After resting for a night at the Pokémon Center, Ash figured the timing should be about right and brought Misty and Brock with him to the Viridian Gym once again.
However, when they pushed open the gym doors, the sight before them left them stunned.
Gary and the members of his cheerleading squad were sprawled all over the entrance, lying in different directions, clearly unconscious.
"Gary!" Ash hurried over to check on him.
With Misty and Brock helping to take care of him, Gary slowly regained consciousness.
Rubbing the back of his aching neck, he said with regret, "I should've listened to your warning... That Gym Leader, and that Pokémon I've never seen before... it was way too strong..."
Gary described his experience in broken fragments. He had battled Giovanni in a three-on-three match. His first two Pokémon had won smoothly, but the third one, a mysterious Pokémon covered in armor, defeated both of his remaining Pokémon with a single strike.
"I didn't even see what move it used..." Gary said with a bitter smile.
Ash patted him on the shoulder. "You guys get some rest. Leave this Gym challenge to me."
After settling Gary and the others, Ash walked alone toward the battlefield.
To his surprise, however, the one waiting there wasn't Giovanni, but three very familiar figures.
"Since you asked so sincerely!"
"We'll be generous and tell you!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Meowth!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!
Surrender now, or prepare to fight!
Meowth, that's right!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth stood proudly at the other end of the battlefield, striking their signature poses.
"Finally got to say the whole speech properly. That felt amazing!"
"How come it's you guys?" Ash asked with a frown.
"Boss Giovanni had urgent business and had to leave," Jessie said smugly. "So the three of us from Team Rocket are temporarily acting as the Gym Leaders!"
(T/N: Are they really that stupid? Revealing Team Rocket like that...)
James added, "If you want the Earth Badge, you'll have to get past us first!"
Ash sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Cut the chatter!" Meowth jumped forward. "The rules are three-on-three, but we added a little surprise, meow!"
They revealed an electric shock device installed around the battlefield.
"Whoever loses gets a shock as punishment! Pretty exciting, right, meow?"
Ash shook his head. "Since you insist... then let's begin."
For the first match, Jessie sent out Machamp, while Ash chose Primeape.
"Machamp, use Karate Chop!" Jessie shouted.
"Primeape, show it what real power looks like with your fighting skills!" Ash responded calmly.
Primeape displayed the refined martial techniques it had honed under Ash's training. It nimbly dodged the attacks from Machamp's four arms while counterattacking with precise Karate Chops and Cross Chops.
After only a few exchanges, Machamp was already completely overwhelmed.
"Machamp is unable to battle! Primeape wins!" Brock temporarily acted as the referee.
The electric shock device on Jessie's side activated, zapping her so hard that her hair stood straight up.
For the second match, James sent out Kingler, while Ash chose Bulbasaur.
"Kingler, use Crabhammer!"
"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
Bulbasaur nimbly dodged Kingler's attacks while wearing it down from a distance with Razor Leaf.
With the combined use of Leech Seed and Vine Whip, Kingler was quickly subdued.
"That's not fair!" James shouted as he received the electric shock. "Grass types have the advantage over Water types!"
For the third round, Team Rocket started playing dirty. All three of them sent out Pokémon at the same time: Jessie's Arbok, James's Weezing, and Meowth brought out a Rhydon that Boss Giovanni had temporarily lent to them.
"Three against three is only fair, meow!" Meowth said confidently.
Ash sighed. "If that's the case... Charizard, Pikachu, you're up!"
Charizard roared as it entered the battlefield, while Pikachu eagerly prepared for battle.
Under Ash's command, their tactical coordination was astonishing. Charizard used Flamethrower to suppress Rhydon, while Pikachu attacked Arbok and Weezing with Thunderbolt.
"Now's the moment, Charizard, use Seismic Toss on Rhydon!"
"Pikachu, use Thunder on Arbok and Weezing!"
In the intense battle, Charizard grabbed Rhydon and spun high into the air before slamming it violently into the ground. At the same time, Pikachu's powerful Thunder struck both Arbok and Weezing. The massive shockwaves caused the gym's structure to begin collapsing.
"What a twerpy feeling——!" the Team Rocket trio shouted as the explosion blasted them out of the gym.
Amid the rubble, Ash found the Green Badge. Now he had collected all eight badges and had earned the qualification to participate in the Indigo League.
At the same time, the collapse of the gym grew more severe.
"Everyone, get out of here!" Ash shouted toward the spectators' area.
As they rushed out of the building, the entire Viridian Gym collapsed into ruins with a thunderous roar.
[Ding! The host has defeated the Team Rocket trio and obtained the Green Badge. Reward: 500 World Points.]
[Ding! The host has collected all eight badges and obtained the qualification to participate in the Indigo League.]
[Current World Points: 24,500.]
Ash tightened his grip on the Green Badge in his hand. Looking at the ruins before him, a trace of unease rose in his heart.
Where had Mewtwo, the mysterious Pokémon that defeated Gary, and Giovanni gone?
A/N: Before the Indigo League begins, the Mewtwo Strikes Back storyline will be completed.
*