Holding the Ultra Ball in his hand, Xia Mu let out a breath.
He had tricked Moltres into capturing it just like that.
As for its replacement, it would be Charizard.
The reason he didn't let the other Pokémon go back was because things weren't over yet, and he needed to ensure he had enough battle power.
Most importantly, both being Fire/Flying types, with Moltres in his possession, Charizard wouldn't have much of a problem returning home.
Actually, Charizard didn't want to go back, but Xia Mu had spoken, so it had no choice but to accept.
After capturing Moltres, Xia Mu immediately released it again to carefully examine its stats. He
focused primarily on its Individual Values (IVs), as he already knew the other information; the only difference was that its friendship level had reached 60, meaning Moltres had accepted Xia Mu as its trainer.
[Molotov]
[LV: 65]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Type: Fire, Flying]
[Nature: Bold]
[Ability: Flame Body]
[Moves: Wing Rush, Leer, Ember, Safeguard, Wing Attack, Agility, Ancient Power, Burnout, Air Slash, Roost, Heat Wave, Sunny Day, Hurricane, Endure, Overheat, Flamethrower, Legendary Bird Slam...]
[Friendship: 60]
[Mood: Neutral]
[Molotov's IVs]
[HP: 26 (Excellent)]
[Special Attack: 31 (Best)]
[Special Defense: 15 (Average)]
[Attack: 30 (Amazing)]
[Defense: 18 (Very Good)]
[Speed: 20 (Very Good)]
[Overall Assessment: Amazing ability!]
[Effort Values: HP (0), Attack (0), Defense (5), Special Attack (7), Special Defense (4), Speed (0).]
…
Only one stat is at the best, but one stat is at the amazing level.
Although somewhat disappointed, it was still quite impressive for a legendary Pokémon without a divine title to reach these stats.
Especially considering its excellent attack stats! While Xia Mu hadn't researched Moltres's training path, he had a general idea.
After all, he practically knew the stats of all Pokémon by heart; he might forget some less common ones, but he had a very solid grasp of legendary Pokémon stats.
Moltres had 100 Attack and 125 Special Attack.
While neither was top-tier, such high stats placed it in the upper tier.
'Gaa—Awooo!' (I hope you're not lying to me, Xia Mu.) Moltres' tone remained arrogant.
"Don't worry, I won't cheat or deceive you. Soon you'll see the changes in yourself, and then you'll be glad you made this decision." Having given Moltres his answer, Xia Mu then looked at the six members of Team Rocket again.
Xia Mu put his mask and glasses back on.
Even though Mewtwo could use psychic powers to modify memories, he still had to be careful.
Little did Xia Mu know that he had already been exposed, though it would be a long time before this matter was brought up again.
Moltres remained silent, watching Xia Mu's retreating figure, pondering whether his decision was right or wrong.
After all, it was a legendary bird, now tamed by a human with just a few words.
Arcanine, Dragonite, and Pidgeotto stayed by Xia Mu's side, remaining vigilant in case of any unforeseen events. "Mewtwo, how's it going over there?" The atmosphere was quiet. Xia Mu reconnected with Mewtwo's psychic abilities using Aura.
...
At this moment, deep underground at Mount Lantern,
Mewtwo had single-handedly defeated Hunter J and his group.
Its swift and decisive actions were far more direct than Xia Mu's.
It tracked its target, determined its intentions, and then acted decisively, making these malicious humans pay the price.
Hunter J and the other three clearly had no information about the suddenly appearing Mewtwo, let alone what kind of Pokémon it was. After all,
Mewtwo hadn't been created for very long.
"Damn it! What kind of Pokémon is this? It possesses such power, it's comparable to the legendary ones." Hunter J gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed, and her breathing became rapid.
"There's no data about it in the archives."
"I didn't expect this mission to lead us to discover a new species."
"We're no match for it. In a little while, this underground space will be swallowed by lava. We have to get out of here quickly."
The three spoke up anxiously.
They were indeed quite strong, but at best, they could only compare to Yamato and Kosaburo.
Even Hunter J, their leader, couldn't defeat them; even if they fought desperately, they would only be utterly defeated.
"Still no response from Team Rocket?" Hunter J asked.
Although she wasn't as mature and composed as she was later in the original story, she already possessed the basic characteristics of her future self.
Her actions were exceptionally decisive, without any hesitation.
In this critical situation, she already had an idea.
Hearing this, one of the three, sweating profusely, replied, "No response. Could it be that they caught Moltres and ran away?"
"Regardless, even with Team Rocket's help, we probably can't defeat this unknown Pokémon. Our preparations were far from sufficient, and we underestimated the strength of this Heatran," another said.
Hunter J, listening to the conversation around her, her eyes flashing with malice, knew she couldn't linger. She immediately ordered, "Mission failed, retreat!"
As she gave the command, the three exchanged glances, simultaneously recalling their Pokémon and throwing out smoke bombs.
This scene was observed by Mewtwo.
It actually wanted to sneer, feeling these humans were incredibly disrespectful.
It wasn't going to let them off easily.
Despite having no personal grudge against them, it harbored extreme hatred for the members of the evil organization that persecuted Pokémon.
In a sense, it was a transference of hatred.
Hunter J and the others were being blamed.
Just as Mewtwo was preparing to teach them another lesson, a voice suddenly sounded in its mind.
Undoubtedly, it was Xia Mu's inquiry.
[I've stopped them from capturing Heatran. They've been defeated and are about to escape.] Mewtwo responded with its psychic powers.
Soon, it received Xia Mu's reply: "[That's good. Team Rocket has been dealt with, and Moltres has been captured. As long as Heatran is safe, we can leave the underground space. Ideally, we should also subdue those four and bring them up with us.]"
[Understood.]" Mewtwo replied, a dazzling light flashing in its eyes.
Its psychic power erupted, directly engulfing the area.
Hunter J and his companions, who had been retreating using the smoke, were instantly immobilized by Mewtwo's psychic power… For a moment, the four felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, convinced they were doomed.
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(End of Chapter)