Looking at Gary eagerly seeking praise, Red first smiled, then suddenly changed his tone.
"You did well—but look at what happened this time. When the Gym was attacked, you still couldn't help at all. Train harder. At the very least, raise your Wartortle until it evolves."
"And for this Kanto League Conference—if you don't win the championship, don't go around saying you're my disciple."
Hearing this, Gary put away his grin and grew serious.
"Don't worry, Master! The Kanto League championship this year is as good as mine!"
...
Seeing that Red seemed completely unaffected by the incident, Qiao Yixue let out a sigh of relief.
Good… at least my identity hasn't been exposed.
But as the saying goes—what you fear most is what happens next.
The moment she turned around, she saw Red walking toward her.
"Oh right, Miss Joy. Didn't the Pokémon Center get overwhelmed because of this incident? A lot of Pokémon were injured , right?"
"When I was at the Pokémon Academy, I graduated top of my class in Pokémon medical studies. I can go help out at the Pokémon Center."
The moment she heard this, Qiao Yixue shook her head like a rattle drum.
Because the real Nurse Joy of Songzao City was still at the Pokémon Center—
If Red went there, her identity would be exposed instantly.
She quickly refused:
"N-no need! The Pokémon Center isn't that busy anymore…"
"I think I should still go take a look."
Seeing Red press forward step by step, cold sweat began to drip down Qiao Yixue's forehead.
"W-well…"
"Gym Leader Red , you go ahead with your work—I'll be leaving first!"
Watching Qiao Yixue flee in a panic, a faint smile appeared on Red 's lips.
Seeing this, Gary felt something was off and turned to Xiaowen.
"Sister Xiaowen, did Master know the Nurse Joy of Songzao City before? And that Nurse Joy… she's unbelievably strong."
Gary's observational skills were far sharper than Meng Hua's.
Xiaowen's gaze turned subtle as she watched Qiao Yixue leave.
"She's probably not the Nurse Joy of Songzao City."
Gary felt like his brain short-circuited.
"She's not? That's impossible—how could someone fake being from the Joy family?"
Xiaowen sighed helplessly.
"Who said she isn't a Nurse Joy? She is—but definitely not an ordinary one."
"What kind of small-city Nurse Joy has a Chansey at quasi-Elite Four peak?"
Hearing that, Gary suddenly realized.
"Right… someone her age with that level of strength—even within the Joy family, she'd be considered a top genius."
Gary wasn't like Ash—he wasn't clueless.
He had simply seen too many powerful trainers, causing him to momentarily overlook just how rare a quasi-Elite Four-level trainer really was.
Such a person would be treasured anywhere—
There was no way they'd be stationed in a small city as a Nurse Joy.
Just then, Red walked in.
Gary was about to share his discovery—
But Red spoke first:
"That Qiao Yixue just now is most likely a Gym inspection officer sent by the League."
Gary was even more shocked.
"Seriously? A member of the Joy family working as a Gym inspector? That's never happened before!"
Red wasn't surprised at all.
"It's easy to figure out. The Gym inspection is coming up. A very strong Nurse Joy shows up, hiding her identity and visiting the Gym—if she's not an inspector, then who is?"
The more Gary listened, the more it made sense.
"As expected of you, Master… that reasoning is solid."
Red simply smiled.
In truth, aside from these deductions—
He also remembered that in the anime, there was such a Nurse Joy.
And what left an even deeper impression on him was—
Not only was she a Gym inspector—
She also had a Legendary Pokémon: Latias.
A mythical Pokémon, the famous guardian of Alto Mare.
After transmigrating to this world for over a decade, Red had yet to see a single Legendary Pokémon in person.
He took a deep breath.
"Qiao Yixue…"
At that moment, Gary asked nervously:
"Master, if she's really a Gym inspector… did we pass the inspection?"
Red could only shrug helplessly.
"I don't know. But since she was willing to stand up for the Gym, her impression of me shouldn't be bad."
"But…"
Looking at the eight-digit balance on his bank card—and the cart full of resources in the storage room—
Red smiled.
"League funding doesn't seem that important anymore."
After obtaining the resources, Red didn't leave them sitting in storage.
All three Permanent Evolution Stones were turned into food for Mudkip, Castform, and Larvitar.
As for the Soul Sand, he planned to save it for Larvitar until its body was strong enough to handle it.
This wasn't favoritism toward Larvitar—
It was simply because, at Tyranitar's level, ordinary items wouldn't make any noticeable difference.
As for Gary and Xiaowen, Red gave each of them two Evolution Stones and one TM as a reward.
Even though he knew they likely didn't lack such things—
As Gym Leader, proper rewards had to be given.
After receiving the rewards—
Although Gary didn't say anything, his exclusive quest progress increased by another 5%, leaving only 5% to reach the next reward (Evolution Potion ×2).
...…
"Master, are we continuing Gym battles this afternoon?"
Hearing Gary's question, Red revealed a mysterious smile.
"We have something else to do this afternoon."
"Something else?"
Gary and Xiaowen both looked at him curiously.
A sharp glint flashed in Red 's eyes.
"Do you really think heirs raised by those long-established League families are idiots?"
Gary's expression changed.
"Master, you mean that guy from earlier…"
"If I'm not mistaken, he was just a scout sent to gather information."
That statement stunned both Gary and Xiaowen.
It took them a moment to recover.
"Master… are you serious?"
"Gym Leader, if he was just a scout, why would he risk so much? What could they possibly want from our Gym?"
Red looked around the entire Songzao Gym and took a deep breath.
"If I'm right… their target is the Songzao Gym itself."
"—!!!"
Both Gary and Xiaowen sucked in a sharp breath.
This was a conspiracy targeting the entire Gym?!
In that instant, goosebumps rose on their skin. Their eyes filled with both excitement and tension.
Gary quickly connected the dots.
"Oh! I get it, Master—so you didn't use Tyranitar earlier because you wanted to hide your strength?"
"Exactly. Only a handful of challengers—and you two—know that I have Tyranitar."
"So it will be our trump card."
"Gym Leader… what should we do now?"
Both Gary and Xiaowen looked at Red expectantly.
Red narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Simple."
"We go listen—personally—to what they're planning."
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