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Lorelei's words sent a shockwave through Misty and Brock; on one hand, they were astonished by the Alliance's black technology, and on the other, by the implications of Lorelei's statement.
Lorelei was monitoring Ash and Giovanni's battle. They certainly didn't think Lorelei wanted information on Ash or Giovanni.
Wasn't it obvious that she wanted to monitor Giovanni? Recalling Lorelei's words from a week ago, that she stayed in Viridian City to monitor someone, both of them felt a chill run down their spines.
Why would Lorelei monitor Giovanni? What was wrong with the Alliance's strongest Gym Leader?
Ash looked at the tiny pinhole camera resting in his hand, momentarily silent.
Was Lorelei directly revealing her hand? Openly telling him Giovanni's true identity. Why was the unspoken balance being broken now? Had something happened between the Alliance and Team Rockets?
Ash's intuition told him that the changes between the Alliance and Team Rockets were likely related to Blaine.
However, none of that was very important now. The important thing was that he had to challenge the Viridian Gym, defeat the Viridian Gym, get his last badge, and incidentally, check if there was any trace of Mewtwo inside the Viridian Gym.
"It's no use hiding it from you now. The Viridian Gym Leader, Giovanni, is the leader of Team Rockets, and he's already set his sights on Ash. Actually, the best solution would be for you, Ash, not to challenge the Viridian Gym, but I've already heard about your situation from Professor Oak. You are determined to challenge the Viridian Gym, so you absolutely must carry this item with you, just in case."
"Giovanni's strength is at the Champion level. Although I don't think he would bully you to that extent, you still need to be careful. If anything seems amiss, I will rush over immediately."
At this moment, Lorelei's expression was no longer her usual gentle demeanor, but had become extremely serious, her beautiful face filled with solemnity, as if to say—this is not a joke.
Brock and Misty's brains had already crashed after receiving the information that Giovanni was the leader of Team Rockets. The latter's pupils widened in shock, and while the former had no visible pupils, the distorted expression on his face clearly showed his astonishment.
For the two Gym Leaders, Giovanni's true identity was no different from a bolt from the blue. After all, who among all the Gym Leaders in Kanto didn't know Giovanni's reputation?
Even Giovanni's strength was a source of pride for all the Gym Leaders in Kanto. How many other regions had a Champion-level Gym Leader besides Kanto? At most, only Johto Region and Galar Region each had one.
So, upon learning that Giovanni, this esteemed Gym Leader, was actually a member of Team Rockets, the blow to their hearts was immense.
Lorelei, meanwhile, had been observing Ash's expression. When she revealed that Giovanni was the leader of Team Rockets, Ash's expression didn't change at all. Could it be that Ash had already guessed it?
"Professor Oak hinted at it to me, but I wasn't entirely willing to believe the hint. However, since you, Miss Lorelei, have said it yourself, it must indeed be true," Ash explained to Lorelei, seemingly noticing her thoughts.
He then stuck the camera to his collar, straightened his hat, and with a smile, said, "This should be fine, Miss Lorelei, right? If there are no problems, I'll go."
"Oh? Even after knowing that Giovanni is the leader of Team Rockets and intends to target you, you still choose to challenge the Gym?" Lorelei's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she asked with interest.
"That's right, Ash. It might be better to reconsider challenging the Viridian Gym. The opponent is the leader of Team Rockets, and he seems to have ulterior motives for you. Going like this would be very dangerous!" Misty said, holding Togepi, her pretty face etched with worry.
Brock also nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, Ash, why don't we reconsider and look for another Gym first? Although I admit your strength is formidable, facing Giovanni would still be a bit..."
What Brock said was quite tactful. The gap between Ash's current strength and Giovanni's was not just a little, but the difference between a firefly and the bright moon!
Champion and Elite were completely different tiers. Ash was already struggling to cope with Elite-level power, so if he were to face a Champion... there was almost no possibility of victory.
Ash didn't speak, but let Pikachu jump onto his shoulder, striking a ready-to-go pose: "Whether I can win or not, I'll only know after fighting. Besides, if I'm blessed by the God of Victory this time, like when I battled Mr. Koga before, wouldn't I win?"
Misty and Brock: ...Blessed by the God of Victory? You say it so easily, do you really think the God of Victory is your Pokémon!
He had one stroke of luck before, having his power amplified by Victini. How could it happen again this time!
After a moment of stunned silence, Lorelei suddenly realized that Ash's words, rather than expressing hope for Victini's blessing, were implying that his previous methods were not Victini's blessing at all, but his own.
The reason he was saying this now was merely to set a precedent.
Of course, this might also be her overthinking, but based on her observations of Ash during this period, although the young man possessed all the traits of youth—impulsiveness, passion, love for Pokémon, and sometimes acting without thinking—he was never vague when it came to crucial matters.
When it came to matters concerning his own safety, his companions, and his Pokémon, would Ash truly pin his hopes on the legendary God of Victory?
This question remained unanswered for now, but perhaps she would know soon enough.
"Alright, since you, Ash, believe in the God of Victory so much, then go ahead and try. But even if the God of Victory doesn't bless you, the Ice Elite will!" Lorelei playfully winked, making a joke that didn't quite fit her personality or appearance.
Ash was momentarily stunned by Lorelei's close-up wink. A faint fragrance wafted towards him, invigorating his mind a few times over.
He quickly understood the meaning behind Lorelei's words—even if Victini didn't appear, she would still be there.
As a fellow Champion-level Trainer, Lorelei didn't think she was much inferior to Giovanni.
"Then I'll thank the Ice Queen in advance for her help. Brock, Misty, let's go!" Ash said, leading the way towards the Viridian Gym.
Misty and Brock exchanged glances behind him, eventually having no choice but to follow.
Their chosen companion, what else could they say? Anyway, with Elite Four Lorelei as a backup, they just let Ash do his thing... Twenty minutes later, at the entrance of the Viridian Gym, Ash and his companions learned from the guard that someone had already started challenging the Viridian Gym.
However, it shouldn't take too long; a winner would be decided in ten minutes at most.
The trio of Ash simply waited at the entrance for a while. A few minutes later, the Poké Ball at Ash's waist suddenly shook, and he received a message in his mind—Mewtwo was inside.
This was information Gardevoir transmitted to him, and he was caught off guard by it.
Gardevoir carried Mewtwo's spiritual essence within her. As long as she was out of her Poké Ball and Mewtwo was within a fifty-mile radius, Gardevoir could sense him.
That's why Ash hadn't released Gardevoir since they started in Viridian Forest, to avoid accidentally exposing Gardevoir and making Giovanni and Mewtwo wary.
But he hadn't expected that even through the Poké Ball, Gardevoir could still sense Mewtwo. He just didn't know if Mewtwo would sense Gardevoir...
'You said you sensed Mewtwo, but did Mewtwo sense you too?'
'Probably not. The reason I knew Mewtwo was inside was because the energy fluctuations from within triggered a reaction in my spiritual essence, but the reaction wasn't strong, and I've already suppressed it.'
Ash breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Mewtwo wouldn't, in turn, sense Gardevoir's presence.
He wasn't afraid of Mewtwo, but if Mewtwo sensed him, it would indeed become much more troublesome.
'Strange, when I first arrived at the Viridian Gym, why wasn't there any movement in your spiritual essence? The distance between me and the Gym hasn't changed, so logically, if you could sense it, you should have sensed it from the beginning.'
Ash suddenly felt something was amiss. If Gardevoir's spiritual essence reacted to Mewtwo, it should have reacted when he first arrived at the Viridian Gym. What did it mean for it to react only after a few minutes?
'This... I'm not entirely sure either. Perhaps Mewtwo wasn't mobilizing energy before, but now Mewtwo has mobilized his power, meaning he's entered a battle state, which is why it triggered the anomaly in the spiritual essence.'
Gardevoir also didn't know what was happening and could only offer her speculation.
If her speculation was correct, it meant Giovanni had brought out Mewtwo to deal with the challenger who had just arrived?
Thinking of this, Ash's face showed an extremely strange expression. Who was the unlucky guy who would make Giovanni use Mewtwo for a battle? Was the opponent too powerful, or had that guy provoked Giovanni?
With that thought, Ash activated his Aura and probed inside. The next second, his expression instantly changed drastically.
"I'm going in!!!" Ash, with a drastically changed expression, shouted at the two guards.
The guards, covered by metal helmets, shook their heads at Ash without speaking. The meaning was clear: no entry.
Only one group of challengers could enter at a time. Companions counted as one group. If they didn't enter together at the beginning, they would have to wait until the challenge ended to enter as the next group of challengers.
This had always been the rule of the Viridian Gym and was not specifically targeted at Ash.
But Ash couldn't care less now. In his Aura probe just now, besides detecting an extremely powerful Aura, he also detected a very familiar Aura—that belonged to Gary!
In other words, the challenger inside was Gary, and he was very likely facing Mewtwo.
How could he not be anxious about this? So, even knowing it was the Viridian Gym's rule, Ash couldn't stand it anymore.
Facing the guards' refusal, Ash's figure flickered, and he appeared directly behind the two guards. The two guards, clad in metal armor and helmets, standing rigidly, suddenly swayed and both fell at the stairwell.
"Ash, what are you...?" Brock looked at Ash's actions, somewhat confused. Why was he in such a hurry?
Even when challenging a Gym, Ash had never been that anxious, let alone when there was already someone challenging inside. His rushing in wouldn't allow him to battle Giovanni anyway.
To this end, he even knocked out two guards. This was the first time Brock and Misty had seen Ash so flustered.
"Gary is inside, and he's up against Mewtwo. We need to go in quickly." Ash didn't have time to explain much, but a single sentence summarized the situation inside and the reason for his urgency.
Upon hearing this, Misty and Brock's expressions also changed drastically, and then they directly followed Ash, rushing into the Viridian Gym...
Inside the Viridian Gym, Gary knelt on the ground. Blastoise, Arcanine, and Nidoqueen all lay beside him, and all of his cheerleading girlfriends had also fainted. Only he remained conscious.
At this moment, Gary's eyes were filled with terror, and his body, half-kneeling on the ground, trembled uncontrollably.
That Pokémon... was a monster!!
What Elite, what Champion, their oppressive power didn't even come close to that Pokémon's by a fraction. Now, even if that Pokémon just stood in front of him, without emitting any Aura, it still sent shivers down his spine.
He had intended to come to the Viridian Gym to challenge it first, partly to test the waters for Ash, and partly because Ash had already conquered three of Kanto's four major Gyms, and he wanted to see if he could take down a Gym.
Although the Viridian Gym was the toughest Gym, there were Superior-level challenge options inside the Gym.
Gary chose this option and easily defeated two of the opponent's Pokémon. Under the cheers of his cheerleading squad, he got a bit carried away, believing that, apart from his Pokémon, his Trainer skill was already on par with those Elite and Champions.
As long as he had Pokémon of the same level, even against Elite or Champions, he would have a great chance of winning!
Then he ran his mouth a bit, and the opponent's third Pokémon was the one now on the field, a Pokémon covered in machinery from head to toe.
According to Giovanni, although this Pokémon's level was very high, its strength was suppressed by machinery all over its body, and its level did not exceed Superior.
And then... he was decisively swept by the opponent, and that Pokémon, which Giovanni called 'not exceeding Superior level', didn't even move a single step or raise an arm.
Damn it, you call this not exceeding Superior level? Even Elite-level Pokémon don't have this much oppressive power!
What kind of Pokémon was this? He had no memory of a Pokémon with this appearance!
"Oak's grandson... Heh heh, he doesn't have his strength, but he does have his arrogance. Just as that old man Oak was threatening me a while ago, I'll let him see the price of threatening me. Mewtwo, seal that kid's mind."
Mewtwo... I think I've heard that name somewhere?
Gary subconsciously thought, then saw the Pokémon in front of him raise its palm, and a visible blue light rushed towards him!
If he was hit, nothing good would come of it, but he had no means of resistance now. He could only shield himself with both hands, instinctively closing his eyes.
"Bang!!"