Setting aside Samurai's carelessness, Red felt more sympathy for the various gym leaders who had awarded their League badges to Samurai.
If Red remembered correctly, in the original timeline, Samurai had fortunately obtained the Crimson Badge from Blaine, using Marowak to defeat Magmar with a direct Bone Club strike.
Of course, this was merely Samurai's one-sided account, and Red couldn't determine the true battle circumstances from his story alone.
Perhaps Samurai had been fortunate enough to exploit the double type advantage and barely defeated a Blaine who was holding back considerably.
After all, every time Samurai lost a match, he would persistently challenge Blaine again. His unwavering determination had eventually moved the gym leader.
"I don't have the spare time to help you search, but soon there will be a kindhearted trainer who will assist you. He specializes in dealing with Team Rocket's trio," Red said casually, advising Samurai to remain calm and not panic.
Rather than taking shortcuts here by attempting to steal others' League badges, Red hoped Samurai would give his all to reclaim his rightful badges from Team Rocket.
With that, Red turned and vanished from Samurai's sight.
"A kindhearted trainer? Lord Red, thank you for your guidance!"
Samurai said respectfully, bowing deeply in the direction Red had departed.
A fortuitous coincidence occurred. Perhaps because Red would occasionally stop to train his Pokémon during his journey, combined with Ash's trio taking various shortcuts, not long after Red left, Ash's group happened to encounter Samurai and his injured Marowak. At that moment, Samurai was still tending to his severely wounded partner and didn't notice their arrival.
Before long, the compassionate Ash's trio had indeed helped Samurai reclaim his stolen League badges.
Worth noting was that Team Rocket's motivation for stealing badges had been quite simple: they wanted to participate in the Indigo League themselves and achieve widespread notoriety.
Unfortunately, this "dream" was thoroughly crushed by Ash. A single Thunderbolt from Pikachu sent Team Rocket's trio flying into the distance as twinkling stars.
The Next Day
After passing by a crystal-clear lake, Red arrived alone at the small town nestled below the Indigo Plateau. The settlement was already crowded with people, all carrying flags adorned with Poké Ball patterns, obviously gathered to welcome the arrival of an important figure.
Probably only someone as oblivious as Ash would mistakenly assume these crowds had assembled to welcome him personally.
Red naturally understood this was to welcome the Sacred Fire runner who would pass through shortly. The Sacred Fire runner was a messenger who carried the Moltres flame seed for the Indigo League from various locations, a figure worthy of the crowd's respect and admiration.
The prestigious role of Sacred Fire runner naturally attracted many young people's curiosity and made them eagerly desire the opportunity to serve in that capacity.
Of course, Red harbored no interest in such ceremonies and planned to leave after observing briefly.
Shortly after Red's departure, Ash's trio also arrived at the bustling town.
Upon seeing a large crowd gathered ahead, when Ash wondered aloud if they might be welcoming him, he found everyone suddenly waving flags excitedly and gazing joyfully in his direction.
"Thank you, thank you! Thanks for all your support! We'll work hard with the Indigo League championship as our goal..."
Before Ash could complete his passionate speech, the crowd completely ignored his trio and enthusiastically welcomed the Sacred Fire runner who arrived behind them, creating quite an embarrassing misunderstanding.
Main Venue: Indigo Stadium
That evening, after presenting his Pokédex to verify his contestant status, Red arrived at the Pokémon League Village, where tournament participants would reside.
Although called a Pokémon League Village, it resembled more of a small town. The expansive facility possessed extremely abundant resources, with all amenities provided free to contestants, and even accompanying companions could enjoy these benefits.
"Hey, if it isn't our Red! I didn't expect you to arrive at the Pokémon League Village so late!"
A familiar voice called from nearby. Red turned to discover Gary, who had already settled into the Pokémon League Village.
Gary was currently enjoying coffee, with his six female cheerleaders positioned behind him, still holding pom-poms and chanting victory slogans for their favored trainer.
"Seeing you drinking coffee so casually, you must have gathered quite a bit of intelligence on your opponents, right?" Red observed with amusement.
"Naturally! Collecting intelligence on competitive opponents is one of the most important strategies for achieving victory in tournaments."
Gary set down his coffee cup and spoke with complete seriousness.
"I've compiled extensive intelligence on you specifically, Red. After all, you're my primary competitor. I must remain careful and vigilant to avoid any unexpected defeats. I'll demonstrate the results of my two months of intensive training!"
"Great, we've finally reached the Pokémon League Village!"
"Amazing Pokémon trainers from everywhere are gathered in this place!"
Just then, Ash's trio also appeared within Red and Gary's line of sight.
Upon spotting his childhood friend Ash, Gary's old habits surfaced, instinctively teasing, "So slow to arrive, Ash"
"That voice?!"
Ash responded with immediate displeasure.
'It seems Gary was waiting here with his coffee specifically to encounter Ash, doesn't it?'
Red regarded the supposedly 'composed' Gary with a knowing look.
"I've already been collecting intelligence on my competitors," Gary stated with apparent nonchalance.
"I don't want any intelligence at all! Adapting on the spot is my unique battle philosophy!" Ash immediately countered.
"Can you actually win with that kind of battle approach? Dead-last Ash," Gary taunted, though actually attempting to encourage Ash to reconsider his methods.
"What did you say?!" Ash demanded urgently.
"Real battles begin only after understanding your enemy. But even if you do collect enemy intelligence, I doubt you could win easily. Hahaha..."
With that declaration, Gary departed smugly with his female cheerleaders in tow, leaving only Brock to envy them until he was practically drooling.
"Ash, you must maintain a relaxed mindset. I have complete faith in your abilities."
Red patted Ash's shoulder reassuringly.
After bidding farewell to Ash's trio, Red located his contestant accommodation based on the room number provided with his key.
Due to the substantial number of participants, unless they had brought their own companions like Ash and Gary, independent contestants would typically share accommodations with other participants.
Red's fortune proved reasonably good. He had drawn a double room, meaning he would only need to share space with one other contestant during his stay.
"Knock knock knock..."
Out of basic courtesy, Red rapped on the door several times from outside, signaling to his roommate within of his arrival.
"Sorry, please wait just a moment."
A pleasant female voice responded from inside the room, requesting that Red wait briefly.
'A girl? And that voice sounds somewhat familiar...'
Red nodded to himself. If his roommate was a girl he knew, Red wouldn't feel so awkward, avoiding any unnecessary tension that might affect his sleep quality before the important competition.