Hearing Elias's request, Matori nodded and picked up a tablet nearby.
"Please have a look."
She swiftly pulled up a video file.
Elias leaned closer, eyes narrowing slightly as a familiar pink figure appeared on screen—one he vaguely recognized as Mewtwo.
However…
Rather than seeing her weak and resting inside the incubation chamber, as he'd expected, Mewtwo appeared violently rampaging through a laboratory, unleashing waves of psychic energy, systematically destroying every piece of equipment within reach.
Her overwhelming psychic power shredded even the hardest metal, transforming the entire lab into a scene reminiscent of an apocalypse.
Even through the recording, Elias could clearly hear the piercing, metallic screech of twisted steel. The footage abruptly ended when the camera itself was presumably caught within Mewtwo's destructive psychic wave.
"As you can see," Matori said cautiously, putting away the now-blackened tablet, "since your disappearance, Mewtwo has become quite... temperamental."
"Based on our observations, Mewtwo is currently out of control, attacking anything that approaches her without hesitation."
"This situation has become Team Rocket's greatest headache."
As Matori spoke, a rare trace of fatigue flickered in her eyes.
As Giovanni's personal secretary, she was accustomed to juggling numerous responsibilities daily. Despite this, she usually handled everything with composed efficiency.
But lately…
Mewtwo's escalating crisis had truly exhausted her.
Every attempt at pacifying Mewtwo had failed miserably. They couldn't even approach the Pokémon safely; neither standard equipment nor ordinary Pokémon could penetrate her psychic aura.
Worse still, Giovanni himself hadn't found a suitable solution. Capturing Mewtwo alive without injuring her seemed nearly impossible in her current violent state.
After Matori finished explaining, Elias nodded thoughtfully, already understanding the full gravity of the situation.
"So... you want me to calm Mewtwo down, right?" he clarified.
"Yes. At the moment, you're our only hope for resolving this peacefully."
"However, Mr. Elias, you are free to refuse. We won't force you," Matori added professionally.
"Elias, just refuse," Zoroark interrupted firmly, having watched the video alongside him.
Though she didn't recognize the Pokémon in question, it was obvious enough that such a violently rampaging Pokémon posed tremendous danger.
Especially to a human like Elias.
It was far too risky.
Hearing Zoroark's anxious suggestion, Elias gently rubbed her head without immediately responding.
Mewtwo's current condition has a lot to do with me.
Therefore, outright rejecting their request, as Zoroark suggested, wasn't an option.
Besides, Elias had plenty of ways to heal and relieve Mewtwo's mental and physical strain.
So…
"Later, take me directly to wherever Mewtwo is right now," Elias eventually decided without further hesitation.
Matori's face visibly brightened with relief.
"Thank you for your help," she said sincerely.
In sharp contrast, the Pokémon surrounding Elias, including Zoroark, as well as Cynthia herself, looked increasingly tense.
At the thought of Elias stepping into yet another risky situation, Gardevoir's brow furrowed deeply.
"Let me accompany you," she whispered urgently.
"Your presence might provoke Mewtwo further," Elias gently refused. "Stay a bit farther outside, okay?"
Though clearly reluctant, Gardevoir recognized Elias's reasoning and begrudgingly nodded in agreement.
However, just before Elias could react, she swiftly leaned in and bit the corner of his lip in retaliation.
...
The helicopter hovered above a secluded island, far from the mainland, dotted with numerous modern buildings.
Standing next to Elias, Cynthia carefully observed the island below through the helicopter's window.
It was immediately clear the island was highly organized.
In addition to various buildings, squads of patrol units and defense systems quickly came into Cynthia's sharp view.
Her assessment of Team Rocket's capabilities rose another notch.
Fortunately…
This criminal organization operates far from Sinnoh, in Lance's jurisdiction in Kanto.
As the helicopter landed and Elias stepped onto solid ground, he immediately noticed Giovanni waiting not far away.
"Giovanni, it's been a while," Elias greeted casually, waving lightly.
"Just as expected. Even Giratina couldn't hold you back, huh?" Giovanni replied, lips curling in amusement, eyes filled with intrigue.
Even Giovanni had never imagined Elias could escape from the Renegade Pokémon's grasp. Since yesterday's events were known only by a select few, Giovanni remained unaware Elias had actually captured Giratina. He naturally assumed Elias had merely escaped.
Yet, even this alone was enough to astonish him.
His gaze then shifted briefly to Cynthia standing closely beside Elias. Observing her stance and proximity to Elias, Giovanni's lips curled further, as though suddenly grasping something interesting.
"Follow me. I'll take you to see Mewtwo," Giovanni said, quickly regaining composure.
Though Mewtwo was currently rampaging out of control, her body hadn't finished fully developing. Instead, the consequences of prematurely leaving her incubation chamber, exacerbated by her reckless psychic rampage, had become dangerously severe.
Giovanni worried that if left unchecked, Mewtwo's physical condition might irreversibly collapse.
At present, Elias was the only possible solution he had left.
They proceeded swiftly until they arrived at a completely sealed-off laboratory entrance. Only then did Giovanni stop.
Around the lab, two rows of Mr. Mime stood at attention, constantly reinforcing thick psychic barriers under the vigilant command of Team Rocket members to prevent Mewtwo from escaping.
"Is she inside here?" Elias asked quietly, narrowing his eyes toward the lab.
Perhaps due to the psychic power that flowed through both Mewtwo's and his veins, Elias could sense an intense emotional presence even through the thick walls.
Anger was foremost, yet it wasn't alone.
Within that fury, he felt traces of helplessness and deep-seated fear.
Clearly, these emotions had unconsciously leaked outward through Mewtwo's uncontrollable psychic waves.
---
T/N: FUCK OFF ZOROARK