In the afternoon, after drifting around for nearly half an hour, Ash felt satisfied with the performance of the Marshmallow SR.
"Alright, it's about time." After resting in his hotel room, Ash stood up and headed toward the Viridian Gym.
Wearing his red-and-white cap, jacket, a plain white shirt, sports jeans, and white sneakers, Ash's tall figure looked striking. His burgundy eyes glimmered faintly like rubies, giving him a sharp presence.
"Giovanni, I'm here."
The moment his voice fell, the doors of the Viridian Gym slowly creaked open, as if in response. Ash wasn't surprised—ever since he first arrived in Viridian City, Team Rocket had kept an eye on him.
Stepping inside, Ash looked around. The Gym resembled a Roman coliseum, a design that revealed the scale of Giovanni's ambition.
As Ash approached the battlefield, he saw a dark figure seated in the boss's chair. At his side lounged a Persian, elegant yet dangerous. This was none other than Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket.
"Giovanni!"
"Ash Ketchum!"
Their eyes locked, tension sparking in the air. Neither was willing to yield ground.
"I didn't expect you to arrive so soon," Giovanni said flatly. "I watched your battle at Cinnabar Island. You truly surprised me." Despite his calm tone, inwardly Giovanni was on edge.
"Hmph! My grandmother and my mother suffered because of Team Rocket's schemes. I'll make sure you pay the price." Ash's voice hardened, his resolve sharpening like steel.
"Very well," Giovanni smirked. "Since you're so eager, why don't we make this interesting? Care for a wager?"
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. Let's hear it."
"I'm curious about your special techniques. Let's bet on that." Giovanni's lips curled into a confident grin, certain of victory.
Ash nearly laughed. "Fine, I'll take that bet. And your stake?"
"You'll be satisfied, I assure you." Giovanni snapped his fingers. A panel on the battlefield shifted, and a table rose from the ground. Upon it sat a glass case containing Giovanni's wager.
Ash's pupils shrank when he saw what was inside. His heart raced, but he forced himself to stay calm, masking his reaction.
"This is a Poké Ball I stumbled upon. It cannot be opened—not even with teleportation. It seems useless, but I think Professor Oak might find it very… intriguing." Giovanni's eyes gleamed.
He continued, "Of course, that alone might not be enough. If you win, not only will I give you this Poké Ball, but I'll also surrender the Viridian Gym itself. What do you say?"
Ash's expression didn't change, but inwardly he was shaken. He recognized it immediately—the GS Ball.
In his previous life, he had seen it once. Giovanni had discovered it in some ruins while searching for traces of Mew during his experiments to create Mewtwo. Alongside the GS Ball, he had found a single strand of Mew's pink fur.
Despite countless attempts, Giovanni had never been able to open or destroy the mysterious ball. Its secret remained locked within.
With the creation of Mewtwo, Giovanni soon lost interest in other Legendary Pokémon, believing that his own creation would surpass them all. The GS Ball, once considered a curiosity, was eventually neglected.
To him, it was little more than a useless relic.
"You seem awfully confident," Ash said coldly. "Fine, I accept. But I hope you don't regret this."
No matter how the wager turned out, Ash knew he couldn't lose. The so-called "manual" Giovanni sought was a blank book to anyone but him.
That was because Ash's training notes weren't written in ordinary ink.
They were inscribed through his Aura, visible only to those who could channel the same power. Without the gift of Aura, the pages were meaningless scribbles—an indecipherable void.
Even if Giovanni somehow obtained them, it would make no difference.
After all, the living body holds mysteries far beyond current science.
No technology in the world could fully comprehend the flow of cells, energy channels, or the vital meridians within a Pokémon's body. At best, researchers could study bones, tissue, or anatomy—but the true pathways of energy and Aura remained invisible, hidden from their reach.
...
TN:
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