The wailing of the cavern grew increasingly shrill.
Above, there was the ear-piercing sound of giant rocks grinding and collapsing; below, the earth trembled incessantly, unable to bear the heavy burden.
Thick smoke and dust mixed with rock powder, making it impossible to breathe, and visibility was reduced to nearly zero.
In this enclosed space heading toward destruction, the only light source came from the electronic eye of the "monster" in mid-air.
That red light carried none of the emotions a living creature should have; it was a purely functional indicator born for slaughter.
Silver-white metallic armor encased Mewtwo's body, cold and hard, with every circuit flowing with instructions for destruction.
Its hand—that alloy-covered hand—was death-gripping Latias's neck.
The slender, streamlined neck appeared incredibly fragile under the metal's restraint.
Latias's small body hung limply, her wings drooping, having exhausted even the strength to struggle.
Her golden eyes slowly lost their luster as the light of life was being snuffed out bit by bit.
Ariel and Yule had already retreated outside the cavern with their respective pokémon, with Greninja and Crobat guarding them, vigilantly staring at the center of the chaos.
"Is that Mewtwo? So strong!"
Yule's voice carried a hint of excitement; she had never seen such a one-sided, cruel crushing.
Ariel did not speak, his gaze never leaving Mewtwo for a single moment.
He knew the horror of the existence before them better than Yule.
This was no ordinary pokémon; this was the ultimate weapon birthed from human sin and ambition.
Just at the moment when the last faint cry of sorrow escaped Latias's throat and her life signs weakened to the extreme.
A sudden change occurred.
"Buzz—"
A low energy resonance, seemingly from the depths of the earth's core, rang out from beneath the mountain-like pile of rubble.
At first, the sound was faint, masked by the collapsing noise of the entire cavern.
But immediately following, the sound grew stronger and clearer, carrying an unyielding will and a sky-toppling rage.
The pile of stones burying Latios began to vibrate violently.
A wisp of deep blue brilliance stubbornly seeped out from the gaps between the rocks, dispersing the surrounding dust.
Latios was still alive!
Mewtwo's emotionless electronic eye also flickered slightly, as if its processor was analyzing this unexpected variable.
But it did not let go; in its logic, the priority target was to eliminate the most fragile threat in its hand.
However, it underestimated the energy an older brother could explode with when witnessing a loved one on the verge of death.
"Roar!"
That was not a dragon's roar, but a roar condensed purely from mental will, exploding directly in the minds of every creature.
Boom!
Deep blue Dragon-type energy, like a volcanic eruption, soared into the sky from the ruins.
Countless fragments of stone were sent flying by this force, turning into powder. A vigorous yet somewhat staggering figure reappeared within the smoke and dust.
Latios was covered in wounds, his blue and white feathers stained with dust and blood, and one wing was twisted in an unnatural posture.
But his eyes were terrifyingly bright.
Burning within those red pupils were a rage and determination enough to incinerate everything.
He didn't waste a single word, nor did he hesitate for a moment.
The power gained from breaking past physical limits was entirely concentrated in his mouth.
A blue light pillar refined to the extreme was no longer an ethereal energy form, but a dragon-shaped beam of light as solid as substance, sweeping out with a scream that tore through the air.
This strike did not aim for Mewtwo's torso but, with an inconceivable precision, went straight for the thruster emitting a faint light on Mewtwo's back armor.
This was an attack that gambled everything!
Mewtwo's combat logic allowed it to judge the threat immediately, and it tried to turn and block.
But the timing of Latios's outburst was too cunning; it was at the exact moment when Mewtwo's attention was fully focused on strangling Latias.
Fast! Too fast!
The Dragon Pulse slammed solidly into the weak point of the mecha.
"Boom—!!!"
A violent explosion erupted on Mewtwo's back, the high-strength alloy armor was blasted into an inward dent, and countless electrical sparks sprayed everywhere.
The powerful impact caused Mewtwo's mountain-steady body to involuntarily stumble forward.
The metal hand clutching Latias's neck finally loosened due to the momentary stiffness caused by the damage to the unit.
"Woo..."
Latias fell weakly, like a withered feather.
A blue shadow dove down at a speed faster than her fall, using its scarred body to steadily catch her in its embrace.
Latios gently rubbed his head against his sister's cold cheek, transmitting the thought: "I'm okay, don't be afraid."
Without a moment's pause, Latios took his weak sister, turned around, and transformed into a blue stream of light, forcibly charging toward the constantly collapsing roof of the cavern.
Boom!
The already fragile rock layer was smashed into a huge gap by sheer force, and sunlight mixed with the sea breeze shone completely into this cave that was about to become a grave.
Freedom was right before them!
The two siblings' figures broke through the rift and soared into the sky, attempting to use the speed they were most proud of to escape this nightmare-like place.
And deep within the cavern that had a large hole blasted out of it, an ominous purple light suddenly lit up.
That light was even more violent and unstable than before.
Mecha Mewtwo slowly rose from the dust; one of its back thrusters was destroyed, emitting black smoke and electric arcs, but the other thruster sprayed out even more surging energy.
It looked up, its red electronic eye locking onto those two tiny points of light in the sky.
There was no run-up, no acceleration process.
The purple light from the exhaust port on Mewtwo's back surged violently, and its figure disappeared from the spot.
The next moment, it had already appeared hundreds of meters high in the sky, instantly catching up with the desperately fleeing Latios siblings at a speed that defied the laws of physics.
Thousands of meters high in the sky, the sea of clouds churned.
Latios, who had just escaped, didn't even have time to feel relieved before a mental pressure so vast it was suffocating enveloped them from behind.
He turned his head sharply, only to see that face covered by a metal mask and those red electronic eyes without a ripple of emotion.
Mewtwo did not use any flashy moves.
It simply hovered in the air and slowly raised a hand.
There was no light beam, no Energy Ball, nothing at all.
But the space around Latios and Latias abruptly distorted.
"Bang!"
A dull thud, as if striking deep into the soul.
An invisible shockwave, composed purely of mental power, slammed hard into the two siblings.
"Uwah—!"
The two siblings let out a painful cry of sorrow; their bodies were like they'd been hit by an invisible giant hammer, tumbling uncontrollably in the air as their high-speed flight was brutally interrupted.
With every impact, a visible giant ring of clouds would explode out of thin air, a trace left by the air being instantly compressed and then released.
Spectacular, yet cruel.
This was no longer a battle, but a one-sided abuse showcasing the aesthetics of violence.
Latios desperately adjusted his posture, trying to use his own body to block most of the impact for his sister in his embrace.
But that power was pervasive, acting directly on their spirits and flesh.
Every collision added insult to injury for his already heavily wounded body.
He tried to counter-attack, shooting one Dragon Pulse after another at Mewtwo, but they were neutralized by an invisible shield several meters before reaching the opponent's body, unable to stir even a single ripple.
Latias, in her brother's embrace, weakly opened her eyes; she watched her brother constantly taking hits to protect her, saw that blue figure grow dimmer after every impact, and her golden eyes filled with tears.
She opened her mouth, wanting to gather power, even if it was the weakest attack.
"Bang!"
Another invisible Psyshock.
This time, Mewtwo seemed to have lost its patience. The power was stronger than any time before.
High in the sky, Mewtwo floated quietly, its armor-covered body reflecting a grim white light under the sun.
It slowly lowered its arm, its red electronic eyes looking down at the two Pokémon, its gaze calm and without waves.
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