If Zoroark had been present in the building right now, she'd have been startled to find that Mew's current resentment was practically on par with hers.
Still pinned to the wall by psychic power, Mew glared furiously at Mewtwo, eyes practically spitting flames.
That ungrateful daughter! Ungrateful daughter!
"Mmm! Mmmph! (How could you dare do something like that?!)"
Squirming indignantly, Mew accused Mewtwo in muffled outrage.
Earlier, right before her eyes, Mewtwo had boldly leaned in and kissed Elias when he'd lowered his head.
Granted, perhaps due to her inexperience and shy nature, Mewtwo had merely pecked Elias softly on the cheek.
But witnessing this had left Mew feeling as if struck by lightning.
This was completely different from what she'd imagined.
Until recently, Mew had naively dreamed that Mewtwo would wholeheartedly support her, driving away Gardevoir and the others one by one.
Then, at last, she—Mew—would be the only Pokémon left at Elias's side!
Yet reality had delivered a harsh blow.
Not only had Mewtwo shown no intention of helping her, but she had completely disregarded her status as her mother!
Now, helplessly immobilized by psychic force against the wall, Mew, who was never skilled at combat to begin with, could only watch helplessly as Mewtwo clung to Elias, shamelessly stealing the spot meant for herself.
"Mmmph!"
After yet another futile struggle, moisture began gathering in Mew's large, sapphire-blue eyes.
Clearly, she felt grievously wronged.
Seeing her like this, Elias vaguely understood Mew's original intentions.
Considering that her long-anticipated plan had spectacularly failed, it wasn't too surprising that this silly kitten had ended up in such a pitiful state.
"Mewtwo, you should let Mew go," Elias coaxed gently, somewhat helplessly.
If she kept this up, knowing Mew's temperament, she might genuinely burst into tears.
At his words, Mewtwo obediently nodded.
By now, her earlier anger at Mew's deception had mostly faded away. Waving her paw slightly, she released her psychic hold.
Once free, Mew instantly sped over to Elias, trailing her long tail behind her.
Seeing this, Mewtwo tensed warily.
Then, in front of her very eyes, a tearful Mew slammed directly into Elias's embrace.
"Mewmew! (Elias, Mewtwo bullied me!)"
Mew dramatically pointed at Mewtwo with her tiny paw, pitifully complaining to Elias.
Watching Mew act without the slightest dignity befitting a legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo clenched her fists tightly.
It really was the right decision to silence her earlier!
---
Those waiting anxiously outside—human and Pokémon alike—kept their tense gazes locked firmly on the building's entrance.
Gardevoir and Latias continuously monitored the building's perimeter using their psychic powers, prepared to react at the slightest hint of trouble.
Recalling the immense potential Mewtwo had demonstrated during their previous encounter, both Pokémon felt uneasy.
They weren't the only ones—Giovanni himself was frowning deeply.
His team had detected clear signs of combat inside the building earlier.
Though brief, the battle had seemingly been quite intense—a bad sign indeed.
Usually decisive and ruthless, Giovanni was now second-guessing himself. Considering Elias's extraordinary abilities, his presence alone could lead Team Rocket into another golden era of rapid expansion. Elias's value was self-evident.
If anything were to happen to him here, Giovanni knew he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
"Let's wait a little longer…" Giovanni muttered quietly, steeling himself to remain patient.
In contrast to the others, Cynthia and Zoroark appeared relatively calm.
Back in Hisui, both had witnessed the native people's unique, Pokémon-like battle methods. Cynthia had been deeply impressed by those powerful human fighters.
Considering Elias's mastery of psychic energy, [Power of Viridian], and aura, he was certainly one of the strongest fighters she'd encountered.
Unless facing a legendary Pokémon of Giratina's caliber, Elias should be able to handle himself safely for a short time.
Creak—
Suddenly, the laboratory doors swung open.
Instantly, everyone turned sharply toward the entrance.
Whoosh—Thud!
A pink figure flew out from the darkness beyond, tumbling through the air.
Everyone's expression changed drastically upon recognizing the thrown Pokémon as Mew.
If even Mew—who'd been accompanying Elias—had been tossed aside like this, wouldn't Elias be in even greater danger?
"Mew!"
Before hitting the ground, Mew stabilized herself mid-air, instantly teleporting to Gardevoir's side.
"Mew—(Gardevoir—)"
Surprisingly, Mew didn't taunt Gardevoir like usual.
Instead, she hovered before her, deliberately adopting a heartbroken expression, urgently gesturing toward the open doorway.
Her small mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking as if she wanted to speak but couldn't.
Seeing Mew behave this way, Gardevoir's breath hitched anxiously.
The last time this silly cat had acted seriously was the night Elias died at Volo's hands beneath the full moon.
With that thought, Gardevoir could no longer maintain her composure.
In a flash, she vanished, dashing urgently into the building.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed from inside, the ground trembling slightly beneath them.
Hovering quietly in mid-air, Mew blinked thoughtfully.
I wonder if Gardevoir alone is enough to scare off that ungrateful daughter…
...
Mew lay perfectly still in Elias's lap, paws clutching the top of her head, nursing the sore spot where she'd been disciplined.
Clearly, her manipulative scheme had been exposed.
Elias sat helplessly on a chair, gently feeding Gardevoir Pokéblocks and patiently soothing her wounded pride.
Beside them, Giovanni was momentarily at a loss for words.
For a fleeting moment, he sincerely felt that Mew being recognized as the ancestor of all Pokémon was nothing less than a tragedy for the entire Pokémon world.
Suddenly, Elias turned to Giovanni, addressing him directly:
"Giovanni, Mewtwo's body still requires a period of careful recuperation."
"During this time, we'll need the medicine and resources from Team Rocket."
Giovanni nodded promptly.
"Rest assured—we've already prepared everything necessary."
Speaking thus, Giovanni finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
Elias and Mewtwo were both safe. This was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.
Fortunately, he'd chosen patience earlier, waiting for Elias's return before acting hastily against Mewtwo.
Thinking this, Giovanni chuckled softly to himself, rather proud of his foresight.
"Elias, thanks to you, Team Rocket has managed to expand its influence into the Sinnoh region."
"The remnants of Team Galactic have already been completely absorbed by us."
Recalling Lt. Surge's recent victorious report from Sinnoh, Giovanni spoke with evident satisfaction.
Listening to Giovanni, Gardevoir suddenly recalled something, nodding proudly as she added:
"The Masked Corps also seized this opportunity to infiltrate Sinnoh."
From her tone, she was clearly delighted by this accomplishment.
Meanwhile, Cynthia standing nearby: ?
---
T/N: i should prob just stop italizing certain pokemons dialoguee.... SIKE NAH POKEMON CANT SPEAK! ONLY MEOWTH! and uhhh zoroark idk she grew up with elias or something blah blah illusion to make it acc vocal balah blah