Since Liam wasn't sure how long this trip would take, he decided to bring fewer Pokémon with him to avoid unnecessary complications.
First of all, Deoxys and Rayquaza—who had remained hidden from public view the entire time—were definitely coming along. On one hand, he needed their combat power; on the other, he simply wasn't comfortable leaving them at home for Delia to take care of.
Next was Garchomp, and Empoleon as well.
There was no need to question Garchomp's strength, while Empoleon was still in the process of building teamwork with Liam. Only by traveling and fighting together could they improve their mutual understanding and eventually have a chance at achieving Bond Evolution.
Finally, Liam decided to bring Zorua.
After all, this trip was to find Mewtwo. Although Dark-type Zorua was still far too weak to be of much help in direct combat, her illusion abilities could prove extremely useful at a critical moment.
Actually, Liam had originally wanted to bring Gallade as well, but...
"Gallade~ Gallade~"
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ever since Gallade laid eyes on Delia's Ralts, he had refused to leave her side. He followed her everywhere like a devoted knight protecting a princess.
When Liam mentioned taking Gallade away with him, the look Gallade gave him at that moment...
In the end, Liam settled on these three Pokémon.
This time, he didn't even bring Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl had spent so much time carrying Liam around on flights recently that Liam decided it deserved a proper break.
Once he had finalized his team, Liam said goodbye to Delia. After a lengthy and reluctant farewell, he put on his goggles, draped his coat over his shoulders, climbed onto Garchomp's back, and then, accompanied by a low growl from Garchomp, soared into the sky amidst a powerful gust of wind.
As Garchomp disappeared higher and higher into the heavens, Delia stood in front of the cabin, waving continuously. Only after Liam had vanished completely from sight did she lower her hand, clasp both hands against her chest, and blush deeply.
"Marriage~ Hehe~ I'll be waiting for you to come back, Liam~"
.....
Garchomp sliced through the skies at tremendous speed.
Standing on Garchomp's back, Liam watched Viridian Forest draw closer and closer. At the same time, his mood became increasingly heavy.
Garchomp was indeed much faster than Aerodactyl, but its speed leaned more toward explosive bursts rather than sustained flight. Maintaining such high-speed aerial travel for long periods wasn't easy.
Fortunately, Viridian City wasn't very far from Pallet Town. Before long, Garchomp arrived over the city.
"Grrr..."
After entering Viridian City, Garchomp flew directly toward Viridian Gym—the location that also served as Team Rocket's headquarters.
The building was now partially reduced to rubble. Numerous Team Rocket members dressed in civilian clothing were busy cleaning up the damage.
"Yo, you're here."
Just after Liam recalled Garchomp into its PokeBall, Giovanni emerged from the still-intact gym entrance with a smile and casually greeted him.
"..."
Liam merely glanced at Giovanni before speaking.
"What's the situation now? Weren't you the one who said the experiment was progressing perfectly? Then why has Mewtwo escaped?"
Liam was clearly irritated. His voice rose unconsciously, drawing the attention of several Team Rocket members working nearby. However, once they realized it was Giovanni and Liam speaking, they immediately lowered their heads and returned to work.
"Mewtwo? Hah! That's actually a pretty fitting name. Born from Mew, yet surpassing Mew. Mewtwo... yes, with that thing's destructive power, it deserves that name."
Faced with Liam's questioning, Giovanni instead nodded approvingly.
"...Is that really the important part right now? I..."
Liam felt completely powerless.
"Forget it. Where's Blaine? I heard he was injured. Take me to see him."
"Hehe, Blaine's fine. Come with me."
With a faint chuckle, Giovanni led Liam toward Blaine.
The place Giovanni brought him to was the ruins of the laboratory.
At that moment, Blaine stood quietly near the edge of the wreckage with his left arm in a cast, watching workers clear away debris.
"Blaine, how are your injuries?"
The moment Liam saw him, he immediately asked about his condition.
"Hm? Liam? Sir! Why are you here?"
Liam was now not only one of Team Rocket's leaders but also an official Champion of the League. From any perspective, he was Blaine's superior.
After a brief hesitation, Blaine added the respectful title.
Liam didn't bother correcting him. He walked directly over and fixed Blaine with a sharp stare.
"Talk. Tell me everything you know."
"...Yes."
Blaine lowered his head, organized his thoughts, and began explaining.
"After obtaining a substantial amount of Mew's genetic material, the experimental project you assigned to me proceeded very smoothly. Using genetic engineering, we successfully cultivated a Pokémon. It continued to grow stronger and stronger, but..."
"But what?"
Liam immediately interrupted when he saw Blaine hesitate.
"But... that Pokémon—no, that monster's growth rate was simply unbelievable! You can't imagine it! You have no idea what kind of creature it was! The amount of energy it possessed was terrifying! The equipment in the laboratory couldn't suppress it at all! Just two days ago, the moment that monster woke up, the entire underground laboratory was instantly reduced to rubble!"
Blaine's eyes were filled with fear. The incident had clearly left deep psychological scars on him.
"Enough!!"
Suddenly, Liam's face darkened as he shouted.
"It's not a monster! Its name is Mewtwo! It's a Pokémon—a completely new Pokémon!"
"Don't tell me that a Pokémon that was only just born suddenly developed independent judgment and thinking on its own! I specifically stated in the project proposal that you were not allowed to conduct any harmful experiments on it!"
"Blaine! Look me in the eye and tell me honestly—did you do something excessive to Mewtwo?!"
To prevent exactly this kind of situation, Liam had explicitly written into the project plan that the experimental subject was not to be harmed under any circumstances.
Clearly, things had not gone the way he intended.
"Th-this... I... I..."
Blaine was rendered speechless and couldn't come up with an answer.
At that moment, Giovanni stepped in.
"Enough, Liam. This isn't the time to argue about that. Blaine, give Liam the tracker."
"Yes."
Hearing Giovanni's order, Blaine quickly retrieved a prepared case and removed a Dragon Ball-style tracking device before handing it over to Liam.
"...What's this?"
Liam examined the circular device in his hand with confusion.
"Sir, when we were conducting experiments on tha—uh... Mewtwo, we anticipated the possibility of an incident like this. So we implanted a tracking device in its body long ago. As long as you use the tracker in your hand, you'll be able to locate it."
After receiving a glare from Liam, Blaine forcibly swallowed the word "monster" and quickly stepped back after explaining.
"Oh, I see."
Liam snorted.
"So you knew something could go wrong, yet you still let things get to this point..."
He shook his head.
"Giovanni, since I have a lead now, I'm heading out. Everything else is your problem."
After obtaining the tracker, Liam waved it in Giovanni's direction and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment, Liam."
Giovanni suddenly tossed a box toward him.
"There are three Mew Balls in there. Take them."
Liam caught the box, glanced at it briefly, then nodded without saying anything further.
After that, he turned around and left Viridian Gym.