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After Gardevoir finished speaking, her gaze was also fixed on Blaine, with a faint hostility in her eyes.
Her intelligence was higher than many humans, so she understood the cause and effect, and she also knew what Blaine had done to her.
Blaine had nearly taken her life on several occasions, but she could disregard these incidents because without Blaine's experiments, she might never have become so strong.
If she wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't be able to Help Ash much by his side.
Therefore, even though Blaine had done things that almost cost her life in the past, Gardevoir didn't take them to heart. In fact, she was even somewhat grateful to Blaine.
It was Blaine who gave her this talent, and it was Blaine who sent her to Ash's side. These two points alone were enough for Gardevoir to forgive Blaine for his past actions.
What Blaine did later was the reason Gardevoir was now glaring at him.
He actually asked Ash to hand her over to the Alliance!
This was simply an unforgivable act. How could such a malicious suggestion exist? Was this something a human could come up with?
She hadn't slapped Blaine right then and there, only out of consideration for Ash still being nearby.
Although she knew that Blaine's suggestion was for her and Ash's own good, the impact of his advice on her was worse than being killed. She'd rather stay by Ash's side and one day have Mewtwo drain her essence!
Besides, she had already asked Ash's opinion, and Ash said he would protect her. Yet, this guy was still 'sowing discord' between them, trying to separate them. He was simply unforgivable!
So Gardevoir directly 'spoke up', saying, 'My Trainer says it's fine, what are you old man still trying to stir up?'
For Ash, Gardevoir had absolute, unconditional trust. If Ash said he could protect her, then he could protect her. So she only needed to grow obediently under Ash's protection, and once she became strong enough to rival that guy named Mewtwo, she could then protect Ash in return!
No one knew that beneath Gardevoir's gentle voice, she was actually thinking so many things.
If Blaine could see what Gardevoir was thinking, he would probably be amazed by the terror of women. Even female Pokémon counted as women.
However, Blaine didn't know Gardevoir's inner thoughts. He was currently only sighing at Gardevoir's naivety.
Just because Ash says he can protect you, does that mean he can? Her vision was limited by her own Trainer, she hadn't seen the vastness of the world, and she truly believed her Trainer was an invincible being?
Perhaps because Ash had never lost a single match since his debut, even defeating an Elite, she thought her Trainer was incredible and could protect her in any situation. But reality was far crueler than she imagined.
"How about this, Ash? Aren't you here to challenge the Cinnabar Gym? Let's battle."
"Huh?" Ash looked confused. Weren't they just talking about Mewtwo? Why the sudden battle?
"Prove to me that you have the power to protect Gardevoir. If you can't even defeat an old man like me, then don't talk about contending with Team Rockets and Mewtwo. Seeking Help from the Alliance is the right path."
Blaine put on his sunglasses, his expression gradually becoming serious.
"But Blaine, didn't you also not seek Help from the Alliance? The Alliance is still looking for you now." Ash's single sentence instantly made Blaine's recently serious face collapse.
Why did this kid always focus on such strange details?
Was it that he didn't want to find the Alliance? It was that he couldn't find the Alliance!
His appearance would attract attention from both sides, and an unprecedented great war might break out. Before finding a specific method to restrict and resolve Mewtwo, it was best for him to remain hidden in the dark, not appearing in the open.
Moreover, his going to Team Rockets for experiments was definitely a slap in the face for the Alliance. At that time, he didn't even know why he had a moment of madness and chose to cooperate with Team Rockets.
But what's done is done, nothing he said would change it. When this matter finally settled, he might be imprisoned by the Alliance, but none of that mattered. What was important was to find a way to resolve the trouble he had created.
For this, Gardevoir absolutely could not be discovered by Mewtwo and Team Rockets. Even if she was discovered, she absolutely had to be protected!
That's why he so strongly urged Ash to seek the Alliance's aid. Ash was different from him; he came from a reputable background, essentially a person brought up by Professor Oak.
If he sought Help from the Alliance, there would be no problems or obstacles. For Ash, this was the best method.
But Ash stubbornly believed he had the ability to protect Gardevoir, so Blaine needed to use a battle to make Ash face reality!
As a result, Ash didn't take the bait, which gave Blaine a headache.
You young man are not spirited enough!
"However, Blaine, you weren't wrong about one thing: I did come to challenge the Cinnabar Gym this time. Whether it's to test my strength or a challenge, this battle must be fought!"
Ash stood up, looking intently at Blaine, and said loudly.
Blaine's connection to Ralts's background was an unexpected turn of events. Even without the Ralts incident, Ash would have sought out Blaine for a battle, but now the meaning of the battle had changed slightly.
Aside from being a Gym battle, this fight was more of a test from Blaine for Ash, to see if he possessed the strength to protect Gardevoir.
"How about this, let's make a bet. If you lose, I'll still give you the Cinnabar Gym badge, but you must hand Gardevoir over to Oak, so Oak can send her to the Alliance for protection, until the Alliance captures Mewtwo or finds a way to deal with Mewtwo."
"If you win, you keep Gardevoir by your side, and I will give you this." Blaine said, slowly standing up, then walked to a nearby table, pulled out a drawer, and took out a safe.
He opened the safe, and inside were two smooth, round beads. These two beads were transparent, with intricate, gene-chain-like patterns intertwined within them, and their colors were distinct.
The moment Ash saw these two beads, his pupils constricted sharply, and he couldn't help but show a look of surprise on his face.
Although he didn't know what species they were, he knew exactly what these two beads were—MEGA Evolution Stones!
Blaine actually had MEGA Evolution Stones, and two of them!
"You recognize these?" Blaine couldn't help but ask when he saw Ash's expression.
"I do. Where did you get these two gems?" Ash admitted it directly, because he might use this power in the upcoming battle, so there was no need to hide it.
"These are two gems that suddenly appeared by Mewtwo's side at its birth. Everyone was shocked by Mewtwo's birth at the time, so I quietly collected these two gems."
"I'm not sure of their specific effects, but these should be what Mewtwo needs. Perhaps they can make Mewtwo even stronger, or even allow Mewtwo to mend the flaws in its spiritual essence. If I give this to you, and Mewtwo really finds you in the future, you can use this to trade with Team Rockets or Mewtwo. If they don't agree, then you destroy it."
Blaine's calm words revealed a hint of ruthlessness. It could only be said that he was indeed the person who created Mewtwo and extracted its spiritual essence; his actions were certainly ruthless enough.
The implication of his words was also very clear: even if Ash defeated him, Blaine didn't believe Ash could contend with Team Rockets and Mewtwo, after all, even he could only hide from Team Rockets and Mewtwo.
Unless Ash could defeat him with overwhelming superiority, otherwise, facing that colossal organization, Ash's fate wouldn't be much better than his own.
And these two gems he gave to Ash were also meant to be a bargaining chip for Ash to use when he encountered a crisis.
Originally, he had kept this bargaining chip for himself, but if Ash could defeat him at such a young age, then what harm was there in giving this chip to Ash?
"You just said you recognize this thing. Where did you see it? Do you know its specific effects?" After explaining the origin of the two gems, Blaine asked Ash in return.
"As for the effects, you'll see them soon, Blaine. Where will we battle later? What are the battle rules?" Ash didn't answer directly. Since he was going to battle Blaine, he definitely had to keep something in reserve. How could he reveal such crucial information to Blaine before the battle?
Hearing this, Blaine temporarily buried his questions in his heart, then waved his hand and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to the battleground first. The Cinnabar Gym's normal field can no longer be used, but I have another battle field here that others don't know about."
"Wait, Blaine, can I call my friend? He's Professor Oak's grandson, and we've grown up playing together. He also wants to battle you. Don't worry, I'll tell him not to call anyone else over, and he won't reveal your whereabouts either."
"Alright." Blaine agreed without hesitation.
On one hand, he was already planning to move his base after this battle. On the other hand, the person Ash mentioned was Oak's grandson, so there would essentially be no problem.
He didn't have many close and trusted friends within the Alliance, and Professor Oak was one of them.
After getting Blaine's permission, Ash called Gary... Thirty minutes later, everyone followed Blaine to an extremely remote location. This place was already near the Cinnabar Island volcano, and almost no one came here. After all, although Cinnabar Island was a tourist hotspot, this area was extremely dangerous.
Before becoming a tourist hotspot, Cinnabar Island frequently experienced volcanic eruptions and similar events. Even now, it remains a considerably dangerous place, with warning lines all around, advising passing tourists not to venture into this area.
If a volcanic eruption really occurred, as long as there were no people nearby, it would be relatively easy to evacuate the people in the downtown area below.
Tourist attractions naturally need to have good protective measures in place.
And precisely because no one would appear here, this place could serve as one of Blaine's battlegrounds.
"What kind of godforsaken place is this, Ash? Is there even a place to battle here?" Gary looked around, wiped sweat from his forehead, and spoke with a look of hardship.
The long journey to get here was one thing, but because it was close to the volcano, the air was getting hotter and hotter. For Gary, this temperature was already a bit too much.
Moreover, this place was climbing up the volcano, and the entire ground was a slope. No matter how he thought about it, this place couldn't be used for battles. Battles should be held on flat ground, right?
"We'll be there soon." Blaine said, leading everyone further up. As time passed, everyone seemed to vaguely know where Blaine's described battleground was.
Ten minutes later, Blaine led Ash and the others to the top of the volcano. On this volcanic crater, there were many small platforms, and in the very center, there was a huge arena chained with iron chains!
This place was the battleground Blaine spoke of!
"Battling on top of a volcano? That's truly in line with the style of a Fire-type Gym!" Brock couldn't help but exclaim at the grand scale upon seeing the battleground.
Those chains holding the Gym arena were definitely not ordinary chains, and even the arena itself was probably made of special materials.
Otherwise, with Cinnabar Island's frequent volcanic eruptions, an ordinary arena would probably be swallowed by lava in the blink of an eye.
Even if there were no eruptions, being on the volcano year-round, the rising heat would cause significant wear and tear on the arena. If Pokémon were to battle there, they might step into empty space directly. So, special materials were absolutely necessary to construct the arena.
"What are the battle rules?" Ash, seeing the arena, also began to feel eager. After battling Koga, he hadn't encountered a truly strong Trainer in a long time.
The Trainers he occasionally battled in the wild were, at most, of Superior level, no more. Today's battle would at least be Professional level!
"How about Elite three-on-three?"
Ash: ???
Ash looked at Blaine with a face full of question marks. You really dare to say that!
"I say, Blaine, do you even know how long I've been traveling? You're talking about an Elite three-on-three battle with me. Do you have any shame?"
Blaine's face flushed slightly, but no one could see it in the darkness of the night.
Suggesting an Elite battle, and a three-on-three Elite battle at that, to a rookie Trainer who debuted three months ago, was beyond shameless; it would require two extra layers of skin!
"Ahem, didn't you win against an Elite before? Koga was defeated by you."
"That method of defeating Mr. Koga can't be replicated. I don't currently have the strength to defeat a peak Elite Pokémon," Ash said grumpily.
He wasn't entirely unwilling to try an Elite three-on-three. Now with that MEGA Evolution Stone, he could barely be said to have three Elite-level Pokémon.
But within the Elite rank, even a small difference in level was a world apart. At most, he could manage to fight a high-level Elite, but he couldn't even touch a peak Elite.
If Blaine sent out his Magmar, what would he use to fight it?