"Wow! Every time I see this guy's true face, I feel like it's downright ugly!" the Magikarp uncle mocked.
The Feebas that had originally been hiding in the corner of the fish tank in a state of 'self-isolation' was so enraged by the Magikarp uncle's ridicule that it rammed through the surrounding Magikarp, poked its head out, and sprayed him with a Water Gun. The Magikarp uncle desperately wanted to give Feebas a good beating on the spot, but he held back after noticing that Red seemed interested in taking Feebas away.
"I didn't expect a Feebas native to the Hoenn Region to appear in the Kanto Region. This little guy's talent seems to be..."
Red used the Pokémon System to scan Feebas' data and discovered that it had the hidden Ability Adaptability. The appearance of this Ability made Red's eyes light up—Adaptability was no ordinary Ability.
If Red didn't have the Ability-Stacking System, he might have felt indifferent about Feebas having this Ability. After all, once a Feebas with Adaptability evolved, its Ability would become Marvel Scale as Milotic. But Red's Ability-Stacking System was different.
The Ability-Stacking System could not only stack two Abilities onto a Pokémon, it could also swap Abilities over time at will, and even stack Abilities that would normally disappear after evolution. That meant when Feebas evolved into Milotic, it could still retain Adaptability.
(Adaptability: Increases the same-type attack bonus from 50% to 100% of the move's power.)
Just as Red was analyzing Feebas' data, the previously feigning-innocence Feebas suddenly emitted a blue glow from its eyes and used Hypnosis on Red.
Sensing a mental force attempting to control him, Red immediately counterattacked. Unexpectedly, the fish tank shattered violently. Most of the Magikarp spilled onto the floor, flopping around wildly. As for the Feebas that had tried to hypnotize Red, it fell unconscious due to mental backlash.
"It can even use Hypnosis? It inherited a pretty good move," Red chuckled lightly. No wonder Feebas was developing so well. It had likely been secretly using Hypnosis on the other Magikarp and stealing the feed for itself. That would also explain why some of the Magikarp showed signs of malnutrition.
"S-sir..."
After witnessing Red's psychic powers, the Magikarp uncle was utterly terrified. At this moment, he only wanted Red to leave quickly. Even the way he addressed him changed from "young man" to "sir." After all, a psychic was not someone a commoner like him could afford to offend.
"I'm quite satisfied with this Feebas. When you caught it, didn't you find any other items?" Red asked, clearly having no intention of leaving.
Understanding Red's meaning, the Magikarp uncle tearfully presented a scale. It had been a bonus when he accidentally hooked Feebas while fishing—Feebas had been caught precisely because of this scale.
"A Prism Scale? Looks like the evolution condition is settled too," Red said with a hint of delight. Clearly, Feebas had wanted to evolve into Milotic as soon as possible to escape its ugly appearance. Unexpectedly, it had been hooked by sheer coincidence and had never had the chance to touch the Prism Scale since.
The Magikarp uncle handed everything over unilaterally, tearfully bidding farewell as Red departed. He had originally intended to secretly sell the Prism Scale to a wealthy lady aboard the S.S. Anne, but instead it ended up in Red's hands for a bargain. One could only say it was karma.
Using the Pokédex, Red temporarily transferred Beedrill to Professor Oak's Laboratory, filling the vacant slot with Feebas. He planned to first build up his bond with Feebas before letting it evolve into Milotic.
Having gained a new companion, Red turned to look for Ash and the others. At a glance, the three of them were enthusiastically devouring the delicacies laid out on the table. After all, such gourmet dishes weren't something they could casually enjoy during their travels. Even Pikachu was on the table, stuffing itself with premium Electric-type mouse feed, tears of joy welling in its eyes.
Seeing this, Red smiled helplessly. He casually picked up a sandwich and took a bite, discovering that the craftsmanship was indeed excellent. The meat soup beside it practically melted in his mouth, drawing a faint smile from him.
"Red, ah—"
Leaf leaned in at that moment, signaling for Red to open his mouth. With a resigned sigh, he slightly parted his lips. Leaf popped a grape into his mouth so he could savor the flavor.
"Not bad..."
His fair evaluation brought a satisfied smile to Leaf's face. Just as she was about to continue her 'offensive,' the gentleman from earlier returned with the wealthy lady he had latched onto, walking toward Ash.
"Hey! Having fun here?"
"Oh, it's that uncle from before!" Although dissatisfied with the battle's outcome, Ash wasn't the type to hold grudges.
"To be honest, your Butterfree was incredible!" the gentleman praised.
"Indeed~" the wealthy lady cooed. Her stunning makeup and sweet tone made Brock, who was still stuffing himself, blush deeply as he couldn't help but sigh, "So beautiful!" Misty, long accustomed to this, simply ignored him.
"That's because I trained it with great effort!" Ash said proudly.
"What do you think of my Raticate?"
"Your Raticate... it's pretty good!" Ash replied honestly, though mostly to avoid embarrassing the gentleman.
"Excellent. That makes things easier to discuss. How about we trade?" The gentleman finally revealed his purpose—he wanted to exchange his Raticate for Ash's stronger Butterfree.
...
Red said nothing, but the glass in his hand showed faint cracks. He had no good impression of someone who ignored Pokémon's feelings and treated them as items to be exchanged at will. In the gentleman's eyes, Pokémon were nothing more than tradable commodities, unworthy of emotional attachment.
"Trade?" Ash asked, confused.
"When Trainers meet a Pokémon they like, they trade with each other. It's common sense!" the gentleman laughed. Seeing Ash's puzzled look, he subconsciously regarded him as someone easy to deceive.
"Is that so?!" Ash frowned. This was completely different from the Trainer knowledge his older brother had taught him over the years. He intended to find an excuse to leave rather than waste time talking, but the gentleman clearly had no intention of letting him go.
"By trading like this among friends, friendships grow broader and deeper. That's the friendship of Pokémon Trainers—a circle of friendship spanning the entire Pokémon world!"
"What nonsense!" Ash angrily shoved the gentleman, nearly knocking him to the ground. "I catch Pokémon because I like them and want them as my partners. My brother taught me that Pokémon are our friends and family! Someone like you, who can trade Pokémon so casually, will never become a Pokémon Master!"
Seeing Ash this furious for the first time, Misty and Brock were stunned for a moment, but quickly moved to stand firmly at his side, supporting his ideals.
"If becoming a Pokémon Master means trading away my companions, then I'd rather give up that dream!" Ash's words made nearby Trainers who had been preparing to trade their Pokémon feel ashamed. Lowering their heads, they apologized to the Pokémon they were about to exchange. For most Trainers, the original reason for catching Pokémon had been love—not simply the pursuit of greater strength.
"How ungrateful!" the gentleman snapped as he tried to leave with the wealthy lady. But a lethal wind blade suddenly sliced the table in front of him in half, freezing him in place.
"For someone like you, it seems you won't stop unless you're taught a lesson," Red said coldly. Beside him, Scyther was already prepared for battle. The wind blade had been its doing.
"Don't get so arrogant! You two are just rookie brats!" the gentleman retorted angrily, throwing out a Poké Ball. Rhydon emerged immediately.
"This Rhydon of yours has probably been traded often too," Red said calmly.
The moment Rhydon appeared, it wore a helpless expression. There was no excitement for battle—only loss and sorrow in its eyes. It showed no emotional reliance on the gentleman behind it. Clearly, frequent trades had left it utterly disappointed in Trainers.
"That's none of your business!" the gentleman barked, clearly struck where it hurt. To preserve his image, he immediately ordered Rhydon to attack Scyther.
"It doesn't seem like Rhydon intends to fight," Red mocked.
With no bond to the gentleman, Rhydon simply ignored the command, squinting its eyes and lying down to rest, not taking the battle with Scyther seriously at all.
Scyther wasn't angry. Instead, it felt sympathy for Rhydon's circumstances.
(If I hadn't met Red, I wouldn't have met my current companions either. Maybe I'd still be wandering in Viridian Forest...)
Recalling the moments of traveling with Red and the others, Scyther revealed a happy smile. Those memories were treasures it cherished deeply.
Red had no intention of harming Rhydon—it too was innocent. After signaling to Scyther that the true target was the gentleman, Red secretly used his psychic power to hypnotize Rhydon.
Before long, under Red's mental suggestion, Rhydon fell asleep on the ground, occasionally letting out snores. This infuriated the gentleman—he had made a fool of himself in front of the wealthy lady.
"You useless thing!" the furious gentleman rushed forward, intending to strike Rhydon with his cane, only to be intercepted by Scyther. With elegant precision, Scyther used Fury Cutter on the gentleman, shredding all his clothes and leaving him in nothing but his underwear.
"Pervert!" the wealthy lady scolded before abandoning him on the spot.
"You brat!" the gentleman attempted to attack Red, but Red's psychic power lifted him into the air. Under the watchful eyes of numerous Trainers, he lost all reputation completely.