"Buzz buzz buzz—"
After using Quiver Dance, Butterfree rapidly flapped its wings, generating continuous sound waves through their vibration. It had already unleashed Bug Buzz, attacking in the direction of Thousand-Year Gengar.
"Damn it, these sound waves are so annoying!"
Thousand-Year Gengar complained irritably. After plugging its ears, it immediately sank into a nearby shadow to evade the Bug Buzz attack.
A refreshing breeze blew through, rustling the branches and leaves of the surrounding trees. The shadows twisted strangely, connecting together and gradually forming a massive dark silhouette.
"Butterfree, keep an eye on the changes in the shadows below. That Gengar might be hiding in one of the dark corners."
Ash quickly reminded, telling Butterfree to stay wary of Thousand-Year Gengar's sneak attacks.
After hearing Ash's warning, Butterfree immediately heightened its vigilance, all while continuing to flap its wings and scatter Stun Spore downward to limit Thousand-Year Gengar's opportunities to ambush.
"This Butterfree has really grown a lot. Even without Ash giving commands, it can rely on its own judgment to use the appropriate moves."
Red couldn't help but sigh in admiration. Fortunately, Ash didn't hear it clearly, or he would have definitely complained a bit.
"What a pity… still too young…"
Suddenly, a strange ray of light shot out from the shadow beneath Butterfree, striking it from behind. Immediately, Butterfree was forced into a state of confusion.
"Take this punch to wake you up!"
Seeing Butterfree fall into confusion, Thousand-Year Gengar decisively emerged from the shadow and swung its right fist at close range, using Shadow Punch to hit Butterfree's face, forcefully knocking its entire body to the ground.
"Butterfree, are you okay?!"
"Ash, the training isn't over yet. Look, Pikachu is still holding on."
Red stopped Ash, who was about to rush forward and hold Butterfree, signaling him to stay back and watch quietly.
As an older brother, Red naturally wanted to improve Ash's current lineup as quickly as possible. Although the training at the moment was somewhat harsh, it was all to ensure that Ash could shine brilliantly at the Indigo Plateau Conference later.
After all, in Red's view, the top sixteen didn't belong to Ash, and the top thirty-two certainly didn't belong to Gary. The two of them should have been able to achieve even higher placements—just that fate is unpredictable.
Not far away, Ash's Pikachu was also doing its best to dodge the continuous attacks from Red's Pikachu. Unlike Ash's Pikachu, which showed slight panic, Red's Pikachu had no hesitation at all, completely immersed in the thrill of battle.
Although it would inevitably hurt its beloved younger brother, Red's Pikachu understood one thing—this kind of real combat was the best way to improve Ash's Pikachu's strength.
However, instead of training its electric output, Red's Pikachu focused solely on enhancing close-combat ability, especially strengthening the use of its tail, since the tail is beneficial for a variety of offensive techniques.
"Haah—"
Ash let out a yawn involuntarily. Because he had been too excited last night, both he and Pikachu hadn't gotten enough sleep, so drowsiness naturally set in.
Due to the intensity of the training, Ash's Pikachu's body instinctively released adrenaline, helping it shake off the drowsiness.
Under Ash's sleepy gaze, today's morning training still had to continue. Red had no intention of letting Ash waste these two months of training.
"I'm really looking forward to the Indigo Plateau Conference in two months. I wonder how many decent opponents there are. I hope this year's conference won't be too disappointing…"
After saying that, Red looked in the direction of Pallet Town and fell into brief contemplation.
...
Location — Pallet Town
Timeline — Three weeks before the Indigo Plateau Conference
During these past weeks, Red had been actively accompanying each Pokémon in targeted training to prepare for the conference three weeks later.
Although he had absolute confidence in winning the championship, daily morning training could not be interrupted. In Red's philosophy, there is no such thing as the strongest—only stronger.
Moreover, in Red's heart, there was still one opponent he always wanted to surpass.
During this time, Red also found time to accompany Ash's group to the place rumored to have Surfing Pikachu, treating it as a chance for them to relax.
On that very day, Red's Pikachu successfully learned the move Surf, which made the playful Ash and his Pikachu extremely envious.
Gary and Leaf had also disappeared recently, seemingly hiding in their own training grounds, secretly undergoing intensive training in preparation for the upcoming conference.
But that foolish little brother was somewhat of a disappointment…
"Hey, Ash, get up already! The sun's almost shining on your butt!"
After finishing morning training and returning home to bathe, Red habitually knocked on Ash's door, urging the sleep-loving Ash to get up.
Ever since their last morning training session, Red had instructed Thousand-Year Gengar and Pikachu to assist Ash, helping his Pikachu and Butterfree master new moves.
Through this period of "forced" training, Pikachu, with the help of its elder counterpart, had learned Electro Ball, while Butterfree, under Thousand-Year Gengar's guidance, had grasped the conditions for using Shadow Ball.
During this training period, Butterfree had also vaguely figured out the technique for Psychic, though it still needed to further strengthen its mental power.
However, after Pikachu and Butterfree completed their targeted training, Ash once again fell into a lazy state. Red, who had been urging him daily, had grown somewhat impatient and decided to let Ash cool off for a while.
Unexpectedly, that "cooling off" lasted two whole weeks, and until now, Ash had barely done any proper targeted training.
"Barri, barri!"
Just as Red was about to open Ash's door, Mr. Mime, who was cleaning nearby, entered his line of sight.
"Mr. Mime, is that kid Ash still sleeping in?" Red asked.
"Barri, barri!"
After hearing Red's question, Mr. Mime helplessly pointed toward the living room downstairs, where faint sounds of Ash and Brock shouting excitedly could be heard.
"I see… that kid's been getting a bit too comfortable lately…" Red said helplessly.
(He's not watching that muscle-head Bruno's battle videos again, is he?)
At this moment, Ash and Brock were gathered around the TV in the living room, watching a recorded Pokémon battle featuring Bruno.
Just as Red was about to step in and stop Ash, he noticed Misty already walking over angrily. She grabbed the remote from the table and decisively turned off the TV.
"What are you doing, Misty?!" Ash shouted anxiously.
"Is this really the time to be watching TV? You kept saying you didn't need Red's help and could train on your own, but in the end, haven't you done nothing at all?" Misty retorted.
Those words nearly broke Ash's composure, but fortunately, he quickly came up with a countermeasure, avoiding further ridicule from Misty.