i did it for greg

src/battle/BattleState.lua

@@ -316,6 +316,27 @@ function BattleState.trainerPicPath(data, trainer, oppClass, partyIndex)
   return base and base.pic or nil
 end
 
+-- trueColor on the trainer record, or on the basePic it reuses when the
+-- subclass does not set the flag itself.  Explicit false stays false.
+function BattleState.trainerTrueColor(data, trainer)
+  if not trainer then return false end
+  if trainer.trueColor ~= nil then
+    return trainer.trueColor and true or false
+  end
+  local base = trainer.basePic and data and data.trainers
+    and data.trainers[trainer.basePic]
+  return (base and base.trueColor) and true or false
+end
+
+-- Load a trainer frontpic through getImage so a trueColor portrait skips
+-- the 4-shade quantize the same way a species pic does.
+function BattleState.trainerSprite(data, trainer, oppClass, partyIndex)
+  return getImage(
+    BattleState.trainerPicPath(data, trainer, oppClass, partyIndex),
+    BattleState.trainerPalette(data, trainer),
+    BattleState.trainerTrueColor(data, trainer))
+end
+
 -- The battle-BGP fade variant of a pic (AnimationFlashScreen and the
 -- SetAnimationBGPalette effects remap the four BG shades; on the SGB
 -- the colorizer then colors the REMAPPED shade, so a faded pic shows
@@ -756,9 +777,8 @@ function BattleState.newTrainer(game, oppClass, partyIndex)
   -- MonsterPalettes[0] = PAL_MEWMON -- InitBattleCommon zeroes
   -- wEnemyMonSpecies2 before the intro's SET_PAL_BATTLE
   -- (engine/battle/core.asm:6682, engine/gfx/palettes.asm SetPal_Battle)
-  self.trainerPic = getImage(
-    BattleState.trainerPicPath(game.data, self.trainer, oppClass, partyIndex),
-    BattleState.trainerPalette(game.data, self.trainer))
+  self.trainerPic = BattleState.trainerSprite(
+    game.data, self.trainer, oppClass, partyIndex)
   self.introText = Strings("%s wants\nto fight!", self.trainer.name)
   return self
 end

src/mods/Gen2Compat.lua

@@ -1797,7 +1797,8 @@ local function buildBattleState()
     "throwBall", "ballChain", "tossAnimFor", "ballFlicker", "ballMissMessage",
     "storeCaughtMon", "safariAction", "safariEnemyTurn", "drawBallRow",
     "drawClassic", "isWideBattleLayout", "wideLayout", "bgMode", "uiSize",
-    "sgbPalettes", "trainerPalette", "trainerPicPath", "invalidate",
+    "sgbPalettes", "trainerPalette", "trainerPicPath", "trainerTrueColor",
+    "trainerSprite", "invalidate",
     "imageBattleScale", "resolveBattleScale", "backPlacement",
     "frontPlacement", "StatBox", "enter", "exit",
   }) do
@@ -1884,7 +1885,8 @@ COVERAGE["src.battle.BattleState"] = {
   absent = "newWild newTrainer makeSafari makeGhost makeBattler resolveTurn "
     .. "computeDamage catchAttempt runRoll enter exit sgbPalettes "
     .. "isWideBattleLayout wideLayout bgMode uiSize letterboxWhite "
-    .. "holdsUIAnchors BG_WORLD_DIM trainerPalette trainerPicPath invalidate "
+    .. "holdsUIAnchors BG_WORLD_DIM trainerPalette trainerPicPath "
+    .. "trainerTrueColor trainerSprite invalidate "
     .. "backPlacement frontPlacement StatBox drawClassic drawBallRow "
     .. "safariAction safariEnemyTurn throwBall storeCaughtMon field ruleset "
     .. "rng oppClass partyIndex aiUses introText dead",

src/mods/Schemas.lua

@@ -1017,6 +1017,9 @@ R.trainers = {
     index = f.opt(f.int(0, 255)),
     -- unused vanilla classes ship without a pic, so it cannot be required
     pic = f.opt(f.path),
+    -- Full-color portrait: skip the 4-shade SGB/GBC remap, same flag pokemon
+    -- and sprites already carry.
+    trueColor = f.opt(f.bool),
     -- Optional Advanced-mode OBJ palette source for a custom trainer portrait.
     -- It follows the same ROM crosswalk form as sprites.paletteSource.
     paletteSource = f.opt(f.str),
@@ -1068,6 +1071,11 @@ R.trainers = {
   gen2Fields = {
     id = f.opt(f.str), name = f.str,
     index = f.opt(f.int(0, 255)),
+    -- class frontpic; when set, this wins over menu_gfx.battleHud.trainerPics
+    pic = f.opt(f.path),
+    -- Full-color portrait: skip the GBC 4-shade remap, same flag Gen 1
+    -- trainers and pokemon already carry.
+    trueColor = f.opt(f.bool),
     baseMoney = f.opt(f.int(0)),
     -- the class's battle theme; Gen 1 spells the same idea `battleTheme`,
     -- but this is the extractor's own key and a strict rename would reject

src/ui/OakSpeech.lua

@@ -98,14 +98,14 @@ function OakSpeech.resolvePic(game, desc, speech)
   local t = desc.type
   if t == "trainer" then
     if speech and desc.id == "OPP_PROF_OAK" and speech.oakPic then
-      return speech.oakPic, false, false
+      return speech.oakPic, false, speech.oakTrueColor or false
     end
     if speech and desc.id == "OPP_RIVAL1" and speech.rivalPic then
-      return speech.rivalPic, false, false
+      return speech.rivalPic, false, speech.rivalTrueColor or false
     end
     local trainers = game.data.trainers or {}
     local tr = trainers[desc.id]
-    return tryImage(tr and tr.pic), false, false
+    return tryImage(tr and tr.pic), false, tr and tr.trueColor or false
   elseif t == "pokemon" then
     if speech and desc.id == speech.demoSpecies and speech.demoPic then
       return speech.demoPic, desc.flip and true or false, speech.demoTrueColor
@@ -241,7 +241,11 @@ function OakSpeech.new(game, onDone)
   self.answers = {}
   local trainers = game.data.trainers or {}
   self.oakPic = tryImage(trainers.OPP_PROF_OAK and trainers.OPP_PROF_OAK.pic)
+  self.oakTrueColor = self.oakPic
+    and trainers.OPP_PROF_OAK and trainers.OPP_PROF_OAK.trueColor or false
   self.rivalPic = tryImage(trainers.OPP_RIVAL1 and trainers.OPP_RIVAL1.pic)
+  self.rivalTrueColor = self.rivalPic
+    and trainers.OPP_RIVAL1 and trainers.OPP_RIVAL1.trueColor or false
   local oakGfx = (game.data.field and game.data.field.oakSpeech) or {}
   self.cfg = oakGfx
   -- the show-off mon and the name length cap come from data; the vanilla

src/ui/gen2/BattleState.lua

@@ -185,6 +185,19 @@ function BattleState:statusHUDVisible()
                       self) ~= false
 end
 
+-- Class frontpic for the battle intro.  A trainers-registry `pic` wins over
+-- the extracted menu_gfx sheet; `trueColor` skips the GBC 4-shade remap.
+-- Returns path, trueColor.
+function BattleState.trainerArt(data, classId)
+  if not classId then return nil, false end
+  local classes = data and data.gen2Trainers and data.gen2Trainers.classes
+  local classDef = classes and classes[classId]
+  local hud = data and data.gen2MenuGfx and data.gen2MenuGfx.battleHud
+  local path = (classDef and classDef.pic)
+    or (hud and hud.trainerPics and hud.trainerPics[classId])
+  return path, (classDef and classDef.trueColor) and true or false
+end
+
 -- opts: battle (a Battle), onDone(outcome), save
 function BattleState.new(game, opts)
   opts = opts or {}
@@ -308,6 +321,7 @@ function BattleState.new(game, opts)
   -- pic is a cache asset, so an import made before the extractor grew that
   -- stage has none and the mon stands in for the whole intro.
   self.showEnemyTrainer = false
+  self.enemyTrainerTrueColor = false
   -- The CLASS CONSTANT (BUG_CATCHER), which is what both tables this looks the
   -- pic up in are keyed by: menu_gfx's trainerPics is written out of
   -- constants.trainerClassOrder, and palettes.trainers out of the same names.
@@ -317,17 +331,19 @@ function BattleState.new(game, opts)
   -- no palette for every trainer the world starts, which is all of them.
   -- `classId` is the trainers.lua key, i.e. the constant; `className` is the
   -- DISPLAY name ("BUG CATCHER", with the space) and is not a key at all.
+  -- A class record's own `pic` / `trueColor` (the trainers registry) wins
+  -- over the extracted sheet, so a mod can drop in full-color art.
   local enemyTrainer = self.battle and self.battle.trainer
   self.enemyTrainerClass = enemyTrainer
     and (enemyTrainer.classId or enemyTrainer.class)
-  local trainerPics = hudGfx and hudGfx.trainerPics
-  local trainerPath = self.enemyTrainerClass and trainerPics
-    and trainerPics[self.enemyTrainerClass]
+  local trainerPath, trainerTrueColor =
+    BattleState.trainerArt(data, self.enemyTrainerClass)
   if trainerPath then
     local ok, image = pcall(Assets.image, trainerPath)
     if ok and image then
       self.enemyTrainerImage = image
       self.enemyTrainerPath = trainerPath
+      self.enemyTrainerTrueColor = trainerTrueColor and true or false
       self.showEnemyTrainer = true
     end
   end
@@ -588,7 +604,10 @@ function BattleState:drawPic(mon, back)
   -- slides it out (InitEnemyTrainer, engine/battle/core.asm:7848).
   local enemyTrainer = (not back) and self.showEnemyTrainer
     and self.enemyTrainerImage
-  if enemyTrainer then image, path = enemyTrainer, self.enemyTrainerPath end
+  if enemyTrainer then
+    image, path = enemyTrainer, self.enemyTrainerPath
+    trueColor = self.enemyTrainerTrueColor
+  end
   if not image then return end
   local side = back and "player" or "enemy"
   local anim = self:animPicState(side)