Six Island…

They had gone through many adventures together, but Red never imagined they would go through so many in a rather short amount of time. Their journey throughout the Sevii Islands had led them to find many things, some expected, others unexpected, but one way or another, everything had helped them somehow.

But the exception proved the rule. While they appreciated having a peaceful and quiet town to relax at after their Five Island ordeal, Red couldn't help but feel disappointed when he explored the island from end to end, and found nothing particularly remarkable.

That morning, they had been exploring some 'Altering Cave' where they could allegedly find various rare Pokémon. But, all they found were endless hordes of bloodsucking Zubat, which grew old after a couple of hours of checking it all over. And they only spent that time on the oft chance of finding the other thing they were searching for, and sadly that wasn't the case either.

With nothing else to do, Red and Yellow went back to town, and decided to chill out at a local park before returning to the Pokémon Center. While Yellow was running and playing catch with Ratty, Red was sitting in front of Hypno and Clefairy. The former was waving his pendulum in front of the latter, sending out some waves to induce a trance on him.

"Relax, relax, my little friend, and soon your troubles will come to an end."

"Fairy…"

Clefairy slowly closed his eyes while Hypno continued to recite his mantra, until he seemingly fell asleep. Then, Hypno snapped his fingers, and Clefairy woke up instantly, looking around with mild confusion, but it quickly wore off.

"So… how do you feel?"

"Fairy!" Clefairy smiled and nodded.

"He says he feels at peace. This is helping him a big deal," Hypno said.

"Good to know." Red then turned to Hypno. "And you too, thanks a lot for helping us with this."

Hypno blushed, but nodded with a clear beaming expression. The hypnotic Pokémon had proved himself a fine addition for many reasons. First, just like Red hoped he would, Clefairy had asked him to use his powers to induce thoughts to calm him down, just in case he felt an urge to go into a killing rampage again. That along with the medications the Five Island Joy had prescribed for him was helping erase the Fairy-type's erratic behavior at a good rate.

And second, considering that he'd found himself wishing he could understand his Pokémon better, Hypno could use his telepathy to relay whatever Red's Pokémon wanted to tell him. It was another step to bond with, and understand them better than before.

"Sne, sneasel, sneasel!"

At the other side, he spotted Sneasel having a sparring match with Persian. Since he joined the team, for some reason he often tried to pick fights with the female cat. The key word being tried, because more often than not he ended up on the losing end.

Like right now, when Persian had him trip over her tail, and pinned him to the ground with her paw, purring something to his ear. Sneasel groaned a response, before she let him get back up, and then he went for another round. He had been doing it for quite a while.

"Why does Sneasel want to fight Persian so often?" Red asked.

Hypno glanced at the sparring Pokémon before answering. "Giving the pretty kitty a lesson."

Red arched an eyebrow as he glanced at the Psychic-type, who simply shrugged. "Sneasel's words, not Hypno's."

The trainer glanced at the sparring Pokémon again. He was aware that Pokémon would often be attracted to each other, but he never imagined he'd hear one calling another 'pretty kitty'. Truly, the more time he spent with them, the more he learned.

"Hey Red!" Yellow came back with Ratty on her shoulder. "Let's go back and eat something, I'm starving!"

"Yeah, me too," the boy replied as he stood back up. "We might as well get ready to leave tomorrow."

"Really, Red, you're still determined to find that trap?" she asked, idly rubbing her Rattata's head.

Red didn't answer, just rolled his eyes. Admittedly, the more time passed, and despite Yellow's constant reminders, the less uneasy he felt about finding those girls' place. Maybe it had to do with the fact that exploring the islands had been quite an adventure in itself. One he'd feel almost sad to leave behind.

But, one way or another, that journey would soon come to an end, so he should make the best of it before he returned to Kanto.

"Well, we've explored the rest of the islands, and we didn't find it. It's bound to be on the last one, isn't it?" the girl asked again, regaining her usual cheery demeanor.

Red shrugged. Sometimes taking the longest road wasn't the best choice. Sure, his trip throughout the Sevii Islands had been far from a waste, but Six Island didn't give him anything unique, like useful items, new Pokémon for his team, or some lesson to learn. At most, just a needed breather after that close encounter with Team Rocket, but otherwise rather uninteresting, even boring.

Feeling his stomach rumbling, he called his Pokémon clapping twice and they all came over.

"Good job everyone. Let's call it a day, you've all earned some rest."

With those words and a collective nod, Red returned everyone to their balls barring Pikachu, who hopped onto his shoulder.

"Come on Ratty, let's race back!"

The Rattata jumped off Yellow's shoulder, and with a happy squeak he ran off, with the blonde following him closely. Red felt his lips curving upwards as he saw her: he was glad she found herself a nice Pokémon partner. Even being kidnapped by Team Rocket turned out for the best in the end, not just for her, but for him too.

With nothing else to do, they'd depart for Seven Island in the morning, after a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center.

However, as they passed by an open area, they saw an ongoing Pokémon battle. On one side, there was a teenager around the same age as Red, with short, scruffy light brown hair. He wore a sleeveless red shirt, fingerless gloves, blue pants, and a black hat turned backwards. On the other, there was a boy with glasses no older than Yellow, with blue eyes and black hair, wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants.

They were commanding a Machoke and a Pidgey respectively. Though looking closely, calling it a 'battle' was a bit of a stretch: at that point it was pretty much the bird desperately trying to escape the Fighting-type's hits.

"Machoke, Submission!" the older trainer shouted.

And then, Machoke jumped up and grabbed the bird by the wings, curling his body as he rolled back down, and painfully slamming Pidgey on the ground.

"Ouch!" Yellow said as she flinched. Red didn't react outwardly, but inside he admitted that had to hurt.

"Come on, Machoke, Low Kick!" the older boy called, and the Machoke continued to sweep the downed bird, even though it clearly wasn't in any shape to fight back.

"Stop! We can't fight anymore!" the younger kid shouted.

"I don't accept surrenders! Fight till the end like a man!"

"Pidgey!" The kid seemed on the verge of tears. "Stop, please, just stop!"

"Hey!" Yellow called out, as she and Red raced off towards the ongoing battle.

Machoke stopped kicking Pidgey, giving the kid a chance to rush and pick up his injured bird, hugging it to protect it from further harm. The older trainer then glanced at Yellow and Red.

"Didn't you hear him? You won already, knock it off!"

"What's it to you, blondie?" the guy replied. "This is a private battle."

"A battle that's already long over," said Yellow. "Are you blind or what? That Pidgey can barely move as it is!"

"Hah, if it can move, then it can fight. So I have to beat it up with everything I have!" the Machoke's trainer replied smugly.

"What?!" Yellow was left speechless.

"You heard me. We can still move, so we keep fighting." The teen crossed his arms. "It's not our fault this little kid is too weak to be a decent challenge for us. Especially when he issued the challenge in the first place."

Yellow glared at him, but as soon as the words sank in, she turned to the younger kid. "Is that true? Did you challenge him first?"

"Yeah, but… I didn't think he'd go this far," the kid said. "I tried to tell him to stop, but he didn't listen."

"Backing down from a challenge is a gesture of cowardice. I just tried to teach him that, he should be grateful. And of course, since we accepted, we had to give it our best all the way."

Suddenly, Red felt something flaring up inside him. Those words sounded all too familiar for his liking. "What did you say?"

"Are you deaf or what? Ever heard the words of that female boxer, Shinku Tajiri? Not giving your all against your opponents is an insult and disrespect for their skills and efforts."

Red felt the fire burning up his throat, dangerously close to escape. Of course he knew those words, his mother often said them and he had taken them to heart, especially after she was gone. And now, that guy was using it as an excuse to beat people up?

Before he could react, Yellow got ahead of him.

"Not giving your all? Look at what you did, just a little more and you could have killed it!"

"Well, then the little birdie needs to toughen up, so this won't happen again," the teenager replied, dismissing her words.

Red clenched his fists so hard, he could feel his nails digging into his skin. At the same time, he bit his lower lip when he felt the flames coming up, before he swallowed them back. In a way, the pain in his hands served to vent the anger, and he avoided making a scene right then and there, tempting as it was.

"This was getting boring anyway. Machoke, return." The guy then recalled his Fighting-type, and turned around to take his leave. Yellow groaned as she glared at the guy's back, but then approached the boy with the Pidgey. That was more pressing at the time.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine, but Pidgey…"

The poor bird was full of bruises everywhere, its feathers were all messy and some even coming loose, and one of its wings seemed to have been dislodged by one of the last kicks.

"We better hurry to the Pokémon Center," said Yellow as she glanced at Red, who nodded.

Before leaving though, Red chanced one last glance at the other trainer. He just bullied and made a young boy cry by injuring his Pokémon. And he was hiding behind his mother's words.

Red could feel anger welling inside of him, but before he could act on it, they had to take the boy and his Pidgey to the Pokémon Center. And so they went there, the thought of what that boy just did never leaving Red's mind.

----------------------------------------

At the Pokémon Center…

"Nurse Joy, it's an emergency!"

The nurse's attention quickly shifted to them as Yellow and the boy rushed at the main desk. Red followed along, his and Pikachu's eyes on the woman as she observed the pained Flying-type in the boy's hands, her Chansey already scurrying to bring a stretcher for it.

She quickly analyzed the Pokémon's injuries, before her attention went to boy, her stare sharp. "What's going on? What happened to this Pidgey?"

"It was Rosso." The boy gulped, pushing his glasses up as he turned away.

The woman sighed, steeling her gaze. "Of course that little jerk is back here. I should've known."

Red blinked, quite puzzled by her reaction. Far as he knew, every Nurse Joy tried to be unflinchingly polite as much as they could. His confusion lasted only until he glanced around, and realized what state the Pokémon Center was currently in.

Like Six Island itself the building wasn't particularly large as far as Pokémon Center went, which only made the ten or so stretchers stationed around the hall feel that much bigger, with anything from tiny Rattata and Yanma to some Heracross and even a Xatu. Many trainers stood near their Pokémon, mostly kids and some older people, while Nurse Joy's Chansey outdid herself to administer all the necessary cures, with the Nurse joining soon after. For some reason, Red had a clear idea of who could've been behind that.

In spite of her apparent mood, the Joy still grabbed the boy's Pidgey and placed it on a stretcher, moving to a quieter area of the Center to check its injuries and the proper treatments, leaving the boy to observe her handiwork from the distance, fidgeting in wait.

Yellow patted the boy's back with a bright smile. "It's going to be okay, don't worry. There's nothing a Nurse Joy can't heal."

"I know." He nodded, his gaze still on his Pidgey, lost in thought.

Red couldn't help but notice how oddly he was acting, but after the experience with that 'Rosso' kid, he could definitely understand why. He turned away and clenched his fist, still thinking back of their little encounter with him.

His mother didn't leave him with much, but her philosophy was one thing he'd always hold dear with him. The idea that no matter what your past, your skills, or your aptitudes, each fighter was the same when locked into a duel, be it on the ring or on a Pokémon battle, so long as they gave their best and didn't hold back anything.

It helped him be confident that being a Bloodliner didn't mean he was a freak even when things got rough for him, even when he caused everything he did. He was just different, but just as equal as others and respectful of all in a fight. It was a noble ideal, one that made him strive to do his best in each battle he took part in.

And yet that guy twisted her words into an excuse for bullying others, disrespecting others, on the pretense that going all out meant destroying them even when the match was more than over. Shinku Tajiri could've been many things in the past, but someone willing to beat down a fallen opponent wasn't one of them.

Was that how his mother's philosophy came across to others? Was that why Ash, Ultima and others seemed so hostile to his own ideals about battling? Did he sound like an entitled bully that knew no limitation? The thought made his skin crawl, and flames well up in his throat.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of the Pokémon Center's doors opening, and Red and his younger companions all turned to see an old man in his sixties, with very short black hair and wearing a turtleneck cream shirt with a brown coat on top, pacing together alongside a Fearow.

"Shige! You're here!" he said, rushing closer to their group and towards the boy.

The boy, which Red assumed was Shige, gulped and stepped back. "G-grandpa."

Red and Yellow's attentions shifted to the older man, now just a few steps from Shige with his Fearow in tow. He seemed relieved, but his gaze quickly turned stoic and almost harsh.

He folded his arms, lowering his head. "Why did you rush out of the house like that? I told you, you didn't need to do that for me."

"B-but that guy disrespected you! I needed to show that being kind and friendly to Pokémon wasn't a weakness!" Shige tried to sound defiant, but his worried and fidgety expression was doing him no favors.

The man shook his head, sighing. "Bullies like him don't care who's right or wrong. They'll cling to their beliefs no matter what."

Shige deflated at that, averting his gaze from his grandfather. He gulped and grimaced, trying to not look back at his relative.

"I'm sorry, grandpa."

The man smiled, patting his shoulder. "It's okay. I'm glad you didn't get hurt."

"I'm not, but Pidgey..."

Both grandfather and grandson shifted towards Pidgey's stretcher, where Nurse Joy and her Chansey were still busy administering the necessary medication, quickly going silent. Red and Yellow traded a glance, and they stepped closer to the man and boy.

"What's going on here?" Red asked.

The man turned back to him and Yellow, quirking an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"They're good guys," Shige said, adjusting his glasses. "They accompanied me here."

Yellow stepped closer with a smile. "I'm Yellow, and he's Red. These are our partners, Ratty and Pikachu."

Their Pokémon squeaked an affirmative, while Red opted for a nod. For his part, the man stroked his chin, checking both out before he smiled back at them.

"Is that so? Well, thank you for helping out. My name is Unsho, and I'm the grandfather of this little rebel here." He ruffled Shige's hair, managing to bring a brief chuckle from him. He quickly turned forlorn, however, as his gaze turned to the window. "Unfortunately, Six Island isn't always as peaceful as it seems."

"I saw." Red's gaze remained stern as he balled his fists. "I'd like to know more about that boy."

"You mean Rosso Ishihara, right?" Unsho exhaled, and Red could swear he saw Nurse Joy shoot a glance at them before she resumed her duties. The older man turned back to Red. "He's a local. He used to be one of the most promising rookie trainers of the town, and everyone had great expectations of him. Most of the Sevii Islands trainers are retired fellows like me, so seeing young upstarts is always a joy."

"Oh, lemmie guess, it's one of those 'he was so promising and then became a jerk' stories, right?" Yellow asked, arms behind her neck.

"Maybe, though I'm really not sure what happened to him. He used to be a kind and excitable kid, a big fan of boxing and other sports beyond Pokémon Training. I remember he loved the matches of Shinku Tajiri in particular and always took her advice as a law to abide. He was quite saddened when she passed away."

Red's body stiffened, trying his damnedest not to dig up memories of that day. Fortunately for him, Yellow was more than eager to ask questions in his stead.

"So, when did he become a jerk?"

"He was still like he used to be when he departed for his journey." Unsho shook his head, frowning as he remembered. "Then he returned some months later, and since then, he's been mostly travelling from Six Island to other regions, picking fights wherever he goes. He forces trainers to face him by goading them into battle, mocking them and then going all out against them, using way more force than he should for each match. No one's really sure why, beyond that speech about going all out he likes to give."

Yellow glanced around at the injured Pokémon surrounding them. "You mean all these Pokémon-"

"Are likely here due to a bad run-in with Rosso, yes. Six Island alone isn't dangerous enough to cause so much traffic."

The two Kantonians contemplated the various Pokémon around them. Even if they already saw that they were quite beaten up, it was only after Unsho's words that they realized just how badly they were reduced, with bruises all over their bodies and even some blood. It was nothing they could die of, but it would've still taken a long time to recover.

"That's terrible." Yellow turned back to Unsho, her gaze sharp. "Can't you arrest him or something? I'm sure that's some kind of illegal."

Unsho shrugged, clearly dejected. "He hasn't murdered any Pokémon nor has assaulted anyone beyond battles. Technically speaking, he has done nothing illegal, or worth more than a strike against his license at worst, and with his parents on their own Pokémon journeys abroad they can't really teach him a lesson."

Red could see that Yellow was just about ready to call bull on that after what they saw, but she allowed Unsho to continue telling his story. The old man turned to his Fearow, rubbing his feathers as he spoke.

"I tried to face him to get him to stop and show what Pokémon battles should be about, but my skills aren't what they used to be. He wiped the floor with me and my Fearow until I recalled him, all while telling me how strength is the only thing that matters in this world and that old fogeys preaching of friendship like me are relics of the past."

He paused, almost losing himself in thought. And then, he glanced back to his grandson. "And that's why Shige here went to challenge him. Isn't that right?"

Shige gulped, quickly turning away from Unsho as he pushed his glasses up again. "You always told me that the key to be a great trainer is to be kind and raise my Pokémon as friends. I couldn't let that guy trample all over that."

"You don't need to defend my beliefs, even if I appreciate the thought." Unsho smiled alongside his Fearow. "It takes more than one defeat to shake someone's convictions if they're solid enough."

"But he won. Every single time." His eyes fell back on the unconscious Pidgey, while Nurse Joy wrapped his wings in bandages. "Doesn't that mean he's got to be right?"

Red's fists tightened, his fingers digging into his skin while Pikachu's cheeks sparked in joint anger with him. By the looks of it, maybe there was something they still had to do in Six Island after all.

And so he squinted his eyes, turning back to Unsho. "Where is he now?"

"Usually he hangs right near the Dotted Hole, those weird ruins next to town. He thinks they're a special place or something." The man tilted his head towards the Pokémon Center's doors, only to give him an amused grin. "What? Do you plan to restore my honor too?"

Red gave everyone else his back, Pikachu shifting on his other shoulder as he started walking away. "Something like that."

He didn't stop at that until he reached the door, at which point he glanced behind him. He could see Yellow and Shige be slightly puzzled, while Unsho and his Fearow smirked at him.

"What's your surname, kid?" the old man asked.

Red gave him a smirk of his own. "Tajiri."

"Well, that explains it." The old man had a good-natured laugh, then nodded at the boy. "Good luck, then."

Red replied with a nod of his own, before he and his Pikachu walked out of the Pokémon Center and towards the Dotted Hole.

Truth be told, he didn't care that much for why Rosso decided to become a bully, even if what he did was horrible. But if he was going to hide himself behind his mother's philosophy, he had every reason to not let him be.

He had to adjust his own philosophy as he realized its flaws, but he still held true to the tenets his mother passed on to him: respecting your opponent, and always doing your best. That was the teaching Shinku Tajiri left to the world. And if that guy intended to twist it into an excuse for bullying others, then he needed to be stopped.

Red took a deep breath, and continued on his path to the town's exit.

"Hey, Red, wait!"

Red paused, turning around to see Yellow and Ratty pursue him, just as he expected they would. She panted and caught her breath once she rejoined him.

"You want to teach that Rosso guy a lesson, right?" she asked, rubbing the sweat off her face.

He nodded back. "You should know why."

"Oh, I'm gonna be there, for sure." Yellow grinned, before she pointed out behind her. "But I think I'm not the only one who wants to assist here."

The trainer blinked, until he turned the same way and found Shige shuffling to reach them, pushing his glasses up once more as he gulped and tried to face Red. He was still fidgeting, nervous and trying to avoid looking at them, but as the boy finally locked gaze with him Red could feel a faint determination radiating from the youngster.

"If you're going to face Rosso, I want to be with you." He shifted on his feet, looking tense and worried. "But please, defeat him."

Red contemplated the young boy briefly, but quickly smiled at him in acknowledgement.

"I will." Red's gaze turned sharp, turning in the direction of the Dotted Hole once more. "I'll teach him what Shinku Tajiri's words were actually about."

And with that said, Red and the others all marched to meet Rosso together.

----------------------------------------

Later…

Even if Six Island was lacking in interesting locations compared to some of the other isles of the archipelago, that didn't mean there weren't any intriguing places to find. One of them was the so-called 'Ruin Valley' found just outside the main town of the island, a large canyon where several old ruins by now reclaimed by nature broke the monotony of grass and rocks. Red briefly wondered why there wasn't any particular protection or safeguard for any of them, but quickly put those thoughts aside as he continued to walk forward with Yellow and Shige after him.

After a brief while, the group finally reached their destination: the Dotted Hole, a small cavern with several columns surrounding it on all sides. It was all very simple and far from any wonder of architecture, but it was different enough from their surroundings to make it stand out from the rest of the valley.

Red continued to pace slowly, Pikachu on the ready to fire a bolt of electricity as needed. At his side, the girl and the boy were keeping their guard up.

"So our jerk is here?" Yellow asked, while Ratty glared in every direction.

"He should be." Shige continued onward, patting one of the nearby pillars. "Whenever he's not out trying to get people to fight him, he likes to check all these pillars out."

Red and Yellow's attention gravitated towards said pillar, noticing several carvings in the shape of dots all over its surface. A quick glance made them realize the same held true for all the other pillars surrounding them.

Yellow walked closer, pressing a finger over the characters. "What's this? Some sort of secret alphabet?"

"That's Regi Script. It's common in ruins of Hoennian origin, and it was used by a blind Kalosian inventor to create the Braille alphabet." Shige smiled as he walked closer, turning towards every pillar as his smile only grew wider. "People thought this could be the resting place of one of the many Titans or even a Regigigas, but after several years of studies, they concluded the Dotted Hole was just some sort of small sanctuary with no connection to the more well-known Regi structures. By now only archeology nerds would care to study this place."

Red and Yellow continued to look after the boy in mild interest and confusion, until he stopped his explanation and blushed profusely. He gave them a sheepish grin and turned the other way. "I'm one of those nerds, sorry."

"It's cool, it's interesting stuff." Yellow walked closer to another column, trying to discern the script on it. "So, what kind of stuff is written here?"

"Oh, that's just an instruction to use 'Cut' to enter. Probably some sort of archaic seal." Shige adjusted his glasses as he checked the column, before he smiled again and pointed further ahead. "My favorite inscription is a bit closer inside. It says-"

"'Let the two glittering stones, one in red, one in blue, connect the past. Two friends sharing power open a window to a new world that glows. The next world waits for you.' Interesting..."

The familiar voice made everyone turn towards the entrance of the cavern, and only at that point did they notice the teen they were looking for, passing his uncovered fingers over a large slab of rock right next to the Dotted Hole's entrance. He seemed to be lost in thought, as if he was analyzing the meaning of what he just read.

Before Red or anyone else could wonder what he was doing, however, Rosso turned around and noticed their presence. As soon as he did, he regained the same infuriatingly cocky smile he held before, folding his arms and walking closer to them.

"Oh, look who's here," he said, sizing up and down Shige.

The boy stepped back and looked at the teen nervously. "R-Rosso."

"Why are you in these ruins now?" Yellow asked, stepping ahead of Shige and glaring at Rosso alongside Ratty.

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"None of your business." He dismissed the girl with a wave, and he grinned back at the younger boy. "What's it, four eyes? You're back for round two? I hope you've got something sturdier than that stupid Pidgey this time."

Shige gulped, sweat forming on his forehead. Yellow was quick to grab his hand and giving him a grin to help him calm down, while Red's attention moved back towards Rosso. He balled his fists again as he stared right at the teen.

"He's not your opponent." He adjusted the rim of his hat, stare fiercening. "I'm here to fight you."

Rosso took just a second to check out Red before he burst into laughter. Red's stare remained on him, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"Oh, great, now I get to fight the knight in shining armor for the knight in shining armor, hilarious!" He then shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry, I don't waste time with losers. Me and my Pokémon have standards, you know."

"Didn't look that way to me earlier."

"Acting cocky, huh." Rosso crossed his arms again, almost intrigued as he studied Red and his Pikachu. "Well, dude, I hope you're aware of who you want to face. I have no mercy for any weakling that stands in my way."

Red took a deep breath, the fire in his throat still raging. "I think we have something to talk about."

"Like what?"

The Kantonian trainer stepped forward, placing a hand over his heart as he talked. "My name is Red Tajiri. I'm the son of Shinku Tajiri."

Rosso's smile faltered as he heard that, his entire attitude dropping for a second. He checked out Red once again, pondering briefly before a sly grin made its way on his face once more.

"Really now? I heard she had a son, but never expected it to be a scrawny nobody like you." He chuckled, walking closer to him. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm here to make you stop tossing dirt on her name. You're disrespecting her memory."

"I'm just following her word to the letter. I go all out, never giving my opponent anything other than my best, and that's why I always win." Rosso shrugged again, his grin growing wider again. "What, you're so insecure you need to protect your mother and all? Man, that's pathetic."

Red didn't answer immediately, his gaze still fixated on the other teen. He had fought rivals that he felt went against his worldview, criminals that wanted him dead and many other kind of opponents ever since he became a trainer, but he couldn't remember anyone else that made his blood boil as much as Rosso did.

Even if he was just a bully from a small island, Red couldn't help but think this was one of the most important matches he would ever fight.

"I guess you won't mind battling and proving your little beliefs, then," Red said, grabbing one of his Poké Balls and enlarging it. Rosso seemed almost entertained now.

"Heh, if you insist." He grabbed a Ball of his own, tossing it up and down. "This is gonna be the closest thing I'll get to facing Shinku Tajiri herself, after all."

Both teens moved aside to a more open part of Ruin Valley, where their Pokémon could truly go all out without a problem. Once both trainers were in place, Yellow and Shige took their own position on the sidelines, observing the incoming battle with anticipation.

"Kick his butt, Red!" Yellow rose her fists in cheer, her grin brighter than usual. At her side, Pikachu and Ratty were also giving him far quieter encouragement.

Shige didn't say anything, but the serious and almost pleading stare he gave Red was enough to tell the teen how he felt. Thus, Red's attention went back to Rosso, both trainers locking gazes.

"Three on three is good enough for you?" Rosso asked, clasping his Ball of choice tightly.

Red nodded, studying Rosso's posture and the Poké Ball he held while he grabbed his own. He already asked Slowbro to use Psywave to disable Victory Sight before he arrived at Dotted Hole, but worrying about his Bloodline was something he had long since put behind him.

"Perfect, then." Rosso grinned, pointing the Ball at Red. "Don't cry after I crush you!"

And with that, Red and Rosso tossed their Poké Balls at once. They popped open, revealing Lapras on Red's side, and an Electabuzz on Rosso's. The latter couldn't help but give a smug smirk at his seeming lucky strike.

If he had Victory Sight active right now, Red was certain that it would have rolled him a bad number. Not only for the type disadvantage, but also because Lapras was a recent capture.

On the other hand, winning with a type disadvantage would only make the victory more satisfactory in the end.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!"

"Lapras, Smart Strike to the ground!"

The match officially started with Electabuzz launching his electric blast. With a single glance Red could tell it was a pretty powerful one. Lapras in turn, coated his horn in a white metal glow, and then stabbed it to the ground, right before the Thunderbolt hit him.

Electabuzz kept the Thunderbolt going way longer than average, as if trying to beat him with that single attack. However, he finally had to cease after about five seconds, giving Lapras the chance to raise his head once more, and much to the surprise of both Rosso and Electabuzz, he was none the worse for wear.

"What?! How come the Thunderbolt didn't do a thing?!" he asked.

"Beginner's luck?" Yellow replied mocking him. Shige for his part tried to clean his glasses as if trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Red however knew that wasn't the case. During the past few days, he had saved some videos of his battles in the Battle Dome and Fuchsia Tournaments, hoping to learn from his past mistakes, as well as checking out some of his opponents' tactics that he could adopt for himself. In his match with Misty, he made a note of how she used her Gyarados' Iron Tail to nullify electric damage, and he wondered if other Steel-type moves could work as a defense in a similar fashion.

And he was proven right: his opponent had just wasted a powerful Thunderbolt while Lapras was unharmed and ready to counterattack. "Now, Ice Beam!"

"Thunderbolt again!" Rosso countered.

Both elemental blasts collided against one another in midair, concentrating into a yin-yang-like sphere with their respective colors until it exploded, sending out ice shards and electric sparks all over the field, but otherwise causing no harm to either Lapras or Electabuzz.

"Heh, looks like you're not as much of wimp as I thought," Rosso said. While his tone was still mocking, Red caught there was the slightest amount of respect mixed in it. "This is gonna be fun. Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

Now going for a physical attack, Electabuzz flexed his right arm as he charged it with electricity, and rushed in to deliver the punch. Red was about to take a gamble from something he hadn't tried yet, but it was worth a shot.

"Again, defend with Smart Strike!"

Lapras' horn extended once more with the metallic glow. He then lowered his head to stab it to the ground as he tried to hold firm in place at the incoming attack. Electabuzz punched Lapras hard in his body, knocking the air out of him and actually hurting him. As soon as Lapras raised his head in pain, Electabuzz delivered a right hook, knocking him backwards a couple of feet.

'So it only works with ranged attacks,' Red thought. He made a note to keep that in mind for the next time.

"Keep it up Electabuzz, now let's give them a double Thunder Punch dose!"

"Electabuzz!" The Electric-type flexed his other arm and charged more electricity in it. Now with both arms fully charged, he was ready to deliver a good round of punches.

"Water Gun!"

Lapras opened his mouth to fire a water stream at the incoming Electabuzz. The attack hit him right in the face before splashing water droplets all over the field, and actually made the Electric-type step back a little, though after shaking the water off of his fur, he resumed his run to punch Lapras with his electric fists.

"Ice Beam, aim for the legs!" Red countered.

Lapras fired another Ice Beam, aiming low to hit Electabuzz's feet. He managed to freeze the right leg and caused him to trip over and fall face down on the ground. The energy for the Thunder Punches dissipated into nothing, wasting the attack as he tried to get back up.

"Smart Strike, attack!"

With a loud cry, Lapras coated his horn with metallic energy and charged forward, hitting Electabuzz's belly and knocking the air out of him. The Electric-type took a few seconds to catch his breath again before getting back on his feet.

"What the heck was that? We can't lose to a Water-type, come on!" Rosso shouted.

"Maybe you're not as strong as you think?" Yellow replied in a mocking tone, causing the trainer to glare at her with his teeth bared.

"Electabuzz, use Low Kick to break the ice!" Rosso called. "Then go kick that Lapras' ass!"

"Buzz!"

Electabuzz raised his foot and stomped on the ground twice to free his leg, and then ran towards Lapras once more. Apparently, since the punches hadn't worked that well (though they worked better than the Thunderbolt), now he would be trying to give kicks. Maybe he could get his feet tangled before he could do that.

"Create a path with Ice Beam, and dodge!"

Like he had seen him doing so in Team Rocket's hideout, Lapras fired a freezing ray to the ground. He jumped on the icy path he created, sliding around Electabuzz just as he came to deliver his kick. It worked nicely as a way to make up for his lack of natural mobility on land.

And not only that, but when Electabuzz tried to turn around after missing the attack, he accidentally stepped on the ice, slipping and falling on his rear. Red could hear Yellow and Shige snickering at the scene, while Rosso's face clearly became annoyed, though he managed to keep focused on the battle somehow.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!"

Electabuzz got back on his feet and charged up electricity for another long-ranged blast, but Lapras just slid in the opposite direction to dodge. The best part, Red didn't even have to tell him to do it: he had done it on his own accord. Maybe they could keep it that way for a bit.

"Keep using Ice Beam to slide around!"

Lapras nodded, and continued to fire Ice Beams to extend his path, while Electabuzz kept shooting Thunderbolts all over and missing. No matter how strong the attacks were, they wouldn't do any good if they didn't hit.

"I'm getting sick of this," Rosso said as he clenched his fists, and then pointed to the icy path. "Iron Tail over there, quick!"

Electabuzz's tail glowed with metallic white energy, and he rushed towards Lapras' ice trail, delivering a strike on it. That way, when Lapras tried to slide in that direction, he tripped over and stopped, giving Rosso the opening to deliver a Thunderbolt. Red barely managed to call for a Smart Strike to deflect it, if only partially.

Once the attack ceased, Red took a quick glance at the situation. Lapras had managed to endure quite well, while Electabuzz was clearly running out of stamina after using so many high-powered attacks. Rosso's strategy was using his Pokémon's sheer strength to overpower his opponents. While legitimately strong, if that was all that there was to it, he had a very glaring and easily exploitable flaw.

"Let's end this now, Thunder Punch!" Rosso called.

"Water Gun and then Ice Beam!" Red countered.

While Electabuzz's fists crackled with electricity, Lapras fired his water stream trying to push him back and put as much distance between them as possible. He then shot the freezing ray before the Electric-type could shake the water off his fur, which made it easier for him to encase him in ice.

"What the-"

"Body Slam!"

At Red's command, Lapras leapt high in the air to fall on top of the frozen Electabuzz. Rosso was too shocked to do anything as Electabuzz tried to struggle out of the block, but it was futile as Lapras squashed him under his weight, shattering the ice in the process.

"Electabuzz, get that thing off you!" Rosso shouted once he regained his voice.

Electabuzz tried to move his hands to push Lapras away, but ultimately his strength failed him. The Water/Ice-type removed himself from his foe, who clearly wasn't in any condition to move, let alone fight anymore.

"Yeah! Way to go, Red!" Yellow cheered.

"Wow," Shige added. "He's really strong."

Lapras looked at Red, and gave a happy cry that somehow the trainer felt like it was a "Did I do well?" Red only replied with a slight smirk and a thumbs-up, nodding in acknowledgement.

Rosso for his part recalled his fallen Electabuzz, sparing a glance to his Poké Ball afterwards. He put it aside and seemed to frown, muttering something Red didn't catch, before he looked at him again as he grabbed a Park Ball. "Not bad, I'm starting to believe you might actually be Shinku Tajiri's son. But I haven't lost a battle in my turf, and I'm not planning to do it now, let alone to a foreigner. Go, Scyther!"

"Scyther!" The Bug-type crossed his bladed arms in front of his body, taking a defiant posture.

Red took a quick look to Rosso's second Pokémon, and then at Lapras. While he could easily continue with him, he felt that handling it with another Pokémon would be the better choice. He wanted to beat Rosso, but not that badly.

"Lapras, well done, return for now," he said, as he switched Poké Balls.

Before throwing the second one, though, he stopped to think for a bit. Just like he expected, the fact he had actually beaten Rosso's Pokémon even with a type disadvantage felt quite cathartic. Sure, Lapras didn't come out clean, but managed to endure supereffective blasts that would have otherwise knocked him out quickly. The anti-electric defenses, while far from perfect, certainly had been useful, as well as the rest of his natural abilities.

He remembered that his mother trained using weights on the wrists and ankles to build up better strength, and that allowed her to pack a better punch and move faster in real matches. In a way, fighting without his Victory Sight was similar to that; while he still wasn't used to fight with a handicap, he could see some things clearer than when he used it for just about everything.

Namely, he could understand how his opponent fought after one bout, and found a weakness that ultimately led him to victory.

"Well, are you gonna choose your next Pokémon or what?" Rosso demanded.

"What's the hurry?" Yellow called. "He's just thinking of the better way to kick your butt all the way to next Sunday, right, Red?"

Red allowed himself to smirk. Those wouldn't have been his words of choice, but in a way, she was right. Maybe that was the best way to deliver the lesson. Even if type advantages were an important factor in battle, they didn't seal a match by themselves. And being able to overcome them was a proof of real skill, wasn't it?

"Go, Hypno!"

Red quickly caught on that Rosso arched an eyebrow at his choice. "What's that? Are you choosing deliberately to fight with a type disadvantage? Don't make me laugh."

"Call it a self-imposed challenge," Red said. "And I trust Hypno's abilities."

The Psychic-type turned towards him, mildly confused by his statement. His look swiftly changed to determination, and he clenched a fist before giving a telepathic response. "Hypno will do his best. And we'll surely overcome this test."

"You're gonna regret this." Rosso punched forward. "Scyther, use Swords Dance and X-Scissor!"

Scyther waved his bladed arms around, while several blades appeared and circled around to power him up. Then, he crossed the blades in front of his face, and charged forward as they turned blue. Red however, had already planned his first move regardless of the attack Rosso planned to use.

"Use Psychic, then jump aside!"

Hypno's eyes glowed blue, and then he pushed forward at the incoming Scyther with a psychic wave. Unlike the usual Psychic attack to restrict the opponent, that had been a more focused burst, perhaps akin to a Vacuum Wave to deliver a quick but strong push. The attack itself didn't do too much damage, but it threw Scyther off-course for a second, enough for Hypno to avoid the hit, and leaving him wide open for a counterattack.

"Hypnosis!"

Hypno started swinging his pendulum as he sent out the hypnotic waves and recited his mantra. However, the slow start of the attack quickly clued Rosso in to what they were up to.

"Oh, no you don't! Scyther, Double Team!"

"Scyther!" The mantis Pokémon quickly vanished in a blur, leaving a clone behind to take the Hypnosis.

Then another appeared, and another, and another. Red stopped counting when they reached ten and started circling around Hypno, with the clear intent to confuse him so he didn't find the real one.

"Air Slash!" Rosso called.

The Scyther clones all moved at once raising the right arm, and then slashed downwards, sending each out a blue, crescent-shaped wind blade towards Hypno. Unable to tell the real one from the fakes, neither Hypno nor Red were able to react in time when the blade struck, making the Psychic-type's eyes widen in shock and pain.

"Hah, how'd you like that?" Rosso smiled with satisfaction.

"Boo, you just got lucky with that one, you jerk!" Yellow cried out.

Rosso glared at her again, and then at Red. "Care to tell that little brat to keep her trap shut? She's kinda annoying."

"Sorry, that's not in my power to do," Red replied. Looking back now, he himself used to think the same when they started traveling together, but he had gotten used to it.

Focusing back on the battlefield, Red saw that Hypno wasn't that hurt from the attack and quickly got back on his feet, more than ready to continue. Furthermore, a quick glance to the ground he could see where the attack came from. Double Team worked nicely as a distraction move, yes, but the clones were still illusions, and only the real one could deliver real attacks.

Hypno's move arsenal was still limited, and barring the use of Psychic it mostly relied on Hypnosis to put the opponent to sleep. Red was still working on trying to teach him Teleport to break it, but for the time being, he had managed to teach him to use Psychic in a myriad of ways to make up for it. One could be surprised how much a single move could do if used in different ways, and not just with the opponent.

"X-Scissor!"

"Dodge with Psychic!"

When Scyther charged again with his blue-coated blades, Hypno placed both hands to his sides, and then his eyes glowed blue. He then sent a Psychic burst, similar to the one he used to throw Scyther off-course before, but to the ground to propel himself into the air, causing the mantis to overshoot him and miss once more.

"Huh? I had no idea a Hypno could do that," Shige commented, adjusting his glasses in awe.

"Is there a rule saying that it can't?" Yellow replied. "Way to go, Hypno, Red, show them who's the boss here!"

Scyther turned around and faced his opponent once more. Rosso, in the meantime, seemed rather miffed that Red and Hypno still had control of the battle, despite not having landed a single solid blow so far. He could tell he was losing his patience.

"Neat trick, but you won't beat us if you don't hit us. Scyther, double Air Slash!"

"Hypno, Psychic, forward thrust!"

Scyther raised both arms, and sent out two blue blades at Hypno. The Psychic-type once again delivered a double palm strike forward, sending out a psychic burst to collide with his foe's attack. The blades clashed against the psychic wall and exploded into smaller ones that ended up hitting at both of Hypno's sides, without damaging him.

"Get up close, Scyther, X-Scissor at full power!" Rosso shouted, his fists clenched so tightly that his fingers were starting to turn red.

Before Scyther attacked again, Hypno gave Red a knowing glance. The trainer quickly understood what he meant, even if he didn't use his telepathy to relay the message. He had thought of something and wanted to try it.

Red had no idea what it was, but he decided to trust his judgment, and his response amounted to three words. "Go for it."

As soon as Scyther charged forward, Hypno focused his Psychic energy, but held it back, waiting for the right time. Said time would be when Scyther was almost within striking range, and Hypno unleashed the mental energy burst with a single palm thrust.

"Hyp… NO!"

At point-blank range and right to the face, the force was too strong and the Bug-type was knocked back, spinning around a good few feet before landing again on his rear. Rosso's face lost all color in the shock.

"How the hell did that Hypno do that?! And without commands?!"

"He had an idea, and I let him try it," Red replied as he crossed his arms. "And it paid off. Now, use Hypnosis!"

Scyther however was too busy shaking his head in a daze, and found himself helpless when Hypno came over to him. The Psychic-type once more waved his pendulum in front of him, only this time he couldn't react before the sleeping waves did their job.

"Now now, sleep beckons you. And with it, defeat comes too."

While Red still hadn't gotten used to Hypno's improvised rhymes, he had to admit that last one was quite fitting. Sure enough, Scyther's eyelids fell down, his wings flopped down, and his bladed arms spread out on the floor.

"Haha, he's just been sent to dreamland!" Yellow cheered.

"Awesome," Shige added with a smile. "I had no idea Psychic could be used that way. And against a Bug-type, no less!"

"Shut up, you pipsqueaks!" Rosso yelled. Shige flinched a little, but Yellow replied pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue. Irritated, the Six Island trainer focused back on the battlefield. "Scyther, you have to wake up! We can't be defeated like this!"

Unfortunately, Scyther didn't hear his voice, and Red and Hypno were more than ready to continue what they started. "Dream Eater."

Hypno outstretched a hand, and projected a shadowy copy of himself on Scyther, who quickly began sucking out a red stream energy out of the sleeping Scyther to redirect it back to the original Hypno. Neither Rosso's increasingly loud and angry yelling, nor Yellow's cheering seemed to wake the Bug-type up from his sleep to disrupt the attack, and slowly but surely, Hypno continued to suck the life force out of his opponent and take it for himself.

"Enough. Wake-Up Slap," Red called.

The Hypno shadow vanished, along with the red energy stream connecting both Pokémon. Hypno used one hand to grab Scyther by the collar, and with the other, he delivered a hard slap. And then another, and another, and another, before finishing with a particularly hard one that sent the mantis flying. He then woke up and rose back up, with a puffed-up face, ready to glare at his opponent, but after getting his energy sucked out in his sleep, he could barely stand.

"We can't lose, not this way!" Rosso yelled. "Air Slash with everything you've got!"

Trying to gather up any remains of energy he still had, Scyther prepared one last Air Slash. The blade that came out was notably bigger but slower, and it gave Red the perfect way to end the second round.

"Psychic, redirect," Red called as he pointed forward.

Hypno nodded and sent out another mental wave. Unlike the one he used to stop the attack dry before, this one was concentrated in a way that created a vacuum channel for it to continue moving, circle around Hypno, and then sent it back at Scyther.

The Bug-type and his trainer couldn't do anything but stare in horror as their own wind blade came back at them, hitting the weakened Scyther in the chest for massive damage before exploding in a small whirlwind, and then made him fall face first on the ground, defeated.

"Hypno did it! Hypno won!"

"Haha, that's the stuff, Red! Two down, only one more to go!" Yellow cheered.

"Incredible," Shige said, with a clearly more excited voice. "He really defeated two of Rosso's Pokémon without breaking a sweat!"

Rosso recalled his fallen Scyther, and Red could see his hand shook before he pocketed the Park Ball. He looked at him again, looking far less sure of himself for a moment. "I can't believe it. That Scyther earned me a victory in the last Bug-type tournament I fought, and now he lost to a Psychic-type, of all things?"

"What's wrong?" Yellow said. "Is that the best you can do? You can still give up gracefully if you don't wanna lose badly."

"Shut up!" Rosso yelled, and then focused back on Red, struggling to keep his cool as he grabbed his last Ball. "It doesn't matter. You're not the only one who can overcome type disadvantages. You won't stand a chance against my strongest Pokémon. Go, Machoke!"

Red took a glance at Rosso's final choice. The same Machoke from before. At first glance, he could tell was a pretty strong one, with muscles comparable to those of a Machamp. One opponent that in normal circumstances, Hypno would probably be able to defeat, following the mind over muscle law.

However, the current circumstances weren't normal, and he had another Pokémon better suited to take on that particular foe. With that in mind, he recalled the Psychic-type, and without sparing a word, threw his third chosen Pokémon.

"Sneasel!" Who announced himself clanking his claws together and delivering a 'Bring it' gesture at Machoke.

Rosso's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists. His face was starting to turn red in pure anger. "Is this some kind of sick joke?! Are you trying to make fun of me?!"

"Of course not," Red replied. "I'm just trying to make a point clear. You said you always give your all against your opponents. If what you've done so far is the best you can do, I'm disappointed."

"Why you-"

"Like I told you before," Red interrupted him, "you're disrespecting my mother's memory. That's why this is a battle I can't afford to lose."

"Yeah, you tell him, Red!" Yellow cheered.

Even without Victory Sight, he could see the path clearer than ever. No matter how strong Rosso's Machoke could be, he trusted, no, he could feel Sneasel would beat him. And even if he couldn't, he would certainly make sure that Hypno and Lapras finished the job for him. The final round had begun.

"Focus Energy!" Rosso yelled, almost at the top of his lungs. In response, Machoke took a deep breath and a blue aura coated him as he clenched his fists. "Now, Bullet Punch!"

"Agility," Red countered in a calm and stoic tone.

Machoke's fists glowed red with power, and he charged in to deliver a fast punch at Sneasel. However, the Dark/Ice-type vanished in a blur, reappearing behind Machoke, who turned around and tried again, only to have the same result. Sneasel kept vanishing and returning in several blurs of speed, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

"Hold still!" Rosso yelled again, while Machoke tried and failed to land a punch on his foe.

Machoke tried to increase his punching speed, to the point his arms and hands became blurry and the punches too fast to count, but not even one managed to even graze on Sneasel, who just sidestepped, ducked or jumped to avoid them, all the while making faces towards his foe to taunt him.

"Icy Wind!" Red called.

"Sneasel!" After dodging the final punch, Sneasel used Machoke's outstretched arm as a spring, and blew the cold breath right to his face. A frosty layer quickly coated his mouth and eyes, forcing him to shut them, and while he was distracted trying to wipe the ice off his face, Sneasel landed behind him.

"Metal Claw!"

Sneasel's claws glowed brightly and sharpened before he charged to slash Machoke in the back. The Fighting-type staggered forward but managed to remain standing, and turned around trying to catch his foe, only for him to sidestep to the right and repeat the process, and then again from the left. Rosso's weakness became even more glaring: All that muscle and power was rendered useless in the face of an opponent too fast to hit, and Sneasel was definitely one of Red's fastest Pokémon, even for his most recent captures.

"He's coming from behind, use Low Kick!" he yelled.

"Feint Attack!"

Still blinded by the ice, Machoke tried to crouch and deliver a kick, but Sneasel jumped and stepped on his head before swiping on the back of his neck. At that point, though, he finally managed to wipe the ice enough to open his eyes and see again.

"Get a hold of that Sneasel, and use Submission!" Rosso cried out, increasingly angry.

"Keep using Feint Attack wherever you can!" Red countered.

Machoke opened his arms wide and tried to catch Sneasel in a bear hug. Sneasel quickly ducked and sidestepped the blow, taking a swipe to Machoke's side. Machoke turned around and tried to catch him again, only for the Dark/Ice-type to sidestep again and stab him in the foot.

A rather sensitive area, even for a muscular, super strong Fighting-type Pokémon, to get stabbed with a sharp claw in.

"MAAAAAAAAAA!" Machoke yelled out, holding his pained foot as he jumped on the other, until he accidentally stepped on Lapras' ice trail, and ended up slipping and falling on his rear, causing both Yellow and Shige to burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha! Look at that, isn't it ridiculous?" Yellow asked, pointing at the Fighting-type.

"I can't believe he beat us before," Shige replied, holding his stomach. "You sure that's the same Machoke?"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Rosso yelled, raising his voice with each word. "Machoke, rip a piece of that ice and crush that Sneasel!"

Angered, Machoke grabbed a piece of the ice trail with both hands, and ripped it out of the ground, raising it above his head. The younger kids stopped laughing at the reminder of why Machoke was classified as the Superpower Pokémon, and then saw how he threw the ice block at Sneasel.

"More, more! Crush him!" Rosso yelled.

Machoke followed suit and ripped another ice shard, even bigger than the first, and threw it at Sneasel once more. He then threw another, even bigger, which he almost didn't dodge. Red saw that Sneasel actually looked worried for a moment, though he quickly regained his cocky smile as he beckoned Machoke to continue the game.

As much as Sneasel was enjoying it (and admittedly, he himself was doing it too), Red knew he had to end the battle as fast as possible. And he knew exactly how to do it.

"Sneasel, use Metal Claw. Aim for the knees, elbows and shoulders."

"Sne!" Sneasel's claws once more became coated in metal energy, and after clanking them a couple of times, he rushed towards Machoke, right after he finished throwing another ice block at him.

After that, the black weasel rushed in and vanished in the blink of an eye, only to reappear to the right of Machoke, hitting him on the right knee joint. The Fighting-type groaned in pain, before Sneasel flash-stepped to the other side to repeat the process with the left knee. Machoke tried to outstretch an arm to hit Sneasel, only to get a chop on the shoulder for his trouble, and then another to the elbow. The other arm quickly fell to the same fate, in reverse order, and the once proudly standing Machoke was now on his knees, unable to lift his arms.

"No way…" Rosso's jaw almost fell to the ground, his voice almost lost in the shock.

Those hits wouldn't leave permanent damage, but he wouldn't be able to move his limbs without feeling pain for at least a half an hour. More than enough to end the round, and the match. Sneasel looked at Red one last time, while Red's response was simply a nod. Sharpening his claws, he readied himself for the last strike before taking a running start.

"Snea… SEL!"

One second, and one silver flash later, he landed behind Machoke, who remained motionless for an instant, seemingly unaffected… until he finally fell flat on his face, his arms sprawling over the ground. Sneasel turned around and placing his hands on his hips, he gave a nod of satisfaction. The match was finally over.

For his part, Rosso fell on his knees, eyes wide, with no words to say as he stared at his defeated Machoke. He then bared his teeth, fire in his eyes as he started punching the ground.

"No! No! No! This battle is wrong! Everything is!" he yelled, punching the ground enough to disturb the grass, letting all his rage and frustrations flow out, until he devolved into screaming 'No' over and over as he continued to hit the dirt.

Red spared him less than a glance more before his attention went back to the two kids watching on the sidelines.

"Yes! Good job, Red!" Yellow threw her arms up, while Ratty and Pikachu cheered him on in tandem.

"Incredible..." Shige adjusted his glasses once more, a far happier smile than ever before over his face. "He really managed to defeat Rosso, and so easily..."

Red's lips turned upward ever-so-slightly, before he turned back to Sneasel and gave him an approving nods as he recalled him. With the match officially over, his attention went on Rosso once more. He continued to yell for a good half a minute, each fist and 'No' progressively growing quieter until he finally fell silent, staring at his unconscious last Pokémon and breathing heavily. Now that his opponent was calmer, Red clenched his fists and walked closer to him.

He expected the teen to lash out at him and snarl how he didn't deserve to win, try to attack him, or something equally childish by the way he just acted. Instead, Rosso continued to keep his eyes down, as if he was thinking of what happened. Red crooked an eyebrow, wondering if he went too far in giving him his lesson.

And then Rosso threw his head down, staring at his hands.

"I don't get it, we always did our best, and that we became the strongest we could be..." He grabbed his head, frowning. "Why did we fail again?"

Red tilted his head. "Again?"

Rosso didn't say anything, simply looking up to meet Red's gaze. The Kantonian boy assumed he had a story to tell, and in his desire to understand he nodded. Rosso perked his head back to his Machoke, balled his fists, and spoke.

"When me and Machop set out from Six Island, we were always called rising stars. Everyone said I was a promising future trainer, and all that stuff you feed to kids to make them important. We were the strongest rookies around here, after all." He held a bitter smile, one that immediately turned to a sour scowl. "But the world isn't so kind to rookies. And so we lost, and lost, and lost again. It got so bad that I thought I would never be good enough.

"But me and Machop clung to the words of Shinku Tajiri, how she always won by going all out on her opponents, and then improved. We rose back up and trained more than anyone else, until we finally managed to win. It was exhilarating, but it wasn't enough. We were the pride of Six Island, and we needed to live up to that."

Red noticed how Rosso's body language shifted, how he gulped and looked away as he continued to talk. Was he regretting his actions, or just thinking of how weak he used to be? It was hard to tell.

"And so we grew stronger, caught more strong Pokémon, and we continued to destroy anyone on our path." His stare fiercened, but it held no real strength. "But we needed to be even stronger and we couldn't afford to lose, and Six Island is full of weaklings... and so..."

"You used them as your punching bags because you were too insecure," Yellow chimed in from the side, walking closer alongside the Pokémon and Shige.

"No! That's not it! I'm strong!" Rosso snarled, his glare trained on Yellow. "The only way to respect the opponent is going all out! I'm right! I have to be!"

"No, you aren't."

Rosso paled, and his attention moved back to Red. His rage remained unbridled, standing up again and jabbing at him. "You're one to talk! You're her son! You know her philosophy better than anyone else!"

"And that's why I know you're wrong." Red's stare grew ever-so-fiercer. "Do you think Shinku Tajiri never lost?"

Rosso tried to snap at him, only to stop halfway through. He stammered on his words, before he turned away once more. "I..."

"She did, several times." Red adjusted the rim of his hat, still looking at Rosso. "And that never meant she was lesser than her opponents. I rarely lost as a trainer, but the few losses I got taught me more than all of my victories."

He paused after saying that, his mind going back to everything that happened in the previous months, to events like his match against Ash Ketchum in the Battle Dome Tournament, his battle against Ultima in Two Island, and even the misadventure in Berry Forest back in Three Island.

All personal defeats, be they moral or factual, that pointed out flaws in who he was and what he had to do to improve himself and where he was going wrong, one way or another. If he had only won or succeeded at all of these ordeals, he would've never learned anything and remain exactly how he used to be.

Rosso, however, turned his head away in a scowl. "You can't understand then. You don't know how it is to be trashed every match."

"Well, maybe you should stop whining and using your pity story as an excuse." Yellow shrugged, rolling her eyes at the teen. "Wins, losses, what does it matter? Trainers like you are such primadonnas, and it sure doesn't justify beating every Pokémon you fight to a pulp."

Rosso's glare fiercened again. "You...!"

"She's right." Red stepped closer, still staring at Rosso. "Why was it so important for you to win?"

The teen from Six Island paused again, locking gazes with his previous opponent once more. Red wasn't the best people's person, but he could clearly see the uncertainty and confusion dancing in Rosso's eyes, especially when he averted his gaze yet again, observing his unconscious Pokémon.

"I..." He exhaled, eyes on the ground. "We needed to prove our worth."

Red's stare grew even fiercer. "You didn't. You just ended up being a bully."

Rosso didn't snap this time, seemingly thoughtful. Red studied him, a part of his mind wondering if the teen was finally understanding or he needed to be clearer.

Thinking that, he stepped closer until he was inches from Rosso. "Let me tell you something else, there's another lesson my mother shared with me. About overcoming obstacles, challenges, and adversity. She refused to go down until the last breath, and no matter how many times she fell, she would always rise back to the challenge. I used to be like you in some aspects, thinking I had to win at all costs, but that was a long time ago."

Red then placed a hand over his heart. "This battle was a challenge I needed to overcome, for her memory, and for myself."

His throat felt almost ablaze with how much talking he had done in such a little amount of time, but Red knew it was all things that needed to be said. Thus he continued to observe Rosso, the teen turning away from him again and back to Shige, whom seemed surprised and just a bit worried about it. Rosso took a deep breath, and quickly recalled Machoke back.

"Tell to your old man that I hope his Fearow is alright." He placed the Ball aside, and he swallowed. "And your Pidgey, too."

And without a further word, Rosso walked deeper into Ruin Valley, away from Red and the others. No one dared to say anything until he left their view, with Shige just blinking and pushing up his glasses.

With Rosso gone, Yellow put her arms behind her neck and turned back to Red. "Do you think he understood what he did wrong?"

"No idea. But he probably won't cause trouble anymore." Red allowed Pikachu to climb back on his shoulder, and then turned back to Shige. "Let's go back to town."

The younger boy nodded, and without further ado, the group headed back the way they came.

----------------------------------------

Back at the town…

"And so, Red kicked his butt five ways to Sunday! You should've seen it, he didn't even lose a Pokémon!"

Shige continued to explain how the battle went with far more zeal and happiness than he showed until then, his patched up and recovering Pidgey on his shoulder. All the while, Unsho chuckled from his seat at the Pokémon Center's table, right across of Red and Yellow as they ate together.

"Heh heh, it must've been great." The old man turned to the foreigners, nodding at them. "Thank you for helping us. I'm sure Six Island will be a pleasant place once again now."

Red nodded back, sipping some orange juice. "I'm sure it will be."

"You've got a wonderful island, even if it's not very exciting," Yellow said as she munched on some cookies, sharing a few with Ratty. "A shame we're gonna leave tomorrow."

Shige deflated just a bit as he heard that, facing the two again. "You really can't stay more?"

"Red and I have some snooping around to do through this whole archipelago. We only have Seven Island left to check, so..."

Shige remained silent as Yellow went back to eat some more, but quickly perked his head up, nodding at the two.

"I see." The boy grinned, pumping his fists and turning towards Red. "Once me and Pidgey grow stronger, we'd love to fight against you, if you'd like. We want to be just as strong as you now."

Red stopped drinking his juice, crooking an eyebrow. Yellow just chuckled out, leaving the cookies for Ratty.

"He's an inspiration, isn't he?" she asked, grinning back at her new friend.

Shige beamed back at her. "He sure is! Pidgey and I have to fight a lot more battles! And no matter if we win or lose, we'll always be the best!"

Pidgey punctuated that with a battle cry, with Shige's smirk only growing wider. Both Red and Yellow gave him approving glances in response.

Unsho gave a good-natured laugh, patting his grandson's back. "That's the spirit a real trainer should have."

Red managed a brief smile at that. His eyes then went to the window, and for just a second, he thought to see Rosso in the distance, staring back at him before rushing back. Whether it was real or just his imagination, he sure hoped the teen understood his lesson.

For his part, he definitely did. He wondered if, perhaps, he would've ended up like him if he didn't have any incentive to grow, becoming exactly the kind of person Ultima and Ash Ketchum saw him as, but he knew now that it wasn't the case. Whatever it would happen, he would never fall on Rosso's level, for his own sake and his mother's.

He frowned as he thought back of Ash Ketchum, but much less than he expected to. After everything that had happened in the Sevii Islands, he could definitely see why he reacted with such a hostility towards his personal philosophy, even if he still didn't understand his utter refusal to even tap into his Bloodline or why he didn't understand his position on their little debate.

Maybe the next time they would meet, they would actually be able to discuss their stances with more calm, perhaps at the Indigo League. That was something to look forward to.

But that was still in the future. And right now, there was probably something else he could've done. As an idea made its way into his mind, he turned back to Yellow. "Since we will depart next morning, I think Ratty can use some training."

Yellow blinked, until she caught on. "You mean-"

"I might be too strong for him, but I'm sure you and Ratty will do well in my place."

Yellow could barely hide her excitement as she grinned, with her Rattata sharing the same sentiment. Shige tilted his head, but a quick glance from both Red and Yellow was enough to dispel any doubts. The boy and his Pidgey beamed back at the two.

"So, what do you say?" Red asked, observing Shige.

"Alright, then!" Shige jumped on his feet, fists pumped, only to quickly try to recompose himself as he turned back towards Red. "If I can ask... do you have any tips? I'd love any."

A smile formed once more on Red's lips. "Just do your best in every match, and never hold back. That's all that matters."

Shige nodded at that, and he and Yellow quickly walked out of the table and out of the Pokémon Center, both ready to train and go all out to improve, with Unsho and Red quickly following after them.

And all the while, Red felt much lighter and happier than he had been in ages.