"Boom!" With a bang, the Hydro Pump passed through the water curtain transformed by the Water Pulse, and then bombarded the unsuspecting Nidoqueen. The berserk force sent Nidoqueen flying out of the venue!
"Bang!" With a loud sound, Nidoqueen was pushed out of the battlefield by the Hydro Pump's power and hit the wall. The Hydro Pump continued to wash over Nidoqueen for a while before stopping.
Although Blastoise didn't receive any attacks, the continuous assault caused it to consume a lot of energy, and it was slightly panting.
On the other side, Nidoqueen, who was attacked without any precautions, was nearly incapacitated. Its strength was already at its limit.
Although Nidoqueen hadn't passed out yet, it could only struggle on the ground, unable to stand up.
"Wow!" The audience erupted in an uproar. The battle wasn't going as they had expected. They thought that Giovanni would win easily.
But both Rhydon and Nidoqueen were being suppressed by Ash's Blastoise, and Nidoqueen was about to follow in Rhydon's footsteps.
"As expected of a challenger recognized by Mr. Giovanni, his strength is indeed very strong!" A spectator slowly came to his senses and exclaimed.
"That's right, it seems that this year's Indigo Plateau Conference will have a dazzling new star!" The spectator next to him nodded in approval.
Misty listened to the discussions of the surrounding audience, and she felt very happy. Her friend was being recognized, which made her feel happier than being praised herself.
"Blastoise, give it the final blow, Water Pulse!" Ash didn't waver because of the situation in front of him, and after Blastoise recovered a bit, he immediately ordered the final attack.
"Cheer up, Nidoqueen!" Giovanni's voice became low and his face was no longer as gentle as before, but serious and dignified.
However, his words didn't inspire Nidoqueen. Even though it struggled a bit, the damage it had taken was too great, and it was still unable to stand up.
Blastoise had already activated Water Pulse; the water polo hit the ground, turned into a huge wave, and rushed towards Nidoqueen!
Nidoqueen couldn't dodge at all and could only watch the wave crash down. Nidoqueen was submerged by the current, and lost consciousness.
"Nidoqueen is unable to battle, Blastoise wins!" the referee announced loudly.
"Well done, Blastoise!"
"Amazing! Challenger!"
The audience in the auditorium cheered. Although Ash hadn't won the challenge yet, having two Pokémon remaining meant he was close to victory.
Giovanni put Nidoqueen back into its Poké Ball with a blank face and looked at Ash with a deep gaze. Although Ash made him a little embarrassed, he also admired Ash more and wanted to recruit him as a subordinate.
"In this case, let's just be an adult..."
Giovanni was thinking about his next move.
He still had a backup Pokémon.
Although he couldn't make Ash realize the gap between their abilities through the challenge, if Ash won with only one Pokémon remaining, maybe he could leave a good impression.
Just when Giovanni took out the Poké Ball and was about to send out his third Pokémon, the staff member behind him seemed to have received some news through his headset. His face changed drastically, and he approached Giovanni.
"Boss, something went wrong..." The staff member's voice was very low, and he no longer referred to Giovanni as "Mr. Giovanni," indicating that he wasn't a staff member of the Pokémon League, but a member of Team Rocket.
"What's the matter?" Giovanni looked back at the Rocket member, annoyed at the interruption during his battle. If it wasn't a big problem, he felt that this staff member should be punished.
The staff member covered his right hand, making it impossible to recognize what he was saying through the movement of his lips.
This sudden abnormality made the fighting hall quiet down, and everyone wondered what had happened.
The more Giovanni listened, the angrier he became. The right hand holding the Poké Ball tightened, and the veins bulged.
"Damn it! What the hell did Archer do? Why didn't I receive the news until now?!" Giovanni suddenly roared, his gentle and refined expression replaced with a fierce aura.
But Giovanni quickly calmed down and thought about what to do. He no longer had the desire to continue with the Gym Challenge.
Giovanni turned around and was about to leave, but he suddenly stopped. He looked back at the surprised Ash, took out the Badge from his pocket, and threw it to the referee who had run over to see what was happening. "Leave this to him," Giovanni said.
Without waiting for the referee to ask any questions, Giovanni turned and left. He had urgent matters to deal with.
Everyone was bewildered by the sudden turn of events. The audience buzzed with confusion, and the referee, not being a member of Team Rocket, was just as clueless.
The referee, holding the Badge, was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. Since Giovanni had left and forfeited the Badge, the referee announced the result.
"Due to an unforeseen circumstance, Mr. Giovanni has conceded. Therefore, the winner of this challenge is Ash!" The referee's announcement was met with a roar from the audience. He then approached Ash and handed him the Badge.
"Excuse me, but may I ask what happened?" Ash inquired, taking the Badge with a puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any information. However, it must have been something urgent for Mr. Giovanni to leave like that," the referee replied, unable to provide a clear answer.
Ash nodded slightly, recalled Blastoise to its Poké Ball, and looked towards Misty and Brock in the audience. He waved at them before leaving the battle hall.
The Viridian Gym was in disarray. There were no staff members around, and the Trainers waiting in the hall for their challenges were ignored. It was as if a major incident had occurred.
"What in the world is going on?" Ash muttered, frowning at the chaotic scene. Suddenly, he recalled the recent events involving the powerful and fearsome man-made Pokémon, Mewtwo. His expression changed.
"Could it be...Mewtwo?" Ash wondered. He couldn't think of anything else that could have caused Giovanni to react so drastically. He had also heard the name "Archer," which clearly referred to one of the Team Rocket executives.
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