Chapter 226: Battle Against Mewtwo (Part 2)
If he pulled out all his forces to gang up on Mewtwo and ended up with a mutual defeat, Team Rocket would be the one to swoop in and take advantage. So he decided to let Mega Charizard Y and Raikou—along with Articuno—fight Mewtwo first, gauge Team Rocket’s reaction, and then decide his next move.
Rio’s gaze drifted toward the island where Team Rocket was stationed. He didn’t believe for a second that they couldn’t see the battle between Mewtwo and his Pokémon.
Inside the Team Rocket base, over ten kilometers away, the large screens were filled with footage of the battle between Mewtwo, Mega Charizard Y, Raikou, and Articuno. Giovanni watched with a grim expression.
"Boss—Mewtwo is already engaged with the Champion. Should we make our move now?" a subordinate asked.
"Not yet. Let them fight a little longer. Mewtwo isn’t that easy to bring down," Giovanni shook his head, his gaze fixed on the screen as he considered whether Rio was acting alone or with a team.
So far, it seemed almost unbelievable, but it appeared that the newly appointed League Champion truly was alone. Aside from Charizard’s Mega Evolution and Raikou’s appearance, no one else had shown up. More importantly, their surveillance had shown no one else setting foot on the island besides Rio.
"So he really is alone this time?" Giovanni narrowed his eyes. "This kid has guts. He actually thought he could take on Mewtwo by himself—either he didn’t learn from Old Man Fuji just how powerful Mewtwo is, or he thinks that becoming a League Champion makes him capable of catching it solo."
"In that case..." Giovanni gave another order: "Do not act rashly. Let our new Champion and Mewtwo fight it out a little longer."
"Yes, sir."
After giving the order, Giovanni’s lips curled upward as he continued watching Rio, who was riding on the Red Gyarados. He remembered how Rio had caught him off guard at Mt. Ember, leading to the failure of their Moltres capture mission. The tables had turned—now it was Team Rocket hiding in the shadows.
"This kid has no idea we’re here. Once he and Mewtwo are both worn out, I’ll give him a surprise." Giovanni thought, looking forward to the moment he would reveal himself.
On the beach, Rio sat on the Red Gyarados, his expression tense as he watched Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno attack Mewtwo together.
"This isn’t looking good—even three-on-one, Mewtwo has the advantage. I don’t think we can win without bringing out the three Regis," Rio muttered.
Based on the current battle, while it wasn’t as desperate as their fight against Lugia, it was clear that Mewtwo was stronger than Mega Charizard Y, Raikou, and Articuno combined. If this continued, his side would definitely lose.
"No way I’m letting Team Rocket just sit back and wait to snatch the victory—they’re not getting to play the mantis stalking the cicada."
Rio narrowed his eyes and whispered: "Old ghost—are you there? Old ghost?"
"I’m here." Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind, and its face appeared from within his shadow.
Rio rolled his eyes. He knew the old ghost had been hiding in his shadow all along—otherwise, why hadn’t it shown up during the fight? It was definitely scared of Mewtwo’s power.
"Tell Charizard, Raikou, and Articuno to lure Mewtwo toward that island over there," Rio said.
"Got it." Gengar used telepathy to relay the message. Before long, the battle shifted gradually toward the island where Team Rocket was hiding.
Mewtwo didn’t notice anything unusual—after all, it was the one dominating the fight. It made sense that the three Pokémon would try to flee.
"Boss—something’s off. The battle is moving toward us," a Rocket member reported.
"Tell all executives to stay hidden—don’t reveal yourselves. The fight hasn’t reached its critical point yet," Giovanni said calmly, still not sensing anything out of the ordinary.
Soon, Charizard, Raikou, and the others were flying directly over the Team Rocket island.
"Still holding out? Even when we’re right above you?" Rio’s eyes glinted with amusement as he looked at the island’s unnaturally quiet surface.
"Let’s see how long you can stay hidden."
He had Gengar relay a new command: have his Pokémon steer attacks toward the island as much as possible, while scanning for potential hiding spots. Before long, he spotted a tent concealed in the trees—easy to miss if you weren’t looking closely.
About a minute later, during an attack on Mewtwo, Charizard unleashed a Sacred Fire that swept over the area, setting it ablaze.
"Let’s see if you can stay put now," Rio smirked.
Hundreds of meters from the burning site, Giovanni received the news. "Boss—Eighth Squad’s camp has been hit hard by the Charizard’s flames. Should we counterattack?"
"No. Those who achieve great things must endure what others cannot. That’s the only way to secure ultimate victory. We’ve only lost the Eighth Squad—if we endure, we’ll gain Mewtwo and Team Rocket’s bright future," Giovanni said calmly.
His subordinates nodded in admiration. As expected of Boss Giovanni—so far-sighted.
For Mewtwo, Team Rocket could bear a little more.