"That boy... his eyes are sharp as a knife!" Professor Oak couldn't help but laugh as he watched the ring of fire take shape. His tone was a mix of helplessness and admiration.
"I got lazy and didn't clear the weeds a few days ago, and he turned them into a tactical asset. However, this isn't a specialized Grass-type field; those wild weeds will only burn for a minute at most."
"One minute is plenty," Hora agreed, his eyes never leaving the battlefield. "And Squirtle is a Water-type. It could extinguish the fire whenever it wants. Red is likely using this minute to force Squirtle into a choice: either stop to put out the fire—exposing a gap in its defense—or continue spinning and drain its stamina."
Professor Oak gave Hora a deep, knowing look but shook his head slightly. "Your logic holds, but Red's intentions are likely deeper than that."
Seeing Hora's confused expression, Oak didn't explain further. He simply tilted his chin toward the field. "Just keep watching. The result is coming."
Hora looked back. The ring of fire had firmly trapped Squirtle in the center. The high-speed rotation of the tiny turtle was visibly slowing down, like a top losing its momentum.
Is it going to use Water Gun now? Just as the thought crossed Hora's mind, Squirtle stopped spinning entirely. Its shell hit the ground with a heavy thud. After a long moment, it slowly poked its head out—its eyes were half-closed, its head swaying dizzily. It had fainted.
"Squirtle is unable to battle! Red wins!" Professor Oak raised his hand to announce the result.
He then raised his voice, as if answering Hora's unspoken question for everyone to hear: "When Squirtle uses Rapid Spin, its physical exertion is immense, and its oxygen intake is far lower than usual."
"By burning the weeds, Red did two things: first, the fire consumed the surrounding oxygen. Second, the airflow generated by the spinning shell acted like a 'barrier,' trapping the thin air inside the ring of fire. It created a high-temperature, suffocating micro-environment."
"Under the dual pressure of physical exhaustion and oxygen deprivation, Squirtle naturally lost consciousness."
Hora's eyes shimmered as he processed Oak's words. So Red's core tactic wasn't just "forcing a choice"—it was "using the environment to create a fatal weakness." This level of control over battlefield details made Red a terrifying rival for the future path to the Championship.
Red simply smiled and said nothing. Gary walked silently to Squirtle's side and carefully recalled it into its Poké Ball. When he looked up at Red, his eyes held frustration but no resentment. "Big brother Red, I lost this time. But the next time we meet, Squirtle and I will win it back."
With a slight bow, Gary turned and left the battlefield without looking back. Proud as he was, he refused to linger in the shadow of defeat. Red instinctively started to call out to him, but Oak stopped him. "Let him go. That boy has always been arrogant. Tasting defeat on his first day out isn't a bad thing—only by recognizing the gap can he know where to put in the effort."
Red thought for a moment and stayed his feet.
"But speaking of which," Oak turned back to Red, his voice full of pride, "being able to combine the environment, combustion reactions, and Pokémon biology so quickly... my assessment of you was correct. You truly are a Natural Fighter."
At that moment, the cold mechanical voice of the System rang in Hora's head:
[Task Issued: Battle Task]
Content: Have a Pokémon battle with Red.
Time Limit: 1 hour.
Rewards:
Victory: Rare Candy ×5
Defeat: Achievement Title: [Red's Underdog].
Effect: Your Pokémon's fighting spirit (Battle Will) increases significantly when facing Red in the future.
Hora: "???"
He stared at the task panel, caught between laughter and tears. The victory reward was fine—Rare Candies were "god-tier" items for leveling up. But what was this defeat title? Aside from the ridiculous name, the effect... "Increased fighting spirit"?
Hora mulled it over. Rare Candies are a short-term boost. However, the [Red's Underdog] title offered a long-term scaling buff. He asked the system internally: "What is the exact percentage of this 'Battle Will' boost? Can it stack?"
[Searching... Answer found. The basic combat power boost from the 'Red's Underdog' achievement is 1.25x. If you continue to lose to Red, the boost stacks. Once you defeat Red, the effect resets to the base 1.25x.]
Hora finally made up his mind and shook his head helplessly. "It looks like I really have to go for a 'Strategic Defeat'."
A 1.25x base multiplier was already huge. If it stacked a few times, his Pokémon would undergo a qualitative leap in power during future battles—especially if they met in the Indigo League finals. This was much more valuable than five Rare Candies.
As he cleared his thoughts, he noticed Red looking at him with a puzzled expression. Hora didn't hesitate; he stepped forward.
"Big brother Red, I want to battle you too!"
Red blinked, looking down at the Charmander by his feet. The little guy's tail flame was still burning bright, and its eyes sparkled with the lingering excitement of victory.
Red smiled sincerely. "The only Pokémon I have ready to fight right now is Charmander. Fire has a type advantage over both Grass and Bug. Are you sure you want to do this?"
He wasn't bragging; he was genuinely reminding Hora. If he used his Jolteon, Hora wouldn't last a single turn. By choosing Charmander, he was intentionally lowering the difficulty.
Hora felt a wave of warmth. He understood Red's kindness. He looked down at Bulbasaur, who was looking up at him with eager eyes, its short vines tugging at his pants.
"I know Fire has the advantage," Hora laughed. "But since the rules say we only use one, I choose Bulbasaur!"