"Damn it! Team Plasma! This is unforgivable!" One of the nobles who was yanked into the air by Mewtwo's psychic grip shouted through gritted teeth.
But no matter how hard he struggled, there was no escaping Mewtwo's power.
'A villain should look the part.' Caleb turned his head, his face, which had been altered by the Substitute Glasses, now cold and menacing.
Then, with a casual flick of his finger, Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue. A surge of psychic force slammed into the man, sending him flying backward through the air.
The noble's heart almost stopped in fright, his eyes squeezed shut as he braced for impact.
But the pain never came. Instead, he collided with something warm and solid.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
A calm, youthful voice rang out behind him, followed instantly by a sharp cry: "Pikaaaaa chuuu!"
The noble opened his eyes.
Electricity crackled through the rain, exploding across the sky like fireworks.
Transparent raindrops reflected the world in miniature. Time seemed to freeze. Everything around him slowed to a crawl.
The current reacted with the rain, spreading at blinding speed. Within a split second, it coalesced into a spherical lightning bolt that engulfed Mewtwo.
Pikachu landed gracefully beside Ash.
Ash clenched his fists, eyes locked tensely on the scene above.
Officer Jenny, who had failed to find Ash earlier, finally arrived. She stopped a short distance behind him, panting, and shouted to the stunned crowd, "This place is dangerous! Everyone, evacuate!"
Most spectators here were passionate Pokémon battle fans. Many had watched the last Sinnoh League tournament.
So the moment they saw that iconic red-and-white cap and the ever-present Pikachu, they recognized Ash instantly:
"That's the Champion!"
Compared to when he'd first left Pallet Town, Ash had clearly matured. Hearing his name called, he only glanced back briefly before urging the crowd, "Leave this to me! You all leave this place!"
'Seriously? We're doing this now?' Caleb sighed inwardly.
He shot Ash and Pikachu an exasperated look, then turned to Mew2, who had just appeared beside him after teleporting away from Pikachu's attack.
Mew2 gave a silent nod, then vanished and reappeared behind Ash and Pikachu.
In a flash of blue light, Ash and Pikachu vanished.
Having just witnessed the spectacle, the crowd erupted into panicked cries:
"Ahh! The Champion!"
"The Champion couldn't even stand against him! We're doomed!"
"Damn Team Plasma!"
Chaos broke out. People shoved each other and stumbled. But with the exits being narrow, many were knocked to the ground.
Caleb clearly saw a little girl in a dress get separated from her parents and shoved onto the wet pavement by the surging crowd.
His brow furrowed. His goal was to 'invite' the noble heirs for tea, not harm innocent civilians.
"…"
He glanced at Mewtwo. Mewtwo nodded, then his eyes glowed faint blue.
Instantly, the entire crowd was enveloped in a gentle psychic field and lifted safely into the air. The fallen girl was cradled upright by an invisible, tender force.
Officer Jenny, who had been holding her breath in terror, finally exhaled in relief. She turned gratefully toward where Caleb had stood, but he was already gone.
She blinked, then looked toward the battlefield.
Sure enough, all the noble heirs had vanished too. The massive Castelia Stadium now held only a sea of confused and dazed spectators.
When the little girl's frantic parents finally found her, she was gazing up at the sky.
Her father scooped her up. Clinging to his shoulder, she pointed cheerfully at where Mewtwo had hovered, "Daddy, that Pokémon helped me!"
The man stared, bewildered, "Pokémon? What Pokémon?"
A Pokémon that had used psychic power, but hadn't harmed them. It had prevented a stampede and gently lifted people to safety…
'Could it really be Mewtwo?'
He looked at his wife and saw the same disbelief in her eyes.
…
~Meanwhile, in Kanto~
Inside a hidden facility, a man in a black suit with a sharp buzz cut lay on a cold metal bed.
Holding a bundle of neural interface cables, Domino looked at the man with concern, "Boss, are you sure about this? Our memory extraction tech is still experimental."
Hearing this, Giovanni impatiently shut his eyes.
For months, he has been searching for clues about his own identity. Two months ago, a woman named Domino contacted him, claiming to be his secretary. She told him everything.
At first, Giovanni refused to believe her. But the evidence she presented proved every word true.
This memories had been erased, perhaps even altered. The realization shattered his sense of self.
Team Rocket's old research on the effects of psychic power on the human brain had concluded that psychic-induced amnesia didn't delete memories, it merely suppressed them deep within the mind, shielded from access.
Fortunately, this research base had survived the Kanto League's purge.
'Whoever altered my memories… they're dead.' Fury burned in Giovanni's eyes.
He took a sharp breath and growled, "Do it."
Domino sighed, worry etched on her face. Without another word, she attached the neural nodes to his temples and other key points.
"Boss, I'm starting," she said.
Giovanni grunted and shut his eyes.
Domino activated the long-idle machine. With a loud click, a jolt of intense current surged through the cables.
Giovanni's vision flashed white, a moment later, unbearable pain came.
Teeth clenched, eyes wide and unfocused, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
...
Time passed... long enough for Domino's forehead to be drenched in sweat.
Finally, with a grinding creak, the machine shut down.
The damp nodes fell from Giovanni's head. Residual agony pulsed through his mind.
'Did it fail?' Domino held her breath, too afraid to ask.
After a long silence, Giovanni's scattered gaze slowly refocused. He sat up from the metal bed, eyes cold as they pierced through the walls ahead.
"Contact Maxie, Ghetsis, and Lysandre," he commanded coldly, "Activate Project R."