A violent crimson energy surged out of nowhere, wrapping around Gyarados's massive body.
It suddenly coiled in on itself, and its ferocious tail—imbued with destructive power—lashed out.
With a piercing screech of twisting metal, the sturdy steel cage exploded apart, violently torn open with a massive breach!
The trapped Clefairy reacted instantly, shrieking as they poured out of the opening in a frantic swarm.
But Gyarados's fury was far from extinguished.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous explosions erupted one after another. The entire cavern shook violently under the terrifying shockwaves. Dust filled the air as the situation spiraled completely out of control.
The Team Rocket members who had been working busily were stunned by the sudden chaos. They dropped what they were doing and tried to regroup, attempting to restrain the rampaging beast.
But against a gigantic Pokémon that had completely lost control—its massive tail sweeping wildly—they were utterly helpless.
Some fled. Others scattered.
To make matters worse, the Pokémon enslaved by the metal control collars suddenly realized that the force binding them had disappeared.
Without hesitation, they seized the moment of chaos and angrily joined the counterattack.
In one corner of the cavern, Rei and Iono were not idle either. They pulled various Potions from their backpacks and began treating the unconscious Pokémon.
Gastly, Pikachu, and the others guarded the area vigilantly, driving away any scattered Team Rocket members who tried to approach.
Minute by minute, the commotion near the cave entrance grew louder. More and more Team Rocket reinforcements were pouring in.
Relying on their numbers, they were gradually beginning to push back against the chaos.
After finishing treatment for an injured Pokémon, Rei Akagi spoke.
"Almost time… They should be arriving."
"Huh? We have reinforcements?!"
Iono's eyes lit up with surprise.
Before she could say anything else—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion far more terrifying than Gyarados's rampage erupted.
The entire mountain shook violently. The solid rock ceiling of the cavern was pierced instantly by an indescribable force, as if it were paper.
Blinding sunlight poured down from above.
Against the brilliant light, a Charizard hovered in midair, embers flickering from its mouth. Standing firmly on its broad back was a tall figure with arms folded across his chest.
"Reinforcements! It's the League!" Iono cried in excitement.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immediately afterward, a large number of International Police and Pokémon League Special Task Force members descended through the massive opening. Dressed in dark-blue uniforms and equipped with precision gear, they rode Flying-type Pokémon or Pokémon capable of climbing.
They quickly split into two squads.
One group began receiving and comforting the injured and weakened Pokémon.
The other, under the cover of their Pokémon partners, launched a fierce assault against the resisting Team Rocket members.
"Salted Fish! Look! It's him again! The Researcher Rei!"
Iono recognized the familiar figure instantly and shouted in surprise.
"Didn't he give us his contact info before?" Rei Akagi said calmly.
"Before we infiltrated this place, I already sent him a message asking him to notify the League."
At that moment, the Researcher Balanded steadily on the ground atop Charizard and strode over to Rei and Iono.
"Researcher Rei: I didn't come too late, did I? Thanks to your early discovery of Team Rocket's plan, the League was able to intervene in time and carry out this large-scale capture operation!"
He paused, noticing the injured Pokémon nearby who were still weak despite receiving treatment.
Then he gently patted Charizard's shoulder.
Charizard nodded in understanding and beat its wings, rising lightly into the center of the cavern.
A soft, dreamlike glow began to radiate from its body.
Drip… drip…
Without any warning, a delicate drizzle began to fall throughout the cave.
The raindrops were soft and warm, carrying a gentle life force as they fell upon every injured Pokémon.
The droplets melted into their bodies.
Within just a few breaths, wounds visibly closed and vanished.
Even their mental exhaustion disappeared. The Pokémon stood back up energetically, vitality returning to their eyes.
After completing this miraculous healing, Charizard did not return to the Researcher Rei.
Instead, it flapped its wings and flew toward the shattered hole in the cave ceiling.
Higher and higher it rose.
And as it flew, its form began to change.
Its large body gradually shrank, its outline blurring.
Finally, amidst a soft pink glow—
It vanished completely.
At the exact moment it disappeared, a clear and ethereal cry echoed through every corner of the cavern.
"Mew~"
Before Iono could recover from the dreamlike scene, the livestream chat had already exploded.
"Reinforcements! I knew it! There's no way the Researcher Bawould miss a moment like this!"
"WHAT THE—?! Charizard using a Water-type move? And a massive healing one at that?!"
"Case closed, everyone! Remember the first time Salted Fish met the Researcher Rei? He had no Pokémon but used Safeguard! Then the second time he suddenly had a Charizard! That makes zero sense!"
"That's not a Charizard at all! Charizard can't learn Life Dew, let alone heal an entire cave! And look at how it disappeared—shrinking body, pink glow!"
"That's Mew! It has to be Mew!!"
"Holy crap! Frame-by-frame proof!"
"Mew was right beside me this whole time?! Did Mew already bond with the Researcher Rei?! My Mew! Nooooo—"
The scene continued, and the Researcher Bafinished speaking.
"Researcher Rei: Oh right—since you two provided the information, here are two fossils as a reward. I hope they'll be helpful."
Rei and Iono obtained the Dome Fossil and the Helix Fossil!
The Dome Fossil and Helix Fossil were placed in the Key Items Pocket.
"Researcher Rei: I heard there's a Pokémon Laboratory on Cinnabar Island researching fossil resurrection… Ah, I'd better go help them out. See you!"
With that, he turned decisively and quickly disappeared into the busy League task force.
Iono was still stunned by the revelation about Mew until Rei Akagi's voice pulled her back to reality.
"These two fossils belong to the ancient Pokémon Kabutops and Omanyte. When we reach Cinnabar Island, we can revive them using the lab's technology—"
Before he could finish, Gastly's voice came through the communicator.
"Gaaas~"
"Huh? You're hungry? Hold on—this will be over soon."
A moment later, Rei Akagi's voice returned.
"Alright, Iono. That's it for today. The Mt. Moon hidden event is complete. Next stop is Cerulean City to challenge the Gym. I'm logging off now—bye."
"W-Wait!"
Iono suddenly snapped out of her daze and hurriedly stopped him.
"What is it?" Rei Akagi paused.
She took a deep breath, unable to suppress the excitement and tension in her voice.
"That Charizard just now… was it actually… Mew?"
For a moment, Rei Akagi seemed stunned.
Then a clear, certain chuckle came from the other end.
"Yeah. It was."
The next second—
Before Iono's stunned gaze and the erupting livestream chat—
The Save Game prompt appeared.
The connection to the room was cut.
The screen went black.
Rei Akagi had logged out.
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