Red, a boy from Pallet Town.
His family background was ordinary, and since he had spent years hanging around groups of Bug Catchers, he could barely be considered one of them himself.
For more than ten years growing up, as the king of the neighborhood kids and an expert Bug Catcher, Red had never lost a battle.
Even when facing opponents that were only low-level fodder, he had still trained his main Pokémon, Poliwhirl, to Advanced-level.
At that level, dealing with beginner trainers who had barely started was naturally effortless. But against someone like Blue, who came from a powerful family background… or against a Legendary Pokémon, he could only be completely crushed.
The blind confidence he had built up over the years shattered instantly.
Red fell into a brief daze.
"Hey, hey?"
Blue also noticed that the other boy was not listening to him at all. After calling out twice without getting a response, he clicked his tongue and turned to leave.
Talking to a blockhead was the most boring thing ever.
But the moment he turned around, he saw a familiar figure slowly walking over.
"Professor Corviknight!"
Blue's voice filled with surprise.
Shiro smiled and acknowledged him. He recalled Corviknight behind him, then shifted his attention toward Red.
As for Mew, which was still floating invisibly in the air, Shiro didn't pay much attention to it.
He did not think of himself as some ridiculously lucky protagonist who could make Legendary Pokémon fall in love with him just by showing up... In any case, there was a high chance Mew would not become attached to him that easily.
Although Mew loved to play, it was still very cautious.
Shiro walked over to Red while Blue watched with confusion in his eyes.
Did Professor Corviknight know this stubborn guy?
"Red?" Shiro patted the boy's shoulder lightly.
Hearing someone call him, Red turned around. His expression only became more confused.
'It's someone I don't know…'
Shiro carefully looked him over and firmly memorized his appearance.
Blue hurried over from behind and asked, "Professor Corviknight, who is this person…?"
"Oh." Shiro suddenly remembered the two of them had not met before, so he introduced them.
"He's Red, also from Pallet Town. Red, this is Blue."
Red and Blue looked at each other.
"???"
"???"
Red had absolutely no memory of ever meeting this man. That alone was strange enough, and now even this boy his age was also someone he had never seen before.
Blue, on the other hand, was mostly shocked.
There really was someone named Red?
His name matched his own, and he was also the same age and from Pallet Town…
Both of them were full of questions, and the best person to answer them was standing right beside them.
The two turned toward Shiro at the same time.
Red spoke first. "Sorry, I don't remember meeting you before..."
Shiro smiled. "That's because I never introduced myself to you. I've seen you catching Pokémon together with the kids from Pallet Town before…"
Red listened with a blank look, unable to understand how that somehow counted as knowing him.
"Of course, that part isn't important." Shiro waved his hand dismissively.
Blue let out a sigh of relief. A smug smile appeared on his usually indifferent face.
"So you don't know Professor Corviknight after all… Red."
Red looked even more confused. "Am I supposed to know him?"
Shiro didn't react much to that, but veins instantly bulged on Blue's forehead. He rushed in front of Red and shouted, "You're seriously a trainer from Pallet Town?!"
Red blinked in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Blue forcefully suppressed his anger. After hearing Shiro's introduction and seeing all these coincidences, he had subconsciously viewed Red as a rival comparable to himself. But now...
"As a trainer from Pallet Town, you've never even heard of Professor Corviknight? Don't tell me you don't even know about the Academic Summit that just ended?"
Red scratched his head. "Well… the town gets lively every year anyway, so I got used to it."
"You…" Blue was so annoyed he almost choked. He genuinely could not imagine someone who paid no attention to the Academic Summit.
It was because he had grown up surrounded by elite trainers and influential figures in the Pokémon world. Naturally, he assumed trainers were all supposed to be like that…
And honestly, both in the past and the future, the core pillars and upper ranks of the Pokémon world were really all elites with strong backgrounds.
Lance of the Dragon Clan, Lorelei representing the academic faction, Bruno representing the field combat faction, and Agatha from the remnants of the old era would form the future Kanto Elite Four.
As for Johto, which still had not fully established itself, it was hardly worth mentioning. Even its future Elite Four would become representatives of different forces fighting for influence.
Not to mention the current Blue himself. While might have had a distant relationship with his grandfather, his identity was still unchanged. He was Professor Oak's direct grandson.
And Red?
He was just an unknown Bug Catcher boy.
Other than the hard-to-explain protagonist aura around him, all he had was a burning desire for battle and what seemed to be excellent talent as a trainer.
Red rarely even watched television. How could he possibly know about the Academic Summit, the internet, or the newly famous Professor Corviknight…
"I really didn't know," Red said honestly. "But I often go to the entrance of Oak Research Institute hoping to see Professor Oak. I heard that weird old man is really strong and can help people become stronger too…"
Blue's expression changed slightly. "You've met him before?"
Red shook his head. "No. Oak Research Institute doesn't let unrelated people enter…"
"But!" Flames seemed to ignite in his eyes. "I'll definitely meet him someday. Then I'll ask him how to train Pokémon properly, and finally challenge the Pokémon League to become Champion… My goal is to become the strongest Champion!"
For a moment, Shiro felt dazed. It was as if he could see blazing flames burning endlessly within the boy.
'So this is the protagonist…'
Beside him, Blue quietly swallowed.
The way Red described Oak Research Institute as some unreachable place made him feel strangely uneasy.
Still, Blue quickly put on his arrogant and cold expression again. He grabbed onto another point and changed the topic.
"You? Champion? You don't even know Professor Corviknight…" He pointed at Shiro. "Do you realize there's already a Champion standing right in front of you?"
"A Champion?"
Red froze briefly before immediately reacting.
He rushed up to Shiro with eyes full of shock and admiration. "You're a Champion?"
Shiro gave a slight nod. "That's right. Though I'm the Galar Champion. That region is pretty far from Kanto."
"That's amazing! Please battle me!"
Red raised his voice excitedly, then hurriedly lowered his head and searched through his pockets.
But after fumbling around for a while, he still couldn't find a Pokémon capable of battling.
His only main Pokémon, Poliwhirl, had already been knocked unconscious by Mew.
"You're overestimating yourself!" Blue immediately shouted coldly. "At least reach Gym-level before thinking about whether you even qualify to challenge him! Ordinary Gym-level trainers can barely even stand in front of Professor Corviknight!"
"…"
Shiro felt that he still wasn't at the level where Gym-level trainers couldn't stand just from his aura alone.
Though his Pokémon probably could.
"Alright..." Red finally gave up on the challenge with a disappointed face. "I really don't have any Pokémon I can use right now."
"It's fine," Shiro replied. "You can save it for next time."
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