"By the way…"
Red suddenly remembered something and glanced at Green with a look of mild disdain.
"Aren't you the Gym Leader of Viridian City? Is it really okay for you to stay here playing games instead of running your Gym?"
"Hmph. Small matters like that can be handled by Alakazam and Rhydon."
Green waved his hand dismissively, but halfway through speaking he paused.
"Wait a second… the Viridian City Gym Leader in the game…"
A tall, imposing silhouette instantly appeared in all four of their minds.
Cold. Intimidating. Overwhelming.
—Giovanni.
"Did Uncle Giovanni really get put into the game too?"
Yellow softly voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Knowing Rei Akagi's style…"
Green pondered for a moment before calmly analyzing.
"If he already added the Gym, there's no reason not to include the Gym Leader. I'd say there's a high chance he's in it."
"Why think so much!"
Blue clapped her hands decisively.
"Let's just go check it out!"
They arrived at the Viridian Gym, only to find the building lifeless.
The lights were completely out. The doors were shut tight. It even looked slightly dilapidated.
Only an old man was pacing aimlessly near the entrance.
Red walked forward and tried to push the door.
"The Viridian Gym door is locked…"
The old man shuffled over.
Old Man:
"This Pokémon Gym is always closed. I wonder who the Gym Leader even is?"
"So we really can't get in…"
Red frowned as memories surfaced.
"I remember the Gym actually was closed back then. Uncle Giovanni seemed to be…"
"Enough with the reminiscing."
Green cut him off, his reasoning straightforward.
"If the Gym is closed, we should organize our team and head to the next city—Pewter City or Cerulean City."
Red turned to leave.
Just as he was about to step out of Viridian City—
A familiar figure appeared at the road ahead.
Still wearing a white lab coat.
Still carrying that handsome face.
Handsome Researcher:
"Hey, we meet again. How have you been lately?"
A blank input box popped up.
Input…
"Hah, Rei Akagi really is everywhere in this game…"
Red sighed with emotion. He was just about to start typing when Green suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Idiot."
Green delivered his usual blunt judgment before explaining.
"This is obviously a branching dialogue option. I suspect your answer dynamically adjusts the game's difficulty curve."
"Hmm… makes sense."
Blue stroked her chin in agreement.
"Difficulty, huh…"
Red muttered.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
He typed immediately.
Red:
"Very easy!"
Handsome Researcher:
"Is that so… hahaha. That's a relief."
A meaningful, half-smiling expression appeared on the researcher's face as he patted Red on the shoulder.
"Here, take this."
Red obtained the Wild Camping Kit from the Handsome Researcher!
The Wild Camping Kit was placed in the Key Items pocket.
Handsome Researcher:
"Raising Pokémon isn't only about battling. Companionship and care are just as important. When you have time, take your Pokémon camping in the wild and enjoy life. Well then—see you!"
With that, the Researcher Baquickly disappeared down the road, leaving behind a stylish departing figure.
"Let's go!"
Red shouted energetically as he guided Red straight into the wilderness outside the city.
However—
Because he was too excited and forgot to check the map…
He got lost.
And accidentally wandered into Route 22.
"Uh… what do we do now?"
Red looked at Green with a confused expression.
"Tch."
Green turned his head away impatiently.
"We're already here. Just keep exploring. We can't reload the save every time something happens. Do you have to ask me everything?"
Red glared at him but continued forward into the depths of Route 22.
It didn't take long before they felt the consequences of choosing "Very Easy."
After answering the researcher's question, the wild Pokémon became noticeably more aggressive.
Wild Pokémon frequently burst out of the grass to challenge them.
Sometimes they even ganged up together, their attack frequency and intensity significantly increased.
But who was Red?
Someone who feared nothing.
Relying on the Potions in his bag, he stubbornly pushed through the battles.
After a series of fierce fights, they finally escaped the dangerous forest area and stepped onto a relatively safe main road.
The price had been heavy.
But the rewards matched it.
Charmander leveled up repeatedly during the battles, reaching Level 15.
Meanwhile…
Poliwhirl's level didn't change at all.
Because it was already Level 26.
Even worse—
Due to the massive level gap and low friendship, Poliwhirl often ignored Red's commands during battle, acting entirely on its own.
This caused Red to repeatedly cast resentful glances at the real-world Poliwrath sitting beside him.
After resting briefly by the roadside, they prepared to move on.
At the end of the road, a smug and punchable figure appeared on the screen.
Green:
"Well, if it isn't Red. Already heading for the Pokémon League? Give me a break—you don't even have a single Badge yet!"
Green:
"Anyway, let me test how much stronger you've gotten. Don't disappoint me!"
Green struck his classic pose as the screen instantly shifted into the battle interface.
Green:
"Go! Wartortle!"
"Heh, here we go again. Let's see how I deal with—"
Red began boasting confidently, but when his eyes landed on Wartortle's level, his voice abruptly stopped.
"Wait! Your Squirtle is Level 20 already?! And it evolved?! That's not fair! I fought so many battles and my Charmander is only Level 15!"
Game Green ignored his complaints completely.
Green:
"Wartortle! Use Water Pulse!"
"Charmander! Dodge!"
Red immediately issued commands while instinctively guiding Red toward Green—attempting his classic physical subjugation strategy.
Under Red's precise control, Charmander barely dodged the Water Pulse.
But immediately afterward—
Another faster Water Gun shot toward them.
Red unleashed the full potential of The Battler.
Despite the type disadvantage and level gap, he managed to keep Charmander barely alive through precise movement and micro-control, even chipping away some of Wartortle's HP.
However—
Red wasn't so lucky.
His Justice Punch had just been thrown when Green effortlessly countered with a grappling move.
Then—
Thump!
Green delivered a solid kick to his backside.
Red stumbled several steps before crashing back beside Charmander.
Meanwhile—
Wartortle had already finished charging its attack.
Green:
"This is over! Hydro Pump!"
BOOM—
A massive column of water blasted forward, swallowing both Red and Charmander.
Charmander collapsed instantly, its eyes spinning in defeat.
"What the heck?! It even learned Hydro Pump?! And since when did Green get so good at hand-to-hand combat?!"
Red's palms were actually starting to sweat.
Beside him, Green looked at the in-game version of Red getting kicked away and struggling helplessly.
He tried desperately to suppress the grin creeping onto his face.
But the schadenfreude finally broke through.
Charmander was recalled.
Poliwhirl entered the battlefield.
Although the Pokémon didn't listen very well, its Level 26 still gave Red a bit of confidence.
But before he could even issue a command—
Green!
That guy!
Had no sense of fair play!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He released two more Pokémon at once.
Level 20 Wartortle
Level 19 Pidgeotto
Level 15 Nidoran♀
The three Pokémon formed a triangular formation, surrounding Poliwhirl in the center.
Green:
"Attack together! Don't give him a chance to breathe!"