Chapter 224: Searching for Mewtwo
As someone who had come from their Pokémon House, Mr. Fuji now regarded Rio as his own grandson. How could he not be happy to see his "grandson" so accomplished? He also felt immense pride—the wisest decision he’d made in his later years was founding the Pokémon House.
"Finding some time to myself, I thought I’d come see you. I plan to take care of you in your old age, after all," Rio said with a smile.
"Your sweet tongue is something else—but I love hearing it," Mr. Fuji said, patting Rio’s shoulder. He looked him over, his face full of joy at Rio’s success. "Look at you—you’ve lost weight. Make sure you eat properly from now on. Life is long—don’t push yourself too hard. It’s not worth it if you wear yourself out."
"I’ll follow your advice, Grandpa Fuji—I’ll eat well," Rio nodded repeatedly.
The two sat and talked for a long time.
Early the next morning, Rio left Lavender Town on Charizard, following the plan he’d set for himself: to search for Mewtwo.
He carried the black lockbox, and inside, the Mewtwo skin tissue was pointing northwest. Rio patted Charizard’s back, and Charizard flew in that direction.
After about two hours of flight, they left Kanto and reached the vast open sea.
"Hm?"
Before long, Rio noticed something unusual on the sea ahead—a buzzing sound, like helicopters. He patted Charizard to slow down and pulled out a pair of binoculars. Through them, he saw helicopters—each marked with a red "R" emblem.
Team Rocket? What are they doing out here? Rio wondered, a thought forming in his mind. Could it be that Giovanni has found Mewtwo—the Pokémon he’s been longing for?
To confirm his hunch, Rio had Charizard follow them cautiously. As he suspected, the helicopters were heading in the same direction the Mewtwo tissue was pointing. However, they landed on a different island, about ten kilometers from the destination.
"How interesting," Rio murmured, narrowing his eyes. He signaled Charizard to take a wide detour to avoid being spotted. After a ten-minute detour, he arrived at the island the tissue was guiding him to.
He released Gengar from the ancient Poké Ball and had it scout ahead underground, taking advantage of its ghostly abilities. Rio and Charizard followed closely behind, guided by the tissue’s direction.
What Rio didn’t notice was a tiny camera overhead, tracking his every move.
On the island ten kilometers away, inside the Team Rocket camp, Rio’s image appeared on a monitor. The Rocket members had long since memorized the face of the man who had repeatedly thwarted their operations. The moment they spotted Rio, the executive monitoring the Mewtwo island immediately reported to Giovanni.
Soon, Giovanni rushed into the tent. The moment he saw Rio, his expression darkened.
"Shouldn’t he be busy with interviews and commercials as the League Champion? What’s he doing here?" Giovanni said, clearly annoyed.
Capturing Mewtwo was Team Rocket’s top priority, and he couldn’t tolerate anyone interfering. Last time at Mt. Ember, Rio’s appearance had caused the Moltres capture to fail—and had even attracted Lugia, which resulted in Zapdos regaining its freedom.
Giovanni also grew concerned—Rio was now the dual-region League Champion. If he was here, other League trainers might be nearby. If so, this operation could be in serious jeopardy.
"Why didn’t I receive any warning? What are my informants doing?" Giovanni coldly ordered the subordinate monitoring the island: "Keep watching him. And carefully scan the rest of the island for any other intruders."
He sat down in the tent, eyes fixed on the screen, watching Rio. Eventually, he spotted the Mewtwo skin tissue in the black lockbox Rio was holding.
"So Old Man Fuji finally told the kid about Mewtwo. That’s how he found this place," Giovanni narrowed his eyes.
For the first time, a murderous intent flickered within him. He had always admired Rio—but now, as the League Champion and leader of two regions, Rio could no longer be recruited into Team Rocket. If he was operating alone this time, it might be better if he didn’t leave this island alive. That would spare Team Rocket future trouble.
"Boss—Mewtwo has appeared!" a subordinate suddenly shouted.
Giovanni whipped his head toward another monitor, where Mewtwo was flying out of a cave, its expression wary. Then, in an instant, it vanished—using Teleport.
Everyone’s eyes darted across the monitors, searching for it. Finally, they found it—on the screen showing Rio.
Mewtwo had appeared out of thin air right in front of Rio, startling him so badly he nearly dropped the box.