"Roar—"
As the dazzling white light faded, a Crimson Gyarados with blood-red skin and a pitch-black underside and flanks appeared.
The moment Crimson Gyarados entered the field, it let out an intimidating roar, attempting to forcibly weaken Mewtwo's attack power.
However, due to the clear gap in strength, Mewtwo was completely unaffected by Crimson Gyarados's Intimidate Ability. Instead, it unleashed a terrifying aura, imposing overwhelming pressure on Crimson Gyarados.
"Mr. Giovanni, you know very well that Gary doesn't have the strength to defeat you. I'll admit defeat on his behalf. How about letting me and my companions battle this mysterious and powerful Pokémon?"
Red spoke calmly as he walked over to the nervous Gary, patting his shoulder. After soothing Gary's panic, Red signaled for him to leave immediately with his cheerleader squad and not stay in Viridian Gym any longer.
"Red, thank you, but I…"
Gary hesitated for a moment, unwilling to accept that he was so weak, still wanting to remain in Viridian Gym to seek revenge.
But when Gary saw the increasingly displeased gaze of Crimson Gyarados, he ultimately chose to leave. Before going, he shouted to Red,
"Red, be careful! Don't let anything happen to you!"
With that, Gary hurriedly left with his cheerleaders, disappearing from everyone's sight without looking back.
"What's this? Haven't you already gotten the Earth Badge from me? Don't be too greedy," Giovanni teased, reclining leisurely in his chair while stroking the Persian beside him that was trying to act cute.
"Turning away from a strong opponent and choosing to leave like a coward—that's not my style of battling," Red said calmly, glancing at the referee to signal the start of the match.
Under pressure from both Red and Giovanni, the two gatekeepers quickly announced the beginning of the battle.
"There is no time limit. The official match begins!"
Mewtwo once again used its psychic power, attempting to restrain Crimson Gyarados's body.
Crimson Gyarados floated eerily in midair. Just as Mewtwo was about to further drain its stamina, Crimson Gyarados roared angrily and broke free from the psychic restraint.
"My Gyarados won't be bound by that weak psychic force of yours," Red said proudly, immediately issuing a command.
"Gyarados, charge in and use Crunch!"
Sensing the dark-type aura emanating from Crimson Gyarados, Mewtwo slowly raised its right hand. A deep blue Aura abilities gathered in its palm, quickly condensing into a powerful Aura Sphere.
Before Crimson Gyarados could react, the Aura Sphere struck its body instantly, the impact forcing it to crash to the ground.
Struggling, Crimson Gyarados got back up and fired an Ice Beam that froze Mewtwo's shoulder, only for it to be shattered instantly.
Perhaps irritated by the damage, Mewtwo—proud to the extreme—erupted with an astonishing aura. High-voltage electricity gathered in its outstretched right hand, and with a casual swing, it unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt that struck Crimson Gyarados.
The high-voltage current engulfed every part of Crimson Gyarados's body. Even so, it showed no fear. Instead, its eyes turned blood-red as it furiously unleashed Dragon Rage toward Mewtwo.
A blazing fireball shot from Crimson Gyarados's mouth and struck Mewtwo directly.
"Crack…"
Giovanni looked at Mewtwo in surprise, noticing that the restraining armor on its body was beginning to show faint signs of cracking.
This wasn't just due to the power of Dragon Rage, but more because of Mewtwo's growing anger, which subconsciously caused its psychic power to surge, leading to the cracks in its restraining armor.
"Kid, this thing is far stronger than it looks. If you're just trying to test your strength, then I have to say—you're already excellent."
Giovanni gave a rare bit of praise, intending to find an excuse to make Red leave sensibly.
With a glance, Giovanni instructed his subordinates inside Viridian Gym to be ready at all times to suppress Mewtwo if it lost control.
"Giovanni, my fighting spirit has only just been ignited. How could it be extinguished so easily?" Red replied with a grin, tossing out his remaining five Poké Balls.
Beedrill, Charizard, the massive Steelix, Pidgeot, and Scizor appeared simultaneously, their battle-ready gazes locking onto Mewtwo.
"I didn't expect your starting lineup to be this impressive."
Giovanni couldn't help but pause in surprise upon seeing Red's team. Such a powerful lineup wasn't something an ordinary trainer could command.
"Since you're so eager to challenge your limits, go ahead. I'm curious to see how long you can last," Giovanni said calmly. After casually finishing his glass of red wine, he turned and disappeared from Red's sight.
"Though it may be a bit unfair, my companions and I have been looking forward to battling you… Mewtwo!"
Upon hearing the name "Mewtwo," its mental restraint finally broke. The limiting armor on its body had reached its limit, on the verge of shattering at any moment.
"Human, I sense the aura of Mew on you. What is your relationship with Mew?!"
Mewtwo questioned him through telepathy.
After spending three years together, Red inevitably carried traces of Mew's aura. Though it had faded over time, even the faintest trace was enough for Mewtwo to detect instantly.
"I'm Red from Pallet Town. As for my relationship with Mew, I have no intention of wasting words explaining it to you. Let me experience the thrill of a limit-breaking battle first!"
Ignoring Mewtwo's growing rage, Red insisted on fighting.
Though he wanted to comfort Mewtwo's increasingly twisted mind, Red knew that words would be useless at this moment. A battle worth remembering might instead leave a deep impression on Mewtwo.
The faint sound of a pebble falling echoed around, silently signaling the start of the battle.
Beedrill's figure suddenly blurred, instantly appearing behind Mewtwo. Its twin stingers crossed, glowing green—it had already unleashed X-Scissor.
(Beedrill?!)
Mewtwo cautiously guarded against Beedrill's attack. If Giovanni hadn't often sent out his own Beedrill to suppress Mewtwo's attempts to escape, Mewtwo might have broken free from Team Rocket long ago.
(I didn't expect there to be another Beedrill this outstanding in the world!)
Mewtwo crossed its arms, releasing two purple psychic blades that rapidly shot toward Beedrill.
But Mewtwo had clearly forgotten one thing—this was a team battle. The other five Pokémon wouldn't just sit and watch.
Blazing flames burst from Charizard's mouth, forming a terrifying pillar of fire that surged toward Mewtwo.
Pidgeot quickly followed with Air Slash, sending two sharp wind blades from its wings.
Sharp stone blades floated around the massive Steelix and, under its control, shot rapidly toward Mewtwo.
The exhausted Crimson Gyarados forced itself to attack, forming a devastating Hyper Beam that blasted toward Mewtwo as a beam of energy.
Scizor, specializing in close combat, used Agility and followed up with Bullet Punch, striking Mewtwo directly—though part of the damage was absorbed by the restraining armor on its body.
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