After dealing with all the aftermath of the poachers—
Red and his group returned to Songzao City.
What surprised Red the most—
Was that Professor Oak and Elite Four Agatha were actually waiting at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
Just as Red was about to say something—
Professor Oak cut straight to the point.
"Alright, come over here. Let's talk, kid."
He looked at Red with a slightly helpless expression.
Red tried to play dumb—
But Oak didn't give him the chance.
"If you don't start talking properly, I'll take Gary and leave right now. No one here can stop me."
Hearing that slightly exasperated threat, Red couldn't help but complain internally:
Seriously? And who was the one not speaking properly first?
But when he glanced at the Dragonite beside Oak—
A level 75+ Pokémon, likely Champion-level—
Red immediately put on a polite smile.
"Professor Oak, please say whatever you wish. As a junior, I'll listen."
Oak looked at Gary one last time and sighed.
"I don't know what kind of nonsense you fed him, but he actually chose someone like you—a weakling—as his Master."
Red 's mouth twitched, but he didn't argue.
"Since it's Gary's own choice, you can continue being his Master."
"But if he can't even make it into the top eight of the League Conference this time—then you don't deserve to be his Master anymore."
"No problem!"
Red agreed without hesitation.
"Gary may not always be likable, but he's not a bad kid…"
Looking at his injured grandson—
For the first time, Oak showed the concern of a grandfather.
"No matter what… I'll entrust Gary to you, Gym Leader Red ."
With that—
He bowed deeply.
This sudden gesture caught Red off guard. He quickly stepped aside.
"Professor Oak, there's no need for that. Since Gary is my disciple, I'll take care of him no matter what."
"I promise—this kind of situation won't happen again!"
Oak nodded.
"Then I'll leave him to you."
"I originally planned to take him away, so I didn't prepare any gift… take this instead."
"Professor Oak, there's really no need—being able to teach Gary is already an honor—"
Red intended to politely refuse—
But the moment he saw what Oak handed over—
His eyes locked onto it.
It was a book.
"Research Notes"
A Pokémon Professor's research notes—
In this world, such a thing was priceless.
Training Pokémon wasn't just about leveling up.
Without sufficient knowledge—
You couldn't even properly raise your Pokémon, let alone battle effectively.
If placed in a cultivation world—
This would be nothing less than a heaven-tier technique.
How could Red possibly refuse?
"Don't spread this around. Some things aren't suitable for everyone."
Even Oak showed a hint of reluctance.
"Thank you, Professor Oak. I will never share it!"
Oak nodded, then mounted Dragonite.
"I've seen what I needed to see, and acknowledged you as his Master."
"I still have research to finish, so I'll be going."
Without waiting for a reply—
He departed immediately.
Red looked at the handwritten Research Notes in his hand—
Almost unable to resist studying them on the spot.
Agatha, watching from the side, spoke with a hint of emotion:
"I really don't know what that old man sees in you… giving you his research notes like that is rare."
Then she looked at Red , recalling Joey Xue's words.
Her expression shifted several times.
After a long internal struggle—
She finally gritted her teeth.
"There are some things I didn't handle well."
"But as an Elite Four member, I'm not going to apologize to a junior."
"Apologize? What things?"
Red was completely confused.
Seeing his cluelessness, Agatha sighed and decided to be direct.
"I'm Joey Xue's superior. I was the one who sent her here."
Red 's pupils shrank slightly—but he stayed silent.
Agatha tapped her cane impatiently.
"As compensation—Songzao Gym's rating has been raised."
"From D-rank to C-rank."
"And that Meng family—I've already warned them."
"But they're still part of the League. I can't go too far."
As she finished speaking—
A dark, ghostly portal appeared beneath her feet.
Just as she was about to leave—
She tossed a small pendant to Red .
"This is a gift for the younger generation."
"It can help you deal with… unclean things in the wild."
[Ghost Pendant (Blue): Contains a unique ghostly power. Can repel weaker Ghost-type Pokémon and spirits.]
With that—
Agatha disappeared into the darkness.
Red picked up the pendant, muttering:
"Repel Ghost-type Pokémon and… ghosts?"
"…Wait, ghosts actually exist in this world?!"
A chill ran down his spine.
After returning to the Pokémon Center—
Everyone looked at Red curiously.
They all wanted to know what Oak and Agatha had said.
Especially Gary—
He had just found his path and had no intention of going back home.
"Relax. From now on, you'll stay at Songzao Gym and train properly."
"But your grandfather said—if you don't make it into the top four of the League Conference, don't even think about going home."
"Top four…"
Gary looked at his arm in a cast.
"Master, I don't think I need rest! I want to continue training with Wartortle and the others!"
"With my current strength, there's no way I can reach the top four!"
"Alright. We'll return to the Gym and continue training—but take care of your body."
"Yes, Master!"
Gary bowed respectfully.
After assigning Gary—
Ash stood nearby, looking at Red expectantly.
Seeing Ash's clear, untainted eyes—
Red quickly came up with the most suitable training method.
"Songzao City has a Pokémon Academy."
"You're going there."
"Master the fundamentals, and pass the Beginner Trainer Certification exam."
"Only after your theory is qualified can you start real training."
"…Huh?! Why, Master?!"
"Why? Let me ask you—does Raichu have higher Attack or Special Attack?"
"If Raichu uses Thunder Shock and Quick Attack on Pikachu, which one deals more damage?"
"Attack… Special Attack… Raichu… Pikachu…"
Ash's brain immediately overloaded.
"I know your battle instincts are strong."
"But relying only on instinct won't make you a Pokémon Master."
Misty and Brock nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Ash. Studying comes first."
"Exactly."
Seeing no one on his side—
Ash looked like he was about to cry.
But he still forced himself to stay determined.
"Fine! It's just a Beginner Trainer Certification!"
"No problem at all!"
For some reason—
Hearing that confidence—
Red became even more worried.
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