An hour later, after giving Charizard time to get used to its newly evolved body, Red granted its small request—to fly together to Golden City. The ride was thrilling, and as the sun began to dip below the horizon, Red and Charizard finally reached the heart of Golden City.
Since they arrived in the evening, Red knew the gym would likely be closed by now. Instead of heading straight to Saffron Gym, he turned and made his way toward the Pokémon Center.
"Miss Joy, could you please open a room for me and help my Pokémon recover?"
At the counter, Red placed Charizard's Poké Ball and his Pokédex in front of Miss Joy.
"No need to thank me," she replied with a warm smile. "This is my duty. Come back in an hour to pick them up. Your room number is 130."
She scanned Red's Pokédex on the computer, returned it to him, and got to work.
"Thanks."
Taking his Pokédex, Red gave a polite nod, then walked to the dormitory area of the Pokémon Center. After a long day, all he wanted was a hot bath to relax. Once his Pokémon were healed, he planned to take them to the lawn behind the center to enjoy dinner together.
Charizard's evolution made this a necessity—its large size meant that dining inside the small room wasn't an option anymore. Previously, when it was a Charmeleon, everyone could squeeze into the room just fine. But now? It would be too cramped.
So, Red had no choice but to host their dinner outdoors on the designated trainer lawn.
Time passed quickly.
After an hour, Red came out from the dormitory feeling refreshed. He picked up his recovered Pokémon at the front desk, then walked toward the back lawn.
"Come on out, everyone!"
With a flick of his wrist, Red threw six Poké Balls into the air. In six flashes of light, his team appeared one after another on the grass.
"Charizard!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Beedrill!"
"Wartortle!"
"Haunter!"
"Pikachu!"
The Pokémon greeted each other happily. But when they noticed Charizard's evolution, their expressions shifted from surprise to celebration.
Beedrill, Wartortle, Haunter, and Pikachu were full of joy, congratulating Charizard enthusiastically. Pidgeot, however, couldn't help but look a little gloomy. It had hoped to be the next to evolve, and now Charizard had surpassed it.
Red noticed Pidgeot's subtle change in expression and walked over to pat its head gently.
"Don't worry, Pidgeot. Your time will come soon."
"Pidgeot~" it chirped, regaining its composure. Deep down, it knew Red was right. Had it taken part in the previous battle, perhaps it would have evolved too. But it also trusted that Red had his reasons for not choosing it.
Charizard came over and patted Pidgeot's wing, supporting Red's encouragement. It nodded, as if to say, "You're almost there."
"Alright, everyone. Enough talk! It's dinner time. Let's celebrate Charizard's evolution—and Pikachu and Wartortle's, too!"
"Charizard!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Beedrill!"
"Wartortle!"
"Haunter!"
"Pikachu!"
At the mention of food and celebration, the Pokémon's eyes lit up with excitement. They crowded around Red eagerly, their anticipation clear.
Red chuckled and opened his system backpack. From it, he pulled out everything he had prepared: high-quality nutritional energy cubes, premium Miltank milk, a wide variety of berries, and snacks suitable for each of his Pokémon. These treats had been specially purchased from the Pokémon Mall.
Seeing the growing pile of delicious food, the Pokémon's excitement bubbled over. With Red's signal, they dug in happily, turning the lawn into a scene of joyful feasting.
The Next Morning
After a good night's sleep and a simple breakfast, Red and his team headed toward the Saffron Gym. Everyone was full of energy and eager for the next challenge.
The journey took about half an hour, and they arrived just as the gym was opening.
As Red approached the front entrance, he noticed a staff member standing nearby—staring intently at a spoon in his hand. The expression on his face was… unique. A mix between intense concentration and painful constipation.
"Huh?" Red raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me… what are you doing?"
Even though he'd read the original story before, seeing this in real life was a whole different experience. He had to ask.
The staff member, without turning his head, answered in a matter-of-fact tone while still staring at the spoon.
"Don't you see?"
"See what?"
"The spoon! Can't you see the spoon in my hand?"
"Yeah, I see the spoon. But… what's with that face? Are you… constipated?"
The staff member's face twitched. Constipated? Seriously?
"No! I'm practicing Psychic!" he snapped. "Psychic power! Do you even know what that is?"
Red gave him a skeptical look, like someone who was thinking, "Don't lie to me. I might not be a genius, but I'm not clueless either."
The staff member smirked coolly, then dramatically brushed his hair away from his face—revealing one eye in an overly theatrical motion.
"You ordinary people never understand. Very well. Allow me to show you the power of true Psychic energy!"
He turned back to the spoon and resumed his intense stare.
Stare…
One minute passed.
Still staring…
Two more minutes passed. His eyes started to cross slightly.
Finally, after nearly three full minutes of unwavering effort, the spoon gave the tiniest, barely noticeable twitch.
Red wanted to burst into laughter. This is it? That's the great Psychic power? But instead of mocking him, Red clapped politely, keeping a straight face.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
The staff member beamed with pride. "You see? This is the strength of Psychic power. Ordinary people like you would never understand its depths!"
Red nodded along, maintaining his polite façade while thinking, Man, this guy's a whole character.
He took a deep breath and glanced up at the imposing Saffron Gym. A new battle awaited him here—one that would test not only his Pokémon's strength but also their willpower and strategy.
He turned back to his team.
"Let's go."
They followed closely, the lawn feast from last night giving them strength, and the new challenge ahead filling them with determination.