Since Brock didn't plan to return to Pewter City, Ash wasn't insistent. After some discussion, they decided to camp nearby and enter Viridian Forest the next day.
After a night's rest, Ash, Misty, and Brock entered Viridian Forest once again. Compared to their last visit, Ash's strength had undergone a tremendous transformation.
"It feels like yesterday when I came to Viridian Forest last time..." Ash couldn't help but sigh, gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings.
"I feel the same way..." Misty nodded slightly, holding Togepi. In the past, she would panic at the sight of Bug-type Pokémon, but now she remained calm. Although she still disliked Bug-types, she was no longer afraid.
Brock didn't share their sentiments. He had been to Viridian Forest many times, and he wasn't with Ash and Misty during their previous visit.
Despite their increased strength, their pace remained the same. After half a day of progress and half a day of training, it took them five days to traverse Viridian Forest and reach the outskirts of Viridian City.
This time, Ash didn't encounter the samurai boy he had met in Viridian Forest before. He had wanted to show the boy his growth, so it was a bit of a pity.
However, Ash believed that while he was growing, the other boy must be growing as well. Perhaps not as much as him, but certainly not as naive as before.
After leaving Viridian Forest, the trio continued towards Viridian City without stopping. As the sky darkened, they finally entered the city.
"Tomorrow will be the final gym battle..." Lying on his bed in the Pokémon Center dormitory, Ash stared at the ceiling, feeling a weight in his heart. He didn't know whether he would face Giovanni or, as in the original story, the Team Rocket trio.
Ash had a strong impression of the events that would follow, as they would be unprecedented in the Pokémon world: the creation of a man-made Pokémon and Mewtwo's counterattack!
Mewtwo was a Pokémon artificially created by Team Rocket based on Mew's genes. They cloned Mew's hair, extracted its genes, and seemingly added human genes, ultimately creating a Legendary Pokémon that surpassed many - the Genetic Pokémon, Mewtwo!
Ash still remembered the general plot but had forgotten some details. Mewtwo broke free from Giovanni's control and arrived at the island of its birth, which it seemed to name New Island.
"What are you thinking?" Brock, having finished washing up, emerged from the bathroom and saw Ash staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Oh, it's nothing," Ash replied, snapping back to reality. "I'm just thinking about tomorrow's challenge at the last gym. I'm a little excited."
"Yeah... the last gym," Brock said. "After challenging the gym, do you have any plans? There are still nearly two months before the Indigo Plateau Conference. I think we can use this time for intensive training."
"I have the same idea," Ash said, "but I'll make a detailed plan after the gym battle. We can't waste this time. I want to achieve a good ranking in the Indigo Plateau Conference!"
Ash was different from the Ash in the original story. Not only was he much stronger, but Pokémon like Charizard also obeyed him. He wouldn't experience a lack of fighting spirit in battles.
Winning the Indigo Plateau Conference might still be challenging with his current strength, but things could change in two months. If he dedicated this time to training, the extent to which his Pokémon could grow was hard to predict.
After washing up, Ash joined Brock and Misty for dinner at the restaurant. While eating, they watched the news.
There wasn't much news about the Kanto region, but there was plenty about other regions. According to recent reports, the Alola region intended to establish a Pokémon League and join the World Alliance, and so did the Galar region.
The Galar region had recently come into the public eye, but the strength of its trainers was remarkable, especially its current representative, Leon, known as the idol of the Galar people.
Leon was incredibly strong, unrivaled in the Galar region, and had achieved consecutive victories. This year, he would challenge the Galar region's Champion!
"Galar region... I was planning to get Sword and Shield back then, but I didn't expect to come to this world before I could," Ash thought nostalgically.
"But now is good. In the future, I can go to the Galar region in person and experience the style of this region!" Ash looked at Leon on TV with a smile on his face, "Of course, there is also a chance to experience Leon's strength firsthand!"
After dinner, everyone returned to their respective dormitories. Ash and Brock discussed tomorrow's gym battle and checked relevant information.
Viridian Gym's strength is formidable, and many people only obtain the Badge after the second or even third challenge.
"Giovanni's strength is very strong. Although he didn't fight for the position of Elite Four, we don't doubt that he has the strength of the Elite Four. Some people even think that his strength has reached the championship level," Brock said analytically.
Ash glanced at Brock. Giovanni specializes in the Ground-type, which sometimes includes Rock-type, aligning with Brock's specialization. It can be said that Brock admires Giovanni very much.
It's a pity that Brock doesn't know that Giovanni is the leader of the anti-Alliance organization, Team Rocket.
Ash thinks that the Alliance might know, but he doesn't know why they haven't taken action to replace Giovanni. Ash remembers an episode in the anime where Giovanni leaves the Viridian Gym, and Agatha temporarily takes over as the Gym Leader.
"He specializes in Ground-type, then Water-type, Grass-type, and Flying-type are all good counters..." Ash mused.
"That's true. So for tomorrow's battle, I think Blastoise, Venusaur, and Pidgeot can be used. Of course, Venusaur should be used cautiously, as Ground-type also counters Poison-type," Brock reminded.
"I know that!" Ash nodded slightly.
"Okay, let's rest. We'll go early tomorrow and get the Badge quickly!" Ash looked at the time and decided to get a good night's sleep, recharge his energy, and prepare for tomorrow's events.
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