"Ok..." Red stated as he took deep breaths. "We're back here again."

The young trainer and his Pokémon party were underneath the abandoned train station. Red stretched as he walked to the glowing Spell Tag before he cracked his neck.

'You can do it, Red!' He heard his Pokémon behind him cheering him made him blush in embarrassment.

Letting out an exhale, the raven-haired teenager held his necklace and took out a spoon from his pocket as his eyes began to glow.

"Alright..." Red mumbled as he closed his eyes, black energy oozing from his body until he looked at the spoon in his hand turning purple. Putting the spoon down, he channeled the energy through his hand before he turned his sight to the paper tag. "...now!"

Within an instant, Red was able to easily remove the sealing paper, much to his Pokémon's shock. As his Pokémon was about to celebrate, the black energy dispersed through the area, making them feel an intense pressure that made them flinch in fear. Meanwhile, Red quickly sat down and meditated with his eyes closed.

'Red!' His Pokémon ran towards him but Red held his hand out to them to stop them as he got up.

"It's...ok...just give me a minute..." He mumbled, taking deep breaths as he tried to stop his energy.

Having an angered expression on his face, the boy took out a bow and arrow before he started shooting several arrows at the wall to relieve his wrath.

'This isn't good. Control it. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.' Red shut his eyes as he continued to shoot arrows.

After a while of meditating and archery, his aura completely disappeared, much to Red's glee.

"Finally..." He fell to the ground, panting heavily as he put the bow on the ground. "...that was exhausting."

'For once, you're not hurt!' Meowth said as she jumped on Red's shoulder. 'That's a plus!'

"Yeah..." Red said, getting up as he took out the two paper tags and looked at them with a pensive expression. "That's two down. Three more to go."

After taking a few minutes of rest, Red stood up before they all left the dark labyrinth. Reaching outside and taking in the morning breeze, Red stretched his body before he continued to train with his Pokémon. While he was making his way to Route 7, Red felt an ominous presence as he looked around the place.

'What was that?' He thought before he was able to locate the aura down a street.

Red walked down the street, his eyes glowed while they darted around the area until he saw the source of the energy by a window. His eyes widened when he noticed that the person looking through the window was him.

"What on earth?"

These were the words that came out of his mouth as the doppelganger waved at him. His Pokémon were confused before they looked up, their expressions turned to shock when they saw their trainer's counterpart.

'How are there two Reds?' Vulpix tilted its head in confusion. The other Pokémon had differing expressions of shock before they turned to their trainer. 'What's happening?'

After a moment of silence, Red was the first to snap out of his trance as he ran towards the house that the doppelganger was in, keeping eye contact with the person. Reaching the house, he knocked on the door until he saw a girl younger than him opening the door. She had green eyes and dark green hair tied in pigtails, the girl was dressed in a red shirt with a yellow star on it and a blue dress.

"Hello?" She said with a brow raised. "How are you, mister?"

Red felt an ominous aura coming from the girl but he ignored it and pointed to the upstairs of her house. "There was someone who was in one of your upstairs rooms!"

"Right..." The girl said with a raised brow. "What does he look like?"

"Uhh..." Red thought for a second, looking at his Pokémon for confirmation only to receive shrugs. "He looks like...me?"

"Oh...like this?" Red turned to the girl only to see himself. "What the? How did you-"

"-do that?" The girl finished his sentence, much to his surprise as he tried to choose his words.

"Surprised, right?" The lookalike said before he spun around, transforming back into the girl that Red was speaking to before.

Red's eyes widened in shock which made the girl giggle uncontrollably.

"Who are you?" They both said at the same time, the girl giggling again while Red had a confused expression on his face. "How do you do that? That is so odd."

"Well, I dunno. It just…happens!" Copycat shrugged in confusion. "People look like mirrors to me. Connected. Almost like-"

"-you can read people's minds." Red finished her sentence which surprised her.

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the one copying people!" The girl said before she spun around and transformed into Red. "You already have the whole 'ninja mysterious' thing going on?"

"Huh? So, Copycat?" Red said as the girl changed back to her original body. "Is it that fun to mimic people?"

"Yeah!" Copycat said with a huge smile as she hugged her Clefairy doll. "It's a scream!"

Red could not say that this was a surprise for him but he was happy that Copycat was not in any danger. He then waved at her as he turned around. "Well, it's good that you're ok. I have to go now. Have to get some morning training before 8!"

"Oh! Ok! Bye, hat guy! Visit again!" She happily waved at Red who smiled at her.

'She's a nice kid.' Meowth smiled as she waved at the little girl.

'With an interesting ability.' Clefairy stated while doing jogs. 'I wonder if she can understand us too.'

Red's eyes widened in shock as he turned around, seeing no sign of Copycat before he looked at the rooftops of the houses. His eyes darted around the area frantically until he was snapped out of his trance when Meowth tapped on his head. 'What's wrong, Red? See something?'

"I'm not sure..." The raven-haired trainer said as he scratched his head. "It was for a moment but..."

Red turned around as he made his way to Route 7, unaware of a pair of red eyes watching him and giggling before it vanished into thin air. After a morning of training, Red stretched his arms as he went home, the young trainer took a shower before he got himself ready for the day along with Leaf and Kimberley. The trio decided to go on a walk towards the Saffron City square.

"Man, it's been a while since we walked out together!" Kim said as she tapped her shoulders. "I want to take a break at the park today."

Her Mawile yawned before Clefairy grabbed it and used it as a weight to train himself, much to the Steel-type's shock and embarrassment. The trainers laughed as they saw that before Kim noticed something on the wall of a cinema building.

"Oh, this movie! I want to watch this!" She said as she touched the poster that showed a picture of a battle between a gigantic Tyranitar and a gigantic Infernape.

"Oh! The Tyranitar vs Infernape movie!" Leaf said before she saw the Tyranitar in the picture. "I forgot that Tyranitar could grow to that size. You know it's based on an actual fight, right?"

This surprised Kim before she turned to her friend. "Really?! Where?!"

"From a region called Garlic or something," Leaf said while tapping her fingers on her chin.

"Galar," Red corrected while playing with his Togepi.

"Garlic, Galar. It's the same." Leaf waved her hand absentmindedly before she turned to Kim. "Anyways, that fight was spectacular. Too bad that can't get big for too long. Explains the cuts."

"Spoilers, Leaf!" Kim said which made the brunette gasp as she closed her mouth. "Sorry..."

The trio continued with their conversation as they made their way to the Pokémon Salon. Strolling through the place, Leaf was smiling as she watched various Pokémon getting their fur and hair done by the hairdressers.

They then reached a booth of the place, Kim picking up an apron from it and putting it on as she patted the seat beside her. "Alright, who's the first customer?"

"Um…are you sure about this?" Red said, a bit worried to which Kim patted him on the shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry, Red. This isn't the first time I have done a Pokémon's hair…or a person's."

Leaf released her Lopunny who jumped in elation as it sat on the seat.

"What's the type of haircut you want for her?" Kim said as Leaf thought about the situation as she read the catalog. "Let's see."

'I want the curly hairstyle!' Lopunny said as she looked at the pictures.

"She wants the curly hairstyle," Red said which surprised the two girls before they looked at each other.

Leaf turned to Lopunny who smiled and nodded before she requested the curly hairstyle. "Alright, go ahead!"

Kimberley then got started as she worked on Lopunny's hair, both Red and Leaf sat down and waited until Kim received a message on her Pokegear.

Leaf picked up the device and read it. "You got a message from Emma. She went to speak with the Chairman of the Pokefan club…worst decision of her life."

"Why?" Red said with a raised brow.

"Oh yeah! You weren't there when we went there. While you were gone from the SS. Anne incident, we visited the Pokémon Club chairman. He has a very…long opinion about his Rapidash…" Leaf said with an exhausted sigh.

"And he doesn't stop!" Kim sneered as she rolled her eyes. "It's like hearing an old record player. The good thing is she now has a bike voucher. Lucky."

For an hour, Kim tended to Red and Leaf's Pokémon until one of the Haircut Brothers approached Kim and inspected her work with a nod.

"Good job!" said the elder brother as he touched Lopunny's curly hair.

The younger brother nodded and smiled while he looked at Red's Meowth whose fur had been tidied up. "You bring out a lot in the Pokémon. It needs a little work but great job, Kim!"

Kim could not hide her smile as she bowed respectfully, Leaf and Red watching the scene with smiles before a pair of hands suddenly squeezed the latter's cheeks.

"Huh?" Red jumped in surprise before the trio noticed Sabrina standing behind them, the woman still squeezing Red's cheeks.

"Why..." Red groaned while Leaf tried to pry Sabrina's grip off him but the woman did not stop.

Watching Red pushing Sabrina off him, Kim squinted her eyes before she made her curiosity speak. "Are you siblings or something? You two share the same vibes and the same eyes."

"No." Sabrina and Red shook their heads in unison before they both looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" Kim said before she turned to Leaf. "Leaf, you see it, don't you?"

Leaf raised a brow before she stared at the two for a while before she spoke. "Nope. I don't see it."

"What the-how?!" Kim said in complete disbelief as she pointed at Sabrina standing behind Red. "She literally looks and acts like an older, female Red! They almost have the same powers!"

Leaf shook her head which got a sigh from Kim. During their conversation, Sabrina eyed Red which did not go unnoticed by the young trainer.

"Red." She spoke to him telepathically. "How is your training so far with Mr. Psychic?"

"How did you-' Red said in shock before he realized what happened. '-right. Mind reading. Need to get used to that.'

'It's going well. I have a bit of control over my abilities. I can turn on and off my aura so that's a plus." Red said as he unleashed a black aura from his body and quickly dispersed it. "I have to be careful though. The more I conjure, the harder it is to control."

"Hm." The gym leader hummed in her mind before she levitated his cap and ruffled his hair. "Ok. I'm happy to hear that."

Red adjusted his cap. "Uhh...thanks."

"How about a little sparring match?" She spoke from her mouth which surprised Leaf who was about to speak.

"No. Another time." Sabrina said to Leaf who was completely confused. "Wha? How did you even-"

"Well, I came here because I wanted to know how far your powers have grown, Red." The raven-haired woman turned to Red who scratched his head.

"Why though? Shouldn't you be-"

"Already defeated," Sabrina answered briskly, much to Red's shock. "Yesterday?"

"Yes."

"What are they talking about?" Kim walked over to Leaf who shrugged. "I don't know. One thing I know is a battle will start."

They both followed as Red and Sabrina walked toward the nearest battlefield behind the Pokémon Salon. As both of them went to the battlefield, Red prepared himself as he noticed a crowd forming around them.

Within the crowd was Blue who was watching the match with his arms crossed. "So, he's fighting her, huh? Let's see how he fares."

One of the haircut brothers went to the referee spot as he turned to Sabrina. "Umm..."

"This battle will be a 2-on-2 battle. Substitutions are allowed." Sabrina levitated a Pokeball in her hand. "Show me how much you have grown."

Red nodded before he threw out his Pokeball at the same that Sabrina sent out hers, the two capsules hitting each other until they released their Pokémon. Vulpix landed on the field, its presence causing the sun's rays to intensify until a Jynx landed in front of it, its hairs floating as it looked down at the fox.

"Woah!" Leaf said as she saw Sabrina's Jynx, the girl seeing the aura emanating from the Ice Pokémon. "That's some pressure."

"He can't afford to make a mistake." Kim and Leaf turned to see Beth who was watching the match with a serious expression. "One wrong move and it's over, especially against someone like Sabrina."

"Flamethrower!" Red made a command, his Vulpix unleashed a sea of flames towards Jynx who floated into the air to avoid the fire.

Not missing a beat, Red made the fox unleash pillars of fire that Jynx was able to stop using Water Pulse. Observing the Pokémon's movements, he waited before he went for a Will O'Wisp that Jynx avoided until it used Psychic to cancel the move. Leaf watched the fight, seeing Red's struggle to hit his opponent before she turned to Sabrina who was standing still, not commanding her Pokémon to do anything.

"She's not even commanding her Pokémon but Jynx was able to skillfully dodge and shield Vulpix's attacks." She said as she watched Jynx dodge another Flamethrower, the gym leader unfazed by the power of Vulpix's attacks. "Is that even possible?"

"For Sabrina, yes." Beth answered before she looked at the battlefield. "She speaks to her Pokémon through telepathy."

Hearing Beth's explanation, the two girls were surprised as they looked to the battlefield. Another person who heard the explanation was Blue who watched the battle until he noticed Sabrina's eyes glowing which made him surprise. 'That explains why she read me like a book. Which means that someone like her is Red's kryptonite since he likes to brainstorm.'

"Fire tornado!" Red spoke before Vulpix created a fiery tornado that Jynx stopped with a Water Pulse.

Watching the situation, Red tried to change his approach by using his gestures to command Vulpix but despite his skill, Jynx was able to dodge his attacks.

'I need to find a way around this.' Red thought as he resorted to going on defense but he failed when his Pokémon was hit by a Water Pulse. 'She can predict every move I make.'

'In that case...' Red closed his eyes and took a deep breath. '...let's see if this can work.'

"We have to go full power." He said in a whisper, Vulpix's ears twitching before it unleashed a geyser of flames. As Vulpix finished its transformation, everyone noticed the flaming fox emerging from the fire with glowing eyes. "Kitsune mode."

"Woah! What is that?" Beth said as she watched Vulpix cloaked in flames, the Pokémon able to move with the fire avatar. "That is so cool!"

"It's called Kitsune mode!" Leaf explained proudly. "And it's super strong!"

Sabrina was also a bit surprised by the display of power, a small smile on her face. "You're a creative one, Red."

"Thank you! Try to read this then!" Red said as he snapped his fingers.

Sabrina was surprised by this when she saw Vulpix slamming its tails to the ground, burning the battlefield. The flames erupted, creating cracks on the ground as Jynx hit the fox with Psychic but the fox surrounded itself in flames that shielded it against the attack. Vulpix then fired two attacks, Sabrina using the opportunity to hit it with a Psychic which it endured before it lifted rocks into the air.

Everyone watched as flaming stones ascended to the sky, swirling around before it created a huge meteor. Seeing the attack, Blue was completely surprised by the sheer power of the attack as a heat wave emanated from the battlefield.

"It's much stronger than when he fought against me." Blue thought as he saw the fox swing its claw which created a wave of fire. "And much more controlled."

As Jynx dodged his Pokémon's attacks, Red did not waste any time as he looked at the sun. As the battle continued, Red watched as the fire danced throughout the battlefield before he waved his hand, Vulpix created a wave of fire to obstruct Sabrina's sight. Smiling, he outstretched his hand into the air before his eyes began to glow.

"Blazing Meteor!"

Vulpix unleashed a blazing aura as its tails ascended into the air, everyone looking up until they saw a huge meteor. Sabrina was unfazed by the attack as she was about to make her attack only to notice that her psychic link with Jynx had weakened. "What?"

'I see.' Blue's eyes widened in shock as he realized Red's plan. 'He's using the heat and the flames to tire out Jynx and weaken and possibly cut her psychic link with Sabrina. It's so simple. Not because they can read his mind and predict his attacks means that they can stop everything!'

"What on earth..." Beth mumbled as she saw the meteor.

Everyone watched with a mixture of awe and disbelief as Red made Vulpix hit Jynx with an Extrasensory to flinch it.

"I can't waste this opportunity.' He thought as he clapped his hands.

While Jynx was recovering from the attack, Vulpix made the meteor disperse into smaller flaming rocks which Jynx barely stopped using Psychic.

"Raise the heat!" Red said. "Quick!"

Everyone was surprised by this before Vulpix's body unleashed a powerful heat wave that empowered the flames around the rocks. Jynx was struggling to push back the stones, getting hurt by the flames in the process.

'Jynx can't get out in time.' Sabrina said before she turned her attention to Red only to see his eyes glowing. 'He's unconsciously using his power but it's not taking over his body...good.'

"Jynx, do not hold back!" She said, the Pokémon smiling as it easily stopped the rocks with one hand, much to everyone's shock.

'W-what?' Red thought with his eyes widened. 'It was holding back...'

Leaf and Blue were both completely shocked as well as they watched the Psychic Pokémon's display of power.

"That's seriously ridiculous..."

"This is a joke, right?"

Jynx did not waste time as it fired a barrage of Water Pulse at Vulpix, knocking it back until Red snapped out of his shock and made his move.

"Flamethrower, geyser!"

Hearing its trainer's thoughts, Vulpix quickly created a geyser of flames that evaporated the water and pushed back Jynx before the Ice-type was grabbed by the fox's tails and began to burn it. Before Jynx and Sabrina could do anything, the Fire-type quickly charged a huge fireball before it shot a powerful Flamethrower that knocked out the Ice-type.

Everyone watched in awe as the flames subsided before they saw Jynx on the ground covered in burns.

"Jynx is unable to battle! Vulpix won!" The elder Haircut Brother announced to everyone who celebrated until they saw Vulpix succumb to its wounds and collapse to the ground.

Red smiled as he picked up his Pokémon, hearing the announcement change to the battle resulting in a draw.

"Woah! He managed to beat Jynx!" Beth stated in surprise as she saw Sabrina return her Pokémon. "Let's hope he can do a miracle again!"

Blue's eyes squinted as he looked at both combatants, seeing Red checking through the capsules on his belt. Sabrina smiled as she levitated a Pokeball in her hand. "Good job. But that is not the test."

"Huh?" Red blinked before he tapped his shadow which revealed Dusclops as Sabrina released a Kadabra. Before he could think of anything, Sabrina's body and eyes began to glow intensely as she hovered into the air.

"This is the test." She said as her Kadabra glowed with the same eyes as her.

Red's eyes widened before he felt a telekinetic pressure coming from the two as their aura got stronger. Sabrina outstretched her arm at the same moment that Kadabra fired a powerful psychic blast that destroyed all of the rubble on the battlefield, much to everyone's shock.

"What on earth..."

"Was Sabrina that powerful?"

"This is insane!" Kim said while Leaf was completely shell-shocked. Blue was also stunned by the blast before he turned to Red. "What the hell are you going to do against that?"

"Shadow Punch, barrage!" Red yelled.

Dusclops unleashed a barrage of Shadow Punch but it could not stop the blast as the ghost went for a Shadow Ball. Being pushed back by the attack, Dusclops had no choice but to phase through the ground to evade the Psychic move. Coming out of the ground behind Kadabra, the Ghost Pokémon was about to attack but it was knocked back by a wave of energy, much to Red's dismay.

'This isn't good.'

He thought as Dusclops went for another barrage of Shadow Punch that Kadabra destroyed before it retaliated with a Disable. The Ghost-type phased through the ground and turned invisible, shooting a Shadow Ball but Kadabra reflected it at the phantom.

'I can't fight that kind of power!'

Dusclops tried to use Payback but it could not touch Kadabra who levitated it in the air before it dragged it across the ground. Dusclops was able to recover from the move as it shot a Shadow Ball but Kadabra destroyed the move.

'She knows my every move and they are almost in sync.'

Dodging several Shadow Punch projectiles, Kadabra used Calm Mind and Psychic that Dusclops had to dodge before it shot a Shadow Ball that Kadabra countered with Psychic.

'She's in perfect sync with her Pokémon. And it using Calm Mind makes it even bett...' His eyes widened in realization before Sabrina's words echoed in his head. 'She said this is a test to test my powers but how can I-'

Red groaned and slammed his hand in his face, Sabrina smiled as Kadabra stopped attacking Dusclops.

'You're a Channeler, Red. It's a shot in the dark but what she can do, I should be able to do it too.' Red thought before he took a deep breath.

Everyone was confused at Sabrina who stopped her Pokémon, some of them scratching their head as they called to her.

"Sabrina! What are you doing?"

"Yeah! You got him where you want him!"

"Win the All Spar-I mean the win!"

"Is she trying to make the fight enjoyable for us?"

Blue, Red, and Leaf were all confused before they turned to Red, the latter's eyes widened as she saw him closing his eyes. The raven-haired trainer's body began to emit a dark aura before he outstretched his hand at his Pokémon.

"Dusclops!" He shouted at the ghost as his eyes glowed. "Take the energy!"

The energy dispersed from his body but it was absorbed by Dusclops whose body began to glow as it floated into the air. As Red grabbed his head, the teenager kept his eye on Kadabra as both he and the Pokémon began to attack.

"Shadow Ball!" Red said before he spoke to the Pokémon in his mind. 'Future Sight!'

Dusclops launched the move, shooting a more powerful Shadow Ball which surprised everyone as Sabrina smiled and made her move. Both Kadabra and Dusclops shot their attacks that caused an explosion before the Psychic-type began to fly into the sky. Using Future Sight, the phantom began to fire a barrage of Shadow Punch that Kadabra could barely stop before it was hit by a strike that sent it into the air.

Not wasting time, the Psi Pokémon was about to go for another move but it got hit by a Shadow Ball and then barely blocked a Shadow Punch that slammed it into the ground. It then shot two telekinetic blasts that hit Dusclops before the two continued with their battle. Red has to unleash more energy as Dusclops desperately tries to trade blows with Kadabra.

Everyone watched in pure disbelief as the two Pokémon fought against each other, the Pokémon clashing with each other until Kadabra unleashed a barrage of attacks at the phantom who created a wave of shadow energy.

During the battle, Red's eyes glowed as he watched the fight, his vision turning crimson and his mind in turmoil as he bit his hand to control himself. After some time, veins began to appear on his temple which did not go unnoticed by Sabrina as she looked at the time. 'He was able to last for 5 minutes. That's considerable growth.'

"Take out Dusclops now!" Sabrina made her command, surprising everyone.

Before Red could react, Kadabra moved within an instant before it knocked out Dusclops with a Psychic, much to everyone's shock. The entire place was in silence for a while as they tried to process the information until they began to celebrate.

During the celebration, Leaf was in complete disbelief as she watched a fainted Dusclops. She then looked at Red who fell to the ground and held his head, the boy panting as the Pokémon went back into his shadow.

She then ran to his side and hugged him, kissing him which made his eyes stop glowing.

"Are you ok?" Leaf asked with a smile to which he nodded.

"Red Fires." The two turned to Sabrina who approached them before she ruffled his hair with a smile. "You did good. You have better control of your power but..."

"What?" Red raised a brow to which she shook her head. "It's nothing. I can see...that you'll find it out in due time."

She then massaged his cheeks, much to Red's embarrassment before Leaf shooed the woman away. "I know Red has baby cheeks but you can stop now. 2 minutes is your limit."

"Can I get more ti-"

"No!" Leaf pouted as she wrapped her hands around him. "It's my turn."

The two glared at each other and were about to argue until they saw the crowd surrounding the gym leader and asking her questions. Meanwhile, in the crowd, Blue watched Red before he looked down at the ground and clenched his fists. After a moment of thinking, he walked away, his Scizor following him in the process as Sabrina levitated the trio away to enjoy the rest of their day.

The next day, the trio made their way to the Pokémon Dojo, Kim stretching her arms as she and her Mawile were extremely excited.

"I'm so excited!" She said when they entered the building. "It's been a while since I did some exercise."

"Yeah! You've been absorbed in your salon classes so I've been feeling lonely!" Leaf said as she hugged her friend who returned the embrace. "I know! It's so sad that we don't have our residential girl talk."

During their conversation, Red was in deep thought as he remembered his fight with Sabrina and her battle style. He then looked at his hand as he made his aura flicker on and off. As he went to work out, he thought about what Sabrina said.

'I'll find it out in due time?' He picked up a few weights and lifted them. He was knocked out of his thoughts when Clef punched his leg, wanting to have a sparring match to which Red obliged.

Meanwhile, Leaf was watching a clip of a battle between Red and Sabrina which Kim noticed.

"You're watching that match again?" Kim asked as she made Vaporeon and Mawile spar with each other.

"Yeah!" The brunette said when she saw Red pull up a firewall to block Sabrina's vision. "I need to find a way around her mind-reading schtick."

"Oh! Yeah, she's on a different level. And from what I've heard, Koga and Blaine are not much easier."

"They're not." They turn to Gavin who is lifting weights. "Koga is a Gym Leader so experienced that he is called the Challenge-ender."

"Challenge-ender?"

"Yeah," Gavin said as he sat down. "He is so strong that he is one of the biggest reasons that most trainers in Kanto are unable to get to the Pokémon League. He is the only badge I'm unable to get."

"Wait, what?" Kim said before she checked her badge case. "But he's the 5th badge on the case, shouldn't Sabrina be harder than him?"

"Hmph!" Gavin laughed as he looked at the badges. "Trust me! There is a reason that Erika is as powerful as she is. She's basically the gateway to the 'Final Four': the last four gym leaders of the region and let me tell you, that title for them is not for show. They're the reason Kanto haven't exactly found a Champion yet."

Leaf and Kim had shocked looks on their faces when they heard that, the former not able to believe that there could be someone stronger and more terrifying than Erika which it took everything for her to beat, both in power and charisma.

"That's impossible." Gavin turned to see Blue who had his hands in his pockets. "If that is the case, how do they expect to get a new Champion to take the throne."

"They don't. Kanto can function properly without a Champion. Kanto does not take lightly when it comes to their challengers, we have some of the hardest gym leaders and Elite Four members out of all the regions. The only person who comes remotely close in terms of difficulty from what I've seen is Cynthia from the Sinnoh region. It was even rumored that Professor Oak struggled in the Pokémon League. "

"Gramps struggled, huh?" Blue was shocked by this before he smiled, his Charizard walking to him with its tail releasing a bright flame. The two shared a smile as they walked away, the spiky-haired teenager grinned as he looked back at Gavin. "Thanks for the lore talk. You made things much more interesting."

Before they could continue, they heard an explosion which made them turn to the battlefield to see Red's fainted Turtwig against Golduck. All of them then saw Beth returning her Pokémon before she shook her head.

"That's my win!" Beth said as she adjusted her glasses. "I guess you're not as strong as I gave you credit for. Leaf gave me more of a problem."

"Don't worry. I'll train harder and beat you." Red stated with a smile as he picked up his Pokémon, everyone unaware of his dimming eyes.

"I think you need to use every advantage you have! So, let's train on!" The female Ace trainer spoke in a serious tone as she covered her eyes with her glasses.

While Red and Beth continued to train, Leaf and Kim glanced at the two as the latter made a comment. "Huh? I never thought I would see it. Someone giving Red a problem."

"Yeah..." The brunette said with a melancholic expression. "...he's training himself hard."

"I can see that," Kim said as she decided to continue training.

Watching Red, Leaf was in a pensive mood as she remembered the words that Beth said before she lifted a Pokeball. 'Every advantage I have, huh?'

Putting back her Pokeball on her belt, she continued with her training as she tested out her new moves against Gavin. After a session of training, it was their break, Leaf and Kim taking a rest with their Pokémon in the garden while Red was still training inside against the sandbag.

"Man, it's good to take a break!" Kim said as she stretched her arms, her Mawile mimicking her moves. "But man, you've gotten super strong, Leaf! Didn't expect your Pokémon to learn new moves already."

"Well, you saw how strong Sabrina is," Leaf said with a serious expression while she was eating a sandwich. "Plus, if what Gavin said is true, I'm going to need to change my approach to win against her and the rest of the gym leaders."

"Hmm. I can see that. Plus, you hate losing." Kim said while massaging her Purugly's back. "Well, one thing I can say is that you have changed."

"Have I?" Leaf said while drinking a bottle of water. "I'm just training harder than usual. I can't have myself losing again. I'm going to be a Champion soon so have to pick up my plate!"

They both then heard laughter, the two turning to see Blue who was holding his gut and wiping the tears from his eyes. "That's a good joke, Leaf! You should be a comedian! It's better than being a Champion since you'll never become one!"

"What do you know?" Kim retorted with an annoyed expression.

"What makes you think I can't be a Champion?" Leaf got up and leered at Blue. "What makes you so confident that I can't become Champion?"

"It's obvious!" Blue smirked as he pushed her hair away. "It's because I'm going to be Champion and nothing is going to stop me!"

"Yeah! When Primeape fly! Just hope you don't come across a Hypno and get your dreams eaten!"

"Hmm. You think you can beat me, Leaf?" Blue said with his arms crossed.

"Definitely!" Leaf smirked with her arms crossed.

"Alright then." The spiky-haired teen let out a chuckle before he pointed at the battlefield. "Let's see if you can prove it. We'll battle there in the next couple of days. I'll give you time to prepare."

Leaf smiled as she balled her hands into fists. "You're on!"

"Humph!" Blue playfully scoffs before he leaves the two girls to themselves. "I hope you won't take it too bad if you lose."

As he was about to go into the dojo, he came across Red, the two sharing a glance before Blue went back to training.

"You better not slack off either, Red."

Red blinked in confusion when he heard Blue's words, the teen stood there momentarily before he went to Leaf and Kim.

"What happened?" He asked the two girls.

"Blue challenged Leaf to a battle!" Kim answered nonchalantly. "And as she should, Leaf told him yes and is now planning to give him to beatdown of a lifetime."

Red was surprised by this development as he looked at Leaf. "I'm surprised you haven't battled him sooner. You ready?"

"Not now but I need some training. Can you help me out, Red?" She asked to which Red gave her a thumbs up. Leaf began to shake out of excitement as she stretched her arms in the air. "This is going to be more fun than I expected. I can't wait to wipe the floor with him."

The girls pumped their fists in the air as they went back to training, Red smiled as he saw them before he felt a presence which made him look around as he pointed his gaze to the sky.

"What was that..." He thought before he went back into the gym, unaware of a pair of blue eyes watching him intently. "Must've been a random ghost."

The group then continued their training until it was sunset, the place now quiet due to most of the trainers leaving including Blue and Red, the latter telling Leaf and Kim that he would go ahead and make dinner. During this time, Leaf and Kim were getting ready to leave, Leaf returning her Pokémon as she had a pensive expression on her face. 'Combusken, Wartortle, and Lopunny are almost up to the level I want them so it's now time to deal with Selia, Flareon, Zori, and Misdreavus. Then there's-'

The moment she stretched her arms, Leaf accidentally knocked her belt, one of the balls falling on the floor as it began to enlarge and shake. Looking at the capsule, the brunette's eyes widened when she saw whose Pokeball was lying on the floor before she sprinted toward it.

"Oh no! Cra-"

The ball suddenly opened, unleashing a beam of light that landed on the ground, the light fading which revealed Nida who got up from the ground and looked down at Leaf.

"Nida..."

It raised its glowing arm to attack her but she dodged the attack, the girl looking around for her Pokeball only to see it behind the Poison-type.

"Oh! C'mon!" Leaf said as she massaged her temples. "First objective: Get my Pokémon!"

During their altercation, Koichi watched the situation from the roof as the Pokémon relentlessly attacked Leaf who nimbly avoided its strikes while trying to go for her Pokeballs.

"A disobedient Pokémon? Let's see how she deals with this matter." He said, putting his hands behind his back. "In a way, this is her test."

Nidoqueen let out a huge battle cry as it swung its arm to hit Leaf who barely dodged its attack. Kim was about to intervene but the Poison Pokémon attacked her which the girl was barely able to dodge, thanks to her Vaporeon. The blue-haired girl tried to get up but her muscles were aching which made her unable to move.

"Damn it! I trained way too hard. Now you decide to give up on me, body!" Kim scoffed before she noticed Nidoqueen about to attack her until a wooden staff hit it.

"Nida, stop!" Leaf yelled at the Pokémon but it did not listen as it tried to attack her, breaking the wooden staff she had. "C'mon! We don't have to fight!"

Seeing the wooden staff broken, Leaf then tried to go for the rest of her Pokeballs but she was stopped by a stomp from Nidoqueen who glared at her with eyes filled with fury. The Poison-type marched towards her, relentlessly attacking her as she had to focus on evading its moves.

"I can't watch this anymore!" Kim tried to get up only for someone to lift her, the girl looking up to see Koichi. "Koichi! Oh! You can help her."

Koichi stayed quiet as he watched the match, much to Kim's worry. "Did you not hear me? We need to help Leaf."

"No." Koichi's answer surprised Kim as she raised a brow and got angry. "The hell do you mean 'no'? Nida is trying to kill her!"

"She needs to do this on her own. If things go south, I will help her. If she does not show Nidoqueen her strength, it will never respect her."

Kim sneered before she begrudgingly continued to watch the battle.

"Please, Nida! Get a hold of yourself!" Leaf pleaded with Nida while running away from the Pokémon until she found herself at a wall which made her worried.

She looked up at Nida with a terrified expression which made Kim worried when Nidoqueen bared its fangs and used Crunch that Leaf barely dodged. Rolling to the side, the brunette ran to her Pokeball only to be stopped by Nidoqueen who looked down on her.

"Nida..." She said while walking back.

Looking at the Pokémon, she saw the little Nidoran that Red gave her that day which caused a few tears to come out of her eyes. She approached the Pokémon with her arms raised only to be met with a roar.

"Please, Nida…" She said with a weak voice.

Nidoqueen clenched its fists that started to glow red as it raised them in the air, a feral expression on its face as it leered at its trainer.

"We are friends…"

As Nida's arms turned crimson, her Pokémon team tried to get out of their Pokeballs but they could do nothing but watch as Leaf was about to be attacked. With tears flowing down her face, Leaf looked at her Pokémon with wide eyes.

"Nida…you wouldn't…"

Suddenly, its fists descended at a fast pace, Leaf closed her eyes until suddenly a rainbow blast hit Nidoqueen in the chest which knocked it back into a boulder. Opening her eyes, Leaf was completely surprised by the scene before she saw Misdreavus in front of her, the ghost wearing a defiant look on its face.

"Misdreavus…" She muttered, the Pokémon not turning to her as it faced Nidoqueen who was getting up.

Koichi was surprised by the Pokémon's appearance while Kim celebrated before she put her phone in her pocket. "Thank you, Red. He was quick with it."

This did not go unnoticed by Koichi who looked down at the Pokémon. 'Red Fires! As always, he is a quick thinker with an unorthodox thinker. Way too creative!'

"Thank you, Misdreavus!" Leaf said to Misdreavus who nodded as they both went into a fighting stance. "Psybeam!"

Nidoqueen rushed at the ghost with a Rock Smash that phased through the Pokémon's body before it retaliated with a Psybeam that pushed it back. Seeing its move having no effect, the Poison-type went for a Poison Tail that Misdreavus quickly dodged until it shot an Icy Wind.

"Nice job, Misdreavus! Keep it up!" Leaf smiled, Misdreavus sharing the same expression. "Let's go for a-"

Seeing Nida enduring the attack and getting up, Nida used Skull Bash that phased through the ghost, much to Misdreavus' bewilderment before it noticed that its opponent's target was Leaf. Reacting quickly, Leaf moved out of the way of the attack before Nidoqueen turned around and went for a Crunch.

"Crap!" Leaf cursed as she tried fleeing but she lost her footing. 'I won't be able to dodge in time.'

She then heard a crunching sound, her eyes widened when she saw Misdreavus being bitten by Nidoqueen, trails of red smoke coming out of the wounds it took. This made Leaf worried before she started screaming. "Misdreavus!"

As Nida bit harder, the ghost screamed in pain until its body unleashed a burst of energy that knocked back its attacker.

"Misdreavus!" Leaf ran to the injured Pokémon who got up with a defiant expression before it turned to Nidoqueen. "You ok?"

Misdreavus nodded as they both heard Nida's roar, Leaf taking a moment to think as the ghost continued the battle. She then checked her Pokedex while observing the fight.

'Nida's way too strong both offensive and defensively. Put that along with the fact that Misdreavus does not have great physical defense does not make this a good fight. It's good that she's quick on her feet which makes her able to avoid Nida's attacks,' The brunette thought when she saw Misdreavus dodge a Crunch before it went around Nidoqueen and retaliated with a Psybeam. 'I can't beat it in a physical fight...but...'

Leaf smiled as she voiced her move. "Confuse Ray!"

Misdreavus' eyes glowed as it used the move, making Nidoqueen dizzy as it sluggishly attacked the ghost.

"Continue dodging!"

Despite Nida's ruthless onslaught, the ghost was able to easily dodge its attacks, causing the blue beast to hit itself a couple of times. As the battle continued, both Misdreavus and Leaf were in sync as they faced Nidoqueen, the ghost phasing into the ground to avoid the attack before firing a Psybeam at its opponent's legs to knock it off balance.

"Nice job, Misdreavus!" Leaf said as the phantom appeared in front of Nida's face with a huge smile before its mouth began to glow.

"Hex…I forgot you learned that move..." Leaf silently commented as she saw the Pokémon charging the move. "Shoot it when ready!"

Not missing a beat, Misdreavus then shot a powerful red blast that sent its opponent in the air before the ghost shot it into the ground with a Psybeam. Seeing no sign of movement from Nida's body, the Ghost-type let out a sigh as it descended to the floor with a look of exhaustion.

"Finally! She won!" Kim celebrated as she tried to catch her breath while sitting on her chair. "She did it!"

On the other hand, Koichi had a serious expression on his face as he looked at Nidoqueen's body. 'Hmm...'

"Phew!" Leaf said as she walked over to her bag, taking out a Super Potion and releasing her Pokémon as she walked over to Misdreavus. "Nice one, Misdreavus. I thought that was-"

Suddenly, she felt the area shake which made her turn to see Nidoqueen who was pushing itself from the ground. As it made a roar, Leaf watched the scene with disbelief before she glanced at Misdreavus who was trying to get up only to fall.

Patting her Pokémon on the head, Leaf smiled at it as she walked towards Nida. "You did well, Misdreavus! Thank you!"

Misdreavus was surprised by the sincere expression on its trainer's face as the girl turned to Wartortle who stepped forward, the turtle giving the ghost a respective nod.

'Rest. I'll take it from here.' Wartortle said as it faced Nidoqueen, the two engaging in a silent staredown.

Nidoqueen rushed at them with glowing arms which Wartortle blocked with Brick Break as the two began to engage in a fistfight. The two traded blows until Nida used Poison Tail which clashed with Wartortle's Aqua Tail, creating a shockwave.

"Nice! You're so strong now, Wartortle!" Leaf stated when she saw Wartortle starting to overpower Nida until its opponent began to use Skull Bash. "Protect!"

The Water-type created a shield around its body which it stopped with the attack, Leaf having a smile on her face. Despite her happiness, Leaf was said to see the state that Nidoqueen was in as it launched several strikes at Wartortle who blocked its attacks.

"I'm sorry, Nida! I have to do this for your good." Leaf said, Wartortle nodded as a blue aura surrounded its body. "Let's try your new move: Surf!"

Wartortle then punched the ground, unleashing a huge tidal wave that knocked back Nidoqueen into a boulder. Despite the damages it took, Nida still got up, panting heavily as it glared at Wartortle.

"Nida…it's ok now," Leaf said as she let out a hand to the wounded Pokémon with a smile on her face. "It's over."

Nida gritted her teeth as it stood on its feet, slowly walking towards Leaf with glowing arms. Seeing the move, Leaf let out a sigh as she stepped back, Wartortle walking in front of her, its tail surrounded by water. As the two Pokémon got near to each other, Nida swung its fist with all its might which punched the Water-type in its face.

Nida smiled before it noticed that Wartortle did not move from its spot as it grabbed the Poison-type's arm and pushed it away. Before Nidoqueen could go for another strike, it was hit in the face by Wartortle's Aqua Tail which sent the Pokémon into the ground, knocking it out.

Seeing Nida fainted, Leaf walked towards the Pokémon with a pensive look on her face. As she brushed her hands against the Pokémon, she remembered when she first got it, the energetic and happy Poison-type that loved to eat lettuce and petting.

"Nida…"

She remembered when it evolved during her fight against Lt. Surge, the Pokémon being able to secure her the win against Raichu. Leaf then took out a vial of medicine to heal Nida as she remembered how it helped her to get Red back.

"We have been through so much…"

She remembered how it evolved against Team Rocket and saved her but it never listened to her as it attacked her every chance it got which made her have to recall it.

At that moment, Leaf lost a friend, a special comrade.

Looking at Nida, she gave it medicine, the Pokémon got up and observed the place before it turned its back to her.

"C'mon, Nida!" Leaf said as she outstretched her hand to it but the Pokémon moved away. "You can't be stubborn for long."

Nidoqueen looked at her for a while before it turned away from her again. As it looked to the sky, it noticed Leaf's other Pokémon looking at it with determined expressions.

'Why are you still giving her a hard time?' Lopunny said as it approached Nidoqueen. 'She's trying her best for you! It's not like this is the first time that she tried to reason with you.'

'I was frustrated...' Nida sighed as she looked at her hands. 'I kept losing and it made her depressed and I didn't want to see her like that. I mean look at all of you. You guys are so strong. She even won the last badge without me.'

Tightening her fists, Nida's shoulders began to shake as she continued. 'I wanted her to hate me. To not bother with me anymore. I wanted her to release since I'm just...'

All of the Pokémon looked at Nidoqueen who put her hands on her face. 'I'm just useless baggage on the team.'

'Don't say that.' Selia said as it patted her back. 'You're just as important as everyone on this team is. She would not have gone this far if she didn't.'

'I agree.' Wartortle said with his arms crossed. 'Leaf is not the type of person to honestly care about if you're weak or not. If she did, she would have released us by now. You remember the story I told you about her attempts at Cerulean City?'

Looking at the turtle, Nida nodded as the turtle looked at Roselia and Lopunny who shared a smile.

'Leaf went through so much at that time. She lost 9 times to the gym leader, each loss breaking her more and more to the point where everyone left her and she nearly decided to quit.'

Nida was surprised by this as Wartortle continued.

'This was her dream but...it was a tough time for her...especially since she just started. She kept getting beaten and beaten...' The Water-type's fists tightened as he continued. '...it gets frustrating. Especially since no matter how hard she trained, it was like she made no progress at all and she was getting beaten much quicker. Despite this, she tried and Red helped her so much.'

All of the Pokémon looked at her with smiles.

'And you were a gift from Red. To her and trust me, she does not love you because of that, she loves you because you're family.' The party then got up and hugged Nida who was surprised by the embrace. 'And you're our family as well.'

Tears began to well up on Nidoqueen's face as it returned the embrace.

'Thank you, guys. And I'm sorry.'

All of the Pokémon parted before they pointed behind Nida, the Poison-type turning to see Leaf who watched them with a smile. Nidoqueen got up before it slowly walked towards its trainer, Leaf holding out her arms as she approached her precious Nida. After a while, the two hugged each other as they had huge smiles on their faces.

"I'm happy to get you back, Nida!" Leaf said as she patted the Pokémon's back, tears falling from her eyes.

Seeing the emotional scene, Koichi smiled as he crossed his arms and looked at Kim. "I told you that she had to prove her worth. I knew she would win."

Kim gave him an inquisitive look before she spoke. "You didn't know she would win, didn't you?"

"I did." The man said with a smile as he looked away to avoid Kim's glare.

The two continued to watch as Leaf and Nida were hugged by the rest of the brunette's party, the group crying happily under the bright sunset.

"Nida, Rock Smash!"

"Rapidash, Flame Charge!"

Both Rapidash and Nidoqueen clashed attacks, creating a shockwave as the two struggled against each other. The two Pokémon continued to trade blows until Nida was able to get the upper hand by grabbing Rapidash's leg and then flung it away.

"Nice one, Leaf!" Beth said as her Pokémon got up. "Your Nidoqueen is no sleeper."

"Thanks!" Leaf said proudly as she put her hands on her hips. "We may have not trained for a while but we still got it. Right, Nida?"

Nidoqueen nodded as they both shared a fist bump.

"It looks like you've got your little situation fixed."

Leaf heard a voice, turning to see Blue who had his arms folded, his Scizor beside him.

"Blue…" Leaf said as the two faced each other, the wind blowing to signal the start of an intense battle between two powerful trainers.

"Well, good! Keep training. You're going to need it." He said as he turned around. "I hope that you're ready for our fight."

"Yeah. I'll beat you." Leaf said, her Pokémon going beside her as the two stared down at each other, anxious for their fight against each other.

Finished. Not gonna lie, thought this chapter would take more than expected but nope. Got this done quickly. Probably because I was letting out my rage on the battle scene. You'd be surprised how much you can get done on a temple tantrum.

So, things to note:

Wartortle learns Surf now, awesome!

Nida finally is listening to Leaf, dope!

Blue and Leaf are gonna face off soon...hurray...

Red and Kim are gonna be taking a back seat from here...I think...I can reveal more...

Thanks for your support, guys. It has been a rough couple of months for me so I'm just glad to get this story updated. Hope that you guys are keeping yourselves safe and feel free to tell me how you feel about the story. Alright, it's time to go. Enigma out!