Hey there, guys! Sorry for being so late to update! I'm infamous for getting summer colds, and this one was a doozy. Though I guess this was my own fault…I was the dummy who, after spending time in the ocean, didn't dry off before spending an hour in an air conditioned car…Oh well, I'm better now. I'm also late because I wasn't sure what chapter to do next. I was originally going to do my version of the events at Silph Co., which would have been a two or three part event. But I'm still working out the details on that. I had another idea involving a TV reporter and having Red and Ash in a more minor role, but I changed that up based on the Silph Co. chapters…

After some thinking, I thought that this would be a nice chapter! Hope you enjoy it! I hope you like the special major appearance by a certain game character. Well, first you'd have to recognize the name. Plus, a couple of very minor appearances by game characters from the same game as the major character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, as stated numerous times already.

Red slapped Ash's hand lightly when the boy made a move towards his shirt collar.

"I'm hot, Red," Ash moaned as he rubbed his hand.

Red gave him a look, causing Ash to grumble but not touch his collar. Red secretly gave his own shirt collar a tug. The Champion understood how Ash felt. He himself wasn't too fond of formal clothing specifically because it felt too hot and restrictive. Not to mention that he greatly preferred dressing casually.

The reason the pair was dressed like they were going to a fancy soiree was because they were in fact going to be attending one.

Every year, the Pokémon League hosted a black tie party and invited top trainers from around the world to attend. The different regions would take turns hosting the party. This year the party would be held in Kanto, which meant that Red, who was still forbidden from leaving his home region, would be able to attend.

However, Red usually avoided the event like the plague, having never been too fond of large shindigs. He didn't even go back when Green was a regular attendee of the affair, before he fully devoted himself to his Gym. Besides, if Red wanted to be ogled at and talked about by a bunch of strangers, all he had to do was step into a public place for a minute…

Plus, he wasn't going to some party to meet trainers from around the world if he couldn't even travel around the world thanks to the Kanto League. He didn't need to be kicked while he was down by seeing all those Pokémon from places he could never explore himself…

The only reason that Red had decided to attend the party for the first time was because Ash was finally home after his adventures in the Decolore Archipelago. After the last warning he received from the League, Red had never snuck off to another region, the last one he had ever been to being Sinnoh. So it had been quite some time since Red and Ash had seen each other in person from the last time he had run into the boy in Sinnoh until now.

Even though Ash shared his distaste for fancy parties, Red thought it would be a nice treat to bring Ash to the event so that he could meet top trainers from around the world. There would be League and regional Champions, both past and present holders of the title, as well as other notable trainers in attendance. Ash was bound to find their stories entertaining.

"Hey, Red, will there be any battles?" Ash asked as Red bent down to adjust the younger boy's crooked tie.

Red shook his head, disappointed in that fact along with Ash. While trainers were allowed to bring their Pokémon with them, it would be for showing off rather than for fights. After all, getting all sweaty and worked up with a Pokémon battle wouldn't fit the "elegant" mood of the event.

"Well, maybe I'll see some of the Champions I know," Ash said, "Cynthia, Lance, Tobias, Virgil…"

Red chuckled as Ash kept on listing off the regional and League Champions he had met on his journey. He then looked over at his bed, where his Pikachu and Ash's were helping each other to adjust their bowties.

"Pika!" the two Pokémon cried out together as they looked over each other, apparently pleased with how they looked.

The black tie rule didn't really apply to any Pokémon attending the party, but Red's mother had insisted on giving the two Electric Mouse Pokémon the bowties simply for the sake of cuteness.

Speaking of his mother…

Flash! Click!

Red and Ash both blinked in surprise at the sudden burst of light and clicking sounds coming from Red's bedroom doorway. There stood Red and Ash's mothers, both smiling broadly and holding cameras in their hands.

"Mom…" the boys groaned simultaneously.

"Look at how handsome my baby boy looks!" Mrs. Ketchum cooed as she embraced Ash, who was muttering about how she was treating him like a baby, "Oh, but look at your hair! If only it would stay down…"

"Mom, quit it!" Ash cried as Mrs. Ketchum tried to flatten his hair.

Red's mother brushed some of her son's bangs out of his eyes before smiling gently at him.

"I'm glad I raised you right," she said proudly, "It's sweet of you bringing Ash along to the party. I know how you feel about these sorts of things, but try to have some fun too, alright?"

Red nodded at his mother's words, but he really didn't see the night ending well for him.

In hindsight, Red figured that he should probably ask Sabrina if he has some latent psychic abilities…

"Whoa…" was all Ash could say.

Red let out a long whistle and the Pikachu pair let out sounds of awe as the group stared at the building in which the party would take place. The Kanto League Estate was built and solely reserved for events such as the one Red and Ash were attending. It looked even larger and more luxurious than it did on the invitation, and that was saying something.

Ash stayed close behind Red as they made their way to the entrance, where Red presented the invitation to the guard.

Just a few minutes earlier, Ash had been running off ahead of Red, more than eager to check out the party. But now, as they entered the building and made their way down a long hallway to the main room, their Pikachu darting off ahead of them, Ash was hiding behind the Champion and staying unusually quiet.

Red waited for Ash to glance up at him before raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"I-I'm fine," Ash stuttered, "I guess I'm k-kinda nervous…"

Red gave the boy a reassuring pat on the back. He had forgotten that Ash, for all of his confidence and energy, occasionally went through bouts of shyness.

When the pair of trainers and their Pikachu entered the main room, the four instantly became slack jawed at the sight before them.

The room would not look out of place in a castle. Red was certain it was as large as a football field. Many chandeliers hung from the ceiling, one especially large one hanging above the center of the room. The walls were made of glass, showing off the impressive landscape surrounding the large building. There were long buffet tables laden with all sorts of food of to the sides. There were expensive looking chairs and tables placed here and there for those who grew tired of standing. A small orchestra played soft melodies that mingled with the sounds of conversation filling the air.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was fancy," Ash said in a small voice as he picked up Pikachu and held him close, both trainer and Pokémon gazing about in wonder at the large number of people who were in the room.

Red took a deep breath to give him strength to get through the night, his Pikachu jumping up on his shoulder and making happy noises as it looked around. He then motioned for Ash to follow him as they made their way toward the other trainers.

He didn't say anything as Ash stuck even closer than he did moments ago. Truth be told, as several eyes trained on him and he heard his name come from several whispered conversations, Red wished he himself had someone to hide behind.

Both Red and Ash relaxed a bit when they various types of Pokémon walking about. Red especially perked up at seeing several Pokémon he couldn't recognize, obviously from different regions. If nothing else, at least he could enjoy the opportunity to see some non-Kanto Pokémon up close. And perhaps Ash, who obviously recognized the different Pokémon, could tell Red more about them.

"Red?"

Out of habit, Red's eye twitched at hearing his name being uttered by a voice he wasn't familiar with. However, when he turned in the direction of the voice, he found that the young man who spoke wasn't a stranger after all.

"It is you!" the young man, who looked to be a year or two younger than Red, exclaimed as he made his way over to Red, "Long time no see! I didn't expect you to be here, since you usually never come. You remember me, don't you?"

Bluish-black hair, gray eyes, a crooked smile on his face…And that large Typhlosion that was following him…

Of course Red remembered him.

"Hey, Ethan," he greeted with a soft smile as Pikachu jumped down to greet Typhlosion.

Ethan was the current regional Champion of the Johto region, but that wasn't how Red knew him. Red knew him back when the guy had shown up on Mt. Silver as the recently crowned Champion of the Johto League. Ethan had stated that he had heard that the famous Kanto Champion was residing on the summit and wanted to challenge him to a battle before attempting the Johto Elite Challenge.

Red had had several League Champions who, cheerful over their win, decided to come up and challenge him.

Needless to say, the results weren't pretty…

With a sigh, Red adjusted his hat and got ready for battle, almost certain as to how this would end but still taking the match seriously considering the fact that he wasn't too familiar with Johto Pokémon.

What happened over the next few minutes was one of the most surprising, and exciting, battles Red had faced since he had become the regional Champion.

Ethan was very calm and calculating during the battle. It was obvious from the first few moves that he had put a lot of thought into any possible match-ups before climbing the mountain. Red found himself taken aback when certain battles were taking much longer than he had anticipated.

It was when Red's first Pokémon fainted that he realized this was no ordinary match…

To put it shortly, Red had actually come close to losing on that day. And by "close to losing" he meant that his Pikachu and Charizard were the only Pokémon who managed not to faint by the end. It had been a long time since anyone other than Green and the former Kanto Champion had ever pushed Red so hard.

"So you do remember," Ethan said happily, "That's a relief! I wish I could've come to visit after that match, but when I became the regional Champion, I got busy…Like uber busy…"

Red nodded in understanding. He had heard that Johto regional Champions were notoriously overworked. Red noticed Ethan's gaze fixed on something behind Red. The Kanto Champion followed the gaze, which was fixed on Ash.

Ash had a nervous but curious expression on his face as he looked back and forth between Red and Ethan. Pikachu freed himself from Ash's tight grip and joined his counterpart and the Typhlosion.

"So you brought a guest," Ethan stated as he grinned at Ash to make him feel at ease, "He looks a little like you. Even has his own Pikachu. Your little brother?"

"Old friends," Ash corrected, though Red had nodded at Ethan's question. Ash held out a slightly shaky hand, "I'm Ash Ketchum."

"Nice to meet-" Ethan began as he took the hand before cutting himself off, "Wait…Ash? So you're the guy Red wouldn't shut up about back then!"

"Red and I had a match after I became the League Champion," Ethan explained upon seeing Ash's puzzled expression, "He proved even tougher than I imagined. After he won, a storm blew by. It was too dangerous for me to climb back down Mt. Silver so Red invited me to his house. One thing led to another and then suddenly he was going on and on about a kid from his hometown. You know I was led to believe you were as silent as a mime before coming up there."

Red's cheeks turned pink by what Ethan said, especially by how Ash would look at him as though he were an alien. He hadn't meant to be uncharacteristically chatty that day. He usually wasn't towards anyone else who came to Mt. Silver. But the storm was lasting longer than expected and even Red was growing tired of the awkward silence that was only occasionally broken by Pikachu and Typhlosion chatting by the heater. After Ethan had told Red about life in his hometown, Red had started talking about Pallet Town…and eventually he started to talk specifically about Ash. About how he couldn't wait for Ash to become old enough to start his own Pokémon journey, about which Pokémon he would catch, about his possible skills…

He ended up talking about Ash for a lot longer than either he or Ethan had planned.

"You bragged about me?" Ash asked disbelievingly, snapping Red out of his thoughts.

Red looked away, a bit embarrassed by how he had acted back then. Ethan chuckled at the expression.

"He threw any and all thoughts I had of him being the cool and silent legend of Kanto out of the water that day," Ethan teased.

Red huffed and gave Ethan a look that warned him to quit talking while he was ahead. Luckily for Ethan, he got the message.

"Nice to finally meet the kid he was talking about," Ethan said to Ash. He then looked at Red with a serious expression, "Oh, and be careful. There are a few MCs here…"

Ethan stared at the confused expressions on Red and Ash's faces.

"Oh right, this is your first time here, so you wouldn't know," Ethan stepped close to the pair and dropped his voice to a whisper, "Look over there."

Red and Ash followed Ethan's gaze and spotted a group of trainers hanging out near one of the tables. The men wore identical blue coats while the woman wore a dress in a similar shade of blue. They gave off a pompous aura as they looked around the room.

"They're part of the Masters Club," Ethan said, rolling his eyes to show his opinion on the name of the group, "They're made up of highly skilled trainers from around the world. It's not that big a group, mostly because they're very picky and anyone with a handful of common sense refuses to join them."

"Are they bad or something?" Ash asked.

"Not 'bad' per say," Ethan answered, "More like they're elitists. They're not afraid to talk down to trainers they think aren't good enough. They're pretty darn snobby. They'll be the rudest jerks right to your face and not look the least bit ashamed. Being stuck with them for a few minutes can ruin your day…"

At that moment, a young woman with brown hair called Ethan's name. She stood next to a woman with blue hair and a grumpy looking young man with red hair who were also staring at the Johto Champion.

"Coming!" Ethan shouted to the group, "Well, nice meeting you, Ash. And it was great seeing you again, Red! Remember my warning…"

Red nodded as Ethan went off to join his friends. He glanced once more over at the MCs, frowning. Trainers who felt the need to be arrogant towards others because they themselves are talented or think they know better were high on the list of people Red despised. He looked down at Ash, who was also glaring at the Masters Club members.

"Don't look at me like that!" Ash exclaimed when he caught Red's gaze, "I won't cause any trouble with them. Otherwise, you'd get in trouble, right?"

Red felt touched that Ash, who had the tendency to be a little hot headed with certain kinds of people, didn't want to cause him any trouble.

"Hey, Red, can I go and see if any of my friends are here?" Ash asked.

The Champion wasn't too keen on letting Ash out of his sight, partly because of the MCs and partly because he didn't want to be left alone among all these strangers. But, upon seeing Ash's pleading expression, Red smirked and gave Ash a gentle push.

"Alright, let's go, Pikachu!" Ash shouted excitedly as his Pokémon jumped onto his shoulder.

Red watched the pair head off into the crowd, occasionally wincing when Ash accidentally sideswiped a few other guests. His own Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder and sighed as Red scratched it behind the ear. He glanced around, seeing several people staring at him.

"Gonna be one of those days…" Red muttered as a bunch of people made their way towards him.

"Not a single one!"

Ash sat down on a chair, his arms crossed in front of him and a pout on his face. Pikachu sat atop the table, munching away on a sugar cookie that was on a nearby plate. He offered one to his trainer, who took it and started chewing on it absentmindedly.

"I can't believe no one I know showed up," Ash said between grabbing more cookies and taking large bites of them, "I guess they're all pretty busy. Man, I wanted to at least see Cynthia or Virgil again."

"Oh…Hello…"

Ash looked up at the greeting and couldn't suppress his grimace.

Standing before him were three members of the Masters Club.

"Um, hi…" Ash replied as he stood up and brushed crumbs off his suit, "Sorry if I stole your table…And your cookies…"

Ash and the MCs stared at Pikachu, who was still nibbling away at a cookie with a smile. Upon seeing all the eyes trained on him, Pikachu sheepishly put down the half eaten cookie.

"No, no, it's fine!" the black haired man who seemed to be the leader of the trio said with a smile. There was a bigger than usual Rampardos right next to him, "I'm David. This is Jake and Nancy."

The blond man with an intimidating Gengar and the woman with dark green hair and an Absol nodded respectively. Ash gave them a short wave, a feeling of uneasiness building inside him. Ethan had said to stay away from these guys…

"Well, I'm-" Ash started.

"Ash Ketchum, we know," Jake interrupted, surprising Ash since people usually didn't know his name ahead of time.

"You came in here with the Kanto Champion, Red," Nancy stated.

"We wanted to talk with him," David sighed, "But he's surrounded by a mob."

"Uh oh…" Ash muttered, wondering if he should search for Red and save him.

"He's quite popular," Nancy remarked, "Well, strong and good looking trainers usually are."

"He's still more skilled than people would expect for a Kanto native," Jake said.

Ash's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the blond.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"No offense," Jake went on, "We have a couple of trainers from Kanto in the club. But Kanto isn't exactly a strong force in the world."

"It's sort of considered to be one of the backwoods regions of the world," Nancy added, "Not strong economically and not known for many notable trainers. Red is one of those once in a blue moon deals."

Ash clenched his fist and opened his mouth, ready to respond to the remarks being made about Red and his home region. But Ash saw Pikachu waving his arms and giving Ash a warning look. Ash knew Pikachu was reminding him that he promised Red he wouldn't get in trouble with the MCs. He didn't want Red suffering any consequences because of his actions.

"But all that aside," David said in a tone that suggested he didn't see anything wrong with what his friends have been saying so far, "Any reason you happened to arrive with Red, Ash?"

"He's my friend," Ash answered shortly.

The MCs looked surprised for a moment before sharing looks with each other and holding back snickers, something that was ticking Ash off even more.

"What?" he asked angrily.

"It's surprising that one of the most famous regional Champions is hanging out with a rookie," David replied.

Ash gritted his teeth at that. Now he saw what Ethan meant when he said how easily the MCs could be rude to your face.

"I'm not a rookie," Ash retorted, "I've been to all sorts of places and competed in a bunch of Leagues."

"Yes, we know," Jake told him in a bored tone, "Whenever a trainer peaks our interest, we do research on that trainer."

"Though, to be clear, we only researched you because of reports of you being spotted around Red so much," Nancy clarified, "To be honest, we thought you were just some fanboy at first."

"As for not being a rookie…" David said, looking at Ash with a pompous smirk, "You may have been doing a lot but you haven't had many notable achievements. A few wins in forgettable little competitions and the only League you won is one that hasn't even been officially recognized yet."

"We thought you would prove us wrong when you won the Battle Frontier and placed in the Sinnoh Top Four," David continued, "Along with defeating two legendary Pokémon…But then you went and placed in the Top Eight in Unova…"

Ash flinched at that. While he had fun in the Unova League, he wasn't too happy that he went down in rank in that competition. Mostly because he had been hoping to do better so that Red would be proud of him…

"Also, let's consider some of your Pokémon," Nancy chimed in, stepping towards the table and looking closely at an uncomfortable Pikachu, "For example, we heard that you started out with this Pikachu, much like Red. Yet you still haven't evolved it."

"Pikachu doesn't want to evolve," Ash said firmly, Pikachu nodding in agreement, "Neither does Red's. I'm not going to force any of my Pokémon to evolve if they don't want to."

"That's how a rookie talks. A Raichu packs a larger punch than some little Pikachu. Then, we heard that you caught a Gible and didn't evolve it. Pitiful, considering that a Garchomp would be an ace. Then, there's the fact that only a fraction of your Pokémon have evolved to their final forms."

"And let's not forget that infamous Charizard of his," Jake piped up.

"What about Charizard?" Ash asked warily, not liking what they were saying about his precious Pokémon.

"I don't think we need to remind you of that embarrassing performance in the Indigo Conference," Jake laughed, causing Ash's cheeks to redden for a moment, "Who brings an untrained Pokémon to a League match? But we heard that your Charizard's abilities skyrocketed over time…Yet we rarely see him in major matches anymore…"

"Charizard's been doing special training," Ash answered, "If I really need his help, I can call on him. And I've been traveling with him recently."

"All things considered," David said, acting as though Ash hadn't spoken, "For someone who's friends with a top trainer like Red, you're nothing like him."

Ash tensed up at that.

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?"

Ash kept his eyes locked on the floor, staying silent as he held his fists tightly and shook slightly.

Not like Red…He hated those words, those thoughts. That constant bitterness that accompanied those words.

He didn't want to feel like that towards him…

"So he's trying to be like that legendary Champion, huh?" Nancy said, "Figure, since many young trainers idolize him."

"He's been doing a rather terrible job so far though," Jake chuckled.

Pikachu let out an angry growl, his cheeks sparking as he glared at the MCs.

"Stop, Pikachu."

"Pika?" the Pokémon asked as Ash came over and scooped him up in his arms.

"Bye," Ash spat out as he turned his back on the MCs and started to walk away.

Ash tried to block out the group's laughter. Pikachu sounded worried as he looked up at Ash's face, Ash's arms tightening around him.

He wasn't like Red…No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't match up with his friend. Red was able to become Champion in a snap, but Ash only recently was able to become a semifinalist.

Ash frowned as he remembered what Ethan said about Red bragging about Ash, even though Ash wasn't even a trainer at that time. He thought about all the hopes and dreams Red had had for him back then.

"Pikachu…I don't feel good…"

Red let out a sigh of relief as he hung out on the balcony of the estate, looking out at the lake, which sparkled under the light of the full moon. Several Butterfree flew across the skies, a couple landing in the vast flower fields near the estate. He smiled as he spotted a couple of Poliwags and Magikarp jumping in the lake.

Pikachu let out its own sigh as a gentle breeze blew by. It was nice and quiet out on the balcony. Red was more than happy that no one had thought to follow him outside.

Red was ready to smack himself for jinxing things when he heard the balcony door opening behind him.

"Red?"

The Champion spun around when he saw that it was Ash instead of some random trainer. Ash's Pikachu jumped out of his arms and went to where Red's Pikachu was. The Pokémon pair started to have what looked like a heated conversation, Ash's Pikachu looking very angry about something.

Red turned his attention away from them as Ash walked up to him. He smiled at the younger boy, who wasn't meeting his gaze for some reason.

"Are we going home soon?" Ash asked.

Red blinked in surprise at that. Hadn't Ash been having any fun? He bent down to try and force Ash to meet his gaze, but Ash merely turned his head.

That didn't stop Red from noticing that expression on Ash's face.

"Never mind," Ash said, "C'mon, Pikachu, let's go to the buffet."

Pikachu walked after his trainer. The pair didn't get far before Red cut Ash off. The Champion crossed his arms in front of him and stared at Ash with concern.

"Nothing's wrong," Ash insisted, still refusing to look at Red, "Just tell me when you're ready to go."

Ash walked around Red and went back into the main room, his Pikachu right behind him. As his own Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, Red stared after the kid.

Why had Ash looked like he wanted to cry?

They're part of the Masters Club… Being stuck with them for a few minutes can ruin your day…

As Ethan's warning echoed through his mind, Red's eyes narrowed.

"Look at that," Nancy whispered as she nudged David and Jake.

The two followed Nancy's gaze and their eyes widened in surprise. There, making his way straight for them at a brisk pace, was Kanto Champion Red.

"And here I thought we'd have to look for him," Jake chuckled.

"Let's take this to mean he'll want to join us," David said, "Can you imagine what the other members will say when we tell them we got Red to join?"

When Red stopped just in front of the trio, he only glanced at the group's Pokémon for barely a second before focusing on David's face. Red's Pikachu was on the ground, right next to his leg, looking fiercely at the Pokémon as sparks flew from its cheeks.

None of the MCs seemed to notice the tense atmosphere. Instead, David began to greet Red. But…

"Did you talk to Ash Ketchum?"

The MCs gaped at Red, who had asked his question the second David had opened his mouth. They had heard that Red was not much of a talker. And whenever he did talk, he was not one to start the conversation. Plus, in all of the interviews they had seen of him, his voice had never sounded so cold and direct.

"I beg your pardon?" David responded, a bit confused.

Red took a step closer, invading David's personal space, and stared at the blond unblinkingly. He was standing straight as he could, using every inch of his height to his advantage. His hands were in his pockets but his body wasn't relaxed. His expression looked calm, like a poker face, but there was a flicker of…something…in his eyes.

His expression showed that he was not repeating the question. The MCs should have heard it clearly.

"Um…Yes, we did speak to the boy," David answered after a moment, taking a step back.

"Outside," Red ordered in a harsh tone as he removed his coat and loosened his tie.

The Champion spun around and started to head for the door that led to the entrance, Pikachu right at his side. He paused when the MCs didn't follow him.

"What's this-?"

Jake's question died when Red looked over his shoulder at the three.

In that moment, Red looked nothing like that trainer from an hour ago who was staring about the room with his jaw dropped like a fool. One could practically feel the intense aura radiating off of him. He didn't have to say anything. He didn't even have to make a threatening move.

This was Red…This was the legendary Champion of the Kanto region…

His eyes narrowed at them, once again warning the trio that he wasn't repeating what he said. They took the message and followed him, their Pokémon close behind.

David then realized what that something was that he saw in Red's eyes.

Fury.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said though a mouthful of pasta, "Was I being a brat before?"

Pikachu shook his head, his cheeks too stuffed with lasagna for him to make a sound. Both trainer and Pokémon were seated at their own little table near the buffet. A couple of trainers came over to talk with them but they didn't stay long. In fact, most of the others left them alone.

Whether this was due to the gloomy mood Ash was giving off, or the abnormally tall stack of empty plates on the table, was the question.

"I think I made Red feel bad," Ash continued after gulping some water, "We should go find him and say sorry. I don't want to ruin this party for him…"

"Hey, Ash…"

"Hi, Ethan," Ash greeted. He noticed the nervous yet excited expression on the older boy's face, "What's up?"

"It's Red…"

"Huh? What's wrong with him?"

Ethan didn't waste words, instead grabbing Ash's arm and dragging him out of the main room, down the hall, and out the entrance, Pikachu just barely keeping up. Ash was shocked to see a large crowd cheering and gasping about something that he couldn't see.

Ash and Ethan shoved their way through the crowd until they made it to the front.

"Aww, it's over?" Ethan moaned, Ash stuck right behind him and still unable to see, "I was only gone for a couple minutes!"

"That's what you get for leaving, moron," the red haired boy from earlier, one of Ethan's friends, stated.

"I had to get Ash!" Ethan retorted, "He's Red's friend."

"And both of you missed it," the blue haired girl said.

"Typical Ethan," the brunette sighed.

"Shut up, jerks…" Ethan mumbled, "How'd it go?"

"He only used his Pikachu."

"I still can't see!" Ash shouted.

Ethan moved to the side so Ash could squeeze through. What was before him made him stop and stare.

There were the three MCs, their mouths wide open in shock and their eyes almost bulging out of their heads. In front of them were their Rampardos, Gengar, and Absol, all fainted and lying in a pile. In front of the pile was Red's Pikachu, nonchalantly scratching its ear.

Just a couple feet behind Pikachu was Red himself, his arms crossed before him and his gaze fixed on the MCs. Most people would assume that Red looked perfectly calm. But Ash, even from this distance, could see how tense Red was, that look in his eyes.

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Red so angry.

The MCs all flinched when Red marched up to them, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder along the way and looking rather devious to contrast Red's expression.

"I'll only say this once," he warned in a soft but severe voice, "Never speak about or to Ash again."

After the MCs nodded, Red glanced over at the crowd that had gathered and spotted Ash, who was still staring at Red.

Red's expression turned gentle as he made his way over to Ash. Once he reached the kid, he placed a hand atop Ash's head and grinned at him, their Pikachu giving each other a thumbs up. Before Ash could say anything, there was a slight interruption.

"What's going on here?"

"Oh great, it's the security guards," someone in the crowd grumbled.

"So…Banished from this party thing for the next five years…"

Red and Ash slowly made their way down the road after having been kicked out from the party thanks to Red's battle. The MCs had gone scrambling when the guards had shown up, so only Red had gotten in trouble. At least Red had managed to make Ethan promise to come to Mt. Silver soon before going.

"Kind of harsh for one battle," Ash commented as the Pikachu pair went off ahead and raced each other, "If you weren't banished, would you consider going again?"

Ash laughed at the look on Red's face. The answer was obvious…

"You battled for me," Ash said apologetically, "Sorry I got you in trouble, Red…"

Red reached over and bonked Ash on the head lightly, a playful smirk on his face.

"Hey!" Ash cried as he rubbed his head, "I'm happy you did that for me though."

Red smiled at Ash, who looked much happier than he had before. It didn't matter that he had gotten in trouble over the battle. He was glad that Ash was back to normal.

"We're not supposed to be back for another hour," Ash sighed, "What'll we tell our moms?"

Red paused and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Pokéball. Ash looked excited as Red's Charizard popped out and roared loudly.

"We're flying?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Night's still young," Red replied.

Ash let out a whoop as he ran towards Charizard, both of the Pikachu following his lead and a chuckling Red right behind them.

EIGHT WHOLE LINES! A new record! Red was a chatterbox today! Though with how long this chapter is, it doesn't seem like he talked much. A long chapter as an apology for the long absence. Sorry it's up so late, I was working for a while on this one.

And yes, this chapter's special guest was Ethan, who some of you may know better as Gold, the male protagonist of the Johto games. Though I didn't mention the others by name, I'm sure some of you recognized his friends. To be clear, the redhead was Silver, the rival. The brunette was Lyra, the female protagonist of HeartGold and SoulSilver. And the blue haired girl was Kris, the female protagonist of Crystal. I hope you liked seeing their short but fun appearance. I've been meaning to have at least Ethan show up at some point in this story.

What else…? Oh yeah, so this chapter brings up the point that I made in the bottom notes during chapter eight, which is that, at least in this universe, Kanto is considered to be one of the weaker regions. It's like one of those backwoods places, even though it has big cities and stuff. I guess you could consider Red and Ash to be sort of like country bumpkins in this story, since Pallet Town is more of a rural area and located in the rural part of Kanto.

This chapter also brought back points from chapter nine, specifically Ash's bitterness in regards to not being as great as Red. It's a very sore point. I'm still working on when and how to have the two confront each other on their respective bitterness issues.

I also brought back a point I made in chapter ten, which is that Ash is not as good at handling bullies as Red, Green, and Gary. That's why Red's only warning was that the MCs back off of Ash. Red, Green, and Gary can handle themselves better. Not that they don't get hurt. It's just that they can dish out as much as they take in their own ways. Ash, while having gotten better with age, still isn't that skilled and gets hurt more easily, especially when things he's vulnerable about get poked at, like I showed in this chapter.

I also brought up something I've been waiting forever to show off…Angry Red. I have a personal headcanon in regards to angry Red. While he does get annoyed, he doesn't get truly angry often. But when he does, it's rather frightening. First off, if something needs to be said, he'll be short and to the point. He's very direct and he will NOT repeat himself. He also makes his body posture very tense and uses his height to his advantage to make his opponent uncomfortable. Plus, while he looks like he's wearing a poker face, it's very clear from his eyes that he is pissed off. Unlike others though, Red prefers to settle things through Pokémon battles, only resorting to fist fights as a last resort. This is because another headcanon I have is that Red is not a very physical person because he's not that strong. I'm sure some of you are let down that I didn't show Red's battle with the MCs but was there any doubt of how it would go? It was brutal. Not that Red would take his anger out on Pokémon. It's just that he would make sure the battle was as brief as possible to prove a point.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review!