In this war, Ash and Mewtwo held every advantagethe terrain, the timing, and the numbers.
Mewtwo and his Pokémon had lived on Lake Island for months and knew every inch of it. After a night of intense preparation, Ash and Slowking had turned the entire island into an impregnable fortress.
And their greatest asset was Charizard, who had reached the power of a Legendary Pokémon through the Bond Phenomenon to face the Team Rocket fleet head-on.
During his time in the Charicific Valley, Charizard's progress had been obvious to all. His level and combat strength had skyrocketed, and he had already mastered powerful fire-type moves like Flare Blitz.
But that wasn't enough! He was Charizard, after all!
Like a bandit kidnapping a bride, Ash grabbed Domino by her collar and hauled her onto Charizard's back. With her as a hostage, the Team Rocket fleet no longer dared to attack.
"Kid, do you have any idea what you're doing?" Domino demanded, lying humiliated under Ash's grip. She never would have imagined that a mere boy would possess such staggering strength.
Ash guided Charizard back toward Lake Island. Hearing her words, he laughed. "It seems you don't understand your own situation."
"To be honest, Team Rocket is impressive. In my memory, the only organization that can compare to you in terms of tenacity is Hydra."
"Don't take this personally, but aside from Giovanni, I don't really care about any of you."
"Now that we've neutralized the threat to Lake Island, Giovanni has lost his leverage over Mewtwo. Do you really think he has the heart to worry about you?"
And it was true.
Since the beginning of the exchange, Giovanni's voice had not come through the communicator once. Despite Ash's provocations, he hadn't uttered a single threat. He knew perfectly well that in a direct confrontation with Mewtwo, he had no chance of winning.
And now, it seemed he was out of options.
"I'll find someone to teach you how to say Team Rocket's signature exit line properly," Ash said, tossing Domino in front of the Team Rocket Trio.
"Twerp?"
"She's all yours. Give her some proper training," Ash said, having tied her up like a hairy crab with at least ten pounds of hemp rope.
"Hehe, you got it!"
Leaving Domino to the trio, Ash did a quick check on the status of the battle. After confirming everything was under control, he hopped back on Charizard and flew to Mewtwo's side by the lake.
Giovanni and Mewtwo were still in a stalemate. Those "cute" big-eyed robots couldn't do anything to Mewtwo unless they managed to lure him into their suppression field.
"Uncle Giovanni, I went to the Viridian Gym for a challenge once, but you had already left by then," Ash called out, greeting Giovanni like an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
"You are a capable boy," Giovanni said, his eyes looking as if he wanted to eat Ash alive. "You still have a journey to continue. Mewtwo can't stay by your side forever. Aren't you afraid of being hunted by Team Rocket?"
"You're more than welcome to try!" Ash replied. He was dying for opponents to give him more experience; the Team Rocket Trio could no longer keep up with him.
Besides, how many people could Team Rocket really spare to target a single traveling trainer?
Giovanni stared at Ash for a long time before finally giving the order through the communicator.
"Mission failed. Retreat!"
"Mewtwo, you are destined to be mine!" This was Giovanni's parting declaration.
"What an unpleasant feeling!" Domino shouted, having learned the line quite well.
Ash turned to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo, I remember you can delete memories, right?"
Mewtwo nodded. A blue light flashed through his eyes for a brief second.
"Team Rocket's database will still have your files, but at least you'll have some peace for a while."
With this, Mewtwo was finally safe. Giovanni would never be able to find him again and would have to look for a new goal to conquer the world.
Team Rocket was highly disciplined; as soon as the order was given, they evacuated Mount Quena, leaving only the wreckage of their airships in the lake. Seeing the beautiful Purity Lake littered with debris, Ash felt a pang of sadness.
"I wonder if that fellow will come to help."
Ash pulled the Clear Bell from his backpack and used his psychic power to lift it into the air.
Ding!
The crisp ring of the bell echoed through the sky, sending ripples of sound into the distance.
"What is that?" Mewtwo asked, looking at the bell with curiosity.
"I'm summoning a Legendary Pokémon capable of purifying water," Ash explained. He wasn't entirely sure if Suicune would come. The Clear Bell had the power to summon the three Legendary Beasts, but whether they responded was up to them.
However, Suicune decided to give him face.
Soon, Ash felt its aura approaching at an incredible speed.
Mewtwo felt it too. "A Legendary Pokémon? Is it strong?"
"Compared to ordinary Pokémon, yes, very. But compared to you... it probably couldn't take a single hit. Don't fight it; I summoned it to help clean the water."
Without realizing it, having fought side-by-side, Ash and Mewtwo had built a genuine bond of friendship. Mewtwo had long since accepted Ash.
"Fine," Mewtwo said, turning back to Ash. "Your Charizard has become very strong. That Slowking isn't bad either."
He still remembered Ash's Charizard from before, back when it had been utterly humiliated by his clone Charizard.
The steep cliffs of Mount Quena couldn't slow Suicune down, and the fierce winds at the edge were no obstacle for the Embodiment of the North Wind.
With a single leap, Suicune landed in front of Ash, staring out at the polluted lake.
Then, it leaped again, treading lightly across the surface of the water. With every step, a wave of purifying power was released. Beneath its ability, the wreckage of the airships vanished without a trace.
Suicune looked back at Ash, gave a small nod, and then disappeared once more.
"Ash, I understand now," Mewtwo said suddenly, looking in the direction Suicune had vanished. "Even clones have the right to survive alongside the other lives in this world. They can enter the world of humans!"
Mewtwo returned to Lake Island and gathered all the cloned Pokémon. He was going to take them away from here so they could fully integrate into the world.
Blue light shone in his eyes as he used his telekinesis to lift all the clones into the air.
"It's a full moon today, the sky is clear, and the air is fresh. It's a perfect day for flying!" Ash smiled at Mewtwo, with Misty, Brock, and Molly standing behind him.
"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu called out, saying goodbye to its clone.
Molly walked over and picked up Pikachu Two. "Pikachu, once I turn ten, will you come and travel with me?"
"Pika? Pikachu!" Pikachu Two looked at Molly, then at Mewtwo, and finally nodded happily.
Ash ruffled Molly's hair and looked at Mewtwo. "Enjoy your journey."
Mewtwo looked at Ash, a blue light flashing in his eyes. "I've left a mental mark on you. If you ever want to summon me, you will know the way."
"Until we meet again, my partner!"
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