Mewtwo had initially paid little heed to Hoopa's fierce glare.
After all, it was Hoopa the Demon God!
He'd fought it before!
Back then, he'd given Hoopa a thorough beating! Then stuffed it back into its bottle. Since then, Hoopa hadn't stirred up any trouble. But Mewtwo was different now. Witnessing Rope's state had taught him a profound lesson: never judge a book by its cover.
If an ordinary-looking human could so easily injure him, what about the Pokémon under this Trainer's command?
Thus, Mewtwo watched Hoopa cautiously, holding back from attacking. He waited for Hoopa to reveal an opening.
Hoopa couldn't hold back any longer. First, his dear friend remained under this creature's control—he had to act. Second, Rope had explicitly ordered a swift resolution; Hoopa dared not linger.
He'd come here to rescue the damsel in distress, not to serve as Big Brother's errand boy.
So Hoopa casually conjured a Shadow Ball and hurled it forward.
It appeared unremarkable, like any ordinary Shadow Ball. But Mewtwo showed no complacency, slashing the projectile with a fierce Psycho Cut.
The immense impact and the surging energy ripples that erupted afterward confirmed his suspicion: this opponent was no ordinary foe.
Hoopa had anticipated his move being blocked so easily—after all, he was merely testing Mewtwo's strength.
Honestly, surviving Rope's punch without losing combat ability left Hoopa momentarily unsure whether this was just some weakling.
After all, Rope had no sense of restraint when fighting. He struck lightly if he liked someone, and heavily if he didn't. Hoopa couldn't gauge his opponent's true strength either. It was safer to test things out himself.
After this brief clash, both Mewtwo and Hoopa stared at each other with solemn expressions. Their eyes confirmed it: they were evenly matched.
Their feelings were different, yet strangely similar.
Mewtwo felt a pang of sorrow. Here he was, having only just attained his current power, already yearning to venture into other worlds—to witness broader horizons, face more formidable opponents, and conquer new realms.
Yet upon reflection, the core reason for seeking other worlds remained unchanged: to challenge others and elevate himself. In that sense, he hadn't strayed from his original purpose. With that realization, Mewtwo exhaled in quiet acceptance.
Hoopa felt profoundly saddened. Despite possessing his current strength, Mewtwo—a being of comparable power—had already subjugated an entire world to his own rules, while he himself remained merely a sidekick to Rope.
But then he reflected: their world had its own unique circumstances. Not just Hoopa—even Arceus had been suppressed by Rope... Working under someone else's command, serving as a subordinate right beside the boss... Why not be the big boss's subordinate instead? With that thought, Hoopa also let out a sigh of relief.
The next instant, both Pokémon charged forward, fists raised toward each other.
Rope couldn't be bothered to guess what these two were thinking. Bored, he glanced over at Mewtwo and Hoopa, already locked in combat. He shook his head. Watching these amateurs squabble was less entertaining than coaching two rookie trainers in battle. After all, their potential was undeniable.
Even if Rope tried to command Hoopa, he could only do so according to Hoopa's combat instincts, not his own command style. Otherwise, it wouldn't enhance Hoopa's strength—it would only weaken it further.
So Rope scanned the gathering crowd around him, turning to Celebi with a hint of curiosity. "Do you know the story of this world?"
Celebi watched Hoopa and Mewtwo's battle with tension. After all, in a certain sense, what was at stake here extended far beyond just the outcome between the two of them, or even the freedom of that Celebi from Rope's world...
More importantly, Rope's very existence imbued this battle with meaning—the hope that humanity could continue to resist.
If we win, no matter how they perceive it, the humans below will surely spread word of this fight.
Those whose spirit of resistance remains unquenched will naturally keep fighting.
After all, the world hasn't yet reached a point where the two factions have fully merged; struggles, both overt and covert, persist.
Celebi slowly shook her head at Rope's question. "I don't know. When they were fighting, I was only involved at a superficial level. The deeper secrets remain unknown to me."
She gestured toward Mewtwo. "Why not just knock that guy down and ask him yourself?"
Rope shook his head. "That's putting the cart before the horse."
"For us, defeating Mewtwo and studying this world's peculiar social dynamics are merely side projects. The real priority is enabling Hoopa to achieve his heroic rescue mission."
Celebi's mouth twitched slightly. She didn't quite grasp Rope's logic, yet his reasoning held weight. After all, Rope had even saved the world before—compared to such feats, fulfilling the wishes of those close to him held far greater significance.
"But the outcome is almost decided."
Rope remarked wistfully, watching the stalemate unfold.
Celebi, observing the intense, all-out battle raging before them, momentarily failed to grasp Rope's meaning.
"It still looks deadlocked..."
Celebi voiced her confusion.
"Tell me," Rope asked, "what type is Hoopa in its Unbound Form?"
Rope inquired.
"Dark and Psychic." Celebi answered without hesitation.
"And in its Confined Form?"
"Psychic and Ghost..."
Celebi was puzzled by Rope's seemingly trivial question.
Rope shook his index finger. "No, strictly speaking, it's Ghost and Psychic."
"What difference does that make..."
Before he could finish, Celebi suddenly noticed the Hoopa before them, shrouded entirely in Ghost-type energy...
Yet its current type didn't include Ghost.
Which meant...
"Hoopa in Confined Form is actually the strongest?"
Celebi stared at Rope in astonishment.
Rope merely smiled and nodded.
"So, it's almost over."
Mewtwo sensed this opponent was troublesome...
Their power levels were comparable, and both possessed Psychic-type abilities, allowing them to counter each other's moves most of the time. With basic knowledge of Hoopa, Mewtwo transformed into its Mewtwo X form. Though the Psychic/Fighting combination left a slight opening against pure Psychic types, it was still stronger than a pure Psychic-type.
But just as Mewtwo prepared to unleash a finishing move on Hoopa...
His charged punch suddenly struck empty air...
At the same moment, he felt a brutal blow smash into his knee...