Chapter 225: Battle Against Mewtwo (Part 1)
Rio stared at Mewtwo, who had suddenly appeared before him. His heart first seized, then began pounding wildly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
What the hell—showing up out of nowhere like that is enough to give anyone a heart attack, Rio cursed inwardly. He’d been walking along when Mewtwo’s form materialized out of thin air right in front of him—it was terrifying.
Across from him, Mewtwo’s gaze locked onto the black lockbox in Rio’s hand. Its mind involuntarily drifted back to its experiences in the lab—and killing intent began to seep into its eyes.
Rio, who had been cursing internally, instantly snapped to attention. He remembered that this creature was not to be trifled with. At the same time, he caught a glimpse of its stats:
[Pokémon: Mewtwo]
[Level: 88 (Enraged, deeply hostile toward humanity.)]
[Talent: Legendary]
[Friendship: -40]
[Ability 1: Pressure]
[Ability 2: Unnerve]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Moves: Disable (135%), Confusion (135%), Swift (135%), Life Dew (135%), Ancient Power (135%), Psycho Cut (135%), Safeguard (135%), Amnesia (135%), Aura Sphere (135%), Psychic (135%), Power Swap (135%), Guard Swap (135%), Psystrike (135%), and more...]
[Description: This Pokémon was created by humans through genetic recombination of the mythical Pokémon Mew. Its psychic power is immense—a single wave can shatter a building. Though made by humans, it is powerful enough to surpass most legendary Pokémon. It was born for battle.]
Seeing the -40 friendship stat, Rio’s pupils contracted. This was the lowest friendship he had ever seen—even Gengar, trapped in an ancient Poké Ball for a hundred years, had only been at -30. Such a high negative value meant only one thing: this thing wants to kill me.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Rio felt himself floating—Mewtwo had used Psychic on him.
"Human—where did you get that box?" Mewtwo’s voice echoed in his mind, thick with rage.
The next moment, a system notification appeared:
[Mewtwo’s friendship decreased.]
[Friendship: -41]
[Warning! Warning! Mewtwo is currently in a state of extreme rage. If its friendship drops to -50, it will be permanently locked and can never be captured.]
Rio was drenched in sweat. He looked down at the box in his hands—he hadn’t expected that simply holding it would make Mewtwo this angry. It was ready to kill him on sight, and he hadn’t even done anything yet.
"What if I told you an elder gave it to me?" Rio forced a smile, trying to appear as amiable as possible.
"An elder? That old man Fuji? Or Giovanni, who only ever wanted to use me?" Mewtwo fell into brief recollection, and its rage only grew more intense. At the same time, the psychic pressure on Rio intensified, making it hard to breathe. If this continued, he might actually be crushed to death.
Another notification appeared:
[Mewtwo’s friendship decreased.]
[Friendship: -42]
[Warning! Warning! Mewtwo is currently in a state of extreme rage. If its friendship drops to -50, it will be permanently locked and can never be captured.]
Hearing that, Rio understood. The names "Fuji" and "Giovanni" were absolute triggers for Mewtwo—they were the source of its hatred. Rio struggled to turn his head toward Charizard, who was also suspended midair by Psychic, looking uncomfortable but waiting for Rio’s signal.
Catching Rio’s gaze, Charizard didn’t hesitate. Blazing purple flames erupted from its mouth, aimed directly at Mewtwo. Caught off guard, Mewtwo was struck by the Sacred Fire and engulfed in flames.
But only for two seconds. Mewtwo expanded a psychic barrier, pushing the flames away. It stared coldly at Rio.
"Human—you’re asking for death!" Mewtwo’s voice thundered in Rio’s mind.
It raised its right hand and swiped—sending both Rio and Charizard flying hundreds of meters. Just before they crashed into a boulder, Charizard let out a low growl, spread its wings, and folded them around Rio, shielding him from the impact.
Freed from the psychic grip, Rio gasped for air. He looked at Charizard with concern. "Charizard—are you alright?"
"Roaar~" Charizard forced a grin despite the cold sweat on its face. Then its expression turned serious as it looked toward the sky.
Rio followed its gaze. Mewtwo emerged from the forest, floating above them, looking down with cold indifference. A wisp of purple flame still clung to its body.
At least Sacred Fire did something—it inflicted a burn, Rio thought with relief. Otherwise, they’d have been completely defenseless.
But then he saw Mewtwo expel the purple flames, dropping them onto the sand, and the burn was instantly nullified.
"Safeguard?" Rio narrowed his eyes.
Charizard glanced at the Y Mega Stone on its tail. Rio understood immediately.
"Charizard—show Mewtwo your true power!" The Key Stone on Rio’s chest began to glow.
"Roaar~" Charizard roared in response, the light of evolution enveloping its body. Mewtwo, about to launch another attack, paused in surprise—it hadn’t expected Charizard to be able to evolve further. That wasn’t in its knowledge base.
Then its expression hardened as it looked up—the sun had grown noticeably brighter.
"Mewtwo—the real battle starts now!" Rio’s voice rang out.
Mewtwo looked down to see the fully evolved Charizard charging toward it, wreathed in purple flames. Mewtwo raised its right hand, and an Aura Sphere formed in an instant. It collided with Charizard’s Sacred Fire midair. The result: rather than being pushed back, the Sacred Fire exploded against the Aura Sphere and continued toward Mewtwo.
Mewtwo was visibly shocked—this Charizard’s power had surged dramatically. But it wasn’t over.
Down on the beach, Rio tossed out two more Poké Balls. With flashes of light, Raikou and Articuno appeared—alongside the Red Gyarados.
"Raikou, Articuno—help Charizard!"
But what he got in return was pure arrogance:
"Kid—are you underestimating me? This no-name Pokémon? You think I need help from Charizard and Articuno? I, Raikou, can handle it myself!"
"Exactly—who is this unknown Pokémon? Does it compare to Lord Lugia or Lord Ho-Oh? Hmph—I, Articuno, will make it submit on my own!"
Rio’s mouth twitched. Before he could warn them, Raikou’s dark purple thundercloud cape flickered as it charged forward. Articuno spread its wings and soared high.
"ROAR!!!" — Charizard, move aside—I’ll take it on alone!
"Fuu~" — No—both of you move! Let the legendary bird handle this!
Half a minute later, after two consecutive Psystrikes from Mewtwo, Raikou and Articuno were sent crashing into the sea. When they emerged, they were far more humble, telling Charizard to coordinate properly and not underestimate the enemy.
Charizard: →_→
Rio watched the two idiots with a helpless expression, then glanced at the remaining legendary Poké Balls on his belt.