On September 14th, two months before the Indigo Plateau Conference, a major event shook the Kanto Region and sent shockwaves around the world!
It was an unbelievable event, but it was confirmed as fact.
Giovanni, the Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym in Viridian City, Kanto Region, was exposed as the leader of the notorious Team Rocket. Viridian City had been under Rocket control for many years!
This news shocked the world. People hadn't expected Team Rocket to have such immense power and control over a major city in the Kanto Alliance for so long!
At the same time, the world was surprised that Team Rocket's long-standing infiltration had finally been discovered by the Kanto Alliance.
"It's unbelievable!" This matter was being discussed all over the world, and the Kanto Region was naturally the place with the most heated discussions.
"Mr. Giovanni... No, that guy Giovanni is actually the leader of Team Rocket! He really knows how to deceive people..." In a restaurant, a Trainer sighed.
Originally, he respected Giovanni because Giovanni had once helped him and offered advice after he lost a gym battle, which improved his strength.
Many trainers shared similar sentiments, finding it difficult to accept that the amiable Giovanni was, in fact, the leader of Team Rocket.
Misty and Brock, having already suspected the truth, didn't lose their composure like others upon hearing the news report, but they still felt uneasy.
In contrast, Ash was the calmest of the three. He had known about Giovanni's identity and was only surprised that the Alliance had taken action that day.
"Then... the invitation letter... I guess it will come to me soon..." Ash wasn't worried about Team Rocket or Giovanni. He was concerned about what would happen next: Mewtwo's invitation.
The timeline in the theatrical version was estimated to be around this time.
Ash was now hesitant about whether to accept Mewtwo's invitation to New Island and participate in the events that would unfold or to decline it.
With Marshadow guarding him, Ash wasn't worried about his safety. He believed that the current Mewtwo was probably not at its full potential. Although it had the potential to reach the highest level, it hadn't fully developed it yet.
Not to mention levels, even Mega Evolution was beyond Mewtwo's current capabilities, as it lacked the two Mega Stones required for its X and Y forms.
"What are you thinking about?" Misty, who was feeding Togepi and eating dinner, noticed Ash seemed lost in thought and couldn't help asking.
"Is it Team Rocket?" Brock was also worried about Ash. He thought Ash might be thinking about Team Rocket.
During the Gym Challenge, Giovanni had shown great interest in Ash and praised him many times.
If Giovanni were merely the Viridian Gym Leader and a powerful trainer, this praise would be natural. However, the fact that he was the leader of Team Rocket meant that Ash had attracted the attention of Team Rocket, potentially putting himself in danger.
Although Pikachu was also worried about Ash, it believed that with itself by Ash's side, he wouldn't be in any danger. Pikachu was determined to protect Ash with all its might.
"It's okay...just thinking about what to do in the next two months." Ash came back to his senses after hearing their voices and smiled at them.
"That's right, even though the Challenger League is over, I still got the Badge." Brock nodded slightly. He had discussed this issue with Ash before, and now that Ash had eight Badges, they needed to reconsider their plans.
"I'm going to go home and do intensive training for the past two months." Now that the topic had shifted, Ash decided to stop dwelling on his worries. As a trainer aspiring to reach the peak, he couldn't escape challenges like these!
"That's a good idea. After all, you've traveled extensively throughout the Kanto Region. At home, you can train not only with your current team but also with the Pokémon stored at Professor Oak's lab," Brock agreed.
"Eh... Eh?!" Misty, on the other hand, nodded in agreement at first, but then she froze, looking at Ash in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Ash looked at himself, confused, feeling that there was nothing wrong with him.
"Going to Ash's house... wouldn't that be considered... meeting the parents?" Misty's voice was so soft that neither Ash nor Brock could hear her. After a moment of silence, Misty gave up on voicing her thoughts.
After dinner, Viridian City was still on lockdown, and the Pokémon Center remained under high alert. Ash, Misty, and Brock could only return to their respective rooms to rest and await further news.
The Alliance's operation in Viridian City lasted for nearly a day, finally concluding around eleven o'clock at night, although a curfew remained in effect.
During this operation, more than 70% of the businesses in Viridian City were affected. Of those, 60% were indirectly impacted, while the remaining 10% were entirely under Rocket control. These 10% have now been completely taken over by the Alliance.
To prevent further economic damage, the Alliance swiftly dispatched personnel to manage these enterprises. By the following day, the situation had stabilized, though the city's economy had suffered a significant blow.
Despite the losses incurred by Viridian City, the Alliance was satisfied with the outcome. The cost was deemed acceptable, and Team Rocket had been severely weakened. At least in the short term, it would be difficult for them to regain their former strength.
Furthermore, the Kanto Alliance's reputation did not suffer due to this incident. In fact, their successful dismantling of Rocket's stronghold in Viridian City significantly boosted their standing.
It was evident to everyone that Team Rocket, a formidable organization, had suffered a major setback. Viridian City had been a long-standing base of operations and a crucial source of funding for them.
However, Team Rocket's influence hadn't diminished entirely. As a powerful syndicate with a presence in both the Kanto and Johto regions, their full extent of their power and resources remained shrouded in secrecy.
But Ash knew that the true blow to Team Rocket went far beyond what was apparent on the surface. The departure of Mewtwo was their most significant loss.
After all, Mewtwo was a Pokémon that Team Rocket had invested immense resources and effort into creating, cloning it from Mew's eyelashes. This Pokémon, intended for world domination, had now vanished without a trace.
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