"Take a good rest… you did well."
Paul recalled Electivire into its Poké Ball, staring at it for several long seconds before nodding in approval. Slowly, he pulled out another ball and tossed it forward.
He still had three Pokémon capable of standing against Kyurem: Deoxys, Groudon, and Mewtwo.
Deoxys, with its constantly shifting forms, was difficult to match. But in this confined arena, at best, it could only handle Kyurem in its base form.
Against Black Kyurem or White Kyurem, however, even Deoxys stood little chance. Their power rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Mega Rayquaza.
Groudon, on the other hand, should have been ideal. With its mastery of the Precipice Blades, Kyurem would struggle to fly beyond its range. And since this Groudon had already absorbed fragments of the Legendary Primal Stones, its strength was no less than Kyurem's.
But there was a problem, Groudon's power warped the very environment around it. And this World Arena was a branch of the Tree of Beginning. Paul couldn't risk destabilizing it. Groudon was off the table.
That left only one true option.
"Mewtwo—battle ready!"
"The mightiest dragon of legend… against the strongest psychic lifeform. This should be interesting."
Mewtwo emerged from its ball, fists tightening as it stared across the field at Kyurem.
Ever since it absorbed energy from the Legendary Stones, its power had grown considerably. It still lagged slightly behind Kyurem's overwhelming aura, but that didn't mean it couldn't fight.
"A Pokémon I've never seen before," Black Kyurem said, its voice echoing directly into Mewtwo's mind through telepathy.
"Show me your power."
"You'll feel it for yourself." Mewtwo replied coldly.
With a flash of white light, it Mega Evolved into Mewtwo X, its form now bolstered by Fighting-type energy—its strength surging to match Kyurem's.
"ROOOAR!"
Kyurem's roar shook the stadium. Waves of concussive sound rippled outward as its tail lit up blue, arcs of icy electricity wrapping around its body before it lunged forward.
Fusion Bolt!
"Final Charge!"
Mewtwo X did not flinch. Unleashing its Unnerve-fueled fury, it conjured a shield of psychic force with both hands, then charged headlong to meet Kyurem's attack.
BOOM!!
The two collided, unleashing a shockwave that shook the World Arena.
To Kyurem's surprise, it was the one forced back. Its massive frame was knocked out of the air, sent crashing toward the ground.
But before it could hit the earth, its body glowed. In an instant, Black Kyurem shifted into White Kyurem.
Its energy output spiked into Overdrive Mode. Flames flared across its body, and with a snap of its jaws, it unleashed a roaring stream of fire.
Fusion Flare!
Boosted by its prior Fusion Bolt, the attack's power skyrocketed, blazing hotter than Mewtwo expected.
Mewtwo's brow furrowed. Instead of taking it head-on, it vanished in a flash of Teleport—reappearing behind White Kyurem, fist cocked back.
"Focus Punch!"
But White Kyurem's eyes glimmered. Feeling the space ripple, it countered with a sudden burst of freezing death.
Sheer Cold!
CRACK!!
The Focus Punch landed, staggering White Kyurem—but at the same time, Mewtwo found itself trapped in a crystalline prison of ice.
White Kyurem didn't hesitate. It turned, opening its maw and blasting Mewtwo with an eerie, flame-shaped breath of killing frost.
Freeze Shock Flame—a burning chill.
The cold fire smashed into Mewtwo, hurling it across the arena. Its body felt like it was burning and freezing all at once, wracked with pain.
"Teleport!"
Paul's voice rang sharp inside Mewtwo's mind.
At the last instant, Mewtwo blinked out of the path of the second Freeze Shock Flame, reappearing hundreds of meters away, chest heaving.
"...Hhh."
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Mewtwo narrowed its eyes. Kyurem's combat instincts were razor-sharp. Every scenario, it had an answer.
But that was fine.
Because it was Mewtwo.
Its lips curved in a faint smile. Recover triggered, and in moments, its wounds sealed as though they had never existed.
"Teleport… what a nuisance."
White Kyurem's voice rumbled with frustration. Then, with a cold snarl, it shed its fusion form, reverting to its base Kyurem state, and unleashed a chilling surge of energy.
Glaciate!
The arena howled with frozen winds. Every corner was drenched in numbing frost.
The cold could not pierce Mewtwo's psychic barrier—but even so, it felt something strange lurking within the storm.
Something it had not yet seen.
"Space… it can really be manipulated to this degree?"
Mewtwo's pupils narrowed. It realized that the entire battlefield's space seemed to have been frozen stiff by Kyurem's icy aura. Its own Teleport would now release at a snail's pace and be far easier to track.
Ignoring Mewtwo's shock, Kyurem transformed into its White Kyurem form. The sky filled with a raging blizzard as it unleashed Blizzard from its maw, snow and ice swallowing everything in its path.
In an instant, the arena was buried under torrents of ice and snow, a merciless storm roaring straight toward Mewtwo.
The scene resembled Electivire's earlier struggle. But this time was different, Mewtwo was far stronger than Electivire.
"Future Sight, Aura Sphere!" Paul commanded sharply.
Mewtwo focused, channeling psychic energy into the void. With unyielding fighting spirit, it conjured a massive Aura Sphere nearly two meters across and hurled it forward, charging right behind it toward White Kyurem.
With every step it took, Mewtwo's body radiated fiercer heat and overwhelming ferocity. Madness flickered in its eyes.
Because Mewtwo was already pushing its limits, constantly bolstered by Calm Mind, the Aura Sphere managed to fly within ten meters of Kyurem before the blizzard finally froze it solid.
"Cell Reinforcement, Focus Punch." Paul's telepathic command echoed.
At his call, Mewtwo X's already powerful arms swelled even larger. It leapt forward, tearing through the storm, and brought down its fist toward White Kyurem.
But Kyurem wasn't about to sit still, it condensed a terrifying surge of frost between its hands and fired it straight at Mewtwo.
Fist and frost collided. A shockwave of raw force shook the entire battlefield.
Ice shattered. Pillars collapsed. The arena itself cracked apart as the cold aura froze everything within the space.
The sheer power behind that single clash was beyond imagination.
"Break!"
Mewtwo's eyes flared with madness. Boundless strength erupted within, piercing through the wall of frost before it.
BOOM!!
A heavy strike rang out, and the raging storm finally stilled.
White Kyurem stood frozen in place, its eyes wide open. Mewtwo X's fist was pressed firmly against its forehead.
It was super effective!
As Mewtwo descended and reverted to its normal form, the immense force of that blow overwhelmed White Kyurem at last. Its body crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
"Go, Poké Ball!" Paul seized the chance and hurled a Poké Ball, striking Kyurem.
DING… DING…
The ball rocked violently a few times, then, with a final click, fell still.
White Kyurem had been caught—successfully!
"Well done. How do you feel?" Paul asked.
"A formidable opponent." Mewtwo replied after using Recover to restore its strength.
"Even stronger than I expected. Worthy of its title."
"If it had fully mastered the Power of Rage or awakened its Bloodline Mode, I doubt I could have defeated it so quickly. But without the constraints of this battlefield, the fight would likely have favored me more."
Paul gave a short nod. "You still have plenty of room to grow. There's more energy left in the Legendary Megalith. Once you've absorbed it to your limit, I'll let Groudon have its share."
It wasn't that Paul was unwilling to let his other Pokémon use the Legendary Megalith's energy. But as the origin of Mega Evolution, its energy wasn't something just anyone could wield. Even among those who could, efficiency mattered.
And among Paul's team, only Mewtwo and Groudon were truly worth the investment.
"If I absorbed it destructively, I believe my power could increase even further in the short term."
"No need." Paul answered firmly. "Take it slow. Perfect mastery matters more."
"…Got it."
(End of Chapter)
[Author's Note: The competition of the World Coronation Series; determining the strongest Trainer in the world is coming... Stay tune!]
But, you can read it in advanced—just visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23