Pokémon: Rebron as Red, The Strongest Champion

"No! No!"

The threat of death terrified the grunt. His trembling hands tore at the bloody wound on his thigh, and tears of fear streamed down his face as he begged Red to spare him.

"When you killed Marowak, why didn't you think of the situation you're in now?" Red said with cold disdain. He had no charitable heart to let this scum go. Since the deed was to be done, he would see it through.

"The final blow. Bone Club," Red commanded, his voice a blade of ice.

"Cubone!"

Cubone leaped high, its bone club held tight, and swung it down fiercely on the grunt's head.

For some reason, Red felt no revulsion at the scene. He only felt a deep, inner satisfaction for Cubone's revenge.

(Perhaps… I've always been an extremely cold-blooded person,) he thought, looking at his own steady hands. A flicker of pessimism about his own nature crossed his mind.

Sensing the tremor in Red's emotions, the Dratini coiled around his neck lovingly rubbed its face against his cheek, hoping to dispel the negative feelings in his heart.

"Little guy, let's defeat these others together."

The Millennium Gengar, after a brief, concerned glance at Red, decided to take Dratini and finish the fight. Since Cubone had gone this far, Gengar had no intention of letting the other grunts leave safely.

An azure Dragon Breath spewed from Dratini's mouth. The powerful impact blasted a spiderweb-shaped crater where the grunt's Raticate had been standing.

(Goodness, the bloodline this kid inherited is not simple!) Gengar thought, surprised. It hadn't expected this little one to have such power, though part of it was due to Raticate's own weakness.

Gengar's eyes glowed blue, and it used Hypnosis to put the two remaining Pokémon to sleep. Then, its body transformed into a black shadow, sinking into the floor before using Dream Eater.

"Hmm? What simple and vulgar dreams," Gengar complained, making a spitting motion. "Their minds are filled with nothing but base desires. The taste is truly awful!"

Seeing their Pokémon so easily defeated, the two remaining grunts trembled and huddled together, trying to use each other's body heat to dispel the chilling fear. It was a futile gesture.

"Boss, how should we deal with these people?" Gengar asked.

"Shh. Marowak is saying its final goodbyes to Cubone," Red gestured for Gengar to be quiet. Marowak's soul, a type of earthbound spirit, had lingered only for this one last moment with her child.

'Mom, I don't want you to leave!' Cubone cried, trying to use the bone club in its hand to dispel the ethereal mist around Marowak, thinking it might bring her back.

'It's okay, child! Mom is already so content to see you one last time. Forgive Mom's selfishness for not being abcontinuele to watching you grow!' Marowak embraced Cubone, but in her soul form, her child could only vaguely feel the warmth.

"Every creature has its own noble soul, and Marowak's maternal love makes its soul radiate a golden light…" Red murmured.

Though reluctant to let go, Marowak was no longer qualified to linger in the Pokémon Tower. Under the watchful gaze of Red and his team, her soul slowly ascended and dissipated, leaving behind a weeping Cubone desperately trying to hold on.

"The most beautiful state of a soul is when it radiates a noble gold," the Millennium Gengar sighed. Marowak's maternal love had given it a glimmer of understanding about the bonds of family.

"Gengar, let these two live in their inner fear forever," Red ordered.

Understanding his meaning, Gengar nodded. Its eyes released a blue light, using Hypnosis to permanently imprint the grunts' deep-seated fears into their minds. Both screamed simultaneously, then foamed at the mouth and collapsed. One even lost control of his bladder, and the strange smell made Red frown.

(One person having an accident can be brushed off…) Red thought calmly. Even if they were members of an evil organization, wanton killing would be opposed by the Pokémon League. Fortunately, Red's standing was not simple; the League could turn a blind eye to the "accidental" deaths of a few grunts. His personal value far surpassed theirs.

Cubone wiped the tears from the corners of its eyes. It had grown now and could no longer cry like a child.

"Cubone, if you want, you can always cry freely in my arms, as long as it makes you feel a little better."

Red stroked Cubone's head, almost making the small Pokémon cry again. But Cubone swore at that moment to grow stronger. It simply jumped silently into Red's embrace, feeling the warmth.

"Boss, according to their memories, their captain is named Skorpi. He's interrogating Old Man Fuji right now, trying to get information from his time at the research institute!" Gengar reported, pointing to the staircase ahead.

"Let's go." The Dratini on the ground quickly zipped back onto Red's neck.

Reaching the top floor, they were immediately ambushed. An Arbok hidden in the shadows spat a volley of Poison Sting, and a Weezing released a cloud of suffocating Poison Gas.

"Scyther, Swords Dance!"

Scyther emerged in a flash, its swift rotation creating a vortex of wind that directly neutralized both poison attacks.

"Damn it, I can't believe it was broken just like that!"

A purple-haired man with a pale face emerged. This was Skorpi. He had heard the commotion from the lower floor but, being cunning and treacherous, had chosen not to help his subordinates, instead setting up an ambush. He never expected it to be foiled so easily.

"Just a kid. What's there to be arrogant about!" Skorpi said angrily, throwing another Poké Ball. A Crobat appeared overhead, clearly intending to counter Scyther.

"Are you trying to defeat my Scyther with a Poison/Flying-type Crobat, leveraging its four-times resistance to Bug attacks?" Red shook his head disdainfully. "Unfortunately, in the face of absolute strength, your little tricks are useless."

Empowered by Swords Dance, Scyther's scythes glowed green, and it swiftly lunged forward to use X-Scissor.

"Boss, don't I need to help?" Gengar asked. Even though it had clashed with Scyther before, it was a small disagreement. Seeing Scyther fighting three Poison-types alone, it asked out of good intentions.

"Don't worry. These guys aren't enough to defeat my Scyther," Red said proudly, his words brimming with absolute trust.

"Don't be so arrogant, you brat!" Skorpi roared. "Arbok, use Acid! Weezing, use Sludge Bomb! Crobat, use Air Cutter!"

The three Pokémon attacked simultaneously. The forward-moving Scyther's figure suddenly blurred, transforming into a dozen identical copies.

"Tch, it's Double Team!" Skorpi frowned. "Listen up, there's only one real Scyther. Don't be fooled!"

Although he said that, the simultaneous attacks of a dozen Scyther still caught his Pokémon off guard. Weezing suddenly shrieked. The real Scyther had appeared behind it, hitting a vital spot with X-Scissor, followed by a relentless Fury Cutter assault. The consecutive hits stacked damage, and with Scyther's Technician ability amplifying the power, Weezing's eyes spun as it collapsed unconscious after the fourth strike.

***

(End of Chapter)

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