"Master, will this really make me stronger?"
"I've told you—when we're outside, address me by my title. Call me Gym Leader."
This was already the second day since Gary became Red's disciple.
At the moment, the two of them weren't in the Songzao Gym, but in a forest not far from it.
Gary trudged behind Red with a look of despair, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Unlike Ash—who often got lost and wandered into forests and mountains—Gary usually traveled between cities in his sports car and rarely entered dense forests like this.
For someone who had grown up in a sheltered environment, this setting was extremely uncomfortable.
Red, on the other hand, was long accustomed to it.
Standing on a tree stump, he carefully observed the surroundings.
"We're almost there."
On his shoulder, Mudkip clung tightly to Red's clothes with its tiny limbs to avoid falling.
Besides Mudkip, another Pokémon floated beside Red.
Its translucent body hovered in midair, its eyes filled with curiosity about the world.
This Pokémon was called Castform.
It was Red's second starter Pokémon—and also the signature Pokémon of the Songzao Gym.
After all, the Songzao Gym specialized in all types of weather, and the key to integrating different weather conditions was this seemingly unremarkable Castform.
Moreover, its potential was astonishing.
[Pokémon: Castform ♀]
[Level: 6]
[Talent: Top (Atk: 25, Sp. Atk: 31, Def: 25, Sp. Def: 28, Speed: 30, HP: 28) Total: 167]
[Ability: Forecast (Changes form and type depending on weather conditions)]
[Moves: Water Gun, Ember, Powder Snow, Tackle, Future Sight, Amnesia]
[Evaluation: A Castform with exceptional potential, harboring immense energy within its body]
This was the first Pokémon Red had ever seen with Top-tier talent.
Even Gary's Wartortle and Mudkip were only High-tier.
That alone spoke volumes about Castform's potential.
Red looked at Castform and Mudkip.
"Can you sense where the air humidity is higher nearby?"
Hearing this, both Pokémon closed their eyes, using their abilities to search for areas with higher moisture in the air.
Castform opened its eyes first and cheerfully pointed toward the front-left direction.
Mudkip was slightly slower, but it chose the same direction.
"Good job, both of you."
Red took out two high-grade Pokéblocks as a reward.
The moment they saw the treats, both Mudkip and Castform's eyes lit up, drool practically dripping from their mouths.
Meanwhile, Gary was barely holding on. Half-squatting on the ground, he looked at Red in confusion while gulping down water.
"Gym Leader… what are we even doing in the forest?"
Red's fingers brushed over the dozen or so empty Poké Balls in his pocket.
"Catching Pokémon, of course."
"With only two Pokémon in the Gym right now, it's not exactly presentable."
Hearing this, Gary nearly choked on his water.
"Cough, cough… You're joking, right? You mean the Gym only has these two little guys right now?"
"Congratulations, you guessed correctly."
But seeing that Gary didn't show any resentment, Red asked:
"You don't have any complaints?"
"Complaints? Why would I?"
"I became your disciple because of your command ability and your understanding of what it means to be a trainer—not because of your strength."
"Otherwise, I've met plenty of Elite Four members and even Champions."
Looking at Gary, Red smiled faintly.
He patted Gary, who was still panting.
"Let's go. Since you've acknowledged me as your master, I won't hold anything back. I'll take you to a guided battle."
"A guided battle?"
Gary looked at him curiously.
Red grinned—and suddenly shoved Gary forward without hesitation.
"What are you doing, Master?!"
Gary stumbled forward, barely managing to steady himself before complaining.
Red still wore a smile.
"Your objective now is to defeat it."
Hearing this, Gary suddenly caught a strong, pungent smell.
Slowly turning around, he saw a Pokémon behind him—
Not particularly large, but radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
A Poliwrath stood there, staring at him intently, its aura clearly dangerous.
"This is bad…"
Seeing Gary freeze, Red immediately shouted:
"What are you standing there for? Take out your Poké Ball! When you're in danger, your Pokémon are your only hope!"
Snapped back to reality, Gary hurriedly fumbled for Wartortle's Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball opened, and Wartortle jumped out—
But Poliwrath didn't wait.
Seizing the opening, it lashed out with a kick.
Wartortle took a hit before it could even properly enter the battle.
"This is a wild battle, not a trainer battle. The timing and position of sending out your Pokémon matter."
Hearing this, Gary couldn't help but complain:
"But Master, why didn't you remind me earlier?!"
Turning his head, he saw Red already sitting on a tree stump, somehow having produced a handful of sunflower seeds and casually snacking on them.
"Didn't I mention it while we were on the way?"
Gary scratched his head awkwardly—he hadn't really been paying attention back then.
"Lessons learned through experience stick better. Stop talking—the next attack is coming!"
Hearing this, Gary quickly commanded:
"Wartortle! Iron Defense!"
Wartortle's shell gleamed, hardening like steel. Poliwrath's punch slammed into it, blocking the attack—but Wartortle was still pushed back several steps.
Facing the intimidating Poliwrath, Gary immediately turned to Red for help.
"Master! Poliwrath is a fully evolved Pokémon—I can't beat it!"
"Calm down. Observe its strength carefully. It's not as strong as you think," Red replied.
...
Watching the battle, Red wasn't worried at all.
Although Poliwrath was fully evolved, it was only level 22 with mediocre talent. With Gary's command ability and Wartortle's strength, holding out wasn't a problem.
Normally, a fully evolved Pokémon like Poliwrath wouldn't be below level 36.
That this one was only level 22 explained why Gary initially thought it was unbeatable.
But the appearance of such a low-level fully evolved Pokémon in this area was something Red had already anticipated.
Because in this region, Pokémon like this would occasionally appear.
Red's unreliable father had investigated this place several times but never found anything unusual.
This time, Red's goal wasn't just to catch Pokémon for the Gym—
He also wanted to uncover the reason behind these abnormal evolutions.
Slowly closing his eyes, Red calmed his mind.
A faint green energy began to stir within his consciousness.
This was his confidence in finding the answer—
Viridian Power.
Though incomplete, it was still a special ability.
And hopefully… it wouldn't disappoint him.