The Viridian Gym (Japanese: トキワジムTokiwa Gym) is the official Gym of Viridian City. During the events of GenerationsI and III, it is based on Ground-typePokémon and the Gym Leader is Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket. After Team Rocket is disbanded at the end of Generations I and III, Blue takes over as the Leader during Generations II and IV; under his direction, the Gym no longer concentrates on any particular type.
Viridian City Pokémon Gym Leader: ...
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Viridian Gym appears in all games set in the Kanto region. In Generations I and III, when the player first reaches the Gym, it is locked due to the absence of the Gym Leader. With this acknowledged, the player journeys off to other Gyms to challenge them. Once the player has collected the other seven Gym Badges, the Viridian Gym reopens.
In Generations II and IV, Blue takes over the Gym. In Generation II, the Gym can be challenged as soon as Blue is spoken to on Cinnabar Island. In Generation IV, however, Blue will stay on Cinnabar Island and will not return to his Gym until the player speaks to him after obtaining the other seven Kanto Gym Badges.
Inside the Gym, the floor uses the same transporting tiles as are used in the Rocket Hideout. The player must use these tiles to navigate through the Gym to reach the Gym Leader. In Generation II, the Gym is completely remodeled and the tiles are gone; in Generation IV, the tiles are put back up, now covering almost the entire floor of the Gym.
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.
The Viridian Gym was originally led by Giovanni, as it was in Generation I. The Gym featured Roman architecture, stately pillars, and an old mural. A predominant brownish color scheme was used to represent the Gym's affiliation with the Ground-type.
The Viridian Gym first made an appearance in The Battle of the Badge. Before Ash could challenge the Gym however, Gary appeared, taunting him with his ten Badges, and insisting on challenging the Viridian Gym for fun. Gary faced Giovanni, though his confidence was quickly eroded after Giovanni brought out Mewtwo, who defeated each of Gary's Pokémon with ease, even when Giovanni allowed him to use more than one Pokémon at a time.
Ash challenged the Gym soon after. However, as the Team Rocket boss had unmentioned business to attend to, he left the Gym in the care of Jessie, James, and Meowth, giving them several Pokémon to use against any challengers. At first, Ash had a hard time beating them, as the Team Rocket trio had rigged the Trainer platforms to shock anyone whose Pokémon took damage. Eventually, Ash overcame the borrowed Pokémon's power and defeated all of them, causing Team Rocket to send out their usual duo of Arbok and Weezing, completely ignoring the Gym rules. Despite this, even the two additional Pokémon were quickly taken down. When Togepi started playing with Meowth's remote control, it inadvertently caused the Trainer platforms to explode and send Team Rocket blasting off again. They dropped an Earth Badge in their wake, allowing Ash to get his eighth Badge. Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary, and Gary's cheerleaders then ran out of the Gym, which proceeded to collapsed into ruins due to the explosion.
The rebuilt Viridian Gym appeared when Ash returned to Kanto from Hoenn in The Scheme Team, where Agatha of the Elite Four was now the temporary Gym Leader. Ash challenged her to an exhibition match, but lost. This is also the place where Ash first met Scott, who told him about the Battle Frontier. The Gym now also sported a new, lighter color scheme.
Giovanni abdicating his position as Gym Leader is similar to the case in the Generation I games; however, in the anime, he is still in charge of Team Rocket, while in the games he disbands the team.
Giovanni held control of this Mewtwo created by his scientists for some time, until it learned that Giovanni had meant its purpose to be fighting for him, and escaped.
While controlling Mewtwo, Giovanni used its overwhelming Psychic powers to capture new Pokémon for Team Rocket and in his Gym battles, where it defeated all of his challengers effortlessly. When Mewtwo discovered Giovanni's real intentions for it, Mewtwo broke out of his bonds and escaped.
Golem was first seen in its cage while Giovanni went to see Mewtwo. It was the first Pokémon that Giovanni used in his Gym battle with Gary, sending it against Gary's Nidoking. The Megaton Pokémon was easily defeated.
Giovanni used his Kingler in his Gym battle with Gary, sending it to battle against Gary's Nidoking. Gary, however, quickly withdraws his Pokémon and calls out Arcanine. Despite having a type advantage, Kingler proved to be no match for the Legendary Pokémon, and was finally taken out by Arcanine's Fire Blast.
Kingler was also later loaned to Jessie for Ash's Gym battle. She used it to battle against Bulbasaur, but lost, although not before dealing heavy damage to Bulbasaur with its Bubble attack, and by consequence, Ash experienced its pain.
Kingler was seen again in a flashback in Bad to the Bone, where it was defeated in a Gym battle by Otoshi's Marowak.
Giovanni loaned his Machamp to Jessie for her Gym battle against Ash. It battled against Ash's Squirtle, but lost, although not before dealing heavy damage to Squirtle with its Karate Chop attack, and by consequence, Ash experienced its pain.
The Viridian Gym was featured in the Pokémon Origins episode File 3: Giovanni. Once Red arrived in Viridian City in order to challenge the Gym, he encountered Blue, who was revealed to have defeated the newly returned Gym Leader just the day before.
Once Red entered the Gym, he right away noticed the different atmosphere it had compared to the other Gyms he had previously visited. The reason for this was revealed soon enough, as Red then found out that the Gym Leader was none other than the Team Rocket Boss, Giovanni. Red refused to believe that a man who treated Pokémon as tools for business, like Giovanni, could be the strongest Gym Leader of all. Giovanni, however, ignored this, simply stating that he didn't need his acceptance to make it true. As he asked whether Red wanted to battle him or not, Red replied that he was challenging him, but not as a Gym Leader, but as an enemy of all Pokémon. Seeing Red's arrogant attitude, Giovanni put away his usual Gym Leader team and took out two Ultra Balls, containing his strongest Pokémon. The first one was Rhyhorn, which, surprisingly, was able to defeat four of Red's Pokémon, despite two of them (Victreebel and Kabutops) having a tremendous type advantage over it.
Eventually, Red's Hitmonlee was able to tie with the Spikes Pokémon, leaving both Trainers with one Pokémon remaining. Knowing that Red was going to use his Charizard, Giovanni revealed his other Pokémon being Rhydon, and said that Red made a mistake by saving Charizard as his last Pokémon. Red, however, told that he had intended it to be so right from the start, wanting to give the whole match a meaning by winning it with his Charizard. At first, Giovanni intended to crush Red's pride along with his Charizard, but when he sent out his starter Pokémon, Giovanni realized that the pose that he had taken and the way he threw his Poké Ball reminded him of his childhood, when he had also battled just for fun and excitement. After a climactic clash between Charizard and Rhydon, which ended with Charizard defeating the Drill Pokémon with Seismic Toss, Giovanni was ready to give the Earth Badge as a sign of his defeat, but Red refused to take a Badge from the Boss of Team Rocket. With his childhood passion for battling revitalized, Giovanni told his minions that Team Rocket was now disbanded, before turning back to Red and presenting the Earth Badge to him as the Viridian Gym Leader instead of as the Boss of Team Rocket.
Once Red left the Gym and headed for the Pokémon League, Giovanni decided that it was time for him to find a new path for himself and his Pokémon, indicating that, much like in the games, he was going to leave the Gym and train on his own.
The Viridian Gym made a brief appearance in Make Way For Magmar!, where citizens of Viridian City were asking questions about the missing Gym Leader.
Red revisited the Gym in Drat That Dratini! after hearing rumors about the missing "invincible" Gym Leader. At the Gym, he met Giovanni, learning that not only was he the Viridian City Gym Leader, but also the leader of Team Rocket. Giovanni then challenged Red to a battle, making a bet with him that should Red lose, he'd come to serve him as his right-hand man. During the battle, Giovanni's Nidoking's Earthquake caused the Gym to collapse into ruins. Eventually Red emerged victorious with his Pika defeating Giovanni's Nidoqueen and knocking the Gym Leader himself unconscious as well.
In Forretress of Solitude, Red participated in Pokémon Association's Gym Leader test for the new Viridian Gym Leader at the reconstructed Viridian Gym. Although he passed the test with flying colors, Red had to turn down the offer, as he had not yet completely recovered from the frostbites he received after being frozen by Lorelei in the Yellow arc. As such, Blue was appointed as the new Gym Leader instead, after he impressed the Pokémon Association by stopping and capturing a group of rampaging wild Pokémon.
In Secrets from Sneasel, Yellow went to the Viridian Gym, looking for Blue, but only found his hologram, set there in case for a challenger coming while he was not present. An automated system then brought out Blue's Pokémon, which, even without their Trainer giving them commands, easily defeated Yellow's Chuchu in a battle. Soon Silver arrived at the site as well, looking for his roots.
Viridian Gym in Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Viridian Gym in Pokémon Pocket Monsters
In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
The Viridian Gym appeared in Get The Last Badge!!, where Red battled Giovanni for his final Kanto Gym Badge, eventually emerging victorious.
In the Pokémon Zensho manga
Viridian Gym in Pokémon Zensho
The Viridian Gym appeared in Viridian City, where Satoshi entered the Gym and was surprised to find out that Giovanni was the Gym Leader. First Satoshi used his Lapras against Giovanni's Rhydon, but its Hydro Pump wasn't enough, so Satoshi switched out for his Charizard, who was able to beat Rhydon, ending the battle. Satoshi then gave Giovanni the object he had received from Mr. Fuji before coming to Viridian City, which turned out to be the horn of Giovanni's dead Nidoking. Afterwards, Giovanni gave Satoshi an Earth Badge as a sign of his victory.
In the TCG
The Viridian Gym was featured in the TCG. The following is a list of cards named Viridian City Gym.
Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Agatha's temporary position as Leader of the Viridian Gym when Ash returns to Kanto may be an anime reference to the fact that Giovanni quit Team Rocket and his status as Gym Leader after being defeated by Red. What this possibly means for Gary Oak, whose game counterpart Blue eventually assumed the title of leader in Generation II, is disputed.
In Generation II, it is possible to challenge Blue before beating any other Kanto Gym Leader by talking to him on Cinnabar Island. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Blue can only be challenged when the player has seven Badges from Kanto.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the exterior coloring of each Gym is based on the colors most associated with the type that the Gym specializes in. Viridian Gym, however, is both green and blue, likely referring to its Gym Leader's name.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, two male Ace Trainers in this Gym are named Arabella and Bonita, both being typically feminine names.
