Tilt

Red struggles to find motivation to write rigorous, formal research papers for his recent string of failed experiments. During a therapy session, Dr. Seward helps him reframe his intense frustration with the lack of existing psychic literature into a motivating drive to set a better standard for the field. He hits a wall with teleportation experiments until an accidental free-teleportation into his fully enclosed Pallet Town bedroom proves that indoor teleportation is mechanically possible. He realizes the limitation is actually a subconscious safety check from the abra that can only be overridden by an absolute, unquestioning feeling of safety—a state of mind he cannot intentionally recreate once he knows it's an experiment. Wanting to push forward on his unown research, Red purchases a new ivysaur and wartortle from the Pallet Labs, then consults with Dr. Madi and breeder Sophie about his next plan: hiring a pilot with a fast flying pokemon like a noivern to get close enough to merge with wild unown mid-flight.

In Fuchsia City, Leaf continues her clandestine investigations into the rumored ninja clan while trying to avoid confronting her grief over the anniversary of Aiko's birthday. However, Red and Blue surprise her by showing up unannounced with Kasumi and Mr. Sakai to mourn together. They share a cathartic, tearful evening that strengthens their bond and reminds Leaf that she doesn't have to carry her sadness alone.

The next day at the Safari Zone, the team prepares to test Leaf's unconditioning program on a captured tauros. David pulls Leaf aside, revealing he noticed the initial data on her "unconditioned" pokemon looks too clean—as if the conditioning was simply bypassed entirely rather than slowly unwoven. He suspects Aiko's supposed breakthrough is a convenient cover story for something else and demands the truth, threatening to derail the project if she continues lying to him. Panicked, Leaf realizes that if David pushes the issue, the secret of Red's sakki use might leak to the public, potentially destroying trust in psychics entirely and triggering massive societal backlash.