"I didn't expect Leaf's strength to be this impressive too."
Ash, who was watching the match, said in surprise. He never thought that Leaf, as a girl, could also be this outstanding. It completely exceeded his expectations.
"So that's why you're the bottom-ranked one in Pallet Town, Ash~"
Gary cast a teasing glance at the clueless Ash beside him.
"Don't think Leaf wasted those two months like you did. I bet she trained her Pokémon even harder than I did. Otherwise, she wouldn't have disappeared all day long without anyone seeing her."
"That's right. From what I know, Leaf's starting lineup has already all reached their final evolution stages. Their strength has improved tremendously."
"Forget Ash—even you should be wary of Leaf's current strength, Gary."
Red explained calmly, ignoring the astonished look Gary shot at him.
(What? How did Red learn all this information about Leaf? She barely showed herself during those two months. Could it be...?)
A string of doubts filled Gary's mind. Just as he was about to ask Red where he got the information from, Ash suddenly shouted from the side, drawing everyone's attention to Leaf's upcoming fierce assault on the grass battlefield.
"Ditto, use Swords Dance to block the Pin Missile attack!" Leaf ordered.
Ditto immediately spun its body, creating a powerful airflow that neutralized most of the Pin Missile damage.
"Follow up with Agility into Drill Run!"
The Beedrill transformed from Ditto vanished from the spot, then instantly appeared behind the opposing Beedrill. Catching it off guard, it unleashed Drill Run and accurately struck its vital point.
The heavily injured Beedrill collapsed onto the ground. Then Ditto finished it off with another Pin Missile attack, causing Beedrill's eyes to spin as it fainted on the spot.
"The match is over! Contestant Leaf from Pallet Town wins! Her excellent command ability and Ditto's outstanding performance have secured victory in the first round! Let's give a warm round of applause and look forward to Leaf's future performances!" the announcer cheered.
Leaf's cute appearance also attracted quite a few passersby, who quickly formed her own dedicated fan club and began cheering enthusiastically for her.
Leaf's outstanding performance also made all the spectators realize one thing—Pallet Town, once known as the [Land of Champions], had risen once again.
From this moment onward, the title of Pallet Town as the Land of Champions spread throughout every corner of the Indigo Stadium. Everyone eagerly anticipated the future performances of Pallet Town's four rookie trainers.
...
After all four rookie trainers from Pallet Town successfully advanced to the second round, the next day they arrived together at the lottery venue to draw their upcoming battlefields.
Among them, Ash, Gary, and Leaf all prayed for the same thing in their hearts—that they absolutely wouldn't run into Red in the second round. None of them wanted their journey to end that early.
In the end, under the calm expression of Red and the nervous tension of the other three, the light indicators on the screen above each of them pointed toward different battlefields.
Seeing this, the three of them all sighed in relief at the same time. Thankfully, none of them had been matched against Red.
In the end, Red drew the first match of the Grass Field. His opponent also happened to be one of his old acquaintances—A.J., the former "king of the kids" Red had met not long after starting his journey in a grassland area.
To temper his own strength, A.J. had even established an unofficial League Gym, all for the sake of achieving a one-hundred-win streak before setting off on his travels. Yet in the process, he gradually lost sight of his original goal.
Fortunately, Red noticed it in time and successfully freed A.J. from his inner demons. Otherwise, A.J.'s trainer journey might have been permanently affected.
But the current A.J. had already changed significantly. The photo displayed on the screen revealed determined eyes. Clearly, traveling outside had helped him mature greatly, casting aside his former youthful ignorance and becoming an excellent contestant.
Afterward, Ash drew the Rock Field, specifically the second match there.
Gary drew the Water Field, while Leaf drew the Ice Field, becoming the third and fourth matches respectively.
Clearly, Pallet Town's four rookie trainers wouldn't be clashing with each other anytime soon—at least not until the battlefield matches moved to the main stadium.
There was a two-day gap between the first and second rounds, so after today's battlefield drawing, the four still had one more day to fully prepare for their upcoming second-round battles.
...
The next day
Indigo Plateau Conference — Grass Field — Second Round
"Now it's time for the first battle of the Grass Field in the Indigo Plateau Conference! The trainer on the red side is once again the familiar Red-sama, while the green-side contestant is A.J. from Vermilion City!"
"How exactly will contestant A.J. withstand Red-sama's fierce assault? Let's wait and see!"
The moment the announcer finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the audience stands. Everyone was excited for Red's upcoming battle and eagerly anticipated the performance of his Pokémon.
"Whoa, brother's fan club is way too terrifying."
Ash said in disbelief while watching the scene.
"You think Red's popularity is on your level?"
Gary glanced sideways at Ash beside him, utterly speechless.
"If it weren't for that hot-blooded declaration you made the other day, probably barely anyone would even know your name. Some might've just treated you as Red's replacement."
"What?! Damn you, Gary! How dare you underestimate me like that!"
Gary's words nearly shattered Ash's composure. Fortunately, Brock quickly stopped the impulsive Ash in time, preventing the childhood friends from turning the place into another noisy comedy routine.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing already. Hurry up and watch Red's battle."
Leaf helplessly tried to calm them down, urging the lively duo to restrain themselves a little and stop affecting the emotions of the nearby audience.
If everyone didn't already know they were all famous trainers from Pallet Town, the noisy Ash and Gary would've long since been kicked out by some bad-tempered spectators.
"Each side may use three Pokémon. The side whose Pokémon all lose their ability to battle will lose. The first match of the Grass Field officially begins!"
After the announcer explained the rules, the referee standing on the elevated platform at the edge of the battlefield swung down the flag in his hand, and the bell signaling the start of the match rang out.
"Red-sama, I never expected to meet you in the second round. Right now I'm incredibly excited, because you can be considered half a mentor in my Pokémon trainer life!"
A.J. respectfully said from the command platform across the field. If Red hadn't awakened him back then, his strength might never have reached its current level.
"Relax. Let's have an exciting battle!" Red replied.
"Go, Kabutops!"
"I'm counting on you, Nidorino!"
Red and A.J. simultaneously threw their Poké Balls, sending out Kabutops and Nidorino respectively.