Team Rocket Headquarters: Giovanni's subordinates had already made themselves scarce. Right now... it was a peak "embarrassment moment" for the Boss!
Following his impulsive outburst, Giovanni realized he'd messed up. But backing down in front of the whole world? Impossible! So, he threw Team Magma under the bus.
He knew exactly what Red was thinking—he was a veteran conspirator, after all. But this was the price of impulse! He had spent so much effort establishing ties with Hoenn's Team Magma to expand his reach.
Now, the Hoenn branch project would have to be delayed. The only silver lining? No one actually knew where the real Team Rocket HQ was.
"Everyone, come in. Watch the ranking closely. Look for any weaknesses in Mewtwo." At Giovanni's command, his subordinates filed back in with solemn faces... though many were struggling desperately to suppress their laughter.
In the Footage—
Faced with Giovanni's threats, Mewtwo's tone finally shifted. 'You... are a despicable man!' "Heh, say what you will.
He who achieves greatness does not sweat the small stuff." "Now... the choice is yours, Mewtwo. Will you abandon your companions on this island? Or will you continue this futile standoff with me?" Giovanni smirked, leaning back against the railing of his advanced transport.
Meanwhile, after discovering the secret of the island's lake water, Ash and the others continued their search for Pikachu.
Instead of Pikachu, they ran into Domino, who was capturing Mewtwo's companions. As expected, everyone was caught. Even the "Super Pallet Man" Ash couldn't resist Team Rocket's high-tech restraint rings.
The Pokémon on the island were rounded up! Mewtwo arrived—but he was too late. Every clone Pokémon, including their offspring, had been captured.
Domino even held a tiny Nidoran hostage. If Mewtwo moved an inch, she would end the little Pokémon's life with her black rose gun. Even a god like Mewtwo was now powerless!
[Drake: Honestly, Mewtwo's heart is still too pure and kind.]
[Agatha: Hmph. I knew from the start that Mewtwo wasn't truly evil. This ranking just proves it.]
[Charles Goodshow: Exactly. If Mewtwo wanted to, since they dared to threaten his friends, he could have turned around and taken Giovanni hostage!]
[Lorelei: In that case, the Rocket grunts would have to choose: their boss's life, or the clones.]
[Bruno: ...I mean, you're right, but I feel like I'm meeting you guys for the first time. Are you all this dark?]
[Lance: Honestly, Bruno, the fact that you've survived this long with that brain is a miracle.]
As the veterans noted, Mewtwo was too naive. In a situation like this, "capturing the king to free the pawns" is the best strategy.
Unfortunately, Mewtwo's first instinct was to flee or sacrifice himself rather than counter-attack. Ash's "soul-cleansing" had turned a powerhouse into a bit of a pacifist!
In the Footage—
Giovanni landed his craft nearby. "Mewtwo, if you want to save your companions, you must live only for me! Fight only for me!" 'If I am to live for you, I would rather vanish from this world!' "How stubborn.
If you resist, your friends will become my experimental materials and vanish instead." 'Tsk...' Mewtwo clenched his fists, glaring at Giovanni with pure hatred.
"Let's play a game," Giovanni snapped his fingers. The machines from before drifted around Mewtwo. These have two modes.
You've seen the attack mode. The second is the Control Mode! It will turn you into a tool that obeys only me. If you willingly drop your defenses and stay inside for one day... I will let your friends go."
Giovanni knew that if Mewtwo resisted with his psychic power, these machines were junk. But if he gave up his powers... he would be trapped.
The clone Pokémon cried out, begging Mewtwo not to go. Meowth translated: "They're telling Mewtwo not to do it! It'll be terrible, meow!" Even Meowth's heart was now firmly on the side of the clones.
To prove his point, Giovanni had Domino fire a burst of energy from her black rose gun at the two Pikachus.
The attack was as strong as a Gym Leader's move! 'STOP! I agree to your terms! But you must not harm them anymore!' Mewtwo walked into the blue energy field. Instantly, his body was locked.
Giovanni ramped up the power. The blue light turned pink. Mewtwo let out a scream of agony! "Can you take this? If not, beg for mercy!" Giovanni attacked Mewtwo's mind with words, trying to break his will. 'In... your... dreams! I will... never... surrender!'
Satisfied for now, Giovanni ordered the clones taken away and planned to turn the island into a secret Rocket base for a Pokémon army.
[Lance: The Giovanni of our world is ten thousand times more disgusting than the one in Red's world!!]
[Leon: He's much more cowardly. I want to punch him.]
[Diantha: The other Giovanni was almost charming by comparison. He disbanded Team Rocket because of a single sentence from Red!]
[Cynthia: Analyzing rationally, this is what a real villain looks like. Evil organizations are always this ruthless.]
[Steven: Cynthia is right. Real bad guys are like Giovanni and Domino—unscrupulous. People like the Rocket Trio or Red's Giovanni are rare breeds of 'villains'.]
The Escape (?)
The Pokémon were thrown into a cell with Ash and the others. The two Pikachus were gravely injured, but Dr. Fuji gave them a sample of the lake water he'd collected. Miraculously, they healed instantly!
Now, everyone was locked in a cage. No special alarms, no electric fences—just... ordinary iron bars.
[Lance: I can't take it. This cage can hold Pokémon that use Hyper Beam?]
[Bruno: Forget the Pokémon. Ash could probably pull those apart with his bare hands! How are iron rods stopping the Super Pallet Man?]
The audience watched in disbelief as Ash and the others gripped the bars, shouting for someone to let them out. Seriously, Ash? Are you following Pikachu's lead and acting now?
The Climax Begins
Half a day passed. Mewtwo was still suffering in the machines. "Damn... such pain, and yet his brainwaves are stable. Is his will made of iron?!" Giovanni growled. "Boss, if this continues, Mewtwo's body will break down!" Fuji warned. Mewtwo was a Psychic-type; his physical body wasn't built for this kind of prolonged torture.
"I don't care! This is a battle of wills now! I will not lose to a Pokémon I created!" Giovanni crushed his radio in a rage.
Suddenly, a turning point! Because of the pollution from the Rocket factory, the local Pokémon—specifically a massive swarm of Bug-types—became enraged! They launched a full-scale assault on the base.
The sheer chaos broke the iron bars of Ash's cell like they were toothpicks. (Wait, if the aftershocks broke the bars, why didn't Ash just kick them open earlier?!)
The group split up. Dr. Fuji went to check the water, while Ash and the others ran to save Mewtwo!
If you want to read more, join my P@treon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones