Chapter 163: Do You Believe in Light?
Like a true assassin, Beedrill's poisonous stinger shot toward Mewtwo.
Its movements were precise, swift, and ruthless.
To create this opportunity for Beedrill, Aggron had willingly taken a Shadow Ball head-on, ensuring that its Hyper Beam shattered Mewtwo's outer defense.
Faced with this sudden ambush, Mewtwo's entire body glowed with a radiant blue light—its psychic energy had been pushed to the absolute limit.
It tried to block Beedrill's attack with Psychic, but how could such a well-planned strike be stopped so easily?
Despite Mewtwo's best efforts, the attack was simply too fast. In its rush, it barely managed to deflect the trajectory of Beedrill's strike.
Splat!
The stinger pierced through Mewtwo's shoulder, sending it crashing down from midair and pinning it against a crumbling wall.
A savage glint flashed in Mewtwo's eyes. Gritting its teeth against the pain, it formed a Shadow Ball with its good hand and hurled it furiously at Beedrill, trying to take it down in one blow.
However, Giovanni's Beedrill was a master assassin—it never lingered after an attack.
The Shadow Ball barely grazed Beedrill as it zipped away, exploding in the ruins far behind, causing further destruction but failing to harm its target.
Mewtwo slumped against the broken wall, clutching its wounded shoulder.
With its severe injuries and poison taking effect, an unprecedented sense of helplessness overwhelmed it.
Above, Beedrill hovered in the air, circling Mewtwo with a predator's gaze, waiting for an opening while denying it any chance to use Recover.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Aggron had finally recovered from the earlier Shadow Ball.
Covered in scars, its eyes burned with fury as it led Tyranitar and Nidoking, slowly closing in on Mewtwo.
On one side, the approaching trio of Aggron, Nidoking, and Tyranitar.
On the other, the predatory Beedrill.
And in between them all, Giovanni—wearing a triumphant smile.
For the first time, Mewtwo truly experienced the power of Pokémon trained by humans.
As it felt its strength draining away bit by bit, a sense of despair crept into its heart.
Was it really doomed to be brainwashed by Giovanni and turned into his mindless enforcer?
Visions flickered through its mind—fragments of memories it had long forgotten.
Ai-2, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur…
All the images that had once faded from its consciousness resurfaced.
Just as Mewtwo slowly closed its eyes, resigning itself to its fate, a familiar voice echoed in its mind.
[Mewtwo, do you believe in light?]
Light?
[Open your eyes!]
Mewtwo obeyed the voice and opened its eyes.
What it saw was a scene it would never forget.
"Mew~!"
A small, pink figure—one that had existed only in its dreams—stood before it, shielding it with a Psychic Barrier against Aggron's attack.
Mewtwo stared, stunned, as a wave of emotion surged through it.
It couldn't stop itself from murmuring, [Mew… Mother!]
Hearing this, Mew—who was floating midair—stumbled so hard it nearly fell face-first.
"Mew?!"
It was absolutely going to settle this with Asahi later!
With Mew stepping in to block Beedrill and Aggron, Mewtwo finally had a moment to use Recover.
At the same time, Asahi made his move.
Turning to Gardevoir beside him, he said, "I'm counting on you."
"Garde~!"
Gardevoir smiled sweetly, its eyes flashing with a brilliant blue glow.
A powerful Psychic blast shot forward—targeting none other than Giovanni!
The moment Mew appeared, Giovanni's expression darkened.
He had suspected for some time that Mew was searching for Mewtwo, which was why he had set up signal-jamming devices to prevent Mew from detecting its location.
But now, Mew was here anyway.
As Giovanni was about to release another Pokémon to counter Mew, an overwhelming sense of danger struck him.
Without hesitation, he threw out a Poké Ball—originally meant to support Aggron.
A Golem emerged, taking the hit for him.
BOOM!
Gardevoir's Psychic blast shattered Golem's rocky exterior, sending debris flying.
Thanks to the Sandstorm boosting rock-type defenses, Golem managed to endure the attack, though at the cost of its outer shell crumbling.
But Asahi wasn't done yet.
Not far behind Giovanni, Gengar emerged from the shadows, tossing out a Poké Ball of its own.
"Eevee!"
A small Eevee leaped from the Poké Ball, dashing toward Giovanni like a streak of lightning.
However, Giovanni was no amateur—his battle instincts were razor-sharp.
Without missing a beat, he grabbed another Poké Ball from his belt.
In the next second, Persian appeared beside him, meeting Eevee's attack head-on.
BANG!
Persian's claws clashed with Eevee's strike.
Both Pokémon were forced back two steps.
Judging by Persian's strength alone, it was clear why Meowth had lost so decisively before.
Having been interrupted twice just as he was about to capture Mewtwo, Giovanni's face was dark with rage.
When did Team Rocket's territory become as chaotic as the Pokémon League's, with people barging in whenever they pleased?!
Scanning the surroundings and failing to spot his attacker, Giovanni chose a simple response.
"Golem, Earthquake!"
To flush out the hidden enemy, he launched an indiscriminate attack.
BOOM!
From Golem's position, a devastating seismic wave spread outward, splitting the ground apart and swallowing the ruined battlefield in massive fissures.
As the shockwave slammed against a crumbling wall—
SWOOSH!
Gardevoir suddenly appeared, holding a stone slab as it used Psychic to block the tremors.
Seeing the shiny Gardevoir, Giovanni immediately knew who was behind this attack.
"So, it's you… the rogue ranger, Asahi!"
"Oh dear… you caught me!"
Asahi stepped out from behind the rubble, his expression exaggeratedly dramatic.
With a smirk, he added, "I must say, Giovanni, you handled my two ambushes quite well. Impressive."
Giovanni's expression turned extremely grim.
This was Team Rocket's headquarters—when had Asahi infiltrated it?!
Just as Giovanni was about to speak, another bad news came in.
His earpiece crackled with an urgent report from Ariana.
[Boss Giovanni! Lorelei has been spotted on the island! The outer defenses have been breached!]
For a brief moment, Giovanni froze.
Lorelei?
Wasn't she supposed to be occupied with the Three Beasts at the Sevii Islands?!
But Giovanni quickly regained his composure.
"Gather the remaining forces. You and Sabrina, go intercept her!"
**"
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