While Lorelei was on her way to Cerulean City to find Ash, she secretly contacted another Elite, Agatha, asking her to remain in Viridian City and monitor Giovanni's return.
When Lorelei later left Viridian City, Agatha didn't leave. Instead, she chose to stay and continue working with Lorelei. With Ash now involved, Giovanni's hidden plans could surface at any moment, and Lorelei alone might not be enough to protect him.
Giovanni publicly possessed Champion-tier strength, but no one truly knew how strong he was. As the real leader of Team Rocket, there was no reason for him to reveal his full power. And even among Champions, there were levels: top Champions could crush several entry-level ones with ease. Trainers like Leon were known as "Champions among Champions", the gap was that large.
To prevent Giovanni from unleashing his real power, Agatha chose to remain by Lorelei's side and keep watch.
Watching the battle through the tiny camera Lorelei gave Ash, Agatha quickly understood Giovanni's intention: Giovanni was trying to recruit Ash.
She knew Giovanni better than anyone. He would never speak so politely to a kid unless he wanted something. Ash's talent intrigued him, so he maintained a calm, almost flattering attitude—he was still clinging to the fantasy that he could lure Ash into Team Rocket.
"Giovanni wants to recruit Ash?" Lorelei scoffed. "Ash would never join Team Rocket. Unless Team Rocket changes its name to 'Charity Club' and volunteers all day long, he'd never even consider it."
After a week of traveling together, Lorelei understood Ash well. His disgust toward evil acts, especially those committed by Team Rocket, would make it impossible for him to ever join them. Giovanni was dreaming.
Agatha's cloudy eyes slid toward Lorelei. "It seems you have quite the interest in that boy."
Lorelei only shrugged. "Spend some time with him and you'll understand. People outside only see his talent. Yes, he's gifted, but he's also incredibly hardworking."
"Every morning, around 6:30, he trains with his Pokémon, and I mean with them. Whatever the Pokémon do, he does. It motivates his team and strengthens their bond."
"Most Trainers talk about the basics, but almost none can stick to them. Let alone waking up early every day. Just that detail alone shows how serious he is. Someone that dedicated will succeed no matter what."
Lorelei's tone carried genuine admiration. Traveling with Ash had left a deep impression on her.
Ash wasn't yet at the level of a top-tier Trainer, but his training methods and sincerity toward Pokémon would allow him to grow rapidly. Reaching the true summit was only a matter of time.
"Oh? Now you've made me curious," Agatha said. "I'd like to meet him myself. I just wonder if he can really resist Giovanni's sweet-talking schemes."
On the monitor in front of them, Ash and Giovanni had already taken their places on the battlefield.
"What do you mean by 'half Gym Leader, half Team Rocket leader'?" Ash asked, expression tightening.
"It means exactly what it sounds like," Giovanni replied calmly. "This will be a two-on-two battle. You may choose the level of one of your Pokémon, that is your right as a Gym challenger. The other Pokémon will be chosen at my discretion, as the leader of Team Rocket. If you win, I'll award you the Viridian Badge… and I'll dissolve fifty percent of Team Rocket's members."
Everyone present: !!
The first part, handing over the badge, was normal Gym protocol. But the second part?
Disbanding half of Team Rocket over one battle?
Everyone stared at Giovanni in stunned disbelief. This was insanity.
"What's the catch?" Gary asked after recovering. He was the calmest one here, after all, he'd nearly been mentally crushed minutes ago.
He knew Giovanni well enough now. This man held grudges hard. A few arrogant words had caused him to unleash a metal-bound monster on him earlier.
So even though Giovanni's offer sounded unbelievably generous, Gary was certain there had to be a price attached.
A trick like this, no matter how outrageous, still needed to sound somewhat believable. Giovanni wouldn't simply hand out such terms.
"As expected of Professor Oak's grandson. You do think quickly," Giovanni said with a faint smirk.
Gary: 'Why does that sound like an insult instead of praise?'
"Of course I wouldn't offer those terms for free," Giovanni continued. "Ash must pay an equivalent price."
Ash stared back coolly. "Equivalent? What price could I possibly pay? It's not like I can order half the League to disband, right?"
"No," Giovanni chuckled. "My demand is simple: you join Team Rocket, sincerely, and work under me. If you agree to this wager, then my wager will also be valid."
Ash: …?!
Misty and Brock: …?!?!?!
Everyone was stunned again.
Did Giovanni just say that Ash alone was worth half of Team Rocket?
Was Giovanni seriously valuing Ash that highly?
Ash thought for a moment, then nodded. "Since it's something I can agree to, I have no issue saying yes. But can a promise like this really hold? If you lose, you might not disband half of Team Rocket. And if I lose, there's no way I would sincerely join your organization. You should be the one who understands that best."
He accepted the terms, but whether he would ever actually carry them out was another matter entirely. Making a promise to Team Rocket meant nothing to him, he could break it ten thousand times without guilt.
Giovanni chuckled. "There's no need to worry. My words just now confirm that the contract has already been formed."
He pulled out a scroll from seemingly nowhere and tossed it into the air. The moment it left his hand, it dissolved into countless fragments and vanished.
Ash and the others stared blankly. They hadn't even reacted before it disappeared. What was that thing?
Before anyone could question it further, a powerful beam of golden light dropped from the ceiling, expanding into a dome that enveloped the entire battlefield. Ash, Pikachu, and Togepi immediately felt a tremendous pull dragging them toward it.
Ash dug his feet into the floor, carving deep grooves as he grabbed Pikachu tightly. "Giovanni! What are you doing?!"
This time, he didn't use "Mr." Anything polite flew straight out the window. Even with Aura-enhanced strength, he couldn't resist the suction at all.
On Misty's side, she couldn't hold onto Togepi; the baby Pokémon was sucked into the golden barrier first.
Ash's expression shifted the instant he saw that. He released all resistance and allowed himself and Pikachu to be pulled in, diving after Togepi.
He caught the little Pokémon in his arms and looked her over. Seeing Togepi smiling cluelessly, unharmed and unafraid, he let out a long breath. This little one had never trained a day in her life, he had really feared the fall might crack her eggshell.
Outside the barrier, Misty, Brock, and Gary rushed forward, but no matter how hard they pounded on the barrier, it didn't react.
Inside, Pikachu fired a burst of golden lightning at the golden dome. The electricity spread across the surface but didn't leave so much as a ripple.
"What is this?" Ash muttered, turning to Giovanni.
Giovanni smiled. "What I tossed into the sky was Arceus's Contract. As the initiator and rule-maker, I have the authority to set both sides' stakes. The contract only rejects terms that are too one-sided. Since it activated, clearly the price I offered is substantial enough."
Everyone was stunned. Arceus's Contract? None of them had ever heard of such a thing.
"Arceus's Contract… Agatha, have you heard of it?" Lorelei's face had gone pale as she watched through the camera feed. She suddenly had a terrible feeling, Ash had walked right into a trap.
Of course she knew about the legend of Arceus. Everyone did. But this "contract" was something entirely new.
Agatha's wrinkled face tightened even further. "Arceus's Contract… so Giovanni truly managed to obtain that thing?"
Even for Agatha, the scene had gone beyond her expectations.
Originally, with both her and Lorelei present, Giovanni shouldn't have been able to pull off anything drastic. If Ash won, fine. If Ash lost, the two of them could intervene immediately. That was the plan, champions quietly bending the rules for justice.
But the moment Giovanni revealed Arceus's Contract, that plan crumbled.
Lorelei swallowed. "Grandma Agatha… you actually know what that thing is?"
"I do," Agatha replied grimly. "As the name suggests, Arceus's Contract is a pact created by the legendary Pokémon Arceus. Once established, it cannot be broken or altered by external force, unless the person breaking it has strength close to Arceus itself."
Lorelei's face darkened rapidly.
Agatha continued, "Giovanni has just bound himself and Ash to a battle contract. Until their battle ends, no one outside can interfere. And when a winner is decided, the agreed terms are enforced, whether the loser is willing or not. With Arceus's power behind it, controlling someone's mind or body is child's play."
Agatha's explanation made Lorelei's stomach drop. How had Giovanni gotten his hands on something like this? Just from that brief description, it was obvious how terrifying the item was.
If Giovanni had wanted to be cruel, he could've set absurd conditions, like a Champion-level six-on-six match, and Ash might have accepted before realizing the danger. That would have been a disaster.
Lorelei grasped at one last hope. "Isn't there any way to break the barrier? What if we hit it with enough power?"
"You can," Agatha said calmly, "if you possess strength above the God Realm. Do you?"
Lorelei fell silent. God Realm? She had nothing even close. If she did, she'd be the strongest Trainer alive.
"Then… what do we do now?"
"For now, we can only hope Ash wins," Agatha said. "Giovanni's rules aren't completely hopeless. If Ash chooses a weaker Pokémon from Giovanni first and defeats it quickly, then uses his two Pokémon to wear down the remaining one, he has a chance."
Lorelei could only clench her fists and pray. Two Champion-level elites watching Giovanni had still not been enough. He'd found a loophole, and Ash was now trapped inside it.