Chapter 173: Mega Mewtwo Y
Hearing Green's words, Asahi smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot."
Because of the Team Rocket situation, Sabrina had left the gym in her family's care for the past two days. Naturally, going back to Saffron City meant checking in on the gym.
"What a shame... I was hoping she'd help me interrogate Proton," Asahi said regretfully.
With Sabrina also being a Rocket Executive, her participation in the interrogation would definitely make things twice as effective with half the effort.
Plus, Asahi still hadn't forgotten how Sabrina had falsely accused him before. He had planned to have her watch the entire interrogation to prove his innocence...
He decided to put the matter of interrogating Proton aside for now — it could wait until Sabrina returned.
For the time being, Asahi turned his attention to the system reward he hadn't yet claimed.
[Mewtwo Cell Implant...]
He had already made up his mind. There was no need to hesitate.
Still, as much as he told himself that, Mewtwo cells were undeniably dangerous. Proper safety measures had to be taken.
Under Blue's confused gaze, Asahi put on several layers of protective suits and summoned Gardevoir to guard him before stepping into the lab.
[System, I choose the Mewtwo Cell Implant.]
A flash of white light, and the Mewtwo Cell Implant appeared on the lab's testing table.
However, the implant in front of him wasn't quite what Asahi had imagined.
He had expected something similar to Blaine's — a grotesque, unsettling mass of tissue.
But it seemed he had underestimated the system.
What lay before him was a thin sticker — almost like those temporary tattoos you'd get with bubble gum as a kid — about the size of half a palm.
"Gardevoir, do you sense any danger from this?" Asahi asked, still cautious.
Though he trusted the system wouldn't intentionally harm him, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Voi~"
Gardevoir's eyes flashed blue as she swept her psychic powers over the implant several times, then shook her head, signaling there was no danger.
Asahi nodded.
He knew he was being overly careful — even if something did go wrong, and the Mewtwo cells invaded his body like they did with Blaine, it would just mean a trip to find Mew for treatment.
Still, caution had kept him alive this long.
Carefully removing his gloves, Asahi picked up the implant and pressed it onto the skin of his hand.
The moment it made contact, the implant activated.
The surface of the implant rippled like a magnetic fluid, forming a cluster of sharp spikes before rapidly merging into his skin. A faint purple eye-shaped mark appeared on the back of Asahi's hand.
A surge of power coursed through Asahi's body, making him feel instantly invigorated.
At the same time, he realized his consciousness had connected to another lifeform.
Following this strange sense of connection, Asahi stepped out of the lab and into the living room — and there stood Mewtwo, staring at him with a bewildered expression.
[...Asahi?]
Even without words, Mewtwo's surprise was evident.
It wasn't like they hadn't shared a psychic link before, but this... this felt different.
Mewtwo couldn't quite describe it.
If it had to, the feeling Asahi gave off right now was eerily similar to the feeling it got from Mew — like a parental bond.
Could its previous suspicion actually be true...?
Mewtwo's expression grew complicated.
Asahi, unaware of Mewtwo's internal confusion, was focused on the strange bond between them.
It was fascinating.
But what intrigued him more was how the implant would affect his combat abilities.
"Come on, Mewtwo — let's hit the training ground!"
---
At the training ground
After about half an hour, Asahi had a preliminary grasp of the implant's abilities.
First off, it enhanced his physical attributes.
Unlike the Mewtwo cells that had harmed Blaine, this implant's invasive properties seemed to be restrained. Rather than corroding Asahi's body, it actually boosted his physical strength.
Even more surprising, the arm with the Mewtwo cells could now use basic psychic abilities.
This filled in a crucial gap for Asahi, drastically improving his survivability in future high-intensity battles.
The other major ability was the resonance it created between him and Mewtwo.
The most exciting part?
He could now use Mega Evolution.
"Mewtwo!"
Asahi called out to the waiting Mewtwo.
Gripping its Mega Stone, Mewtwo nodded.
With a swipe of Asahi's hand over the Key Stone, Mewtwo was enveloped in purple and pink light!
Seconds later...
The light faded, revealing Mega Mewtwo Y — slightly smaller than its original form, with an appearance reminiscent of Mew, except with its tail transformed into long, flowing head tendrils.
Hovering in the air, Mewtwo raised its hand, fascinated by its new form.
"Let's test your strength," Asahi said, pointing at the distant metal targets.
These were custom high-strength targets ordered from Silph Co., specifically for training Salamence and Gyarados.
Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue. With just a minor flex of its psychic powers, all the targets crumpled into balls of scrap metal.
"Now try using a move," Asahi urged.
Mewtwo nodded.
With a wave of its hand, a Psycho Cut tore a long, ten-meter gash across the training ground.
"Incredible..." Green muttered in awe.
She had witnessed the aftermath of Mewtwo and Giovanni's battle on New Island but hadn't directly seen Mewtwo fight.
Now, watching its raw power firsthand, Green thought Mewtwo might be strong enough to take on the Masked Man.
The thought of revenge reignited a fire in her heart.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir, standing beside Asahi, felt a rising sense of danger.
Ever since she'd been by Asahi's side, she'd always been his strongest partner.
But now, Mewtwo threatened that position.
Gardevoir's gaze turned serious.
Asahi didn't notice her shift in mood.
While Mewtwo's strength hadn't quite reached the level described in the Pokédex — "able to level skyscrapers with a mere thought" — it was still plenty strong.
However, due to Mewtwo's young age and unstable genes, its Mega Evolution didn't last long.
Soon, it reverted to its normal form, slightly out of breath.
Asahi noted this down on his tablet: "Mega Evolution puts considerable strain on Mewtwo's body."
"Once your genes stabilize, this will get easier," Asahi reassured Mewtwo.
After all, it had only been about a week since Mewtwo was born. Its progress was already remarkable.
Mewtwo nodded.
It stared at its hands, still savoring the power it had just experienced.
A hint of regret flickered in Mewtwo's mind.
If it had possessed this strength back on New Island, Giovanni's Beedrill wouldn't have overwhelmed it.
Just as Asahi prepared to test more abilities, Gallade teleported in, tugging on his sleeve.
"Hm? Dinner's ready?" Asahi turned to Mewtwo. "Let's call it a day and eat."
Just as Mewtwo nodded — whoosh!
A shadow shot past, dashing into the dining hall at such speed that even Mewtwo barely caught it.
It was Salamence — already seated at the table, waiting for food.
Asahi facepalmed.
"...There's no saving this guy."
---
That evening, Sabrina returned to the estate.
She mentioned she'd spent the entire afternoon dealing with challengers at the gym.
When Asahi curiously asked how many there were, Sabrina thought for a moment and said, "Around thirty or forty, I think..."
Asahi: "..."
Wow.
Clearing out thirty or forty challengers in one afternoon — she must've used her full strength.
He could only imagine how many rookie trainers were now traumatized by Saffron Gym.
Sabrina did mention she awarded the Saffron Badge to seven or eight promising trainers, though.
That pass rate was solid enough that even the League couldn't complain.
"You've really mastered the League's rules," Asahi remarked.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I only rushed back because Green messaged me saying you needed my help."
Hearing this, Asahi wasn't touched — his first thought was:
"...Since when did you two get so close?"
Back on Cinnabar Island, they couldn't stand each other.
Now they were suddenly best friends?
Sabrina sipped her tea calmly. "It's a girl thing."
Green just smiled mischievously, clearly enjoying keeping Asahi in the dark.
Feeling oddly left out, Asahi muttered, "..."
"...Fine, forget it." Asahi stood up, grabbing Sabrina by the arm. "Come with me to the basement."
The moment Asahi grabbed her arm, Sabrina's calm expression stiffened.
Her composure vanished, and a hint of nervousness crept into her voice. "Why are we going to the basement?"
Memories of the time she was "persuaded" by Asahi in the basement flashed through her mind — a fear rooted deep in her psyche.
Asahi looked genuinely confused. "Obviously, to interrogate Matori! We need to get any useful information out of her as soon as possible. I have a plan that requires her cooperation."
Then, as if something just occurred to him, Asahi's face lit up with exaggerated shock. "Wait... you weren't thinking something weird just now, were you?" He clicked his tongue in mock disgust. "Tsk, filthy. Green, let's go!"
Sabrina's face darkened at Asahi's blatant attempt to turn the tables on her.
By the time she recovered from the sheer absurdity of the accusation, Asahi and Green were already heading downstairs. Though still fuming, Sabrina had no choice but to follow.
—---
Basement
Matori had been awake for a while.
After losing consciousness during the New Island incident, she awoke to find herself imprisoned in a cell.
Her subordinates were nowhere to be seen, and her Poké Balls were gone.
All that was left in her cell was a single newspaper.
The headline reported that the Viridian Gym had been sealed off, and Giovanni's whereabouts were unknown after suffering serious injuries.
Matori clenched her fists.
She knew exactly who was responsible for all of this.
"...Sabrina."
Back on New Island, she had followed Giovanni's orders — tracking down Sabrina and leading the elite Rocket squad to confront Lorelei.
Everything had been going according to plan. They had successfully surrounded Lorelei, victory within their grasp.
But what Matori hadn't expected was for Sabrina to suddenly turn on them — ambushing their forces and teaming up with Lorelei to crush the elite Rocket troops.
Matori herself barely escaped Sabrina's first psychic attack, thanks to the quick intervention of her subordinates.
But before she could warn Giovanni about Sabrina's betrayal, she was overpowered by Sabrina's psychic abilities — helplessly watching as their entire force crumbled under the combined assault of Sabrina and Lorelei.
Her last shred of hope had been that Giovanni, with Mewtwo under his control, would arrive and capture both the traitor Sabrina and Lorelei.
Yet the newspaper laid bare the harsh truth:
Team Rocket had lost.
One question now echoed in Matori's mind — why had Sabrina, a high-ranking Rocket Executive, betrayed the organization?
As Matori wrestled with this confusion, the door to her cell suddenly opened.
Two Gallades flanked the entrance, standing like silent sentinels.
And between them stood a figure Matori recognized instantly.
"...The 'Demon Ranger,' Asahi?"
The moment she saw Asahi, Matori knew he must have played a role in the attack on the New Island base.
Asahi sighed at the nickname. "I haven't been a ranger for a long time. I'm with the International Police now. You guys at Team Rocket really need to update your intel."
He motioned to the Gallades. "Take her to the interrogation room."
"...International Police..."
Before Matori could process this, the Gallades' psychic powers took hold, lifting her off the ground and guiding her out of the cell.
—---
Interrogation Room
Matori sat in the chair, her gaze fixed on Sabrina.
"Why did you betray Team Rocket?" she asked bluntly.
Sabrina didn't respond. She didn't even acknowledge Matori's question, treating her as though she didn't exist.
After all, how could she possibly explain that she'd been forced into betrayal by Asahi, practically blackmailed into switching sides?
Knock, knock.
Asahi tapped the table. "Focus, prisoner. We're the ones asking questions here — not you."
Matori shifted her glare to Asahi. "You can forget about getting anything out of me. I won't say a word."
"Really?" Asahi smirked knowingly. "Funny... someone else said the same thing once."
Before Matori could figure out what he meant, Asahi suddenly felt a sharp pain under the table — Sabrina had just stomped on his foot.
Matori, unaware of the silent battle happening below the table, assumed Asahi was referring to Lt. Surge or Koga.
Still, she trusted her own resolve. She would never reveal a single piece of information about Team Rocket.