With seven Gym Badges in hand, Ash and his companions finally arrived at the location of the last Gym in the Kanto region, Viridian City.
The city gave off a solemn and imposing atmosphere. The pedestrians on the streets all seemed to be moving hurriedly, as if no one wanted to linger.
"So this is Viridian City," Brock said while looking at the map in his hand. "The Viridian Gym is just up ahead."
Just as they were heading toward the Gym, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"Hmph. I was wondering who it was. So it's you, Ash."
Gary approached with his signature confident smile, his enthusiastic cheerleading squad still following behind him.
"Gary, are you here to challenge the Viridian Gym too?" Ash asked.
"Of course." Gary proudly displayed his badge case. Inside, ten badges were neatly arranged. "I've already collected all the badges needed to participate in the Indigo League. But I heard the Viridian Gym is exceptionally strong, so I came to see it for myself."
After hearing this, Ash's expression grew serious.
As he approached the Gym, Ash's Aura began to stir uneasily. He could sense a powerful and abnormal energy fluctuation emanating from deep within the building.
The sensation was unfamiliar, yet the memories from his previous life made it feel strangely recognizable.
"Gary," Ash said with rare seriousness, "the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym is not simple. Be careful."
Gary simply laughed dismissively. "What, are you worried about me? Relax. I'm the best Trainer in Pallet Town."
Watching Gary confidently walk into the Gym, Ash could only feel a growing sense of worry in his heart.
He knew that the current Gym Leader was Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket. And hidden deep within the Gym was the artificial Pokémon created by Team Rocket using the genes of Mew.
Mewtwo.
Thinking of this inevitably reminded him of the first Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo's appearance at the Viridian Gym was essentially the prelude to the events of that film.
Meanwhile, Gary and his cheerleaders entered the Viridian Gym.
The interior of the Gym was unusually dark, and the air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere. Gary stood at one end of the battlefield, waiting for the Gym Leader to appear.
"Welcome to the Viridian Gym."
A deep voice echoed from the shadows.
On a raised platform sat Giovanni, dressed in a suit and exuding a calm yet imposing aura. With his left hand, he gently stroked one of his signature Pokémon, Persian.
Although his tone was calm, his eyes carried unquestionable authority.
"The rules are three-on-three. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon," Giovanni said coldly. "Are you ready?"
"I'm ready anytime!" Gary confidently threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Nidoking!"
"Go, Golem," Giovanni replied calmly as he released his first Pokémon.
The clash between the two Ground-type Pokémon was extremely intense. In the end, Gary's Nidoking, thanks to its superior agility, landed a precise Horn Drill and secured the victory.
"Not bad," Giovanni said with an unchanged expression. "Then the second one... Kingler."
"Kingler, use Crabhammer!"
At the moment Kingler attacked, Gary recalled Nidoking and immediately sent out Arcanine.
Although the matchup involved type disadvantage, Gary showed no fear. After several rounds of fierce exchanges, Arcanine ended the battle with a powerful Fire Blast that knocked out Kingler.
At that moment, Giovanni stood up from his seat and looked down at Gary.
"Young man, you're quite impressive, defeating two of my Pokémon in a row."
"But what will you do against the next one?"
Snap!
With the sound of Giovanni's fingers snapping, a hidden door slowly rose on the other side of the Gym. A "Pokémon" wearing psychic armor and connected to several cables appeared there.
"W-What is that?" Gary was stunned. Just standing there, the creature radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Giovanni said nothing more. He simply snapped his fingers again.
The "Pokémon" emitted a dark blue psychic aura and instantly blasted Arcanine backward!
"Arcanine!" Gary shouted in alarm before throwing another Poké Ball. "Nidoking, I'm counting on you again!"
The result was obvious.
The attacks from both of Gary's Pokémon were like ants trying to shake a giant tree. They posed absolutely no threat to the mysterious creature.
Only then did Gary recall what Ash had said earlier.
"You should be careful. The Viridian Gym isn't that easy."
————————
Meanwhile, Ash and his companions did not hurry toward the Viridian Gym.
Ash knew very well that Mewtwo and Giovanni had not yet left the Gym.
He would definitely challenge it, but he needed to wait until both of them were gone. With the level of Aura power he currently possessed, his chances of winning were less than thirty percent.
Moreover, with Giovanni present, he wouldn't be able to act freely. If Giovanni took notice of him, his future travels would become far more troublesome.
"Ash, you said from the beginning that the Viridian Gym was unusual. Why do you say that?" Brock asked.
After thinking for a moment, Ash gave an ambiguous answer.
"Maybe... it's just intuition. You've all seen it. My intuition hasn't been wrong once during this journey."
With the protagonist's current strength, facing Mewtwo head-on was still far too difficult.
The only chance would be during the first major event, Mewtwo Strikes Back. After all, there was still Mew as the ultimate backup.
*
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +30 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌