"Hmm?!" Mewtwo, equally puzzled, frowned, his serious gaze fixed on the situation within the smoke.
His powerful psychic abilities allowed him to cover the entire area and see clearly what was happening inside.
As figures gradually appeared, the Pokémon that had been captured by Mewtwo Balls were the first to run out and return to the ground.
Misty's Psyduck, Brock's Vulpix, Xiao Tian's Venusaur and Pidgeotto, Sonia's Jigglypuff and Blastoise, Fergus's Gyarados and Rhyhorn, and so on...
The Pokémon that returned one after another let out excited cries upon seeing their trainers, then faced Mewtwo and their clones with full hostility.
As the Pokémon appeared one after another, Ash was the first to emerge, much to the delight of Brock and Misty, who were relieved that Ash was alright.
The current situation was clearly related to Ash.
Then, more Pokémon appeared, and Misty exclaimed, "Team Rocket!"
Brock added, "That's Ms. Sonia, she's come to the new island too?"
"Xia Mu, you're here too! That's great!" Xiao Tian's joy was palpable upon seeing Xia Mu, almost to the point of tears, because she had found someone to rely on.
They were no match for Mewtwo, their strength was insufficient, but Xia Mu was far stronger than them.
"Hmph! You let them go? And you guys, when did you sneak in..." Mewtwo first looked at Ash, then at the Team Rocket trio and Xia Mu.
Clearly, the situation spiraled out of control because it was overconfident and overlooked the possibility of someone sneaking in.
It also underestimated Ash, a human child.
"A despicable guy like you who steals other people's Pokémon is simply unforgivable!!!" Ash clenched his fist, raised one hand, and turned his baseball cap back, ready to punch Mewtwo, but Xia Mu grabbed him with one hand.
No way, how could he possibly hit Mewtwo?
In the original story, his punch had the opposite effect: the first time, Mewtwo only gave him a warning; the second time, it angered Mewtwo, and if Mew hadn't intervened, he would have definitely died from the fall.
Ultimately, although Ash is the protagonist, he's still too inexperienced and too simple-minded.
Going head-on against Mewtwo is just asking for trouble.
"Brother Xia Mu, let go! Let me go and give it a good beating to wake it up," Ash tried to break free from Xia Mu's grasp.
This surprised Xia Mu greatly; he was indeed a true rookie, incredibly strong.
If it weren't for his superior physical abilities and the aura power that enhanced his strength, Ash would have truly broken free.
"Alright, stop fooling around. Leave this to me! Besides, let alone you, none of the Pokémon here, except for Mew, are a match for it," Xia Mu said.
In fact, even Mew probably couldn't defeat Mewtwo.
These words quieted Ash down, and he realized that he had almost made a big mistake due to his recklessness again.
"Okay, Brother Xia Mu, you have to be careful. The Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur that this guy controls are all very, very strong," Ash warned.
Although he knew that Xia Mu was the acting Gym Leader of Cinnabar City, he had never seen him or battled him, so he had no idea of his strength.
He had only seen Xia Mu's Arcanine and the Lucario beside him.
"Don't worry, if I didn't even have this much confidence, I wouldn't be standing here." Nodding to Ash, Xia Mu released his arm when he saw that Ash was no longer struggling.
Then, turning to Sonia beside him, he said, "You guys go over there and stay with the others; it'll be safer there."
"Okay, be careful," Sonia replied, understanding Xia Mu's meaning and obeying his instructions.
...
Walking forward slowly, Xia Mu appeared natural. Lucario beside him looked serious, always ready for battle.
It knew Mewtwo was its opponent; the oppressive feeling of facing it head-on was something it hadn't experienced since becoming stronger.
Xia Mu stopped when he was less than ten meters from Mewtwo.
He stared directly at Mewtwo without a trace of fear.
Mew wasn't nearby, but Xia Mu knew it was constantly monitoring the situation.
This was something Xia Mu and Mew had agreed upon—to keep it away for now, otherwise a direct confrontation might escalate the situation.
As it turned out, Xia Mu had underestimated Mewtwo; he could clearly sense its terrifying psychic power through his Aura.
Then there was its level.
Mewtwo wasn't level 70, but level 80!
Not only is it 10 levels higher than the highest stat in the game, but a legendary Pokémon in the real world is clearly far superior to ordinary Pokémon.
Perhaps this is the result of a complete dominance in base stats; a total of 680 points is an overwhelming victory in every aspect.
With Mewtwo already possessing this strength upon its debut, Xia Mu even began to doubt whether the peak level in this world was truly more than 100.
Could the legendary Pokémon that have existed for so long truly be measured by their levels?
One thing is certain: the future Mewtwo will be far stronger than it is now.
[Mewtwo]
[LV: 80 - LV: ? ? ?] [
Gender: Genderless]
[Type: Psychic]
[Nature: Timid]
[Ability: Intimidate]
[Moves: Immobilize, Psychic, Swift, Life Drop, Ancient Power, Psychic Blade, Safeguard, Amnesia, Aura Sphere, Psychic, Power Swap, Guard Swap, Misty, Psychic Smash, Recover...]
[Friendship: Negative (Hate)]
[Emotion: Anger (Revenge)]
...
Xia Mu and Lucario were watching Mewtwo, and Mewtwo was also watching Xia Mu.
No, it was mainly watching Lucario.
Because it sensed a powerful force emanating from Lucario.
This was the first time since its birth that it had encountered such a powerful Pokémon, and one that was not even within its comprehension.
"Let me introduce myself first, my name is Xia Mu." Breaking the silence, Xia Mu took the initiative to introduce himself.
Mewtwo didn't answer, but its serious expression became even more gloomy.
It didn't care what the human in front of it was called; in its eyes, this human was now its greatest enemy, and its plans had been disrupted.
Xia Mu didn't care whether it answered or not, and calmly continued, "I have a basic understanding of your situation, and I sympathize with your plight..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xia Mu was hit by a wave of Mewtwo's angry psychic power.
"I don't need human sympathy!"
Those words left Xia Mu speechless.
The sheer pressure made it hard to breathe.
Lucario blocked Xia Mu's path, unleashing its own powerful aura.
The two Pokémon faced each other, and although there was a difference in size, it wasn't significant.
"An unknown Pokémon, possessing such great strength, why stand on the side of humans?
Can't you control your own destiny?" Mewtwo stared directly at Lucario, asking.
'Lucario~! Lucario~! Howl~!' (Lord Xia Mu gave me everything, helped me grow, helped me become stronger. I am with him; my purpose is to protect Lord Xia Mu!)
...
Read 50+ advanced chapters ahead on Patreon!
patreon.com/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)