Now Lucario finally stands on the same level as Charizard, Gardevoir, and Pikachu, although Pikachu and the others are already reaching the end of the Professional Level, while Lucario is just beginning.
'Alright, my task is finished, I'll leave this scene to you, newcomer.'
'Wait a minute, Aura Guardian, why didn't you just detain Giovanni? Lorelei and the others should be on their way already. If you held him back for another minute or two, once Lorelei and the others arrive, Giovanni wouldn't be able to escape, would he?'
Ash asked Aura Ash, slightly puzzled.
With the lingering power Lucario just displayed, it would definitely be more than enough to stop Giovanni, not to mention Lucario—. Even Ash could stop Giovanni. Although psychic type powers are mysterious and unpredictable, as long as the force is strong enough, it can forcibly block the effects of psychic type powers.
Skills like teleport can be directly intercepted by Ash, as long as the Pokémon using it is below the Champion level.
That's why Ash was very confused about why Aura Ash chose to let the tiger return to the mountains.
'This is your world, and Giovanni is your enemy. The top-tier booster acts when you cannot yet deal with your current enemies, not to directly solve them for you.'
'As for Koga earlier, let's not talk about it. This time, Giovanni is practically your life-and-death enemy. Leaving him outside means you will indeed face a great crisis, but at the same time, he will also be your best stepping stone. Without rain and storm, how can you see the rainbow? Leaving him for you to solve is the best outcome.'
With Aura Ash's explanation, Ash understands the well-intentioned efforts of his counterpart from another world.
He does have the ability to solve Giovanni, but without facing difficulties and strong enemies, how could he possibly grow quickly?
The reason he has been able to progress so much in such a short time, walking this path, is precisely because he's been pushing himself to battle stronger opponents bit by bit.
Although Giovanni has lost Mewtwo and half of Team Rocket, he is still a Champion Trainer. Being pursued by such a person can indeed help Ash grow more rapidly.
Even though letting the tiger go back to the mountain brings some risks, risk and benefit typically coexist. As Aura Ash said, without rain and storm, how can you see the rainbow.
'Got it, thank you, big guy.'
'Alright, I'm leaving if there's nothing else. Remember to heal Mewtwo, although your Power of Viridian might not be very effective on her. She might look like she's still at the Champion Peak, but she's actually very close to that realm. The A-level Power of Viridian is very unlikely to be effective on her; it's best to send her back to the Alliance for treatment.'
'Understood.'
After assigning the last task, the soul of Aura Ash disappeared from Ash's body, and Ash regained control. He looked at the devastated gym and couldn't help but marvel internally.
This is what a Divine Domain level battle looks like. If it weren't for the protective barrier, Viridian City would have been blown away in that battle just now. Even with the protection contract, the ground was still blasted into a bottomless pit, with Misty and the others now shouting for him from the edge above to come up.
This pit is estimated to be at least thirty meters deep, and without ropes or other auxiliary tools, they can't even get down.
Ash walked to Mewtwo, slinging her over his shoulder, and slowly injected the Power of Viridian into Mewtwo's body.
Through the Power of Viridian, Ash could sense how bad Mewtwo's current condition was. Even though Lucario held back, a Divine-level attack wasn't easy to withstand. Just the aftermath had created this pit, making it understandable how severe the injuries could be when taking the punch directly.
Though Ash couldn't heal Mewtwo completely, he could at least help alleviate her wounds, and he discovered a critical issue too: when the Power of Viridian poured in, it didn't target her wounds to aid recovery but flowed into deeper places within her body.
Yet after flowing in, there was no improvement in her physical injuries, almost as if the Power of Viridian that entered her deeper body just disappeared into thin air.
Ash didn't know what was going on, as he could only use the Power of Viridian for healing, not actually being a doctor. So he could only continue to inject the Power of Viridian while jumping up and down to reach the pit's top.
"Ash, are you alright?" When Ash got up, Misty rushed to his side, pinching him left and right to ask with concern.
"What could possibly happen to me? I didn't even participate in the fight, you see, Mewtwo is the one in a bad shape." Ash waved his hand in mock annoyance, easing Misty's grip, and continued infusing Viridian power into Mewtwo.
"Looks like it's all over. Where's Giovanni? Didn't you capture him?" asked a cool voice, as the sound of high heels resonated in the gym.
Everyone turned and saw Agatha with a cane, alongside Lorelei walking in with a smile on her face, looking in a pretty good mood.
"Master Lorelei, you're here... this is Agatha, the Elite?" Brock originally planned to fangirl over Lorelei upon seeing her, but his excitement dwindled when his gaze shifted to Agatha beside her, whose presence carried a ghostly aura.
He was certainly familiar with her; the ghost type Elite of Kanto, the oldest amongst the Elite Four—Agatha.
"Agatha... the ghost type Elite of Kanto? Why would even Agatha be here?" Ash was pondering who Agatha was for a moment. Soon he recalled she's one of the Elite Four of Kanto!
Due to a camera setup by Lorelei, it made sense for her to join after the battle ended, but why would Agatha be with her? Was she just nearby?
"Because Giovanni was originally under my surveillance. Now, where is he?" They came right after the battle ended, unaware of what 'Ash' discussed with Giovanni afterward.
"He escaped, I let him go since he'll need to personally dissolve Team Rocket." Ash scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly, seemingly a little embarrassed for letting Giovanni escape.
"It's okay if he ran away, as you said, he needs to be around for Team Rocket to dissolve. We couldn't just place him in a League prison; once Team Rocket deteriorates enough, we'll dismantle it and bring him back then." Agatha replied carelessly, as if they weren't about to capture a Champion Level Trainer, but rather an insignificant thug.
Ash could only smile and nod in agreement, and Agatha soon turned her gaze to Mewtwo on the ground, "Is that the artificial Pokémon Blaine mentioned?"
She had seen Mewtwo's appearance in videos, but seeing it personally in reality was a first.
Admiring Mewtwo up close, Agatha felt more strongly how much Mewtwo resembled Mew!
"Are Mewtwo's injuries severe? Why hasn't she woken up yet?" Lorelei wondered as she noticed Mewtwo still unconscious.
"Quite severe, with my current ability, I can't heal her quickly. Miss Lorelei, could you take her back to the League for appropriate treatment?" Ash said while retracting his hand from Mewtwo, addressing Lorelei.
Lorelei nodded after pondering for a bit, "Alright, we'll take Mewtwo back to the League. Don't worry, I'll ensure she's treated and recovers properly."