“Big bro, I missed you so much!”

Red turned his head and saw a disheveled Ash rushing up, trying to hug him. Seeing this, Red silently released a blue light from his eyes, using his psychic power to block Ash’s enthusiastic embrace.

“You brat, go take a hot bath first,” Red said, speechless. “I already pointed out the shortcut to Saffron City for you. Why do you still look like you got lost in a jungle?”

“Exactly! It’s all Ash’s fault for insisting on going into the forest to catch new Pokémon. Not only was he led around in circles, but even the travel map was blown away by the wind!” Misty complained, narrating the hardships of their journey.

“That really sounds like your travel style,” Red said helplessly. “I’m also going to the Saffron Gym later. I can take you guys along.”

“Yes! I can’t wait to get the Marsh Badge!” Ash shouted excitedly, eager to immediately run to the Saffron Gym for a challenge.

“Alright, alright, Ash, I know your passion for getting badges, but let’s just go and take a bath first,” Brock urged, as other trainers were continuously entering and exiting the Pokémon Center. A few beautiful girls were whispering about the trio’s sloppiness, which completely broke Brock, who was hoping to find love.

“I’ll wait for you at the private arena behind the Pokémon Center.” Red waved goodbye to the trio and went to the private arena in the backyard.

“Come out!”

Red threw out two Poké Balls, sending out Milotic and the Millennium Gengar, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as Milotic appeared, she excitedly coiled around Red, affectionately rubbing his cheek, almost knocking him to the ground.

“Boss, I missed you so much!” the Millennium Gengar said, a tearful look on its face. “You have no idea how perverted Professor Oak is! From morning till night, he performs his so-called Pokémon poems for me. Now, I even dream of him reciting poems when I sleep!”

The Millennium Gengar vividly demonstrated Professor Oak’s ‘abuse’, recounting the horror of being sent back to the lab these past two days. Through its narration, Red understood the situation. Professor Oak, surprised that Gengar could speak human language, believed the essence of Pokémon haiku should be expressed through the Pokémon itself. So, he kept pestering Gengar to help research his latest poems, leaving the ghost with no personal space and giving it genuine psychological trauma.

“Alright, alright, you and Milotic can stay by my side for a while,” Red said helplessly, telling Gengar to stop complaining.

To test if Milotic had been slacking off, Red instructed Gengar to be her training opponent. For the sake of fairness, he let the two Pokémon battle independently while he watched from the side.

Milotic began with a Water Pulse. Gengar used Shadow Sneak to break it, then disappeared into the shadows, looking for an opportunity to attack. Milotic, not idle, used her keen senses to cast Hypnosis, intending to pinpoint Gengar’s location.

Sure enough, due to the interference of Hypnosis, Gengar was forced to reveal itself. Immediately after, Milotic’s Psybeam struck. Gengar, seeing this, used its own psychic power to control the direction of the beam and redirect it back at Milotic. Milotic, about to be hit, did not panic. She easily swung her tail to use Splash, jumping into the air to avoid the attack, and used the now-frozen ground to slide and increase her movement speed.

Half an hour later, Ash’s trio, having bathed and eaten their fill, came to the backyard to find Red, who had already recalled his Pokémon and was ready to leave.

“Now that you’re ready, let’s go.” Red’s eyes emitted a blue light, and he used Teleport to directly transport the group to the front of the Saffron Gym.

“The Saffron Gym specializes in Psychic-type Pokémon. Ash, you need to be extra careful,” Brock reminded him. Psychic-types were advantageous against most Pokémon, especially when they could synchronize their power with their trainer.

“Don’t worry, even though I don’t have psychic power, I have courage! Hehehe… No need to praise me!” Ash said foolishly, mistakenly thinking he looked impressive.

“How embarrassing,” Misty said, covering her face in shame.

“Exactly. Let’s pretend we don’t know him,” Brock’s face turned red as he glanced elsewhere, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Ash.

“…?” Red looked at his younger brother speechlessly. Why was he still like this?

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them. It was Sabrina’s father who enthusiastically greeted Red, “Ah, it’s young Red! I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly. Thanks to you, Sabrina went to assist in rescuing Silph Co. last night, which also improved many people’s impression of her. Thank you so much!”

In her father’s opinion, Red alone was enough to defeat Team Rocket; there was no need to specifically instruct the secretary to notify Sabrina. However, upon hearing that it was Red’s request, Sabrina had immediately rushed to Silph Co., defeated many Team Rocket members, and improved her reputation in Saffron City.

“It was nothing. I’m here today to bring my brother to challenge the Saffron Gym,” Red said helplessly, pointing at Ash, who was still smiling foolishly nearby.

“Ah? This silly… no, this passionate young man is your brother? At first glance, he looks like a genius who can become a Pokémon Master!” Sabrina’s father was stunned for a moment, then praised Ash profusely.

“No, no, actually, I’m a little worse than my older brother. I’m not as excellent as you say, uncle!” Ash said with a ‘shy’ expression, so smug that others might have thought his nose had grown considerably.

“Hahaha, passion is also one of the essential elements of a Pokémon Master. Since you’re here to challenge our Saffron Gym, let me be your opponent!” Sabrina’s father said.

“Eh? Isn’t the Saffron Gym Leader a woman named Sabrina?” Brock asked in confusion, pulling out the “Kanto Region Gym Trainer Detailed Guide” and pointing at the cold-faced Sabrina in the photo, drooling like a pig.

“Brock is at it again…” Misty said, covering her face speechlessly.

“Sabrina and her mother have gone shopping to relax recently. I will be taking over the Gym Leader position during this time,” Sabrina’s father explained.

“Okay, Pikachu and I are ready!” Ash said excitedly, finally able to challenge the gym.

Everyone followed Sabrina’s father to the arena. To prevent Sabrina’s heart from growing cold again, the Saffron Gym had been remodeled. Ample sunlight now illuminated the venue, giving it a warm feeling, completely different from the previous gloomy, temple-like style.

(End of Chapter)

***

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