While his Black-tier anchors are already in the 60s, the heart of his roster—the Solid Gold and Deep Gold warriors—needs to bridge that final gap. To face the Earth Badge holder, every single member must be capable of surviving an Elite 4 level onslaught.
He heads to the Indigo Plateau, not to register for the conference, but to utilize the high-tier training grounds reserved for those who already hold at least seven badges. Here, the wild Pokémon are in the 50s and 60s, and the sparring partners are Senior-level trainers preparing for the main event.
For them it's pure happiness to train with the youngest champion in history. But for Zeth it's pure annoyance for the time being.
Zeth spends two weeks in the high-altitude training zones. He pushes his team through brutal, simulated "Gate Scenarios," forcing them to fight through exhaustion.
Cloyster (Lvl 59) spends hours in the frozen waterfalls of the plateau's peaks. After a grueling session against a group of wild Level 62 Dewgong, the Frostbite trait fully integrates into its biology.
[LEVEL UP: CLOYSTER REACHES LVL 60.] It officially enters the Elite 4 Tier. Its shell density increases, and the Deep Gold potential begins to shimmer with a new, harder luster.
Ceruledge (Lvl 57) and Armarouge (Lvl 56) engage in endless 1v1 sparring. They push each other's Weak Armor to the limit, learning to control the speed boost without sacrificing all of their defensive stability.
[LEVEL UP: CERULEDGE REACHES LVL 60.]
[LEVEL UP: ARMAROUGE REACHES LVL 60.] They are now a synchronized pair of Elite-tier executioners.
Houndoom (Lvl 57) and Rhydon (Lvl 58) focus on endurance. Rhydon practices its Amnesia meditative state while under a barrage of Houndoom's Dark Pulses.
[LEVEL UP: HOUNDOOM REACHES LVL 60.]
[LEVEL UP: RHYDON REACHES LVL 60.]
Zeth stands at the edge of the plateau, looking toward the road back to Viridian. His team is no longer a collection of varying strengths; it is a unified wall of power. Every single Pokémon on his belt has now breached the Level 60 threshold, the point where most trainers' growth permanently stalls.
The world knows Zeth is coming. The news feeds are dominated by "The Final Badge." People are betting on whether the 15-year-old Champion can complete the sweep. But in the shadows of the Team Rocket network, the chatter is different. They know who the Viridian Gym Leader really is.
As Zeth walks through the gates of Viridian City, the streets are eerily quiet. People watch from behind windows. He reaches the Gym—a massive, windowless fortress of grey stone.
The doors don't hiss open; they grind, heavy and slow. Inside, there are no floating platforms or volcanic pits. It is a simple, massive, dirt-floored arena. Standing at the far end, silhouetted against a single spotlight, is Giovanni. He isn't wearing a gym leader's outfit; he's in his tailored suit, petting the Persian at his side.
"You've spent your time well, Zeth," Giovanni's voice booms, calm and resonant. "The Orange Islands, Saffron, Cinnabar... you've polished your tools to a fine edge. But here, you aren't fighting for a badge. You are fighting for your future in this world. I don't use 'weak' aces for tests. I use the earth itself."
The air inside the Viridian Gym is thick with the scent of damp earth and old iron. There are no spectators here—only the cold, mechanical hum of recording devices and the heavy breathing of two apex predators. Giovanni stands with the stillness of a mountain, his shadow stretching across the dirt arena.
"Drake was a test of your spirit, Zeth," Giovanni says, his voice devoid of warmth. "But I am a test of your reality. You've played the hero in the islands, but here, there is only the weight of the earth. We will fight a Total War 8v8. No rotations, no tactical retreats. We fight until one side is buried."
Zeth releases his entire roster. Eight spheres pop, and the arena is suddenly filled with the roar of Lunar Charizard and the jagged silhouette of Abyssal Cloyster. Giovanni matches him, eight Pokéballs hitting the dirt in a synchronized thud.
[Zeth's Ceruledge, Armarouge, & Houndoom] vs. [Giovanni's Golem, Steelix, & Golurk]
The battle begins with a localized earthquake. Steelix (Lvl 64) lunges like a subterranean train, its iron body grinding against the arena floor. Ceruledge and Armarouge move as a twin blur, their Weak Armor shattering intentionally under the first tremor to skyrocket their speed.
Ceruledge's violet blades clash against Steelix's hide, sparks flying like shrapnel. Armarouge unleashes a Psystrike that ripples through the air, but Golurk (Lvl 63) intercepts, its massive stone fist cracking Armarouge's shoulder plating.
Houndoom tears into the gaps of Steelix's armor with a Crunch so violent the sound of snapping metal echoes through the gym. But Steelix counters with a Stone Edge that skewers the ground, catching Houndoom in the flank. Blood mists the dirt, but the hellhound doesn't retreat; it ignites its fangs and bites harder.
[Zeth's Rhydon, Toxicroak, & Cloyster] vs. [Giovanni's Seismitoad, Gastrodon, & Flygon]
Seismitoad (Lvl 65) and Gastrodon (Lvl 65) turn the arena into a muddy death trap.
Abyssal Cloyster (Lvl 60) fires its Frostbite Icicle Spears. They don't just hit; they freeze the mud solid, locking the Seismitoad in place. Cloyster's Absolute-Zero energy begins to creep up the toad's legs, the skin turning a necrotic blue.
Toxicroak (Lvl 62) engages Flygon (Lvl 67) in the air. The dragon dives with a Dragon Rush, but Toxicroak uses Sucker Punch, driving a poison-coated fist into the Flygon's throat. Flygon's sandstorm rages, scouring the skin off Toxicroak's arms, but the frog simply inflates his sac and croaks a bloody defiance.
Rhydon (Lvl 60) meets a Earthquake from Gastrodon head-on. Using Amnesia, Rhydon ignores the internal organ damage and retaliates with a Megahorn that flips the slug-like Pokémon onto its back, exposing its soft underbelly to the freezing mist of Cloyster.
[Zeth's Charizard & Salamence] vs. [Giovanni's Nidoqueen & Nidoking]
The "Royalty of the Earth" steps forward. Nidoqueen (Lvl 68) and the Ace, Nidoking (Lvl 70), stand side-by-side. They aren't just Pokémon; they are biological tanks.
"Now, Zeth," Giovanni commands, his eyes flashing. "Earth Power."
The arena floor erupts. A pillar of molten energy slams into Shiny Salamence (Lvl 65), throwing the dragon into the ceiling. Salamence's Moxie flares as it dives back down, its wings tattered, its claws dripping with its own blood. It strikes Nidoqueen with a Dragon Claw that shears through her horn, but the Queen counters with an Ice Beam at point-blank range, freezing Salamence's left wing until it shatters.
Lunar Charizard (Lvl 64) and Nidoking (Lvl 70) collide in the center of the chaos.
Nidoking isn't fighting with "moves"—he's fighting with murder. He grabs Charizard's tail-flame and tries to crush the bone. Charizard roars, his Lunar Flame turning a blinding, sickly white.
Charizard unleashes a Blast Burn fueled by his Black-tier core. The heat is so intense it turns the dirt floor into glass. Nidoking stands in the center of the inferno, his hide charring, his muscles tearing, but he refuses to fall. He lunges through the fire, driving his poisoned horn deep into Charizard's chest.
Charizard coughs a gout of silver-green blood onto Nidoking's face, but instead of pulling away, he grips the King's head. "LUNAR ECLIPSE!"
The silver fire implodes. A shockwave of pure spectral pressure levels the remaining gym walls.
The dust settles. The gym is a crater. Nidoking is on his knees, his eyes blank, his body smoking. Nidoqueen is buried under the rubble of a collapsed pillar. Salamence is grounded, breathing heavily through a broken jaw. Charizard stands, swaying, the poison from Nidoking's horn turning his veins a dark purple, but his tail-flame still burns.
Giovanni stands in the center of the ruin, his suit dusty, his Persian nowhere to be seen. He looks at the carnage—the blood, the ice, the glass—and then at the 15-year-old standing across from him.
"You didn't win because of your 'potential,' Zeth," Giovanni says, his voice low and dangerous. "You won because you were willing to let your team die to take me down. That is the mark of a ruler."
He reaches into his pocket and tosses a small, brown piece of wood—the Earth Badge. It's chipped from the explosion.
"You have all eight," Giovanni says, turning his back. "The Indigo Plateau is yours to take. But remember this: being a Champion is easy. Staying alive when the rest of the world wants your crown... that is the real war."