Mewtwo is an extremely special Pokémon. Beyond the circumstances of its birth, its MEGA
Evolution is also quite different from ordinary Pokémon.
Normally, only a few Pokémon are eligible for MEGA Evolution and can only evolve into one form, but Charizard possesses two MEGA Evolution forms: X and Y.
Mewtwo is just like Charizard, possessing two MEGA Evolution forms. Among them, the Y form is like Charizard's, an extreme special attack form with enhanced special attack, while the X form is also like Charizard's, a mixed attacker form!
From an appearance standpoint, Mega Mewtwo X isn't as sleek as Mega Mewtwo Y; layers of muscle-like structures bulge across its body, so its overall aesthetic is certainly inferior to Mega Mewtwo Y.
However, Mewtwo's physical capabilities receive a qualitative leap in its X form. In this state, Mewtwo possesses both the Fighting-type and psychic-type attributes, and it is precisely for this reason that Champion Ash had Mewtwo transform into this form.
The Fighting-type is the bane of the dark-type. Although Lugia also possesses the Flying attribute, the current Lugia is primarily being manipulated by Yveltal's power, so the strategy of using Fighting-type power to completely suppress it is perfectly sound.
"E—Evolved? That guy can evolve even further?" Charon hadn't even seen Mewtwo's original form; the first thing he saw upon arrival was Mega Mewtwo Y. Now that Mewtwo had evolved into another MEGA form, to Charon, it looked as if it had evolved again from its previous state.
In fact, everyone else felt the same way as Charon. After all, Mewtwo didn't revert to its original form but directly shifted and evolved into the X form. Anyone would assume Mewtwo had evolved into a new state.
Even Cynthia and the others momentarily believed that Mewtwo had achieved an evolution beyond MEGA Evolution. Since MEGA Evolution is already an evolution that transcends the final form, they couldn't even imagine what a level above that would be.
However, after calming down, Cynthia quickly realized that this might not be a new evolution, but rather another MEGA Evolution form. Just as Charizard has two MEGA Evolution forms, so does Mewtwo.
"Two MEGA Evolution forms? Mewtwo really is an exceptionally special Pokémon. Despite being created by Team Rockets, it possesses a mega stone and genes capable of evolution—just what kind of existence is it?" Cynthia looked at Mewtwo, her beautiful eyes reflecting deep curiosity.
Besides being the sinnoh champion, she was also a veteran archaeologist with a profound interest in unknown legends and similar mysteries. The fact that Mewtwo, a man-made Pokémon, possessed a MEGA Evolution—a form that is essentially an atavistic regression to a Pokémon's ancient era—naturally piqued Cynthia's curiosity.
However, now was not the time to study Mewtwo; the priority was to resolve the current crisis.
"Sorry, Lugia, I might have to be a bit rough, so bear with it! Mewtwo, use Close Combat!" Champion Ash commanded coldly. This time, he was going to have Mewtwo go all out to directly shatter the dark power within Lugia's body.
Otherwise, it would be a huge problem if the opponent actually escaped. Moreover, he didn't want to betray Ash's trust; he had come here to help his other self resolve his problems. It would be too embarrassing if he left behind a major mess.
"Lugia, Aeroblast!!" Charon also sensed Ash's intentions. He released Yveltal's power all at once, originally intending to have Lugia take them and flee. But now, if they turned their backs on Mewtwo, its fist would likely shatter their spine. Thus, they could only face the attack head-on and try to block it first.
Enveloped by Yveltal's dark power, Lugia let out a low roar. Its crimson eyes held no trace of sanity, only a wild desire for destruction.
Upon receiving Charon's command, it flapped its wings, whipping up a towering surge of air. Its massive wings beat at a speed difficult for the naked eye to track, instantly churning the surrounding air into a turbulent vortex. A pale blue cyclone, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, condensed into form in front of it!
This Aeroblast was far stronger than the previous one. Earlier, Lugia could still rely on its own will to forcibly weaken its attacks, but this time, Lugia's own reason had been completely suppressed, and its power had risen to another level.
Consequently, this Aeroblast was simply on a different level compared to the ones before.
The rotating air current was like a solid giant drill, carrying wind pressure capable of tearing through steel as it lunged toward Mewtwo. Everywhere the cyclone passed, rocks on the ground were instantly swept up and crushed, and a gap was violently torn through the clouds in the sky!!
In the distance, a blue barrier had already lit up in front of Cynthia and the others. Even though they were far enough away, a battle between gods could easily destroy even a small island. As long as they stood on this island, they would be affected by the aftershocks.
Fortunately, before the battle, Lorelei had already notified the people on Shamouti Island to move toward the other side of the island. If they had been on the side of the island where the battle was taking place, or even in the center, they might have been crushed into meat pies by this terrifying wind pressure.
As for Cynthia and the others, Ash had already left them a barrier capable of withstanding Divine Realm Level attacks. While his Aura wasn't yet capable of directly blocking a direct attack from the blackened Lugia, it could certainly withstand the aftershocks.
"Such strong wind pressure—is this the power of the legendary Lugia? Even when controlled by dark power, it is still this terrifying." Cynthia frowned deeply, her fists involuntarily clenching. She could clearly feel the destructive power contained within the cyclone. Any ordinary Pokémon wouldn't even have the right to approach.
The difference between a Champion and the Divine Realm was already massive, let alone the Peak of the Divine Realm. Humanity seemed so insignificant in the face of gods.
Facing the approaching giant cyclone drill, Mewtwo's muscles tightened. Its pale purple body exuded a chilling aura, showing no intention of dodging.
It slammed its foot against the void, its body shooting out like a cannonball. Pale purple Psychic energy and crimson Fighting-type energy swirled around it. This was the integration of Psychic power into its close-quarters fighting strength, further enhancing the power of Close Combat.
With this strike, it would pour in everything it had!
In the next instant, Mewtwo's fist collided violently with Lugia's Aeroblast!
"Boom!!" An unparalleled roar exploded in the sky, and time seemed to freeze at that moment. The wild air currents and dual-attribute energy intertwined into a blinding ball of light at the center of the collision. The surrounding space was violently distorted by the shock, and any debris caught within was instantly turned to Ash.
Initially, the attacks were evenly matched. Mewtwo struck with a single fist, locked in a stalemate with the Aeroblast in mid-air. But seconds later, Mewtwo mobilized its entire body's strength and launched a storm-like barrage of continuous strikes against the core of the cyclone!
Fists fell like raindrops, each accompanied by a dull, booming sound of breaking air. Crimson Fighting-type energy exploded along the knuckles. The Aeroblast, which had seemed intangible, was actually forced open with a gap by Mewtwo's fists!
"This—this is pure physical strength?!" Charon's pupils constricted, and he froze in place, his face full of horror.
He had never seen such terrifying physical power in a Pokémon.
Even a Fighting-type Pokémon that had trained its body to the absolute limit might not necessarily reach this level of physical strength. Most importantly—isn't this damn thing a psychic-type Pokémon? Why is its physical body this strong?
Normally, the weakness of psychic-type Pokémon is that they are very fragile in Close Combat. Yet, Mewtwo did the exact opposite, possessing such formidable strength in Fighting-type techniques that it was several levels stronger than when it used Aura Sphere earlier!
Everything Charon encountered today had completely shattered his common sense and caused him to deeply etch the duo of Ash and Mewtwo into his heart.
Lorelei, Cynthia, and the others were also shocked by Mewtwo's pure explosion of power. Like Charon, they felt that although the psychic-type Mewtwo could use Fighting-type moves, it theoretically shouldn't be its specialty.
special attacks like Aura Sphere would be fine, but close-quarters attacks should be a weak point for psychic-type Pokémon. Generally, for psychic-type Pokémon—even psychic-type legendary beasts—their physical attacks are weak while their special attacks are strong. This is the normal phenomenon.
But Mewtwo completely defied common sense. This Close Combat, if directed at the firmament, might even punch a hole through the sky. To describe it in three words: it's too strong!
Today, they witnessed a duel truly belonging to the world's peak combatants. In the absence of the Creator God Arceus, this was the strongest fighting force in the world. Every movement carried the power to destroy heaven and earth. Let alone commanding them in battle, an ordinary person would likely cough up blood from the aftershocks just by being close.
Normal humans have no way to participate in a Divine Realm Level battle, unless they are a special individual like Ash—
Amidst the crowd's gasps of amazement, Mewtwo's assault became even more violent. Its pale purple body darted through the ball of light, its fists colliding with the cyclone at a frequency so fast it left afterimages.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The continuous heavy impacts overlapped, drowning out the shrieking of the air currents. The cyclone, which had been as solid as a giant drill, gradually lost its shape under the sustained physical bombardment. The surface air layers constantly shattered and reformed, only to be smashed into dissipation by the next round of fists.
Finally, Mewtwo concentrated its entire body's strength and landed a massive, heavy punch at the very core of the cyclone. With an earth-shattering explosion, the pale blue Aeroblast was violently smashed into a sky full of fragmented currents. The scattered air hit the ground, kicking up dust dozens of feet high, and fell onto the surrounding sea, creating magnificent waves. Yet none of this affected Mewtwo.
Having shattered the Aeroblast, Mewtwo's figure moved like a ghost through the residual air currents, instantly closing in on Lugia's massive body. Its fist, condensed with total power and carrying the momentum to crush all darkness, slammed heavily into Lugia, who was still enveloped in dark energy.
"Skree—!" Lugia let out a heart-wrenching cry of pain. The power of this punch not only penetrated its scales and feathers but also carried intense Fighting-type energy, piercing into the core of the dark power like a sharp blade. Visibly, the dark red mist surrounding Lugia shuddered violently the moment the punch landed, then, centered on the point of impact, the dark power shattered and dissipated inch by inch like broken glass. The feathers that had been corroded by dark power gradually lost their dullness and regained their original snowy-white luster. The madness churning in Lugia's crimson eyes also rapidly faded, and a glimmer of clarity resurfaced.
Charon's face had turned the color of pig liver. He had sensed something was wrong the moment he saw the Aeroblast get shattered. The shadow power he had gathered for a final, desperate gamble had been crushed by Mewtwo's Fighting-type strength because it was all concentrated together.
Not only did he fail to cause trouble for Ash, but he had also ended up returning Lugia to him. Furthermore, he had perhaps lost his final chance to escape—
Lugia lost all its strength and began to fall from the sky. Mewtwo lightly raised a hand, using Psychic to catch Lugia and transfer it to the island, beside Ash.
Ash, Cynthia, and the others rushed up to check on Lugia's condition. After confirming that Lugia had only overexerted itself, they breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, Champion Ash couldn't help but marvel in his heart—the life force of the Divine Realm is truly resilient!
If Lugia hadn't been controlled and they had fought normally, they might not have decided a victor even after a whole day of fighting. Despite Lugia taking so many hits just now, it only had slight injuries on its body.
The current exhaustion was more mental, caused by the struggle against the dark power.
Thus, legendary beasts—especially those of the Divine Realm Level—truly have incredibly resilient lives. If one truly wants to capture a legendary beast, it is not only a test of their Pokémon's combat power but also the Trainer's own physical and mental stamina.
After confirming Lugia was fine, Champion Ash turned his gaze toward Charon and the others, who were sneakily preparing to flee.
At this moment, Jupiter had already boarded Articuno, while Charon had returned to the submarine, preparing to pilot it away.
As the saying goes, when disaster strikes, it's every man for himself. The two had chosen different escape routes. Jupiter riding Articuno would inevitably become the primary target for Ash and the others, as they would definitely want to rescue Articuno.
However, the speed of a Divine Realm Articuno went without saying; the chances of escaping while riding it were not small. As for the submarine, though slow, it would at least be behind Articuno in priority. Charon was gambling—betting that by the time Articuno was caught, he would have already fled far away in the submarine.
But he still underestimated the power of the Divine Realm.
"Mewtwo, stop both of them."
With Champion Ash's command, Mewtwo, who had returned to its normal form, made a grasping motion with one hand. Articuno, which had already flown a thousand meters away, was instantly frozen in the air, and the submarine that had dived into the seawater became completely unable to move.
Under the Psychic power of the Peak of the Divine Realm, whether it was flying in the sky or swimming in the sea, not a single one could escape!
With this, the Orange Islands incident officially came to a close. Team Galactic suffered a massive blow, and two of its major commanders, Jupiter and Charon, were captured and brought to justice.