Chapter 227: Battle Against Mewtwo (Part 3)
Rio sat on the Red Gyarados’s back, waiting for a while, his brow furrowing. Sacred Fire had already burned that area to the ground—yet not a single Team Rocket member had emerged.
Don’t tell me that was an empty camp. Rio continued scanning the island for other possible Rocket hideouts. Before long, he spotted another suspicious site.
Once again, Charizard used an opening in the fight against Mewtwo to launch a Sacred Fire at the location. Flames swept across the area, setting another patch of forest ablaze.
"Boss—Fifth Squad’s camp has also been hit hard by Charizard’s flames. Are we still holding back?" Giovanni received the report once more.
Has this kid figured out we’re here? Is he deliberately aiming at us? Giovanni’s expression grew strained, suspicion creeping in.
"No—impossible. We’re hidden too well. If he’d discovered us, he would have found us before he even set foot on Mewtwo’s island. And if that were the case, he wouldn’t have gone after Mewtwo alone without dealing with us first." Giovanni shook his head. "It’s a coincidence—just a coincidence. We have a large presence on this island, and two of his Sacred Fire attacks happened to hit our camps."
"Hold—keep holding. As I said, those who achieve great things must endure!" Giovanni declared loudly, reaffirming his order.
"Yes, sir!" The executives nodded and relayed the message to the other camps. The panicked camps settled down under Giovanni’s command.
High above, Rio waited but still saw no movement from Team Rocket. His frustration grew.
"Fine—I’ll keep at it. Let’s see if you can hold out until I fall." He had Gengar relay new orders to Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno: while defending against Mewtwo’s attacks, they were to launch indiscriminate strikes across the island. There was no way Team Rocket could keep hiding if he was this blatantly telling them he knew they were there.
Before long, the island was ravaged by waves of fire, countless lightning strikes from the sky, and blankets of ice. Three extreme conditions covered the island at once.
"What are you doing?!" Mewtwo demanded telepathically at Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno, puzzled as to why they would endure its attacks just to target the island.
The three Pokémon ignored Mewtwo and continued their assault. Soon, an explosion erupted from below—a helicopter hidden beneath the forest canopy had detonated in the flames. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and one piece hurtled toward Mewtwo, who stopped it midair with Psychic.
When Mewtwo saw the red "R" emblem on the metal fragment, it froze.
"This is..." Its mind was flooded with another painful memory—one of manipulation and betrayal.
"Giovanni... Team Rocket..." Mewtwo stopped throwing Aura Spheres at Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno. Its gaze turned deadly as it looked down at the forest below.
It understood everything now. Someone had been watching it—had been watching all along.
Inside the monitoring camp, the Rocket members sensed something was wrong. "Boss—I think they’ve spotted us," a subordinate whispered.
Giovanni’s face was ashen. He felt it too. But he couldn’t admit it—not after confidently claiming the opposite and losing two squads in the process.
"Giovanni—come out and face me..." Mewtwo’s voice echoed in Giovanni’s mind.
Giovanni’s pupils contracted. He saw all his subordinates turn to look at him. The ground shook violently, and the tent embedded in the soil swayed. Two seconds later, the tent was ripped from the ground—and Giovanni could see the scene outside. Trees were uprooted, hovering in midair. Mewtwo was directly above him, staring him down.
"Giovanni—long time no see. I never expected you to dare seek me out again," Mewtwo said, its eyes filled with killing intent.
"Indeed—long time no see." Giovanni, true to his nature as Team Rocket’s boss, quickly recovered from his initial shock. With a smile, he reached into his pocket.
With a flash of light, Beedrill appeared. More flashes followed—one after another, Team Rocket executives released their Pokémon, including Zapdos, now under the command of Lt. Surge, positioned just behind Beedrill. They all faced Mewtwo, poised for battle.
"Zapdos?" From above, Rio spotted Zapdos and blinked in surprise. Didn’t Lugia set it free during their last encounter? How did it end up back with Team Rocket? Did they catch it again? He scanned Zapdos’s stats—they were identical to before. This was the same legendary Zapdos, not an ordinary one.
"Kid—should we team up with Team Rocket against Mewtwo?" Raikou’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind.
"No—tables have turned. They watched us get pummeled, and now we get to watch them." Rio smirked. From the looks of it, Mewtwo’s hostility was now squarely focused on Team Rocket—they were the primary target. So why bother fighting? Let Team Rocket and Mewtwo tear into each other first. Best-case scenario: Mewtwo wipes them all out, and Rio steps in later.
He knew that was probably wishful thinking. Giovanni had come prepared with plenty of countermeasures and tech. Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno flew back to Rio’s side as he watched the confrontation below.
Mewtwo made the first move. It raised its right hand, and a Psystrike brimming with overwhelming pressure formed in an instant—hurled straight at Team Rocket. Beedrill, quick and fragile, dodged and shot toward Mewtwo, using Poison Jab on Giovanni’s command. It closed the distance in a flash.
Mewtwo’s pupils contracted. It used Teleport, vanishing and reappearing directly behind Beedrill, a Psystrike already forming in its palm, ready to deliver a devastating blow.
But to Mewtwo’s surprise, a bolt of lightning struck down from above at the exact same moment—as if it had predicted Mewtwo’s position. The Thunder hit Mewtwo square on. Before it could recover, a searing pain shot through its abdomen—Beedrill, seizing the opening, had driven its stinger backward into Mewtwo.
Poison Jab was a success.
"Mew—" Mewtwo let out a pained cry in midair.
Now it was Rio’s turn to stare in shock. This was not how things were supposed to go. Against him, Mewtwo had been in control. But against Team Rocket, Mewtwo was the one getting hit first.
"Something’s wrong—how did Zapdos’s Thunder predict Mewtwo’s Teleport location?" Rio narrowed his eyes, scanning the Rocket formation.