"So?"
"Do you have anything else to say for yourself?"
Standing before Lt. Surge, Red spoke coldly.
Lt. Surge raised his head to look at him. His eyes were filled with unwillingness and rage, though he concealed those emotions well.
Slowly getting to his feet, he forced a smile onto his face.
"Gym Leader Red truly lives up to his reputation."
"I admit defeat."
Red, however, remained unsatisfied.
He shook his head.
"My strength doesn't need your confirmation."
The corner of Lt. Surge's mouth twitched.
Suppressing the anger boiling inside him, he replied:
"Gym Leader Red is absolutely right."
Red nodded.
"Think carefully about what you've done."
"I believe my disciple deserves an apology."
"And Pikachu deserves one too."
You actually want me to apologize to a Pokémon?!
The fury inside Lt. Surge nearly exploded.
His fists clenched tightly.
But after a long moment, he slowly relaxed them.
Bowing respectfully toward Ash and Pikachu, he said:
"I'm sorry."
"My negligence allowed a Poison-type Pokémon to interfere with the battle."
"As the Gym Leader, that responsibility falls on me."
"I apologize to both of you."
Seeing Lt. Surge actually bowing to him—and to Pikachu—Ash was completely caught off guard.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he replied:
"It's fine. Really."
Just as Lt. Surge thought he had finally gotten through the ordeal, Red continued smiling at him.
"What about all the rookie trainers you've hurt?"
"Shouldn't you apologize to them too?"
Lt. Surge's expression stiffened.
Then he turned toward the crowd and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, everyone."
"I failed in my responsibilities as a Gym Leader."
"I deliberately increased the difficulty of Gym battles."
"I also used insulting language toward many of you."
"For that, I sincerely apologize."
After hearing the apology, many of the novice trainers exchanged glances.
Much of their resentment faded.
Meanwhile, Lt. Surge secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Trying to force me into making a mistake?
You're still hundreds of years too early for that.
As he expected, Red was indeed pressuring him.
What a pity.
I can't finish him off in one go.
Red felt a bit regretful.
Lt. Surge lowered his voice and muttered:
"Red, I lost this round."
"But all you relied on was Dynamax."
"You've already revealed the technology."
"Sooner or later you'll have to make it public."
"When Dynamax is no longer something exclusive to you, let's see what you'll use to fight me then."
Red looked at him helplessly.
"Gym Leader Surge."
"You don't actually think the only difference between us is Dynamax, do you?"
Patting him on the shoulder, Red smiled.
"Don't worry."
"Dynamax will be promoted very soon."
"By the time the Eight Gym Tournament arrives, we can have the fair match you keep talking about."
Lt. Surge smirked, looking pleased with himself.
"Then until next time, Gym Leader Red."
With that, Red lost all interest in staying.
He left Vermilion Gym together with Ash, Gary, and the others.
After Red departed, the moment the Gym doors closed behind him, Lt. Surge exploded.
He smashed a nearby table with a furious kick.
"Since becoming a Gym Leader, I've never suffered such humiliation!"
"He actually forced me to apologize to a Pokémon!"
"And to those worthless rookies!"
"Red!"
"Just you wait!"
"Wait until Dynamax isn't your exclusive secret anymore!"
"I'll make you repay today's humiliation a hundredfold!"
"Without Dynamax, you're nothing!"
Outside Vermilion Gym.
Red looked toward Ash and Gary.
"Continue your journeys."
"The League Conference isn't far away."
"You need to hurry."
"Yes, Master!" ×2
The two replied in unison.
Then Red turned toward Ash.
Somewhat helplessly, he said:
"You need to use your brain more often."
"What you did wasn't wrong."
"But you were too reckless."
"I won't always be able to rush over and save you."
Ash scratched his head sheepishly.
"Got it, Master!"
Then Red looked toward Gary.
"You handled things well this time."
"Just like today—keep thinking before you act."
"Yes, Master."
Gary nodded immediately.
Then Red leaned closer and whispered:
"Work hard."
"If you can reach the Top Four in this year's League Conference, I'll give you a special gift."
Gary's eyes instantly lit up.
"Really?!"
"I'll do my best!"
While Red was giving instructions to his disciples, a young girl suddenly stepped forward.
"Hello."
Gary recognized her first.
"You don't need to worry."
"It's not that you're unsuited to being a trainer."
"You were just unlucky enough to meet a terrible Gym Leader."
"That's right!"
Ash rubbed his nose proudly.
"You don't have to thank me too much!"
Clearly, he was already waiting for praise.
But the girl looked straight at Red instead.
Blushing slightly, she said:
"Thank you, Gym Leader Red."
"You stood up for us."
"If it weren't for you, that terrible Gym Leader would still be bullying people."
Red looked slightly surprised.
"It's nothing."
"A trainer's most important job is improving themselves."
"You should work hard too."
"Yes!"
"I'll definitely become a qualified trainer someday!"
Meanwhile, Ash stood there feeling utterly ignored.
The girl then turned to him and nodded.
"And thank you for being brave."
After saying that, she left.
Before departing, she even bowed once more toward Red in gratitude.
Watching this, Red felt nothing in particular.
Ash, on the other hand, looked depressed.
"What do you mean, 'thank you for being brave'?"
"Am I only brave?"
"If Pikachu hadn't been poisoned, I could've won!"
Gary burst out laughing.
"A loss is a loss."
"If Master hadn't shown up, you'd still be wondering how to get off that stage."
Watching the group bicker and laugh together, Red couldn't help sighing.
"Ah..."
"What a lively bunch of youngsters."
The moment he said that, he heard a faint laugh nearby.
Turning around, he found Cynthia covering her mouth, struggling to suppress her amusement.
When she noticed him looking, she quickly waved her hand.
"Sorry, sorry."
"I didn't mean to laugh."
"It's just..."
"Gym Leader Red, you're not that old yourself, are you?"
"Why do you talk like some retired veteran?"
Red spread his hands helplessly.
"What can I do?"
"With an unreliable father and a Gym this large to manage, I occasionally end up sounding a little older than I am."
Although Cynthia didn't laugh again, a trace of amusement still lingered on her face.
For some reason, she didn't find Red's personality annoying at all.
Instead, she found him genuinely interesting.
In fact, she was becoming curious about him.
Curious about his past.
Curious about the person he had become.
Looking at Red, she asked:
"Gym Leader Red..."
"Could you tell me a little about your father?"
Red let out a long sigh.
"Well..."
"To answer that, I'd have to start with the summer when my unreliable father abandoned thirteen-year-old me and went off on vacation by himself."
...
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