After Garchomp was taken down, Zapdos had regained full mobility.
But before it could even move, a mysterious containment field suddenly enveloped it, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
"What's going on?!"
"Who's there?!"
Seeing this, Brandon, Leanne, and the others were alarmed, turning their eyes toward the opposite side of the sky.
From a nearby airship, a group of individuals clad in uniforms marked with a bold red "R" on their chests hovered toward Zapdos on flying platforms. Leading them was a man with short, teal-green hair.
"AHHHH!!!"
Zapdos screeched in fury, electricity crackling violently from its body. It fired a Hyper Beam in an attempt to escape.
But having already been wounded from its battles with Electivire and Garchomp, it was far from its peak condition.
The legendary bird was unable to break free from the high-tech containment field and could only struggle helplessly inside.
"You think you can run from us?"
The teal-haired man tapped the outside of the energy field and smirked at Brandon and the others.
"I am Archer, an Executive of Team Rocket. Thanks for doing all the hard work for us—without you chasing it this far, this bird might've taken a lot longer to catch."
"Team Rocket?! You're the reason Zapdos fled here?!"
Leanne shouted angrily at them.
"This was a mistake on our part. We should've secured it back on the Orange Islands. Our bad." Archer said with a sneering grin, showing no remorse whatsoever.
"No need to waste time talking to them. Go—Ninjask, Solrock!"
Brandon knew reasoning was futile with these kinds of people and immediately hurled two Poké Balls into the air.
As soon as Ninjask appeared, it vanished in a blur, charging straight at Archer. Meanwhile, Solrock launched Psychic attacks together toward the airship.
Seeing the golden pyramid insignia on Brandon's attire, Archer instantly recognized him.
He didn't fear Brandon, but he did hate complications.
There was a clear difference between wild Pokémon and those under a Trainer's command. Brandon's Regi trio would be much harder to subdue than Zapdos.
And now that they had Zapdos in hand, Archer wasn't about to risk losing it.
"No more nonsense with you, let's go!"
With that, Archer and the surrounding Rocket agents threw out dozens of Poké Balls. Golbat and Koffing flooded the air.
All the Golbat unleashed a barrage of Supersonic, while the Koffing emitted thick clouds of Smokescreen.
The combination created utter chaos. Despite its speed, Ninjask was forced back into confusion. The Psychic attacks were blocked by the Koffing, who shielded Archer with their bodies.
Under the cover of the high-frequency sonic waves and dense smoke, Archer and the rest of Team Rocket retreated toward the airship.
...
On the ground:
"Ugh! This is bad—what do we do now?!"
"Damn it! Why now of all times?!"
Inside the protective field formed by Solrock, Leanne paced in frustration. Brandon clenched his fists.
But a calm voice suddenly cut through the tension—Scott, who had remained unnoticed due to his constant invisibility.
"I don't think Team Rocket's plan will succeed."
"What do you mean?!"
"Do you have a plan?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"I don't—but Paul's gone."
He pointed to the spot where Paul had just been. It was now empty.
...
In the sky—
As Archer and his team approached the airship, they noticed the hatch had yet to open. One of the grunts growled into his communicator.
"Re–port... ene–"
The transmission cut off abruptly.
Click~
Just as a grunt prepared to complain, the hatch finally opened.
But standing inside wasn't anyone they knew.
"You—who the hell are you?! When did you get on board?!"
The Rocket grunts stared at the purple-haired boy accompanied by a mysterious Pokémon and an Electivire.
It was Paul. And the unfamiliar Pokémon?
None other than Mewtwo, making its first appearance in the main world canon.
After Archer showed up and the situation spiraled out of control, Paul had no intention of sitting idle.
This wasn't some anime. He wasn't Ash.
Unless they destroyed the airship before it escaped, there was no way they could save Zapdos.
As for how he got on board? Was it really that surprising that Mewtwo could teleport them aboard?
"Don't you know how battles work?" Paul said coldly. "My fight with Zapdos isn't over yet."
He hated evil organizations, but what he loathed even more was having his battles interrupted.
Team Rocket had done both. And now they thought they could leave unscathed?
Who did they take him for—some self-sacrificing hero?
"You punk—!"
One grunt tried to shout him down, but Archer raised his hand, silencing him.
His face was serious. His eyes fixed not on Paul—but on Mewtwo.
"Mewtwo...? You actually came back. And you've been captured by a Trainer?"
As a Team Rocket Executive and one of Giovanni's trusted men, Archer knew all about Mewtwo.
He had even participated in the original operation to capture it, though he stayed back to guard the base during the final assault.
By the time the mission ended in disaster, Mewtwo had wiped everyone's memories and vanished.
He never expected to run into it again—let alone like this.
"Oh? So you've met another version of me?" Mewtwo asked, intrigued.
It was aware of its alternate counterpart in this world and had always been curious to meet it, if only it knew where.
"Another one? Impossible! There's only one Mewtwo!" Archer snapped, though he subtly signaled the grunts behind him with hand signs.
He knew just how dangerous Mewtwo could be.
This was a creature born capable of leveling New Island. Without proper equipment, they didn't stand a chance.
But before the Rocket grunts could act—
Paul spoke again.
"Since you're here… you can stay."
Back when he was weaker, Paul used to handle bad guys with ruthless efficiency—sending them off to correctional labor without hesitation.
Now that he was stronger, he had become… softer.
He realized now: expecting criminals to change through hard work was just too cruel.
They couldn't handle that kind of suffering.
So now?
He made sure they wouldn't get the chance.
"Mewtwo, go. Be efficient. Don't make the same mistake as last time and leave them half-alive."
Paul still regretted how Giovanni's fate in the anime remained unclear.
This time, with Mewtwo here, there would be no loose ends.
"Don't worry." Mewtwo replied coolly.
"I won't."
With a lift of its hand, an overwhelming wave of psychic energy burst forth—like a cannon shot fired into the dark.
"Psychic Destruction!"
With a single command, a terrifying explosion erupted in the sky, engulfing every last Team Rocket member in its blast.
Thick, ominous smoke flooded the entire airspace. When it was finally dispersed by Mewtwo's Telekinesis, not a single Rocket Grunt remained. All that was left were drifting particles of energy, scattered like the essence of life returning to nature.
In the aftermath, the only Pokémon still present in the devastated zone—aside from a cluster of Crobat and Weezing hovering in the sky—was Zapdos, still safely encased within a psychic barrier.
Zapdos looked utterly stunned.
Its confusion was so profound that it didn't even react to the cracks spreading across the psychic dome that held it.
Just moments ago, the psychic Pokémon fighting before it had barely been able to hold its own against Zapdos' weakened form. Now, out of nowhere, this human had sent out a different Pokémon so overwhelming it had wiped out Team Rocket in a single move?
Even at full power, Zapdos wasn't confident it could win against this creature—much less now, in its exhausted state. There was no need to test the odds.
Regaining its senses, Zapdos spread its wings and shattered the barrier, launching itself into the air in a bid to escape. But after just two wingbeats, it found its body seized by an invisible force, frozen mid-flight.
Involuntarily, it was pulled back—hovering right in front of Paul.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Ahhh!"
Paul's icy voice sent a chill down Zapdos' spine. The Thunder God glared at him and Mewtwo with a burning fury. There was no fear in its eyes—only rage.
This was Zapdos, the embodiment of lightning itself. A Pokémon that had once traded hundreds of blows with Lugia, the Sea Guardian. If not for its current depleted state, it would have never tolerated such humiliation.
Though its body was immobilized, its beak remained free and it squawked defiantly, its voice sharp and unyielding.
"What now? Do we capture it?"
Mewtwo turned to Paul, telepathically muting the noisy bird before asking.
Its personality was insufferable, sure—but its power was undeniable. If fully restored, Zapdos might even hold its own against Mewtwo, at least for a time.
"…No."
Paul shook his head after a moment's thought.
Zapdos certainly had the raw stats, but its utter lack of discipline or intelligence was a dealbreaker.
Even if captured, it might break its Poké Ball and escape. And honestly, Paul's team didn't need it. Worse, if tossed into his training facility, Zapdos could destroy the whole place just by accident.
"Then let it go?"
Mewtwo asked.
"I'll catch it first. Once you and Electivire have a chance to study it, send it to the Tree of Beginning."
Paul recalled that the Legendary Birds were sometimes attributed with divine roles, gods of elemental forces capable of altering weather patterns and ocean currents. If corrupted or controlled, they might even bring ruin to the world.
He didn't quite buy it.
Even the original Weather Trio in Hoenn couldn't destroy the world. What could these three possibly do? Maybe cause a few natural disasters at best. Nothing world-ending.
Still, to be safe, he'd hand the matter off to Mew. If anyone understood divine functions or the balance of the world—it was Mew, who lived in symbiosis with the Tree of Beginning.
Let Mew decide whether to keep it, release it, or whatever.
"Get in the ball."
Paul placed a Poké Ball before Zapdos.
"Ahhh!"
Zapdos scoffed and turned its head away in protest.
"Vireee!"
Electivire wasn't having it.
'Let's see how stubborn you really are.'
It stepped up, grabbed Zapdos' head, and pummeled it with a flurry of Ice Punches until the bird fainted cold. With a thud, Zapdos was shoved into the Poké Ball.
"Done. Let's move."
After storing the Poké Ball, Paul released his Metagross and leapt onto its back. With Electivire joining him, the trio soared toward Viridian City.
Meanwhile, Mewtwo's eyes shimmered with blue light. It turned toward the Rocket airship in the distance and hurled it toward an uninhabited area.
The moment it hit the ground, the ship exploded—reduced to smoldering debris.
"What just happened?"
"Was Zapdos rescued?"
"And what was with Team Rocket?"
Back on the ground, Brandon and the others stood bewildered.
A strange interference had clouded their vision earlier, like looking through a mosaic filter. Nothing was clear. Then came the explosions, and now… everything was over. Paul had vanished, and they were left exchanging confused glances.
The distortion had, of course, been a psychic field laid down by Mewtwo, per Paul's instructions.
...
In the blink of an eye, Viridian City came into view.
On the outskirts, Paul recalled his three Pokémon and entered the city, heading straight to the Pokémon Center.
Registering for the World Coronation Series wasn't difficult. As a global competition, it wouldn't make sense to place too many barriers to entry.
Trainers could register at Pokémon Centers in any major city, using either ID or a Pokédex.
"Nurse Joy, I'd like to register for the World Coronation Series."
Paul retrieved his long-unused Pokédex from his backpack and handed it over.
"Of course. Just a moment."
Nurse Joy gave him a warm smile and began the process.
With the Pokédex inserted, his information was quickly scanned and accepted. Within a minute, the registration was complete.
"You're all set! Best of luck, you'll need to work hard if you want a top rank!" She returned his Pokédex with a cheerful pump of her pink fist.
"I will. Thank you."
Paul nodded, pocketed the device, and moved off to the side.
Pulling out his phone, he logged into the tournament's official site.
The World Coronation Series divided trainers into four ranks:
Normal Class – Ranks 1000 and below
Great Class – Ranks 999 to 100
Ultra Class – Ranks 99 to 9
Master Class – Top 8 Trainers
Paul's current status: Poké Ball Rank. The very bottom tier.
"Still a long way to go."
He muttered to himself.
One fair rule of the Series: no matter your reputation or previous accomplishments, if you hadn't competed before, you started at the bottom. Even Iris, Champion of Unova, had to grind her way up from Poké Ball Rank in the anime.
"Hey! Excuse me!"
A female voice called out behind him.
"?"
Paul turned.
It was a white-haired girl—quite pretty, and clearly not a local.
(End of Chapter)
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