Red and Professor Oak, meeting for the first time, quickly found common ground and talked enthusiastically.
Ash's trio was completely sidelined—
Until—
"Grandpa, I have to draw lots this afternoon. You said you'd help restore my Pokémon—where are they?"
The lazy voice, laced with an unmistakable arrogance, made Red pause.
He turned around—
And saw a spiky-haired boy yawning as he strolled into the laboratory.
"Blue?!"
Red exclaimed instinctively, then immediately realized—
This wasn't Blue.
This was the version of Blue from this world—
Gary Oak.
"What Blue? I'm Gary! That Blue guy—wait… huh?"
Gary stopped mid-sentence as he finally got a clear look at the person in front of him.
Even though the man was taller now, his features more mature—
That was unmistakably the legendary figure from yesterday's ranking.
"Red?!"
Why was Red at Professor Oak's lab?!
Oh—right.
Yesterday, Red said he was coming to find Ash.
"Nice to meet you, Gary. Sorry—I mistook you for someone else."
"Oh, come on, Red! You mistaking me for Blue just proves I'm on his level~."
Ash immediately got goosebumps.
Was this really Gary?
This was the guy who always acted like the world revolved around him!
Since when did he talk like this?
"You're here because you want something from me, right?"
Red saw through him instantly.
That initial arrogance had been real.
This flattery?
Fake beyond doubt.
"Hehe, Red, sharp as ever! Well—about that… I wanted to ask how Blue awakened his Breeder-type talent!"
Gary finally revealed his true purpose.
Earlier, Red had explained that he and Blue became Champion-level trainers so quickly, not just because of hard training—
But because of innate talent.
Red possessed the Battle Prodigy talent.
Blue possessed the Breeder Prodigy talent.
Gary was smart enough to realize—
Red's talent was similar to Ash's occasional explosive growth.
So if Blue had a special talent—
Then he should have one too!
That was why he had lowered himself to flattery.
Red shook his head.
"That… you'd have to ask Blue. I don't know how he awakened it."
"Then how did you awaken yours?"
"Battling. Constant battling. Fighting alongside your Pokémon as one—loving them, trusting them… probably something like that."
Red wasn't even sure himself.
There was no formula for awakening such talent.
It was instinct.
Feeling.
With Ash, all Red did was let his Pokémon spar with Ash's and teach him battle fundamentals and tactics.
How Blue trained?
How would Red know?
He was Blue's rival and friend—not Blue himself.
He didn't even fully understand how his own talent awakened.
"…I see. Still, thanks, Red. If you have time, let's battle someday."
Gary was disappointed—but not discouraged.
The talent was there.
It wouldn't disappear.
Whether it fully awakened depended on him.
(As for why Gary calls Red "bro" but calls Blue by name: Red earned his respect through battle. Blue, meanwhile, is literally another version of himself—calling him "bro" feels wrong, and Gary refuses to lose to another him.)
(In short… he still needs discipline. Maybe bring Blue over someday to educate him.)
"A battle? We can do it now. I just fought Ash—haven't even warmed up yet."
"Uh—"
Gary froze.
He was just being polite!
Who actually fights?!
He wasn't Ash, that reckless idiot!
Ten-year-old Red had clashed head-on with a high-tier Legendary!
Now this Red looked five or six years older!
He'd have to be insane to fight him.
But—
Ash already fought.
How could he fall behind Ash?!
Gary gritted his teeth.
"…Let's do it!"
Five minutes later—
As Charizard's Flamethrower landed, Gary's final Pokémon—Blastoise—collapsed.
Total defeat.
Just like Ash, Gary never once touched Red's Pokémon.
The gap was simply too vast.
And there was nothing to be done about it.
They were prodigies—
But Red was a fully realized prodigy.
Comparison was meaningless.
After defeating Gary, Red gained a clear sense of his current strength.
Slightly weaker than Ash—but not by much.
Roughly equivalent to Ash's Pikachu + Charizard versus Gary's full team.
So in this world—
Not only was Ash weak—
Even Blue was weak.
And as expected—
Red still surpassed "Blue" here.
Not bad.
(Without rewards, Ash's untrained Charizard and immature Pikachu would lose badly to Gary. He only won the Silver Conference because Charizard hard-carried.)
Gary recovered quickly.
After all, he lost to Red.
A Charizard capable of fighting high-tier Legendaries.
Losing was only natural.
If that crushed his confidence, he might as well quit training altogether.
After their "friendly" match, Red checked the time.
It was getting late.
So Ash's group plus Red returned to Ash's house for lunch.
Before leaving, Red handed the Flame Plate to Professor Oak.
Oak hadn't asked—
Red simply wanted him to study it.
After testing it himself, Red found it only boosted Fire-type moves by about twenty percent.
That couldn't be all.
A relic of the Creator God shouldn't be so limited.
Professor Oak was ecstatic.
The World Tree branch wasn't even fully researched yet—
And now another legendary artifact?!
For a researcher, it was heaven.
After eating, they headed to the Indigo Plateau for the tournament draw.
Though Pallet Town wasn't far—
It was still about an hour's journey.
Red was curious, so he tagged along.
Along the way, many people greeted Ash—
He was already world-famous.
At the draw venue, Ash met a boy he'd recently gotten to know—
Ritchie.
Red looked at Ritchie thoughtfully.
This boy… resembled Ash in some way.
The Top-16 draw wasn't electronic.
Instead—
They fished Magikarp from a pool.
Each Magikarp carried a group number.
The League really loved flashy nonsense.
After much commotion, Ash pulled a Magikarp marked A-3.
The big screen displayed his opponent—
Ritchie.
"So it really is you…"
"So it really is Ash…"
They already knew this matchup from the ranking.
Fate hadn't changed.
"I won't hold back, Ritchie!"
"That's exactly what I want!"
At the registration hall entrance—
Team Rocket lurked with newspapers.
"That brat's got someone new with him, nya!"
"Looks like an adult… that outfit feels familiar."
"Doesn't matter! Anyone blocking our Pikachu capture gets taken down!"
James frowned.
Red's outfit felt familiar.
When Red's round-faced Pikachu turned—
James' face went pale.
He yanked the newspaper up.
"What's wrong, James?"
"That guy's got a round-faced Pikachu! And that red-black jacket… red-white cap—It's Red!!"
"What?! Red's here?!"
"Red? Who's that?!"
Jessie's memory only retained what she cared about.
Everything else—gone.
"The kid who beat the Legendary Birds and evolved Charizard again, nya!"
Jessie stared.
"No way! That kid was ten! That guy looks sixteen or seventeen! You think I'm stupid?!"
Meowth and James stared at her like she was stupid.
People age!
Did she think a ten-year-old could have twenty years of travel experience?!
They gave up explaining and whispered loudly instead.
"With Red around, catching Pikachu's impossible, nya!"
"We've gotta lure him away!"
"Pika?"
"…Huh?"
Meowth froze.
Who just spoke?
They turned—
A round-faced Pikachu stared at them.
"Red's Pikachu?!"
"If Pikachu's here… then—"
They lowered the newspaper.
Ash and the others were standing right there.
Red pointed at them, confused.
"Who are these two? And why does that Meowth talk?"
"They're Team Rocket! They're always trying to steal my Pikachu!"
"Oh? Team Rocket?"
Red raised an eyebrow.
In his world, Team Rocket no longer existed.
He knew exactly why.
This world lacked him—so Team Rocket still lived.
"Since we're exposed—"
"No more hiding!"
"Prepare for trouble—"
"And make it double!"
Red: …
This was his first time seeing people enter battle with background music, choreography, and speeches.
Should he applaud?
"Execute the plan! Steal Pikachu!"
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
Meowth smirked—
Then froze.
"Crap, nya! We weren't planning to fight—we didn't bring capture gear!"
"…Then that means—"
Golden lightning surged closer.
"BOOM!!"
Thunderbolt detonated.
Team Rocket blasted into the sky.
"We're blasting off again!"
Red stared.
"…Are they okay?"
Misty waved it off.
"Relax! They've been blasted off like fifty times. If it killed them, they wouldn't keep coming back!"
Red: …
Got it.
They weren't normal either.
Surviving that Thunderbolt fifty times?!
Even Blue nearly died getting sat on by Blastoise once.
If he experienced this—
He'd be fertilizer by now.
"Let's go, Red! Back to training! I won't lose to Ritchie tomorrow!"
Again?
Ash lost to him before?
Ash was weaker than Red had been—
But still strong.
So Ritchie must be stronger?
Red followed them back toward Pallet Town.
"Foxhole, foxhole, this is Agent Hibiscus—respond!"
"…Bruno, are you insane?"
"I watched a movie recently—it was fun."
"So why call me? Did something happen to Ash?!"
Lorelei snapped.
The Elite Four were tasked with Ash's protection.
Bruno was on duty.
"Big news!"
"What?! How did you screw up? Where's Ash?!"
"He's fine—but someone huge arrived."
"…Red?"
"How did you know?!"
Lorelei: …
This idiot.
"Since Red's there, your job's done. Go train. Hanging up."
Click.
She wasn't risking losing IQ points.
With Red beside Ash, League security could stand down.
Who guarded better than Red?
He had Mewtwo.
Nothing within miles escaped its notice.
If Team Rocket dared move—
They'd need to pray.
Even Giovanni received word.
After witnessing Red's power, he had zero desire to act.
Intelligence suggested this was an eighteen-year-old Red.
Ten-year-old Red crushed Mewtwo.
Eighteen-year-old Red?
Suicide.
Better wait.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Red taught Ash battle theory.
Red's Pokémon trained Ash's.
Anything needed—purchased via the Heavenly Store.
Even Red marveled at it.
At five o'clock—
The new ranking began.
The massive screen appeared.
Title displayed—
[ULTRA GRAND RANKING — THE LEGEND OF THE RAINBOW HERO]
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