It had now been two days since Pupitar's evolution.
After repeatedly reminding Red about Pupitar's unique characteristics and the importance of nurturing it properly, Professor Oak happily returned home with the data he had gathered and the Dynamax Device.
Of course, even without Oak's reminders, Red would have devoted himself to raising Pupitar.
After all, this was the first time he had ever seen a regular Pokémon possess a talent rating of ???.
Previously, he had only seen such a rating on Legendary Pokémon.
As outrageous as it sounded, Red boldly arrived at a conclusion.
"Perhaps my Pupitar has the potential of a Legendary Pokémon!"
Just as Red was reveling in that thought, Pupitar wobbled past him.
Then, the Pokémon he had just proclaimed to possess legendary potential tripped over a slightly raised pebble.
Clang!
Pupitar performed a spectacular faceplant on perfectly flat ground.
Its heavy armor smashed a huge crater into the concrete floor.
A giant anger mark practically appeared over its head.
Although Pupitar was furious, it couldn't even open its mouth anymore.
All it could do was rage silently.
"Not being able to eat is bad enough."
"Not being able to talk is even worse."
"But now I don't even have arms or legs!"
"I don't even know how to walk anymore!"
"Why does every other Pokémon evolve into something taller and stronger while I turn into this weird thing?!"
Seeing Pupitar's gloomy mood, Red quickly stepped forward to comfort it.
"Don't worry, Pupitar."
"You just need some time to get used to your new body."
"Besides, with armor this tough, if you charged straight at Marshtomp or the others, you'd knock them dizzy with a single tackle."
"Your sand-control ability has already reached the Second Stage."
"You can coat your body in sand to increase your damage output."
"And once your sand manipulation reaches the Third Stage, you'll be able to create entirely new arms and legs out of sand."
"Your combat power hasn't decreased at all."
"In fact, it's increased quite a bit."
"And all these difficulties now are just preparation for the day you break out of your cocoon."
"When that day comes, your strength will completely blow Marshtomp and the others away."
Hearing Red's encouragement, anticipation filled Pupitar's eyes.
It immediately bounced toward the backyard to continue adapting to its new body.
Unfortunately, the moment it reached the doorway...
It tripped over the threshold.
BOOM!
Another crater appeared in the ground.
Red could only shake his head helplessly.
"Looks like it'll need a few more days."
"Moving entirely through jumping and jet propulsion without arms or legs really isn't easy."
Thinking about bouncing movement reminded him of Kingdra.
Perhaps he could have Kingdra teach Pupitar how to move freely through controlled jumps.
After pondering for a moment, Red clapped his hands.
"You three."
"Come repair the concrete holes Pupitar just made."
"Right away, Boss!"
"Leave it to us, Boss!"
"We're professionals when it comes to repairs! Meow!"
The three people who answered were none other than Team Rocket's famous trio.
After encountering them at Vermilion Gym, Red had simply brought them back to Mossweed City.
Originally, he had intended to interrogate them about Team Rocket.
Unfortunately, they knew about as much as any ordinary grunt.
Their orders had always been simple:
"Remain hidden and wait for instructions from the organization."
Ever since Team Rocket's failure on Champion Island, and the subsequent League purge led by Lance, Team Rocket had seemingly vanished from Kanto overnight.
Kanto had finally enjoyed a period of peace.
Of course, Red knew the truth.
The organization's core strength hadn't actually been damaged much.
Well...
Aside from one unlucky executive who had lost three Champion-level Pokémon to Mewtwo.
After realizing the trio knew nothing useful, Red decided to keep them at Mossweed Gym for the time being.
The League Conference was approaching rapidly.
If Team Rocket somehow interfered and prevented Ash from collecting all eight Gym Badges...
Red would have nowhere to cry.
Initially, Jessie, James, and Meowth strongly protested their detention.
Then Red informed them of the benefits:
Monthly salary: 30,000 Pokédollars+Six types of insurance plus three retirement plansPersonal training to increase their strengthBetter chances of capturing Pikachu someday
The trio immediately accepted.
Since then, they had become highly motivated logistics staff members for Mossweed Gym.
"Work hard and earn money!"
"Keep getting stronger!"
"And when we finally return—"
"It'll be the day that brat's Pikachu is captured! Meow!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth shouted enthusiastically.
Red couldn't care less.
In fact, he rather liked the situation.
Ash was already far stronger than his anime counterpart.
If Team Rocket stayed weak, how was Ash supposed to grow?
Red sighed.
"I'm truly a master who thinks of his disciples every moment of the day."
During this period, Red spent most of his time:
Training PokémonTeaching challengersGuiding Clair
His goal was to help the dragon prodigy become a qualified Gym Leader rather than another Surge-like disaster.
As the League Conference drew closer, the number of challengers also dropped sharply.
Gym Badges had expiration dates.
A trainer couldn't simply collect four badges one year and finish the remaining four the next.
Everyone was rushing to complete their badge collections.
As a result, Red's life had become surprisingly relaxed.
Ninetales stood behind him, her soft hands gently massaging his shoulders.
Red sipped tea comfortably and looked toward Xiaowen.
"Xiaowen."
"Do you remember what day is coming up soon?"
Xiaowen shook her head.
"The Eight Gym Selection Tournament?"
Red waved dismissively.
"No."
"That's after the League Conference."
"The event coming up is the official start of the Kanto Pokémon League Conference."
Xiaowen responded with her usual indifferent expression.
For some reason, every time Red saw her acting so cold and composed, he had an overwhelming urge to tease her until she made that aggrieved expression.
This time, however, he let her off.
Instead, he turned toward someone who had remained quietly in the background at Mossweed Gym.
Paul.
After a month of brutal training, Paul's eyes burned with determination.
His entire aura had changed dramatically.
Red looked at him and smiled.
"Do your best, Paul."
"It's time to show the results of your training."
He pulled out a Four-Season Weather Badge and tossed it over.
The symbol represented his official acknowledgment.
"Good luck."
"Don't disappoint me."
Paul caught the badge and nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, Master."
"I've been completely reborn."
"I'm going to show Ash and Gary what a real surprise looks like."
Red nodded approvingly.
"Good."
"That's the spirit."
Then he stood up and shouted:
"Clair! Xiaowen!"
"Close the Gym!"
"Our destination is the Indigo Plateau!"
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