"Don't worry. Let's go register."
Red rubbed Ninetales' head and headed toward the registration area.
At this moment—
The registration zone was already packed with people.
After all, a tournament with no entry requirements and such generous rewards was bound to attract huge crowds.
At the long registration line, a staff member greeted him with a smile:
"Sir, are you here to register? Please present your ID."
In the Pokémon world, organizing battles was routine, so the staff worked very efficiently.
"Here's my ID."
Red handed over a freshly prepared identification card.
"Red? Registered strength: Intermediate League Trainer."
"Registration complete, sir. This is your information card—it contains all details about you and the tournament. Best of luck."
Red nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the card.
Clearly—
He had no intention of entering as a Gym Leader.
Instead, he chose to participate under a different identity.
After all—
If he entered openly as a Gym Leader, he'd attract too much attention.
And if he lost…
That would be embarrassing.
So before arriving, he had prepared an identity under the name:
Red (alternate identity pronunciation)
After all—
The one competing is Red.
What does that have to do with Red the Gym Leader?
Even though Songzao Gym had gained some fame recently—
He figured very few people would recognize him.
"Gym Leader Red!"
Just as he thought that—
A familiar voice called out from behind.
Red slowly turned around—
And saw Masao standing there.
"You're the Bug Catcher who uses Ninjask, right?"
Hearing that Red remembered him, Masao pumped his fist excitedly.
"I didn't expect you to remember me! What an honor!"
But as Masao kept calling him "Gym Leader," people nearby began to look over curiously.
Red immediately sensed trouble.
Seeing his identity about to be exposed, he quickly whispered:
"Shh—Masao. Due to special reasons, my identity must remain confidential. Don't tell anyone."
Masao instantly covered his mouth.
"O-Okay! Don't worry—I'll keep it secret!"
Red smiled slightly and said no more, leaving with Ninetales and Xiaowen.
He glanced at his information card.
"There's still time before the tournament starts."
"Want to walk around? I heard the food street here is pretty famous."
The moment they heard "walk around," both Ninetales and Xiaowen lit up.
"Yes! Let's go!"
Elite Island — Food Street
Looking at the endless rows of food stalls—
Both Ninetales and Xiaowen were practically drooling.
Xiaowen looked at the food—
Then at her flat stomach.
"But I've been trying to lose weight…"
While she hesitated—
Ninetales had already rushed forward.
Staring at a massive grilled squid—half the size of her head—she exclaimed:
"What is this?!"
"That's our Bomb Squid! Want one, little miss?"
Hearing that, Ninetales dashed back to Red, tugging his sleeve and biting her finger pitifully.
"Master… I want it."
The moment she said "Master," people nearby cast strange looks.
Red quickly handed her a payment card.
"Alright, even if you spoke normally, I'd still buy it for you."
Ninetales grabbed the card and ran back happily.
"Boss! Ten squids!"
Red looked at the still-hesitating Xiaowen.
"My treat today. Eat whatever you want—miss your chance and it's gone."
Hearing that, Xiaowen immediately rolled up her sleeves.
"If the Gym Leader's paying, then I won't hold back!"
At that moment—
A flash of white light appeared.
Larvitar jumped out of its Poké Ball on its own.
As a hardcore foodie—
There was no way it would miss this.
"And you guys? Want to try something too?" Red asked the others.
Soon—
Castform was happily eating blueberry shaved ice.
Marshtomp, uninterested, turned its head away—
But was eventually force-fed takoyaki by Larvitar.
Meanwhile—
Larvitar was carrying an absurd amount of food in both hands, piled higher than itself.
But what drew attention wasn't just the quantity—
It was Larvitar itself.
A Shiny Pseudo-Legendary naturally had a 200% head-turn rate.
Not far away, even a Munchlax was eating just as much—
But it wasn't nearly as eye-catching.
At that moment, Red spotted Masao passing by, chatting with friends.
He nodded from a distance as a greeting.
Everything felt peaceful.
Relaxed.
Like a rare moment of rest.
...
But—
Seeing Red so carefree—
A certain Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon was extremely displeased.
"Others came here to compete… and you're on vacation?"
Using its psychic power, Mewtwo could monitor almost the entire island.
And seeing Red so relaxed—
It was irritated.
This isn't how a trainer should act.
In a flash—
Mewtwo arrived at the food street.
To avoid attention, it had transformed into a middle-aged man.
Step by step, it approached Red.
"Young man, the tournament is about to begin, yet you seem quite relaxed."
Red looked at him curiously.
For some reason—
This man gave him a strange sense of pressure.
"Me? I'm a participant too."
Mewtwo wasn't lying.
It had indeed registered under this identity.
After all—
In its view, defeating just the champion was boring.
Starting from the lowest level and crushing everyone step by step—
That was interesting.
It even showed its information card.
Red glanced at it and nodded, not thinking much of it.
After all—
People like this existed everywhere.
But then—
Red suddenly noticed something.
When he looked directly at the man—
A Pokémon interface appeared beside him.
[Pokémon: Mewtwo]
[Level: 85+]
[Talent: Perfect++]
[Description: A Pokémon disguised as a human.]
Red froze.
A question mark practically popped over his head.
"…Wait."
"Is my system glitching?"
"Why is Mewtwo disguised as a human… standing right next to me?!"
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