” [Pikachu Lv.16] [Ability: Static (The Pokémon is charged with static electricity and may paralyze opponents that make contact with it.)] Pikachu’s basic information appeared on the screen.
Before Red could even issue a proper command, Pikachu suddenly revealed a crafty grin and unleashed an Electric Shock directly beneath its own feet.
Boom!
A huge cloud of smoke exploded outward instantly, engulfing the surrounding area.
However, once the smoke dispersed, Charmeleon merely brushed the dust off its body casually.
A tiny scratch had appeared on its forehead, but its HP bar had barely moved at all.
[Charmeleon Lv.20] A confident smile appeared on Red’s face.
The results of all his hard training were finally showing.
Against Pikachu, this was simply a matter of overwhelming level advantage.
“Ahem…” Red cleared his throat and issued a command.
“Poliwag, Hypnosis!” The command was obviously not directed at the Charmeleon standing in front of him.
The spectators all wore confused expressions.
Even Pikachu tilted its head in puzzlement.
And during that brief moment of distraction— A round figure quietly emerged behind it with a mischievous little snicker.
The glow of Hypnosis landed perfectly.
Seizing the opportunity, Little Red immediately threw a Poké Ball.
Pikachu was still the same Pikachu as before.
But he, Red, was no longer the inexperienced rookie he once was.
As for his battle tactics…
Well…
They had inevitably become a little…
Unscrupulous.
As expected, the capture succeeded.
The crowd immediately erupted into deafening cheers.
The people who had been lying on the ground moments ago suddenly sprang back to life as if fully healed.
They rushed forward in a frenzy and lifted Little Red into the air.
Then a flood of notifications began scrolling wildly across the screen.
[Red obtained a Leppa Berry from the berry stand lady!] [Red received 300 Pokédollars from the restaurant owner!] [Red was subjected to inappropriate touching from the shop girl!] “Hehe, everyone is way too enthusiastic~” Controlling Little Red, Red finally managed to escape from the overexcited crowd.
Just as he was preparing to leave, a flash of red light burst from the Poké Ball.
Pikachu jumped out on its own.
A bolt of electricity struck Little Red squarely in the forehead.
His hair instantly stood on end while smoke rose from his entire body.
“Ugh…” Now Red found himself in a difficult situation.
Back then, he had spent an enormous amount of effort earning Pikachu’s trust.
At present, Pikachu refused to obey him.
Although he had finally gathered three Pokémon, challenging a Gym with a disobedient Pikachu…
The very thought gave him a headache.
… [Blue: Isn’t that what’s-his-name?
I never thought you’d be incapable of controlling even your own Pokémon.
Grandpa actually wants someone like you to be my rival.
That’s honestly embarrassing…] The person had not appeared yet.
His voice arrived first.
Or rather, his dialogue box appeared first.
Moments later, Little Blue finally walked onto the screen.
He casually tossed a Poké Ball in his hand while holding his chin so high it practically pointed at the sky.
Beside him stood Wartortle.
Something snapped.
Blue’s fists clenched instantly.
As someone who had accompanied Red throughout the game, his perspective naturally aligned with Little Red.
Being mocked like this was one thing.
The truly infuriating part was that the guy was wearing his own face.
An indescribable anger surged within him.
Blue absolutely refused to acknowledge that the obnoxious brat in the game was supposed to be him.
Before Red could react, Blue had already taken over command.
“Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage and knock Wartortle away!
Poliwag, aim Hypnosis at Blue!
Pikachu, shock him!” [Blue: Let’s see which of us gets a Gym Badge fi—] Before Little Blue could even finish his taunt and before the text box could fully appear— Charmeleon rushed forward and slapped Wartortle.
The draconic energy infused within the strike immediately blasted Wartortle flying.
Poliwag seized the opening.
The beam of Hypnosis landed directly on Little Blue’s face.
Little Blue’s body wobbled.
His eyes immediately became unfocused.
And it still wasn’t over.
Even the normally rebellious Pikachu suddenly obeyed the command with surprising enthusiasm.
CRACK—BOOM!
A bolt of lightning exploded from the sky.
The already drowsy Little Blue was struck head-on.
His hair stood upright.
His entire body turned pitch black.
Then he fell backward stiffly.
[Red defeated Rival Blue!] [Red received 5000 Pokédollars in prize money from Rival Blue.] Only then did the Wartortle that had been sent flying finally recover.
With tears streaming down its face, it ran over to the smoking, charcoal-black Little Blue and pointed accusingly at Little Red while crying loudly.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, it silently hoisted its unconscious Trainer onto its back and fled the scene as fast as possible.
Red swallowed hard.
His neck stiffly turned toward Blue.
He opened his mouth.
Yet not a single word came out.
Meanwhile, Green merely smiled smugly.
Ignoring Blue’s in-game counterpart entirely, she teased: “Wow~ As expected of Young Master Blue~ You’re really rich.
Just casually handing out 5000 Pokédollars~” “Shut up!
That’s not me!
I’m nothing like that guy!” Blue instantly lost his composure.
His voice rose several pitches as he frantically defended himself.
The tips of his ears even seemed slightly red.
“Um…” Only now did Yellow timidly raise a hand.
In a small voice, she reminded everyone: “Wasn’t Blue…
not actually here to battle you?” “He didn’t even finish what he was trying to say…” Green immediately stopped while she was ahead.
After letting out a quiet chuckle, she signaled for Red to continue.
“Anyway, Pikachu isn’t listening to you, right?
Just take it around town and build up your friendship~” “I saw a super cute clothing store over there earlier!
Go take a look!” Red had absolutely no interest in virtual clothes.
They didn’t increase stats.
They were just a waste of money.
Exploring the city and improving Pikachu’s friendship, however, was serious business.
Without hesitation, he controlled Little Red.
With a stylish turn, Little Red marched confidently in the exact opposite direction of the clothing store.
“Hey!” Green nearly exploded.
… The city was enormous.
There were countless places to explore.
Red had no intention of checking every building one by one.
That would waste far too much time.
Instead, he chose the elite route.
He targeted only the largest and most impressive buildings.
After successfully “borrowing” a Protect TM from the display cabinet of an elegant little villa, Little Red arrived before a magnificent structure.
[Pewter Science Museum] “A museum, huh.” Red’s eyes lit up.
“I missed this place when I traveled before.” “Let’s go inside and see what treasures are hiding there!” Little Red stepped through the entrance.
Following the spacious hallway, he approached the front desk.
Only to be stopped by the receptionist NPC.
[Receptionist: Certainly.
A child’s admission ticket costs 50 Pokédollars.] “What?!
It costs money?!” Green was still annoyed that Red had ignored her earlier.
Now that he was apparently about to spend money as well, she became even more dissatisfied.
“Forget it.
What kind of lousy museum charges admission?” She immediately moved as if she were going to snatch the Pokédex from Red’s hands.
Red reacted with lightning-fast reflexes.
He instantly paid the 50 Pokédollars.
What a joke.
Young master Blue had just generously donated 5000 Pokédollars.
That amount was enough for a hundred museum visits.
Visiting such a huge museum was obviously worth it.
Completely ignoring Green’s murderous glare, Little Red hurried into the exhibition hall.
… The first floor did not contain many exhibits.
Yet two displays immediately captured Red’s full attention.
The first was a gigantic Pokémon fossil occupying the absolute center of the exhibition hall.
Countless enormous fossilized bones had been carefully assembled into a complete skeletal structure.
The sheer size and presence of it created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
It was impossible not to notice.
The display plaque read: [Aerodactyl Fossil.
A primitive and precious Pokémon.] Nearby, an elderly visitor sighed with emotion.
[Spectating Grandpa: Thank heavens I’ve lived this long.
I never thought I’d see a dragon fossil with my own eyes!] “Aerodactyl!” Red recognized it immediately.
Excitement filled his voice.
One of the Poké Balls hanging from his waist suddenly began shaking violently as if responding.
Bang!
A flash of red light erupted.
Aerodactyl burst out impatiently.
It was just about to raise its head and unleash a mighty dragon roar when Green shot it a single glare.
The roar instantly died in its throat.
Immediately changing its attitude, Aerodactyl rubbed its enormous head against Red’s arm in an ingratiating manner.
“Look.” Red smiled and pointed toward the giant skeleton displayed on the screen.
“It’s a fossil.” Beside Aerodactyl’s skeleton stood another fossil exhibit with a completely different appearance.
The plaque read: [Kabutops Fossil.
A primitive and precious Pokémon.] “W-Wait a second!” Yellow suddenly spoke up.
A hint of surprise colored her voice.
“Look at that researcher in the corner…” “Doesn’t that look like Big Brother Gray?” The other three immediately turned toward the corner of the screen.
There, dressed in a white lab coat, stood a familiar figure.
With his back facing the camera, he was quietly observing a strangely designed spacecraft model.
(End of Chapter)