of Red and Green?
The entrance to Viridian Forest.
Red looked at the tired Green, stood, and stretched. "Fighting you is still the most fun after all this time."
Beside Green stood a Blastoise, cleaning burn marks on its shell, while Pikachu perched on Red's shoulder. Despite the size difference, the petite Pikachu was somehow balanced on Blastoise.
Green wanted to say something but only curled his lips and muttered, "Boring…"
Red was watching a video on his phone. "What are you watching?" Green asked.
"This," Red said, holding out the phone. "I found a social media account called Neighbor's Breeding House. It's interesting. The manager of that place works the fields every day and seems pretty laid-back."
Red scrolled. "You probably saw it—you even commented. The Servine fought a dragon-type in one clip."
"Recently this blogger captured a differently colored Gardevoir," Red continued. "The trainers who bought Energy Cubes there praise them. I don't know whose cubes are better than yours."
Since winning the Kanto League and Indigo League championships, Red had become more relaxed and hadn't been challenging other champions as much. After a while of this, he'd begun to like the slow life of farming.
He even toyed with the idea of building his own challenge site, a gym where others could come to face him. Silver Mountain, on the border between the Kanto and the Indigo region, might be a good spot.
"Breeding House? Gardevoir?" Green leaned in, puzzled as he read the video title.
The clip played: "I'm going to expand the water channel. Fortunately I invited Gardevoir to help—my plantation is getting better and better!"
Green's mouth twitched. The manager had hit the traffic mechanism perfectly. Why not let Gardevoir make Energy Cubes?
However, after the video played, a flicker of doubt crossed Green's brows. It wasn't until he saw the twinkling crimson eyes and the strange-colored image that he was surprised. "Is it that Gardevoir?"
Red asked curiously, "Why, do you recognize it?"
Green nodded. "I've seen it before. It was cursed by a Dakrai, and I wanted to help it."
Red laughed. "Ah, so that's how it is. I was saying, with a Gardevoir of a different color right in front of you, how could you not want to capture it? Turns out you didn't succeed!"
"Shut up!" Green snapped, then lunged and grabbed Red's wrists, pinning him. "Don't say I failed to capture Gardevoir! I have already captured a Gardevoir before, so I dont need this one —don't slander me!"
Red resisted, and Pikachu on his shoulder couldn't stand the struggle. He shook his head and an electric spark jolted the two of them.
"Pikachu!" the Pokémon cried.
Their hair stood on end and the tingling finally calmed them. After a moment, Green said, "Give me this person's social media account IDto me."
"All right, but you have to say thank you…"
"Thank you, League Champion!!"
August 1st, early morning.
Three days had passed in the blink of an eye.
Looking at the completed water diversion channel, Hayashi Kaede thanked the construction team over and over.
"It's mainly thanks to Gardevoir. We just did some finishing touches" he said.
The honest foreman from Fujita Goro charged only a third of the usual price and refused to accept more, so Kaede gave each worker a big watermelon and a Ganlon Berry Energy Cube.
"What a kind heart," Kaede thought. He hadn't realized the market value of the Energy Cubes exceeded the payment he'd given. He watched the crew leave and sighed.
"Gardevoir…" he called gently.
Gardevoir stood to the side, looking a little tired.
"Gardevoir!" she replied softly.