After hearing Giovanni and the others, Mewtwo understood that if he entered the stasis pod, he would lose all ability to act. Bound by the control armor for so long, he had been waiting for this one chance. There was no way he would let it slip.
A surge of immense psychic power erupted from Mewtwo's body, cracking and then shattering the armor that restrained him.
"Damn it! Hurry, prepare the anesthetic missiles! Don't let Mewtwo escape!" Giovanni bellowed. His subordinates quickly hefted shoulder-mounted launchers.
Against a Pokémon of Mewtwo's class, ordinary tranquilizers were useless. Only heavy anesthetic weaponry had even a chance.
"Mewtwo, you won't escape! You were created to be my weapon!" Giovanni roared, his voice edged with desperation and greed. He had poured vast resources into this project, and he refused to let his prize slip away.
"Hmph." Mewtwo's cold snort echoed as his psychic aura expanded outward, flooding the entire facility. Everyone—including Giovanni—was paralyzed, unable to move.
...
Meanwhile, in Pallet Town…
"Huh?" Ash, who was bathing, suddenly froze. A wave of psychic power washed over him—familiar, overwhelming. His expression sharpened.
"That power… it's Mewtwo."
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "Finally couldn't take it anymore, huh? I bet Giovanni's losing his mind right about now." With that, Ash leaned back and continued his bath, muttering curses at Giovanni under his breath.
Back at the ruined laboratory, Giovanni stood amid the wreckage, his face twisted with rage. Mewtwo had broken free, and under his very nose no less.
"Ready the helicopter! We're heading back to headquarters. The rest of you, track Mewtwo down at all costs! He dares to betray the one who gave him life…" Giovanni snarled, fists clenched.
That evening in Pallet Town, Delia welcomed Cynthia, Gary, and Professor Oak into her home. At first, the visiting girls were somewhat reserved around Delia, but her gentle warmth soon eased their tension.
Sabrina, however, carried guilt in her heart. As a child, she had once accidentally harmed Delia. Bowing her head, she apologized sincerely. Delia, with her usual kindness, reassured her—it had been unintentional, and she bore no grudge.
At the dinner table, Professor Oak turned to Ash.
"Ash, you and Gary both have enough badges to enter the Indigo Conference. You'd better give it your all. This year, there will be many challengers from other regions."
"I will, Grandpa," Ash replied. Then he asked casually,
"After winning the Indigo League, do I really have to challenge the Elite Four? Isn't that just a waste of time?"
In truth, Ash wasn't afraid of them—he was simply annoyed by the hassle. His current strength was already champion level. Only Agatha and Shiro of the Draconis family might give him a proper fight.
Professor Oak shook his head.
"Rules are rules. Even if you're strong enough to skip the Elite Four, you can't. The League must uphold fairness in the public's eyes. If you jumped straight to the Champion, people would accuse you of favoritism or backroom deals. That can't happen, especially with official matches being broadcast live."
Ash sighed, conceding the point.
Then Delia, seated beside him, gently added, "Ash, after the Conference, your engagement ceremony with Cynthia will take place. It can't be delayed."
"I know, Mom. I don't have any objection," Ash said calmly. But his eyes flickered toward Sabrina, and a complicated look crossed his face. For her, the news wasn't easy to hear.
"You don't need to worry about Sabrina," Professor Oak reassured.
"It's enough to hold both engagement ceremonies together. After all, she's also the princess of the Mugino family—she won't be treated poorly."
His words made Sabrina's cheeks flush. Her relationship with Ash was more than friendship, even if the two rarely showed much intimacy. Their quiet understanding made it clear enough to everyone that something deeper existed between them.
Ash, noticing her embarrassment, quickly changed the subject.
"Gary, how's your Aerodactyl? Still refusing to listen?"
Gary sighed.
"Yeah. My trainer level's still too low. Even if the gap isn't that big, Aerodactyl isn't one of the Pokémon I raised from the start. It just won't obey me at all."
Seizing the chance to shift focus, Ash then remembered something else.
"Oh, Grandpa, I almost forgot! I battled at the Viridian Gym today. I didn't get a chance to tell you."
He recounted the entire story—the battle, the wager, and the sudden appearance of Mewtwo.
"What? A Pokémon even you've never seen?" Professor Oak's eyes widened in shock.
He knew how vast Ash's knowledge of Pokémon was. For Ash to encounter something completely new was astonishing—and spoke volumes about Mewtwo's rarity.
"I'll send someone to investigate," Oak said gravely.
"And that strange Poké Ball you brought back—leave it with me. I'll examine it. My other research projects have slowed down lately, so I can focus on this."
"Masaki's research has also reached its final stage," he added thoughtfully.
"By the way, leave your team with me for a checkup. I'm especially interested in Suicune."
The gleam in his eyes made it clear—Professor Oak was eager to study the Legendary Pokémon under Ash's care.
...
TN:
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