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While Lorelei was on her way to Cerulean City to find Ash, she also notified another Elite, Agatha, to stay in Viridian City and keep an eye on when Giovanni would return.
And after she returned, Agatha did not leave, but chose to stay there with Lorelei to continue monitoring Giovanni.
Because with Ash's arrival, Giovanni's hidden conspiracy might be exposed, and at that time, Lorelei alone might not be able to protect Ash.
Giovanni's strength on the surface was that of a Champion, but no one knew how strong his true power really was.
After all, he was actually the leader of Team Rockets, so how could he expose his true strength?
There are also differences among Champion Trainers; a peak Champion can easily defeat six entry-level Champions. Powerful Champion Trainers possess multiple peak Champion Pokémon; such individuals can be called Champions among Champions, with the most typical example being Leon... So, to prevent Giovanni's outburst, Agatha did not choose to leave after Lorelei returned, but instead chose to monitor Giovanni with Lorelei.
Through the camera, Agatha made a judgment on Giovanni's remarks: Giovanni wanted to recruit Ash.
She was too familiar with Giovanni; how could such a guy be so calm and composed with a kid? It was precisely because Ash had outstanding talent that Giovanni still held onto that almost impossible hope, which was why he treated Ash with such calm and praise.
"Giovanni wants to recruit Ash? Ash would never join Team Rockets. With his love for Pokémon, unless Team Rockets changes its name to 'Charity Team' and does charity work every day, he might consider joining that organization." Lorelei naturally scoffed at Giovanni's idea.
After a week of interaction with Ash, she knew how much that boy detested evil. The despicable things Team Rockets had done alone ensured that Ash would absolutely not join that organization. Giovanni was completely dreaming.
"Hehe, Giovanni doesn't understand that little guy that well… But you, after spending these past few days with that boy, you seem to have developed a strong interest in him." Agatha said, slightly turning her gaze towards Lorelei.
Lorelei said noncommittally, "If you spent some time with him, you would also update your opinion of him. Outsiders think he's exceptionally talented, and perhaps there are some factors in that, but I think it's more because he's diligent enough."
"Every morning around 6:30, he trains with his Pokémon, and I mean with them! Whatever training the Pokémon do, he does too. This not only increases the Pokémon's enthusiasm but also significantly strengthens the bond between him and his Pokémon."
"Many people might think of this as a basic thing, but few can actually stick to it, let alone wake up early consistently. This small detail alone is enough to make me feel his dedication to the Trainer profession. A person like that will succeed no matter what he does."
Lorelei's words showed extreme admiration for Ash. It was clear that the time she spent traveling with Ash had truly won her over.
Perhaps Ash's strength is still far from that of a top Trainer, but his training methods and his attitude towards Pokémon will allow him to grow rapidly in a short time. Becoming a Trainer who stands at the pinnacle is only a matter of time.
"Oh? What you said has piqued my interest. If I get the chance, I'd like to meet him. I just wonder if he's truly as you say, capable of resisting Giovanni's sugar-coated bullets." Agatha said, her slightly cloudy eyes fixed on the screen of the monitor. At this moment, both parties had already taken their positions on the battlefield… "What do you mean by 'half Gym Leader, half Team Rockets leader'?" Ash asked, his expression slightly serious.
"It means exactly what it says. This time, we'll have a two-on-two battle. You get to choose the level of one Pokémon, which is a privilege of challenging a Gym. The other Pokémon will be chosen by me, which is the decision of the Team Rockets leader. If you win, I will personally hand over the Green Leaf Badge, and I will also disband fifty percent of Team Rockets members."
Everyone: !!!
The Green Leaf Badge is the Viridian Gym's badge. When Giovanni said he would hand over the Green Leaf Badge if he lost, everyone didn't feel much about it; as a Gym Leader, if you lose, of course you have to give the Green Leaf Badge!
But upon hearing Giovanni's second sentence, everyone couldn't help but be shocked. Intense expressions of shock appeared on everyone's faces, each person showing disbelief.
A single battle determines fifty percent of the scale of a cross-world organization. What kind of crazy bet is this?!
"What's the price, then?" Gary quickly calmed down after the initial shock. No one present was calmer than him, after all, he had almost been traumatized just now!
And the reason was simply because he had run his mouth, and the other party had immediately released a monster-like Pokémon from a normal difficulty battle.
Gary knew all too well how vindictive this guy was. So, even though the guy had seemingly offered such generous terms, proposing to disband half of his organization if he lost the battle—regardless of whether this was true or false—since Giovanni had said such a thing, he must have some other conditions to propose.
Even if it's a deception, it still needs to be somewhat realistic to fool people, right? With Giovanni's personality, how could he just hand over such generous conditions?
"As expected of Professor Oak's grandson, your mind is indeed sharp."
Gary: …Are you really complimenting me with that? Why does it sound like you're calling me a grandson?!
"Of course, I wouldn't offer such terms for nothing, Ash. You also have to pay an equivalent price." Giovanni said, casting a gaze full of ambition onto Ash.
Ash ignored the chilling gaze and said, "You say I have to pay an equivalent price? What equivalent price could I have? You don't think I can disband half the Alliance with a single word, do you?"
"No, no, no, my condition is very simple, and that is… you, sincerely join Team Rockets and serve us. As long as you agree to this bet, then my bet will also certainly take effect."
Sincerely work for Team Rockets? Giovanni's condition surprised everyone present.
What does this mean? Can Ash alone be worth half of Team Rockets members? In Giovanni's eyes, is he that valuable?
Ash thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Since it's something I can do, then I naturally have no problem, but can such a promise really be effective? If you lose, you might not disband half of Team Rockets members. If I lose, I also might not… No, I should say it's impossible for me to sincerely join your Team Rockets. You should be the clearest on this point."
He agreed, but whether he could actually do it was another matter. He wasn't a rigid person who necessarily had to do everything he agreed to, especially since he was agreeing to something with Team Rockets. Even if he went back on his word ten thousand times, it wouldn't be too much.
"Hehe, you don't have to worry about that. My words just now prove that the contract has been formed." Giovanni said, pulling out something like a scroll from an unknown place. He casually tossed the scroll into the sky, and immediately, the scroll turned into countless fragments, disappearing into the air.
Ash and the others were dumbfounded. What was that thing just now? They didn't even react before it disappeared. Was that Giovanni's secret weapon?
However, the next second, a powerful beam of light enveloped the entire battlefield from the ceiling. The golden light beam covered the entire battle arena, and Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi also felt a suction force pulling them into the light beam.
Ash stomped his feet hard on the Gym floor, leaving deep footprints, while simultaneously pulling Pikachu tightly: "What's going on, Giovanni, what the hell are you doing?!"
This time, Ash didn't even call him Mr. Giovanni. The current situation had even exceeded Ash's expectations. This suction force, even with his Aura, he couldn't resist it at all.
Even though his legs dug two deep pits in the ground, it didn't stop him from being pulled further.
And Misty, on her side, couldn't hold Togepi at all; in the end, Togepi was the first to enter the golden light shield.
Seeing this, Ash's expression hardened. He immediately released all resistance, and his entire body, along with Pikachu, flew out and was also sucked into the golden light shield.
He picked up Togepi and then looked around. Only after seeing Togepi's completely bewildered and happy smile did he breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed Togepi hadn't suffered any harm or Astonish. This little guy was usually well-protected and had never experienced any battles or training. He was truly afraid that the fall just now would have broken her eggshell.
Misty, Brock, and Gary also rushed over after reacting, but unlike Ash, they couldn't get into the shield from the outside. No matter how they knocked, the shield showed no reaction.
Inside, Pikachu watched the golden shield at the edge of the arena, then erupted with pure golden lightning. The lightning struck the shield, but it didn't even cause a ripple.
"Such a strong shield… What exactly is this thing?" Ash turned his gaze to Giovanni. Currently, only Giovanni could answer his question.
"Hehe, that thing I threw into the sky just now is called — Arceus's Contract. As the initiator and rule-maker, I have the right to determine the stakes of both parties. Although the contract will also judge whether the stakes are too disparate, which would lead to the contract not being established, it seems the price I'm paying is still substantial enough."
Giovanni's laughing words, however, left everyone a bit confused. Arceus's Contract… What was that? They had never heard of it before… "Arceus's Contract, Grandma Agatha, have you heard of it?" Lorelei's expression also became very serious when she saw the scene in the camera. She had a premonition that Ash seemed to have fallen into a trap… As for that contract, she had never heard of it. She knew about Arceus, of course, as it was the oldest legend in the Pokémon world, and who wouldn't know about it?
But what was this contract about?
"Arceus's Contract… Has that Giovanni guy actually obtained that legendary item?" Agatha's already wrinkled face became even more grim. Clearly, the scene in the video had also somewhat exceeded Agatha's expectations.
Originally, with the two of them backing him, no matter how Giovanni set the rules, he wouldn't be able to play any tricks. If Ash won, it would be fine. If Ash lost, the two of them would naturally intervene to stop Giovanni's actions. This was called righteous rule-breaking.
But what Giovanni brought out caught Agatha off guard. She had only heard of such a thing. Where did Giovanni get it from?
"Grandma Agatha, do you know?"
"I know… Arceus's Contract, as the name implies, is a contract laid down by the legendary Creator Pokémon, Arceus. Once the contract is established, it cannot be violated or changed unless one possesses power close to Arceus."
"Now Giovanni has essentially made a battle contract with Ash. Before their battle ends, no one outside can interfere. And once the winner inside is decided, the contract will take effect. Whoever wins will receive the conditions promised by the other party, even if the other party is unwilling. With Arceus's power, controlling mind and body is incredibly simple."
Agatha's words made Lorelei's face grow increasingly grim. How did Giovanni get such a thing? Just from Agatha's simple introduction, it was clear that this thing was an absolute anomaly!
It was fortunate that Giovanni had set relatively reasonable battle conditions. If Giovanni had been more insidious and proposed something like a Champion six-on-six battle, and an unsuspecting Ash had agreed, then it would truly have been all over.
"Is there no way to break this thing? Like, forcibly breaking it from the outside with power or something!"
"You can, but the prerequisite is that you have power above the Divine Domain level. Do you have that?" Agatha's words instantly extinguished the flicker of hope that had just risen in Lorelei.
Divine Domain level power… She had nothing! If she had a Divine Domain level Pokémon, she would be the strongest Trainer in the world!
"Then now…"
"Now, we can only pray that Ash wins. The conditions Giovanni proposed are not entirely without hope of victory. As long as Ash first makes Giovanni bring out a weaker Pokémon, then easily defeats it, he can then use his two Pokémon to take turns battling the remaining one."
Even knowing Ash had fallen into a trap, Agatha didn't panic. From the previous battle between Ash and Lorelei, Ash's ace Pokémon should at least have the power of an Elite at its peak. Although it required some special means to activate, that was still the power of Ash's Pokémon.
So, as long as Ash casually deals with one of the opponent's Pokémon first, and then has his two Pokémon work together to wear down the remaining one, there is still hope of winning.
Hearing this, Lorelei could only silently pray for Ash in her heart. Who would have thought that with two Champions monitoring Giovanni here, Giovanni would still find a loophole.