"New city, new me!" Leaf threw her hands into the air as they went through the gates of Route 7.

The trio of her, Red and Kim finally arrived at Saffron City, they all looked around to see the city bustling with energy, people moving around the streets and doing their daily activities. Lifting their gazes to the buildings, they were all completely in awe as they noticed the houses and skyscrapers are on a bigger scale than the ones in Celadon. Red could not hide his amazement as he gazed at the city around him, his Togepi sharing his starstruck expression. "Woah! This is much bigger than what they showed in the brochures…"

"Yeah, no kidding. I knew it was a huge city but this…" Kim said, gesturing to the city. "One word…damn."

Red nodded before he opened his brochure, his Togepi pulling at the ending of the paper with a smile. "So where are we headed first?"

"Salons!"

"Gym!"

Leaf and Kim said in unison before they both glared at each other which made their Pokémon immediately hide behind Red who slowly stepped back to avoid the incoming argument and put his hands on Togepi's ears. 'Here we go.'

"Why do we need to go to the gym right now? What if there's a line or something? I'm not waiting all day just for a battle, Leaf!"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to get everything over with before I enjoy myself in this city! Do you know how long it takes to get a haircut or to style your hair?"

"We can go to the gym at any time. Let's take it easy. You just beat Erika two weeks ago!"

"Yeah! And I want to see how I hold my own against Sabrina. I have Zorua and Misdreavus!"

As the two continued with their bickering, Red checked on his Pokegear for a while before he noticed a female, bespectacled Ace Trainer approaching them.

"Uhh. The gym is closed for a while. I don't think you're going to battle Sabrina any time soon."

"Seriously?! Why?!" Hearing this made Leaf's eyes widened in shock before she let out a disappointed groan as her shoulders slumped, Red patting her back. "I really wanted to fight her today..."

"Sabrina has to deal with some biker gang who are wreaking havoc on Route 8. Plus, there's been a huge Pokemon that has been eating other Pokemon and it's been causing the professors in the area problem so there's that too. She's a busy gal." The girl answered as she adjusted her glasses. "It's always been like this. She's so busy that it's hard to get a battle with her however when you do get the chance, she curbstomps you."

"Curbstomp?" Leaf raised a brow before she folded her arms. "It can't be that bad-"

"She knows every move you are going to do before you say it, her presence is overwhelming and she can almost find the perfect counter for your attacks." The Ace trainer said, trembling and hugging herself. "I can understand someone reading your mind but it's like she can see into your very soul."

"Look into your soul…" Red thought aloud, looking at the ground. 'She's perfect then. She can help me with the questions I have. Maybe she could see...what really happened...'

As he was starting to get worried, his Togepi instinctively sensed his feelings before it patted him which made him smile as he held its hand. "Thanks, Togepi. I'm ok."

Meanwhile, Kim had a triumphant smirk on her face as she pumped her hand in the air. "Well, I guess that means that we can go to the salon! Onwards!"

"Ugh…fine." Leaf groaned as they all made their way to the salon. On their way, Red looked around the street but he sensed something eerie, his eyes darting around the place before he noticed something that went into an alleyway, much to his confusion. 'I wonder what or who was that.'

As they continued on their escapade, they arrived in front of a huge salon building with a Furfrou logo on the top of the banner.

"Fufrou's Haircare?" Red and Leaf said in unison, scratching their head as the brunette spoke honestly. "That's a strange name for a hair salon."

"How dare ye? This place is one of the most popular hair salons in the world!" Kim said, almost offended that her best friend made that comment.

"If it's so popular, why haven't I heard about it?" Leaf said with her arms crossed.

"It's because it's has just made its debut in Kanto." The female bespectacled Ace trainer said from behind the group, surprising the trio and nearly making Togepi cry as Red cradled it. "There, there…"

"Where on earth did you come from?" Leaf shouted as she held her chest and tried to take steady breaths. The girl shrugged her shoulders innocently as she spoke. "I was here the whole time. You guys thought I left."

"Why?" It was Kim's turn to ask.

"I'm bored." The girl shrugged again as she adjusted the glasses on her face. "Plus, I know about you guys being the heroes of Celadon so I wanted to battle one of you."

"Seriously!? I just want to style my Mawile's hair. Is that so bad? Just one day without a battle!" Kim whined before Leaf lifted her hand into the air. "I'll battle her. I'm-"

"Leaf Green, I know who you are. Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Beth." The girl said as she gestured to herself. "Champion-to-be."

"Hmph. Good luck with that! Especially when I'm here." Leaf said with a smirk on her face as she prepared her Pokeball. Kim sighed as she led them to the battlefield behind the salon. "Go on. Let's get this over with."

Red took a seat and watched, his Togepi feeling hungry which made him feed her with a baby bottle.

"This match will be a two-on-two battle. The match will end when both Pokémon are unable to continue." Kim explained before she started the match, Leaf and Beth nodding as she announced for the match to start.

"Ampharos, Engage!" Beth released her Ampharos who unleashed a wave of electricity as it made its battle cry. Leaf made a smirk as she threw her Pokeball into the air, the ball unleashing her Roselia unto the field.

"Let's start with Thunder Punch!" Beth made the first move, her Pokémon immediately going on the offensive as it dashed towards Roselia, trying to attack it with Thunder Punch but the Thorn Pokemon elegantly dodged its moves. Beth was not deterred, observing Selia's moves until she found an opening. "Thunder Punch to the left!"

Ampharos obeyed its trainer wholeheartedly as it swung its arm to the left, hitting the Grass-type which made Leaf worried. "Oh no! Selia!"

"Everything has a pattern, Leaf!" Beth smirked victoriously as she watched her opponent's Pokemon get electrocuted. "I'm good at finding them!"

Leaf let out a mischievous giggle as her face turned into a playful smirk. "Just kidding. Selia!"

Before Beth could realize what happened, several vines came out of the ground and wrapped around Ampharos' body, sapping the Electric-type of its energy. Not missing a beat, Roselia quickly used Weather Ball through its vines to knock back Ampharos, Leaf not letting up as she voiced her move. "Weather Ball again!"

"Power Gem to counter it!"

As Roselia fired a Weather Ball, Ampharos got up and put its hands together, separating them as it charged a grey, gem-like energy construct before throwing it at the Weather Ball. Both attacks collided with each other, creating an explosion of smoke before both Pokemon rushed towards each other.

"Weather Mace!"

"Thunder Punch, strike!"

Both Pokémon traded blows with each other, Ampharos on the losing side as Roselia twirled and moved rhythmically to dodge its punches before retaliating with speedy strikes. Seeing the situation, Beth bit her finger before she observed her opponent. 'Despite its laidback attitude, her Roselia surprisingly agile and strong. I need some distance.'

"Discharge!" Beth made her move, her Pokemon unleashing a wave of lightning that Roselia blocked by wrapping itself in a cocoon of vines.

Ampharos fired several Power Gem which the Grass-type dodged before using Weather Mace to deflect the projectiles. The two Pokemon fired their attacks for a while until Ampharos used Thunder Punch which the Thorn Pokemon evaded before thorns came from its body and jabbed Ampharos, pushing the yellow creature back as Selia charged a Weather Ball.

"Oh no! Confuse Ray!"

Ampharos' body unleashed a blinding light, causing Leaf, Kim and Red to cover their eyes as the light hit Roselia.

"What the hell? I'm supposed to be confused, not blind." Kim said as she shielded her eyes. Leaf was worried about Roselia but she was unable to look on the field due to the flash of light so she thought quickly. "Wrap yourself with Giga Drain!"

As the light subsided, the brunette looked ahead to see Roselia on the field, Ampharos about to attack it which made her worried. "Weather Ball to protect yourself!"

Roselia went to use the attack but the attack exploded, hurting the Grass-type which made it get hit by Ampharos' Thunder Punch, much to Leaf's shock. "What the? Is it…"

"It's confused." Red's expression turned to a serious one before he turned to Leaf. 'What are you gonna do from here, Leaf?'

The girl in question looked at him and winked which got a slight blush from him. 'Yep. She's gonna be fine.'

The brunette crossed her arms and closed her eyes to focus before she snapped her fingers. "Aha! I know what to do. Selia, dance."

Moving groggily, Roselia nodded before it moved around rhythmically which made Beth raise a brow. "What's this? Did you mean Petal Dance? Why are you making your Pokémon dance? It's confused."

"Do not worry about it! Try to hit her if you can!" Leaf said with a teasing wink as she mockingly gestured Beth to attack. Beth thought about her situation but she could not find another option so she gave in Leaf's demands. "Engage with Power Gem!"

Ampharos shot the move that was about to hit Roselia but the Grass-type quickly spun around the orb which made the blast hit the wall.

"What? How did it dodge?" Beth was baffled by what she saw, going for another attack which this time was evaded by a split. She continued to command moves which her opponent expertly dodged before she charged a huge Power Gem to shoot at the Pokémon. "Let's see you dodge that!"

"Catch the move and throw it back!" Leaf said, her Roselia immediately came to its senses, wrapping its vines around the Power Gem and spinning around until it flung the orb back which made the move hit Ampharos. The Electric-type then went for a Discharge which Roselia blocked by summoning a wall of vines.

"Woah! She has some quick reflexes!" Beth could not hide her shock and confusion as all of her attacks were effortlessly dodged and deflected by Roselia, the confusion status that the Thorn Pokemon is under doing next to nothing to it. 'How the? It should be hitting itself in its confusion. How is it able to move so gracefully despite this?'

"You know…my Roselia likes to dance." Leaf started, playing a song from her Pokegear that Roselia was dancing within rhythm of. "It just helps to take her problems away. Battling, boys…confusion…"

"Oh no…" Beth's eyes widened after realizing what happened, she immediately began to spout commands.

Leaf did not falter as she made her Pokémon evade her opponent's moves rhythmically, Beth smiling as she was barely able to secure a few hits. Roselia evaded and blocked Ampharos' blasts until the Electric-type appeared in front of her, about to hit her with a Thunder Punch that was blocked by a Weather Mace.

"How are you feeling, Selia?" Roselia came to its senses as it quickly struck its opponent's face before landing an uppercut that sent Ampharos into the air.

"Darn it! Ampharos, use Discharge!"

"Don't give it the chance, Selia!"

Ampharos tried to attack but it was interrupted when Roselia grabbed it with Giga Drain and slammed it into the ground, knocking the wind out of it. As the Electric-type got up, it noticed Selia charging two huge Weather Ball that it fired towards the yellow sheep.

"Discharge to stop them!" Beth made her command.

Her Ampharos did as told as it used Discharge that barely managed to push back Roselia's attacks. Beth watched in anticipation as her Pokémon unleashed all of its might to push back the Weather Ball until it was overwhelmed by the attack.

"What?" Beth said in shock as she witnessed an explosion taking place after the orb hit it. Red watched with a smile as the shockwave of the explosion subsided, seeing an unconscious Ampharos on the ground.

"Ampharos is unable to battle. Roselia wins!"

Beth let out a sigh and returned her Pokemon, Leaf congratulating her Roselia as it went back into its Pokeball. Red watched the battlefield until he noticed Beth taking out a green and black capsule. "That's rare. A Dusk Ball."

The bespectacled girl released her Pokemon, her capsule unleashing waves of fire before a flaming unicorn emerged from the flames. They all watched as a large horse let out a battle cry.

"A Rapidash, huh?" Leaf mumbled before she smiled and threw her own Pokeball. "Wartortle, it's time!"

Wartortle emerged from the ball with a battle stance, it then glared at its opponent as they both awaited their trainers' orders. Red and Kim watched the two girls thought about their attempt to initiate the battle.

"Flamethrower!" Beth made the first move, her Rapidash breathed a Flamethrower that travelled towards Wartortle.

"Water Pulse." Leaf made her command, her starter shot a Water Pulse that clashed with Rapidash's attack, creating a cloud of mist that covered the battlefield. Red watched the smoke before he noticed Rapidash charging towards Wartortle. 'That ain't good.'

"Protect until the smoke clears." Leaf shouted, her Wartortle obeying her command as it surrounded itself in a yellow veil that took its charge. Rapidash continued to relentlessly attack Wartortle's Protect the shield able to withstand its moves until the smoke cleared which made the brunette smirk. 'Good.'

"Poison Jab!" Beth stated, her Pokemon charge forward with its horn glowing purple.

"Grab its horn with Water Gauntlets!" Wartortle used the move to grab Rapidash's horn before it lifted the horse into the air and threw it across the field.

The fire horse got up quickly and went on the offense but it was knocked back by a watery fist. Wartortle shot another Water Pulse which Rapidash dodged before it cloaked its body in flames, hitting Wartortle who retreated in its shell to protect itself from the attack before spinning around and propelling itself towards the fire horse with Water Pulse.

"Rapidash, Stomp." As Wartortle flew towards it, Rapidash moved out of the way before using the move Stomp, trying to slam its hooves on Wartortle who dodged its kicks until it spun around and went above the horse.

"Dual Brick Break!" The turtle's arms glowed as it cupped its hands together before it slammed them into Rapidash's head which knocked its face to the ground. Recovering quickly, the Fire-type retaliated with a Poison Jab that was stopped by Wartortle's Protect.

"Water Pulse barrage!"

"Flame Charge for evasion!"

Watortle shoots a barrage of Water Pulse which Rapidash dodged by using Flame Charge. As the battle continued, Leaf noticed that her opponent's Pokémon is getting faster and faster, Kim being worried as she saw that Rapidash was beginning to overwhelm the Water-type until she saw Red's expression.

"She has a plan, doesn't she?" Kim deduced with a raised brow which earned a nod from him. "Yep. She has a plan."

Beth smirked as her Rapidash started securing blows at Wartortle, the horse's speed making it extremely difficult for her opponent to hit her Pokémon. "You have to try better than that, Leaf."

"I am! Brick Break!" Wartortle prepared its move as its opponent was moving around the field. "Let's wait it out for now!"

Wartortle nodded as it waited patiently, both trainer and Pokemon watching their opponent until Rapidash took off like a rocket towards the turtle with a Poison Jab, both the horse and Beth unaware of Leaf's grin. Wartortle stood its ground and braced itself as its opponent got faster, almost looking a blur.

"Water Pulse. Wave!" Leaf shouted, Wartortle unleashed a tidal wave which surprised their opponents. "Rapidash! Jump over it!"

Rapidash leaped over the move, surprising Wartortle before Beth noticed Leaf's smirk has not left her face which made her baffled. As the fire horse landed on the ground, the Fire-type slipped on the ground and slid across the battlefield, much to Beth's surprise. "What the?"

Kim was surprised and looked onto the floor, seeing it wet which made it difficult for the horse to get up. "She made the ground wet."

"Yep." Red said before they watched the fight. "Smart, ain't it?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't even think of this. You rubbed off on her too much." Kim gave the raven-haired boy a playful look. "You better take responsibility."

Red could only let out a nervous chuckle before he felt Togepi playing the drums with his hand.

Recovering from her shock, Beth made her Pokemon dry the ground with Flame Charge as Leaf spoke up. "Like my trick? And for my next trick, Wartortle is going to use Aqua Tail!"

Wartortle leaped into the air and used Aqua Tail as it descends towards Rapidash.

"Get out of the way!" Beth shouted but it was too late when Wartortle unleashed a barrage of Water Pulse that the horse dodged. As it continued to dodge the projectiles, it lost its balance, much to its trainer's dismay.

"Oh no! Get up quick and dry the ground with Flame Charge!" Beth shouted but it was too late, the girl had to watch as Wartortle slammed its tail unto Rapidash, creating a huge crater. After the smoke is cleared, Beth could only gasp when she saw her Rapidash on the ground unconscious, Wartortle standing over the Pokemon.

"Rapidash is unable to battle, Wartortle wins which makes Leaf the victor." Kim announced as Leaf hugged her Pokemon with a smile. "Nice job, Wartortle! We totally crushed them!"

Red gave a thumbs up while Togepi cheered for the brunette. They then heard clapping from Beth who outstretched her hand, Leaf smiling and taking it as the two did a handshake.

"You did a good job there." She said before adjusting her glasses. "I knew you were strong but I wasn't expecting this."

"Don't take me for granted." Leaf said with a grin as she put her hands on her hips. Before they could continue, Kim went between with an annoyed look on her face.

"Can we explore the salon now?" Kim shouted, surprising the others. "I have to get through a battle so we should be able to go through one hour of touring the salon, right?"

The teenagers looked at each other before Red shrugged with a smile. "Sure. Why not?"

"Finally!" Kim said before she led them through the salon, touring the place as Kim decided to take notes on the salon.

As they went around the place, Leaf and Red looking around the place and admiring the pictures of various Pokemon with different hairstyles.

"This place is awesome~" Kim sang excitedly as her sparkling eyes darted around the place. She had a big smile on her face as she spoke to some of the hairstylists.

"She's really enjoying herself." Red said, Leaf hugging his arm as they watched Kim trying out some of the equipment and writing advice that she was given by the more experienced hairstylists. "Speaking of which, Milotic would love this."

"Yeah. I mean she was very interested with beauty care." Leaf explained as she leaned on Red's arm. "I mean it's what she wants to be. The gym badges are just for her to get stronger."

"Oh really?"

During their tour, a few of the hairstylists approached the trio to style their hair and take care of their Pokemon which the teenagers obliged. Red watched as his and Leaf's Pokemon were being taken care of and having their fur and nails being groomed.

"I'm surprised you didn't take out Aero." Leaf said while playing with Red's hair. "Is he that hard to deal with?"

"He doesn't want peace or a manicure. He wants problems and battle...always." Red said as he looked at Aero's Pokeball, seeing the fossil shaking its head at him with a glare.

As Red noticed the look of satisfaction on his Pokemon which made him smile before he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to see two red-haired men behind him who had scissors in their hands. "Hey. Your hair looks nice. Would you like for me to fix your hair for yo-"

"No." Red said with no hesitation which surprised the two. Before the two could say anything, they heard a screech, turning to see Kim who ran towards the two men with a huge smile on her face as she took out a hairstyling book out of her bag. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You're...the Haircut brothers from Johto! I'm your biggest fan! Can I get your autograph?"

"Yeah, sure." The elder brother said as he signed her book before the younger brother did so. "I didn't know we had fans in Kanto. We're used to being popular in Goldenrod City."

"Yeah. And we being popular is a stretch." The younger brother said sheepishly.

"What are you talking about? You guys are so cool!" Kim said with sparkling eyes. "And you guys are here as the new teachers for the new hairdressing classes, right?"

"Yeah. You know your stuff, huh? Well, stop by anytime for our classes. Our classes are in the afternoon." They said, Kim writing down the information.

"Oh! You bet I'm gonna be there." The blue-haired girl said as her Mawile could hide its excitement.

"Well, someone's excited about being taught by the Haircut brothers." Beth said with her arms crossed.

"Of course. It's my dream." Kim said before she continued on the tour.

After a while, the quartet exited the salon and had lunch by a park, Red, Leaf and Kim being escorted by Beth.

"Man, this cheeseburger taste awesome!" Leaf hummed in delight, getting a nod of agreement from Kim and Beth who were eating the same burger.

Red, on the other hand, was looking around as he ate his burger with an uneasy expression which did not go unnoticed by his girlfriend.

"You alright, sweetie?" Leaf asked, getting a slight nod. "Yeah. Something just felt...off. Like very off..."

"How?" It was Kim's turn to ask as she took another bite of her burger. "Everything seem fine."

"I...honestly don't know..." Red said with a troubled expression as he felt a slight pain in his head. "Maybe I'm just tired."

"Where to next?" Leaf said while drinking her juice. "Are there like any theater places or dojos?"

Beth smiled as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, how abou-"

Suddenly, they heard an explosion that shook the place, Red, Kim and Leaf on alert but they noticed the people around them are not bothered by what happened.

"Why are they so unbothered? Do they not care about their lives?" Leaf said worried before she heard a few more explosions.

"It will be alright." Beth said nonchalantly which surprised the trio.

"Are you sure about that?" Leaf said before they felt a tremor. "That doesn't feel 'all right'."

The trio ran towards the source of the explosion, followed by a unbothered Beth before the four of them found themselves by Route 8.

Before them was a gargantuan Arbok, its usual purple scales now black as it looked down at its prey. Its spear-like tail turned into iron before it swung it at the bystanders, some of them getting injured by its attacks.

"Freeze it!" One of the trainers commanded, their Pokémon used a move until some of the wild Pokémon and other trainers joined in the fray as they all used their Ice moves, freezing the serpent's scales.

The serpent's mouth open before it unleashed a beam of flames unto them, knocking out their Pokémon. Some of the trainers then attacked by unleashing bolts of lightning but it did nothing to the black snake who shot a Sludge Bomb that they all avoided.

"Run away!" They all shouted as they ran away from Arbok's rampage, the trio watching the scene in horror and terror.

"Oh my God…" Leaf mumbled.

"That is terrifying." Kim put her hand on her mouth.

Red looked at the Pokémon with widened eyes. 'It's the same as the Muk back in the sewers in Celadon. But how did it get here?'

"That is a good question, Red." A voice said in Red's head, surprising the boy until he felt a presence behind me.

He turned around to see Sabrina in the sky, the woman looking down at them before her eyes set on the titanic snake.

"Sabrina…" Leaf mumbled as she watched the woman flying towards the Pokémon, levitating some of the bystanders out of the way.

They then heard sirens, seeing the police coming on the scene.

"Everyone, evacuate the premises!" Sabrina said in their minds, the trainers nodded as they run away from the beast, the police helping them with their evacuation.

"Quick sand!" A group of police said as they threw out a group of Dugtrio that used Sand Tomb to soften the sand around the snake to trap it.

The trio watched her, seeing the snake trying to get out of the sand as it tried to attack the gym leader. Before it could bare its fangs at Sabrina, it was stopped by the floating woman who closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"Fall." Sabrina's eyes glowed from red and yellow as a powerful aura surging from her body.

She unleashed an immense pressure onto the snake, pushing it into the quick sand. The gigantic snake unleashed a Flamethrower that was stopped by a shield that Alakazam created before it dispersed the flames into fireballs that it launched towards the Poison-type who destroyed them with a Sludge Bomb.

"Psychic." Sabrina commanded in a cold tone.

As Arbok shot a barrage of Sludge Bomb at her, Alakazam used Psychic that stopped the attack. The three Pokemon trainers felt the air being thin, an overwhelming presence as it caused them to freeze especially Leaf who started to shake uncontrollably. She then hugged Red's arm like a lifeline. 'This pressure…'

'It's like that time with Misty.' Red thought as he looked at the woman, his eyes glowed as he saw Alakazam's aura engulfing the area. The gigantic Arbok lunged at the Psychic Pokemon whose eyes glowed intensely, making the snake fall to the ground.

Everyone on the route was in shock before they noticed the serpent having wounds around its body and its eyes starting to bleed. Before anyone could say anything, Arbok collapsed to the ground, its body creating a huge tremor that shook the entire Route.

"Unreal." Kim said as she watched the scene. "She is like a Pokemon herself."

As the police picked up the gigantic Pokemon and took it out of the place, the trainers could only watch disbelief until Leaf decided to speak. "You weren't joking…she's on a different level."

"Yeah…" Kim said as she hovered towards them.

Sabrina noticed the teenagers' faces, the woman noticed Red before she went to the boy and playfully squished his cheeks.

"Hello, Ms. Sabrina." Red said, blushing as the woman patted his head.

The girls watched as Red lightly pushed her away which failed as she leaned on his back, a look of content on her face as she floated while playing with his face and hair.

'It's like a sister playing with her little brother. It's cute.' The girls thought in unison as they watched the two conversing with each other.

"When did they get so close?" Kim asked Leaf who shrugged before she went to Red and hugged his arm. "Is there anything you want, Sabrina?"

"Hmm." Sabrina glanced at all of the teenagers' faces, her eyes focused on Red before she shook her head. "Nothing at all. I'm just tired. Also..."

The woman said before she looked at Red and then hugged him. "He's a comfortable soul. He's like a plushie."

'Why a plushie?' Red thought before he heard a voice in this head. "You remind me of my little Abra doll. Plus, it seems that you're looking better now."

"I wanted to ask some questions, Ms. Sabrina-" Red was about to ask until they heard the police officers coming onto the scene and started to speak with her.

"Gym Leader Sabrina. We need to ask you about what happened." One of the officers said before they looked at Red and the other teenagers as they smiled at them, Officer Jenny gesturing them to the gate. "I'm sorry, kids. This place is going to be out of bounds for the day. We need to run an investigation."

Red tried to protest with the officer. "Wait. I wanted to talk-"

"Red." He heard Sabrina's voice in his head, looking at the gym leader whose eyes were glowing. "Everything will happen in due time, Red. No need to rush things. I'll speak with you after I'm finished."

Red was disappointed but he nodded as he was escorted from the gate. As they watched the gate being closed, Red wondered about the woman's words before Beth made a suggestion. "Why don't you join our dojo?"

"Oh! Hell yeah!" Leaf said excitedly, Kim nodding as well. "Yeah. Let's heal our Pokemon at the Center and then go there."

As the group of teenagers were excited and made their way to the dojo, Red followed them with a sleeping Togepi in his arms.

On their way to the Pokemon Center, Red felt a weird presence which made his hairs stand on end, the boy's eyes darting around the street until he noticed an apparition at the other side of the road.

"What's that?" His feet moved on their own, following the ghost across the street.

Being in hot pursuit of the phantom, going through streets and alleyways until he found himself in front of a house, his eyes slightly illuminated as he felt an eerie presence coming from the house with an open door.

"It's from here..." Red mumbled before he found himself being oddly attracted by the aura of the house.

Entering the house, Red looked around the room, seeing that everything is normal and neatly put together which made him a bit confused. Despite this, he could not shake away the uneasy feeling that he had as he went on the living room, seeing nothing but table and chairs on an Ultra Ball map.

"What happened?" The raven-haired teenager mumbled to himself as he continued searching. After a while of inspecting and seeing nothing, Red gave up and turned around to leave the house. "I guess it was just my imagin-"

An intense pressure surged around the house, causing Red to have goosebumps as he looked around the place. "This is the same feeling as before. It's the same as Sabrina earlier."

Turning around, the raven-haired teenager noticed something that made his eyes widened. Within the middle of the room was an old man who was sitting by the table with his legs crossed, the man being extremely quiet as his eyes were closed. Red was caught off by the man, feeling the air being tight as the room was completely quiet.

"Uhh. Sorry to intrude your house, mister." Red said with a nervous chuckle however he was rewarded with silence which made the teen feel a bit more awkward.

"I just felt this weird presence and here I am...sorry..." The teen mumbled but he heard silence from the man.

After a moment of silence, Red decided to turn around and leave before he noticed the man by the door which surprised the teen.

"You want this, right?" The man said before he took out a CD from his pocket and handed it to Red. Red took the item, looking at it in confusion before he noticed that it is the TM for Psychic.

"Psychic…?" Red thought aloud before he put it in his bag.

"Thank you, si-" Red saw no one in front of him before he turn around to see the man back in his seat which surprised him. The teen looked at the man in disbelief before he checked his bag, seeing the TM in his bag. 'How?'

"Umm...ok. Enjoy your day, sir." Red said before he left the place, not before hearing something that made him frightened. "Farewell, Red Fires. Make sure to control your powers next time."

Red was completely shocked, about to turn to the man before he realized that he is in the street with Leaf, Kim and Beth, the four of them finally reaching the Pokémon Center.

"What the hell?" Red said, covering Togepi's ears before looking around. "How did-"

"Red, are you alright?" Leaf said with a worried expression, Red rubbing his head before he smiled. "Yeah. I'm ok."

As they continued with their tour, Red could barely pay attention as all he could remember was the encounter he had with the man.

'Who was he?'

As he entered the dojo, he looked around to see a huge room where he saw multiple people in white Gi sparring with each other, some having Pokemon battles. Leaf could not hold her excitement as Beth escort them through the place.

"This fighting Dojo is one of our popular spots for Pokemon trainers in Kanto, especially Fighting-type specialists. If you want a good training spot to get up to Sabrina level, this is the place to go." Beth explained as she led across several rooms.

"Really now? Would that be disadvantageous since Sabrina's, you know...a Psychic-type gym leader?" Kim asked with a shrug. Beth put a finger on her chin before she answered. "Well, yes and no. It depends on what Pokemon you have. Dark and Ghost Pokemon are good against her...but then again, she got a workaround."

"Another headache, huh? We're going to be training a bunch for her, eh Red?" Leaf turned to her boyfriend to see him having an anxious look on his face which made her worried. "You alright, sweetie?"

"Yeah. I guess." Red said, his eyes glittering which did not go unnoticed by the brunette as she wrapped her arms around the ravenette.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Leaf said in a seductive which made Red slightly blush as he nods, the brunette noticed the glow diminished from his eyes which made her breath a sigh of relief.

'He's a bad liar.' Leaf pinched the bridge of her nose before she wore a devilish smile. 'Well, good thing in his girlfriend because I can use my 'interrogation' skills on him now. I'll make you sing like a Swanna.'

"This is our dojo master, Koichi Takenori." Beth gestured to a huge bulky man with black spiky hair that went down to his shoulders, he was dressed in a black gi with a black headband.

He was in a sparring with one of his students who was trying to hit him but the man dodged the boy's attacks before ending the spar with a karate chop to the neck, knocking his student, surprising the trio.

"He's strong." Leaf said in surprise.

"Yeah. He looks like he went through some crap." Kim said as she noticed the scars around the man's body.

"You have done well, Hideki. You almost caught me with that drop kick." Koichi said with a smile as he pulled up his student, Hideki before dusting off his outfit. "Just make sure to sharpen on your skills and work better on your form."

Noticing Beth and the group, Koichi walked towards them with a smile.

"Ah! New faces! You got some newbies for me, Beth?" He said as he glanced at the three teenagers.

"Yep! This is Leaf Green, Kimberley Matthews and Red Fires."

"Nice to meet you all!" Koichi said with a huge smile before his eyes landed on Red who noticed his glare at him which made the man smile. "My name is Koichi Takenori. The leader of this dojo. Especially you, Ms. Leaf. glad to see you have returned."

"Yeah!" Leaf nodded with a smile, shaking hands with Koichi. "Haven't been able to visit because of, you know. The city's rules."

"Yeah, I understand. You're free to train karate here with us whenever you want." Koichi waved at the teenagers with a smile on his face, a serious expression etching on his face as his eyes landed on Red and Leaf. "Although some of you don't know your full potential..."

After their tour around the city, the trio decided to rest for the night at the Pokemon Center, Red plopping on his bed with a pensive expression on his face as he thought about what happened earlier at the house.

'Why was I spacing out like that and why did it feel so real?' He thought as he went into his bag and sorted out his items. 'Even now, I can't help but wonder why my head is so...wonky...that had to be a dream.'

Searching his bag, Red's eyes widened as he sees a pinkish CD with a move that made the ravenette realize that it was not a dream as he read the CD.

"What in the...world?" Red's mouth muttered before he read the move on the disk. "TM 29...Psychic..."

It was nighttime in the city of Saffron, lights illuminating from the buildings and streetlights along the roads as people continued with their nightly activities. On top of one of the skyscrapers was the old man that Red met with, his grey hair flowing along with the wind as he meditated. Within the darkness, a shadow emerged which revealed a graying blonde-haired woman who had a walking stick with the top being a Pokeball within a Gengar's mouth. The woman grinned as she dusted off her long purple dress with grey stockings and black shoes before she slowly crept towards the man.

"I know you're there." The man said which did not come at a surprise to the elderly woman as she went beside him, letting out a laugh.

"Even after all these years, you're still as perceptive as ever."

"Well, with people like you, I need to make sure I'm on my toes." The man said before his eyes gazed at the lights adorning the streets.

Silence took reign as the two people watched the city, Agatha's Gengar coming out of her shadow and flying through the night sky. The man then decided to break the silence as he turned to the Elite Four member. "I know you're not one for friendly visits. What's on your mind?"

"Well, since you're not going to read my mind, I'll say it. I saw what you did to the kid earlier today. Why did you do that?" Agatha said as she paced around the man with a serious expression. "You know that he might be weirded by what you did to him, right? He might avoid you in the future."

"You and I both know that he will be back. He's going to want answers. About his powers. About his path. That boy is a curious one." The old man said in a knowing tone as his gaze went to the night sky, his eyes glowing intensely.

"That boy is one that seeks to pursue knowledge and wisdom and if it leads to him coming to me, I will provide my feedback."

Finally! We're in Saffron. Fighting Dojo, Beauty Salons, aching migraines and more. I'm really looking forward to this arc. I can't say much but just look forward to the next chapters. Hope that you guys stay safe and let me know your thoughts.

Enigma out!