Chapter 231: Battle Against Mewtwo (Part 7)
"There’s a... Gengar behind that masked figure?" Giovanni, lying on the ground, noticed a Pokémon emerging from behind the masked figure—it looked like a Ghost-type Gengar.
"Why is there a Gengar behind that masked man? Aren’t Rio and that masked man supposed to be enemies?" Before he could ponder further, Giovanni was engulfed by the black smoke. Within seconds, he grew drowsy and collapsed.
Soon, every Team Rocket member on the island was down. Rio’s lips curled upward. With Team Rocket out of the way, it’s time to really let loose. His gaze shifted to Mewtwo, still locked in fierce combat with Charizard and the others.
As the saying goes: the real battle begins now.
"Regirock, Regice—join the fight against Mewtwo!" Rio waved his hand.
"Charr~"
"Gah-chee—!"
Regirock and Regice raised their arms, firing a Stone Edge and an Ice Beam at Mewtwo. In the sky, Mewtwo raised both hands, firing two Aura Spheres to cancel the attacks. It was stunned—Rio was now commanding the masked figure’s Pokémon. How was that possible? Weren’t they supposed to be rivals?
In that moment of shock, Charizard seized the opening and landed a Dragon Claw on Mewtwo. Mewtwo cried out in pain and Teleported several dozen meters away. Its gaze darted between Rio’s Pokémon and the masked figure’s Pokémon. Team Rocket was gone—shouldn’t it be a three-way free-for-all now? Why was it suddenly facing both sides alone?
"What is going on?! Why are you all attacking me together? Wasn’t it agreed that after Team Rocket was dealt with, it would be a three-way battle?" Mewtwo’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind.
"Guess," Rio replied with a smile, then ordered Gengar to use Psychic to lift Regirock and Regice into the air, joining Charizard and the others in surrounding Mewtwo.
As Regirock and Regice rose, the masked figure—no longer supported by Gengar’s Psychic—fell from the sky. Seeing this, Mewtwo understood everything in an instant. Its eyes widened in shock as it looked at Rio.
"Regirock, Regice, and Registeel—they were yours all along! That masked figure was a fake—someone controlled by your Gengar! You tricked me! You tricked Team Rocket! Your only goal was to eliminate Team Rocket from the fight!"
"Trick? That word feels a bit harsh—I prefer ’using my brain,’" Rio said with a sigh, noticing Mewtwo’s friendship drop another point.
"Damn you humans—every last one of you is deceitful and treacherous! Not a word of truth between you!"
Mewtwo raised its hand angrily, charging an Aura Sphere aimed at Rio—but Raikou’s Thunder intercepted it midair.
"Mewtwo—like I said, it’s not deceit. It’s strategy," Rio shrugged, then pulled out two more Poké Balls. With flashes of light, Munchlax and Aerodactyl appeared. Munchlax sat on Aerodactyl’s back, sealing the last gap in the encirclement.
"Ka~" Munchlax raised its paws and began to wave them. Moments later, it rolled Zekrom’s Bolt Strike, clashing with Mewtwo’s Psystrike in a massive shockwave. Then Mewtwo found itself surrounded and attacked by the other five legendary-tier Pokémon.
What had been a fight where Mewtwo held a slight advantage against three, now became a losing battle against six. The tide had turned. Rio watched with barely contained excitement. He’d originally thought that if even this wasn’t enough, he’d use his one chance to summon Rayquaza. But now it seemed unnecessary—his current roster was enough to overpower and capture Mewtwo.
I’ve waited so long for this day... Rio sang internally, glancing at the Master Ball on his belt, ready to use it. Once Mewtwo showed signs of fatigue, he’d throw it. Throwing it while Mewtwo was still fresh risked a repeat of the Lugia incident—one glare from Mewtwo, and he’d be in serious trouble.
Just as Rio was envisioning his successful capture, Mewtwo suddenly broke through the encirclement. With two consecutive Teleports, it appeared right in front of him.
Not good— Rio’s scalp prickled as a wave of dread washed over him. Mewtwo stared at him coldly, raising its right hand—and a suffocating psychic grip closed around his throat, as if invisible hands were choking him. Its left hand fired an Aura Sphere at the Red Gyarados beneath him, which had been charging a Hyper Beam at Mewtwo. The Gyarados, far slower than Mewtwo, was sent flying.
Charizard and the others, seeing Rio under Mewtwo’s control, were paralyzed by fear—they couldn’t attack without risking Rio’s life.
"Human—since you’re all so underhanded, I’ll have to adopt your shameless tactics," Mewtwo’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind. Rio watched Mewtwo’s right fist clench tighter, the choking sensation intensifying. He struggled to reach into his bag, trying to throw the Master Ball before he passed out.
Just then, Rio felt a deep, chilling darkness surge through him. Is this death reaching out? he wondered, thinking he was about to see his life flash before his eyes.
But then, the choking sensation began to ease. He noticed Mewtwo’s expression shift to shock.
"Who?! Who’s there?!" Mewtwo’s gaze locked onto something behind Rio. Some unseen force was helping Rio break free from Mewtwo’s psychic grip.
Rio wanted to turn around but couldn’t. At the same time, Charizard and the others seemed to receive some kind of command—they all attacked Mewtwo at once. Mewtwo shot a hateful glance past Rio, then Teleported away. The choking sensation vanished, and Rio gasped for air.
He tried to turn and see what was behind him—but was pushed forward by a psychic force. After a dizzying spin, he landed on Charizard’s back. He felt sick and wanted to vomit—but his mind replayed what he’d glimpsed during the spin.
In a flash, he’d seen something dark sinking into the ground. He wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.
"Kid—are you okay?" Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind.
"I’m fine." Rio shook his head after catching his breath, seeing Charizard’s worried look. "I’m really fine."
"Did any of you see anything behind me when Mewtwo had me in its grip?" Rio asked, voicing his suspicion.
"Roaar~" They all shook their heads—no one had seen anything.
"Nothing?" Rio frowned. If they saw nothing, why had Mewtwo reacted with such shock? And what was that cold, dark force that had helped him?
Giratina? Rio thought of the fleeting image he’d seen—a dark shape merging into the ground. It seemed to match Giratina’s characteristics. But why would Giratina save him? He’d never had any interaction with it before.
"Roaar~" Charizard growled.
"Charizard says it heard a voice in its head telling it to attack Mewtwo. What? Charizard—you attacked Mewtwo because you heard a voice? Old Ghost didn’t hear anything."