"As everyone can see."
Rei Akagi explained calmly, his tone carrying a relaxed "this is basic stuff" attitude.
"By relying on Ivysaur's level advantage and type advantage, we use Ingrain to provide stable recovery, then combine it with Leech Seed to continuously drain HP…"
"With that setup, we can easily maintain field presence and slowly wear the opponent down. Staryu's attacks feel like a spa treatment—its damage doesn't even outpace our healing."
"Next, we actually have two possible strategies."
"The first is the standard stall approach: stack Poison Powder for damage over time, control the field with Sleep Powder, then use Protect and Substitute to avoid key damage while slowly… tormenting—cough—securely winning."
"However, because of Natural Cure, any status condition we carefully apply will disappear as soon as Staryu switches out. Not very cost-effective."
"So today we'll use the second strategy."
"We'll boost our stats with Growth, maximizing both physical and special attack!"
"We're going for a one-shot strategy."
"Even though we haven't learned the classic Sunny Day + Solar Beam combo, a boosted Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, or Energy Ball can still deal serious damage."
"If you can stay on the field and hit hard—that's the real king strategy."
Everything unfolded exactly according to Rei Akagi's plan.
The combination of Ingrain + Leech Seed made Ivysaur nearly impossible to bring down.
Staryu's Water Gun and Rapid Spin barely scratched it.
In fact, the damage Staryu dealt was less than Ivysaur healed every turn.
By the time Ivysaur's stat-boosting glow reached its peak—
It had truly become a monster.
Incredibly tanky, yet still dealing massive damage.
Rei Akagi's casual commands completely stunned the Ghastly in his arms.
(@[]@!!)
"Alright. Finish it—Razor Leaf."
Shing shing shing—
Several sharp emerald leaves shot forward, slicing effortlessly through the already exhausted Staryu.
Staryu fainted!
Then Starmie appeared.
Shing shing shing—
Starmie fainted!
Finally, Misty's Lv.32 ace Gyarados entered the battle.
Shing shing shing—
Gyarados fainted!
Misty was crushed from start to finish.
Completely suppressed.
Completely overwhelmed.
Little Rei defeated Gym Leader Misty!
Misty: "You're really strong! Take this Cascade Badge as proof that you defeated me!"
Little Rei received the Cascade Badge!
Just as Rei Akagi secured his second Gym Badge, the chat stormed in.
"Why take notes? Just stare!"
"Teacher Salted Fish must be a Master Trainer. Textbook prediction, battlefield control, and boosted sweep!"
"Be bold—I'll say it: future Champion!"
"I learned it! I'm going to challenge Misty right now!"
"'The Torture of the Cerulean Mermaid' — by Dreaming of Retiring as a Lazy Fish."
"Misty: Do you have any manners?"
"Stop praising me, stop praising me! I'm just a guy playing games. Pure theorycrafting! If it resembles real-life battles, it's purely coincidence. I take no responsibility!"
Looking at the flood of praise and chaotic memes, Rei Akagi hurriedly denied everything—while also trying to defend the real Misty.
"Also, remember that this is just a standard process at basic difficulty."
"In reality, Gym Leader Misty is famous for her versatile tactics, mastery of Water-types, and sharp on-the-spot command."
He even raised his voice slightly, adding genuine admiration.
"And she's beautiful, sweet-voiced, and elegant—the Cerulean City Mermaid!"
"So challengers should make sure they're fully prepared before facing her. Otherwise you might get overwhelmed by her aggressive offense!"
"What are you talking about!"
Red suddenly spoke up from the side, excitedly refuting him.
"Teacher Salted Fish, your commands and tactical analysis just now were extremely precise! If I were Misty, it would be very difficult to defeat you!"
His voice brimmed with enthusiasm.
Then he added another sentence.
"When are you coming back to Pallet Town? I can't wait to have a real battle with you!"
What made Rei Akagi's blood pressure spike even higher was—
At some point, Green had quietly appeared beside Red like a ghost.
His Green avatar stood there silently before he coldly added:
"Yes. The tactical structure and execution rhythm were flawless. Exactly the level I expected from you."
He paused.
Then added another jab.
"Much better than someone who only knows how to charge recklessly."
Rei Akagi: "…"
His vision darkened slightly.
His temples throbbed.
Seriously?
The persona I just built—
You two just ripped it apart on the spot?
Didn't you see me praising Misty?!
You two have zero social awareness!
The chat exploded again.
"DOUBLE LEGEND CERTIFICATION! Teacher Salted Fish is amazing!"
"Hahaha instant face-slap! Teacher Salted Fish: Thanks a lot, you two!"
"So that's why I couldn't understand the strategy—it's because my level is too low!"
"Cerulean Mermaid has entered the Master Ball tier."
"Cerulean Mermaid sent a highlighted message: Thank you for the compliment, Teacher Salted Fish! Your battle was indeed wonderful, and the analysis was spot-on! Everyone is welcome to challenge the Cerulean Gym with full enthusiasm~"
"WHAT?! That's Gym Leader Misty herself?! She watched the whole thing?!"
"Misty run! Don't watch the replay! That's pure torture!"
Seeing Misty's highlighted message, Rei Akagi was just about to force out a polite reply—
When suddenly a private message popped up.
Playful Mermaid:When are you coming back to Kanto?
Rei Akagi's eyelid twitched.
He decisively chose the tactical option of playing dead.
Instead, he opened the Pokémon Game Group Chat and invited her in.
"Dreaming of Retiring as a Lazy Fish" invited "Cerulean Mermaid" to the group.
Dreaming of Retiring as a Lazy Fish:
@CeruleanMermaid Probably after I finish being busy for a while. The group's lively—feel free to chat and exchange ideas here. I'm streaming right now, talk later.
Only Little Blue was still awake in the group chat.
Yellow and Brock's avatars had already gone gray.
Evolution Guy: Welcome, sister!
Rei Akagi then returned his attention to the stream.
At this moment, both Red and Green had also completed their Gym challenges.
Green, as always, went his own way.
He simply said "I'm leaving" and controlled Green to depart.
Rei Akagi turned to Red.
"Let's go. Now that we have the Gym Badge, I'll take you somewhere interesting—Bill's Laboratory."
"Bill… Ah!"
Red suddenly remembered something and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I remember now! Back during our journey, he messed up an experiment and—wait… did that make it into the game too?"
"Well, the game is based on your legendary adventure after all."
Rei Akagi's voice carried a hint of mischievous satisfaction.
"Authenticity is the point."
Upon hearing that, Red immediately became excited and followed closely behind Little Bai.
The two stepped onto the Nugget Bridge, which connected Cerulean City to the northern routes.
Along Route 24, there was one thing in abundance—
Trainers.
Rei Akagi decisively sent out his legendary Pokémon: Red, while he leisurely followed behind collecting experience.
The results were immediate.
Ghastly evolved into Haunter.
Ivysaur evolved into Venusaur.
Dratini evolved into Dragonair.
As for Growlithe, after reaching Lv.32 and learning Crunch, Rei Akagi used the Fire Stone gifted by Iono—
Evolving it into Arcanine.
The entire team experienced a massive upgrade.
Just as they stepped off the bridge, a suspicious figure in a Team Rocket uniform suddenly jumped out from the roadside, blocking their path.
Team Rocket Recruiter:
"Your battle was incredible! Passing this bridge proves your strength!"
Team Rocket Recruiter:
"Let me tell you something I only say here… Don't you want to join Team Rocket?"
Team Rocket Recruiter:
"Why that distant look? Join us! Your future will be limitless!"
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