Chapter 90: 1 Month Later
~Third POV~
[Kanto Region, 1 Month Later, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab]
One month later, at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Professor Oak and Misty are having a video chat as she yelled, "Professor! Prof. Oak!! Hey! What did you just say?!"
Misty is shocked to hear he hasn't heard or seen Red since he received the letter of challenge. It was supposedly for Azure, but I requested him to go over it in his stead as he was busy.
Misty somewhat calms down, recalling how many challenges they've been getting since their victory and fame. Professor Oak begins to reminisce about when he won the Pokémon League, and Misty interrupts to ask about Red again.
The Professor doesn't consider it a cause for concern, as no normal Trainer would be able to cause him any trouble. His real issue is that Red has yet to complete his Pokédex, annoyed that he only wants to take on challengers and level up his already existing Pokémon after losing.
Misty questions if such a task is really that urgent, but Professor Oak reasserts his opinion, letting her know he's been hard at work on a completely new Pokédex since finding out the number of Pokémon is far higher than the 151 he thought there were. Ever since the birth of Rotom Phones, more Pokémon have been sighted in different parts of the world by strangers or trainers.
Misty realizes that Red has his work cut out for him, especially since he's been having her help him with the process of becoming an official Gym Leader. Professor Oak chuckles to himself, happy he's keeping himself busy.
He remarks that since Blue and Green have left on their journeys as well, he's been left alone to focus on his research. Azure was with him, helping create new moves along with certain Pokémon when they learned a specific move, adding new evolution forms from previous Pokémon that were a single-stage evolution.
Misty catches notice of a letter sitting on the Professor's table, who explains that it's the letter of challenge Red was sent, finding it curious that someone would still bother to write a handwritten letter. Inspecting it closer, he struggles to read it and can't make out the name of the sender.
*Buzzz*
Suddenly, there's a buzzing of electricity at the door, and the Professor puts on his rubber gloves, anticipating it to be Red and Pika. The door opens…
*Nnnn*
Oak's eyes widened, revealing Pika by himself, exhausted and heavily injured. Professor Oak and Misty are both shocked, and the Professor drops to his knees to try and figure out what happened, but Pika wobbles and collapses to the ground.
/////
[Kanto Region, Pallet Town – Outskirts]
In the outskirts of Pallet Town, a young stranger riding on a Doduo calls to some local children, "Hey, you there!"
The locals looked to see a young stranger sketching a picture. The stranger asked, "I need some information! I'm looking for… do you know this Pokémon?!"
The locals recognized who the Pokémon was as they directed him to Oak's Lab. The stranger smiled as he thanked them, "Ah! Thank you very much!"
/////
[Kanto Region, Pallet Town – Oak's Lab]
In Professor Oak's Laboratory, Professor Oak lifts the severely wounded Pika in his arms and frantically tries to ask him about what happened to Red in a worried tone, "What happened to Red?! What about the other Pokémon?!"
Misty, still on call, reminds him of the severity of Pika's condition, and he rushes to place Pika inside a restoration machine. Considering the letter that Red has received, they conclude he must have been defeated by the Trainer who sent it originally for Azure, being someone by the name of Bruno.
They both struggle to believe that anyone could beat Red, but Professor Oak can't think of any other explanation for Red's absence and Pika's condition. He decides to ask everyone he knows for help, and asks Misty to do the same with all the other Gym Leaders.
Suddenly, the stranger from earlier enters the Laboratory, still riding Doduo. Greeting a confused Professor Oak, they dismount Doduo and quickly begin glancing around the building, as Oak nervously asks if they could come back another time.
Spotting the restoration machine, the stranger's face lights up upon seeing Pika in his Poké Ball, and he releases him from the machine into his arms, happy that what he had been told about Pika returning to Pallet Town is true. Professor Oak enters a rage, sputtering questions about the stranger's assertiveness, but enters a state of surprise after seeing that Pika is familiar with him.
They both begin to leave until the Professor stops them, finding out that the stranger knows Red and knew that he was missing. He also tries to find out who he is and how he knew Pika was in Pallet Town, but they are unwilling to answer.
Professor Oak begins to grow irritated again, before being interrupted, as the stranger clarifies his intent to find and rescue Red from whatever danger he might be in. The Professor is silent for a moment, and the two exchange glances, before he sends out his Spearow and has it use Fury Attack, declaring that if the stranger can't even prove his skills against him, he has no chance against whatever force took down Red, a Pokémon League finalist who has been honing his skills for two years.
Responding with his Doduo, the stranger orders a Whirlwind that Spearow counters with Mirror Move, forcing the match into an apparent stalemate. Professor Oak ponders the situation, concluding that Red would have already figured out a way to break out of the Mirror Move.
He begins to admonish the boy for his poor tactics, trying to get him to recognize that, despite his good intent, he wouldn't be able to help Red. Suddenly, Doduo begins dashing in circles around its opponent, Spearow trying to stay face to face, but ends up passing out from spinning around so much.
Just before Spearow hits the ground, the stranger commands Pika to rescue it and provides it with a safe landing. Professor Oak is left annoyed, remarking that you can't settle a battle just by making the opponent dizzy.
The stranger laughs and tells him to be glad that neither of the Pokémon got hurt. Suddenly struck by the thought, Oak is left to marvel at the battle that just took place, so calculated and controlled that neither Pokémon was left with a single scratch on them. Impressed, he asks the boy to follow him, leading him to Red's house.
Professor Oak notices Red's Pokédex still at home and berates the boy for leaving it behind. As the two stand quietly in Red's bedroom, Oak notes that the stranger somehow knew Red's nickname for Pika despite him never having said it in front of him, making it obvious that he understands the connection between Red and his Pokémon despite his rudeness.
Since Pika's instinct is to trust him, Oak has decided to trust him too, recognizing that despite the unknowns, he must truly be a friend of Red. Entrusting the boy with Red's Pokédex, Oak sends him on his way. As they cheerfully walk off, Oak quietly wonders to himself, was Pika suddenly restored to full health after being touched by that boy, or was it just in his imagination?
He sighed, shaking his head helplessly as he reached for his Arc Phone. Rubbing it, he muttered in a concerned tone, "It's also been a month since Sky went missing as well. He must have noticed something amiss, as he sent me a message a month ago about a concern. I hope nothing awful happened to both Red and Sky…"
/////
[Johto Region, Meanwhile, Mt. Silver – Mt. Silver Cave (Summit)]
Mt. Silver Cave is the cave system of Mt. Silver in Johto, located west of Victory Road and Indigo Plateau. It can be entered from the outside area at the foot of the mountain. At the top of Mt. Silver Cave lies the Hot Spring that heals everything.
Only highly skilled Trainers are allowed entry to Mt. Silver due to the high-level Pokémon that reside there. Thanks to the special atmospheric conditions around the spring, they emit flammable gases, nicknamed Fire Springs, that Fire-type Pokémon stay clear of.
*SPLASH*
Stepping inside the hot springs was none other than Red as he moaned happily, feeling the healing effects of the Hot springs, "Oooooh… man, these Hot Springs hit the spot. You seriously know how to treat a friend, Sky!"
*Splash*
Stepping inside the hot spring next revealed to be Azure Sky as he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Yeah… hopefully. Man, I'm so sorry I led you straight into danger of dying! That was so, my bad on that one…"
Red chuckles sheepishly, recalling how he was unfrozen thanks to Giovanni passing by. Then, being given his Vee, who's now an Espeon, used Wish to heal them the best it could, before long, Azure finally found him.
Noticing the wounds on his limbs, Azure, using his meta-knowledge, took Red to Mt. Silver summit, where the Springs that Heal Everything resided. He knew that in the future, Arc-Crystal, Gold, and Silver Red would come here to cure him of Lorelei's curse.
Already having this planned just in case he had his Arcanine set a psychic marker with its Teleport Move in advance. Azure had 2 years of prep time to handle the Elite Four while keeping his strength hidden, being observed during the day.
However, currently, Red frowned, checking his wrist as he said in an annoyed tone, "But man, those Elite Four are tough. However, I don't like the idea of us hiding from them being any better. Nor informing our friends of our status."
Azure nodded, agreeing on this as he crossed his arms, sighing in a defeated tone, shaking his head helplessly, "Sigh… on that we can both agree with. But till things get bad, we can't afford to reveal ourselves… and you need to be busy recovering. Hate seeing you get saved again when you have trouble tossing your Poke Balls Red."
Red sighed in defeat, hearing that. He sank a bit deeper inside the Spring of Healing Everything as he muttered, "Sigh… fair point, Sky. I just hope Pika made it out to Pallet Town…"
Concern for his own Pokémon was evident in Red's tone. Azure slyly grinned as he said calmly, "No doubt Pika is safe, Red. Pika's your Pokémon, after all. Besides that, we should be concerned about what the Elite Four plan is. They need the Badges, and with me having the Earth Badge, they'll no doubt take it from me if they all gang up like they did to you."
Red nodded his head, agreeing as relaxed with his Pokémon nearby as he muttered, "Yeah. But this place is crawling with strong Wild Pokémon here… do you come here often to train your Pokémon, because I might consider making this place my training grounds."
Azure chuckled as he got up, showing his naked body covered by only a white towel, hiding his privates as he replied nonchalantly, "Sure is. Helps keep my Pokémon in top shape and away from prying eyes. But I'm gonna search around Mt. Silver, I've heard they have a rare Pokémon like Larvitar around. I'll catch you later for dinner."
Leaving the spring changing into his Trainer Uniform from his tent, Red sighed out loud as he pondered curiously, 'Hmm… I could always try to adjust my team and train a new Pokémon. Better coverage and typing right?'