"Is that… a Pokémon?"
Even as Dragonite held the enemy's attention, Lance unconsciously narrowed his eyes, staring at the strange creature standing before Giovanni.
Though he had never seen it before, he could sense it instantly—
The armor covering that Pokémon was not its own natural power. It was unmistakably another of Team Rocket's grotesque technological interventions.
From the force it had displayed deflecting Wave Rocket, its combat power was clearly on par with any of Giovanni's core Pokémon.
Yet, Lance felt a deep sense of unease.
His instincts told him—this armor was far from ordinary.
"…"
On the other side, Sabrina—using her Psychic abilities in flawless sync with her Pokémon—had already forced Petrel into a desperate retreat.
For Team Rocket, whose tactics relied heavily on Poison-types, Sabrina was a nightmare. Petrel couldn't even land a single counterattack.
Hovering in midair, amplifying her Pokémon's power with Psychic energy, Sabrina too noticed Mewtwo.
In an instant, she felt its overwhelming Psychic aura—beneath its violent energy, an unmasked, seething hatred for humans.
It loathed its human masters—yet its mind was powerless to control its own body.
What a profound humiliation.
When she looked at Giovanni again, her gaze was now openly hostile.
Until now, Giovanni had been perceived by everyone as the stern, upright man who fought crime on the front lines—a true man of iron will.
Who could have imagined that this Team Rocket boss had hidden so deeply… and even resorted to forcibly enslaving Pokémon?
"Tch…"
Seeing Mewtwo facing him directly, Aiden silently grimaced.
Of course. Whenever Team Rocket and Giovanni were involved, the孽缘—this cursed bond—with Mewtwo was unavoidable.
And right now, talking Mewtwo down? The odds were slim.
So there was only one answer—
When a child won't listen? A good beating is the solution.
With that thought, Aiden immediately gave his next order:
"Sylveon—use Blood Moon!"
"Vee…"
Faced with the crushing pressure radiating from Mewtwo, even Sylveon—having grown accustomed to battle since its evolution—shrank back into its base form, its aura instantly dwarfed by the opponent's.
So terrifying… this thing's pressure is overwhelming!
Even Sylveon's long-dormant King Engine—its hidden power—had flared to life the moment Mewtwo appeared, pounding out a frantic, erratic rhythm.
Just moments ago, it had been so confident… and yet, charisma lasted less than three seconds.
Aiden seemed to sense its thoughts—and spoke firmly:
"It's fine. Mewtwo's only got its Pressure left. Believe in your own strength now!"
He didn't understand why Sylveon was afraid—shouldn't the ones trembling be those little thugs over there?
The illegal Blood Moon, empowered by the Pixilate ability—let them try to take it head-on!
Encouraged by Aiden, Sylveon shook its head, dispelling its fear, and began focusing its energy.
"Mewtwo—use Psystrike to disrupt its move!"
Giovanni smiled.
He had to admit—Aiden's Pokémon were stronger than he'd anticipated.
But in his misjudgment, Aiden seemed to have grown overconfident.
Mewtwo was no ordinary Pokémon. It was meticulously cultivated by him using Mew's genetic code—its potential equal to any Legendary.
To think a mere Sylveon could stop it? How terribly underestimating!
As Giovanni issued the command, Mewtwo's arms began moving mechanically, then unleashed a concentrated psychic projectile like a cannonball aimed straight at Sylveon.
"!"
Even as Sylveon channeled its energy, the surrounding environment shifted—suddenly drenched in soft pink. Above, a crimson moon hung in the sky, dripping blood.
The technique learned in Kitakami—used for the first time in battle.
The two energies collided violently in midair, triggering a rapid succession of explosions that sent fresh clouds of dust billowing upward.
Seizing the moment when the smoke obscured Giovanni's vision, Aiden reacted instantly—pulling two spheres from his pockets: one large, one small.
As if sensing his Trainer's intent, Lucario looked thoughtful… then closed its eyes without hesitation.
At the same time, the Mega Stone on its chest glowed white, establishing a direct link with the Evolution Stone in Aiden's left hand.
"Respond to me, Lucario!"
"Mega Evolve!"
"Lucario!"
Guided by Aiden's booming command, Lucario responded instantly—its feet erupting in a brilliant flash of evolutionary light.
A blinding pillar of white radiated through the dust, engulfing Lucario's form—and drawing every eye in the arena.
"Mega Evolution…?"
Giovanni reacted immediately. This was the rare phenomenon recently discovered in Hoenn!
But Aiden's actions were far from over.
While his left hand pulsed with energy, syncing with Lucario, his right hand still gripped the heavy, warm Tera Orb.
Mega Evolution was not the only innovation from Paldea.
Aiden turned his gaze to Ogerpon, stepped forward with his left foot, and mimicked a throw.
"Ogerpon—show me your true power!"
"Poni!"
The Tera Orb arced low through the air—and as it passed over Ogerpon's head, it shattered, raining down multicolored Tera Shards.
The glittering fragments settled on the mask Ogerpon wore—and instantly ignited its true potential.
A uniquely powerful Tera Armor formed over its surface, expanding Ogerpon's aura and revealing an even greater surge of power.
The Tera Ogerpon and Mega Lucario—this was the full, true form of Aiden's core team.
"…"
Sylveon, having just finished Blood Moon, turned around—and realized… it was the only one who hadn't "changed"?
Wait… what about me?
Sylveon instinctively glanced back at Aiden, who was now gasping from the strain of channeling multiple advanced techniques. Seeing his exhausted expression, Sylveon pouted and looked away.
Fine… I'll forgive you this time, Trainer. You've worked hard enough.
But next time—I'm getting one too. A family has to be complete, after all!
As the dust slowly cleared, even Giovanni nearly lost his composure at the sight of Aiden's two transformed Pokémon.
Even before, Ogerpon—unenhanced—had struck Tyranitar down with a single blow. Now, with that absurd, shimmering rainbow mask… its power had become even more terrifying.
As for Mega Lucario…
Its type hadn't changed. Still weak to Ground-types.
So if Giovanni deployed his other core Pokémon to contain it, it shouldn't be a problem.
Yet… he was already bored of this training match.
As he thought this, Giovanni's lips curled into a sly, smug smile as he looked up at Aiden.
"I never imagined a rookie Trainer—barely a year into their journey—could be this much of a headache."
"Truly, this era never lacks for prodigies."
He sighed, shaking his head in mock resignation.
"But… I wonder, young Aiden—have you ever heard an old saying?"
"Old ginger is spicier!"
As Giovanni spoke, his eyes suddenly gleamed with an unfamiliar light.
At the same moment, Aiden felt a chill crawl down his spine—and instinctively turned around.
A sharp, needle-like stinger had appeared at his neck.
Behind him, the buzz of insect wings filled the air.
When did this happen?!
Aiden froze.
Truthfully, he had suspected Giovanni possessed an ace Beedrill.
But even while constantly on guard, he hadn't noticed when—or how—it had entered the battle.
And judging by its even more monstrous form—it had clearly undergone Mega Evolution.
Not just strength—its speed had skyrocketed.
It must have slipped in during the chaos of Aiden's own Mega and Tera transformations…
So that's what "old ginger is spicier" means?
Undeniably, this was a flawless decapitation strike—perfectly embodying everything Aiden had come to expect from Kanto wild combat.
Eliminate the Trainer, and the Pokémon lose their coordination—powerless without direction.
But—
"Boss Giovanni… did you forget about one little kitten?"
Even with the stinger pressed against his throat, Aiden remained calm, arms still in his pockets, a mocking grin on his face.
"…"
Hearing this, Giovanni's brow furrowed—then his eyes widened in sudden realization.
Mew.
From the very beginning of this battle, Mew had vanished without a trace.
And Giovanni, so focused on Aiden, had never noticed.
Until Aiden reminded him.
"Mew~"
A soft, feline purr echoed behind him.
Giovanni's smug smile froze.
Yet, he quickly regained his composure.
"Forgive me, young Aiden," he said, voice smooth as ever. "This is your first time in wild combat, isn't it?"
"I must admit—even if I had raised my expectations for a novice, I could never have imagined someone as gifted as you."
"In this generation of newcomers… I would crown you the strongest."
His words dripped with self-assured praise, leaving Aiden momentarily unsure of his true intent.
"But… you missed one step."
Giovanni's smile returned, radiant and confident—even though he knew Mew hovered behind him, ready to strike.
He calmly smoothed the dust from his jacket.
"Human bodies differ. Though it may sound boastful, I, Giovanni, am confident I can endure several strikes from Mew."
"But you, Aiden…"
"I know Paldean Trainers rarely train their physical endurance, do they?"
"How many direct hits from a full-power Beedrill can you take?"
"…"
Aiden fell silent.
Giovanni was right.
Some elite Kanto Trainers could stand toe-to-toe with their Pokémon in raw physical strength.
But Aiden? He was not one of them.
Yet—
"That's not your concern, Boss Giovanni."
Aiden smiled, turning to Mew behind him—and gave a single, knowing wink.
Thank goodness—I was one step ahead. I had a backup plan.
The next instant, Giovanni felt the pressure behind him vanish.
And before the Beedrill's eyes, Aiden was suddenly replaced—by a small, pink, grinning kitten.
"Mew~"
Mew narrowed its eyes, stuck out its tongue at the Beedrill—and before it could strike, unleashed a wave of terrifying Psychic energy, blasting it clean out of the arena.
Ally Switch!
Giovanni reacted instantly, spinning around to use his momentum for a preemptive elbow strike—aimed at the now-exposed Aiden.
But Aiden was faster.
Still with arms in his pockets, he pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket—slammed the center button—and shouted:
"Sableye—Fake Out!"
A flash of red light.
The "popular star" of Sunyshore Gym—Sableye—appeared between Giovanni and Aiden, grinning wickedly.
"Gya!"
A palm strike—so fast it left afterimages—landed on Giovanni's chest before he could react.
The sudden, brutal hit stunned him into a momentary freeze.
Seizing the opening, Aiden snatched Sableye and retreated, shouting orders to his team:
"Sylveon—use Hyper Voice to drive back Beedrill!"
"Lucario—Wave Rocket! Target Nidoking!"
"Ogerpon—Ivy Cudgel! Finish off the Dugtrio!"
While Giovanni was paralyzed by Ogerpon's surprise attack, Aiden unleashed a coordinated assault on his three core Pokémon.
Then he turned to Mew.
Giovanni's side was collapsing. The battle was entering cleanup phase.
Now, Mew's task was simple.
Fix Mewtwo.
"Mew… use Zen Headbutt. Bring back Mewtwo's true self."
Aiden suddenly remembered the move Mew had used on him once—could it reignite the psychic resonance between Mew and Mewtwo?
It might hurt…
"Mew~"
Mew understood instantly.
In the next moment, it appeared before Mewtwo—the Pokémon now frozen in place, disconnected from its Trainer's command.
Then…
A full-power headbutt—loaded with every ounce of psychic might—crashed into Mewtwo's skull with a sharp, echoing crack.
Meanwhile, Giovanni, still stunned from Sableye's strike, had regained consciousness.
Strangely, he didn't move.
He simply stared—unblinking—at Mewtwo, now severed from his control, standing alone, trembling.
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