Chapter 83: Strength, Destiny, Ideal: I Will Surpass Him!

Athena felt utterly overwhelmed; what merit did she possess to be pursued and blocked by two Elite Four members?

Clearly, the sudden flight of the Victreebel just now was caused by Hitmonlee (Hitmonchan) beside Hiroyuki.

Known as the 'Ghost of Kicking', Hitmonlee's legs can extend and retract freely, allowing it to kick opponents from very far away.

"This is bad, Gladion."

Athena's already gloomy and pale face turned even paler.

"I dislike striking the weak, but as members of Team Rocket, I will not let you go either; surrender immediately," Hiroyuki said in a low voice.

"What kind of joke is this!"

Athena certainly did not want to be captured like this, and Gladion naturally felt even more so.

"Futile struggle."

Seeing this, Hiroyuki said no more; as long as he defeated them and handed them over to Officer Jenny, his mission would be complete.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Charizard! Air Slash!"

Red issued a deep command as powerful golden lightning and sky-splitting Air Slash attacked simultaneously.

"Nature's Wrath." Mamon chuckled softly.

Tapu Fini let out a high cry; pink light shimmered across the ground, followed by a pink shockwave surging forward.

The Fairy-type move Nature's Wrath! This is a signature move exclusive to the Tapu.

Nature's Wrath clashed head-on with Thunderbolt and Air Slash, but without any surprise, Thunderbolt and Air Slash were directly shattered by Nature's Wrath.

The pink shockwave continued its momentum, shaking toward Charizard and Pikachu; both immediately retreated to dodge, but it was too late.

The two Pokémon were directly blasted away by Nature's Wrath; pink, yellow, and blue flashes crashed down upon them.

A violent explosion roared; Red himself was nearly blown away by the shockwave, his hands raised before him as he struggled to maintain his balance.

So strong!!

Seeing Red's two main Pokémon knocked down by a single strike, Erika was shocked.

"Surf."

Mamon issued the command again.

Blue light flickered across Tapu Fini's body; splash, splash~

A massive wave rose from the ground, carrying Tapu Fini as it swept forward; the Water-type move Surf.

"Blastoise!"

Red's hands moved incredibly fast; a powerful Blastoise appeared before him, and a green Protect barrier lit up.

Boom~

The waves of Surf crashed down heavily, completely submerging everything ahead.

When the massive water of Surf receded, the scene was in utter chaos; Pikachu and Charizard lay soaked on the ground, clearly having lost the ability to battle.

Tapu Fini floated silently, its emotionless eyes gazing down at Blastoise and Red below.

Red frowned tightly, took out a Poké Ball to recall Charizard and Pikachu, and silently stared at Tapu Fini.

"I said your growth time is insufficient; the gap between you and me is far greater than you imagine," Mamon said, tilting his head to look at Red.

This was also why he disliked battling the weak; it was too boring.

Red: "..."

Red pressed down on his cap brim; from that brief exchange, he had already clearly recognized this fact.

This guy across from him, who was only one year older than him, possessed astonishing strength!

To be honest, Red understood that his trainer talent was truly outstanding; after all, from the moment he set out on his journey at the beginning of the year until now, except for that annoying childhood friend Green, he had never lost to any peer trainer!

Any peer!!

Even against his younger brother Ash, with whom Red had once battled, he had emerged victorious.

Battles against Green were a mix of wins and losses; they could only be described as evenly matched.

And apart from Green and Ash, Red had never felt pressure from any other peer trainer, never.

But today was different.

"If you are smart enough, leaving now is the wisest choice; you cannot defeat me. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Mamon said slowly, looking at the silent Red.

Mamon also understood himself; he too was a 'lucky one' favored by the world, possessing the Power of Pallet and trainer talent so excellent it could be called 'monstrous'.

And when talent is nearly identical, the difference in time is decisive, because for monster trainers like them who are favored by heaven, growth time represents strength.

Mamon is one year older than Red; this one year of growth time is the greatest gap between the two of them now.

"..."

Red remained silent, simply opening another Poké Ball.

A Venusaur, developed exceptionally well, landed heavily before Red.

Clearly, even with a clear understanding of the gap in strength, Red could not make the decision to flee before Team Rocket.

"Really, such a stubborn temper isn't good, is it? Never mind."

Mamon clicked his tongue, looking at this Venusaur with interest.

Is this really Red's lineup from the games? Pikachu, Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise; what would the remaining two be?

"Mewtwo."

Mamon called out.

Buzz buzz buzz~!

The wind fell silent; within the crimson perception, the air began to hum violently, the ringing in the ears unceasing.

So dizzy, so dizzy; Red's body floated and trembled unconsciously, the intense palpitations causing his body to instinctively collapse.

And before Red, the Blastoise and Venusaur at this moment seemed like thousand-pound weights pressing down upon them, sweating profusely as they struggled to support their bodies.

Oppression!

An unprecedented, intense oppression descended; what exactly was this?

Red, half-kneeling on the ground, raised his head; before his eyes appeared a humanoid black Pokémon clad in armor, slowly descending from the sky.

Its face was indistinct; only its eyes were vaguely visible, as if strange purple flames were burning there.

This is... what Pokémon?

Upon the ruins, the armored Pokémon landed on the earth, landing before that youth.

Red endured the immense oppression, ignoring his body's instinct which seemed to wail; reflected in his crimson pupils were the figures of Armored Mewtwo and Mamen, staring tightly as if to etch them completely into his heart.

"I have no interest in continuing to fight you, besides..." Mamen's lips curled slightly upward as he looked to the side.

Armored Mewtwo understood his meaning, raised his right arm, and the deep purple flames in his eyes flickered.

"Eh? Hey, hey, hey!!"

The girl's cry of surprise rang out; a girl in a black dress floated out, controlled by psychic power. Seeing Mamen looking at her, she displayed a sheepish smile.

"Hello, handsome, nice to meet you~"

"Peeping is not a good habit, Young Lady."

"I wasn't really peeping or anything, just happened to pass by," Xiao Lan replied awkwardly, while attempting to move her body, but it was no use; she couldn't move.

Xiao Lan felt like crying but had no tears; it was all over!

"I should go check on my lovely subordinates; from now on, please behave. If you try to stop me again, I cannot guarantee I will still show mercy."

Mamen half-turned, casting a glance at the two of them.

"We will absolutely be very obedient!" Xiao Lan offered an awkward yet polite smile. Stop him?

Impossible to stop; impossible in this lifetime! He looked to be about the same age as her, but this youth was completely a monster!

Especially this Pokémon...

Xiao Lan looked at Armored Mewtwo with fear in her eyes; the intense malice radiating from this Pokémon made her skin crawl!

"Then that is best; I believe we will meet again."

Mamen smiled faintly, turned and walked away; Armored Mewtwo followed, and Leaf hesitated for a moment before sighing and following Mamen as well.

Red straightened his body, preparing to have Venusaur and Blastoise stop Mamen from leaving.

"I beg you, brother, don't court death; let someone else deal with this guy!" But Xiao Lan hurriedly grabbed Red.

They had already let them off the hook; if they truly provoked the other party, who knew what the other party would do? After all, this guy was a high-ranking officer of Team Rocket!

"..." Red pressed his lips together, then somewhat dejectedly lowered his head, pressing down on his cap brim.

Xiao Lan sighed, looking at the backs of Mamen and the other two; she felt very uncomfortable, unsure of what emotion it was that made her act impulsively for once.

"Wait!"

"?"

Mamen stopped, turning half his face.

"Handsome, you are clearly the son of Gym Leader Giovanni, right? Why did you join Team Rocket?" Xiao Lan weighed her words, asking Mamen in confusion.

She had always been striving to escape that dark organization, that Dark World, yet this promising youth had actively sought it out and joined.

Upon hearing this, Leaf and Red also looked toward Mamen.

"The reason?"

The smile on Mamen's face seemed to fade slightly as he gazed deeply at the distant battlefield.

Faintly audible were many, many sounds of battle; the fighting between Team Rocket members and the League personnel had not yet ended.

"Do you know? Sometimes, no matter how hard you strive, the results and value you gain by squandering your sweat can be negated by a single, light remark."

The youth's voice fell into the ears of the three somewhat faintly.

"Power, a place to belong, ideals; when I inherited the title of 'son of the strongest Gym Leader,' I could only receive the name 'Giovanni's son,' but beneath this name there was nothing that was truly mine; I was merely playing the role of the strongest Gym Leader's son."

Mamen spoke calmly.

"But why should I play the role of a hollow name? Yes, I won the Shi Ying Conference championship; I captured the legendary Pokémon; I accomplished what that man could not!"

"I will prove to everyone that I have surpassed him!"

Ps: Stealing a book reader's comment, haha; this is the final chapter before going on sale. I originally didn't plan to release a free chapter today, but I thought I'd release one anyway.

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(End of this chapter)