"Power of Viridian…" Red murmured, releasing his Power of Viridian to restore the severely injured Blastoise's strength.
Standing to the side, Venusaur wore a smug expression as it used Synthesis right in front of Blastoise, recovering all of its stamina in an instant, as if it had never gone through a fierce battle with Blastoise.
This action allowed Blastoise to further understand Venusaur's strength.
Only then did Blastoise realize that the 'King of the Mysterious Garden' before it not only possessed immense power, but also astonishing recovery abilities.
To prevent Turtle Island from falling into chaos after Blastoise's departure, Red contacted Lance and explained in detail what had happened on the island, including the appearance of Team Rocket executive Archer.
However, Red deliberately glossed over the matter of Mega Evolution, as not everything needed to be reported to the Pokémon League.
Blindly reporting everything without reservation would only make Red feel constrained, as though his freedom were being restricted.
The departure of a king inevitably meant the rise of a new one. To select this successor, Red accompanied Blastoise in training Wartortle—the very same Wartortle that had previously sought their help.
From Blastoise's brief explanation, everyone learned that this Wartortle was actually the island's second-in-command, recognized for its strength by both Blastoise and the others. That was why Blastoise felt confident entrusting it with the leadership position.
However, its current strength still hadn't fully earned Blastoise's approval, so Blastoise had to temper its will through brutal battles.
"To become a leader who protects others, one must endure hardships beyond what ordinary people can bear," Ash sighed, understanding Blastoise's dilemma. Even if Blastoise couldn't bear to be so harsh, it had no choice—for the sake of the tribe's survival, it had to push Wartortle to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
"I didn't expect you to grow to the point of understanding something this deep, Ash," Brock said with relief, surprised that the usually reckless Ash could have such insight.
"Hey, are you praising me or mocking me, Brock?" Ash replied speechlessly.
"Pika-pi~"
Pikachu shook its head with a sigh, clearly used to this.
"Bang—Bang—"
"Wartortle!"
After taking two Aura Sphere attacks from Blastoise, Wartortle clutched its wounds in pain and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, Red stepped forward and used the Power of Viridian to heal Wartortle's injuries, helping it adapt to the harsh training.
Under Blastoise's merciless urging, Wartortle struggled back to its feet and fired an Ice Beam at Blastoise.
Blastoise frowned in dissatisfaction. Without using any move, it shattered the Ice Beam with sheer strength, then ignored Wartortle's shocked gaze and launched another Aura Sphere, striking it directly.
'If this is all the resolve you have, then I'm truly disappointed.'
Blastoise shook its head helplessly, scolding Wartortle for its weakness.
"Squirtle!"
"Wartortle!"
Seeing Wartortle lower its head in discouragement, the surrounding Squirtle and Wartortle cheered it on, giving it the courage to stand again.
Even Ash's Squirtle shouted passionately, encouraging its rare friend, as if it might lose its voice from yelling.
Feeling the encouragement of its companions, Wartortle forced itself up and let out a roar at Blastoise. Memories flashed through its mind—it remembered why it wanted to become stronger.
Suddenly, a brilliant light of evolution burst from Wartortle's body.
Under everyone's gaze, Wartortle's form began to change. Though its size couldn't compare to Blastoise, its appearance gradually became similar.
As the white light faded, another Blastoise appeared before them—though noticeably smaller than the King of Turtles.
Blastoise looked at his satisfaction, then gazed toward the distant shore with a hint of sorrow. While the others cheered for the new Blastoise, it sank into thought.
(I was still too selfish in the end…)
...
To avoid delaying Ash's group's journey, Red bid them farewell on Turtle Island and stayed behind to continue training the newly evolved Blastoise.
Though he wanted to stay with Red, Ash ultimately gave up the idea after considering Misty's desire to return home. After all, the journey belonged to all three of them, not just him alone.
Thus, the trio said their goodbyes and continued toward the Viridian Gym. Although Ash had already qualified for the Pokémon League, his growing strength made him eager to challenge the strongest Gym in the Kanto Region.
After hearing this, Red didn't try to stop him. Blindly interfering would only make Ash more curious about the Viridian Gym.
As for safety, Red understood Giovanni well enough—he wouldn't attack a boy like Ash.
Moreover, since Giovanni didn't consider Red an enemy, he wouldn't harm Ash either, only teach him an appropriate lesson.
Still, for Ash's safety, Red planned to arrive at the Viridian Gym before him.
...
After several days of travel, once he finished training Blastoise, Red also set off toward the Viridian Gym. As evening approached, he decided to stay overnight at the local Pokémon Center.
Pewter City
A city located at the foot of a massive rocky mountain in the northwest of the Kanto Region, situated between Viridian Forest and Mount Moon. Wild Pokémon from Viridian Forest often wandered into Pewter City, but Officer Jenny would carefully escort them back.
However, there were exceptions. Recently, a Pokémon thief had appeared in Pewter City, stealing food and being wanted by the police. This caused a citywide uproar, yet no one had managed to capture it so far.
Originally planning to rest in his room, Red was suddenly 'invited' by Officer Jenny and her officers to the police station under everyone's astonished gazes.
After a short while, Red roughly understood the situation. Still, he was somewhat dissatisfied with the abrupt "invitation," as it had easily led to misunderstandings.
"I see. So you came to me for help?" Red said calmly, sipping the tea offered by Officer Jenny and casually blowing on the steam.
At the moment, Red was inside the Pewter City police station. If one didn't know him, they might think he had committed some grave crime, given how he was surrounded by officers led by Officer Jenny, as if afraid he might leave.
"Yes. If we can't apprehend this Pokémon thief soon, the local shops will suffer, and it will also affect the reputation of the Pewter City police."