Chapter 36: Giovanni's Escape and Return to Pallet Town
"Stop it!" Giovanni roared. He then threw dozens of Poké Balls, and numerous Pokémon cried out as they rushed towards the freed Mewtwo. But when the two Mewtwo looked at each other, powerful psychic energy surged out, and Giovanni's Pokémon were no match for them, falling to the ground one after another.
Then, the liberated Mewtwo tore a large hole in the building and flew away from the Viridian Gym. Before flying away, it glanced at Ryan and the others, and a mature, rich voice sounded in their minds: "Give me some time. I'll come back to find you."
"Boy, look at what you've done!" Giovanni could no longer maintain his composure and roared at Ryan with barely suppressed fury.
Ryan smiled calmly and said, "Gym Leader Giovanni, your Pokémon escaped. I won by forfeit. Please give me the Earth Badge."
"Here," Giovanni tossed the green badge to Ryan without hesitation. "Kid, you let my Mewtwo escape. I'll repay you by taking your Mewtwo."
With that, a group of men in black uniforms with a large red R on their chests surrounded Ryan and Lillie. Ryan said calmly, "Team Rocket, as expected. This is the closest city to the Indigo League tournament. You're really bold, but it won't be easy to capture us."
With that, all six of his Pokémon were released. The Team Rocket grunts also sent out their Pokémon—mostly Golbat, Arbok, and Weezing. Giovanni scoffed, "It'll be easy to capture you. Attack!"
"Then give it a try," Ryan said with a smile. He pulled his Pokégear from his pocket, waved it, and said, "Don't blame me for not warning you—the League is already on their way. If you don't want to be arrested, flee now."
Ryan had to say these words strategically. He knew his own strength well, and facing so many opponents, he couldn't handle them alone. He had to make them hesitate first. Then, in their uncertainty, they'd be more likely to make mistakes, making it easier to exploit openings.
"You!" Giovanni hesitated. This place was close to League headquarters, and it would only take about twenty minutes for them to send reinforcements. If any of the Elite Four were available, they could probably get the order and fly over in ten minutes on their Pokémon.
They couldn't delay any longer, but losing Mewtwo was a devastating blow. After a brief deliberation, Giovanni gritted his teeth and said, "Retreat! Everyone, evacuate Viridian City immediately!"
Ignoring Ryan and the others, the group retreated from the Viridian Gym at breakneck speed. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them retreat. Fortunately, the two Mewtwo had earlier combined their power to defeat all of Giovanni's main team. Otherwise, facing such a formidable crime boss, Ryan felt he would have had no chance of escaping.
Slumping to the ground, Ryan felt as if he had just passed through the gates of death itself. Looking at Lillie, who was also exhausted on the ground, he said guiltily, "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this."
"It's okay. We're partners, aren't we?" Lillie shook her head, looking at Ryan with determination. "Best partners."
"Yeah," Ryan said nothing more, gently squeezing Lillie's hand.
Moments later, two figures appeared at the Viridian Gym. Ryan looked at the arrivals and said with a wry smile, "That was fast! I didn't expect the League to send you two so quickly."
The arrivals were none other than Agatha and Lance. Seeing the empty gym, Lance sighed and said, "Are we still too late?"
"I didn't expect Giovanni to be the boss of Team Rocket. The League's security screening is so inadequate," Agatha said, hunched over her walking stick.
"The League didn't expect that either. Giovanni was from Viridian City and had a clean record. He was just hiding his true nature too well," Lance shook his head. "But I didn't expect you two to survive."
Ryan's eye twitched, and he said irritably, "Why wouldn't we survive? Lance, the Flying-type Master."
Lance's face darkened. "I'm the Dragon-type Master!"
"Oh, really? Then explain why your Pokémon all have Flying-type as their secondary typing," Ryan shut Lance down with just one sentence. Lance hesitated for a long time, unable to explain, before finally saying, "Dragonite!"
"Dragonite still has Flying-type even after evolution," Ryan delivered the final blow.
Agatha approached Lillie and said with a smile, "What a lovely girl! Let grandma take a look. Are you seeing anyone? How about I introduce you to one of my worthless grandsons?"
"She's taken," Ryan said, immediately stepping between Lillie and Agatha, making Lillie blush.
Agatha wasn't offended, but smiled knowingly, "I know about you, young man. The League owes you a debt of gratitude for this incident. If you have any requests, feel free to contact us."
Ryan's eyes lit up, and he immediately shared his idea for a Safari Zone breeding facility. Agatha nodded, saying it was a reasonable request, and that Ryan's concept would benefit trainers across the region, so the League wouldn't let him operate at a loss. Agatha then contacted League headquarters, and they immediately approved the proposal. They also assigned Ryan a small support team to help with operations, and his facility could display an official League endorsement.
Lance felt somewhat frustrated. He was a Dragon-type Master, but he couldn't find a way to refute Ryan's point. It was genuinely irritating. Ryan didn't want to antagonize Lance too much—after all, he was the future Champion, so maintaining good relations was wise. He shared some information about Dragon-type Pokémon habitats with Lance, and Lance finally let go of his irritation.
The League operatives finally arrived, searching the entire Viridian Gym from top to bottom but finding nothing significant. Then came word from League headquarters, appointing Agatha as temporary Gym Leader of Viridian City.
With nothing left for them to do, Ryan and Lillie bid farewell to Agatha and Lance, then headed to the Pokémon Center. After a night's rest, they set out for Pallet Town early the next morning.
Perhaps eager to see his new estate, Ryan's pace quickened considerably. They finally arrived in Pallet Town around noon, with Lillie trailing behind, exhausted. She'd practically jogged the entire way and was completely worn out.
Looking at the familiar yet changed Pallet Town, Ryan couldn't help but sigh: "This will be my home from now on!"
He had originally planned to visit Professor Oak's laboratory to check on his other Pokémon, but decided to inspect his property first, then return to the lab to retrieve his team.
They picked up their pace again, following Ryan's memory toward a remote coastline area of Pallet Town. Before long, Ryan noticed dramatic changes. A wide paved road led directly to a manor in the distance, lined with numerous berry trees.
Arriving at the manor, they were stopped by magnificent wrought-iron gates. The fencing extended almost as far as the eye could see in both directions. A sign reading "Under Construction - League Authorized Safari Zone" hung above, suggesting the League had begun expanding the facility after Ryan proposed his breeding center concept.
Just as they were about to press the intercom button, a familiar voice came through the speaker: "No need to buzz—I can see you. I'll open the gate."
The gates slowly opened, revealing a vast courtyard with flowing water features and bridges, creating an elegant, traditional atmosphere that had been meticulously designed. A large main house, covering over 3,000 square meters, was connected to a smaller secondary building of about 800-900 square meters. The rest of the property was filled with training grounds, a swimming pool, gardens, and a small forest—all designed for Ryan's Pokémon to exercise and relax.
Then a beautiful woman walked out of the main entrance. Ryan saw that it was Lorelei, exactly as he had expected. Ryan said with exasperation, "Lorelei, I haven't even moved into this place yet, and you've already made yourself at home."
(End of Chapter)
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