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Chapter 185 - A Battle Between Two Scheming Masters  

Sabrina declared her victory. 

Little girl, you'll always be a failure. 

Coldly, she watched as the swirling storm of fire, lightning, and ice surged toward the motionless Green, ready to erase all traces of her existence. 

"Goodbye, little girl. In your next life, stay in the countryside where you belong. Don't reach for things that aren't yours." 

A faint smirk curled on Sabrina's lips as she turned away without hesitation. 

She had once been terrified when Moltres' Overheat struck Ryuuske on Cinnabar Island, but she felt no remorse for eliminating a "rival." 

Yet, in the next instant, Sabrina's expression froze. She whirled around, her eyes locking onto Green—just as the combined energy storm of Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno was abruptly blocked by a solid barrier mere inches from Green's body! 

Fire, freezing winds, and lightning crashed against the shield before scattering, gouging deep scars into Silph Co.'s floors and walls. Wind howled through the shattered building, tossing Sabrina's long hair as she stared in disbelief. 

"...Barrier?!" 

As an expert in psychic abilities, she recognized the move instantly. 

When the dust settled, a Pokémon brimming with boundless psychic energy stood before her. 

"...Mewtwo?! When did that bastard plant Mewtwo's Poké Ball on you?!" 

Sabrina's voice was sharp with shock and fury, but no answer came. 

Mewtwo, cradling the unconscious Green in its arms, merely smirked at Sabrina before vanishing without a trace. 

Only after Mewtwo disappeared did Sabrina's racing heart calm. She bit her lip, arms crossed, and muttered to herself, 

"...I see. So this was his failsafe. No matter which of us won, neither would die." 

She let out a cold laugh, her tone unreadable. She wasn't exactly angry—after all, Ryuuske's backup plan with Mewtwo also ensured her safety. Had Green somehow miraculously defeated her, Mewtwo would have intervened to save Sabrina instead. 

"Let's go, Tri-Bird. Our battle has only just begun." 

Sabrina leaped onto the three-headed avian's back and commanded. 

A chorus of overlapping bird cries echoed as the Tri-Bird spread its six wings, unleashing a blast of energy to shatter the nearest wall before soaring into the sky. 

--- 

Silph Co. President's Office 

Ryuuske and Giovanni sat across from each other, both wearing faint smiles. 

Then, in an instant—they moved simultaneously. 

Giovanni lunged forward, feigning a grab for the Poké Balls on the floor. But Ryuuske countered with an unexpected move—he leaned back into the sofa, raising a hand. 

Under Giovanni's stunned gaze, Ryuuske's four Poké Balls levitated off the ground and flew straight into his palm. 

Surprised, old man? I've got the Force on my side. 

Ryuuske grinned savagely at Giovanni's shocked expression. No matter how fast Giovanni was at grabbing Poké Balls, he couldn't outpace telekinesis. 

Just as Ryuuske prepared to unleash his Pokémon and finish Giovanni off— 

Giovanni's smile didn't waver. 

A chill shot down Ryuuske's spine. He spun around. 

"Catch it, Garchomp!" 

Something was hurtling toward him at high speed, spinning like a buzzsaw. At the last second, Garchomp materialized, taking the full brunt of the attack. 

BOOM—! 

The outer wall of Silph Co.'s top floor shattered as a Graveler, curled into a ball, smashed through like a spinning saw blade. 

THUD! 

Garchomp grunted as it caught the Graveler mid-air, but the sheer rotational force sent it skidding backward, its claws digging into the floor. The impact left Garchomp wounded—not critically, but enough to stagger it. 

"You sneaky bastard! You used empty Poké Balls as a distraction to ambush me?!" Ryuuske snarled. 

Giovanni had set this up in advance—positioning Graveler on a nearby rooftop, ready to launch a surprise attack the moment he gave the signal. 

"All's fair in war, kid! You cheated too!" Giovanni laughed. 

He pulled another Poké Ball from his coat. Contrary to Ryuuske's assumption, all six of the balls he'd thrown earlier were empty! 

With Garchomp temporarily pinned by Graveler, Ryuuske was vulnerable. A pincer attack now would put him at a severe disadvantage—and in a battle against Giovanni, losing momentum meant near-certain defeat. 

"You're quick, boy. But this is where it ends." 

Giovanni's smirk was icy. Had Ryuuske reacted even a second slower, Graveler's ambush would have killed him outright. 

Just as Giovanni prepared to send out his second Pokémon— 

A jolt of alarm shot through him. His expression twisted into fury as he spun and hurled a Poké Ball. 

"Rhydon!" 

The wall behind him exploded. A massive spoon—Mewtwo's weapon—slammed down like a guillotine. Rhydon barely intercepted it in time, taking the full force of the blow. 

CLANG—! 

The impact sent a metallic screech through the air. Even Rhydon's magma-resistant hide dented under Mewtwo's strike. 

"You conniving little brat! You cheated and ambushed me?!" 

Giovanni broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't expected Ryuuske to have Mewtwo lying in wait. Had he not summoned Rhydon at that exact moment, even if he survived, his Pokémon would've been instantly incapacitated. 

Wait—I saw him throw the Master Ball earlier… 

No. He threw the empty one I gave him! 

Giovanni's face darkened. He'd played himself. He never should've handed Ryuuske that spare Master Ball. Who would've guessed the kid would use it as a decoy? 

All Master Balls looked identical—there was no way to tell which one held Mewtwo. 

"Takes one to know one!" Ryuuske's voice echoed from outside the window. 

Giovanni whipped his head toward the shattered glass just in time to see Garchomp hovering like a fighter jet, jaws agape. Ryuuske stood atop its back, arm raised like a general commanding an artillery strike. 

"Hyper Beam!" 

WHOOSH—! 

A blinding energy beam tore through Silph Co.'s rooftop. With a swift tilt of its head, Garchomp swept the Hyper Beam across like a laser scalpel, cleanly bisecting the entire top floor. 

SCREEEECH—! 

Metal groaned as the severed rooftop, now unsupported, began its slow, catastrophic descent from over 500 meters in the air. The ground trembled upon impact, a mushroom cloud of dust erupting into the sky. 

Silph Co.'s headquarters now stood decapitated, its top floor sheared off, the edges still glowing faintly from the heat of the attack. 

"Hmph. Dodged it." 

Ryuuske narrowed his eyes at the ruined office. A gaping hole marked where Giovanni had been—but at the last second, he'd used Dig to escape. 

Now, the real hunt began. 

With over a hundred floors in the building, Giovanni could be anywhere. 

That was too damn close. 

Had either of them truly believed this was a "fair fight between men," the other would already be dead.

To be continued…

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