(That sudden change when Beedrill fought Mewtwo just now—could it be amplified through Aura Resonance…?)
Red recalled the crimson aura that had erupted from Beedrill earlier and vaguely guessed something, but right now Beedrill needed rest, not pressure from questioning.
"Beedrill has gotten stronger again…" Charizard murmured upon seeing this.
(Sigh… we don't even have the ability for Mega Evolution yet, so why is Beedrill already close to gaining a new form…) x4
The other four Pokémon thought helplessly. Truly, "Pokémon comparing to Pokémon can anger Pokémon to death."
"This is what it means to be favored and fearless," Pidgeot complained.
Those words immediately earned agreement from the other three Pokémon, who nodded in sync.
"Good job, Beedrill."
Red walked to Beedrill's side and gently held the exhausted Beedrill, letting it lean against his shoulder with a tired expression.
At first, Beedrill stubbornly struggled a little, but due to complete exhaustion, it could only "helplessly" lie in Red's arms, even "accidentally" rubbing against his chest a few times.
Seeing this, Red understood Beedrill's tsundere little mood.
"Be good—you've always been a family member I'm proud of. Now just relax and rest for a while."
Perhaps because it had fought desperately yet still lost to Mewtwo, Beedrill felt a trace of guilt. After giving Red a deep look, it went limp in his arms, completely losing its ability to battle.
After witnessing Beedrill's defeat, the other Pokémon also lowered their heads slightly in dejection, but soon their spirits were reignited with the flames of battle intent—they would train harder until they could defeat Mewtwo.
"Red, I plan to leave the Viridian Gym now and break free from Team Rocket's control. I can no longer endure being treated as a tool by Team Rocket," Mewtwo said calmly.
"Mewtwo, I've always supported your decision to leave Team Rocket. I also want to tell you something—this world isn't as small as you imagine. It's home to all kinds of living beings, vast enough to accommodate every life that longs for freedom. I sincerely hope you can find the meaning of your existence."
"Thank you, Red. If I hadn't met you, I might still be trapped in my past confusion, unable to awaken."
Mewtwo gazed deeply at Red for a moment, committing his appearance to memory. Then it revealed a faint, warm smile and waved, preparing to bid farewell.
"To find Mew faster, I'll have to cause an incident in the Kanto Region. I hope you'll understand when the time comes. I promise I won't do anything that would disappoint you!"
As soon as it finished speaking, Mewtwo unleashed astonishing psychic power, memorized the appearances of the many Pokémon present, then looked up at the shattered ceiling. Using Teleport, it burst out of the Viridian Gym and left Viridian City in an instant.
"Boom—"
The sound of Mewtwo's departure was extremely loud, as if directly declaring to Giovanni that it had regained its freedom and would no longer remain in his cold cage.
Mewtwo's departure also caught the attention of Ash and the others outside the Viridian Gym. They were extremely curious about Mewtwo's existence, but when Ash took out his Pokédex, it only displayed "data unknown."
Ash looked at Gary in confusion, hoping Gary—who had just escaped—could answer his questions.
"That's the mysterious Pokémon I mentioned. Its strength is terrifying—it defeated my carefully trained Nidoking and Arcanine in an instant."
"As for why Red hasn't come out, it's because he was battling it inside the Viridian Gym. But I don't know why it suddenly left."
"Although this might sound offensive, I still think that with Red's current strength, he wouldn't be able to defeat that mysterious Pokémon."
Gary explained to Ash and the others. Worried about Red, Gary didn't leave immediately with his cheerleader squad but stayed with Ash's group, waiting for Red to come out.
"What are you talking about, Gary? Even if my brother can't defeat that mysterious Pokémon, he definitely wouldn't run away like you!" Ash retorted, unwilling to miss the rare chance to mock Gary.
"Ash, you—!"
...
At this moment, inside the underground base of the Viridian Gym, on Giovanni's side—
"How is this possible?! Mewtwo actually left on its own accord! What exactly did that brat say to Mewtwo to make it want to leave?!"
In the laboratory, Giovanni watched Mewtwo's departure through hidden surveillance. Furious, he crushed the wine glass in his hand, ignoring the shards cutting into his palm.
Giovanni couldn't understand why Mewtwo chose to escape Team Rocket's control. After all, only Team Rocket could give the currently confused Mewtwo a sense of purpose—that of becoming a battle tool to plunder Pokémon.
But Giovanni didn't realize that Mewtwo had long planned to leave; its battle with Red had merely provided the perfect opportunity.
After all, deep down, Mewtwo had always hoped for recognition—even at the moment it chose to leave Team Rocket…
"Forget it, no need to dwell on it. In the end, it's just a test subject from the Mew cloning project. Its power just exceeded initial expectations."
"At worst, I can have those people clone a few more obedient Mewtwo. It's just a pity about this original perfect specimen."
(Compared to an uncontrollable Mewtwo, mass-producing controllable inferior versions might not be a bad choice. After all, they're just artificial beings that shouldn't exist in this world—once used, they can simply be discarded.)
In an instant, Giovanni regained his usual composure. The anger no longer showed on his face as he began planning his next move.
Not only did Giovanni intend to recapture the escaped Mewtwo, but he also planned to order Team Rocket's scientists to use the remaining research data to mass-produce inferior Mewtwo—ideally forming an entire army to serve as weapons of war.
Seeing Giovanni calm down, Persian, who had been hiding in fear, quickly approached him. It rubbed its face against Giovanni's hand, trying to soothe his lingering anger, occasionally licking his wounds to help the blood clot faster.
"Don't worry, it's just a trivial matter."
Giovanni said lightly, smiling faintly as he stroked the affectionate Persian.
"Giovanni-sama, due to Mewtwo's existence being exposed to the upper ranks of the League, combined with the previous invasion plan during the Silph Co. incident, the League officials who previously had business dealings with us are gradually withdrawing and no longer engaging in black market transactions."
At this moment, Damon, wearing cheap glasses and a trench coat with the "R" emblem, stepped behind Giovanni and knelt on one knee, reporting the current situation of Team Rocket.