"Damn it, the plan still failed!" Lance said angrily, his clenched fists slowly loosening in frustration.
Lance hadn't expected Giovanni to send out his main forces. If it weren't for concerns about the safety of the Pokémon League headquarters, Lance wouldn't have had to endure such humiliation.
For a moment, Lance couldn't help but envy Red's freedom.
He knew that chasing after Beedrill now would only be a waste of time. Since Team Rocket had already learned of their operation in advance, they must have fully prepared their escape.
Lance had only come with a sliver of hope, but reality struck hard at his pride.
Because of the hidden explosives, Viridian Gym was destroyed in an instant, leaving behind only piles of rubble to prove to passing trainers that this had once been the strongest Gym in the Kanto Region.
Although Viridian Gym was now in ruins, the underground base beneath it was successfully discovered. The dispatched League members rescued many Pokémon that had been imprisoned there and forced to undergo cruel experiments.
After analyzing the computer data and carefully reviewing it, the League members realized that the information left behind was nothing but useless junk mixed with meaningless data. Not only was it unhelpful, but it also contained numerous harmful viruses.
...
As evening approached
Although it ended in Team Rocket's victory, the Viridian Gym incident finally came to a close.
Even though he didn't obtain the Earth Badge from Viridian Gym, Ash had already qualified for the Indigo Plateau Conference, so he wasn't too disappointed—though he couldn't help but grumble a little.
After all, he had been brimming with confidence to challenge his limits, only to leave in disappointment.
Still, Ash and Gary, this cheerful pair of childhood rivals, couldn't escape their usual comedic bickering.
According to Gary, even if Ash had challenged Viridian Gym, there was no way he would have obtained the Earth Badge. In fact, Gary even "envied" Ash's "luck" in not getting the chance to challenge it.
What Ash couldn't stand most was Gary's constant mockery. Angered, he argued back, determined to have a Pokémon battle with Gary right then and there to settle things.
Unfortunately, Ash's challenge was instinctively refused by Gary.
Of course, Gary had his reasons. After battling Mewtwo at Viridian Gym, his main Pokémon were nearly exhausted and unable to battle Ash, so he could only postpone their long-awaited match until the Indigo Plateau Conference.
"What the heck!" Ash muttered, reluctantly giving up the idea of battling Gary right now.
As night fell, Red and Ash's group abandoned the idea of walking back to Pallet Town. They decided to stay overnight at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City to rest and recover.
Gary, however, accompanied by beautiful girls and his flashy sports car, had no such concerns. After casually waving goodbye to Red and the others, he drove off toward Pallet Town.
"Gary, Gary, he's so great~ Gary, Gary, he's the best~"
"Damn it, I'm so jealous of that guy!"
Brock wept bitterly, pounding the wall as he watched Gary surrounded by a squad of cheering girls. He bit down on his handkerchief in envy, trying his best not to let his misery show.
(Why is there no cute girl who can see my determination…?)
For a moment, Brock looked up at the sky in despair, unable to understand where he fell short compared to Red and Gary.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of others, Brock's "misery" was nothing more than a joke.
Before long, Misty, unable to endure the disdainful looks from others, grabbed Brock's ear with an exasperated expression. The pain made Brock cry out for mercy, instantly wiping away his earlier gloom.
"Your journey really is full of excitement," Red teased as he watched the scene.
...
The next day
Red and Ash's group set out on foot toward Pallet Town. When they passed a roadside phone booth, Ash eagerly called home, wanting to inform Delia that he and Red would soon return.
However, Delia wasn't home. Ash could only leave a message on the answering machine, but he didn't feel disappointed and continued excitedly:
"Mom, brother and I are almost home! Get a big meal ready for us!"
After saying that, Ash turned to Red behind him and asked,
"Brother, don't you want to say something to Mom?"
"No need. We'll be in Pallet Town soon anyway," Red waved his hand helplessly. Saying such embarrassing things was honestly too much for him.
But after Ash's group walked away, Red quietly went back and made a short, awkward message himself.
Then, blushing, Red turned and hurried to catch up with the others.
...
Shortly after
After the call, Red and Ash's group continued their journey. As they neared Pallet Town, Ash grew increasingly excited and walked faster and faster. Only Red could keep up with his pace, but Red chose to stroll leisurely instead.
After all, there was a transparent barrier ahead blocking the road—no need to rush headfirst into it.
Seeing this, Brock and Misty both showed expressions of despair. What they dreaded most was Ash when he got overly excited.
"Hey, Ash!"
"You don't have to hurry so much!"
Brock and Misty called out helplessly as Ash gradually disappeared from sight, but it was no use.
"I know! I know!"
Though he said that, Ash started running, completely ignoring Brock and Misty behind him.
"You say you know, but you're already running, Ash!" Brock shouted, chasing after him alongside Misty, who was holding Togepi.
Seeing this, Red smiled helplessly and didn't try to catch up. He planned to ride Pidgeot back to Pallet Town later.
For now, he was just accompanying Ash. Besides, he had no intention of getting involved in the upcoming event.
"We'll be able to see Pallet Town soon, Pikachu!" Ash said excitedly.
"Pika!"
Pikachu responded enthusiastically.
Just as Ash was thrilled, a transparent wall suddenly appeared in front of him. He slammed face-first into it, and the impact knocked Pikachu off his shoulder onto the ground.
"Pika~"
Pikachu rubbed its sore backside after landing.
"What is this?!" Ash complained.
"What are you doing, Ash?" Misty asked in confusion as she caught up.
"There's something here!" Ash explained.
"That's impossible."
Brock stepped forward and tapped the air, only to discover an invisible wall in front of them.
"This is Mr. Mime's Light Screen. Didn't you notice it casually climbing up there?" Red said, pointing upward.
The Mr. Mime above paid no attention to their gazes and continued climbing leisurely.
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