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Lance's command shot out like an arrow.
"Hyper Beam!"
Gyarados, already poised to strike, rapidly gathered energy in its mouth, the light dazzling.
Hyper Beam, this powerful Normal-type move with 150 power, was now aimed directly at Ariel and the other two ahead.
However, just as this destructive beam was about to erupt, an indescribable sense of oppression, like an icy tide, silently surged from the depths of the sky, instantly enveloping the entire lake area.
It wasn't the wind, nor rain, nor thunder.
It was more like a pure will, a pressure that transcended the physical, making the very air heavy and breath catch in throats.
Everyone's heartbeat, at this moment, was forced to slow, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand.
A figure materialized in the night sky.
It was a humanoid mecha, its entire body covered in some kind of dark-colored limiter, its lines sleek yet radiating an icy aloofness that kept others at a distance.
It hovered mid-air, without wings, without thrusters, simply existing in silence, as if that space inherently belonged to it.
From the mecha's head, two beams of purple light, like two ignited stars, shot from its eye positions, devoid of warmth, holding only an indifferent gaze that seemed to scrutinize all things.
At the same time, a light rain began to fall, pattering down.
Ariel held his breath; rainwater slid down his cheeks, but he couldn't be bothered to wipe it away.
He looked towards that figure, his heart giving a violent lurch, an unbelievable premonition exploding in his mind.
A name that shouldn't exist in this world.
Mewtwo!
This word, like a thunderclap, silently detonated in the depths of his heart.
It actually came!
Gyarados's Hyper Beam finally erupted, an orange-yellow pillar of light tearing through the curtain of rain, carrying destructive power straight towards the ground.
However, the armored Mewtwo merely raised one hand, its movement casual and effortless, without a hint of exertion.
No charging, no complex incantations, just that hand gently waving.
A pure Psychic-type fluctuation, centered on the armored Mewtwo, spread out silently.
It wasn't an explosion, not a shockwave, but a higher-dimensional interference.
Gyarados's Hyper Beam, powerful enough to rend steel, upon contact with this fluctuation, vanished instantly like ink erased by a rubber, disappearing without a trace.
No sound, no residual energy, as if it had never existed.
This scene plunged everyone present into dead silence.
Lance, hailed as the Alliance's strongest Investigator, now also felt an unprecedented suppression.
His breathing was somewhat rapid, his fingers gripping the Poké Ball unconsciously tightening.
He had experienced countless life-and-death battles, seen countless powerful opponents, but this kind of power, this absolute existence that seemed capable of arbitrarily erasing everything, was something he had never encountered in his life.
He looked at the armored Mewtwo in mid-air; those purple eyes seemed capable of piercing through everything.
He knew this was no ordinary pokémon, nor a common technological creation.
Its very existence was a mystery, a mystery enough to overturn all his knowledge, all his beliefs.
"Roar!"
Lance's Dragonite let out an unwilling roar; it flapped its wings, attempting to break through this intangible restraint.
Gyarados also thrashed on the lake surface, its massive body churning the water, trying to launch another attack.
They were Lance's partners, his pride, yet now appeared so insignificant before this power.
The armored Mewtwo's gaze merely swept indifferently over Dragonite and Gyarados.
Then, it raised its hand again; this time, without waving, merely opening its palm slightly.
An intangible shockwave shot out silently.
Psystrike.
Dragonite's wings suddenly stiffened mid-air; then its entire body, as if struck by a giant hammer, cried out mournfully and plummeted straight down, crashing heavily onto the muddy ground of the lake's central island, sending dirt and water splashing.
Gyarados tumbled several times in the water, its huge body convulsing, and finally fell still, floating on the surface.
Two powerful pokémon, before the armored Mewtwo, couldn't even mount one effective counterattack before being instantly defeated, losing their ability to battle.
Lance's heart sank to the bottom.
He recalled Dragonite and Gyarados; the Poké Balls felt cold in his hand, unable to warm his current dejection.
He was a warrior, but also a strategist; he understood that the enemy before him had already exceeded the scope of what he could currently contend with.
Continuing to fight would only cause more pokémon to be injured, or even sacrificed.
He took a deep breath, his gaze complex as he looked towards the armored Mewtwo in mid-air.
It's not wise to linger!
Charizard roared, its wings flapping, stirring up a gust of wind as it carried Lance through the curtain of rain, speeding off into the distance.
The armored Mewtwo did not pursue, merely hovering quietly, its purple light devoid of any emotion.
Charizard roared, its wings flapping, stirring up a gust of wind as it carried Lance through the curtain of rain, speeding off into the distance.
The night was deep, the sound of rain gradually ceasing.
At the Alliance's eastern supply point, the tents were brightly lit.
The members of the elite team waited anxiously.
Lance's arrival for this operation was actually a coincidence.
Lance was originally just passing through Mahogany Town.
When Investigator Vulcan went to support the western supply point, he incidentally sent a support signal.
And fellow Investigator Lance, being the closest, just happened to receive this message.
And so he came here to the Lake of Rage.
At this moment at the eastern supply point, the team members were all awaiting Lance's triumphant return.
They knew Lord Lance had gone to provide support; with his strength, wiping out Team Rocket was merely a matter of time.
After all, Lord Lance is the Alliance's strongest Investigator!
As long as he takes action, there's nothing he can't handle!
Charizard's roar approached from afar, and when it finally landed outside the supply point, everyone rushed out.
"Lord Lance!"
A young team member rushed forward first, his face unable to conceal excitement and reverence,
"Are the Team Rocket members... all taken care of?"
The surrounding team members also gathered around, their faces wearing the same expectation.
In their eyes, Lance was the legend of the Alliance's younger generation, an invincible symbol.
Lance jumped down from Charizard's back; his face was somewhat pale, rainwater dripping from his hair, but his eyes held an unprecedented gravity.
He didn't answer the team members' questions, just silently walked to the bonfire and took off his soaked jacket.
"I... encountered an extraordinary enemy."
Lance's voice was low, carrying a trace of fatigue, yet also containing an unquestionable seriousness.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the young, inquisitive faces,
"I will report this matter to headquarters immediately."