Gary was staying in a hospital in Viridian City.
By the time Professor Oak, Ash, and Lu Chen arrived, Gary had already woken up.
Gary was propped up in his hospital bed, his face pale, with thick bandages wrapped around his left arm and right leg.
Several electrode pads were still attached to his body, and the machine beside him beeped steadily.
Seeing his grandson in this state, Professor Oak's lips trembled twice, and he hurried to the bedside.
"Gary! How are you feeling? Where are you hurt?"
Gary tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to smile to reassure his grandfather, but the movement pulled at his injuries, making him grimace in pain.
"Grandpa, I'm fine."
"When I was challenging the Viridian Gym, a Pokémon that got thrown back crashed into me. No broken bones. I'll be able to leave after a few days of rest."
"What exactly happened?" Professor Oak pulled over a chair and sat down, his brows tightly knitted.
"You weren't clear on the phone. What do you mean, a single Pokémon defeated you with Confusion?"
Gary took a deep breath, as though recalling something unpleasant, his tone especially heavy.
"The Viridian Gym Leader... I challenged him."
"His first Pokémon was a strange Pokémon wearing armor. I'd never seen that kind of Pokémon before."
"It was covered in grayish-white armor, with even its face hidden behind a metal mask. Only its eyes were exposed."
"Those eyes..."
Gary paused, half-reclining in his hospital bed, his voice growing quieter.
"They were purple, and their gaze was so cold it made my skin crawl."
"My Pokémon couldn't even withstand a single move!"
"That armored Pokémon just raised its hand, and my Blastoise was lifted into the air by Confusion and slammed against the wall."
"Then Arcanine, then Nidoking... every one of them went down in a single hit."
Gary gripped the blanket. "I didn't even have time to give a second command."
The hospital room fell silent.
Ash opened his mouth, his face filled with shock. Misty and Brock stood at the door, exchanging looks, unable to say a word.
Professor Oak frowned and murmured:
"An armored Pokémon... Confusion... I've never heard of a Pokémon like that in the Kanto Region."
Ash scratched his head.
"Could it be some rare wild Pokémon?"
"Impossible." Professor Oak shook his head.
"Gary is my grandson! And he's caught over two hundred Pokémon in the Kanto Region! There's absolutely no way he'd encounter a Pokémon he didn't recognize at all!"
Hearing Professor Oak's explanation, everyone felt he had a point. Gary was Professor Oak's grandson, after all.
Yet there was actually a Pokémon even Gary didn't recognize.
Just what was that Pokémon?!
Only Lu Chen stood in the corner of the hospital room, his hands in his pockets and his eyes slightly narrowed.
Ever since Gary had been hospitalized, Lu Chen had felt as though he had seen this scene somewhere before.
After hearing Gary's description, Lu Chen finally remembered.
He had seen this part of the story in the anime in his previous life.
Team Rocket had created the Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo, and to control it, they had put that suit of armor on it.
But the armor's power had been utterly unable to suppress Mewtwo's consciousness, and everything had ultimately gone wrong.
Mewtwo had broken free of its restraints, destroyed Team Rocket's base, and then disappeared somewhere in the Kanto Region.
And the seemingly mysterious Viridian Gym Leader was actually the boss of Team Rocket!
Giovanni!
Although Lu Chen had indeed remembered this part of the story and knew the broad outline, he had no intention of doing anything.
After all, the Kanto Region had the Elite Four.
No matter what, something like this was hardly a matter for a retired farmer like Lu Chen to handle.
Besides, for Giovanni to have risen to the position of Team Rocket's boss, he surely had plenty of trump cards.
Even the Pokémon League would have to weigh its options before moving against him.
Lu Chen had no desire to let this whole mess disrupt his peaceful retirement.
With that thought, Lu Chen looked at the injured Gary and simply offered some reassurance.
"Recover first and get ready for the upcoming Pokémon League tournament. Leave the rest to the Pokémon League."
Professor Oak nodded and sighed.
"That's all we can do."
Meanwhile, the Pokémon League had already taken action.
Outside the Viridian Gym, several black armored vehicles pulled up at the entrance.
A squad of uniformed Pokémon League investigators filed inside, the Poké Balls and tranquilizer guns in their hands already unlocked.
Inside the Gym, the lighting was dim.
The lead Pokémon League investigator kicked open the Viridian Gym's main doors and shouted:
"Gym Leader Bantian! (Giovanni's alias) We've received a report that the Viridian Gym is suspected of illegally researching Pokémon weapons. Please cooperate with our investigation."
The lead investigator cautiously entered the dimly lit Viridian Gym.
But by then, everyone in the Viridian Gym had long since cleared out!
Looking at the wreckage inside the Viridian Gym, the lead investigator's expression changed, and he shouted:
"They've all left! Search the place, now!"
In the end, the Pokémon League discovered an enormous secret laboratory beneath the Gym.
It contained a large number of precision instruments far ahead of their time, along with several partially destroyed research documents.
More importantly, countless letters "R" had been marked throughout the secret laboratory, without the slightest attempt to conceal them.
At the sight of that huge letter "R," all the investigators present gritted their teeth!
When the news reached Pokémon League headquarters, everyone was shocked.
The Viridian Gym, one of the Pokémon League's prestigious eight major Gyms!
It was actually a secret Team Rocket stronghold!
And the Viridian Gym Leader, Bantian, the mysterious Gym Leader renowned throughout the Kanto Region!
He was actually Giovanni, the legendary boss of Team Rocket!
After searching Team Rocket's Secret Base, the Pokémon League finally learned the true identity of the armored Pokémon that had injured Gary!
It was an artificial Legendary Pokémon that Team Rocket had secretly created using an eyelash from the Legendary Pokémon Mew.
Code name: Mewtwo.
As the news spread, the entire Kanto Region erupted.
"Humans can actually create Legendary Pokémon?!"
"Team Rocket has been conducting experiments like this all along?!"
"That's terrifying! If that artificial Legendary Pokémon called Mewtwo loses control, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Meanwhile, at the farm in Pallet Town, Lu Chen listened to Professor Oak relay the news.
He simply leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, gently blew at the foam, and said with a perfectly calm expression:
"Humans really are all the same. They all love creating their own overlords."
Lu Chen took a sip of tea, his tone indifferent.
Hearing Lu Chen's words, Professor Oak froze for a moment before asking:
"What do you mean? Did something similar happen in ancient times?"
Lu Chen sighed, a look of recollection appearing in his eyes.
"Back in ancient times, an ancient nation did something similar."
"They wanted to create an avatar of a Legendary Pokémon to help them rule the world."
"But in the end, their own empire was destroyed by the Legendary Pokémon avatar they'd created!"
"They even forced the other surrounding empires to clean up their mess. So many people and Pokémon died before they finally killed that Legendary Pokémon avatar, which had lost its reason!"
"So, no matter how the times change, humanity's desire to court death really never changes."
Professor Oak fell silent after hearing Lu Chen's words.
Professor Oak also recalled the two Ancient Pokémon in the Pokémopolis Ruins.
He thought of the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire's gigantic Dragonite, and the humans of their era who had done foolish things.
Even Professor Oak could not help remarking:
"Yes. Humans always think they can control power beyond their understanding, but it often ends up turning against them."
Just then, Professor Oak's phone rang.
Professor Oak glanced at the caller ID, his brows drawing together. He answered, his tone noticeably impatient.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice came from the other end, speaking quickly, with a touch of the easy familiarity peculiar to academic exchanges.
"Hello, Professor Oak! This is Professor Juniper, a Pokémon researcher from the Unova Region."
"I've been researching fossil revival technology, and I recently heard about your paper on Kabuto. I'm very interested."
"I was wondering whether you have any spare fossil Pokémon specimens? I'd be willing to pay for them. The price is negotiable-"
"Not for sale."