Even if it's deception, shouldn't it be more realistic to fool people? With Giovanni's personality, would he really give up such generous terms so easily?
"As expected of Oak's grandson, you do have a sharp mind."
Gary: …
Are you *&^%$ kidding? That sounds more like you're insulting me than praising me!
"Of course, I wouldn't propose such terms for nothing, Ash. You need to pay an equivalent price as well." Giovanni said, casting an ambitious gaze at Ash.
Ash ignored that chilling gaze and said, "You say I have to pay an equivalent price? What equivalent price could I have? Surely, you don't think I can disband half the league with just a word like you can?"
"No, no, no. My condition is simple, and that is... you, sincerely join Team Rocket and work for us. As long as you agree to this bet, then my stake will also come into effect."
Sincerely work for Team Rocket? Giovanni's condition surprised everyone present.
What does this mean? Does Ash alone measure up to half of Team Rocket's members? Does Giovanni really see him as that valuable?
After thinking for a moment, Ash nodded and said, "Since it's something I can do, I naturally have no objection. But can this promise really hold? If you lose, you might not dissolve half of Team Rocket, and if I lose, I certainly won't... no, it's impossible for me to truly join your Team Rocket, and you surely know that best."
He agreed, but whether he could fulfill it was another matter. He was not a rigid person, and keeping promises was not a priority, especially to someone from Team Rocket. Reneging a million times wouldn't be too much.
"Haha, there's no need to worry about that. The words just now have confirmed the contract's establishment." Giovanni said, pulling out something like a scroll from who knows where, tossing it into the air. The scroll instantly turned into countless fragments and disappeared into the air.
Ash and others were dumbfounded, wondering what that was. They hadn't even reacted before it vanished. Was that Giovanni's secret weapon?
However, the next moment, a powerful beam of light descended from above, enveloping the entire battlefield. Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi suddenly felt a force pulling them into the light.
Ash stomped fiercely on the gym's floor, leaving deep footprints as he held onto Pikachu tightly, "What's going on, Giovanni, what are you up to?"
This time, Ash didn't even address him as Mr. Giovanni. The situation was beyond Ash's expectations, and no matter how he used Aura Power, he couldn't resist the pulling force.
Even creating two deep pits with his legs couldn't stop him from being dragged along.
Misty, on the other hand, couldn't hold onto Togepi, and Togepi was the first to be pulled into the golden beam of light.
Seeing this, Ash narrowed his gaze, released all resistance, and leapt into the light with Pikachu, getting pulled into the golden radiance.
He picked up Togepi and looked around. Seeing Togepi's clueless and happy expression, Ash finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Togepi hadn't been hurt or frightened. Togepi was usually well-protected, having never engaged in battles or training. Ash really feared a fall like that might crack its eggshell.
As Misty, Brock, and Gary rushed over, they found, unlike Ash, they couldn't enter the barrier. No matter how they hit it, it didn't react.
Inside, Pikachu aimed a pure golden Thunder at the barrier, but it didn't even ripple.
"Such a powerful barrier... what is this thing?" Ash turned his gaze to Giovanni, as he was the only one who could answer his question.
"Haha, what I just threw is called—the Contract of Arceus. I'm the initiator and the rule-maker, so I have the authority to set the stakes for both parties. Although the contract can determine if the stakes are too imbalanced to void it, it seems my price is significant enough."
Giovanni's gleeful words left everyone puzzled. The Contract of Arceus... what was this thing? They had never heard of it before.
...
"Granny Juzi, have you heard of the Contract of Arceus?" Lorelei asked, her expression becoming serious upon seeing the scene in the surveillance footage. She had a premonition that Ash might have been tricked...
As for the contract, she really hadn't heard of it. She knew of Arceus, as one of the oldest legends in the Pokemon Realm, who wouldn't?
But what was this contract about?
"The Contract of Arceus... did Giovanni actually obtain that legendary item?" Agatha's already wrinkled face grew worse, clearly feeling the scene exceeded her expectations.
With two of them holding the line, no matter how Giovanni set his rules, he couldn't pull off anything outrageous. If Ash won, great, but if Ash lost, they naturally would step in to thwart Giovanni. This was what they'd call righteous interference.
But Giovanni producing such an item caught Juzi off guard. Even she had only heard of it; where did Giovanni get it from?
"Granny Juzi, do you know about it?"
"Yes... The Contract of Arceus, as the name suggests, is a contract determined by the legendary Creator God Arceus. Once established, it cannot be violated or changed unless one possesses power approaching that of Arceus."
"Now Giovanni has essentially made a battle contract with Ash. Before their battle concludes, outsiders can't interfere. Once a victor emerges inside, the contract will enforce the conditions promised by the winner, even if the loser is unwilling. With Arceus' power, mind and body control is just too easy."
Agatha's words made Lorelei's face increasingly grim. How did Giovanni acquire such a thing? Just from Agatha's brief explanation, it was clear that this item was insanely powerful!
Luckily, Giovanni set relatively reasonable battle terms. Had he set something devious, like a six-on-six Champion-level battle, and had unsuspecting Ash agreed, it would have been catastrophic.
"Isn't there any way to break this thing? Like forcefully from the outside!"
"There is, but you need power above Divine Domain Level, do you have that?" Agatha's words extinguished the brief hope Lorelei had.
Divine Domain Level power... she didn't have that! If she had a Divine Domain Level Pokemon, she'd be the strongest trainer of the current era!
"What now then..."
"Now, we can only hope Ash can win. Giovanni's proposal wasn't entirely without a chance of victory. Ash just needs to make Giovanni send out a weaker Pokemon first and defeat it readily, then use two Pokemon to exhaust the remaining one."
Even knowing Ash was in a trap, Agatha remained calm. Based on Ash's previous battle with Lorelei, his ace Pokemon should have at least Elite Peak strength, needing special means to unleash its full power, but that was still Ash's Pokemon's strength.
So, as long as Ash could take down the first one easily, then combine two Pokemon to wear down the second, there was still hope for victory.
Upon hearing this, Lorelei could only silently pray for Ash. Who would have thought that even with two Champions watching Giovanni, he'd still find a loophole?