” “Speaking of which…” Red suddenly remembered something and shot Blue a somewhat disdainful look.
“Aren’t you the Viridian City Gym Leader?
Is it really okay for you to stay here playing games instead of sitting in your Gym?” “Hmph.” Blue waved his hand dismissively.
“A minor matter like that can be handled by Alakazam, Rhydon, and the others.” However, halfway through his sentence, he paused.
“Wait a second…” His expression became strange.
“The Gym Leader of Viridian City in the game…” At that moment, the image of a tall, imposing figure appeared vividly in all four of their minds.
A broad back.
A cold demeanor.
An overwhelming aura of pressure.
Giovanni.
“Uncle Giovanni…” Yellow softly voiced the question everyone was thinking.
“Did he really get added into the game too?” “Based on Brother Gray’s style…” Blue thought for a moment before calmly analyzing.
“If he included Gyms, then there’s no reason not to include the Gym Leaders as well.” “I think there’s a very high chance he’s in there.” “Why are we overthinking this?” Green decisively cut the discussion short.
“We’ll know if we just go and look.” The group immediately headed toward Viridian Gym.
Yet the building standing before them appeared lifeless.
The lights were completely out.
The doors were tightly shut.
The structure even showed signs of age and disrepair.
The only person present was an elderly man wandering aimlessly near the entrance.
Little Red walked up and tried pushing the door open.
[The door to Viridian Gym is locked…] The old man slowly wandered over.
[Old Man: This Pokémon Gym is always closed.
I wonder who the Gym Leader really is?] “As expected, we can’t get in…” Red frowned as memories surfaced.
“I remember the Gym really was closed back then.
Uncle Giovanni was probably…” “Stop trying to remember.” Blue interrupted him immediately.
His thoughts were clear and straightforward.
“If the Gym is closed, then we should organize our team and head for the next city.” “Pewter City or Cerulean City.” Little Red turned around and left.
Just as he was about to step beyond the boundaries of Viridian City, a familiar figure suddenly blocked the road ahead.
The same white lab coat.
The same handsome face.
[Handsome Researcher: Yo, we meet again.
How have things been lately?] A blank input box suddenly appeared.
[Input Required…] “Huh.” Red laughed.
“Brother Gray really is everywhere.” He was about to start typing his reply when Blue suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Idiot.” Blue immediately delivered his harsh assessment before continuing.
“This is obviously a branching dialogue choice.” “I suspect the game’s difficulty curve will dynamically adjust according to your answer.” “Makes sense.” Green rubbed his chin in agreement.
“The difficulty, huh…” Red repeated quietly.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
Without hesitation, he entered his answer.
[Little Red: Extremely Easy!] [Handsome Researcher: Is that so…?
Haha, then I can relax.] The handsome researcher revealed a mysterious smile that seemed both amused and meaningful.
Then he patted Little Red’s shoulder.
[This is for you.] [Red obtained the Wilderness Camping Set!] [Red placed the Wilderness Camping Set into the Key Items Pocket.] [Handsome Researcher: Raising Pokémon isn’t only about battling.
Companionship and care are equally important.
If you have time, try taking your Pokémon camping in the wild and enjoy life together.
Well then, goodbye!] After saying that, the researcher quickly disappeared down the road, leaving behind nothing but a cool and stylish silhouette.
“Let’s go!” Red was full of confidence as he controlled Little Red and charged directly into the wilderness outside the city.
Unfortunately…
Due to being overly excited and completely ignoring the map…
He got lost.
Exactly as expected.
And accidentally wandered onto Route 22.
“Uh…” Red stared blankly at the screen.
“What do we do now?” He looked helplessly toward Blue.
“Tsk.” Blue turned his head away impatiently.
“Since we’re already here, just keep exploring.” “It’s not like we’re going to reload the save.” “Why do you ask me about everything?” Red glared at him.
Then he steeled himself and continued deeper into Route 22.
Before long, they experienced firsthand the true meaning of “Extremely Easy.” After answering the researcher’s question, the wild Pokémon became noticeably more aggressive.
Wild Pokémon frequently burst out of the grass to challenge them.
At times, they even abandoned all sense of fairness and attacked in groups.
The frequency and intensity of encounters increased dramatically.
But who was Red?
A fearless troublemaker who had never cared about rules.
Relying entirely on the Potions in his backpack, he stubbornly fought his way forward.
After enduring countless fierce battles, he finally crossed the dangerous forest zone and stepped onto a relatively safe main road.
The cost had been heavy.
The rewards were equally substantial.
Charmander had reached Level 15 through the continuous fighting.
As for Poliwag…
Its level hadn’t moved at all.
The reason was simple.
Its level had already been ridiculously high from the start.
Level 26.
What was even more frustrating was the enormous level difference and lack of friendship.
Poliwag frequently ignored Red’s commands during battle and acted entirely according to its own whims.
As a result, Red kept casting resentful looks toward the real Poliwrath sitting nearby.
After resting briefly by the roadside, they prepared to continue their journey.
Then, at the end of the road, a highly punchable figure appeared on the screen.
[Blue: Isn’t this Red?
You’re already planning to head toward the Pokémon League?
Give me a break.
You don’t even have a single Gym Badge yet!] [Blue: Oh right, let me test whether you’ve gotten any stronger!
Don’t disappoint me!] Little Blue struck his iconic pose.
The screen instantly shifted into battle mode.
[Blue: Go!
Wartortle!] “Heh.” Red smirked.
“Here we go again.
Let’s see how I teach you a les…” His voice abruptly stopped.
His eyes had landed on Wartortle’s level.
“Wait!” “How is your Squirtle Level 20 already?!” “It evolved too?!” “That’s not fair!” “I fought so many battles on the way here, and my Charmander only reached Level 15!” The in-game Little Blue had no interest in hearing his complaints.
[Blue: Wartortle!
Water Pulse!] “Charmander!
Dodge it!” Red immediately issued commands.
At the same time, he instinctively controlled Little Red to charge toward Little Blue.
Clearly, he intended to recreate his famous strategy of physically subduing the opponent’s Trainer.
Under Red’s precise control, Charmander barely managed to evade Water Pulse.
However, a faster Water Gun immediately followed.
At that moment, Red unleashed the full potential of the “Person of Battle.” Despite the disadvantageous typing matchup.
Despite the overwhelming level gap.
He still relied on incredible micro-management and precise movement to keep Charmander alive.
Not only did he survive.
He even managed to chip away some of Wartortle’s health.
Unfortunately…
Little Red wasn’t nearly as fortunate.
His righteous iron fist had only just been thrown when Little Blue smoothly countered him with a clean grappling move.
A second later.
Bang!
A powerful kick landed squarely on his rear.
Little Red stumbled forward several steps.
By pure coincidence, he ended up crashing right beside Charmander.
Meanwhile, Wartortle had already finished charging its next attack.
[Blue: It’s over!
Hydro Pump!] BOOM!
A massive column of water erupted forward.
Little Red and Charmander had only just regained their footing when both were swallowed whole.
Charmander collapsed instantly.
Its eyes turned into spirals.
“Are you kidding me?!” Red was genuinely sweating now.
“It learned Hydro Pump too?!” “And since when did Little Blue become this good at hand-to-hand combat?!” Beside him, Blue watched the in-game version of Red getting kicked away and humiliated.
He desperately tried to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Unfortunately, his schadenfreude ultimately won.
The smile broke through.
Charmander was recalled.
Poliwag entered the battlefield.
Although the stubborn Pokémon rarely listened to orders, its Level 26 status still gave Red a bit of confidence.
However, before he could even issue a command— Little Blue!
He had no sense of sportsmanship whatsoever!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
He actually released two additional Pokémon at once!
Level 20 Wartortle!
Level 19 Pidgeotto!
Level 15 Nidoran♀!
The three Pokémon immediately formed a triangular formation around Poliwag, surrounding it from all directions.
[Blue: All of you, attack together!
Don’t give him a chance to breathe!] (End of Chapter)