Not to mention Saizo's carelessness, Red felt even more sympathy for the Gym Trainers from various places who had handed their League Badges over to Saizo.
If Red remembered correctly, in the original story, Saizo had even managed to luck his way into obtaining the Volcano Badge from Blaine by having Marowak use Bone Club head-on to defeat Magmar.
Of course, that was only Saizo's side of the story, so Red had no way of knowing what the actual battle had been like.
Perhaps Saizo had only barely managed to win by relying on the double-type advantage while Blaine went easy on him too much.
After all, every time Saizo lost a match, he would soon challenge Blaine again. His unwavering determination likely moved Blaine more than a little.
"I don't have time to help you search for them, but later on, a warm-hearted kid will help you. He specializes in dealing with Team Rocket's trio," Red said leisurely, telling Saizo to relax and not be so anxious.
Rather than trying to take shortcuts here and steal other people's League Badges, Red hoped Saizo would give it everything he had and reclaim his own badges from Team Rocket.
After saying that, Red turned around and disappeared from Saizo's sight.
"A warm-hearted kid? Thank you for your guidance!"
Saizo said solemnly as he respectfully bowed toward the direction Red had left.
Then, a rather dramatic scene occurred. Perhaps because Red would occasionally stop to train his Pokémon during his journey, combined with the fact that Ash's group had taken shortcuts along the way—
Not long after Red departed, Ash's group just so happened to run into Saizo and Marowak. At that moment, Saizo was still treating Marowak's severe injuries and had not noticed Ash's group arriving.
A short while later, the warm-hearted Ash trio successfully helped Saizo recover his League Badges.
Interestingly enough, Team Rocket's trio had stolen the badges for a very simple reason—they wanted to participate in this year's Indigo Plateau Conference and use it to spread their fame far and wide.
Unfortunately, that "dream" was shattered by Ash. With a single command, Ash had Pikachu unleash Thunderbolt, blasting Team Rocket's trio into the sky like shooting stars.
(When I rewatched that episode and saw Pikachu defeat Marowak with one electric attack... my feelings were complicated...)
...
The next day—
After passing by a crystal-clear lake, Red arrived alone at a town beneath the Indigo Plateau. The town was already packed with crowds, all waving flags bearing Poké Ball symbols. Clearly, they had gathered to welcome an important figure.
Probably only a thick-headed guy like Ash would mistakenly think these people were gathered here to welcome him.
Naturally, Red knew they were actually waiting for the Torch Runner who would soon pass through town. The Torch Runner was responsible for carrying the Moltres flame for the Indigo Plateau Conference across various regions and was deeply respected by the people.
The role of Torch Runner naturally fascinated many young people, all eager to see if they could someday take on such an honor.
Of course, Red himself had no interest in it and planned to leave after watching for a little while.
Not long after Red departed, Ash's group also arrived at the town.
When Ash saw the massive crowd ahead, he wondered if they were welcoming him. Then he noticed everyone suddenly waving their flags excitedly and looking toward him joyfully.
"Thank you, thank you! Thank you all for your support! We'll do our best to aim for the Indigo Plateau Conference championship—"
Before Ash could finish his passionate speech, the crowd completely ignored Ash's group and instead welcomed the Torch Runner approaching from behind, creating an utterly awkward misunderstanding.
...
Main Venue — Indigo Stadium
That evening, after presenting his Pokédex to verify his identity as a competitor, Red arrived at the League Village where tournament contestants stayed.
Although it was called a League Village, it was actually closer to a small town. The vast village possessed an abundance of supplies, and all resources there were provided free of charge to contestants. Even companions accompanying the participants could enjoy the same benefits.
"Well, well, if it isn't our Red! Didn't expect you to arrive at the League Village this late!"
A familiar voice came from the side. Turning his head, Red discovered Gary, who had already arrived at the village long ago.
Gary was leisurely drinking coffee while his six beautiful cheerleaders stood behind him, still holding pom-poms and chanting slogans cheering him on to victory.
"Seeing how leisurely you're drinking coffee, I assume you've already gathered plenty of information about the competitors?" Red joked.
"Of course. Gathering intelligence on your rivals is one of the most important shortcuts to victory in a tournament."
Gary set down his coffee and spoke seriously.
"I've gathered quite a bit of information on you too, Red. After all, you're my number one rival. I have to be cautious so I don't end up capsizing in a ditch. I'll show you the results of my training over these past two months!"
"Alright, we've finally arrived at the League Village!"
"All the amazing Pokémon Trainers are gathered here!"
At that moment, Ash's trio also entered Red and Gary's line of sight.
Seeing his childhood friend Ash, Gary's old habit immediately resurfaced, and he instinctively mocked him.
"You're pretty late, Aaaash-kun~"
"That voice—?!"
Ash immediately reacted with annoyance.
(So Gary stayed here drinking coffee just to wait for Ash?)
Red glanced playfully at Gary, whose face remained "calm."
"I've long since started collecting information on my competitors," Gary said leisurely.
"I don't need any information at all! Adapting on the fly is my unique battle style!" Ash immediately retorted.
"Can a battle style like that even win? Mr. Last Place Ash~" Gary teased, though in reality he was trying to remind Ash to change his way of thinking.
"What did you say?!"
Ash shouted anxiously.
"A real battle begins only after understanding your opponent. But even if you gathered intel on your enemies, I still doubt you'd win anyway. Hahaha..."
After saying that, Gary smugly left together with his beautiful cheerleaders, leaving Brock drooling with envy at the side.
"Ash, just relax. I believe in your strength."
Red patted Ash on the shoulder and comforted him.
After parting ways with Ash's group, Red followed the room number on his key and found his assigned contestant residence.
Because there were simply too many participants, unless someone had companions traveling with them like Ash or Gary, solitary contestants were generally assigned to live together with other participants.
Red's luck was fairly good. He had drawn a double room, meaning he only needed to share accommodations with one other contestant for a while.
Knock knock knock...
Out of courtesy, Red stood outside the door and knocked several times, signaling his arrival to his roommate inside.
"Sorry, please wait a moment."
A pleasant female voice came from inside the room, asking Red to wait briefly.
(A girl? And that voice sounds a little familiar?)
Red nodded inwardly. If it was a girl he knew, at least it wouldn't be too awkward and would save him from feeling overly restrained and ruining the quality of his sleep.