"I didn't expect this young man's strength to be so outstanding…"
After witnessing what had just happened, the middle-aged man grew even more excited about Scizor's performance, clearly viewing Red and Scizor as the saviors of Dark City.
"Don't say I'm bullying you. Go call your bosses over."
Red saw through the small scheme of both gym factions trying to call for reinforcements and decided to settle everything at once.
The members of both sides exchanged glances, signaling a temporary truce for the day, then hurried back to their respective bases to seek help from their bosses.
"Isn't this a bit too reckless? The bosses of both gyms aren't ordinary trainers," the middle-aged man said worriedly as he looked at Red.
"Don't worry. These third-rate guys aren't enough to threaten me," Red said calmly, telling the family to just relax and enjoy the show.
A short while later...
The bosses of both gyms stormed in aggressively with their subordinates, looking arrogantly at Red as they shouted,
"So you're the one who caused trouble for our gym. Seeing that you have some skill, as long as you agree to become a fighter for our side, I can choose to let this matter go." ×2
"What?!" ×2
The two bosses looked at each other in shock. Their little schemes had been predicted by the other. Embarrassed and furious, they shut their mouths, deciding to tear off all pretense and directly challenge Red.
"What a bunch of attention-seeking clowns," Red mocked, throwing a Poké Ball from his waist and releasing a massive Steelix.
"Gulp!" ×2
The two instantly lost their courage. If it were only Scizor, they had planned to win through cooperation, but they never expected Red to send out another heavyweight—this enormous Steelix—which completely crushed their last bit of hope.
Feeling the expectations of their subordinates behind them, the two could only grit their teeth and send out their own Pokémon. Electabuzz and Scyther appeared in front of Steelix and Scizor.
Steelix and Scizor glanced at each other and each chose their opponent.
Without needing Red's command, Steelix charged forward with Heavy Slam toward Electabuzz. Seeing the gigantic creature approaching, Electabuzz's legs went weak, collapsing to the ground in fear without even the slightest thought of resistance.
"Get up, Electabuzz!"
The Kaz Gym boss tried to stir Electabuzz's will, but Electabuzz glanced back and saw that its trainer had already hidden in a corner. Its face instantly turned gray with despair.
"Boom—"
A loud crash rang out as Electabuzz was knocked to the ground by Steelix. Its struggling body was crushed beneath Steelix's weight, and it was forcibly pressed into unconsciousness.
On Scizor's side, things were even easier. Scyther, facing its evolved form, had already lost most of its momentum. In a contest of speed, it was completely defeated and was knocked down by a single Metal Claw from Scizor.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing their Pokémon defeated so easily, the two gave up resisting and knelt down in unison, begging Red to show mercy.
Seeing their bosses lose, the subordinates behind them also knelt down, wailing and pleading for Red's forgiveness.
"As Pokémon trainers, you are complete failures," Red said calmly.
The members of Yas Gym and Kaz Gym nodded repeatedly at Red's scolding. Some even slapped themselves, deeply regretting their past mistakes.
"I can understand your desire to become gym trainers, but your actions completely violate the responsibilities of that role."
"Master, how can we become gym trainers recognized by the League?"
In the Pokémon world, strength was respected above all, so the two found it perfectly natural to address Red as "Master."
Sensing that Red intended to guide them, the Yas boss and Kaz boss quickly moved closer, massaging his shoulders and legs to serve him, leaving Red momentarily stunned.
"The primary responsibility of a gym trainer is to maintain local peace and represent the reputation of the Pokémon League. Do you really think fighting recklessly in the town and ignoring the safety of residents is the behavior of a gym trainer?"
Red's words completely awakened the members of both gyms. Only then did they look around at the devastated surroundings. When residents met their eyes, they all lowered their heads in fear. Even innocent children were so frightened that they cried.
These sights made everyone pound the ground in regret as they cried out, "What have we done?!"
"Instead of regretting here, go apologize one by one and take the initiative to restore Dark City's prosperity. Perhaps then the people will forgive your past mistakes," Red said leisurely.
After reflecting, the members of both gyms took action, bearing the consequences of their actions. Even when children deliberately threw stones at them, they smiled and bowed apologetically.
"Now that is the demeanor a gym trainer should have."
Applause came from behind. The mysterious person who had been pretending to drink coffee earlier appeared before everyone. Seeing the confused looks from everyone except Red, the person removed their coat and revealed their identity.
"I am the inspector sent by the Pokémon League to Dark City!" Nurse Joy announced.
"Inspector, please give us a few more days!"
The Yas boss and Kaz boss said anxiously, knowing that under current conditions they could not possibly meet the requirements to become a League gym.
"I originally planned to observe you for a few more days to see if you would come to your senses, but with this young man's intervention, I decided to step in early."
Nurse Joy explained, causing the two to turn pale. Only now did they realize that she had already been in Dark City conducting inspections, meaning all their previous private fights had been seen by her.
"Don't worry. As long as you correct your mistakes in time, you still have the qualifications to become gym trainers," Nurse Joy reassured them, reigniting their hope.
"Master, we'd like to ask you something. The main reason for our conflict is that Dark City can only have one League gym. To compete for that single position, we had no choice but to fight."
Seeing hope again, the two explained the root cause of their conflict—only one League gym could exist in Dark City, yet there were two factions.
"This is actually a simple matter, although it hasn't yet been implemented in the Kanto Region."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Red continued.
"You might as well merge into the Kaya Gym, retaining some of your original styles. The new gym can have two gym trainers and become the first dual-battle League gym in the Kanto Region. This will also prevent you from fighting over a single position."
"Master, is it really allowed to establish a double-battle gym?" the Yas boss asked in confusion.
"Yeah, yeah. All gyms in the Kanto Region use single battles. There's nothing like our double format. Isn't this too unrealistic?" the Kaz boss added.
"What? Not willing?" Red frowned. Beside him, Steelix and Scizor glared intimidatingly at the two, scaring them so badly that their faces turned pale.