"Wow, every time I see this one's real face, it's uglier than the last!" the Magikarp salesman sneered, pointing at the lone Feebas hiding in the corner of his tank.
The little fish, which had been trying to self-isolate, was enraged by the mockery. It shot out from its corner, pushing aside the other Magikarp, and spat a defiant jet of water directly into the salesman's face. The man wanted to teach the creature a lesson but held back when he saw the interested look in Red's eyes.
(I didn't expect to see a Feebas, native to the Hoenn region, all the way out here,) Red thought. He focused on the strange Pokémon, and the system immediately displayed its data. His eyes lit up. This Feebas possessed the Hidden Ability, Adaptability.
(Adaptability: Increases the Same-Type Attack Bonus from 1.5x to 2x.)
For any other trainer, this might have been a minor curiosity. But Red's system could overlay abilities, even those lost through evolution. This meant that when this Feebas eventually evolved into a Milotic, it could retain this incredible offensive power.
As Red analyzed its potential, the Feebas's eyes suddenly glowed with a faint blue light. It was trying to use Hypnosis on him.
Sensing the weak psychic intrusion, Red instinctively countered. The backlash of his own power shattered the fish tank, sending water and flailing Magikarp across the floor. The Feebas, its gambit having backfired spectacularly, was knocked unconscious.
"It can already use Hypnosis... a good inheritance," Red murmured with a slight smile. He now understood how the "ugly" fish had survived. It had been hypnotizing the other Magikarp and stealing their food.
"My lord..." the salesman stammered, his bravado completely gone. Witnessing Red's psychic power had terrified him. He just wanted this boy to leave. "I'm very satisfied with this Feebas," Red said, making no move to go. "Did you find anything else when you caught it?"
Knowing he was cornered, the salesman tearfully offered up a single, shimmering scale. It was the Prism Scale. Feebas had likely been drawn to the evolutionary item, which had inadvertently led to its capture.
"It seems the conditions for evolution are already met," Red said, accepting the scale. He had gotten everything he wanted.
The salesman, having handed over his goods, watched with tearful relief as Red finally departed. He had planned to sell that scale to a wealthy lady on board, but his own greed had cost him dearly.
Red used his Pokédex to teleport Beedrill to Professor Oak's lab, freeing up a slot for his new Feebas. He would build a bond with it first, then help it evolve.
He found his friends at the banquet hall, gorging themselves on the lavish spread. Ash, Leaf, and Brock were all frantically devouring food they could never afford on the road, while Pikachu, tears of joy in its eyes, devoured a bowl of top-grade electric mouse feed.
Red smiled helplessly at the scene. He picked up a sandwich and took a bite. It was surprisingly well-made.
"Red, say 'ah'~"
Leaf leaned over, playfully holding a grape up to his lips. Caught off guard, he reluctantly opened his mouth, and she popped it in. "Not bad," he admitted. The simple, fair answer made her smile with satisfaction.
Just as she was about to continue her 'conquest', the pompous Gentleman from earlier approached their table, the same beautiful woman on his arm. "Yo! Having fun?" he asked Ash.
"It's the uncle from before!" Ash replied. Though still annoyed by the draw, he wasn't one to hold a grudge.
"To be honest, your Butterfree is amazing!" the Gentleman praised.
"Because I trained it hard!" Ash said proudly.
"Excellent. That makes things easier. How about we trade?" the Gentleman said, finally stating his purpose. He wanted Ash's powerful Butterfree for his own Raticate.
Red said nothing, but the glass in his hand began to show faint signs of cracking. He had no goodwill for someone who treated Pokémon like disposable objects.
"Trade?" Ash asked, confused.
"It's common sense for trainers to exchange Pokémon!" the Gentleman laughed, seeing Ash's confusion as a sign of naivety. "By trading with friends and then trading again, our circle of friendship grows wider and deeper! This is the true spirit of a Pokémon Trainer!"
"That's utter nonsense!" Ash suddenly roared, shoving the man back. "It's because I like Pokémon that I catch them and make them my companions! My brother taught me that our Pokémon are our friends and family! Someone like you, who can trade them away so freely, will never become a Pokémon Master!"
Misty, Brock, and Leaf were stunned, having never seen Ash so furious. But they quickly stood by his side, their expressions firm with agreement.
"If becoming a Pokémon Master means giving up my companions," Ash declared, his voice ringing with conviction, "then I'd rather give up on the dream!"
His words struck a chord. Several nearby trainers, who had been planning trades of their own, lowered their heads in shame, apologizing to their Pokémon. They remembered their own original purpose: not to be stronger, but to share a journey with a friend.
"How clueless," the Gentleman sneered, trying to leave with his companion. A destructive blade of wind shot past him, cleaving the table in front of him in half and freezing him in place.
"For someone like you," Red said coldly, his azure Scyther now standing beside him, "if I don't teach you a lesson, you'll probably never learn."
"Don't be so arrogant! You two are just rookies!" the Gentleman retorted, throwing a Poké Ball. A powerful Rhydon appeared.
"This Rhydon... it's been traded frequently, hasn't it?" Red observed. The Pokémon looked out with weary, desolate eyes, showing no fighting spirit. It had been passed from trainer to trainer so many times it had lost all hope.
Scyther wasn't angry. It sympathized. (If I hadn't met Master,) it thought, a fond memory of its own journey flashing through its mind, (I might still be wandering alone.)
The Gentleman ordered his Rhydon to attack, but the Pokémon simply ignored the command, lay down, and closed its eyes. Seeing this, the Gentleman grew enraged. He made to strike his own Pokémon with his cane, but Scyther intercepted him. With a series of magnificent, precise slashes, it tore the man's expensive suit to shreds, leaving him standing in nothing but his underwear.
"Pervert!" the lady beside him shrieked before abandoning him and fleeing in disgust.
The Gentleman, now completely unhinged, tried to rush at Red, but was instantly suspended in mid-air by an invisible psychic force. Humiliated before the entire hall, his reputation was utterly destroyed.
***********
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