"Prepare for battle, Mewtwo!"
Paul tossed his Poké Ball high.
From the light, Mewtwo emerged once more before the eyes of the world, calm and composed.
"Mewtwo... Mewtwo finally appears! At this decisive moment, the Champion has chosen to send out Mewtwo!"
"Which will prove stronger: the Legendary Titan Regigigas, or the Champion's Mewtwo? Let us witness history together!"
The commentator's voice trembled with excitement. The crowd erupted, the entire arena ablaze with energy.
"Go all out, Regigigas!"
Lucas showed no fear. He recalled his fully restored Regigigas and sent it charging forth once more.
"Re…gi…"
The Titan's cry echoed as it re-entered the battlefield, burdened again by its Slow Start.
"Lock-On, Hyper Beam!"
Though sluggish, Regigigas acted with precision: locking onto its foe while gathering destructive energy between its hands.
The blazing beam tore through the air toward Mewtwo.
Yet Mewtwo did not flinch. It did not even consider dodging.
With a casual raise of its hand, a shimmering Psychic Barrier appeared before it. The Hyper Beam struck, only to be effortlessly absorbed.
There was no strain, no difficulty—none of the struggle ordinary Pokémon showed in defense.
"What a terrifying strength…"
That single exchange told Lucas everything, Mewtwo's power towered far above Paul's other Pokémon.
"Lock-On, Giga Impact!"
Hyper Beam had been one of Regigigas' strongest ranged weapons, yet even that had been nullified. Attacks like Zap Cannon would surely fail as well.
Lucas knew the truth: victory required close combat. Only by seizing Mewtwo with Regigigas' overwhelming body could he hope to win.
Target locked. Energy gathered. The Titan launched forward like a runaway locomotive.
"Aura Sphere!"
Mewtwo's cells surged with psionic enhancement. Clenching its fists, it met Regigigas head-on.
BOOM!!
Two deities of battle collided. Though Mewtwo's raw physique was lesser, with its cellular amplification it withstood the strike, holding Regigigas in check.
"Not quite enough."
After seconds locked in stalemate, Mewtwo's voice resonated coldly. Then—teleportation. It vanished, disengaging at will.
Though it favored close combat, sheer brute strength was not its specialty in this form.
Paul's voice rang clear in Mewtwo's mind:
"A worthy opponent. Choose, Rage or Mega X."
It wasn't that both powers couldn't be used at once. But if they did, this battle would lose all meaning.
"Exactly my thought."
Mewtwo's body flared with light, its form shifting. In seconds, its frame expanded, muscles swelling, its gaze sharpened—Mega Mewtwo X towered above, every line radiating ferocity.
"Go."
Paul offered no further orders. Mewtwo's instincts and mastery required no handholding. Only when necessary would Paul interject.
"Understood."
With a stride that shook the ground, Mewtwo charged, fists wreathed in aura, striking once more with Aura Sphere at close range.
"Meet it with Aura Sphere as well!"
Regigigas, still sluggish, raised its fists to counter.
CRASH!!
The four fists collided. The Titan staggered backward, forced several steps before regaining balance.
Mewtwo pressed the assault, driving a double-fisted Aura Sphere into its chest.
THOOM!!
Time seemed to freeze. Then Regigigas was hurled back like a broken puppet, smashing into the stadium's protective barrier with thunderous force.
It's super effective!
But Mewtwo did not relent. In a flash of Teleport, it was upon the Titan again, fists raining down in a barrage of Drain Punches. In less than two seconds, dozens of strikes crashed into its foe.
Finishing with a sudden sweep, Mewtwo drove its heel into Regigigas' legs.
BAM!!
The Titan toppled heavily toward the ground—
"Crush Grip!"
But Regigigas was not yet beaten. Before impact, it seized Mewtwo's leg in its massive grip.
The Titan's strength, enough to pulverize mountains, erupted. Mewtwo's body jolted in pain.
"Psystrike!"
Paul's command struck like a whip.
Ignoring agony, Mewtwo pressed its hand to Regigigas' head. Its boundless psychic power exploded outward.
To the naked eye, only ripples of air appeared. But within the Titan's mind, chaos reigned—its "core routines" flickered like a broken code.
Still, Regigigas refused to release its grip. Instead, it tightened further, its other hand groping for Mewtwo's other leg.
It knew—if it let go, defeat was certain.
"Let go!"
Mewtwo's voice cut cold. Its fists blazed again, Aura Sphere after Aura Sphere pummeling the Titan.
But Regigigas was stubborn as iron. No matter the blows, it clung to its mantra: Crush… crush… crush!
It sought to grind Mewtwo down through sheer durability and willpower.
Yet Mewtwo understood. Its eyes flared with blue light, gaze locking upon the Titan.
Disable.
In an instant, Regigigas' already dull mind forgot the technique. Its grip weakened, its devastating move sealed.
Mewtwo tore free with ease.
"It's over—Reversal."
Paul's order was final.
Mewtwo's aura flared crimson. With a psychic lift, it dragged the Titan upright, then unleashed a flurry of strikes—fists, knees, kicks, every blow carrying desperate power.
Crush Grip had grown stronger the more health its foe held. But Mewtwo had deliberately refrained from using Recover.
It had saved its wounds—so that at this moment, Reversal would unleash its maximum power.
The Titan of Legends reeled beneath the storm.
The battle was reaching its breaking point.
In due time, Mewtwo halted its assault. The white glow around its body faded as it shed its Mega form, returning to normal. A single Teleport carried it back to Paul's side.
Regigigas had not been so fortunate. Three times it had entered the battlefield at full strength—and three times it had fallen.
First, burned and battered by Ursaluna.
Second, poisoned, entangled, and drained by Torterra's vines.
Third, crushed beneath Mewtwo's relentless onslaught of raw power.
"Regigigas is unable to battle! Mewtwo is the winner! Since all six of Lucas' Pokémon have been defeated, the victory goes to Champion Paul!"
The referee's verdict rang clear.
"Oh-ho! What a match! After such a fierce showdown, the battle has finally come to an end! Whether it was Regigigas' sheer endurance, Ursaluna's raw strength, Torterra's dominance of the field, or Mewtwo's unfathomable might—the spectacle has been nothing short of breathtaking!"
"The Champion proves it once again. Paul has shown us what true and absolute strength really means!"
"Of course, Lucas' power is undeniable as well. His Regigigas alone left us all in awe. It's just… his opponent was Paul."
"Let's give both trainers a thunderous round of applause for this unforgettable battle!"
Clap clap clap—
The stadium erupted in cheers, chants, and applause, the noise refusing to fade.
"Come back, Regigigas. You did all you could."
Lucas recalled his Titan into its Master Ball, then exhaled with rare frustration as he looked at Paul.
"I thought I'd been improving quickly… but compared to you, Paul, the gap feels wider and wider."
It wasn't a lack of confidence, it was the crushing reality of the difference between them.
Yes, he had forced Paul to send out all six of his Pokémon. But only because Regigigas had entered the fight three separate times at full strength.
Had neither side used their Legends—no Mewtwo, no Regigigas—Paul could have defeated him easily with just two or three Pokémon.
What stung more was that Mewtwo hadn't even used its full arsenal. Aside from Mega Evolution X, it hadn't employed many of its other powers. It hadn't relied on long-range Aura Sphere bombardments that could have ended the match swiftly.
That fact alone made it clear: even if Lucas had fielded all six Pokémon at once, they would not have stood a chance against Mewtwo alone.
"You've grown fast." Paul acknowledged with a nod. "But the road ahead is endless."
And he meant it. The fact that Lucas had managed to capture a so-called "Creation-class Legendary" was astonishing in itself.
With Regigigas alone, Lucas already had the strength of a potential World Masters Eight.
As for himself? Paul mused quietly.
He had never lacked effort, talent, or luck.
Had he never obtained the Arc Phone, had he never crossed into the anime world to meet and capture Mewtwo, he likely would have scoured each region using only memory, seeking the Legends he knew might exist.
The Lugia and its child among the Whirl Islands.
The three Birds of the Orange Archipelago.
Another Regigigas in Snowpoint Temple.
The Darkrai once sighted in Alamos Town…
But now that he had Mewtwo, his hunger for Legendaries had cooled. Unless for some special reason—or one he truly desired, he would not go out of his way to capture more.
"You're right. Endless." Lucas admitted, straightening his shoulders again.
"I'll keep pushing forward."
He doubted he could ever surpass Paul to become Champion. But the Masters Eight, that dream still felt possible.
After all, nowhere was it written that one had to be a regional Champion to enter the Masters Eight.
He had already defeated Cynthia. That alone proved he had the strength of the world's elite. Now, all he needed were a few more victories in ranking battles.
"Do your best."
Paul recalled Mewtwo to its Poké Ball, offered a respectful nod to the referee, and departed with Akari at his side.
...
He returned home quietly. But across the world, the legend of his battle with Lucas spread like wildfire.
Paul did not relax, despite keeping his Champion's throne.
Yes, his Pokémon had established their own tactical systems. But gaps remained—holes to be patched, and strength to be refined.
More than strategy, the greatest need was growth. Power.
If today his Ninetales, Ursaluna, Torterra, and others had matched Regigigas in might, the victory would have been effortless.
They were not far from the so-called realm of Legendaries. What they lacked was raw force.
Champion-level Pokémon were few, and their value in battle not as absolute as one might imagine. Paul decided he would send most of his roster to train at the Tree of Beginning, while traveling only with a select few.
But that was for later. For now, leaving the Veilstone Arena, he and Akari made their way back toward his breeding house.
Today, the place was unusually quiet. Not a sound stirred inside.
And when Paul stepped into the courtyard, he froze.
On the stone bench sat a boy in a red jacket, a red-and-white cap pulled low. In his hand, he held an Ultra Ball, staring into it in silence.
At the sound of footsteps, he lifted his head. Their eyes met.
Akari blinked, looking between the two, and puzzled at the heavy silence that fell over them.
After a few seconds, she couldn't help but ask:
"Um… is this your friend, Paul?"
Paul did not answer her. His eyes never left the boy. Slowly, he spoke:
"The strongest Trainer in the world—Red."
This was their second meeting.
The first had been long ago—Red had not yet become Champion, and Paul had not yet earned all his Badges.
Now, one stood as the Champion of Kanto, the strongest Trainer alive. The other, the Champion of Sinnoh, its most formidable Trainer.
"..."
Red said nothing. His gaze studied Paul intently, as if trying to understand how a Trainer who once lacked even Elite Four strength had risen so fast—and how he had earned Mewtwo's recognition.
"I heard from Reggie you'd been looking for me." Paul finally said. "Was there something important?"
Back then, Red hadn't explained his reason. Paul had his suspicions, but nothing certain.
"..."
Red stayed silent for a long moment. Then, with a click, he pressed the button on his Ultra Ball.
BOOM!
From the light, another Mewtwo emerged before them.
"What?! M-Mewtwo?!"
Akari's jaw dropped.
'Hadn't Paul said there was only one Mewtwo in the world? Then why did this boy, Red, also have one?'
"As I thought…"
For once, Paul smiled faintly. He had been right.
In the games, Red eventually captured Mewtwo. In Pokémon Origins too, he claimed it later. And in this world, Mewtwo had vanished after the New Island Incident.
So it was only natural and inevitable that Red would be the one to capture it here.
"I want to meet it."
Mewtwo's telepathic voice carried outward, calm yet trembling. Its tightly clenched fists betrayed the nerves it tried to hide.
It was born of Mew's DNA, yet it was not Mew.
It had always believed it was the chosen one—the only one.
And yet, against all odds… another like itself existed.
(End of Chapter)
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