“Well done,” Red praised.

“Roar!” Charmeleon let out a triumphant cry, its mouth venting smoke and embers, a clear sign of its excitement.

“I can’t believe even Gabite lost…” Giselle said, her voice a dejected whisper. She watched as Red’s Pokémon showed no signs of fatigue; it had won and still had plenty of fight left.

“Your Gabite has talent,” Red said, his tone analytical. “Its ability must be Sand Veil; otherwise, you wouldn’t have led with Sandstorm. But you wasted that advantage with a blind offense. Your strategy didn’t align with its ability at all. You have a long way to go.”

If he had been commanding the Gabite, he would have used the Sandstorm for evasion, trapped his opponent with Sand Tomb, worn them down with Dragon Breath, and then finished them with Dragon Claw. It was a simple, effective strategy that Giselle, blinded by arrogance, had completely ignored.

“I’ll challenge you again at the Indigo Plateau Conference,” Giselle declared, her gaze now firm and clear. The look of newfound resolve changed Red’s opinion of her slightly. Perhaps she just needed a harsh lesson to unlock her true potential.

“A wonderful battle! As expected of a trainer recognized by Professor Oak and Champion Lance!” Principal Yuto applauded, not at all surprised by his granddaughter’s defeat.

“Grandpa, how could you!” Giselle pouted, her cheeks puffed out. He was her grandfather, yet he kept praising the boy who had just humiliated her.

“What you need to do now is apologize,” the principal said sternly. “You’ve been pampered for too long, Giselle. Your personality has become arrogant. If you had used tactics like Red, Charmeleon might not have defeated Gabite so easily.”

The principal knew he was partly to blame. In this school, no student could truly defeat his granddaughter, and the few who might have had a chance deliberately held back, charmed by her beauty. It was an environment that had inevitably warped her mindset.

“I’m sorry,” Giselle said, turning to Red, her apology genuine. “I was wrong.” The words marked a true change in her character. Principal Yuto smiled, satisfied with her growth.

“Red, my boy, this old man must thank you,” he said. “This is a gift from Lance. He asked me to give it to you. He said it might awaken the Dragon-type bloodline sleeping within your Charmeleon.”

A butler presented Red with an elaborately decorated box. Inside, nestled on a velvet cushion, was a single, large tooth that pulsed with a powerful, ancient aura. The moment it was revealed, Charmeleon’s head snapped around, its fiery gaze locked onto the Dragon Fang with an intense, primal longing.

“It’s no trouble,” Red said, accepting the gift without hesitation. He had, in a way, served as Giselle’s teacher. He had earned this.

Leaving Pokémon Tech behind, Red traveled for several days, finally arriving at a serene beach that stretched toward a tall, iconic lighthouse. He knew this place. It was the home of Bill, a Pokémon Professor whose brilliance rivaled even Professor Oak’s.

Red walked up to the lighthouse and rang the doorbell. A strange, eerie chime echoed from within, followed by a voice from a speaker. “Who is it?”

“Red, from Pallet Town.”

“Oh! Professor Red! What a pleasure! Welcome to my humble abode!”

Since publishing his three research papers, many in the academic community had taken to calling him “Professor Red” as a sign of respect. The massive door, carved with countless Pokémon patterns, creaked open. He stepped into pitch darkness. The lights flickered on one by one, revealing a figure in a Kabutops costume standing before him. Red didn’t flinch.

“I believe being inside a Pokémon costume helps me understand their feelings,” Bill explained, emerging from the suit. “Especially these Fossil Pokémon! I want to understand them more!”

The meeting of two brilliant minds sparked an immediate, lively academic discussion, focusing heavily on Red’s theory of Eevee’s multiple evolutions. At the time, the Kanto region had only known of three forms; Red’s paper had caused a massive stir, which turned into a scientific revolution when trainers began successfully evolving Umbreon and Espeon.

During their talk, Bill mentioned why he had been staying in the lighthouse. He was waiting for a mysterious, giant creature to appear.

“I stumbled upon it recently,” Bill said, his voice full of wonder and empathy. “It lets out this lonely, wailing cry… it’s heartbreaking. I want to understand its feelings, to know its story. That’s why I wait.”

“I want to see it! I really want to see it again!” he exclaimed, his passion clear.

Red knew what it was. A Dragonite. But its immense size, far beyond what any Pokédex recorded, suggested something more. An ancient specimen, like the colossal Pokémon said to sleep deep beneath Pallet Town, awakened from a long slumber.

Later that evening, Red made his usual calls. He reported his safety to Delia, who informed him that Ash had just cleared the Cerulean Gym. His brother was falling further behind, but Red wasn’t surprised; Ash wasn’t exactly known for his sense of direction.

He then called Professor Oak to ask about the custom training gear he’d commissioned. The Professor assured him it would arrive the next day, which was perfect. It would give his team a day to relax before their new, intensive training regimen began.

“Speaking of which, Red, why haven’t you sent any Pokémon over yet?!” Oak grumbled. “That Gary boy has already captured nearly forty, and even Leaf sends a few over for me to study. You and your brother are lagging far behind!”

“I’ll send you a few when I have the chance,” Red promised, eager to end the conversation. He couldn’t stand being nagged. He would just have to catch a couple of interesting Pokémon to appease the old man.

***********

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep