"Go, Buzzwole! Let it taste true power!"
Samuel bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Buzzwole suddenly stomped hard with both feet, propelling its entire body forward like a beam of light as it charged directly toward Mewtwo.
Mewtwo reacted with equally astonishing speed. Raising its hand without hesitation, it met the oncoming force head-on.
Bang!
Neither side used a move. No abilities, no flashy techniques—just a simple, clean punch. But even this seemingly basic fist-on-fist impact generated a fierce shockwave between them.
The dust on the ground around both Pokémon was forcefully blown outward, as if a powerful wind had erupted from the impact alone.
Nathan narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully watching Buzzwole.
As expected of an Ultra Beast—it was incredibly powerful.
But if this was all it had, it was still far from enough to defeat his Mewtwo.
"Synchronize!"
Nathan said quietly.
The very next second, Mewtwo's field of vision and senses were completely shared with Nathan.
Feeling the immense force flowing from every part of Mewtwo's body, Nathan couldn't help but clench his fist slightly in response.
"Buzzwole, use Harden, then follow up with Mega Punch!"
Samuel ordered sharply, eyes locked on Mewtwo.
A faint glow flickered over Buzzwole's skin, lasting only for a brief moment.
But it was clear: after using Harden, Buzzwole's body took on a metallic sheen, its surface glinting as if covered in steel.
"Hmph… Guard Swap."
Nathan snorted coldly and immediately activated the move.
In the very next instant, the metallic sheen that had just appeared on Buzzwole's skin vanished.
Not only had its defensive boost disappeared, but its defense now seemed even weaker than before.
In terms of raw strength and durability, Buzzwole had the edge as an Ultra Beast—barely. But after Guard Swap, those margins tipped in Mewtwo's favor.
Overall, Mewtwo was the more balanced Pokémon, far more versatile in all aspects.
Ultra Beasts like Buzzwole might excel in extreme physical stats, but Mewtwo was a psychic powerhouse with top-tier capabilities in every category.
Samuel blinked, startled by the sudden change in his Pokémon's skin.
"This… That's a psychic-type move!?"
"I let my guard down—damn it!"
He hadn't anticipated that Harden would backfire so severely. Not only had it failed to increase Buzzwole's defense, but it had been instantly nullified—and even reversed.
He also hadn't expected Nathan's Mewtwo to possess psychic abilities.
Wasn't this supposed to be a physical-type Pokémon?
Still, Buzzwole continued charging in.
"Psycho Cut!"
Nathan commanded.
Buzzwole was mid-sprint, caught in an aggressive forward pose, and had no time to react.
A shining blade of psychic energy materialized and slashed directly into its chest.
The manifested blade struck precisely at Buzzwole's torso, carving a small but clean hole right through the armor.
The brutal attack stopped Buzzwole's charge dead in its tracks.
"This… is supposed to be a physical-type Pokémon?"
First, the use of Guard Swap could have been dismissed as a rare support move.
But now, after launching Psycho Cut—a high-level psychic technique—there was no doubt left.
No physical-type Pokémon should be capable of learning or executing such a refined psychic attack—let alone using it this effectively in combat.
"Buzzwole, use Close Combat! Pair it with Power-Up Punch—beat it down!"
Samuel roared.
Knowing now that Mewtwo was psychic-type, he dared not allow it the time or space to launch another long-range ability.
This time, Buzzwole applied lessons from its earlier mistake.
Rather than charging straight ahead, it adopted a zigzag approach—moving in a fast Z-pattern to avoid being intercepted mid-dash.
It was doing everything it could to avoid being hit while closing the distance.
But… could Mewtwo really be outmatched in close combat?
As Buzzwole finally closed in with its careful maneuvering, Nathan swiftly activated Future Sight.
Once cast, he could now predict Buzzwole's attack trajectory seconds in advance.
No matter how fast Buzzwole was, or how erratic its movements, it could not land a hit.
------------------
"Holy crap—is this what top-tier battle looks like?"
"Unreal. Why can't my Pokémon dodge attacks like that?"
"This Mewtwo is completely all-around—Nathan, where can I catch one too?!"
As Mewtwo continuously dodged Buzzwole's wild attacks with uncanny ease, viewers watching the match online started to go wild in the chat.
They could hardly believe what they were witnessing.
This was the World Tournament—a showdown between the top 20 countries on the planet.
The caliber of competition was already sky-high, and yet Nathan's Mewtwo was dodging with ease—like it was sparring with a rookie.
Every one of Buzzwole's strikes landed on the spot where Mewtwo had been 1.683 seconds earlier.
After dodging several consecutive attacks, Nathan seized the moment.
He had Mewtwo lash out with a swift kick to Buzzwole's shin.
Thanks to Future Sight, the attack landed perfectly, hitting Buzzwole right in the leg and knocking it off balance.
Buzzwole tumbled to the ground.
Immediately, Mewtwo followed up with an Iron Tail—its tail lashing out like a steel whip.
The sharp impact drew several low groans from Buzzwole.
This entire chain of actions stunned the crowd—and even many competing trainers.
Mewtwo was simply too strong.
Forget its sheer power—just the fluidity of its movement, its dodging, and the precise application of seemingly "minor" moves like kicks and Iron Tail were executed with flawless technique.
"Ancient Power!"
Now that Mewtwo had the advantage, Nathan didn't let it get to his head.
Buzzwole was still dangerous, and one misstep could turn the tide. He wasn't about to give it that chance.
After activating Ancient Power, Nathan clearly felt an overall boost in Mewtwo's strength.
Its attack, speed, and psychic power were all elevated slightly.
Mewtwo launched the boulder-sized energy projectiles from Ancient Power—
Buzzwole was immediately knocked backward from the force.
"Buzzwole, use Focus Energy, then lunge with Fell Stinger!"
Samuel barked.
Seeing his Pokémon repeatedly take hits, Samuel was starting to grow anxious.
Buzzwole inhaled deeply, its compound eyes narrowing with intense focus as it stared down Mewtwo.
Suddenly, its speed surged. Compared to earlier, Buzzwole's movement speed increased by at least 50%.
"Let's see you dodge this! I trained this move hundreds of times!"
Buzzwole may have boasted absurd muscle mass, but its most dangerous weapon was still that razor-sharp proboscis.
With a tip harder than steel, and backed by its tremendous power, even a single direct hit would pierce through most defenses.
Samuel had honed this attack thousands of times.
When Buzzwole used Fell Stinger, it was often the deciding move in battle.
"Hmph… Disable."
Nathan glanced at Buzzwole with mild amusement.
With a lazy motion, he had Mewtwo raise a single finger and point.
Just as Buzzwole was mid-charge, it stopped—frozen in place.
No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't move even an inch.
You might have immense strength—but under immobilization, could you even bite, let alone sting?
Samuel, who just moments earlier had been confident in victory, now looked as if he'd swallowed something vile.
It was absurd.
How could a Pokémon with Mewtwo's strength also possess such debilitating psychic control?
Why would something so physically powerful even bother learning such control-based abilities?
"Alright, your offense ends here. My turn."
Nathan smiled faintly, raising his hand in rhythm.
Mewtwo mirrored the motion, arm rising like a mirror reflection.
"Psychic!"
A wave of invisible mental energy surged forth.
The moment it hit, Buzzwole entered a state of confusion—staggering, dizzy, directionless.
Mewtwo's psychic output was far superior to most Pokémon—even among elite tiers.
"Ice Punch!"
"Fire Punch!"
"Thunder Punch!"
Three elemental punches slammed into Buzzwole in quick succession.
In its confused state, it couldn't dodge.
Each hit added a new status effect—frozen, burned, paralyzed.
"Flamethrower!"
"Ice Beam!"
Without pause, Mewtwo blasted it again—burning it once more, then freezing it solid.
The poor Ultra Beast couldn't even scream.
"And now—Hyper Beam. Finish it."
A brilliant beam of blinding white energy erupted.
The ice-covered Buzzwole was hit directly, sent flying through the air.
Thump—thump!
It landed in front of Samuel and bounced twice before finally stopping.
Buzzwole was down for the count.
It had completely lost the ability to battle.
Samuel stood frozen, staring down at the fallen Ultra Beast beside his feet, his emotions a mix of fury and helplessness.
If he had known Mewtwo could use so many moves, he would've never sent Buzzwole into battle.
Now, all he'd done was hand Mewtwo a punching bag.
He recalled Buzzwole with a heavy heart, his expression sour as he glared at Nathan.
At that moment, Nathan calmly stepped out of synchronization mode, smiling warmly at him.
People who just "gave away" free wins like this—rare indeed.
Especially those who dared pit a single Ultra Beast against his Mewtwo.
Sure, Buzzwole was strong—but against Mewtwo? You brought a knife to a laser battle.
What surprised Nathan, however, was what came after.
Neither Samuel nor the other Liberty Union representatives sent out any more Ultra Beasts.
Instead—
They started using Pokémon so unbelievably ordinary, Nathan wondered if they were just giving up.
(End of Chapter)