"Red, I hope you can stay true to your original intention and achieve the dream in your heart. Since those two unrepentant fellows have fallen back into slumber beneath the earth, there's no need for me to linger here any longer."
After speaking, under Dragonair's reluctant gaze, the ancient Dragonite flapped its wings, stirring up a violent storm, and in mere moments disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving only Dragonair calling out unwillingly.
"The ancient civilization… it really inspires fear…" Eve murmured.
"Original intention, huh?"
Red slowly looked at his companions, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"My original intention has never changed!"
...
Location—Pallet Town
Time quietly passed. After the perfect resolution of the ancient Pokémon incident, everyone finally enjoyed a rare period of peaceful daily life.
However, Red still insisted on waking up at six every morning for training, pushing all of his Pokémon's fighting spirit to the extreme, all for the long-awaited Indigo Plateau Conference.
(The Mewtwo Strikes Back plot will be moved to after the Indigo Plateau Conference. As for how it unfolds, you all know how it goes…)
Now, only nine days remained before the Indigo Plateau Conference. To arrive quickly at the Indigo Plateau and adjust their tense emotions, Gary and Leaf had already set off early from Pallet Town.
In order not to disturb Red's training, as well as Ash's "hardworking" self-training, Gary and Leaf tacitly chose to leave without saying goodbye, not informing the two brothers of their departure so as not to disrupt them.
Thus, the only contestants still lingering in Pallet Town were the two brothers, Red and Ash.
But while Red stayed behind to fully prepare through training, Ash had simply forgotten the date of the competition. Even Misty and Brock hadn't managed to firmly remember it, and thus failed to remind Ash to make proper preparations.
However, based on Red's understanding of the storyline, in two days Ash's trio would definitely shamelessly show up at Professor Oak's Laboratory, seeking advice from the experienced Professor Oak and requesting a self-training plan that could significantly improve their strength.
At that time, Professor Oak would certainly scold Ash, essentially saying that the opening ceremony of the Indigo Plateau Conference was just around the corner, yet Ash was still thinking about how to train himself, and would urge the trio to immediately set off for the Indigo Plateau.
As for Red, who disliked traveling by vehicle, he planned to finish training Blastoise and Snorlax today, and tomorrow morning set off from Pallet Town on his journey to the Indigo Plateau Conference.
At this moment, Red, Blastoise, and Snorlax were training on a beach far from Pallet Town.
This beach was Professor Oak's private property, and during this period, Red had been using it as one of his dedicated training battlefields.
When Red had suddenly made this request some time ago, Professor Oak had readily agreed. After all, Red was the rising star of Pallet Town, and his dedication to training Pokémon pleased Professor Oak greatly. Moreover, their deep friendship from three years of joint research gave Professor Oak no reason to refuse.
Of course, even if Professor Oak had declined due to trivial matters, Red could have simply bought a beach himself as private property—but clearly, that wasn't necessary.
"Bang—"
Blastoise and Snorlax slammed into each other with their bodies at the same time, producing a loud crash. Neither side was willing to yield, locking themselves in a stalemate.
Both Blastoise and Snorlax were power-type Pokémon, making them excellent sparring partners. However, in terms of pure strength, Snorlax held a slight advantage.
After all, Snorlax was a pure powerhouse, and with its fondness for fitness and muscle training, it naturally surpassed Blastoise slightly in strength.
"Blastoise, use Ice Punch!"
"Snorlax, use Fire Punch!"
Red commanded both Pokémon simultaneously.
Upon hearing Red's orders, Blastoise and Snorlax both unleashed heavy punches, striking each other directly.
For the sake of training, Red did not have them go all out, focusing mainly on strengthening punching power.
But Snorlax's strength clearly exceeded Blastoise's expectations. Under Blastoise's astonished gaze, its entire body was slowly forced backward, carving a deep trench into the sand.
Immediately after, Snorlax shoved Blastoise hard, nearly knocking it over in embarrassment. Fortunately, Blastoise quickly extended its cannons, bracing them against the sand to steady itself and avoid the awkward fall.
Realizing it couldn't defeat Snorlax through pure strength, Blastoise's eyes gradually ignited with fighting spirit, eager to clash again.
"Blastoise!"
Blastoise's right fist glowed white as it launched a Mega Punch toward Snorlax.
"Snorlax!"
Snorlax refused to back down, also using Mega Punch to counter.
"Bang—"
After a brief clash, both Pokémon flushed red, unwilling to concede. In the end, however, Snorlax narrowly emerged victorious. After all, strength wasn't Blastoise's only forte.
To demonstrate its true power to Snorlax, Blastoise turned its burning gaze toward Red, who immediately understood its intent.
"Then let's do it together, Blastoise!"
With that, Red forcefully threw the Mega Stone in his hand toward Blastoise.
Seeing this, Blastoise excitedly reached out and caught the Mega Stone, preparing to Mega Evolve and show Snorlax what the king of all turtles was capable of.
"Break through your limits and return to your origin! Answer my call—Mega Evolve, Blastoise!"
As soon as the words fell, the Key Stone in Red's palm emitted a dazzling light. Immediately after, a bond-light erupted from Blastoise's body. The two lights intertwined like a link, and as Blastoise was engulfed in radiance, it began to transform.
Under Snorlax's envious gaze, Mega Blastoise with three cannons appeared.
Before Mega Blastoise could prepare to let Snorlax taste the power of its cannons, it noticed Snorlax pointing in confusion at Red, who stood frozen in the distance, as if sensing something had changed about him.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully activating and mastering Mega Evolution for six Pokémon!]
The mechanical voice echoed once again in Red's mind. Before he could react, the light around Mega Blastoise suddenly dissipated, and under Snorlax's shocked gaze, it reverted back to its normal form.
The Mega Stone that had fallen from Blastoise strangely floated in midair.
Although it didn't understand what was happening, the Mega Stone was Blastoise's treasure. Seeing some unknown force trying to take it away, Blastoise immediately objected, reaching out to grab it—only to clutch at empty air in embarrassment.