Though Red possessed overwhelming strength, he was not an examiner dispatched by the Pokémon League. On his suggestion, Yas and Kaz turned to Nurse Joy, sincerely asking her how to establish their new Double Battle Gym.
"Hmm? Although there are currently no Double Battle Gyms in the Kanto region, the thod is still feasible," she explained, "as long as you can pass the official assessnt to beco Gym Leaders."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" they both exclaid, so excited they nearly kowtowed in gratitude. They could have resolved their dispute this way from the start, but they had been too blind to see it, leading them to foolishly terrorize Dark City for so long.
With the matter settled, Red recalled Steelix and Scizor, preparing to leave with Sylveon. Just as they were about to pass through the city gates, Yas and Kaz called out to him.
"Master, please accept our first badge!"
They sincerely presented him with a pitch-black badge. The design was a fusion of an Electabuzz's lightning bolt and a Scyther's scythes, spray-painted black.
"This is the initial version of our badge," Yas explained, "and the most morable one."
"We will rember your guidance, Master," Kaz added. "We will definitely establish the Kaya Gym as an official League Gym. Please accept this as a token of our commitnt."
"Since it is a heartfelt gesture, I will accept it," Red said with a slight smile. He took the badge, then turned and waved goodbye.
After several more days of travel across a vast desert, Red finally arrived in Neon Town, the city that never sleeps.
True to its na, Neon Town was perpetually alive, buzzing with activity day and night under the glare of dazzling neon lights. The constant stimulation and lack of sleep, however, had made its residents irritable and quick to anger.
Not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble, Red went directly to the Pokémon Center. The Nurse Joy here was also on edge from exhaustion, and he could hear her scolding a reckless new trainer, nearly scaring the poor child to tears.
Red walked over to a video phone, intending to contact Professor Oak and change his team lineup.
"Hello, hello, it's Red! It's rare for you to call so actively," Professor Oak's voice crackled through the speaker. "I assu you're changing your travel team again."
"How could that be, Professor?" Red replied, a hint of feigned embarrassnt in his voice. "Do I only contact you when I need sothing?"
'Isn't that the truth?' Oak muttered to himself, just out of range of the microphone. He was beginning to feel like Red's personal assistant, contacted only when needed and forgotten otherwise.
'It seems the Professor needs a little motivation,' Red thought with a wry smile. He considered using the scandalous photos he had secretly taken, but a better idea ca to mind—one that would help them both.
"Professor, do you know if there are any living Fossil Pokémon?" Red asked.
"Fossil Pokémon?!" Oak's face suddenly filled the entire screen, his eyes wide with scholarly hunger. "Do you an Aerodactyl, Kabuto, Omanyte, and their evolutions?! Tell how to find them!"
"That's a secret," Red said leisurely, thoroughly enjoying the mont.
"What the—Red, don't you dare extinguish an old man's passion!" Oak complained, his excitent instantly deflating.
"It may be a secret," Red continued, "but I promise to send so living fossils back for your research in a few days. In return, you'll need to help figure out their dietary habits. I can't have any mistakes during their training later."
"No problem! By the way, the Snorlax you sent back is quite special. It actually enjoys exercising, so its appetite is twice that of a normal one! Luckily, it hasn't eaten into bankruptcy yet. Once the Poffins are ready, you can take him on your journey."
After their chat, Red arranged the team swap. He sent Steelix, Scizor, and Tauros back to the lab, instructing Oak to take good care of Tauros's training. The sight of the Shiny Pokémon appearing on his transfer screen made the Professor giddy with excitent.
"Professor, please send over Charizard, Pidgeot, and Hitmonchan."
After a mont of thought, Red decided to bring these three back to his active roster. Hearing their nas, the three Pokémon, who had been called over by Oak in his backyard, cried out in excitent.
"Do you need to be so thrilled?" Red said with a helpless smile. "You'll be back by my side soon enough."
As the transfer machine whirred to life, three Poké Balls materialized in Red's hand. He said a quick goodbye, ended the call, and headed upstairs to get a good night's sleep, earplugs firmly in place.
The Grand Canyon, also known as "Fool's Valley," was famous for its majestic scenery. Recently, however, it had beco even more famous for sothing else: the excavation of extinct Pokémon fossils, which had triggered a veritable gold rush among trainers.
Red arrived at the central area and saw a crowd of people carrying pickaxes and wearing archaeological gear, all heading toward the rumored excavation site.
"Yo, Red! Didn't expect to see you here," a familiar voice called out. A young man with reddish-brown hair patted his shoulder in greeting. It was Gary. "I guess you heard the rumors about the fossils too."
"That's part of the reason," Red replied, glancing at Gary's attire. He was fully dressed as an archaeological assistant, complete with a pickaxe slung over his shoulder. "You're certainly dressed for the part."
"Well…" Gary blushed awkwardly, a bit embarrassed at being called out.
"Big Brother! Gary!"
Just as they were about to discuss their excavation plans, Ash's group arrived, having unexpectedly passed through the area.
"Well, if it isn't the habitually late, fourth-place Ash," Gary taunted instinctively, his old rivalry flaring up.
"Damn it, Gary! I challenge you to a battle, right now!" Ash stomped his foot in anger, desperate to regain his dignity.
"Sigh," Gary sighed dramatically. "Ash, you're still so impatient. I'm about to excavate extinct Pokémon fossils. I don't have ti to play childish gas with you."
With a wave, Gary and his squad of beautiful cheerleaders headed off toward the excavation site, leaving Ash fuming.
"I'm so envious of Gary," Brock lanted, shedding hot tears as he watched them go.
"Traveling by car with so many beautiful girls…" He glanced at Ash and Misty, shook his head, and sighed deeply.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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