"No—don't misunderstand! We're only searching for traces of Mew. We never intended to offend you!"
Dr. Hotaka, still bound by psychic power, hurriedly spoke up to explain.
Mewtwo's strength was on a completely different level from the Legendary Pokémon they had encountered before!
And it even seemed to have some connection with Mew!
They absolutely could not afford to make an enemy of it!
"Mewtwo, how about we just let it go? After all, I'm the one who brought them here."
Seeing that Mewtwo was about to act, Ash quickly tried to stop it.
Among everyone present, Ash was the only one who truly understood how terrifying Mewtwo's power was.
If Mewtwo wished, leveling the entire island would take no more than the blink of an eye.
"Don't meddle! You may have passed the Mew Project's trial, but you're not an official member of our plan yet! This isn't your place to interfere!"
Sword loudly berated Ash for sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
Mewtwo said nothing.
Instead, it transmitted a message directly into Ash's mind using psychic power.
The message was simple: Don't interfere. I'll handle this.
Mewtwo's highly aggressive gaze swept over Sword and the other two.
Did they not know what it hated most—being compared to Mew?
Not only had they done exactly that, they had even ignored Ash's goodwill.
In that case—
They had no one to blame but themselves.
"I can explain! Please, don't attack!"
Dr. Hotaka keenly sensed the danger and waved his hands frantically.
But—
He spoke too late.
At his ears rang two other voices.
Sword and Asahi simultaneously commanded their Pokémon to attack Mewtwo.
Ever since the launch of the Mew Project, the two had developed flawless teamwork.
With that coordination, they had defeated countless Legendary Pokémon.
The Regi trio.
The Legendary Birds.
They had battle records against all of them.
In their eyes, Mewtwo was merely a stronger-than-average Legendary Pokémon—
Nowhere near the realm of a god!
The two voices rang out at the same time.
"Urshifu! Surging Strikes!"
"Urshifu! Wicked Blow!"
The Urshifu on the field moved instantly.
"It's over… everything's over."
At that moment, Dr. Hotaka weakly closed his eyes.
Yet deep down, he still harbored a sliver of hope—hoping Sword and Asahi could win.
But… was that really possible?
Though he didn't fully understand the relationship between Mewtwo and Mew, as a Pokémon Professor, he had participated in many League research projects.
Once, he had seen classified intelligence from Team Rocket.
According to the records, Team Rocket had secretly created a Legendary Pokémon—
And the template used for its creation was Mew.
If nothing unexpected had happened, then the Legendary Pokémon recorded in those files was the very Mewtwo standing before them now.
How strong was Mewtwo?
That was clearly documented.
It had once controlled all the Pokémon on an island, forcing them to fight humans.
If not for being moved by a human boy and leaving of its own accord—
The world back then might have been split into two separate realms: humans and Pokémon.
Dr. Hotaka's thoughts were known to no one.
But in Mewtwo's vision, the two Urshifu were already attacking from left and right.
Azure Water-type energy intertwined with pitch-black Dark-type energy.
They unleashed their most proud techniques—
The ultimate secrets of Mustard's dojo: Single Strike and Rapid Strike!
Water gathered between the fists, crashing down like an endless waterfall!
Dark energy condensed all power into a single point, breaking through with overwhelming force!
In that instant, the world itself seemed to change color.
Urshifu displayed the might befitting a Legendary Pokémon!
The moment the two Urshifu released their moves, even the surroundings were dyed in blue and black!
Such a sight made it clear—
These were no ordinary opponents.
"Mewtwo! Be careful!"
Seeing this, Ash shouted anxiously to warn it.
But Mewtwo gave Ash a reassuring look.
After hearing Ash's concern, Mewtwo abandoned its original intention of merely teaching them a lesson.
A mere lesson would be far too lenient.
In that case—
It would let them experience, just a little, what it meant to be called Mewtwo.
The two Urshifu's attacks were indeed impressive.
The techniques they unleashed were far beyond what ordinary Legendary Pokémon could muster.
After all, their strikes contained the power of martial arts itself.
But—
That was all.
The instant the attacks reached Mewtwo, a violet halo lit up around its body.
Both Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow were completely blocked outside the barrier!
They couldn't advance even an inch!
"Is that all you've got?"
Mewtwo's distinctive voice rang out.
Sword, Asahi, and Dr. Hotaka felt every hair on their bodies stand on end!
What was that light?!
Why could it block the strongest attacks of their pride and joy, Urshifu?!
Even if the Urshifu weren't in their Gigantamax states—
These attacks still carried the power of Unseen Fist!
A trait that could even bypass Protect!
And yet, all of it was stopped by that eerie purple glow!
Could it be that this wasn't Protect at all?!
Just what kind of existence was this Pokémon called Mewtwo?!
Sword's guess was correct.
Mewtwo's shield was constructed purely from psychic power—it wasn't Protect at all!
Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow weren't "blocked" so much as diverted.
[Mustard: Impossible! Urshifu's attacks can't be defended against! What did Mewtwo do?!]
[Leon: Indeed. Urshifu has mastered Unseen Fist—it can break through Protect!]
[Mewtwo: How could mortals comprehend the power of a god?]
[Sabrina: This is psychic power. Mewtwo materialized psychic energy into a spatial layer. It may look like only a thin barrier, but the attacks were completely redirected elsewhere.]
With Sabrina's explanation, the audience finally understood what had happened.
This Mewtwo was not just strong—
It was terrifying.
Such overwhelming psychic power—could Mewtwo truly possess the authority of a psychic god?!
What kind of monster had Team Rocket created?!
Even Giovanni felt a chill down his spine.
The power Mewtwo was displaying now wasn't even as terrifying as it would be five years later!
Could it be that Mewtwo continued to grow stronger over time?!
If that were true—
Then future Mewtwo would only become more terrifying!
Thinking of this, Giovanni suddenly felt fortunate.
Thank goodness Mewtwo hadn't learned patience yet.
Otherwise, if it had lain low for a while after being created—
Team Rocket might have been reduced to ashes long ago!
[Ash: Mewtwo, you're amazing! Just as expected of a Pokémon I acknowledge!]
What a move—Ash even gave it a "strongest certification"!
At this rate, any Pokémon acknowledged by Ash had better stay far away from him—
Otherwise, they might not even know how they died!
...
On screen—
Just as Sabrina had predicted—
The next moment, two terrifying impacts erupted from the surface of the sea!
Massive amounts of seawater were blown into violent turbulence by the sudden energy.
Sword and Asahi turned their heads with difficulty.
That familiar black-and-blue energy—wasn't it Urshifu's Surging Strikes and Wicked Blow?!
Before they could think further—
Mewtwo's oppressive psychic pressure pinned their bodies in place!
It had redirected their Pokémon's ultimate techniques using psychic power alone!
Terrifying—utterly terrifying!
At that instant, an indescribable sensation rose in their hearts.
Danger!
The instinctive warning of all living beings!
There was no need to look.
They knew immediately—the source of that feeling was Mewtwo.
It was clearly about to counterattack.
By the time they realized this—
It was already too late.
A blue glow covered Mewtwo's eyes.
The next second, the two Urshifu were forcibly flung backward!
"Urshifu! Watch out!"
But the real danger wasn't the Urshifu—
It was them.
The flying Urshifu slammed heavily into their trainers!
Psychic!
Mewtwo used Psychic!
With just a single glance, the two Urshifu had no chance to resist!
And it didn't end there!
The Psychic attack didn't disperse—instead, it expanded into an overwhelming psychic field!
Violent psychic power swept across the entire battlefield!
[Mustard: Did you forget everything I taught you?! Knowing your own limits is the most important thing! Don't think Urshifu is invincible just because it evolved! See what happens when you kick a steel plate!]
[Lance: That's not a steel plate—that's kicking a god.]
[Lorelei: This time Lance actually said something reasonable. In professional terms, this behavior is called "courting death." Flint is the best example, so kids, don't imitate it~]
Flint: Thanks a lot, that really wasn't necessary!
[Sabrina: I love this level of psychic power. Mewtwo, are you interested in a psychic duel?]
[Mewtwo: As you wish.]
As expected of you, Sabrina!
Everyone else is terrified—
You're excited?!
No wonder you're the most terrifying psychic among humans!
...
On screen—
The entire Mew Island was thrown into chaos by the psychic storm!
In the blink of an eye, the psychic tempest swallowed Dr. Hotaka and the other two along with their Pokémon.
Such a large-scale attack was something no human could withstand.
Ash, Gary, and Cynthia had their eyes painfully stung by the psychic winds and could only close them temporarily.
Moments later—the storm subsided.
When they opened their eyes again, the once-pristine beach was utterly devastated.
Fallen trees.
Flopping fish scattered everywhere.
As for Dr. Hotaka and the others—
They were in miserable shape.
Wounds covered their bodies, their clothes torn to shreds.
They gasped for air, eyes filled with terror.
If not for the two Urshifu desperately protecting them—
The three might have died on the spot.
This was the price of provoking a god.
"Get out. This is not a place you should ever come to."
After saying that, Mewtwo raised its hand once more.
Before Dr. Hotaka and the others could react—
Blue psychic light enveloped them and the ship behind them all at once.
The next instant—
The three and the airship vanished from the beach.
As the strongest Psychic-type Pokémon, Mewtwo had absolute dominion over psychic power.
That move just now was nothing more than a variation of Teleport.
To Mewtwo, moving three people and a ship was no different from moving a pebble.
Once the noisy trio was gone, the pressure that had blanketed the island fully receded back into Mewtwo's body.
Gary instantly felt his body lighten.
That soul-crushing pressure finally dissipated.
"Ash, if people like that show up again, just contact me directly. There's no need to make a trip."
With no outsiders left, Mewtwo's tone became noticeably gentler.
The sudden change left Gary stunned.
Just what had Ash been doing behind his back?!
Why was a godlike Pokémon treating Ash so kindly?!
Did you secretly drug it or something?!
(Yes! A potion called 'Ash'!)
"M-Mewtwo… you didn't do anything too extreme to them, right?"
Faced with Mewtwo's concern, Ash was actually more worried about Dr. Hotaka's safety.
He didn't want Mewtwo to make another irreversible mistake.
Clearly, Ash was overthinking it.
Mewtwo shook its head.
"I wouldn't bother killing them. I only transferred them to another island. As for whether they survive—that depends on themselves."
Mewtwo was telling the truth.
It had simply used Teleport to move the three and their ship to an uninhabited island.
Given their abilities, surviving shouldn't be a problem.
As for when they'd leave—
That depended on how soon they could repair their ship.
But—
What did that have to do with Mewtwo?
It had no intention of explaining further.
And that was enough.
Hearing this, the tension in Ash's heart finally eased.
At that moment, Ash—smiling once more—enthusiastically introduced the two beside him.
"This is Miss Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh. She's a really kind big sister!"
Ash first introduced the blonde-haired Cynthia to Mewtwo.
The two exchanged nods but didn't speak further.
Both could sense the other's strength—a nod was already a form of acknowledgment.
Seeing Mewtwo's reaction to Cynthia, Ash directly pulled over Gary, who still had a stiff expression.
"This smug-looking guy is Gary—he's basically my partner from childhood."
Ash scratched his head, unsure what title to give Gary.
After all, ever since they were kids, the two had never really gotten along!
Suddenly acting friendly felt… strange.
"Hello. My name is Gary. I'm destined to become the strongest Trainer and the most knowledgeable Pokémon Professor."
Gary also introduced himself.
"My name is Mewtwo. I am Ash's partner."
With Mewtwo stating its name, Gary and Cynthia were formally acquainted with it.
After that—
Blue light flashed in Mewtwo's eyes.
The figures of the group vanished from the beach.
They reappeared instead in a lush, verdant forest.
This was the center of the island—
The very area Dr. Hotaka and the others had been so desperate to explore.
Unfortunately for them—
They would never get another chance.
Arriving there, Ash and Gary looked around curiously.
Many Pokémon peeked out from the grass or down from tree branches.
They were Pokémon that had once been hurt by humans, instinctively wary of them.
But seeing that Ash and the others were brought by Mewtwo—
Some of the braver Pokémon cautiously approached the trio.
Seeing this, Ash clapped his left hand against his right palm.
Then, in front of a group of astonished Pokémon, he shouted:
"Gengar! Let's throw a party!"
The next instant—
Ash's shadow stretched infinitely long.
Wearing a chef's hat and sporting a pair of tiny mustaches, Gengar leapt out from the shadow!
It first bowed politely to the surrounding Pokémon.
Then it began rummaging around inside Ash's shadow.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of countless Pokémon—
A complete set of kitchen equipment was laid out in the forest clearing.
After that—
Bundle after bundle of ingredients was carried out from Ash's shadow.
Some bold Pokémon even crept over to poke at Ash's shadow curiously.
But what they touched was still just the forest floor.
Unlike Gengar, they couldn't pull anything out of it.
Once all the ingredients were retrieved, Gengar thoughtfully restored Ash's shadow to normal.
Then—
One Gengar used Double Team!
Four or five Gengar appeared around the portable kitchen.
Afterimages!
The cooking Gengar were moving so fast they were leaving afterimages!
Soon, all the ingredients were prepped.
The original Gengar took charge as head chef.
After a dazzling display of wok-tossing—
A fragrant feast of Gengar-made dishes was placed on the table.
...
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