"Is this my clone…?" Meowth saw himself being cloned and revealed a terrified expression.
"This is indeed a clone."
The electronic voice sounded again. "But the clones we intend to create are not ordinary. We discovered a Legendary Pokémon in the Southern Hemisphere. Its name is Mew."
"We found a fossilized eyelash of Mew, brought it back, and used that component to create a Pokémon, Mewtwo."
"To create the world's strongest Pokémon, that is our dream."
"But Mewtwo's personality is violent and unpredictable. It's all over. This laboratory will be destroyed. We have only one path left, to abandon this place and flee."
At this point, the electronic voice vanished, leaving the group staring at one another.
"But everything here still looks fine." James asked doubtfully.
As soon as the words fell, everyone suddenly turned around. They all felt a presence appear out of nowhere, but when they looked back, the presence had already vanished.
"Did it follow us…" Terrance thought to himself. It seemed that if Mew did not want to show itself, they probably wouldn't be able to find it.
Terrance's thoughts shifted. He wondered how Ash and the others were doing. Compared to staying here, he still had questions he wanted to ask Mewtwo. He couldn't waste time.
Crack!
Just as Terrance was about to leave, three incubation pods suddenly shattered. From within emerged a Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, each with patterned markings on their bodies. They opened their eyes simultaneously, let out furious roars, and walked out. Under the cautious gazes of Terrance and the others, they left the room.
"Was that just now…" Jessie shivered and stammered.
"Looks like Mewtwo intends to battle with the Trainers." Terrance snorted softly. He couldn't wait any longer.
"Gallade."
At Terrance's command, his and Gallade's figure instantly disappeared, leaving only the three members of Team Rocket behind, staring at each other in confusion.
…
…
Elsewhere, as tensions between the two sides escalated…
A Pokémon resembling a bipedal feline, its body silver-gray, tail and abdomen purple, and with external neural cables extending from its back to its neck—roughly human-sized—slowly spoke. It was Mewtwo.
"Those who aspire to become a Trainer initially most want to get Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, but I, on the other hand, have created clones of their evolved forms."
When Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur were transferred to the banquet hall through a special device, Mewtwo gazed coldly at the Trainers.
Then, with a wave of its arm, a wall in the distance opened, revealing a massive battle arena before Nurse Joy and the six Trainers who had arrived on New Island.
"An arena, huh…" Brock narrowed his eyes.
"You want us to battle Pokémon?"
"Who's afraid of who? I've got Venusaur!!" declared a Trainer in an orange jacket.
"That's right, I have Blastoise." A short-haired girl Trainer stepped forward.
"And I've got Charizard!" Ash also pulled a Poké Ball from his waist.
Against the Mewtwo who called itself "the Strongest Pokémon Trainer," they had already built up considerable resentment.
At this moment, a battle was the best way to settle things.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash threw the Poké Ball, and Charizard appeared on the ground. Now that Charizard followed his commands, Ash felt great confidence in the battle.
The three Trainers with Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard glared fiercely at Mewtwo—the Pokémon who claimed to be the strongest Trainer.
The battle was about to erupt.
However, the outcome was far beyond the Trainers' expectations!
The young man's Venusaur was sent flying in an instant by the cloned Venusaur's Vine Whip!
The girl's Blastoise was knocked away by the cloned Blastoise's Rapid Spin.
Even Ash's Charizard was not spared, rendered unable to fight by a Seismic Toss.
On the Trainers' side, it was a total defeat. They had no power to resist at all.
Just as the three Trainers who owned the Starter Pokémon despaired, feeling that the opponent's strength was simply unbelievable, a faint voice suddenly drifted over.
"Is this what the strongest Trainer looks like?"
The figure who suddenly stepped forward was Terrance, who had been watching the battle from the side.
Terrance's appearance immediately shocked the Trainers who had crossed the seas to reach New Island. Who was this person? When had he arrived here?
"Those rats in the castle, huh…" Mewtwo snorted coldly. It had already noticed Terrance and the others sneaking around in the castle, and Terrance's spectating was also within its grasp.
"Terrance actually came too…" Brock and the others were startled.
"What, do you intend to battle as well?" Mewtwo asked indifferently.
Terrance only smiled faintly and ignored Mewtwo's words, speaking directly: "Not a battle, Mewtwo. I just have something I want to ask you."
"Something?" Mewtwo looked at this intruder in puzzlement.
"Do you know this person?" Terrance pulled out a photograph.
As he produced the photo, Mewtwo waved its arm, using Confusion to draw it into its hand.
The photo, of course, was of Master Victor. If Master Victor had also been one of Mewtwo's creators, then perhaps Mewtwo would remember something.
"This person…" Mewtwo frowned. The face was unfamiliar; it didn't know him.
"I don't know him. Is that your only question?"
So it didn't know…
Terrance fell into thought, then spoke again: "There's also this one."
As he finished, Terrance released Ralts, the "Three No's" Pokémon he suspected to be a failed product of the Mewtwo Project.
Upon seeing Ralts, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue. It locked onto Ralts with a powerful Confusion. But before it could use Confusion to control Ralts, a beam of light shot from Terrance's Poké Ball. Mismagius appeared, countering Mewtwo's Confusion with Psychic.
Confusion was repelled. Mewtwo did not grow angry but instead asked, "Its origin?"
From Ralts, Mewtwo sensed something familiar. Though faint, it was enough for it to conclude that this Ralts was definitely a clone.
A cloned Pokémon!
"As expected…" Terrance's expression darkened. His suspicion had been correct. Ralts was indeed connected to Team Rocket.
Mewtwo's reaction confirmed everything.
"I suppose its origin is just as you've judged." Terrance stroked Ralts's head, his feelings complex. Ralts was very smart; it should probably have guessed its own identity by now.
Wait... Terrance hadn't thought about this before. What if Ralts had known from the very beginning that it was a cloned Pokémon?
"Give it to me." Mewtwo stretched out a hand, pointing at Ralts.
Naturally, Terrance wouldn't hand Ralts over. Instead, he said, "Mewtwo, you claim to be the Strongest Trainer, right? I admit you possess immense individual strength, but you are far from deserving the title of the Strongest Trainer."
"Between you and these Pokémon, there is no bond whatsoever."
"What did you say!" Mewtwo's expression darkened with anger.
"Why don't we make a wager, a 3vs3 battle. You and I will act as Trainers. If I win, you must agree to two conditions of mine."
"Of course, if I lose, you may deal with me as you please." Terrance spoke with confidence.
Although he might not be able to defeat Mewtwo, if Mewtwo itself did not step into the battle, then the threat would be greatly reduced. In Terrance's impression, Mewtwo was a newly born Pokémon, eccentric, with little in the way of its own established views. Perhaps this method could work. And surely, with Mewtwo's pride, it would not break its word.
"Very well. Then I shall show you the power of the Strongest Trainer." Mewtwo nodded.
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