Chapter 157:
The chubby Trainer recalled Gyarados, the fear in his eyes now unmistakably clear.
The Salamence before him had a vicious, destructive desire in its eyes that felt almost tangible.
Trembling, he took out a second Poké Ball and summoned a Golduck.
This time, Salamence was even more ferocious. It immediately fired a Hyper Beam, engulfing Golduck entirely.
When the Hyper Beam's light faded, Golduck lay on the ground, its body charred, clearly devoid of any vitality.
"Golduck!" The chubby Trainer shouted in disbelief at the sight, veins bulging on his forehead.
He wanted to run over to check on his Pokémon, but Mewtwo's psychic power held him firmly in place, leaving him no room to resist—not even the freedom to move.
He could only quickly recall Golduck into its Poké Ball, praying that the ball's restorative effects would stabilize its injuries.
But Salamence was still glaring fiercely at him, waiting for him to send out a third Pokémon.
The chubby Trainer now understood: this Salamence seemed to harbor immense hatred toward humans. No matter what Pokémon he sent out next, it would face fatal attacks.
If two of his strongest Pokémon couldn't withstand such attacks, his weaker Pokémon stood even less chance against Salamence's blows.
In other words, if he sent out his remaining Pokémon, they would die.
But, the humanoid Pokémon floating in the sky was also watching them coldly.
The contempt in its eyes was as if it were looking at ants.
That gaze left no doubt in his mind: if all his Pokémon were defeated, he would definitely die here!
Yet, his remaining Pokémon couldn't withstand a single strike from this Salamence.
He didn't understand. He had only come to compete for the title of the strongest Pokémon Trainer. How had he ended up in such a situation?
Before he could think further, the humanoid Pokémon above spoke: "What about the remaining Pokémon? Or do you not plan to send them out?"
The chubby Trainer could think of no solution. He collapsed to the ground, muttering, "I can't win. It's impossible."
He looked up at Mewtwo, his eyes filled with despair. "I surrender. Please let my Pokémon go."
"Oh?"
Mewtwo raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised. It looked at the human before it. "Are you sure? Then I'll take your life."
As the chubby Trainer fell silent, Mewtwo didn't waste more words. It raised its right hand, and the Trainer's body floated into the air. Then, a powerful energy gathered in Mewtwo's right hand, engulfing him entirely.
When the energy glow faded, only six Poké Balls remained on the spot. The human Trainer was gone.
Witnessing this happen right before their eyes, the remaining Trainers felt even more chilled.
Mewtwo now turned its gaze downward again. "Who's next?"
The others looked at the Salamence in the sky, then at Mewtwo. No one dared to step forward.
Mewtwo wasn't surprised by this.
Fear of death was a biological instinct.
It calmly scanned the people below, finally settling its gaze on a girl holding a Togepi.
"Since no one is speaking, I'll choose you."
"Huh?" Misty's heart trembled, fear spreading through her body. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed. But before she could fall, a pair of hands steadied her.
"Hey, that's a really strong Salamence. A Pokémon battle like this should be left to me."
Behind her, Ash's eyes burned with fighting spirit. He felt no fear. The opponent's Salamence was strong, but he didn't believe he had no chance of winning.
"As long as we defeat this Salamence, you'll let us go, right?"
"Of course" Mewtwo said coldly.
"Good!"
"Ash, wait..."
After steadying Misty, Ash ignored Brock and Misty's calls. He ran onto the battlefield with Pikachu and looked toward Charizard, his eyes sincere and his tone earnest. "I'm counting on you, Charizard."
At this point, Charizard hadn't been evolved for long, so it was still in its rebellious phase.
It usually ignored his commands.
But this time, Charizard flew into the sky with a roar and landed before Ash. Even facing a Salamence larger than itself, its gaze showed no fear.
"Roar!" (Bring it on!)
"Go, Salamence!"
Facing such a battle, Mewtwo gave no commands.
Salamence's fighting instincts were more than enough.
Its smirk widened ferociously. Locking onto Charizard, it lunged forward.
"Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
Ash didn't panic at the sight. He was no longer the novice Trainer he once was.
A fierce blast of fire shaped like the character for "大" landed squarely on Salamence's path. But Salamence didn't dodge; it charged straight through the flames.
The flames left marks on its body. Having endured the attack, Salamence suddenly swung its tail.
A Dragon Tail strike slammed into Charizard, sending it flying dozens of meters. It then crashed into a wall, raising a cloud of dust. For a while, there was no movement.
Just as Mewtwo was about to announce the result, the boy across the field shouted, "Hang in there, Charizard!"
Then, a gust of wind stirred up the dust.
Charizard flew out again, roaring at Salamence.
It knew full well that its opponent was far stronger.
But it had also heard: if the Pokémon battle wasn't won, its Trainer would die.
Although it often liked to oppose Ash since evolving, at this critical moment, it remembered the rainy night when Ash had carried it, running toward the Pokémon Center, comforting it over and over, taking it to confront its former Trainer for an explanation.
Taking it to challenge other Pokémon...
So this time, it wanted to do something for its Trainer too.
The flame on Charizard's tail blazed fiercely at that moment.
Once again, it ignored Ash's commands. Facing Salamence's attacks, it didn't evade at all.
You use Bite? I use Dragon Claw.
You use Wing Attack? I'll grab you for a Seismic Toss.
In such a battle, both Pokémon soon bore various injuries.