"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!"
"Charizard, Dragon Rush too!"
Two mighty dragons roared in unison as Dragonite and Charizard X unleashed their full power. Their bodies gleamed with draconic energy, tearing through the stormy sky as they charged forward like raging beasts. The oppressive might radiating from them made the very air tremble.
"Psychic."
Giovanni's calm voice echoed.
Mewtwo's eyes flared with deep blue light, its body floating serenely in midair. Its slender arms spread apart as a vast tide of psychic energy erupted outward from its small frame. The power was so immense that even the falling rain seemed to freeze midair!
The two incoming dragons, Dragonite and Charizard X suddenly halted mid-charge, as though they had slammed into an invisible wall.
Mewtwo's eyes glowed brighter, and the intensity of its Psychic grew. Its will pressed down like a mountain, trying to throw both dragons backward through sheer mental force.
But even for Mewtwo, restraining two of the strongest dragons in the world at once was no easy task, their combined power was enough to make its expression slightly tense.
"As expected... its strength is absolutely terrifying."
Leon's face was grave as he looked toward Mewtwo suspended in the sky. Those two Pokémon his ace Charizard X and Lance's ace Dragonite had combined their full power into a simultaneous Dragon Rush.
Yet this strange Pokémon, this "Mewtwo," had stopped both of them in place at once.
Even though Dragonite was already injured, its explosive power remained monstrous. And yet, this Mewtwo—its power was beyond reason. It could only be... a Legendary Pokémon!
"You pest! Let's see how you handle this! Dragonairs, Dual Dragon Hurricane!"
Lance's crimson hair was whipped by violent winds, and his cold, murderous eyes locked firmly on Giovanni.
He had to admit Mewtwo's power was overwhelming but with Charizard X and Dragonite suppressing it, there was no way it could focus on protecting its trainer.
Two Dragonairs coiled around one another, their orbs gleaming with blinding light as they spun faster and faster.
A roaring tornado erupted from the ground, linking heaven and earth, sucking up debris, stones, and broken structures as it surged toward Giovanni.
The Dual Dragon Combat Technique —Dual Dragon Hurricane!
"Nidoking, Hyper Beam!"
Giovanni tossed out another Poké Ball. A colossal Nidoking landed heavily in front of him, shaking the ground.
Nidoking let out a furious roar as dark destructive energy gathered before its jaws, condensing into a brilliant beam that lanced toward the oncoming hurricane.
BOOM!
The Dual Dragon Hurricane and Hyper Beam collided violently. The resulting explosion shook the entire field, waves of force rippling outward in every direction.
Above, Mewtwo's arms flung outward. Its Psychic surged once more, the mental shockwave blasting Dragonite and Charizard X backward through the air.
"Hyper Beam!"
"Blast Burn!"
Even as they were knocked back, Dragonite and Charizard X opened their mouths and unleashed their ultimate attacks. Twin beams of fiery destruction, one white, one crimson—shot through the storm and converged on Mewtwo from both sides.
A cold light flickered in Mewtwo's eyes. If it were only one opponent, it could have countered easily with Psystrike, overwhelming the enemy's attack and striking them down afterward.
But now, it was being assaulted from two directions simultaneously!
"Mewtwo, use—"
Giovanni began to issue a command, but suddenly froze.
A chill crawled up his spine.
Gengar.
Agatha's Gengar had emerged from the shadows of the shattered stones behind him. Its blood-red eyes gleamed wickedly as it grinned, a dark sphere of energy forming in its clawed hands.
The Shadow Ball shot forward like a bullet—straight at Giovanni himself!
"Beedrill!"
Giovanni's Mega Beedrill shot behind him at lightning speed, its twin stingers glowing. It shattered the Shadow Ball mid-flight with a sharp thrust, then darted toward Gengar like a yellow streak.
But before the attack landed, Gengar vanished once more, melting back into the shadows as though it had never been there.
"What a conniving old woman," Giovanni muttered coldly, his sharp eyes flicking toward Agatha in the distance.
Her battle strength clearly wasn't on par with Leon and Lance, but she was cunning enough to know that. Instead of joining the direct clash, she used Gengar to harass and ambush, attacking Giovanni himself whenever an opening appeared.
It was irritating—and Giovanni couldn't spare the focus to deal with her properly. Leon and Lance were far more dangerous threats.
Meanwhile, high above, the two attacks, Hyper Beam and Blast Burn struck Mewtwo squarely.
The twin explosions lit up the darkened sky, the shockwaves tearing apart the storm clouds themselves. For a moment, the torrential rain ceased as the world was consumed by fire and light.
Seeing this, both Leon and Lance felt a flicker of relief.
With both attacks hitting directly, even a Legendary should take damage perhaps even fall.
But then—
As the smoke and light gradually faded, what appeared before everyone's eyes was a shimmering blue psychic barrier.
Lance's face darkened immediately.
A cracking sound echoed as the barrier fractured, shards of psychic light falling away, only to reveal Mewtwo's unharmed form within.
"Well done, Mewtwo," Giovanni said with a faint smile, speaking to it telepathically.
That shimmering shield had been created entirely from Mewtwo's psychic power—a defensive construct that only the strongest Psychic-types could maintain.
But the density and endurance of this one were far beyond ordinary capabilities.
Giovanni's eyes gleamed with pride. Mewtwo's tactical awareness was impeccable—when it had sensed that Giovanni himself was in danger, it had instinctively raised the barrier to protect them both, blocking the combined attacks.
"You have strong opponents," Mewtwo's telepathic voice echoed in Giovanni's mind, calm yet tinged with tension. "I may not be able to protect you."
Its gaze swept across Dragonite and Charizard X. It had not existed for long, and its true potential was far from fully realized. After learning of Mega Evolution, it sensed instinctively, that it too might be capable of such a transformation.
But there was no Mega Stone for it. After all, it was a man-made Pokémon how could it possess something that nature itself did not grant?
Mewtwo had considered forging its own, but there was no time.
For now, even handling two opponents at once left it unable to shield Giovanni effectively.
"No matter," Giovanni said softly, unshaken. "Go and fight, Mewtwo. Let the world witness your power."
Mewtwo was his greatest creation—his masterpiece. Its brilliance deserved to be seen by the entire world.
Mewtwo said nothing. It understood Giovanni's situation and though it had spent little time with him, it did not feel hatred toward him. In fact, its heart was... conflicted.
"How incredible... you actually captured a Legendary Pokémon."
Agatha glanced at Lance and Leon, who had grim expressions on their faces, then looked at Giovanni, with a hint of surprise in her old and somewhat weathered voice.
'Should I say he is worthy of being the leader of Team Rocket?'
Facing the first and second trainer on the Master Class world rankings at the same time and he was not at a disadvantage.
Most importantly, he is also a legendary trainer!
From the previous exchanges, Agatha was certain—Mewtwo was no ordinary Pokémon. It was a true Legendary.
But one thing puzzled her: she had never heard of such a Pokémon before.
"Don't underestimate Team Rocket," Giovanni said mockingly. "Our technology is beyond your imagination."
"Technology?" Lance scoffed coldly. "You mean the kind that steals other people's Pokémon, kidnaps wild Pokémon, and uses them for genetic experiments?"
His tone was filled with disgust. This—this was what he hated most about Team Rocket.
If all they did was theft, Lance would merely look down on them. But experimentation—cruel, inhumane experimentation—that was unforgivable.
He had seen the bloodstained laboratories, the suffering Pokémon trapped in cages. The memories still haunted him.
That was why he would never stop until Team Rocket was erased from the world.
"They're not people," Lance growled. "They're monsters."
"The path to success demands sacrifice, Lance," Giovanni replied coolly. "If you can't even grasp that, then that's all you'll ever be."
He truly believed it. Progress required experimentation, and without it, Mewtwo would never have been born.
"We don't need that kind of 'success'!" Leon shot back, his voice thunderous. "Genetic experimentation is banned for a reason! It's inhumane—something no one should ever touch!"
"Banned by your League," Giovanni sneered. "That has nothing to do with us. And you'll never understand just how magnificent this technology truly is."
He extended a hand toward Mewtwo. "Open your eyes and look well! This is Mewtwo!"
"This is Team Rocket's greatest creation—a life born from science itself, a man-made legendary! A lifeform that surpasses the gods you worship!"
Though the cost had been steep, Giovanni's pride was absolute.
Legendaries were the world's pinnacle. Beings blessed with eternal might and infinite lifespans.
And yet, through human hands alone, Team Rocket had created one!
"What did you just say?"
Lance and Leon's expressions twisted in shock, and even Agatha's eyes widened.
"Mewtwo," Giovanni continued with a smile that bordered on madness. "Do you know what that name means?"
"It was born from Mew's DNA—combined with the genes of countless powerful Pokémon. Mewtwo's strength surpasses Mew's. It is a new lifeform, unlike any other Pokémon!"
"It possesses independent thought, a self-aware personality, intelligence equal to or beyond that of humanity and power that rivals the highest Legendaries!"
"Mewtwo is the perfect Pokémon!"
Giovanni's smile widened as he spoke, pride overflowing in his voice.
Team Rocket had been condemned for its genetic research—but the League's fools couldn't comprehend that it had succeeded!
They had created a living god.
Mewtwo's gaze flickered with emotion. Was it truly... an independent being?
Lance stared hard at Giovanni, then at Mewtwo. But what he saw was not just Mewtwo.
Behind that single creature, he could almost see the countless Pokémon that had suffered and died to create it.
"You insane bastard..."
Lance's voice was low and trembling with fury, his eyes darker than a storm.
Yes—he was furious. Furious beyond reason.
What Giovanni described wasn't brilliance or creation—it was butchery masked as science.
So many innocent Pokémon had been tortured and sacrificed for this one "success."
The path of pioneers... was soaked in blood.
"Are we supposed to call you 'great' for that?" Leon said coldly, his usual warmth gone from his face. "Is that what you want, Giovanni?"
He too could see the horror behind Mewtwo's creation.
So many lives traded for one "perfect Pokémon."
Was it worth it?
To Giovanni, yes. To Leon and Lance, it was unforgivable.
Agatha stayed silent, her gaze unreadable as it lingered on Mewtwo.
"There's nothing more to say," Leon declared grimly. "A man like you deserves to spend the rest of his life rotting in prison."
He hurled another Poké Ball. Dragapult materialized in the sky, its eyes blazing with killing intent.
A man so cruel, so devoid of limits—there was only one fitting end for him.
"If you can manage it," Giovanni said with an icy smile. "But my Mewtwo will never lose to fools like you."
"You and your Mewtwo belong in hell together!" Lance roared, his words dripping with murderous resolve.
The brief exchange of words only deepened the enmity between them. There would be no retreat.
The battle would not end until one side fell.
That was the only possible conclusion.
(End of Chapter)