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"What's wrong?"
"But..." Hearing Ash's response, Misty spoke up eagerly.
Before she could finish speaking, Ash interrupted her.
"If we call the police, they might not be able to handle him. If Giovanni really plans to disband Team Rocket, calling the police might make him abandon that idea!"
"Wouldn't Team Rocket continue to exist then? Won't more people suffer because of it?"
Ash's words left both Misty and Brock silent. Gary remained quiet as well, lost in his own thoughts.
"What if he's lying to us?"
"Then we're just back where we started, aren't we?" Ash smiled at Misty's concern.
"No matter what they do, we can just stop them when the time comes." There was no such storyline in the anime, so Ash couldn't tell whether Giovanni's words were genuine or not.
At the very least, the emotions he displayed in that moment seemed real. However, Giovanni had been a powerful figure for many years, and Ash might not be able to see through his true intentions.
Even if it turned out to be false, it would be no different from the current situation. And if it were true, that would naturally be a good outcome.
"Uh..." After listening to Ash's explanation, the group thought it over carefully and realized he had a point.
If they called the police, another fierce battle might break out. Viridian City could end up like Celadon City, where the damage would outweigh the benefits.
Viridian Gym
At that moment, Giovanni stood at the entrance of the Viridian Gym, watching the group's retreating figures.
"Go down a different path than mine. I'll try to live my life over again."
He slowly pulled out an ordinary Poké Ball from his pocket, gazing at it with nostalgic eyes, as if he hadn't held this particular Poké Ball in a very long time.
Unlike Misty and the others, Giovanni didn't seem worried at all about what would happen to him after Team Rocket disbanded.
Meanwhile, Ash and his friends made their way back to the Pokémon Center while chatting. They had just been through an intense battle, and Scizor along with his other Pokémon were all injured, so Ash couldn't leave just yet.
"I have to get going!"
But as soon as they reached the entrance of the Pokémon Center, Gary spoke up.
Looking at Gary's expression, he seemed troubled by something. The three companions didn't understand the reason, but Gary knew exactly what was bothering him.
After watching the battle between Ash and Giovanni, Gary could clearly see that Giovanni had fought with full strength and even used Pokémon he reserved for serious matches.
Those reserved Pokémon were much stronger than the ones used in Gary's own gym battle.
Yet Ash had still won. If Giovanni had used those four Pokémon against him, could he have prevailed? Gary was reluctant to admit he might have lost.
When he saw Giovanni hand the Earth Badge to Ash, even though it was the same badge, Gary instantly felt that his own Earth Badge seemed less valuable than the one Ash received.
After all, Giovanni had said it right to his face—he hadn't even fought seriously against the Trainer standing before him.
Although the two of them were the only Trainers to receive the Viridian Gym Badge, from Giovanni's perspective, Gary wasn't on the same level as Ash.
"You're leaving already?" Hearing Gary's words, Ash responded instinctively.
"Hmph! I'm busy preparing for the Indigo Plateau Conference. I don't have time to stick around with you!" Though Gary felt frustrated inside, he maintained his proud demeanor.
"In that case, why didn't you just leave earlier?" Ash was momentarily speechless. Why had Gary stayed to watch the match if he was in such a hurry?
"That's none of your business!"
"Anyway... see you at the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash! Don't think that just because you defeated Giovanni's serious team, you're better than me!"
"Even if he had used those Pokémon against me, I still wouldn't have lost."
Gary's face flushed red for a moment before he quickly retorted. His competitive nature wouldn't allow him to admit he was inferior to Ash.
"Alright, alright, I hear you! See you at the Indigo Plateau then. Bye!"
After hearing this, Ash waved his hand casually. He'd known Gary's personality for years and didn't want to argue anymore, so he simply waved and walked into the Pokémon Center.
"Damn it! That guy... I definitely won't lose to you at the Indigo Plateau Conference!"
Seeing Ash ignore him and leave, Gary gritted his teeth and shouted, causing passersby who were about to enter the Pokémon Center to instinctively keep their distance.
Ash paid no attention to Gary's current mood. He entered the Pokémon Center, handed his injured Pokémon to Nurse Joy for treatment, and checked in for the night.
That day, after everything that had happened at the Viridian Gym, Ash returned to his room and pinned the final badge inside his jacket. Eight badges in total.
With these eight badges, he was now qualified to compete in the Pokémon League's Indigo Plateau Conference.
However, there was still about a month until the Indigo Plateau Conference began. In other words, he had already achieved his goal ahead of schedule.
If they hadn't encountered so many obstacles along the way, like the Team Rocket incidents, the journey would have been even faster.
"You've already collected all eight badges. What are your plans now, Ash?" Misty looked at the badges displayed on Ash's jacket and asked.
"Well... anyway, let's head back to Pallet Town first and check on everyone's condition. If possible, I want to take my Pokémon somewhere to train!"
Ash thought for a moment before responding. With about a month remaining, he couldn't just wander around aimlessly.
In the anime's Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash only made it to the top sixteen, and his subsequent opponents were completely unknown.
Having experienced so many unexpected events, Ash understood that the real world was different from the anime. The powerful rivals beyond the top sixteen were real and couldn't be dismissed as background characters.
In the anime, Ash's rivals from the first generation—Gary and Ritchie—were both defeated by unknown trainers.
Considering what came later, where opponents like Tobias appeared seemingly to prevent anyone from winning the championship easily, Ash knew he couldn't treat the rivals ahead as mere extras.