The Powerful Gym Leader: Giovanni

**"The Powerful Gym Leader: Giovanni"** is the fortieth (forty-second in Archive of Our Own and Royal Road) chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* Ash has finally decided to go challenge the Viridian City Gym for his eighth gym badge, although he does so at a time Giovanni finds rather inopportune, since he's surveying the damage caused by his recent loss of Mewtwo. After Giovanni grudgingly accepts his challenge, Ash earns his eighth and last badge to qualify for the Indigo League.

## Plot

In the Draconid Mountains, Zinnia and her daughter Aster see Steven Stone arrive on his Skarmory to greet them. After trading some comments about how to contact each other, Steven informs Zinnia that the reason he's here is to ask about something that's been going on in the past few days. Namely, the Hoenn Weather Institute keeps tabs on Rayquaza's flight path so that planes don't fly near him, but lately his flight patterns have changed and become more erratic, as if he's being agitated for some reason. Zinnia confirms that the Draconids have noticed it too, and she suspects that he's probably reacting to weather changes somewhere. Zinnia suspects that a Pokémon might be involved, but whatever it is, it wasn't enough for Rayquaza to go and take it out himself, and it happened far from Hoenn. Steven feels pretty much the same way; he'd like to investigate, but he can't leave his region unprotected.

Elsewhere, Giovanni isn't particularly happy with the recent events, as the loss of his ultimate weapon and the destruction of one of his most important labs has left him a lot of damage to fix, which will cost him a lot of money as well, even though he knows he can still carry on with his plans eventually. However, James informs him that Ash is heading for Viridian City to challenge the gym. At first, Giovanni tells James that he and his teammates stop him from coming, but unfortunately he teleports to Viridian immediately, before Giovanni is able to leave to attend his other, more pressing business. When James suggests they could use one of their giant robots to stop him, Giovanni quickly discards the idea, as they're to be used on specific operations and they don't want to drag attention. He orders James to keep an eye on Ash for the time being as he tries to think of something. He then decides to call two other of his henchmen to deal with Ash and buy him some time.

In front of the Viridian Gym's entrance, Ash and his friends run into Butch and Cassidy blocking his path. They tell Ash that the Gym Leader has other business to attend right now so he should leave or else. Ash however insists that he's come this far and has earned the right to challenge the gym. Since they refuse to budge, Ash decides to fight them, and uses the H.O.P.E. Glove to switch some of his current Pokémon so the team he prepared for Giovanni doesn't get tired. Cassidy and Butch decide to take his offer. Ash uses Gigalith to quickly take out Cassidy's Tentacruel and Butch's Primeape. Inside, Giovanni watches how easily Butch and Cassidy's Pokémon are getting trashed, especially when Ash's Togepi starts spinning around Butch's Hitmontop in a rather humiliating way. While he does not plan to fire them for their failure, they bought him enough time to prepare in case he has to battle Ash, even though neither of them should be really doing it since Ash doesn't need the battle.

After dealing with Butch and Cassidy, Ash switches back to the team he prepared for the challenge against Giovanni, and enters the gym. Having left Pikachu's Poké Ball back at Oak's lab, he's technically able to carry seven Pokémon with him, and he leaves the mouse with the girls to watch over him during the match. Giovanni finally appears, and inquires why Ash is here, arguing that he's technically already qualified for the Pokémon League, plus he managed to conquer the Saffron City and Cinnabar Island Gyms. Ash replies that he wants to be fully certain he's ready for the League, and to face with confidence and not fear. Seeing that he won't leave, Giovanni accepts the challenge, hoping that it's worth his time, before declaring it to be a full six-on-six battle. The girls immediately head for the sidelines to watch.

Once in the arena, Giovanni opens up with a Rhydon, and Ash brings out Squirtle. Rhydon uses a Thunderbolt, which Squirtle deflects with a Counter Shield. Ash then orders Squirtle to fire Water Gun and keep the distance, and Squirtle focuses on firing at Rhydon's stomach. After a few clear shots, Giovanni has Rhydon use Horn Drill to deflect the water to the sides, though Ash and Squirtle catch that it manages to splash into Rhydon's eyes a few times, causing him minor annoyances. As Rhydon begins to charge through, Squirtle switches to Brine, and the salty water stops Rhydon's charge while also irritating his eyes. The attack also capitalizes on the racked up damage up to that point, knocking Rhydon out of the battle. Squirtle feels tired but relieved, and then asks how many more are left to go. Unknowingly, Giovanni answers his question when he praises Ash for his handling of a battle with an unevolved Pokémon while reminding him he still has five more to defeat, much to Squirtle's shock. He then calls out a Dugtrio, who immediately hides underground to prepare for a sneak attack. Squirtle tries to sense Dugtrio's underground movements by tapping his tail on the floor, but not having been trained into that specifically, Ash is forced to remove one of his shoes and do it for him, telling him when he has to jump to dodge. Dugtrio then fires a Tri-Attack, which Squirtle counters with Water Pulse. The clash between both attacks creates a smokescreen which Giovanni takes advantage of to order Dugtrio to use Fissure. Squirtle attempts to dodge, but much to his and Ash's surprise, Dugtrio has launched three Fissures simultaneously, one per each head, with the second and third almost closing in. Squirtle blasts the wall with Water Gun to propel himself, barely escaping the Fissures, but as the dust clears, Dugtrio has gone underground again. As Ash senses Dugtrio's movements, he realizes that what's coming next isn't another Dig charge, but an underground Fissure. As Squirtle finds himself flung into the air by the Fissure eruptions, and with the Torrent ability already active, Ash almost decides to switch him out, but he notices the cracks left and orders Squirtle to fire Water Gun into them. He does so, right when another Fissure comes at him, knocking him up into the air. The dust clears, and both Pokémon are knocked out afterwards.

As Ash recalls and congratulates Squirtle for his efforts, Misty and Iris take notice of how their training of Squirtle and Ash came useful for this battle, while Misty comments that Giovanni has earned his reputation as a Gym Leader, but noticing that Giovanni seemed unusually interested in *not* battling Ash for some reason, while he usually accepts challenges from worthy opponents without question. Anabel senses something evil coming from Giovanni, as if he's interested in Ash, but it's different from Sabrina's. She feels tempted to peer into Giovanni's mind, but refrains from doing so out of fear of not liking what she might find in there.

With two Pokémon down, Giovanni sends out a Marowak, and Ash sends out Kingler. Marowak opens up with a Double Edge, with the Pokédex hinting that it might avoid recoil damage thanks to having Rock Head. Ash has Kingler counter with Crabhammer. The clash sends Marowak tumbling backwards, and Ash takes notice that his bone looks thicker than usual. The two engage into a Crabhammer/Bone Club scuffle that Marowak ends up winning, before sending Kingler back with another Double Edge. Kingler is sent skidding back before managing to stop, and then Marowak throws a Bonemerang. Kingler uses Mud Shot, creating a wall that stops the bone in midair and sends it clattering to the ground, leaving Marowak unarmed and shocked. Ash orders Kingler to use Bubblebeam to finish the bout, but Giovanni counters ordering Marowak to use Screech, which pops the bubbles and leaves Kingler stunned due to the noise. Marowak rushes in to retrieve the bone and with a single pound, sends Kingler flying up and then crashing down knocked out. After Ash recalls Kingler, the Pokédex explains that Marowak is holding a Thick Club, a legal item that boosts the power of bone moves, prompting Giovanni to snark that he would never think about violating the rules.

Ash then decides to bring out Yanma. Marowak opens up with a Bonemerang, which Yanma dodges using Detect. As Yanma approaches to attack, Marowak readies a Thunder Punch. However, Yanma uses an Aerial Ace to feint, aided by a Speed Boost, striking Marowak from behind, and then chasing after him to grab his torso with all his limbs, before flying up to toss it back to the ground in a pseudo-Seismic Toss. While Marowak tries to use Screech in a last ditch effort, he ends up being tossed downwards and knocked out, while Yanma looks none the worse for wear. Giovanni then brings out a Steelix. Ash tries to recall Yanma, but Giovanni has Steelix immediately use Block to prevent the switch. Steelix tries to strike down Yanma with Iron Tail, with Yanma doing his best to dodge and then charge in with a Feint Attack. Steelix however remains unfazed, and then summons a Stone Edge, forcing Yanma to dodge with Detect. Trying to think up of something, Ash orders Yanma to land and cling on top of Steelix's head, which he does dodging a Fire Fang bite by the hair. Ash then tells Yanma to vibrate his wings as fast as possible. The vibrations course through Steelix's entire body, disorienting him and leaving his Stone Edge and Fire Fang attacks unable to reach Yanma, but then, Giovanni orders the metal snake to use Explosion, self-detonating to take out Yanma.

Misty catches the flying Yanma, and after Ash thanks her for it, she finally reacts in fear, much to Giovanni and the Pokédex's amusement due to how irrational it seems. The battle continues with Giovanni bringing out bringing out a Nidoking with an item holder, and Ash his lead Tauros. The latter begins using Fissure, and Nidoking counters using Confusion, knocking Tauros away. Tauros tries to charge with a Double Edge, swerving to a side when Nidoking tries to stop with another Confusion to dodge, but Nidoking readies an Ice Punch to stop the charge. As both attacks collide Ash takes notice of how the item on Nidoking's holder glows with every attack, and how the ice doesn't seem to spread out. Right when Nidoking tries to use his free hand to strike with Poison Jab, Tauros dodges using Double Team, before countering with Fissure. Nidoking stops the attack using Bulldoze, and the tremor knocks Tauros away into the air. Giovanni then orders Nidoking to use Focus Blast, which is not only super effective but also reveals that Nidoking is above the four-move limit, and Tauros is taken down. When Ash inquires about it to the Pokédex, the device reveals that Nidoking's held item is a Life Orb, which powers up attacking moves at the cost of some stamina, but Nidoking's ability Sheer Force negates this handicap.

Ash then brings out one of his Exeggutor, and Nidoking immediately attacks with Confusion. Exeggutor teleports away and then counters with his own Confusion to spin Nidoking around. Still trapped, Nidoking tries to use Sludge Wave, and once more Exeggutor teleports away to dodge, but due to the spinning effect from Confusion, Nidoking continues to fire Sludge Wave and at one point almost hits Ash and Giovanni's Persian with it. Two chunks of the attack manage to hit Exeggutor, but the last Confusion attack left him dizzy. As Ash considers the possibility of using a Z-Move, Giovanni orders Nidoking to attack using Bulldoze, but before Nidoking can punch the ground, Ash orders Exeggutor to use Grass Knot, ensnaring Nidoking's arm, and leaving him open to a Sludge Bomb in his face. Ash takes notice that if Nidoking has over five moves, he should expect the same from Giovanni's final Pokémon. Nidoking snaps out of his daze and attacks with Sludge Wave, but Exeggutor then uses Confusion to shoot it back at him. Nidoking uses his own Confusion and the psychic attack's collision causes a blast that knocks both Pokémon away, leaving them unable to battle.

Before bringing out his final Pokémon, Giovanni states that, in the event of a tie, he's under no obligation of giving Ash a badge, and Anabel manages to perceive that he wants to be elsewhere doing something else. Both of them send out their final Pokémon: Giovanni chooses a Rhyperior, and Ash sends out Serperior. Giovanni seems unimpressed, claiming that his Rhyperior has beaten more impressive Pokémon. Serperior opens up using Attract, which Rhyperior blocks with Sandstorm before launching a Zap Cannon. Serperior counters with a Leaf Storm, which overpowers the Zap Cannon and briefly clears their view of Rhyperior, hitting him. Rhyperior then charges in with Hammer Arm, and Serperior counters with Leaf Blade. Before Rhyperior can use one of his free limbs for another attack, he has Serperior use another Leaf Storm into his face, before striking his armor with Leaf Blade. Ash however takes notice that the attacks don't seem to be causing as much damage as they should, even with Solid Rock. Ash tries to order Serperior to use Aqua Tail to clear the sandstorm away, but Rhyperior stops her and hits her with Hammer Arm before she can. When Rhyperior prepares to charge with Megahorn, Serperior blows him back with Leaf Storm once more, but again it causes less damage than it should have. Rhyperior begins firing electrical blasts with Zap Cannon, forcing Serperior to dodge them, before switching to Flamethrower. Serperior counters with Aqua Tail, but Rhyperior inches closer to get in range for a physical attack. Ash has Serperior break to the side and use Aqua Tail to wash the sand away. Giovanni preemptively has Rhyperior block it like before and attack with Megahorn, but once they get in range, Ash orders Serperior to use Attract once more, and this time it works. With Rhyperior infatuated, Serperior gets an opening to finally clear the sand away with Aqua Tail, and then strikes with another Leaf Storm, knocking Rhyperior out and winning the match for Ash. While they and the girls start to celebrate, Giovanni simply tosses him the Earth Badge and leaves without sparing a word.

Back at Pallet Town, Ash's mother has his eight badges placed in a framed case, to keep them on the wall so they won't get lost, before telling him how proud of him she is and she'll always be no matter what happens at the League. Still, having two and a half months before then, they need to keep themselves occupied, and Delia suggests they have another party. Misty declines the offer, and Professor Oak agrees with her, but admits they should still find something to do in the meantime. Ash considers it for a bit, and given they've been training really hard lately, he feels they could take a break, and asks his female companions what they'd like to do. Misty suggests they could have another beach trip, and they all agree to it.

A bit later, Anabel checks on the replies on her blog, surprised at the amount of attention it's gotten in a short amount of time. While she has gotten some negative comments, most of the replies seem supportive. She spots a comment asking why a Bloodliner like her would want to get along with normal people, and if she doesn't think they're better. Anabel finds this question intriguing and decides to answer it. She writes about how people tend to assume Bloodliners in general think they're above normal humans one way or another, and while she has met some with that mindset, she disagrees with them. She understands why people tend to be afraid of Bloodliners and their powers, but that fear only increases the divide, and cites that there are heroic people in history who were Bloodliners or at least rumored to be, such as Sir Aaron and Utsubotto Fisher. She feels there's no need to push the differences anymore, instead focusing on living in harmony and peace, and ends the entry by stating that the reason she wants to be friends with normal people is because she doesn't think she's above them in any way, and all she wants is to love and be loved in equal amounts.

Meanwhile, Delia seems a bit concerned over the fact that her son is going to the beach with his three female friends. Not only they all are attractive girls, but Ash himself has grown taller and more physically attractive himself, and she has noticed there is some attraction on both his and their sides. She shakes off the thoughts before knocking on his door and offer him to make some lunch for them to take. Ash then asks if she still has her old surfboard, which she does, and then she recalls she saw on the Weather Channel that big waves are coming to the shore like every twenty years, leaving her wondering if Ash is planning on riding them himself.

Elsewhere on the Kanto coast, Red and Yellow have returned to the mainland. Red and his Pikachu are battling against a trainer with a Machamp and defeat him, before going back to Yellow and the rest of his Pokémon so they can enjoy a picnic. Yellow questions whether they should go back to "the trap", to which Red simply shrugs as they and his Pokémon enjoy their meal. However, they're interrupted by a Dragonite who swoops down on them, creating a wind gust that almost blows them away. Before attacking, though, the Dragonite reaches into its bag and gives Red an envelope. Red opens it and pulls out some electronic device, which projects the holographic image of a woman dressed with clothes from a couple centuries ago. The woman then states that he's been selected to join a group of Pokémon trainers, who have been invited by her master, "the world's greatest Pokémon Trainer".

## Continuity

* Steven briefly references his previous encounter with Zinnia as it happened in the *Steven Interlude* side story.
* This chapter takes place after Mewtwo's escape, as detailed in the *Mewtwo Interlude* sidestory.
* Ash battles and defeats Giovanni, earning the Earth Badge and completing his eight Kanto Gym Badges.
* Red and Yellow return to the Kanto mainland after their journey across the Sevii Islands.