Authenticity

Arriving in Saffron City, Blue rides his arcanine to the Trainer House, soaking in the public attention but privately nursing a sore back. He hopes to immediately challenge Sabrina, but the Gym Leader frankly informs him that she is too busy dealing with the fallout of the Hoenn cataclysm to accept his Challenge, and refuses to let him operate as an unofficial agent like Erika did. Frustrated, Blue attends classes at the gym, attempting to train his newly caught abra and gastly to fight despite his dark status. The training goes poorly; without a protective instinct or the ability to passively sense his emotions, the psychic pokemon are paralyzed by fear in combat. When Red suggests Blue attend a class specifically designed for dark trainers struggling with this issue, Blue refuses, unwilling to fail publicly and tarnish his carefully cultivated heroic image. Meanwhile, Red discusses his plans to use his wealth to purchase high-tier pokemon like ivysaur and wartortle to round out his team. Leaf arrives with thrilling news: her behavior-modification program has successfully unconditioned a captured rattata, restoring its wild instincts. The Rangers plan to test the program in the Safari Zone, giving Blue hope for an exclusive upcoming adventure.

Seeking to reconnect with Glen, who has been quietly withdrawing since failing to defeat Erika, Blue meets him at a massive warehouse dojo. The facility is run by Duncan Sabien, an Unovan trainer who emphasizes parkour, physical fitness, and community self-defense over traditional gym battles. The dojo operates on the philosophy of being strong to be useful, preparing civilians to survive Stormbringer attacks. Duncan invites Blue to try a trampoline, and Blue happily experiments until a crowd gathers to watch. Fearing embarrassment, Blue immediately stops pushing his limits and sticks to safe maneuvers. Duncan calls him out, diagnosing Blue's deep-seated fear of public failure. He warns Blue that meticulously crafting a perfect image destroys any genuine relationship with the public; hiding the messy reality of failure sabotages the very people Blue is trying to inspire. Duncan explains that his dojo explicitly showcases its students' failures to filter for followers with genuine grit, rather than those attracted only to the shiny veneer of success. Struck by the truth of the critique, Blue accepts Duncan's wager: a battle where, if Blue loses, he must stay and train at the dojo for three months. As they walk to the arena, Blue is shocked to see the dojo's combat instructor is Koichi, the disgraced former Saffron Gym Leader. Duncan smiles, declaring that Koichi is the perfect person to teach Blue how to lose.