"Ryuuske?!"
Misty knelt on one knee, blood streaming down her body as she stared wide-eyed at Ryuuske in the sky. Trembling with joy, her voice nearly broke as she called out his name.
She never expected that Ryuuske, after facing Sabrina alone, wouldn't just survive—he would actually emerge victorious. Though his body bore numerous wounds, his energy and spirit were brimming, a clear sign that he had completely dominated the battle against Sabrina.
"H-how?! How can it be you?! Where is Lady Sabrina?!"
The Rocket squad leader shouted in disbelief, his eyes darting around frantically as if searching for Sabrina.
"If you survive, maybe you can go collect her corpse. She's buried under that mountain over there. With some luck, you might even find her bones."
Ryuuske spoke with malice, his icy tone making it feel as though they had plunged into the frozen lakes of the far north.
"Kid, stop lying! Lady Sabrina is the Saffron Gym Leader—there's no way she'd lose to you!"
The Rocket squad leader snarled, his voice sharp with hatred. Beside him, the other Rocket members glared at Ryuuske with the same demonic fury.
Ryuuske could tell—their rage was genuine, not just for show.
"I didn't expect Sabrina to have such prestige among you Rockets… But then again, a cold beauty like her would naturally inspire admiration in any man. Too bad the Sabrina you revere was nothing more than my plaything. Ahahaha!"
Ryuuske laughed wildly, sounding more like a villain than ever.
"You brat! How dare you insult Lady Sabrina!"
"Send out Flying-types to take him down!"
"…"
The Rockets erupted in outrage, each member seething with fury. But before they could release new Pokémon, Ryuuske had already hurled a Poké Ball from the sky.
"Gabite—**agon Rush!"
Amid the smoke of the expanding Poké Ball, a meteor tore through the sky. Gabite plunged downward, the energy around its body screeching against the air like burning flames. In just a hundred meters, **Dragon Rush** accelerated Gabite to an unimaginable speed. It shattered the magnetic field conjured by the Magnemite horde, ripped apart the vines of Weepinbell, and with a deafening crash, slammed into Gyarados.
**BOOM—!**
Dust and debris exploded outward. The ground beneath them caved in, forming a crater three meters deep and dozens of meters wide. Pokémon and humans within the radius were sent flying by the shockwave, while those at the epicenter were crushed mercilessly into the rubble—clearly beyond saving.
Gyarados lay collapsed in the crater, its scales torn apart, blood pooling around it. At that moment, Ryuuske shouted:
"…What are you doing, Misty?! Even if Gyarados went berserk, it's still your Pokémon—recall it now!"
Snapped out of her shock, Misty hastily threw a Poké Ball, withdrawing Gyarados.
At the same time, Ryuuske also recalled Gabite and snorted coldly:
"If you can't bring yourself to attack Gyarados, then I'll do it for you! **Mewtwo—finish them!**"
With a snap of his fingers—a gesture of death—Mewtwo smirked. It clenched its three-fingered hand toward the ground, and instantly, countless fragments of rock lost their gravity, floating slowly into the air. The atmosphere twisted violently under psychic force, refracting light as the temperature skyrocketed like a blazing inferno—the air itself combusting under the distortion of Mewtwo's power.
"NOOO—!!"
The Rocket members trapped in the warped space felt the pressure shift violently. They clutched their throats, eyes bulging, while even their Pokémon floated helplessly, robbed of gravity.
**CRACKLE—!**
With a piercing screech, like steel being twisted into a spiral, the earth, trees, and even the boulders of the nearby mountain were crushed into dust under centrifugal force, scattering like rain from the sky.
"…**Future Sight**—a move whose power grows the longer it lurks in the 'future.' The moment I first saw you, I had Mewtwo set it up. By now, the accumulated force is enough to tear apart mountains."
Ryuuske gazed at the devastated land below. The mountain itself had lost a chunk, trees and grass mangled like trash amidst the dirt. Not a single stone larger than ten centimeters remained in sight. Though it couldn't compare to Mewtwo's island-sinking feat from before, the destruction was still horrifying.
This was just a glimpse. If even Mewtwo could do this, then the other Legendary Pokémon truly could reshape continents and oceans at will.
But while their power was terrifying, it wasn't invincible. Back then, Lance's Aerodactyl had unleashed a **Hyper Beam**—its destructive force wasn't far off from Mewtwo's. Even his Gabite's **Dragon Rush** had reached a comparable level of devastation.
This only proved that Ryuuske's training methods were absolutely correct.
The wonder of Pokémon lay in this very fact. Despite facing such a devastating attack, not all the Rockets and their Pokémon had perished. Those who survived fled in panic—some dug through the earth, others rode their Pokémon to escape, while a few took to the skies. Their numbers were few, but Ryuuske couldn't be bothered to chase them.
...
Once the enemies had fled, Ryuuske immediately recalled Mewtwo into the Master Ball. In short bursts like this, it was fine—but if the battle dragged on, Mewtwo's cells would begin eroding him again. This was precisely why Ryuuske had avoided a direct confrontation with Sabrina. The Saffron Gym Leader wasn't someone he could instantly crush—she had the endurance to fight a prolonged battle. If Mewtwo's combat time ran out, it would mean Ryuuske's doom.
"So that's the Mewtwo Professor Oak and Blaine mentioned… It's unbelievably strong. With just Mewtwo alone, it could defeat all of a Gym Leader's main Pokémon."
Misty murmured in awe as she watched Ryuuske descend atop Gabite's shoulder, landing before her.
"Though I'd love to thank you, I can't just ignore how merciless you were toward Gyarados earlier."
Facing the hand he extended, Misty forced a weak joke. With the crisis over, her mind blanked. The pain from her injuries finally overwhelmed her, and her vision darkened as she collapsed.
"…I actually respect your choice."
Ryuuske caught her body and sighed softly.
Humans weren't unfeeling plants—how could they be without emotion? If someone threatened Gabite's life, Ryuuske knew he'd react the same way as Misty, unable to strike back and forced to retreat.
That's why the only solution was to grow stronger—so strong that no one would dare threaten him, so strong that even a casually sent-out Pokémon could shake the heavens and earth.
To be continued…
Guess who's back guys.