Chapter 162: Am I Crazy, or Is the World?
Meanwhile, on New Island
BANG!
A massive slab of rock levitated into the air before being tossed aside.
Standing beside an Alakazam, Sabrina waved her hand, dispersing the psychic barrier that had protected her and Green.
"That was terrifying… I almost got buried alive." Green patted her chest and stuck out her tongue. "Thanks for the save, Sabrina."
The sudden explosion had caused catastrophic damage to the core of Team Rocket's New Island base. Now, all around them lay a scene of utter devastation.
Although she had been annoyed with Sabrina earlier because of Asahi, Green couldn't deny that without her intervention, they would have been in serious danger.
"It was nothing." Sabrina brushed off nonexistent dust from her outfit. "Asahi sent a message just before this happened… Did he do something?"
Given Asahi's track record, Sabrina's first instinct was to suspect him.
[That's slander. I won't let it slide, Sabrina.]
Asahi's voice came through their earpieces.
Amidst his words, explosions could be heard in the background.
Sabrina: […]
She had forgotten—they had all been added to the battle comms channel before the explosion.
Green, hearing the battle sounds, grew anxious. [Asahi, what's going on over there?]
[Mew protected us from the explosion's aftermath. Right now…] Asahi glanced up at the scene in the sky. [Mewtwo and Giovanni's Beedrill are going at it hard.]
To be honest, Asahi was somewhat amused.
Mewtwo's sudden outburst had clearly enraged Giovanni.
He had been willing to accept reasonable losses to capture Mewtwo, but the destruction caused by Mewtwo's rampage had obviously exceeded that limit.
Although Giovanni and his Pokémon had managed to withstand Mewtwo's attack with Aggron and Beedrill's Protect, nearly one-tenth of Team Rocket's New Island base had been reduced to rubble.
One-tenth might not sound like much, but considering that this was the heart of Team Rocket's operations—housing critical research data and some of their most expensive equipment—the losses were staggering.
At that moment, a new voice entered the channel.
[Did you just say… Giovanni?]
Green looked confused.
However, Blaine and Sabrina, both Gym Leaders, immediately recognized the voice.
[Lorelei?] Sabrina asked.
Even if she hadn't recognized her, Asahi had mentioned earlier that Lorelei would be joining as reinforcements, so it was easy to deduce.
[Sabrina… You're here too? It's me! Hold on—Cloyster, Spike Cannon!]
After a series of explosions and screams, Lorelei's voice returned.
[I ran into a Rocket squad while landing. What's this about Giovanni?]
At that moment, Giovanni, dressed in a suit with a red R emblem on his chest, was locked in battle with Mewtwo.
Asahi didn't keep her guessing.
[Giovanni is Team Rocket's leader.]
Lorelei froze.
She momentarily forgot about the Rocket grunts she had been pursuing.
Her mind was consumed by one thought.
The widely respected Gym Leader of Viridian City… is actually the head of Team Rocket!?
Lorelei felt like either she or the world had gone insane.
---
Unaware that he had just shattered Lorelei's perception of reality, Asahi had no time for small talk.
Because Giovanni and Mewtwo's battle had reached its climax.
A sandstorm stirred up by Nidoking filled the sky.
Giovanni's three Pokémon moved effortlessly within the storm—even Beedrill seemed well-trained to minimize its impact.
Both sides bore visible injuries from the prolonged battle.
Nidoking's left eye had been struck by debris, leaving it partially blind.
Aggron's left arm was hit by Mewtwo's Swift, rendering it immobile.
Metagross, though in better condition, had multiple wounds, and its once-bright silver armor was now dulled by dust.
Beedrill, due to its assassin-like combat style, was the least injured.
As for Mewtwo, it wasn't in great shape either.
Beyond multiple scratches, the most severe injury was a purplish wound on its chest—a direct hit from Beedrill in a previous clash.
[Mewtwo is poisoned.] Asahi stated.
Under the effects of poison, Mewtwo's combat ability was visibly declining.
Hearing this, Mew became anxious.
If this continued, wouldn't Mewtwo end up captured by Giovanni?
The battle raged on.
Nidoking hurled a massive boulder at Mewtwo, using Rock Tomb to restrict its movement.
Aggron's horn crackled with electricity before launching a Thunderbolt toward Mewtwo.
Mewtwo darted through the air, dodging, but its poisoned state slowed its reflexes.
Though it barely evaded Rock Tomb, its psychic barrier trembled under the impact of Thunderbolt.
That was only the prelude.
The real danger came from Metagross, which unleashed a Hyper Beam straight at Mewtwo.
The devastating energy beam followed Mewtwo relentlessly, reducing the battlefield to further ruins.
Frustrated by the relentless assault, Mewtwo retaliated by forming a Shadow Ball and hurling it at Metagross.
Normally, Metagross would break off its attack to dodge, but this time, it didn't.
Instead, it took the hit head-on while continuing its Hyper Beam assault.
This unexpected decision led to an unavoidable outcome.
Because of the momentary delay in casting Shadow Ball, this time—
Mewtwo failed to dodge.
BOOM!
Shadow Ball and Hyper Beam struck simultaneously.
As Hyper Beam blasted against the energy shield surrounding Mewtwo—
A massive explosion erupted once again, sending out a violent shockwave that scattered much of the swirling sandstorm.
The moment Mewtwo showed a weakness after being struck by Aggron's Hyper Beam, Giovanni's Beedrill, which had been lying in wait, vanished into a blur.
In the next second, Beedrill shot through the flames of the explosion and appeared at Mewtwo's side.
Its sharp, venomous stinger pierced through the weakened psychic barrier, which had been greatly thinned by the Hyper Beam, and then thrust straight toward Mewtwo's throat.
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