One of the guards led Caster inside the Gym.
Caster immediately had his Rotom Phone start a livestream.
Giovanni was secretly the leader of a criminal organization, and in the anime, he had indeed ordered Mewtwo to attack Gary directly.
As a precaution, Caster decided to keep the stream running. The audience would at least give Giovanni some reason to restrain himself.
"Guys, I've come to the Viridian Gym today to challenge Giovanni, Master of the Ground."
Once the stream went live, Caster immediately announced his goal. "If I succeed, I'll finally have all eight Badges and officially qualify for this year's Indigo League Conference."
"Oh-ho! Is Caster finally about to collect the last piece of his Badge puzzle?"
"You've got this! Mr. Giovanni is very strong, so don't let your guard down."
"Most of Caster's Pokémon are Water types, so he has the type advantage against Ground. As long as he doesn't send out Pikachu, he should be fine."
The viewers discussed the match enthusiastically.
Ordinary people had no idea that Giovanni secretly led Team Rocket, so they held him in considerable respect.
Before long, Caster arrived at a dimly lit battlefield.
When it came to creepy atmospheres, the Viridian Gym was every bit as bad as Sabrina's Saffron Gym.
"Are you today's challenger?"
A raised platform stood at the far end of the battlefield. A broad, powerfully built man lounged upon it. Beside him lay a Persian. Its red forehead gem gleamed as the man stroked it.
Darkness shrouded the platform, leaving little visible beyond a blurred silhouette.
Even so, Caster was certain the man before him was Giovanni.
"Mr. Giovanni!"
Caster had nearly revealed that he knew Giovanni was Team Rocket's boss. He caught himself just in time, but cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
If Giovanni realized Caster knew his secret identity, Caster was genuinely afraid he might lock the doors and sic Mewtwo on him.
If that happened, Caster was dead.
Mewtwo might be an artificial Pokémon, but its combat strength put it on par with a top-tier Legendary Pokémon. Caster had absolutely no hope of winning against it.
Fortunately, Giovanni did not seem to notice Caster's momentary panic. Instead, his attention was drawn to the Rotom Phone.
"You're livestreaming? How troublesome."
Giovanni's expression darkened with displeasure.
Now that he had witnessed Mewtwo's power, Giovanni's ambition to conquer the world had only grown.
That was why he had allowed Armored Mewtwo to appear before Gary and even attack him.
With Mewtwo at his side, Giovanni no longer considered the League a threat.
Lance?
Not even he seemed like an insurmountable obstacle anymore.
Caster swallowed and hurriedly calmed himself before speaking. "Hello, Mr. Giovanni. I'm Caster from Cerulean City, and I've come to challenge the Viridian Gym."
"Good! You've got spirit!"
Giovanni rose from the darkness, revealing an orange suit. "Very well. I accept your challenge!"
"Each Trainer may use three Pokémon. There is no time limit."
One of the guards stepped in as referee and raised his voice. "Both sides, take your positions!"
"Go, Rhydon!"
Giovanni sent out the first Pokémon. It was gray all over and resembled a bipedal dinosaur. A long, sharp drill protruded from its forehead.
"If Rhydon is my opponent, then I choose you!"
Caster's eyes flashed as he threw a Poké Ball.
Red light burst forth, and the long, powerful body of Dragonair appeared on the battlefield. It immediately rose into the air.
Giovanni specialized in Ground types, but Ground-type moves could not threaten a Pokémon that remained off the ground.
Dragonair's ability to fly gave it a clear advantage in this battle.
"Draa~"
At the same time, the three orbs on Dragonair's body began to glow, releasing a mysterious aura that spread steadily outward.
In the blink of an eye, enormous storm clouds gathered beneath the roof of the enclosed arena. Huge raindrops poured down, soaking the entire battlefield.
The rain had arrived!
"Rhy~"
Rhydon stared at the rain beating against its body with open disgust.
Its entire body was protected by armorlike hide so tough that even cannon fire could not injure it, and it could survive in lava reaching 2,000 degrees.
But its Rock and Ground typing also made it extremely averse to water.
"That Dragonair..."
Even someone as worldly and experienced as Giovanni could not help taking an interest in the healthy, energetic Dragonair, whose entire body seemed to radiate a captivating brilliance.
Team Rocket dreamed of using every Pokémon in the world for its evil schemes and turning a profit in the process.
Its members committed all manner of crimes, including stealing other people's Pokémon.
Rare and powerful Pokémon were especially prized by Team Rocket.
And Dragonair was practically synonymous with rarity and power.
More importantly, this Dragonair possessed a formidable ability to control the weather that resembled Drizzle. That made it even more remarkable.
But this was a Gym battle, and his opponent was broadcasting it online. Giovanni quickly suppressed his interest and focused on the match.
The battle soon began.
"Extreme Speed!"
Caster launched the first attack.
Whoosh!
Dragonair's body flickered and transformed into a streak of light. In an instant, it appeared before Rhydon and slammed its thick body forward with overwhelming force.
Thud!
Dragonair struck Rhydon squarely in the back.
To everyone's surprise, Rhydon stood as immovable as a boulder. Not only did its body remain perfectly still, but a mocking expression appeared on its face.
Is that all you've got? Did you skip breakfast?
If you can't even put some force into an attack, why bother challenging a Gym?
The viewers erupted in amazement.
"That's a Rhydon raised by Mr. Giovanni for you. Its rocky armor is incredibly tough."
"That's insane! Dragonair's attack might as well have been a gentle scratch."
"Oh no, Rhydon is about to counterattack. Dragonair is screwed!"
While the viewers marveled, Giovanni's Rhydon began its counterattack.
Dragonair had frozen for a split second when its attack failed. Rhydon seized the opportunity, cupping its hands as Rock-type energy rapidly gathered between them. In moments, the energy condensed into a strangely colored stone projectile. Rhydon whirled around and hurled it at the nearby Dragonair.
"That's Smack Down!"
Caster's expression turned grave as a thought crossed his mind: "As expected of Giovanni's Pokémon. Even one raised for Gym battles rather than his core team is remarkably strong and knows exactly how to respond in combat."
Smack Down was a Rock-type move that attacked an airborne opponent with a stone. Once struck, the target would fall to the ground and temporarily lose the ability to fly.
Dragonair's current advantage lay in its flight, which prevented Rhydon from using Ground-type attacks.
But if Dragonair were knocked down and lost the ability to fly, the situation would become extremely dangerous.
"Draa~"
Dragonair was no easy target. Although the stone projectile had been launched from close range, it flexed its body with remarkable agility. The stone skimmed past without touching a single scale.
Rhydon's Smack Down had missed!
Not only that, but after dodging, Dragonair surrounded itself in a torrent of water. Like a geyser shooting toward the sky, it charged straight at Rhydon.
Water-type move: Aqua Jet!
The distance between them was too short, and Rhydon lacked Dragonair's agility. Aqua Jet struck cleanly.
"Got it!"
Caster clenched his fist, his face lighting up with excitement.
Boom!
Aqua Jet was not especially powerful. Even with the rain strengthening it, it was still slightly weaker than Extreme Speed.
But Water-type moves were four times as effective against Rhydon. They were its natural bane.
"Rhy~"
The instant the attack connected, Rhydon let out an agonized roar. Its mountainlike body staggered backward again and again beneath the force of the water.