After arriving at Cinnabar Island, Red immediately used Teleport and, in a moment, arrived at the Pokémon Center here. He called Professor Oak to contact him about switching his battle lineup.
"Red~ when are you going to send Zapdos back again?"
Professor Oak rubbed his hands with a cheeky grin, his expectant gaze directed at Red and the Ultra Ball faintly peeking out from the corner.
"Zapdos still needs to stay by my side for now, because its objective is only half complete." Red said leisurely, telling Professor Oak to be patient for a few more days.
Among the Three Sacred Birds, Red was uniquely fond of Zapdos, so he had no desire to capture Articuno. Moreover, Red clearly understood one thing: although Articuno felt close to his Power of Viridian, it preferred to stay by Lorelei's side.
Besides, if Red captured Articuno, it would mean capturing Moltres as well. When the Three Sacred Birds gathered together, it would probably keep Red extremely busy.
So Red decided to focus on raising just Zapdos among the Three Sacred Birds, to avoid constant jealousy between them in the future—after all, the Three Sacred Birds never got along with each other.
Even during the day, the rooms at the Pokémon Center were already fully booked. Fortunately, Red knew about the inn run by Blaine, so he didn't spend a large sum to make a reservation in advance.
After heading out, Red wandered through the streets. On both sides were stalls selling local delicacies of Cinnabar Island and Pokémon figurines. At a glance, there were signs everywhere advertising inns with hot spring healing effects.
Clearly, Cinnabar Island had already turned into a tourist hotspot and no longer resembled the place once admired by Pokémon Trainers.
Because of the rise of hot spring culture in recent years, Cinnabar Island had lost its former glory as a trainer's dream destination. Perhaps this was an unavoidable fate.
Red's arrival also caught the attention of a middle-aged man. Wearing a wig, a fake beard, and sunglasses, the man walked up to Red and, with a "serious" expression, started a riddle.
"Cold on the head, warm on the body—what is it?"
"An open-air hot spring," Red replied calmly, looking at the man with mild surprise.
"Correct. I believe you're also looking for the location of the Cinnabar Gym, but unfortunately, it has already declined."
The man looked around at everything with disappointment.
"In the past, Cinnabar Island was indeed a place admired by Pokémon Trainers. But ever since hot springs were discovered one day, it completely turned into a tourist destination. It's truly regrettable!"
The man knelt on the ground in frustration, looking up at the sky as he vented his dissatisfaction.
"Sir, you're a 'friend' of Mr. Blaine, right? I heard he's a man who likes wearing wigs and especially enjoys riddles. I didn't expect you to share the same hobbies." Red teased, smiling as he looked at the eccentric man.
Red's words nearly made the man stumble in panic. Fortunately, he quickly recovered, coughed a few times, and changed the subject by asking another riddle.
"What is something that's right in front of you but you can't see?"
"Eyelids," Red answered leisurely.
"Correct, correct! As a reward, I'll take you to the former location of the Cinnabar Gym."
After saying that, the man led Red to where the Cinnabar Gym used to stand.
However, it had now become a pile of neglected ruins. Only the old gym sign hinted to passersby that this place was once a dream destination for Pokémon Trainers.
Seeing Red look at him, the man thought he was confused about why the gym had fallen into such a state. Straightening himself, he slowly explained the reason.
"Too many challengers came with a tourist mindset. It annoyed Blaine, so as the Gym Leader, he decided to close it."
"That makes sense. Being constantly bothered by third-rate trainers would frustrate anyone—especially Blaine, a former Fire-type Elite Four."
Red turned his head toward the man, his eyes blazing with intense battle spirit. The man beside him couldn't help but take a step back in fright.
(Did I expose my identity?!)
"I'm really looking forward to the day I battle Mr. Blaine—a true Elite-level match!"
"Ahahaha..."
The man scratched his head awkwardly, glancing away, not daring to meet Red's fiery gaze.
"You should say that to Blaine himself, not to an ordinary passerby like me. Anyway, if you can't find a place to stay on Cinnabar Island, you can try staying here for a few days."
After speaking, the man, eager to leave, handed Red a postcard. The inn's name on it was "Riddle Lodge." To find its location, one simply had to solve the riddle printed on the card.
"Below is a swing, above are an older and younger brother racing. Mr. Blaine really loves riddles." Red muttered, turning his gaze toward a park halfway up the mountain.
Under the astonished gazes of passersby, Red's eyes glowed with a bright blue light as he used Teleport and vanished from the spot.
The park represented the swing, and above the park stood a building with a clock tower. The hour and minute hands symbolized the race between the older and younger brothers.
"Looks like I arrived too early~" Red said helplessly, covering his face.
At this time, the middle-aged man was probably still on his way back.
Half an hour later...
"I didn't expect you to solve that riddle so quickly and even get here before me."
Returning, Blaine looked at Red—who had already been waiting outside for quite some time—with disbelief, then glanced up at the clock tower.
"Since you're this 'enthusiastic,' I'll make an exception and let you stay at the inn for free for the next few days."
Perhaps already aware of Red's arrival, the lunch prepared by Blaine was extremely lavish, not inferior to those of several famous inns on Cinnabar Island.
A short while later...
After finishing lunch together, Red took the initiative to share some of his travel experiences.
"I see. I didn't expect you to have already gained the recognition of Giovanni, the strongest Gym Leader."
The man said in surprise, then looked at the Black Badge and qualification badge on Red's collar.
"By the way, the League Gym holding the Black Badge has already been officially recognized by the Kanto League. It's now the first Gym in the Kanto Region to specialize in double battles. Because of this novel battle style, it has even boosted the economy of Dark City. They're even planning to rename their city to something nicer."
"That's a good thing. It also proves they're properly fulfilling their responsibilities as Gym Leaders."
Red nodded slightly in satisfaction, touching the Black Badge on his collar.
"Even without official League recognition, you already have the qualification badge to participate in the Pokémon League Admissions Exam. So why continue traveling to challenge the Cinnabar Gym?" the man asked curiously.
"To challenge strong opponents and continuously hone my strength. Strength is a vague realm with no limits. I can't stop my journey just because I've earned the qualification to compete."
Red explained solemnly.
"For a rookie trainer who hasn't even been in the field for a year, you're outstanding—so outstanding that your brilliance is enough to overshadow all your peers."
The man let out a deep breath, looking at Red with admiration.