"Beedrill..."
Giovanni looked at his unconscious Beedrill, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Is your target the Master Ball?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't want a Poké Ball capable of catching any Pokémon?" Aomori tossed the Beedrill back toward them and held out his hand. "Hand it over, unless you're looking to get hurt."
"Who do you think you are, talking to the Boss like that?!" Archer roared in fury. He immediately released all the Pokémon he was carrying.
"Sigh, on second thought, let's not waste time." Aomori snapped his fingers.
Archer, who was just about to order his Pokémon to attack, was suddenly slammed against the wall by a colossal, invisible force, along with Ariana and the rest of the grunts. They were pinned firmly, unable to move a muscle.
Only Giovanni remained standing, though the Master Ball in his hand floated into the air of its own accord and drifted into Aomori's grasp.
"So this is the Master Ball? Looks rather ordinary." Aomori tossed the ball upward and caught it, looking back at Giovanni.
Giovanni's face was like stone. "I'll take the loss this time," he said in a low voice. "But next time, I won't let you off so easily!"
"Sorry, there won't be a next time. Isn't that right, Lance?" Aomori turned his gaze toward a seemingly ordinary Team Rocket member pinned against the wall.
"Lance?!" Everyone followed Aomori's gaze to the man in question.
"Heh, I didn't expect you to see through me after all." The man looked up with a smile. "Could you let me down first? This is quite uncomfortable."
Aomori nodded, and Lance immediately dropped from the wall. He tore off his disguise, revealing his dashing, familiar face.
"It really is you, Lance!" Archer ground his teeth. "Weren't you reassigned to the Johto region? Why are you back here?"
"Because I received an invitation from Hunter K." Lance pulled a letter from his coat and waved it. "I came here in secret just to check things out, not expecting to actually catch you all in one net."
Days ago, Aomori had written to Lance to inform him of the situation.
"Lance, my actions tonight were merely to retrieve escaped Pokémon. My methods may have been loud, but I haven't violated any League laws," Giovanni argued.
"Don't bother struggling," Lance said with a grin. "My colleagues should have already entered your Team Rocket bases and successfully secured evidence of your crimes. Furthermore, just yesterday, Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City, submitted crucial evidence against Team Rocket to our League Inspectors."
"This time, you're finished, Giovanni."
"How can this be?" Ariana's head slumped in defeat, and Archer's expression turned grim.
"Is that so?" Giovanni's expression remained unreadable. He glanced at Aomori, who was absentmindedly playing with the Master Ball, and gave a slight nod. "Team Rocket will not fall so easily. I look forward to our next meeting, Hunter K."
"Sure." Aomori snapped his fingers again, and Giovanni and the others slumped to the ground, unconscious.
"It's only been a month, but it feels like you've completely transformed," Lance remarked. "Regardless, you deserve the most credit for bringing down Team Rocket. I'll report this faithfully to the League. But if you ever break the law, don't expect me to go easy on you."
"Heh, wait until you get a bit stronger first, 'cousin.'" Aomori waved a hand dismissively and vanished before Lance's eyes.
"Who's your cousin? Don't go claiming relatives, you jerk," Lance muttered. He then climbed into the pilot's seat; he intended to fly the hovering airship directly back to the League Headquarters.
…
BOOM!
The battle between Mewtwo and Mew was still raging.
Despite Mewtwo's unrivaled destructive power, he still couldn't overcome Mew, who could transform into any Pokémon at will. Whenever Mew took significant damage, it simply transformed into Ho-Oh to use self-healing, restoring itself instantly. Thus, the scales of victory were actually tipping toward Mew.
Had Mew not been holding back out of kindness, Mewtwo might have been defeated long ago.
"Huff... huff..." Mewtwo was panting heavily, the light in his eyes dimming. He stared at Mew, who had transformed into a massive, emerald-green dragon, feeling a wave of irritation.
"As expected, the duplicate cannot surpass the original. Does a flawed existence like me even have a reason to remain in this world?"
Mewtwo looked up at the sky, experiencing the feeling of frustration for the first time in his life. His desire to leave this world grew even stronger. He wondered if, in another world, he could find the meaning of his existence, just as that human had said.
"Mew?" Mew, sensing the significant drop in its opponent's hostility, reverted to its original form and flew to Mewtwo's side, tilting its head in confusion.
"Yes, it's over. I... cannot win. I lose this battle," Mewtwo admitted with a nod.
"Mew!" Mew squinted its eyes and smiled, flying circles around Mewtwo and occasionally patting his shoulder.
"Naïve thoughts," Mewtwo shook his head, unable to understand how he could lose to such a carefree being.
"Mew!" Mew's eyes suddenly lit up as it spotted a human in violet-gold armor appearing before them. It curiously flew forward to greet him.
"Hello there, Mew." Aomori waved back at Mew and then turned to Mewtwo. "How was the result? It looks like you lost?"
"Hmph. I simply decided to stop fighting, though I likely would have lost if we continued." Mewtwo acknowledged his defeat.
"Acting so arrogant even after losing, as if you won," Aomori said with a shake of his head. "Now you know you were just living in a bubble. If you always stay in Team Rocket's lair, you'll never know that the outside world has many beings capable of matching you. For instance, right now, there are three people in front of you who can hold you accountable."
"Are you joking with me?" Mewtwo frowned, sensing the surrounding Pokémon, and then looked toward a patch of shadow in the woods.
Sensing Mewtwo's gaze, Darkrai emerged from the shadows, its blue eyes meeting Mewtwo's gaze calmly.
"You mean him? He is indeed a bit strange." Mewtwo couldn't quite see through the pitch-black Pokémon. He turned back to Aomori. "The third person wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
"What? Look down on humans?"
"I admit you have many unique qualities, but if you want to fight me, you're still a long way off," Mewtwo said bluntly.
"Is that so?" A mysterious smile played on Aomori's lips. "Then, do you dare make a bet with me? We'll have a battle, and if I win, you have to listen to me."
"And if I win?"
"Then I'll just be responsible for taking you to the other world. I won't interfere with your actions, and you can do whatever you want. How about it?"
"Deal." The prideful Mewtwo couldn't allow himself to run from a fight. Even though he had lost to Mew, he still believed he held the position of the second strongest in the world.
"Shall we begin now?"
"No, no. You just went through an intense battle and your energy is depleted. Even if I won now, it wouldn't be a fair victory. And besides..." Aomori pointed at the trashed forest around them. "You've made a mess of this place; we should clean it up first."
Affected by the consecutive battles of Mew, Mewtwo, and Team Rocket, many parts of Viridian Forest looked as if a natural disaster had struck, with trees collapsed in heaps. Many Pokémon were huddled in the few intact areas, shivering in fear.
"..." Mewtwo had always only cared about the fight; he never concerned himself with the aftermath.
"Really? Surely the great Mewtwo isn't incapable of doing something like this, or does he just think he's above getting his hands dirty?"
"Don't try to goad me with reverse psychology; it won't work. I only know how to fight, not repair."
"Sigh, I overestimated you." Aomori looked at Mew. "I guess I'll have to rely on Mew-chan then. You can do it, right?"
"Mew!" Mew patted its chest and transformed into Celebi, flying toward the destroyed woods and scattering green particles of light.
Wherever it passed, withered wood met spring, and life and vitality were restored.
"Mew-chan really is amazing." Aomori said sincerely. It was a pity he already had a Ditto with similar functions; otherwise, he would have used the Master Ball to take Mew for himself.
"..." Mewtwo's face was as dark as a pot's bottom. He turned to leave. "There are still quite a few Team Rocket members left. I'm going to wipe them out."
"Heh, he's leaving just like that? He's quite thin-skinned. Maybe I can use that." Aomori dropped his playful grin and regained his calm demeanor.
"I'm not sure if he's thin-skinned, but yours is certainly thick enough." Beside Darkrai, a girl with long black hair wearing a red leather jacket and skirt had appeared at some point. She spoke with a cool, clear voice that reached Aomori's ears.
Aomori landed beside her, gazing at her pretty face with a smile. "Long time no see, Sabrina."
"It hasn't been that long." Sabrina brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and looked away. "Your psychic powers have improved rapidly. You're already much stronger than my father."
"It's all thanks to Instructor Sabrina's good teaching," Aomori said. "I wonder how much of a gap there is between us now?"
"Why? Want to try and find out?" Sabrina turned back, looking Aomori in the eye.
"Sure." Aomori met her gaze without looking away. "But in a few days, once I'm free."
"Alright." Sabrina retracted her gaze and nodded slightly. "Where are you going next?"
"Next... I'm going to have a fight with a proud Pokémon, and then I'm heading to the Indigo Plateau to watch Ash's matches." Aomori grinned. "I wonder if he can go further with my influence."
"You seem very concerned about Ash."
"Yeah, I've always believed that Ash will definitely become a Pokémon Master."
"Ash does indeed have a lot of potential."
"Yeah, he can do it." Aomori repeated.
The sky was beginning to brighten, and a pale light was appearing on the distant horizon.
"Look, it's almost dawn."
"Mhm."
…
"Yawn~"
In the clearing next to the Pokémon Center, which had once again been reduced to ruins, Ash woke up in his tent, stretched, and let out a long yawn.
Rubbing his face, Ash still looked exhausted.
"It's all Team Rocket's fault. They're like leeches, always pestering me. It's so annoying."
Last night, Ash was supposed to be training with his Pokémon, but Team Rocket had shown up to interfere. Although he eventually sent them blasting off, it had taken until the middle of the night. Not only could the training not continue, but his sleep was also interrupted.
The only thing worth being happy about was that Charizard had successfully learned Steel Wing with Team Rocket's 'help.'
"Pika." Pikachu chirped in agreement, its face also showing signs of deep fatigue.
"No, I still have to challenge the Viridian Gym today! Pikachu, we don't have any time to waste." Ash stood up, forcing himself to stay alert.
"Pika!"
After packing up, Ash and Pikachu left the tent. Brock had already prepared breakfast, while Misty was still fast asleep.
"I won't hold back then!" Looking at the food, Ash began to scarf it down. Even the sleeping Misty was lured out of bed by the aroma and joined the fray.
Brock, being the chef, watched the scene and nodded with satisfaction.
After finishing their meal, Ash and his friends headed back to the Viridian Gym.
"Giovanni, I'm back! This time, I'm definitely going to beat you!" As soon as they entered the battlefield, Ash shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where are you?"
However, this time, familiar voices answered.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"Jessie? James?" Ash was bewildered. "Why are you here?"
"You brat, let us finish our lines first!" Jessie said angrily.
"Who told you to use the same lines every time? We're sick of hearing them."
"You miserable twerp, we have a different status this time!"
"What status? Aren't you just Team Rocket?"
"Listen up, meow." Meowth coughed twice and announced, "Today, we are the Gym Leaders of the Viridian Gym, so we're the ones you're battling, meow!"
"What? How is that possible?!" Ash and his friends were all skeptical.
"Look, what's this?" Jessie pulled a badge from her pocket and showed it to them.
"An Earth Badge? Are you really the Gym Leaders?" Ash strained his eyes to look at the badge, then cried out in shock once he saw it.
"Of course it's real! Why would we lie to you?" James said, wagging his finger.
Excluded from the main activities by Giovanni, the Team Rocket trio had no idea what had happened the previous night, nor that Team Rocket was facing a massive crisis. They were immersed in the joy of being trusted by the Boss and secretly vowed not to let Ash succeed in his challenge.
"It doesn't matter who the opponent is, I'm going to win anyway." Ash waved his arm. "Come on, which one of you is going to fight?"
"I am, of course," Jessie said, stepping forward.
"Then let's get to it!"
…
"We're blasting off again!"
Half an hour later, with a loud crash, the Viridian Gym collapsed into a pile of ruins.
Ash, who had narrowly escaped the collapse, held up the Earth Badge in his hand and shouted, "I got the Earth Badge!"
"Those idiots from Team Rocket. They actually had a chance of winning if they played fair, but they just had to use dirty tricks," Misty said, shaking her head.
"Regardless, the result is good," Brock said. "Congratulations, Ash. You've officially qualified for the Indigo Plateau Conference."
"Yeah! The next challenge is the Indigo Plateau! I'm definitely going to win the championship!"