Ariana was about to lose it.
What had she ever done to deserve this—being boxed in by two members of the Kanto Elite Four?
It was obvious now that the reason Vileplume had suddenly gone flying earlier was because of the Hitmonlee at Bruno's side.
Known as the "Kick Master," Hitmonlee's legs could freely extend and retract, letting it strike opponents from an incredible distance.
"This is bad, Gladion."
Ariana's already pale, gloomy face went completely white.
"I don't like going all out on the weak. But as members of Team Rocket, I won't be sparing you either. Give it up and come quietly."
Bruno's deep voice rumbled like distant thunder.
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
There was no way Ariana was just going to let herself be taken in.
And Gladion, of course, felt the same.
"Pointless struggle."
Seeing that, Bruno didn't bother saying anything more.
As long as he knocked them down and handed them over to Officer Jenny, his job would be done.
...
"Pikachu! Thunder!"
"Charizard! Air Slash!"
Red's voice was low and firm as he gave his orders.
A surge of roaring golden lightning and an Air Slash that seemed to tear the sky itself came crashing in together.
"Nature's Madness."
Damian chuckled softly.
Tapu Fini cried out, the ground beneath it glowing pink before a shockwave of pink energy surged forward.
A Fairy‑type Nature's Madness—one of the Tapus' signature moves.
Nature's Madness met Thunder and Air Slash head‑on, and, unsurprisingly, shattered them both outright.
The pink wave didn't stop there; it rolled straight on toward Charizard and Pikachu.
The two Pokémon tried to dive back out of its path, but it was too late.
They were both blasted away by Nature's Madness, pink, yellow, and blue flashes exploding where the attacks collided.
The explosion shook the air.
The shockwave nearly lifted Red off his feet; he had to throw up both arms just to stay standing.
So strong!!
Seeing Red's two main roster Pokémon get knocked flat in a single strike, Erika was stunned.
"Surf."
Damian gave his next command.
Blue light shimmered across Tapu Fini's body.
Whoosh, whoosh～
A massive wave rose up out of nowhere, carrying Tapu Fini forward as it crashed ahead—
A Water‑type Surf.
"Blastoise!"
Red's hands were fast.
A powerful Blastoise appeared in front of him, a green Protect barrier flashing up into place.
Boom～
Surf came pounding down, the torrent swallowing everything in front of it.
When the water finally receded, the battlefield was a complete mess.
Pikachu and Charizard lay soaked on the ground, clearly having lost the ability to fight.
Tapu Fini floated silently in midair, its emotionless eyes looking down at Blastoise and Red.
Red's brows knit tightly together.
He recalled Charizard and Pikachu without a word, then stared up at Tapu Fini.
"I told you—
You haven't had enough time to grow.
The gap between us is way bigger than you think."
Damian tilted his head as he looked at Red.
This was exactly why he didn't like battling weaker opponents.
It was boring.
Red: "..."
Red pressed the brim of his cap down.
Even from that brief exchange, he'd already understood.
The guy across from him—only a year older—was monstrously strong.
To be honest, Red knew very well that his talent as a Trainer was exceptional.
Since he'd set out on his journey at the beginning of the year, aside from that annoying childhood rival Blue, he hadn't lost to any Trainer his age.
Any.
Even his little brother Ash—
Red had battled him once, and he'd won.
His matches with Blue had gone back and forth; they were evenly matched at best.
Beyond Blue and Ash, Red had never felt pressure from any of his peers.
Not once.
But today was different.
"If you're smart, walking away right now is the wisest choice.
You can't beat me.
You should understand what I'm saying."
Damian spoke quietly, looking at the silent Red.
He knew himself well enough.
He was another of the world's favored "chosen ones"—
Blessed with the power of Viridian, and Trainer talent monstrous enough to be called inhuman.
And when talent was almost equal, the time spent growing became decisive.
For monster Trainers like them, time spent training translated almost directly into strength.
Damian was a year older than Red.
That extra year of growth was the biggest difference between them right now.
"..."
Red stayed silent.
Instead, he opened another Poké Ball.
A perfectly developed Venusaur landed heavily in front of him.
Clearly, even though he now understood just how wide the power gap was, Red still couldn't bring himself to turn his back on Team Rocket and run.
"That stubborn streak really isn't doing you any favors, you know?
Whatever."
Damian clicked his tongue, eyeing the Venusaur with genuine interest.
So Red really was running the in‑game lineup, huh? Pikachu, Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise…
So what were the other two going to be?
"Mewtwo."
Damian called out.
Buzz, buzz, buzz～!
The wind went dead still.
In Red's perception, the air itself began to hum violently, a high‑pitched ringing filling his ears.
His head spun.
His body trembled uncontrollably, a deep, primal terror dragging him toward his knees.
In front of him, Blastoise and Venusaur seemed to have a mountain dropped on their backs; they were drenched in sweat, barely managing to stay up.
Pressure.
An overwhelming, never‑before‑felt pressure crashed down on them.
What was this thing?
Half‑kneeling on the ground, Red forced his head up.
What he saw was a black, humanoid Pokémon in armor slowly descending from the sky.
He couldn't quite make out its face.
He could only vaguely see its eyes—where a violet, eerie flame seemed to burn.
What… Pokémon was this?
On the broken ruins, the black‑armored Pokémon landed heavily in front of the boy.
Red gritted his teeth against the suffocating pressure, ignoring his own body's panicked screams.
In his red eyes, the twin figures of Armored Mewtwo and Damian were reflected—
He burned both into his memory.
"I'm done playing around with you.
Besides…"
Damian's lips quirked up as he glanced to the side.
Armored Mewtwo understood.
It raised its right arm, deep purple flames flickering in its eyes.
"Eh? H‑hey, hey!!"
A girl's startled cry rang out.
A girl in a black dress was yanked into the air by psychic power and floated over.
Seeing Damian looking at her, she gave him a sheepish smile.
"H‑hello there, handsome～"
"Spying isn't exactly a great habit, Miss."
"It's not spying or anything! I just happened to be passing by, that's all."
Green answered awkwardly, struggling to move her body.
No use.
She couldn't move at all.
Green was on the verge of tears.
She was so screwed.
"I should go check on my adorable subordinates.
So you two just behave yourselves for a bit.
If you try to stop me again… I can't promise I'll go easy on my people's sake next time."
Damian half‑turned, giving the pair a sidelong look.
"We'll be super well‑behaved!"
Green smiled awkwardly but oh‑so‑politely.
Stop him?
Not happening.
Not in this lifetime.
He looked about her age, sure—
But this boy was a straight‑up monster.
Especially that Pokémon…
Green stared at Armored Mewtwo, fear flickering in her eyes.
The thick malice rolling off its body gave her full‑body goosebumps.
"Good.
Then I'm sure we'll meet again."
Damian smiled lightly, then turned and walked away.
Armored Mewtwo followed.
Erika hesitated for a heartbeat, then sighed softly and went after Damian as well.
Red forced himself upright, ready to have Venusaur and Blastoise move to block Damian's path.
"I'm begging you, man, don't do anything suicidal.
Let someone else deal with this guy!"
Green hurriedly grabbed Red's arm.
He'd already spared them once.
If they pushed him and he changed his mind, who knew what he'd do?
He was a Team Rocket executive, after all.
"..."
Red pressed his lips together, then finally let his shoulders sag, pulling his cap down to shade his eyes.
Green let out a long breath and watched the three figures recede into the distance.
A knot of emotion twisted in her chest—something unfamiliar and hard to name, enough to make her do something she almost never did.
She called out.
"Wait!"
"?"
Damian stopped, turning his head halfway.
"You're clearly Gym Leader Giovanni's son, right?
So why join Team Rocket?"
Green chose her words carefully, confusion plain in her voice.
She'd spent so long desperately trying to escape that dark organization, that dark world.
And yet this boy—this genius with limitless potential—had walked toward it and joined on his own.
At her question, Erika and Red both turned to look at Damian as well.
"Why, huh?"
The smile on Damian's face seemed to fade a little.
He stared out toward the burning battlefield, eyes deep.
If you listened closely, you could still hear it—
So many, many clashes all at once.
The battle between the Team Rocket members and League personnel was far from over.
"You know, sometimes…
No matter how hard you work, all the results and value you've bled for can be brushed aside with just a few casual words."
The boy's voice reached the three of them thin and distant.
"Power, belonging, dreams—
The moment I inherited the title of 'strongest Gym Leader's son,' all I ever got in return was the name 'Son of Giovanni.'
And under that name… there's nothing that actually belongs to me.
I'm just playing the role of the strongest Gym Leader's son."
Damian's tone was flat.
"But why should I play out some empty name?
Yeah, I'm the one who won the Indigo Plateau Conference Championship.
I'm the one who caught Legendary Pokémon.
I've already done what that man never could."
"I'll prove to everyone…
That I've surpassed him."