The morning in Fuchsia City carried the damp, earthy fragrance unique to the forest. When Ren woke up, the Shuppet in his arms was still fast asleep. The little one had probably exhausted itself completely in yesterday's battle. It hadn't shifted once all night, its eyes shut tight, its soft, rounded form utterly unlike the tiny warrior who had fought with everything it had on the battlefield the day before.
Ren moved as gently as possible, letting Viridian Power seep warmly into its body and smooth away the last traces of lingering pain from the previous night. Shuppet let out a comfortable little murmur in its sleep and burrowed deeper into his arms, burying its face against his chest without the slightest intention of waking up.
Ren smiled and let it sleep in. He carefully got out of bed, took out the berries and Pokéblock molds from his bag, and began preparing a new batch. The system had just rewarded him with the recipe for advanced anti-poison Pokéblocks, so the quiet morning was the perfect time to make some for Shuppet. At the same time, he also planned to formulate a batch that could stabilize mental energy and improve resistance to Psychic-type moves. According to the Kanto Gym challenge order, now that they had obtained the Soul Badge from Fuchsia Gym, their next destination was Saffron City—the Psychic-type Gym led by Sabrina, a Gym Leader with formidable psychic powers.
He had only just ground the berries into a fine paste when the little one on the bed stirred awake.
Rubbing its eyes, Shuppet sat up and swept its red gaze around the room. The moment it spotted Ren by the counter, it flapped over and landed neatly on his shoulder, nuzzling against his cheek and making a clingy little good-morning sound.
"You're up?" Ren turned his head and lightly tapped its cheek with a smile. "Give me a little more time. The new Pokéblocks will be done soon. I added the Mago Berries you like."
Shuppet nodded obediently and stayed perched on his shoulder, quietly watching as he measured the berry paste, balanced the energy mixture, and pressed it into molds. Every so often it would tap his earlobe, just to remind him it was there. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell over Trainer and Pokémon alike, filling the room with the warm, peaceful feeling of everyday life on the road.
The moment the new Pokéblocks had cooled, Shuppet immediately snatched one up and began nibbling away. The sweet fruit flavor melted in its mouth, carrying with it a soothing energy that calmed the mind. Its eyes narrowed in bliss, and its tail swayed lightly against Ren's shoulder.
At that moment, a pale blue system screen quietly unfolded before Ren's eyes. As always, the text was simple and direct, containing only the task and reward information:
[System Mission Triggered]
[Mission Name: The Psychic Trial of Saffron Gym]
[Mission Objective: Travel to Saffron City, challenge Sabrina, the Psychic-type Gym Leader, and win the gold Badge of Saffron Gym through your bond with your Pokémon and battle tactics]
[Mission Rewards:
Advanced Mind-Calming Pokéblock Recipe ×1Slight Enhancement to Viridian Power's energy-guidance ability]
Mission time limit: None
Ren read the screen and smiled gently. With a thought, he closed it, then rubbed the little Pokémon's head.
"Next, we're going to Saffron City to challenge the Psychic-type Gym and earn our fifth Badge, alright?"
Shuppet immediately stopped chewing, swallowed the rest of the Pokéblock in one gulp, then slapped Ren's cheek with one tiny paw and let out a sharp, determined cry. It had long heard how troublesome Psychic-type Gyms were, and how frightening Sabrina's psychic powers could be—but as long as it was with Ren, it feared nothing.
After breakfast, Ren packed everything up. He carefully placed the four Badges into the badge case he kept close to him, then double-checked their Pokéblocks, Antidotes, Paralyze Heals, and the rest of their supplies. Only once he was certain everything was in order did he leave the Pokémon Center with Shuppet in his arms and board the intercity bus to Saffron City.
As the bus rolled away from Fuchsia City, the scenery outside shifted from dense tropical forest into open plains, and the towns along the roadside became more frequent. Shuppet pressed against the window, staring curiously at the passing sights, then turning back every so often to chatter excitedly at Ren about each new thing it had seen. Ren simply smiled and listened, replying from time to time.
When the bus stopped at a rest station halfway through the trip, Ren got off with Shuppet in his arms to stretch their legs. By chance, they overheard a group of Trainers who had just returned from Saffron City, all of them gathered together and complaining bitterly about their experiences challenging the Saffron Gym.
"Don't even mention it. I didn't even get to see Sabrina herself—I got beaten by one of the apprentices out front. Psychic-type Telekinesis is disgusting. My Pokémon was controlled the whole time and couldn't move at all."
"I had it worse. I actually made it to Sabrina, but her Alakazam used one Psychic and my Pokémon dropped instantly. And Sabrina herself is the scary one. I heard some challengers lost and she turned them into dolls. They're still sitting inside the Gym."
"I'm never going back. Psychic-type moves are way too oppressive for close-range battlers. There's just no way to fight them."
Their complaints drifted clearly into Ren's ears. He looked down at the Shuppet in his arms. Far from being scared, the little Pokémon straightened its body, its red eyes blazing with competitive spirit. One tiny paw gripped Ren's finger tightly, as if promising it could handle whatever came.
"Don't worry," Ren said softly, gently squeezing its paw. His voice was warm, but firm. "Ghost-type moves have a natural advantage against Psychic-types. And after all the training we've done together, whether it's Telekinesis or Hypnosis, we already have ways to deal with them. As long as we're together, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Shuppet looked up at him and nodded hard, then rubbed its head against his palm. The faint uncertainty in its heart was instantly soothed by Ren's trust and gentleness.
Back on the bus, Ren held Shuppet and quietly began organizing his strategy for the Psychic-type Gym in his mind. Sabrina's ace was Alakazam—extremely fast, devastatingly powerful on the special side, and armed with moves like Telekinesis, Hypnosis, and Recover. It would be a far more troublesome opponent than any Gym Leader they had faced so far.
Shuppet was a Ghost-type, and moves like Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball would be super effective against Psychic-types. But if it were caught in Hypnosis or pinned down by Telekinesis, the battle would immediately swing against them.
"We need to focus on two things," Ren murmured to the little Pokémon in his arms. Shuppet listened quietly, nodding from time to time, carefully committing every word to memory. "Hypnosis, and Telekinesis control. If Telekinesis catches you, don't panic. Follow my thoughts and use Double Team to break free, alright?"
Shuppet let out a serious cry to show it understood.
The bus traveled on for most of the day and finally reached Saffron City around dusk.
Unlike Pewter, Cerulean, or Fuchsia, Saffron City was the most bustling metropolis in the entire Kanto region. Towering buildings lined the skyline, and the streets were crowded with traffic and people. Neon signs had already begun lighting up early, while giant shopping centers, Pokémon Centers, and training facilities stretched along the roads. At the heart of the city rose the massive Silph Co. building, piercing into the sky like a landmark for the whole city.
It was the first time Shuppet had ever seen such a dazzling metropolis. Perched on Ren's shoulder, it swung its head back and forth, its red eyes wide with curiosity.
Ren laughed softly and hugged it a little closer. He first checked them into the Pokémon Center nearest to the Saffron Gym. After dropping off their things, he took Shuppet downstairs for dinner, then walked with it through the nearby streets so they could get familiar with the area.
By the time they reached the entrance of the Saffron Gym, night had already fallen.
The Gym's architecture was unlike any they had seen before. It was entirely white, cold and detached, with an almost forbidding air. There weren't even any apprentice guards at the entrance. It was eerily quiet, and even through the closed doors they could faintly feel the ripple of psychic energy coming from within.
Shuppet instinctively shrank deeper into Ren's arms—but in the next moment it straightened up and gave the Gym a firm cry, as if trying to encourage itself.
Ren smiled and rubbed its head. "No rush. We still have tonight to prepare. We'll challenge it tomorrow."
Back in their room at the Pokémon Center, Ren did not go straight to bed. Instead, he brought Shuppet to the Center's private training grounds. He wanted to use the evening to help it practice techniques for dealing with Psychic-type moves, and also help it grow more familiar with the energy steadily building within its body.
Ever since their desperate battle at Fuchsia Gym, the Ghost-type energy inside Shuppet had grown far richer than before. Ren could feel clearly that the little one's power was quietly changing.
"Let's start by practicing the accuracy of Double Team, alright?" Ren stood on the far side of the training ground and spoke softly. "If Telekinesis locks you down, use the clones to split the opponent's attention and break free at the same time."
Shuppet nodded immediately. It floated to the center of the field, took a deep breath, and in a single flash split into five identical copies. Every one of them was indistinguishable from the original—even their aura matched perfectly. The precision of its clones was far beyond what it had shown before.
A flicker of praise passed through Ren's eyes. Picking up a toy water gun used for training, he sprayed at the clones at random.
"Very good. Next, keep the clones active while dodging the attacks and moving closer to me."
Shuppet moved at once.
Five figures darted rapidly across the field, weaving cleanly through the incoming streams. Even when a clone was struck and vanished, it immediately replaced it with another. In only a few seconds, Shuppet had already circled around to stand in front of Ren, gently tapping his hand with one tiny claw, its eyes full of pride and anticipation for praise.
"You're amazing. That was excellent." Ren laughed and scooped it up, using Viridian Power to ease the energy it had just spent. "Next, let's practice the timing for Protect, and then how to deal with Hypnosis, alright?"
Shuppet nodded hard at once, slipped from his arms, and resumed training with total concentration. Every move was practiced earnestly. Even when it grew so tired it was panting, it only rested for a few moments before forcing itself up again.
It wanted to become stronger.
It wanted to be able to firmly withstand every attack.
It wanted to shield Ren from every danger.
It wanted to stay with him through the rest of the Gym challenge journey, and then to even farther places beyond.
By the time the clock neared midnight, Ren finally stopped the session when he saw the little Pokémon was truly exhausted. He carried it back to their room. Curled in his arms, Shuppet had barely enough energy to move, but it still forced itself to nuzzle under his chin and let out a soft cry.
"You worked hard today. You trained really well." Viridian Power wrapped around it warmly, helping it recover its stamina more quickly. Ren could clearly feel that the energy within its body had settled further. It was one step closer to the threshold of transformation.
The Keystone against his chest grew faintly warm, resonating once again with the Mega Stone in his bag.
Shuppet seemed to sense that familiar energy too. It rubbed lightly against the pocket holding the Keystone, then closed its eyes and gradually drifted off to sleep within the warm embrace of Ren's Viridian Power.
Ren carefully tucked a small blanket around it, then took out his notebook and wrote down the battle plan for tomorrow. After that, he checked their supplies one final time to make sure everything was ready.
Outside the window, Saffron City was still ablaze with lights. In the distance, the Gym stood silently in the night like a fortress that would not be easily conquered.
And yet, there was not the slightest trace of panic in Ren's heart.
He lowered his head and looked at the sleeping little Pokémon in his arms, a soft smile on his lips.
From their first meeting in Viridian Forest until now, they had already overcome four Gyms together. They had faced Team Rocket together. They had fought their way back from desperate situations together. The bond between them had long surpassed the ordinary relationship between Trainer and Pokémon.
They were the closest of partners.
They were family, bound by absolute trust.
No matter how troublesome Psychic-type moves might be, no matter how terrifying Sabrina's powers were, as long as they stood together, there was no obstacle they could not overcome.
Ren gently closed his notebook, lay down on the bed, and adjusted his arms so he could hold the little Pokémon even more securely.