At the Game Corner, Blue had been gambling for hours.
Luck had been completely on his side.
By the end of it, he had managed to win the grand prize which was a Porygon.
The manager carefully handed over the Poké Ball, though his expression carried a hint of concern.
"That Pokémon can be difficult to train," the manager warned. "Since you weren't the one who caught it yourself, it may not obey you easily."
Blue gave a scoff. "As if that'll be a problem."
Still, the words stayed in the back of his mind.
Thinking it would be better to get Porygon under control as early as possible, Blue headed just outside the city to begin training.
----
At first, things seemed manageable but the moment Blue tried to command it properly, Porygon suddenly darted off.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Blue immediately ran after it, as he chased the Pokémon down the road, he failed to notice someone walking toward him.
The two trainers collided head on.
Both of them fell hard to the ground, their Poké Balls scattering across the dirt and rolling in every direction.
Blue groaned and quickly sat up annoyed and immediately recalled Porygon.
Red slowly rose to his feet his face was stoic, but the irritation in his eyes was unmistakable.
He looked at Blue with an annoyed expression, as if his entire day had just been ruined.
Understanding that look immediately, Blue clicked his tongue. "Tch, it's not my fault. This Pokémon is impossible to train. I didn't know it'd be this hard."
Red didn't even bother listening without a word, he simply bent down and began picking up his Poké Balls. Blue did the same.
Just as Blue was about to say something else, Red turned and began walking away, waving him off without even looking back.
"I don't need to hear your bantering."
Blue remained silent and simply watched Red walk off before turning and going his own separate way.
As Red continued walking back toward the city, something suddenly caught his attention in the distance.
Two girls were running in panic. Behind them, a Rhyhorn, a Graveler, and a Marowak were charging after them.
Red immediately reached for one of his Poké Balls and threw it.
But instead of Charizard, a Charmeleon appeared. Red narrowed his eyes without wasting even a second, he pointed ahead.
"Stand in front of them and use Flamethrower."
The Charmeleon looked up at Red. His expression was darker than usual, his face still carrying the irritation from earlier. For a moment, even the Pokémon seemed slightly intimidated and just obeyed.
Stepping forward, Charmeleon unleashed a powerful stream of flames that cut across the path of the charging Pokémon.
The sudden wall of fire forced Rhyhorn, Graveler, and Marowak to stop.
Before they could react further, Red swiftly threw three Pokeballs. In a flash, all three Pokeballs disappeared.
He quickly sent out the rest of the Pokémon he was carrying. One by one, they appeared and immediately, Red understood that all of his Pokémon had been swapped.
The girls, now safe, approached him and the moment they saw the Pokémon around him, their eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh! You must be Blue! We heard you're such an amazing trainer! Wenever thought we'd actually meet you!"
Their voices kept going, praising Blue endlessly.
Red's expression darkened as he shoved both hands into his pockets.
The shadow of his cap covered half his face, and beneath it, his eyes seemed to glow a faint red.
"I'm not Blue."
His voice was cold and dark, sharp enough to make both girls freeze.
The atmosphere around him suddenly felt oppressive.
The girls visibly shuddered.
"S-Sorry!"
They quickly apologized before running off in fear.
Even the Pokémon beside him seemed slightly unsettled by the look on his face.
Still, with nowhere else to go for the moment, they decided to follow him.
After walking a short distance, Red finally stopped and turned toward Blue's Pokémon.
His annoyance had calmed slightly, though his hands remained in his pockets. "Looks like you'll be stuck with me for a while."
His voice still carried a trace of irritation and Blue's Pokémon simply nodded
After a moment, they immediately began training themselves. Red watched them in silence. He wasn't surprised that these Pokemon had never truly has any enjoyment with blue.
Suddenly, Red raised his voice. "STOP!"
All of the Pokémon froze instantly and turned toward him.
Red slowly lifted his hand and held the tip of his cap. His gaze swept across them.
"Training is good and all but there's a lesson you all need to learn—" He paused his eyes sharp "Enjoyment."
----
With Blue, Red's Pokémon had also been training on their own. Blue couldn't help but be surprised by the level of strength Red's team had, especially his Charizard.
Unlike Blue's Pokémon, who trained almost constantly, Red's Pokémon seemed to have found a perfect balance between hard training and taking time for their own enjoyment.
They sparred seriously when it mattered but they also rested, played, and moved with a sense of ease. There was discipline but there was also freedom. That realization bothered Blue more than he wanted to admit.
Then came another blow to his pride.
Under his watch, Red's Ivysaur evolved into a Venasaur. The evolution happened after a particularly intense training session, the bright light of evolution illuminating the night around them.
Blue stared in silence, from what he had heard from his grandfather, Red had received his Bulbasaur after him. And yet here he was still several steps behind Red.
The thought gnawed at him.
What did Red have as a trainer that he didn't? Was it experience? Understanding?Something deeper?
For a brief moment, the question lingered in his mind but Blue refused to let it discourage him. He simply clicked his tongue and shrugged it off.
Both Red and Blue ended up registering each other's Pokémon in their Pokédexes, making sure to update their data properly while the mix-up lasted.
----
A few days passed since that incident.
That night, Red and Blue's Pokémon were gathered near a campfire beneath the dark sky.
Meanwhile, Red sat quietly thinking about how to budget his money for supplies and resources. Pokeballs, potions, food and all.
As he was lost in thought, something in the distance caught his eye.
Golden fur shifting through the darkness. It was a Ninetales.
Without hesitation, he recalled all of Blue's Pokémon and immediately began running toward where he had seen it.
As he got closer, he suddenly stopped.
Blue was there battling the Ninetales with his Pikachu. Red watched silently from a distance.
Pikachu was moving at incredible speed, dodging each of Ninetales' attacks with sharp reflexes.
Flames scorched the ground where it had stood only moments before.
Each time it evaded, Pikachu countered with Iron tail, striking Ninetales.
Blue's expression was focused and confident. He waited for the perfect opening then shouted, "Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu leaped into the air and burst of electricity erupted from its body.
The Thunderbolt struck Ninetales head on.
The impact lit up the entire area in brilliant yellow light.
When the smoke cleared, Ninetales collapsed.
Blue immediately threw a Poké Ball.
The capsule hit Ninetales cleanly and pulled.
Blue let out a slow breath and as he turned finally he noticed Red's presence.
For a moment, the two simply looked at each other.
Then Blue gave a small smirk. 'Even though I'm still behind you' he thought 'Don't think for a second it'll be long before I catch up let me have this moment for now.'
----
By morning, the air had become lighter and the temporary mix-up had finally come to an end. Both Red and Blue had gotten their own Pokémon back.
Now standing on opposite sides of the road, the two trainers prepared to continue on their separate journeys.
But something had changed blue's Pokémon seemed noticeably more attached to him now, even Porygon, who had been difficult from the start, now appeared far more willing to listen.
Blue noticed it and small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Without another word, both trainers turned and went their separate ways.
Each continuing forward and growing stronger in their own way.