"Let me take the first battle! I want to teach this arrogant guy a lesson!" Corey flexed his arms and confidently took the trainer's position.
Mewtwo didn't stand a chance, so can he even defeat the Three Starter Pokemon under Mewtwo's command?
Those three Three Starter Pokemon had strange patterns on them, looking like mutations, clearly not very strong opponents. His carefully trained Venusaur would definitely defeat them with ease!
"Go, Venusaur, use Vine Whip!" As Corey's Venusaur entered the arena, he commanded it to attack first.
Four Vine Whips swung from Venusaur's side, heading straight for Mewtwo's Venusaur.
'Razor Leaf.' The telepathic voice echoed in everyone's mind as Mewtwo sent her command to everyone's consciousness, informing them of her moves.
She was indirectly telling Ash that she was different and wouldn't engage in deceitful actions.
Ash couldn't comprehend her strategy and didn't understand why she was sharing her telepathy with everyone, despite having such an advantage.
Dozens of leaves whirled through the air, colliding with the four Vine Whips in a flash. The Vine Whips were not only tough but also durable, so usually, when Razor Leaf clashed with Vine Whip, the Razor Leaf would be deflected. But this time was different.
"Screech!!"
The instant the Vine Whips and Razor Leaf intersected, the Vine Whips snapped into pieces, and the Razor Leaf continued its onslaught towards Venusaur.
"Sizzle!!" The sharp leaves struck Venusaur, leaving it with numerous wounds, blood flowing from its body, stunning everyone present.
"Venusaur is supposed to be four times resistant to Grass Type moves; how could it be injured so badly by just a few Razor Leaves? This doesn't make sense!" Neesha exclaimed upon seeing Venusaur's dismal state.
"It's because the gap between the sides is too vast. Corey's Venusaur is only at Mid Level, whereas the opponent is already at High Level," Lorelei said flatly, her expression slightly serious.
Among the people present, only Ash wasn't surprised; he had noticed from the start that Mewtwo's Three Starter Pokemon were all at High level!
Aside from Lorelei and him, none of the others, including Gary, could handle these Three Starter Pokemon.
"High Level... I don't believe it!! Venusaur, use Sludge Bomb!" Corey found it hard to accept such a significant disparity and commanded Venusaur loudly once more.
Venusaur roared furiously, launching a stream of eerie purple poison from the flower on its back, containing a terrifying corrosive power that could potentially erode skin if hit.
'Frenzy Plant.' Mewtwo's voice remained calm, and as her command was issued, countless thorny plants instantaneously emerged from the ground!
The thorns pierced through the airborne poison, sizzling as they corroded the dark green stems, but only managed to corrode halfway before the poison dissipated from lack of energy.
The remaining Frenzy Plants transformed into sharp spears, simultaneously striking at Corey's Venusaur!
"Boom!"
The Frenzy Plant hit directly, causing an ear-splitting sound, and moments later, as the smoke cleared, Corey's Venusaur lay on the ground, covered in numerous bloody holes.
"Venusaur!!" Corey shouted, his pupils contracting, as he rushed to Venusaur's side.
He checked Venusaur's injuries worriedly. Fortunately, Grass Type Pokemon were known for their vitality. Despite the gruesome wounds, its life wasn't in danger, but continuing the battle was impossible.
'Next.' Mewtwo's indifferent voice was like casually crushing an ant.
There were no surprises in this battle for her; she had sensed the meager energy within Corey's Venusaur from the beginning: insignificant.
Among the Pokemon present, aside from Ash's Charizard, none of the others were worthy opponents.
"I'll go next!" Gary swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before stepping into the arena.
He might lose this battle, but he intended to leave an impression!
"Go, Blastoise, let Ash witness our newfound strength!" Gary said, extending his arm where a circular band adorned his wrist, with a dazzling seven-colored gem in the center, the Key Stone!
"A Key Stone? Did Gary find Blastoise's MEGA Evolution Stone?" Ash was taken aback seeing Gary reveal the Key Stone.
Previously, without Blastoise's MEGA Evolution Stone, Gary still wore the Key Stone. Ash had asked him about it, pointing out that he didn't have any Pokemon that could evolve, so why wear it?
Gary said that even if he couldn't evolve a Pokemon, wearing it added to his cool factor. Ash, after considering it, agreed there was nothing wrong with that, then got himself a matching black ring like Gary's to equip the Key Stone, indeed making it look much cooler than his original bracelet.
Now, with Gary revealing the Key Stone, it was naturally not just for show. He had acquired the MEGA Evolution Stone for Blastoise. Quietly, he had accomplished something remarkable!
"Blastoise, MEGA Evolve!!" With Gary's loud declaration, the Key Stone in his hand radiated a brilliant light, and a gem appeared within Blastoise's body. The gem extended several chains that connected with the light extending from the Key Stone.
Blastoise's body began to change, and soon, the light of evolution dissipated, revealing the new form of Blastoise.
Post-evolution, each of Blastoise's arms grew a small shell, each housing a Hydro Pump cannon.
Simultaneously, the two cannons on its shell merged into a single massive cannon, its barrel extending beyond Blastoise's head, causing Blastoise's body to bend slightly to support the recoil with its stronger limbs.
This is the MEGA Blastoise of the entire system!
Neesha was dumbfounded as she stared at the MEGA Blastoise on the field: "No way... Blastoise can still evolve? How is that possible!!!"
Having traveled abroad for several years, Blastoise had been with her since she began her journey and was one of her mainstay Pokemon. How could she not know that Blastoise could evolve to another level?
Corey, who had left the field, were also in shock. He had never heard of Blastoise being able to evolve further. Who exactly was this Gary person?
Amidst the surrounding gazes, Gary's face was filled with satisfaction. At last, he could pull off something big!
Even though the audience was sparse, the feeling of shocking the entire scene was still explosively gratifying!
However, when Gary thought about it, Ash seemed to cause such a commotion every time with his inexplicable battle techniques, and suddenly his desire to show off quietly subsided.
Not yet, compared to Ash, he wasn't showing off enough. Only by defeating this Blastoise could he truly pull off something significant!
"Come on, Mewtwo, I will defeat your Blastoise!" Gary looked at Mewtwo, his expression growing serious and grave.
But Mewtwo didn't respond to him, instead staring blankly at Blastoise.
Previously, at the Viridian Gym, she had also seen this type of evolution, it was Ash's Venusaur.
Ash's Venusaur used similar methods to evolve to a higher stage. At that time, Mewtwo felt that the power used for Venusaur's evolution was very similar to what she had previously perceived as her own power.
However, during the battle, she didn't have time to think about it much, only thinking she'd find the answer after the battle.
However, after the battle ended, she lost consciousness, and when she revived, due to misunderstandings, she forgot about the feeling back then.
Now, Mewtwo could still sense that peculiar power from Ash, which, though inconsistent with what she perceived in Gardevoir at Oak's Research Institute, Mewtwo only thought the sensation was faint due to the separation by a Pokeball, with even the nature of the energy somewhat altered.
But now, with Blastoise's MEGA Evolution, that familiar feeling enveloped Mewtwo's heart once more.
The power she perceived on Ash now, was it truly Gardevoir's spiritual origin?
Questions arose in Mewtwo's heart, but she said nothing, only signaling with her eyes for her Blastoise to step onto the arena.
Even though Gary's Blastoise had undergone MEGA Evolution, its energy was still far inferior compared to hers.
This was not only apparent to Mewtwo but also to Ash.
MEGA Evolution greatly enhances a Pokemon, but it hasn't reached the extent of transcending an entire level, which would be too exaggerated.
Before evolution, Gary's Blastoise was merely at the High Level. Reaching this level at his age was already quite impressive. Look at Corey, who's over twenty, and his Venusaur is merely at the High-Middle Level.
If Gary reached twenty, perhaps his Blastoise could spar with Mewtwo.
However, Gary had been traveling for just under six months, and the High Level was already his limit. Even with MEGA Evolution, it only barely reached the High-Middle Level. Including the species value enhancement from MEGA Evolution, it might just contend with the Elite Level at best.
Therefore, winning this battle would still be very difficult for Gary.
"Go, Blastoise, Water Pulse!" Facing an opponent also of the Water Type, Gary still had his Blastoise use Water Type moves. Intense Water Type energy gathered in the three barrels of Blastoise. The next second, three rippling Water Pulses burst forth, the columns of water drawing smooth arcs in the air, with faint energy ripples swirling on the surface.
'Water Pulse.' Mewtwo decided to counter with the same move.
MEGA Blastoise bent its body slightly, then two beams of water surged from the two massive barrels on its back.
"Boom—!"
In an instant, the deafening explosion sounded, the pale blue and deep blue Water Type energies fiercely clashed, forming a towering turquoise water screen barrier.
Though Gary had numerical superiority with three water columns, Mewtwo Blastoise's two water columns were more forceful, suppressing the water pulse upon impact. A few seconds later, Gary's Water Pulse was fully subdued, and the rush of water struck Blastoise, sending it rolling to the edge of the arena.
Despite the MEGA Evolution, the disparity between the two sides was still too great. Without Ash's Aura Fusion, such a gap couldn't be easily bridged.
Gary was aware of the disparity, gritting his teeth with a face full of frustration. MEGA Evolution was his only means, yet even post-evolution, he was entirely outclassed. Was he just to sit back and resign to this fate?
"Blastoise, Wave Crash!!" Gary commanded his Blastoise aloud.
Wave Crash, akin to the Fire Type's Flare Blitz, was a high-risk, high-reward move, striking enemies with a ferocity that harmed itself as well.
This was now Blastoise's strongest available move!
Professor Oak had been immersed in researching MEGA Evolutions recently, and the first thing Gary did after Blastoise's MEGA Evolution was to have Professor Oak study it, determining the post-evolution Blastoise's ability to amplify the power of Pulse and Aura-type moves by 50%!
This ability was named Mega Launcher by Professor Oak.
This was why Gary continued using Water Type moves even against a Water Pokemon.
Wave Crash belonged to a type of move susceptible to Mega Launcher's amplification. However, this move inherently inflicted recoil, and the higher its power, the stronger the recoil. In facing such a vastly stronger foe, Gary was wagering it all!
The MEGA Blastoise's body immediately enveloped in a thick, almost substantial water flow. The dark blue stream flowed swiftly over its shell and limbs, rolling with life-like dynamics!
The next second, Blastoise's body shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, creating a long blue trail of clear water across the field.
'Hydro Pump.' Facing the imposing attack of MEGA Blastoise, Mewtwo's voice remained calm.
Mewtwo Blastoise bent slightly, and two huge Hydro Pumps burst forth, clashing head-on with MEGA Blastoise!
As soon as the dark blue water flow met the hydro pump, the violent Water Type energy erupted like a volcanic explosion, spreading widely. The water enveloping MEGA Blastoise was violently disturbed by the Hydro Pump, pain visible on its face.