The moment the barrier shattered, the massive energy backlash sent the two exhausted Pokémon flying violently.
Mewtwo's figure, however, appeared ghost-like at the center of the explosion, passing directly through the chaotic energy currents at a speed exceeding the limits of visual tracking.
Its target was unmistakable.
Mega Latias!
In the instant Latias's body stiffened from the backlash, rendering her unable to move, a cold and powerful hand accurately seized her slender neck.
All struggle lost its meaning.
As the power of Mega Evolution within her body receded like a tide, Latias's form rapidly shrank, changing from her streamlined combat posture back to her petite original form.
Her eyes lost their luster and drooped powerlessly as she fell completely unconscious.
A shrill cry of sorrow echoed through the skies.
It was Mega Latios!
He watched helplessly as his sister was captured, a final madness erupting in his blood-red eyes.
Ignoring his own similarly battered body, he changed direction and turned into a blue afterimage, charging straight at Mewtwo.
He wanted to save his sister, even if it meant dying together.
Mewtwo merely glanced at him coldly and pushed one hand forward casually.
Psystrike.
There were no flashy lights or world-shaking sounds.
An invisible yet mountain-like, terrifying Confusion hit Mega Latios squarely in the chest.
Latios's charge came to an abrupt halt.
His body shuddered violently, and the light in his eyes, which were burning with rage, quickly dimmed.
He opened his mouth but could not make a sound.
Finally, he just took a deep look at his sister held in Mewtwo's hand, his eyes filled with unwillingness, worry, and a hint of relief.
His body, like a kite with a broken string, fell powerlessly downward.
He plunged into the bottomless, massive vortex formed by the tsunami.
With one swirl, he was completely swallowed by the pitch-black seawater.
His fate remained unknown.
In the sky, the wind stopped, and the waves gradually calmed.
Mewtwo floated in mid-air, holding the unconscious Latias in its hand like a trophy.
It looked down at its own body.
On its chest was a scorched scar, left by the combined strike of the Lati twins earlier.
On its arms, there were also several cuts sliced open by energy.
Strands of pain radiated from the wounds.
Unfamiliar, yet clear.
A strange light flashed in Mewtwo's eyes.
Is this... pain?
Is this... what it feels like to be alive?
...
Latias had already been recalled into a specialized Poké Ball by Yule.
Yule's figure completely vanished into the gale whipped up by the rotors; the helicopter marked with a crimson "R" soon became a black dot at the end of the horizon, eventually swallowed by the clouds.
The roar of the engine faded, and the world suddenly fell into a suffocating silence.
Southern Isolated Island now looked like the wreckage of something ravaged by a giant beast.
The salty sea breeze blew, no longer carrying the fragrance of coconut groves, but a pungent smell mixed with ozone, char, and a faint hint of blood.
The aftermath of the forcibly suppressed tsunami was still washing over the beach; every receding tide left behind a mess—broken trees, fish with white bellies turned up, and rock fragments twisted by Psychic power.
Ariel stood where he was, feeling his military boots sink into the wet, soft sand.
It was a bit awkward.
Very awkward.
Only he and a "biological weapon" that had almost destroyed the island—no, almost destroyed this entire sea area—remained at the scene.
He and Mewtwo, one standing and one floating, one as tiny as an ant and the other suspended in mid-air, with a visible pale purple energy afterglow still lingering around its body.
That invisible pressure was like solidified air, making it difficult for Ariel even to breathe.
He didn't dare move recklessly, or even look up directly.
He had seen Mewtwo's attacks just now; Mewtwo's current emotions could be described as extremely unstable.
Although Ariel wanted to make Mewtwo his own, it didn't mean he would risk being turned into mush to initiate a conversation.
In front of such an existence, any extra movement could be interpreted as a Taunt.
He just wanted to be invisible now, waiting for this lord to get bored and teleport away; then today's trip would be considered a successful completion.
However, things didn't go as planned.
A voice sounded, not through the air, but directly deep within his mind.
The voice was low and cold, without any human emotional fluctuations, yet it was like a giant boulder thrown into a deep pool, stirring up a thousand waves in his consciousness.
"What... exactly am I?"
Ariel looked up abruptly.
Mewtwo had landed on the nearby beach at some point; it was looking down, examining its own hands.
Those hands were not made of flesh and blood; faint purple energy lines could be seen flowing slowly beneath the skin, as if containing power enough to tear the ocean apart.
This was the first time Mewtwo had taken the initiative to communicate with him outside of a mission status.
It wasn't an order, nor a threat, but a... question.
A question concerning self-identity.
"Is everything I've done... right?"
Mewtwo moved its gaze from its hands to the violent sea it had just calmed.
He hadn't expected this guy to actually start a conversation with him!
Since it started the conversation! I can't guarantee what Mewtwo will be brainwashed into later!
Ariel's brain began to work frantically at this moment.
Because right now!
The biggest crossroad to changing his life was right in front of him!
He knew better than anyone that Mewtwo's rebellious phase was inevitable, and its departure from Team Rockets was destined.
He was just a pawn of Team Rockets; it would be harder than climbing to heaven to stand out under Giovanni.
But if... if he could leave his own mark on this strongest pawn before it left the chessboard...
Then the future would be a completely different sky!
Whether he could handle this bug-level existence depended on every word and every character that followed!
Psychological Counseling Master Ariel, online!
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