"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!"
Empowered by the churning water, Gyarados's tail slammed into Nidoking, sending the powerhouse Pokémon skidding several meters back.
"Megahorn!" Giovanni countered.
Nidoking's horn glowed with a malevolent green energy as it charged.
(He knows,) Red thought, his mind piecing it together. (Giovanni knows Gyarados is part Dark-type.) A Gym Leader of his caliber would never command a Bug-type move against a standard Water/Flying Gyarados, against which it would be ineffective. The Brick Break from before hadn't been a random attack; it had been a test. A confirmation.
Red now understood the undeniable link between his Gyarados and Team Rocket. But this was not the time for revenge. He was strong, but not yet strong enough to challenge Giovanni's entire empire. He would not act recklessly and endanger his family. That vengeance would come, but on his own terms.
"Use Ice Fang to freeze his feet, then follow with Aqua Tail!" Red commanded.
Perhaps fueled by the thrill of battle, Nidoking broke free from the ice that began to form around its ankles and continued its charge. The best defense was a good offense. Red met the charge head-on, commanding Gyarados to counter with its own Aqua Tail.
The collision of the two moves was titanic. A shockwave tore through the arena, shattering the decorative stone pillars at the edge of the field. For a moment, it seemed the entire gym might collapse.
Both Pokémon were thrown back. As Gyarados recovered, a dark, familiar energy began to stir within it—the lingering, corrupting influence of Team Rocket's experiments. A black aura flared to life around its body. It unleashed a sudden, vicious Dark Pulse that slammed into the recovering Nidoking. Seizing the opening, Gyarados lunged forward and clamped down with a brutal Crunch, its jaws threatening to tear Nidoking in half.
"Calm down!" Red's voice cut through the rage. He radiated a soothing wave of his own Aura, pulling his partner back from the brink of a full berserker rage.
Sensing his trainer's displeasure, Gyarados sobered instantly, refusing to let the evil taint control its body.
"Finish it. Hyper Beam," Red ordered.
Still latched onto Nidoking, Gyarados gathered a sphere of destructive energy in its mouth and unleashed it at point-blank range. The beam tore through the roof of the gym, leaving a gaping hole to the night sky, and completely overwhelmed Giovanni's Pokémon.
"Nidoking is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Impressive strength," Giovanni praised, his tone unreadable. "But a pity your Gyarados has not yet mastered its power."
Red recalled his partner, ready for the final round. But Giovanni, from his platform above, stood up and slowly extended a hand. "You've won two matches. By rights, you have already earned the Earth Badge."
He had no intention of continuing. This was an evaluation, not a true battle, and he was growing weary of the charade.
"No, Mr. Giovanni," Red's voice rang out, firm and unwavering. "I want to witness your true strength. I want you to face me and my partner with everything you have."
He threw a Poké Ball, and a magnificent Beedrill appeared on the field. It was larger than average, standing at a full 1.3 meters, its twin stingers honed to a razor's edge.
"Beedrill..." Giovanni murmured, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes. He, too, had started his journey with an unpopular Pokémon, a Beedrill blessed by a rare power from the heart of Viridian Forest. He remembered the fire, the ambition... a path he had long since abandoned.
"This Beedrill is proof of my three years of hard work!" Red shouted, a rare passion flaring in his voice. "I'm counting on you!"
"I see..." Giovanni reacted, a slow smile spreading across his face. He reached up and took an Ultra Ball from the chain around his neck. "In that case, let me show you what true power looks like."
He threw the ball. Another Beedrill appeared, radiating an aura so powerful it seemed to warp the air around it. Red's Beedrill was momentarily intimidated but stood its ground, its fighting spirit refusing to be quelled. The instant the match began, it launched a preemptive Pin Missile.
Giovanni gave no command. His Beedrill moved on its own, a golden blur of motion that weaved through every single needle with contemptuous ease. It closed the distance in an instant and landed a casual X-Scissor on its opponent's back. The blow, though not at full power, was enough to make Red's Beedrill gasp for air.
"Young man," Giovanni said coolly, "sometimes recklessness is not the same as strength." He seemed displeased but then paused, a strange look on his face. (Why... why am I displeased with him?) For a potential future enemy, his first instinct wasn't to crush him, but to... teach him. To witness his growth.
"Beedrill is the proof of all my hard work!" Red declared again.
He slowly tipped his hat down, revealing only his left eye. And then, something strange happened. The iris of his eye began to glow a faint, luminous crimson. On the field, his Beedrill changed. A psychic link formed between them, and a powerful, tangible aura exploded from its body, colliding with the oppressive pressure from Giovanni's own champion.
"Aura Resonance," Giovanni breathed, his composure finally breaking. "I didn't expect you to become an Aura Trainer at such a young age." It was a legendary state, a perfect synthesis between trainer and Pokémon that unlocked their deepest potential.
"Beedrill, X-Scissor!" Red yelled.
Feeling the raw passion from the boy and his Pokémon, Giovanni's Beedrill did not evade. It met the attack head-on, their crossed stingers clashing in a shower of sparks before Giovanni's Beedrill easily overpowered its opponent.
"Are you unwilling to admit defeat?" Giovanni frowned as Red's Beedrill struggled back to its feet. It shook its head, refusing its trainer's offer to support it with his own power. It would win this—or lose it—with its own strength.
"Beedrill, X-Scissor!"
It charged again, its stingers glowing with a verdant light.
"To fight so fearlessly, even against an impossible foe..." Giovanni mused. And as he watched, he felt something stir within him. A faint, green energy—the Spirit of Viridian he thought he had lost forever—began to glow around his body.
(I remember now...) he thought, his eyes widening. (This feeling... the excitement, the fire... I was once like him. I once poured my entire soul into my Pokémon. I was once this obsessed.)
His own Beedrill turned, stunned to see the verdant glow around its master. How long had it been? When Giovanni had fallen to darkness, it had followed him without question. But it missed the man he used to be.
(This human... he ignited the master's old fire,) it thought, giving Red a deep, respectful look.
"Young man, thank you for helping me find what I had lost," Giovanni shouted, his voice booming with a newfound passion. "Because of you, I will no longer suppress my strength! Beedrill, Drill Run!"
His Beedrill, thrilled to hear its master's true voice once more, shot forward like a living drill.
"Beedrill, use Giga Impact!"
The two Pokémon collided in the center of the arena. The shockwave was immense, cracking the damaged ceiling and sending debris raining down. Neither trainer flinched. Finally, Giovanni's Beedrill landed a final X-Scissor, sending its opponent crashing to the ground.
"Come back, Beedrill."
Just before delivering the finishing blow, Giovanni recalled his Pokémon.
Seeing Red's confusion, Giovanni said, his voice now calm and steady, "To challenge the strong is a commendable act. To not utterly crush that spirit is also a form of acknowledgment."
He tossed the Earth Badge through the air. Red caught it.
"This match is your victory. This is the badge you deserve."
With that, Giovanni turned and disappeared into the shadows of his gym, leaving Red alone on the battlefield.
(The Spirit of Viridian... I thought it had abandoned me. But perhaps...) Giovanni thought to himself, a hand resting on his chest. (Perhaps I was the one who abandoned it.)
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