Since it was an official battle, it naturally required a referee—so Brock took the initiative to step up.
Seeing that both trainers were already in position, Brock raised his voice.
"This will be a three-on-three Pokémon battle! Both sides may switch Pokémon at will. The match ends when all of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. Now, both trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Ash was the first to act.
"The choice is yours—go, Weedle!"
"Babble!"
Weedle bounced onto the field, brimming with energy.
Seeing Ash send out a bug-type Pokémon, Red's expression didn't change—but inwardly, he gave a subtle nod.
As expected. The purpose of sending out Weedle was likely to level up a newly caught Pokémon quickly.
But judging by Ash's carefree attitude, Red figured he probably hadn't thought that far ahead.
Still—if it's a Weedle…
Red reached for his belt, pulled out a Poké Ball, and tossed it.
With a flash of light, a small green caterpillar appeared on the battlefield.
"Caterpie?" Brock murmured, nodding. "Looks like this'll be a pretty even match."
"Strike first! Weedle, Poison Sting!"
"Babble!"
Weedle immediately aimed the stinger on its head at Caterpie and flicked it forward. A thin, glowing needle shot through the air.
Red gave his command calmly. "String Shot."
Caterpie raised its head and fired white silk. The thread wrapped tightly around a nearby branch, and Caterpie swung nimbly to the side, avoiding the Poison Sting with ease. Using the momentum of its swing, Caterpie launched itself above Weedle's head.
"Now—Tackle."
Wham!
Caterpie cut the silk and plummeted from above. Its descent—fueled by gravity—carried an impressive force for such a small body. Its hardened head collided with Weedle like a meteor strike, sending the bug tumbling across the battlefield.
"Babble!"
"Weedle!" Ash clenched his teeth, watching his Pokémon crash into the dirt. "Damn it! Then let's use String Shot too!"
"Babble!"
Shaking off the blow, Weedle focused again. It let out a blast of white silk toward Caterpie.
"Bug Bite."
Caterpie lunged forward, biting cleanly through the silk without hesitation. Then it charged.
In moments, Caterpie was in front of Weedle—fangs bared.
Chomp!
"Babble!!"
Weedle writhed and twisted, squealing, but Caterpie refused to let go. Its relentless biting wore Weedle down. After just a few moments, Weedle fainted from exhaustion.
"Weedle is unable to battle! The winner is Red from Pallet Town!"
"Return, Weedle." Ash recalled the fainted Pokémon with a solemn nod. "You did great."
Then he glanced at the silent figure beside him.
"Mimikyu, you're up!"
"Mimikyu!"
The ragged ghost Pokémon shuffled forward, facing Red with quiet intensity.
Red's eyes narrowed.
A Pokémon from Alola?
The disguise resembled Pikachu. His curiosity piqued.
Without a word, he grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it.
"Pikachu!"
A familiar yellow mouse landed on the field, crying out with energy.
"Pikachu?" Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way… It's Pikachu again?"
His fighting spirit surged.
"If that's how it is—Mimikyu, time to show what our training's accomplished!"
"Mimikyu!"
Red raised a brow at Ash's sudden enthusiasm.
Has he fought Pikachu before? he wondered.
Regardless, getting worked up like that was rarely helpful in battle.
"Charm," Red ordered softly.
"Pika!" Pikachu cheerfully trotted toward Mimikyu, raising a tiny paw in greeting.
Mimikyu blinked.
"Mimi?"
"Pika~!" Pikachu smiled warmly.
Let's be friends, okay?
"Mimikyu!"
Moved by Pikachu's kindness, Mimikyu's battle instinct faltered. Its Attack stat fell sharply.
"Nasty Plot."
Suddenly, Pikachu's smiling face twisted into something dark and menacing. Mimikyu reeled in horror.
Pikachu's Special Attack surged.
Mimikyu was now frightened.
"Stay focused, Mimikyu—Double Team!"
"Mimikyu!"
Mimikyu recovered and narrowed its eyes.
Deceive me?
It split into a swarm of clones, dashing toward Pikachu.
Ash followed up. "Now, Wood Hammer!"
"Mimikyu!"
The real Mimikyu darted ahead, weapon at the ready. The speed made Red squint.
Fast.
If I don't find a way to restrict that movement… this battle could get tough.
"Agility."
"Pika!"
Pikachu vanished into a blur, weaving between Mimikyu's clones with lightning reflexes.
Ash changed tactics.
"In that case—Shadow Sneak!"
Mimikyu slammed its hands down, and its shadow leapt toward Pikachu's feet.
It was hard to dodge a move like this. Even Pikachu had to slow down.
A perfect moment.
"Electro Ball."
"Pika-pi… KAPI!"
Pikachu spun its tail, generating a crackling orb of electricity. Just before the shadow grabbed it, Pikachu hurled the orb.
BOOM!
The battlefield lit up with sparks and smoke. Ash couldn't see a thing.
"Return, Mimikyu—!" he started, reaching for the Poké Ball.
"Mimikyu!!"
But he was too slow.
From within the smoke, two massive shadowy claws tore through the haze, charging Pikachu like a freight train.
Red's eyes narrowed.
Berserk?
Didn't matter.
"Iron Tail."
"Pika!"
Pikachu's tail gleamed with metallic light. With a spin, it met Mimikyu's attack head-on.
CRASH!
The two clashed—shadow and steel.
They were evenly matched. Pikachu had used gravity and momentum, but even so, he was only barely holding off Mimikyu's ferocious strike.
This was Red's chance.
"Thunderbolt."
"Pika…CHUUU!!"
Pikachu had already been charging. The instant the command came, a surge of electricity flowed through its tail—into Mimikyu.
There was no escape.
Mimikyu cried out, writhing, and the shadow claws evaporated. A moment later, it collapsed to the ground.
Its eyes swirled into spirals.
"Mimikyu is unable to battle! Red wins the second round!"
Ash said nothing as he recalled Mimikyu. He stared across the field at Red—the same Red who had set off on his journey the exact same day as him.
How…?
So strong…
Is this the kind of "monster" those bug catchers were talking about?
And there were three more like him?
He couldn't help but grin.
"Let's go, Froakie!"
"Quack!"
The Froakie dashed forward, eyes blazing. It didn't draw its sword—but raised its chin with defiance.
"Quack!"
Call that Charmeleon out. I wanna fight him.
Red… somehow understood. Despite the type disadvantage, he obliged.
He threw his last Poké Ball.
"Roar!!"
The fire dinosaur emerged with a bellow, full of spirit.
Round Three: Begin.
"Froakie, Quick Attack!"
"Quack!"
In a flash, Froakie shot forward—light bending around its speed. Mid-dash, it gripped its lightsaber and lowered its stance, eyes fixed on Charmeleon's neck.
A gleam flashed in its gaze.
Cut!
"Fire Spin."
Charmeleon opened its mouth, releasing swirling snakes of flame. They wrapped around Froakie's blade, diverting the strike and encircling the water-type in a fiery vortex.
"Don't give up, Froakie!" Ash clenched a fist.
"Use Water Pulse!"
"Quack!"
Froakie gathered water—through the sword, not its hands.
Though far harder to control, it wielded the blade with fierce determination.
A roaring wave surged forth—a dragon-shaped torrent of water breaking through the flames.
Nine Blades Style: Life Flow!
BOOM!
The water dragon howled toward Charmeleon—
But Red was ready.
"Dragon Tail."
Rather than clash, Charmeleon struck the ground with its tail, launching itself skyward, narrowly dodging the dragon's bite.
"Flamethrower—backwards!"
Charmeleon released a massive flame behind him, rocketing forward in a fire-propelled charge.
Ash's eyes widened.
"Block his vision, Froakie—Bubble!"
"Quack!"
Froakie hurled bubbles from its neck pouch, splattering them over Charmeleon's eyes.
Blinded—but not bothered.
For the first time, Red gave a longer command.
"Lower right. Thunder Punch."
"ROAR!"
The fire dinosaur's right fist suddenly flashed with lightning, and without hesitation, it smashed down.
Crash!
A strong electric current instantly surged through Froakie's body, sending waves of numbness that made it impossible to hold its lightsaber steady.
An outstanding attack!
Froakie was sent flying backward.
"Quack!"
"Froakie!"
Watching Froakie collapse to the ground, Ash couldn't help but shout out in worry. His heart sank a little — even Froakie seemed on the verge of defeat. Was there really no way to beat Red?
But soon, Froakie struggled to stand.
Panting heavily, half-kneeling on the ground with its sword in hand, Froakie looked back at Ash.
"Quack!"
"..."
In that moment, Ash saw the fierce desire to win burning in Froakie's eyes. Not only that, he saw himself reflected there — the same unwillingness to give up, the same burning spirit.
Ash's shock quickly melted away.
His frustration vanished without a trace.
His eyes hardened with resolve.
"Froakie, the opponent is strong, so... let's give it our all!"
"Quack!"
At that moment, Red turned his gaze to the other side and was suddenly taken aback.
Froakie and Ash's expressions were remarkably alike — as if carved from the same mold.
And not only that — Red felt a familiar sensation, the same feeling he'd experienced when facing the Rockets before.
But now, he was one of them.
Could it be that Ash harbored some mysterious power?
Interesting...
Red raised a hand and lowered the brim of his hat slightly.
A fire kindled in him as well.
"Froakie, use Water Pledge!"
Froakie plunged its lightsaber into the ground, and in the blink of an eye, a towering column of water surged into the sky, crashing toward the fire dinosaur.
Red smirked and answered immediately:
"Fire Pledge!"
Roar!
The fire dinosaur responded in kind, summoning a blazing pillar of fire that shot skyward, racing toward Froakie at nearly the same speed.
Crash! Boom!
When raging fire met the rushing flood, the flames vaporized the water, turning it into billowing white steam.
A rainbow arched gracefully over the battlefield through the mist.
And the scene was broadcast live to everyone watching:
"Competition is over!"
"Froakie has lost the ability to continue, so the winner is Red from Pallet Town!"
"Ha ha!"
Ash sank to his knees, gasping for breath. The exhaustion he'd felt battling the Rockets returned in full force, but he ignored it. Gathering his remaining strength, he turned to Froakie.
"Froakie, you're okay."
"Quack."
Froakie had recovered consciousness. It looked at the fire dinosaur still standing across from it and knew it had lost. But it was calm — losing wasn't so bad. At least it knew where its weaknesses lay.
And...
Froakie turned to look at Ash.
It seemed it hadn't chosen the wrong trainer.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief, glad Froakie was unharmed. Then Red approached, and Ash couldn't help but smile.
"I lost, Red. You're really awesome."
"...You're not bad either."
Red glanced at his fire dinosaur.
Though still standing, it had only a drop of HP left.
If it weren't for that earlier Thunder Fist attack that drained so much of Froakie's strength, the outcome might have been different.
"Good fight."
Red nodded to Ash.
"See you at the Indigo Conference."
"Oh!" Ash nodded, his fighting spirit reignited. "I'll never lose to you then!"
"...Come on."
Red didn't say much. He recalled his Pokémon and turned to leave.
"Eh? Red, are you leaving now?" Brock asked in surprise.
"Yes." Red nodded. The battle was over, and now that he'd found the Moon Stone, he was ready to continue his journey.
"Farewell."
After saying this, Red walked away without hesitation.
As he moved along the road, his pocket vibrated. Red pulled out his communicator — a call from the Pokedex.
He answered.
An arrogant voice crackled through the line.
"Hello? Red, where are you now? How many badges do you have?"
"...Three."
"Three? Only three? I already have five! But I suppose that's expected — after all, it's my subordinate Red who got defeated. No surprise you're not as strong as me."
Here we go again.
Red rolled his eyes, paralyzed by the arrogance.
Normally, he would have hung up immediately when he heard it was this bastard, but today he had something to say.
"Green, I found an opponent with great potential..."