Kapitel 6: The journey begins

(3rd's pov)

Red and Daisy returned to Professor Oak's lab after their eventful Town visit. The young man was satisfied despite everything. Daisy, on the other hand, was a bit worn out by Red's antics. Somehow, the mysterious Trainer was able to save ~90% of his funds by just staying silent. He even made some of the people cry, who tried to haggle with them. Daisy didn't even want to mention all the free stuff that he got as 'goodwill' after an unsuccessful attempt to raise the prices.

That wasn't normal, but after some time, she just gave up trying to understand how Red was able to achieve all that in just one afternoon. It's difficult to understand a genius, a genius who not only is a great Battler but apparently also an amazing haggler.

All of Daisy's acquaintances that she and Red met joked about her finally finding a boyfriend. It didn't help that Daisy got embarrassed at all the teasing, but it was mostly because it reminded her about the whole situation of walking in on shirtless Red this morning. Although she could admit that it was a bit funny when all of these people stopped all the jokes as they realized that Red wasn't laughing. He wasn't doing anything other than staring at them. He didn't even smile, but Daisy, knowing him for a whole day longer than the others, knew that he didn't mean much by it. That's just the way he was.

Most of the time, the young woman observed Lopunny. Daisy couldn't be described as someone who knows a lot about Pokemon from other regions, but being the granddaughter of the famous Pokemon Professor and sister of the current Kanto Champion, she learned a thing or two. At least she learned enough to know that Red's Lopunny was an outlier for her species. Lopunny isn't known for being a battler. They usually are cautious and even cowardly creatures, but the Pokemon she spent the whole afternoon with was mostly lazy and didn't care about others too much. To be honest, it was kind of fun, in Daisy's opinion.

"Welcome back! How was your day at the Market?" Professor Oak welcomed the pair while Lopunny and Mewtwo left for the ranch. Mew turned back to his original form and flew towards Professor. He wiggled his tail under the older man's nose to tickle him a bit before teleporting away. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it, but observing Mew up close like that is something I never thought I would experience, so I don't mind." He smiled to himself before turning to Red. "Now, how about I take a look at your Pokemon and see their condition? I can't wait to observe magnificent specimens like these!"

Professor Oak was clearly excited, and Red didn't mind as long as he was nearby. Maybe he would learn a thing or two himself by observing a legend work.

---

A few days had passed since Red arrived at Pallet Town, and it was already evening. The Oaks and Red already have eaten dinner. They were enjoying the after-meal while talking. Well, Daisy and Professor talked, and Red occasionally nodded or shook his head. It was mostly small talk, but Professor Oak finally asked the important question that he had in mind for the past few days, but he waited patiently until today.

"So Red... Have you thought about the request I made a few days ago?"

Red nodded slowly, but before answering, he went outside. Without saying anything, all of his Pokemon gathered quickly. Red sent a telepathic message to Mewtwo, and he sent that message to the others. All of them silently communicated, and when they were done, they turned to the Oak duo.

---

"Did you get everything?" Professor asked his granddaughter as she put on her backpack, ready to leave for an adventure.

"You already asked me that 4 times, Grandpa, and just like before, I'm pretty sure that I have everything that I need. I doubt that a random Abra teleported anything out of my backpack since you last asked." Although Daisy answered sarcastically, she couldn't be happier at the moment, and her expression wasn't hiding this fact.

"*Sigh* I know, I know. But what is family for if not for worrying over each other." Saying that, the older man spread his arms, and he didn't need to wait long for Daisy to give him a big and warm hug.

"Be careful out there. I know that Red is a strong Trainer, but you can never be too careful. Not with Team Rocket on the loose." Professor Oak warned his granddaughter.

"I know Grandpa. I'll also warn Red later."

"I also want to ask Red one more thing before you two depart, so let's meet the man outside. He must be getting impatient with all the double-checking we did this morning." The older man joked good-naturedly, which made the younger Oak let a low wimp from embarrassment as she wanted to not only pack everything but put more care into her looks than usual, and it was noticed by her grandfather but wasn't mentioned on purpose.

Outside, Red stood there, wondering if he should go inside and look for Daisy. She was gone for a while, and his imagination made a ton of scenarios. The next one was always worse than the one before. On the other hand, he thought it would be rude to enter someone's house after exiting it already. This is a dilemma like many others, but the answer to this question isn't as straightforward for Red as it may be for someone else.

Mew was with him in his Pikachu form, sitting on his shoulder, and was the only Pokemon outside his Pokeball. The Mythical Pokemon didn't like being stuck in his portable home, and he was showing it by avoiding the Pokeball at all costs. One time, he teleported Professor Oak in front of him as Arcanine attempted to jump on him to hold him down. To say that the Professor was surprised was an understatement, but he laughed it off pretty quickly, saying that it was an exciting experience to be teleported by Mew himself.

Thankfully, Arceus smiled upon Red as he didn't need to decide as the door opened, and both Oaks went through it with smiles on their faces.

Professor Oak was the one who addressed Red first, which the young Trainer wasn't ready for, so he took longer than usual to respond.

"Red, before you start your travel with Daisy, I must ask you something. To be honest with you, I was a bit curious. You are a very powerful Trainer, and your Pokemon aren't to be messed with. It is a mystery how someone like you isn't known, but that's not what I'm curious about. Maybe you lived and trained in an isolated area or closed community like the Draconid people in Hoenn, and I don't want to look into your background without your permission first. Privacy is important. What I want to know is if you know about Mega-Evolution."

Mega-Evolution is a phenomenon that allows fully evolved Pokemon to transform temporarily and give them a boost in strength. It can also change the Pokemon typing and ability more often than not.

Red finally managed to gather his thoughts and nodded his head.

"I see. It's not that strange for you to know about it. I heard that the League will soon allow their usage in official tournaments as well, so the public is mostly aware of it, but it's better to ask than not. Maybe it's a professor in me that thinks like that. You may know it, but allow me to quickly explain it to you.

To use Mega-Evolution, you as a Trainer need to possess a Key Stone." Professor took out a necklace hidden under his shirt. "Just like this one, and the corresponding Pokemon needs to hold a Mega Stone. I wished to demonstrate it during our battle a few days ago, but Alakazam refused to battle. The question I have is if you have any Mega Stones with you. I didn't see any of them on your Pokemon in all the days you stayed here, but it's not like you ever needed them against me, either. Maybe you just don't like using Mega-Evolution, and that's fine too. Either way, I would like to know it."

Red, like usual, took his time to stare at the Professor, but after a few days of knowing the young man, the Professor waited patiently.

After blinking once, Red reached for his backpack and sneakingly took out a Key Stone and a Mega Stone from his phone inventory outside while pretending that he had them in his backpack the whole time. He then gave both to the Professor so he could examine them to see if they were what they were talking about.

"Hmm... This Mega Stone looks like Lopunnite. It allows Lopunny to Mega-Evolve. This Key Stone also looks like it's a genuine article. Thank you." The old Oak gave the items back to Red. "With this, I know that you are aware of the danger of this phenomenon. This world of Pokemon is a wonderful place with many wonders all around the globe, but it can be equally dangerous if one is not careful enough. Please take care of my granddaughter and keep her safe if you can."

It wasn't a request from a famous Pokemon Professor but a simple entreaty from a worrying grandfather. Daisy wasn't a battler, and traveling alone isn't recommended for a new Trainer, although Pellet Town is one of the safest starting points and is fairly close to the Viridian City, where one can take a first Gym Challenge, although most tend to skip this Gym and try their luck in Pewter City.

All in all, you can't be too careful with organizations like Team Rocket being around in the world. They are mostly just a nuisance but can be a dangerous nuisance at times.

Red looked determined and nodded his head without hesitation, which was uncharacteristic of him.

Red didn't move. It was Mew who used his psychic powers to move his head this way. He knew that Red would agree and he would do it even without the Professor's request, so he helped his Trainer a bit this time. A freebie for entertaining him for the last few days and allowing him to travel outside the Pokeball. Of course, not to make his Trainer panic too much, he shared his thought process with Red and reassured him.

Professor Oak relaxed, getting a positive answer so quickly. "Thank you."

(Samuel Oak's pov)

I stared at Red and Daisy as they made their way to Viridian City through Route 1. I stood at the entrance of my lab, looking in the same direction even when they were too far away to see them anymore. After a few minutes of staring at the horizon, I entered my lab to make a call.

I went to my computer and chose my grandson's profile to call him. He is pretty busy these days, as most region's Pokemon Champions are. I should know, but it has been a long time since I stepped down, so things probably have changed. In my time, all the regions were more private with their affairs, and it's true even nowadays to some extent, but it's slowly getting better.

After a short waiting process, my grandson, Blue Oak, answered my video call with his signature cocky smile. It didn't change even after becoming a Champion. I would even argue that his arrogance has only grown since then, and I can't blame him too much for that. He became the strongest Trainer in Kanto at the very young age of 17. In only 1 year, he defeated all the Gym Leaders, won a Pokemon League Conference, defeated Elite 4, and became the Champion.

Blue... Blue is an exceptional Trainer and Battler, and because of that, his ego has grown. He never had anything resembling a rival his own age. An equal. Blue has met Trainers who were stronger than him or who had similar levels of skills, but they were usually older and more experienced.

Red could become someone who'll push Blue to be better. Humble him in a way. I'm not sure about the extent of Red's power. I'm not even sure that he used his most powerful team against me. Maybe Mewtwo was part of it, but I don't know about the others. The point is that I couldn't see the full capabilities of this young Trainer. The same thing happened when I battled Blue 1 year after he became the Champion, and the results were similar. The rules were slightly different, and I could knock down 2 of Blue's Pokemon then. I believe that if Red had used Mewtwo from the beginning, I wouldn't have been able to recreate that accomplishment with him.

From what I've heard, Red is 21, the same age as Blue. That's what Blue needs, and I can't wait to see what the result of their battle would be.

"Hey, Grandpa! What's the occasion for the call?"

"What? I can't call my grandson for no other reason than to catch up with my family?" I joked, but as usual, Blue saw right through me.

"That's fine and all, but I have a feeling that there is something more to this call than that."

I sighed.

"And you would be correct. You see, I met an incredibly young Trainer a few days ago, and we battled." I said.

"And how did it go. Did you send him home crying? Did he think that just because you were retired Champion, he could win easily and brag about it later?" Blue asked nonchalantly. He didn't even consider the possibility of me losing, which was heartwarming in a way that he still believed in my battling abilities to this extent.

I turned serious.

"I lost completely. I wasn't able to knock down even one of his Pokemon."

That statement grabbed the attention of my grandson, and his eyes widened considerably.

"Oy oy Gramps. Did you suddenly turn into Whimsicott to pull a prank like this? I can believe that you maybe lost. I get it. You are not in your prime anymore, and neither are your Pokemon, but you aren't a pushover. Did you even Mega-Evolve your Alakazam?"

I smirked, hearing his question.

"I didn't even have a chance. Alakazam refused to fight his Pokemon. He said that he won't fight a losing battle."

"...Who is it?"

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Got him like a Magikarp on a hook.

"His name is Red, and he is the same age as you. Maybe you'll meet him soon enough. After all, he just started traveling the Kanto with Daisy, so when you meet him, he'll probably accept a challenge to battle. I'll warn you, though. You'll lose."

And I truly believe that. Mewtwo and Suicune have ability Pressure, and this ability is usually reserved for Legendary Pokemon. There are a few exceptions, such as Aerodactyl, who is a ferocious fossil Pokemon, Dusclops and Dusknoir, who are widely feared for their connection to souls and the land of the dead, Absol, who is believed to bring misfortune wherever they go, Vespiquen, who is a monarch of its colony, Spiritomb, which is formed by uniting 108 spirits, Weavile which is a devious predator who can hunt prey as large as Mamoswine in a group as small as 4, Corviknight, whose black luster steel body drive terror into its opponents, the whole Pawniard line, which is known for its fearlessness as well as brutality, and Wailord, who is one of the largest Pokemon ever discovered. The only outlier is Wailord's pre-evolution, Wailmer. Although they are not found with this ability too often.

If, for some reason, Red wouldn't use these 2 Pokemon, then the battle could go either way. Blue may be arrogant, but it doesn't mean that he has completely stopped training. He has probably also gotten stronger since we last fought.

"Hmph, we'll see about it. Well, if that's all, I have some stuff to do. We'll catch up later. Smell ya later, Gramps!"

With that said, Blue ended the call with his signature goodbye.

Now, I just need to wait and see how this turns out.

(3rd's pov)

In a dark room with the only source of light being a large monitor, a man sat down in a chair while petting a Persian. The Pokemon seemed to enjoy it as its eyes were closed in bliss. Its fur was very well-kept and had a healthy shine to it, which showed that it was well taken care of.

The man wore a black business suit, and his black hair was cut short. He wore a serious expression as he talked with someone through the monitor.

"Is everything going as it should be?" The man asked.

"Yes, boss. We didn't encounter any troubles so far. Lower-level grunts are doing their parts by stealing all the Pokemon they can get their hands on, but as you ordered, we slowed down the rate of our crimes to not let the suspicions raise too much. The higher-level members of our organization are mostly on standby or are infiltrating the League. The scientists are also progressing at an acceptable rate."

The man on the screen answered professionally.

"I see. If you would need to make an assumption, then in your opinion, how long will it take until we can shift into Phase 2 of the plan?" The aftermentioned boss asked once more with a calm voice.

"At most, in the span of 1 year, we should be able to ready to progress into Phase 2. Although I can't predict the possible unpredictable variables that can occur."

"Hmm..." The man in the chair mused. "Proceed as usual then. Contact me if anything out of the ordinary happens that would require my attention."

"Understood, boss."

As the video call ended and the light slightly dimmed, the man was left alone with his thoughts, but he didn't stop petting his Persian. After a moment of silence, he smirked, and the only thing that left his mouth was one word.

"Soon."

—

END

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