Chapter 265
Chapter 265
Mewtwo had seen Gardevoir use the Psychic-type Plate many times before, so it understood its effects.
This was the crucial moment against Rayquaza.
So when Gardevoir offered to lend it the Plate, Mewtwo didn't hesitate. Using its psychic power, it took hold of the ancient artifact.
Buzz!
As soon as the Plate settled in Mewtwo's grasp, it immediately sensed a change within itself.
Its psychic energy became more active than ever before, and the mental power it had exhausted in battle was now rapidly replenishing.
Not only that, but the Plate was also amplifying its psychic abilities!
Feeling the surge of power, Mewtwo looked up at Rayquaza.
Rayquaza had witnessed everything. As an ancient Pokémon, it recognized Arceus's Plates at a glance.
The deep pink Plate represented Psychic energy.
A flicker of confusion flashed through Rayquaza's eyes. It couldn't understand how this human below had come into possession of Arceus's Plate. What was their connection?
But soon, confusion was replaced by anger.
No matter what ties this human and their unknown Pokémon had to Arceus, it didn't change the fact that they had disturbed its slumber and arrogantly tried to capture it.
ROOOAARR!
Rayquaza roared, its glowing markings pulsing with power. The surrounding air currents surged toward its massive body, gathering into violent winds.
Within moments, colossal tornadoes—each nearly a hundred meters wide and stretching from the heavens down to the sea—formed around Rayquaza.
"The power of the Dragon God…"
Zinnia trembled with excitement as she felt the overwhelming force, a power strong enough to destroy an entire city.
Only such a mighty Dragon God could save the world from the prophecy's apocalyptic meteor.
"....."
Gary looked at Zinnia's expression, utterly baffled.
Were all the Draconid people this insane?
Now wasn't the time to be in awe! If they got hit by that attack, they'd be dead!
Frantically, he released Nidoking and Arcanine, using their large bodies to shield himself from the raging winds.
And this was only the aftermath of Rayquaza's attack.
Its true target was Mewtwo!
ROOOAARR!
With another roar, Rayquaza sent its tornadoes hurtling toward Mewtwo, the sheer size of the storm forming a stark contrast to Mewtwo's relatively small frame.
At the same time, meteorological stations worldwide went on high alert.
From Kanto, Sinnoh, Unova, Galar, to Alola—various weather research centers focused their attention on Hoenn, calling the Hoenn Weather Institute for updates.
The Hoenn researchers were stunned.
As a local institution, they immediately recognized the source of the disturbance—Sky Pillar.
They urgently reported the situation to the Pokémon Association.
And soon, the news reached Steven Stone.
Steven was in disbelief. Ever since the Pokémon Association's failed attempt to capture Rayquaza—resulting in the destruction of an entire research facility—no one had dared to go after it again.
Even Team Magma and Team Aqua, as reckless as they were, had no reason to target Rayquaza. Their ambitions were clear and specific.
After thinking it over, Steven suddenly recalled what Asahi had told him about Team Rocket…
According to Asahi's intelligence, Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni, had arrived in Hoenn and was plotting something.
Asahi had speculated that Giovanni's true objective was Mossdeep Space Center, leading Steven to reinforce its security.
But now… could Giovanni's real target be Rayquaza?!
The more Steven thought about it, the more it made sense.
They had the power, the motive, and the opportunity—this had to be Team Rocket's doing!
With that conclusion, Steven pulled out his phone and called Asahi.
---
Sky Pillar
Amid the fierce battle between Mewtwo and Rayquaza, Asahi's phone suddenly rang.
He was too focused on directing Mewtwo to dodge Rayquaza's Dragon Pulse and tornadoes to check the caller ID. Without looking, he answered.
"This is Asahi. I'm busy right now. If it's not urgent, call back later."
Then, Steven's serious voice came through the receiver.
"Asahi, Team Rocket is trying to capture Rayquaza!"
"...?"
Asahi nearly lost his composure.
Team Rocket was trying to capture Rayquaza?
He instinctively glanced up at the furious, tornado-wielding Rayquaza attacking Mewtwo.
If Team Rocket was capturing Rayquaza, then what was this?
"Asahi, are you there?" Steven asked when he didn't get a response.
"Oh, yeah… I'm here. Did you just say Team Rocket is trying to capture Rayquaza?" Asahi dodged a questionably aimed tornado while issuing new telepathic commands to Mewtwo.
Steven replied, "That's right. I just got word that Rayquaza is active near Sky Pillar, seemingly battling someone. Given Giovanni's presence in Hoenn, I believe this is part of Team Rocket's plan."
...It wasn't Team Rocket.
No doubt about it—Steven was referring to him.
Asahi was already thinking about how to explain this to Steven when—
ROOOAARR!
Rayquaza let out a pained cry after Mewtwo landed a devastating Future Sight attack.
Steven, now even more suspicious, asked, "What was that? Are you in the middle of a battle?"
"Uh… actually, I'm the one trying to capture Rayquaza."
Steven: ".....?"
---
After hanging up with Steven, Asahi let out a deep breath.
He had anticipated that fighting Rayquaza would draw attention, but he hadn't expected it to escalate so quickly.
Technology had advanced too much—satellites were now too efficient.
Thankfully, with Steven handling things on the League's side, he only needed to focus on dealing with Rayquaza.
After battling for so long, Asahi had realized something:
If he wanted to gain the upper hand, he needed to eliminate Rayquaza's tornadoes.
Through telepathy, he shared his plan with Mewtwo, who immediately agreed.
The tornadoes were a massive obstacle in this battle.
Without hesitation, Mewtwo stopped dodging and hovered in place, staring at the incoming twister.
Raising its psychic spoon, Mewtwo channeled its amplified power through the Plate, forming a shimmering, solidified blade of pure mental energy.
Slash!
The Psycho Cut struck.
A screeching sound—unnatural and nerve-wracking—echoed through the sky as the storm and the psychic blade clashed.
Rayquaza's Dragon-type energy tried to erode the Psycho Cut.
But the blade relentlessly pushed forward, cutting toward the eye of the storm.
Gary and Zinnia held their breath.
Then—
The Plate in Mewtwo's hands vibrated violently, glowing with brilliance.
Mewtwo's eyes flared with psychic power.
SLASH!
The blade cleaved straight through the tornado's core.
Rayquaza's energy was disrupted, and the structure of the twister collapsed.
As the storm disintegrated, the Psycho Cut didn't stop—it continued toward Rayquaza!
Rayquaza's eyes widened in disbelief.
But it reacted swiftly, coiling its body and erecting a green energy barrier.
Protect!
The Psycho Cut struck the shield.
Just as Rayquaza prepared to reinforce its barrier, the attack suddenly dispersed into harmless particles of light.
Rayquaza: "?"
It had just realized—Mewtwo's powerful-looking attack was actually a feint.
But was the Psycho Cut really just for show?
Of course not.
It had indeed sliced through the tornado. However, even with the Psychic Plate's boost, the blade had been heavily eroded by Rayquaza's energy, rendering it weak upon impact.
Asahi's true goal was deception.
And it had worked.
Rayquaza had wasted Protect.
Now realizing it had been tricked, Rayquaza's rage flared.
It unleashed its strongest move.
Throwing its head back, Rayquaza fired a golden beam into the sky.
The energy exploded in the clouds—then rained down as a storm of meteors.
Draco Meteor!
The meteors streaked toward Sky Pillar, their sheer numbers covering the entire battlefield.
Gary: "???"
"If you're mad, go after Asahi! What did I do?!"
Seeing the incoming devastation, Gary prepared to command Nidoking and Arcanine to defend.
But before he could act—
"Mew~!"
A soft voice echoed.
A small pink figure appeared before them, raising a protective barrier.
Gary and Zinnia stared in shock.
"Mew!?"
Gary stared in shock at the pink Pokémon. He hadn't even noticed when Mew had arrived.
"Mew~!"
Mew wagged its tail and gestured animatedly as it spoke.
Zinnia looked completely lost, but Gary managed to understand Mew's meaning.
"You're saying… you've been following us ever since we entered Sky Pillar?"
Mew's sudden appearance clearly wasn't to protect Asahi—it was here specifically to watch over him.
Realizing this, Gary suddenly felt touched… and silently apologized for his earlier thoughts.
He had doubted Asahi's concern for him—but he had been wrong.
Meanwhile, Mew paid no attention to Gary and the still-dumbfounded Zinnia. Instead, it gazed up at the sky, its eyes filled with concern.
Mewtwo hovered above, gripping its psychic spoon with unwavering determination.
Faced with the overwhelming Draco Meteor, it refused to back down—because its mother was watching.
The Psychic Plate at Mewtwo's side flared with brilliant light.
In the next moment, surrounded by a blue protective shield, Mewtwo flew straight toward Rayquaza, undeterred by the descending meteors.
Boom!
A meteor was shattered by a single swing of Mewtwo's spoon.
Crack!
Another meteor was crushed midair by its psychic force.
Bang!
One meteor managed to strike Mewtwo's barrier, causing it to flicker.
But Mewtwo kept charging forward, weaving through the meteor storm, closing the distance between itself and Rayquaza.
Rayquaza didn't understand why Mewtwo suddenly seemed revitalized, but its pride wouldn't allow it to falter.
Without hesitation, Rayquaza swung its claws toward Mewtwo's psychic spoon.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash echoed through the sky.
And that was just the beginning.
Mewtwo and Rayquaza clashed, separated, then clashed again—over and over.
Energy beams tore through the floor of Sky Pillar, and psychic ripples distorted reality itself.
Even the mere aftershocks of their battle warped the surrounding environment.
Gary and Zinnia watched, their emotions surging with adrenaline.
If not for Mew's protective barrier, they wouldn't have dared to watch this divine battle so recklessly.
Unlike them, Asahi remained calm. He continuously analyzed Rayquaza's fighting style, then used telepathy to adjust Mewtwo's approach mid-battle.
This was reflected in Mewtwo's performance—its attacks grew smoother, its techniques more refined.
It was learning, adapting, and improving in the middle of combat.
And with each exchange, the tide of battle shifted in Mewtwo's favor.
Rayquaza sensed this.
Agitated, it intensified its attacks, desperately trying to regain control.
But Mewtwo had already grasped the flow of battle. With the Psychic Plate bolstering its abilities, it switched strategies—dragging the fight into a battle of endurance.
In an instant, offense and defense reversed.
Watching this unfold, Asahi gradually reduced his telepathic instructions, allowing Mewtwo to fight on its own.
Mewtwo's combat instincts were exceptional.
As time passed, Rayquaza fell further and further behind. Its dominance waned.
[It's about time.]
Reaching into his coat, Asahi pulled out the Master Ball—custom-made with reinforced steel.
....
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