As we walked through Viridian City, where Blue's gym was, the older kids talked while I gripped onto Red's arm, but he didn't really mind.

Then I caught a glimpse of the person I didn't want to see, and my eyes widened.

I grabbed Red's hand. " Come on. We have to go."

I took off running, holding his hand in one hand and my hat in the other.

Red was trying to tell me something, but I didn't notice. " Not now!"

When we stopped in front of the Gym, I let go of his hand and panted. " Oh Arceus."

Blue and Leaf caught up, panting heavily.

" Why'd you just take off running?!" Leaf said, crossing her arms.

" No time. If you see a girl with brown hair asking Red where ' your crybaby sister is', just tell her she's in our house sulking. got it."

" Okay ..... But why?" Leaf asked, but I had disappeared.

Blue stared after me, his hands on his hips and his expression full of confusion. "What in the name of Arceus was that all about?"

Leaf sighed, brushing some hair out of her face. "I don’t know, but it seems serious. Did you recognize the girl she was talking about?"

Blue shook his head. "Not a clue. Sounds like someone from her past, though. And judging by the way she ran off, probably not someone she’s too thrilled to see."

Red was silent, his brows furrowed in thought. He glanced in the direction I had disappeared, then back to Blue and Leaf.

"Hey," Blue said, nudging Red. "Any idea what’s going on with your sister? You’d think she saw a Ghost Pokémon with how fast she bolted."

Red simply shrugged, his expression unreadable. But Leaf caught the faintest glimmer of concern in his eyes. "I think we need to find her," she said softly. "She might be in trouble."

Blue groaned. "Great. First, she drags us halfway across Viridian City, and now we have to go on a wild Chansey chase to find her. This day just keeps getting better."

"Blue," Leaf said, her tone firm. "She’s your best friend's sibling. Don’t you care about her?"

Blue sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Of course I care. She’s just… exhausting sometimes. But fine, let’s go find her."

The three of them set off in the direction I had gone, weaving through the streets of Viridian City. It didn’t take long for them to pick up on a trail of whispers from passersby.

“Did you see that girl darting through the market? She looked like she was being chased!”

“She was muttering something about ‘hiding’ and ‘not getting caught.’”

“I think she went toward the forest path near the edge of town.”

As they followed the trail, Leaf couldn’t help but glance at Red. "You know, she always clings to you when she’s upset. It’s kind of sweet how much she looks up to you."

Red nodded, his lips twitching upward in a faint smile.

"Yeah, yeah, adorable sibling bond," Blue muttered. "Let’s just find her before she gets herself into trouble. Again."

As Blue, Leaf, and Red walked along the forest path, they spotted the girl I had been avoiding. She had brown hair tied in a messy ponytail and an arrogant smirk that made Blue grit his teeth.

“Well, well,” the girl sneered, eyeing Red. “Where’s your crybaby sister? Hiding again? Typical.”

Leaf stepped forward, her tone firm. “She’s at home, sulking. Probably doesn’t want to deal with someone like you.”

The bully rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. She ran past me earlier like a scared little Rattata. Where is she really?”

Red’s eyes narrowed, his silent demeanor growing icy. Blue, sensing trouble, tried to step in. “Look, she’s at home. You don’t need to—”

The girl cut him off with a mocking laugh. “Oh, so now her brother needs to protect her? That’s rich. Guess being mute means you can’t tell her to grow up, huh?”

That did it.

Red’s hand clenched into a fist as he stepped forward. Blue quickly grabbed his shoulder. “Whoa, Red! Don’t—”

But Red shook him off and charged. The girl barely had time to react before Red closed the distance between them.

“What are you doing?!” she shrieked, stumbling back as Red grabbed her wrist with surprising force. She swung her other hand to slap him, but Red blocked it effortlessly, his expression deadly serious.

Leaf gasped. “Red! Stop!”

But Red wasn’t stopping. He twisted her arm just enough to make her yelp, then let go and took a fighting stance. His message was clear "Defend yourself, or back off."

The bully glared at him, trying to regain her composure. “You want to fight me? Fine!” she snapped, lunging at him.

Red sidestepped easily, his movements precise and calculated. She swung wildly, but Red ducked under her arm and swept her legs out from under her with a single fluid motion. She hit the ground with a loud thud and groaned in pain.

“Red, that’s enough!” Blue shouted, rushing over to grab him. Red didn’t resist, but his glare didn’t waver as he stared down at the girl. His message was clear.  "Don’t mess with my sister."

The girl scrambled to her feet, her face red with embarrassment. “Y-you’re insane!” she stammered, backing away. “You can’t just attack people!”

Red didn’t move, but his piercing gaze made her shrink back even further.

Leaf crossed her arms, stepping beside Blue. “You brought this on yourself. Maybe next time, think twice before bullying someone.”

The girl muttered something under her breath and ran off, clearly shaken. Blue sighed and let go of Red. “Geez, man. You didn’t have to go that far.”

Red turned to him and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "Yes, I did."

Leaf sighed. “I get it—she deserved it. But maybe next time, don’t throw her to the ground?”

Red shrugged, his expression unapologetic.

Blue shook his head. “Remind me never to tick you off.”

Leaf glanced at Red again, a mix of admiration and exasperation on her face. “I guess no one can say you don’t take care of your sister.”

Red just nodded, his determination clear "No one messes with my family."