The first battle of Armored Mewtwo!
Its opponents were two Master Level Pokémon, and even fighting one against two, it did not fall into a disadvantage.
That alone was enough to demonstrate what kind of existence Mewtwo was, created by Team Rocket from Mew's genes.
Whether in terms of the strength it displayed right now or its future potential, it was more than enough to make Giovanni, the proud leader of Team Rocket, feel extremely satisfied.
In his battle against Kael, it was as if both of them had returned to their impetuous youth: every time they fought, they always gave the impression of being perfectly evenly matched.
However, aside from Mega Latios and Mega Latias, Kael's other Pokémon did not intervene in the battle. Master Level Pokémon were not something they could easily interfere with, and from the looks of it, Kael also had no intention of letting them enter the fight.
On Giovanni's side, aside from Mewtwo, he only released a Nidoking to remain by his side and protect his safety, while he concentrated all of his attention on directing Mewtwo in battle.
Ever since Mewtwo had emerged from the nutrient tank, Giovanni had already begun establishing contact with it, and once it was covered with the Special Armor, he had an even clearer sensation of controlling it as if it were an extension of his own arm.
As for Mewtwo's current capabilities and its future talent, it could be said that no one had a clearer perception than Giovanni, who was capable of fully injecting his own consciousness into Mewtwo's body.
But no matter how one looked at it, this was still Mewtwo's first real battle. Giovanni wanted to use this evenly matched fight to familiarize himself with it and understand it even faster.
And to push Mewtwo to grow to its limit as soon as possible, so that he could fulfill the greatest ambition of his heart!
While Giovanni and Kael fought, Cain and Magnus were not idle either.
Magnus directed several of his Pokémon, which still retained some combat capability, to help the League's trainers gradually recover some ground, while Cain carefully treated his injured Pokémon and, in the process, also helped heal Magnus's Pokémon that had lost their ability to fight.
With his identity as an Advanced-level breeder, those kinds of ordinary injuries were not a problem for him.
Both of their Pokémon were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although they probably could not return to battle immediately, if they waited a little longer, they would likely regain the strength to fight again.
Cain had always felt that Kael was not so simple. The other had clearly taken advantage of the League's lack of manpower to launch a surprise attack; the longer this dragged on, the more unfavorable the situation would become for him. If all the League experts who were currently outside returned, let alone Kael, not even together with Giovanni would he be able to gain an advantage.
But judging from his current attitude, he showed not the slightest sign of impatience. He simply directed his two Pokémon to fight Giovanni in a prolonged battle, and the scene looked more like an exchange between two experts than a desperate struggle.
From the moment he arrived, Cain had already felt that something was strange.
With the other's strength, he clearly could have killed Cain in an instant. Even when Magnus later appeared, the threat he represented was not particularly great; eliminating the two of them would not have been any problem.
But Kael had always maintained a playful attitude toward them. Even though taking a small risk would have allowed him to eliminate both of them in a single strike, he never did so. Instead, he preferred to advance steadily and cautiously.
Fighting steadily was normally not a bad approach, but the current moment was clearly inappropriate for such a strategy.
Giovanni's arrival had surprised him somewhat, yet even then he showed no sign of anxiety. It was as if he were patiently waiting for something, and moreover, he seemed completely certain that what he was waiting for would appear.
That was the real reason Cain was striving to recover his strength. While feeling uneasy, he also had the sensation that he had forgotten something, although for a time he could not remember what it was.
After all, Cain was still human, and he had spent more than an entire year in the Space-Time Continent. It was normal that certain things did not immediately come to mind.
Only now, due to Kael's unusual behavior, did he feel more clearly that something was not right.
While Cain was immersed in his thoughts, the battle in the sky between Kael and Giovanni had also reached its climax. Both seemed to be fighting with genuine enthusiasm.
"Kael, that's enough. If you have any hidden cards, use them now. After all, if this fight continues like this, I suppose it will affect you quite a bit as well. But seeing how calm you are, I imagine you are still holding something back. If you don't use it now, when do you plan to use it?" Giovanni shouted as he looked toward Kael in the distance.
Upon hearing Giovanni's words, a smile appeared on Kael's calm face as well.
"Since you say so, the timing is indeed more or less appropriate."
After saying this, he raised his left hand and gently snapped his fingers. A pale glow appeared in the air.
Immediately afterward, a special spatial rift opened. It was not like the spatial rift connecting to the Distortion World through which the Sacred Church members had descended earlier, but rather a rift leading to an unknown place.
The spatial rift opened, and one after another, several people dressed in silver-gray clothing emerged from within.
When Cain saw those people dressed in silver-gray, his pupils contracted. Only then did he realize what it was that he had forgotten.
Wasn't that the Aether Foundation from the Alola region?!
An organization that presented itself as the protector of wild Pokémon, ensuring their peaceful growth, but that in practice carried out actions far more extreme than the ideals they proclaimed.
(End of chapter)