Ash had underestimated the lingering resentment of Pikachu Two.
Taking advantage of the gap while Ash and the others were deploying on the island and organizing the Pokémon for evacuation, it actually rallied several cloned Pokémon and attempted to leave the mountain. Little did it know that Ash and Mewtwo were watching it from the slopes directly above!
"Slowking, help me translate what this little guy is saying," Ash requested. Standing next to Slowking, he knew he'd get a much more reliable translation.
"If this continues, we will be caught by those people and turned into experimental materials!"
"We have to take this opportunity to escape now!"
"Our goal is the vast world outside!"
Most of the Pokémon here were Water-types, including the cloned Blastoise with the strange patterns. Perhaps it was a primal yearning for the vast ocean in their blood that made them respond to Pikachu Two's escape plan. Watching them cross the lake, Mewtwo did not stop them.
"Some leave, some stay. If they stay here, I can protect them with my power. But even if I created them, forcing them to stay when they desire a life of freedom would just be my own wishful thinking."
"Mewtwo, do you understand now? They are independent lives. They are real Pokémon," Ash said, seizing the chance to shift Mewtwo's obsession regarding their origins as clones.
Hearing this, Mewtwo looked over. "Ash... regarding their freedom, what do you think I should do?"
"No one has the right to restrict another's freedom. They are real Pokémon. Once they leave here, they will become wild Pokémon and embark on their own journeys. They might meet a trainer like me, or, like your Rhydon, they might even raise a next generation. That is what life is."
Mewtwo gazed at Ash. "Just as I met you..."
Since Pikachu and the others had made their move, Ash and Mewtwo simply followed from a distance to protect them. However, just as they reached the shore, Giovanni's airship suddenly emerged from behind the ridge.
Red energy cannons fired without warning. The Pokémon hit were instantly paralyzed, unable to move, and were sucked into Poké Balls dropped from the ship. Soon, only the agile Pikachu Two was left struggling. It was quickly cornered, with nowhere left to run.
As the red cannon fired ruthlessly, it was intercepted and neutralized by a black Aura Sphere. Mewtwo, in the end, could not stop itself from coming to the rescue. Looking at Mewtwo, tears flickered in Pikachu's eyes.
Mewtwo saved Pikachu, its mental power erupting once more to force open all the Poké Balls, releasing the captured Pokémon. It was clear that these Team Rocket Poké Balls were like Park Balls—meant only for temporary containment.
Seeing Mewtwo appear, the Team Rocket ships ceased their fire and hovered before it. Finally, Giovanni himself stepped out.
"It really is you, Giovanni!"
"We meet again, Mewtwo." The look in Giovanni's eyes was pure possessiveness.
However, with Ash as its backup, Mewtwo faced Giovanni with composure. "My power has grown far stronger than when I was with you. Did you really think you could still manipulate me as you please?"
"You have indeed become stronger." Would Giovanni really lead a massive force here without being prepared? "But human technology can create machines to seal your power."
Two robots with large blue and red eyes appeared on either side of Mewtwo. Despite their purpose, they looked almost cute with their big eyes and ears. Based on the colors, the principle was likely electromagnetic. Sure enough, the machines released waves that created a massive repulsive force, slamming Mewtwo into the ground.
However, the power of a Legendary meant Mewtwo was virtually unscathed. "Do you think heartless machines can defeat me?"
"Precisely because they have no hearts, they can act solely for the purpose of capturing you," Giovanni replied. He trusted machines far more than Pokémon; to him, Pokémon were merely tools.
The robots' output was cranked up, but this time, Mewtwo resisted the force head-on. It unleashed a powerful psychokinesis, blasting the robots back into the cliff wall.
Giovanni wasn't surprised. "Impressive. Things without hearts are never truly strong—I know this. But precisely because you have a heart, you also have a weakness. I might not win in a head-on clash with you, but the stage for this battle is that island. Those aren't your only companions, are they?"
Giovanni pointed toward the island in the lake. A fleet of helicopters and ships was approaching. Behind Giovanni, Domino activated a flight pack and took off.
"This is Domino. Operation begin!"
This woman was truly a master of disguise. Usually acting clumsy and airheaded, she was now swift and professional. One had to wonder if all women were natural actors.
However, seeing Domino head for the island, Mewtwo's expression didn't flicker with worry. Instead, it gave Giovanni a mocking look. "Giovanni... you might not believe this, but I have companions of my own now."
Giovanni's expression changed. He whipped around to look at the island, only to see a burst of flames erupting from its center! A Team Rocket ship exploded instantly, engulfed in smoke.
"What is that?"
Giovanni could clearly see a Charizard with flaming dragon wings, systematically tearing through his fleet! The ships were as fragile as toys beneath its claws. It was a form he had never seen before, with devastating destructive power.
"Charizard, Flare Blitz!" Ash shouted, riding on Charizard's back, his body glowing with a blue light.
The benefit of reaching peak bond wasn't just the evolution itself. Charizard was bathed in fire, yet the flames didn't harm Ash in the slightest. The dragon wings folded back as the golden dragon-fire shifted into a ghostly blue glow, slamming into another airship!
On the island, the Pokémon had completed their evacuation. The few with high combat strength stayed beside Ash's four strongest Pokémon. Slowking, acting as the general commander, sat calmly as if at a chessboard, having arranged ambushes at every possible entrance.
The moment Team Rocket moved, Ash had triggered the Bond Evolution. He took to the sky with Pikachu to intercept the fleet. Finally, he blocked the path of the "Black Tulip," Domino.
"Hey, lady. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Ash cut her off. Without her commands, these ships were just a bunch of oversized, headless flies.
"Who are you?" Domino demanded. She had her communicator open; Giovanni could hear Ash's voice too.
"I am Ash, from Pallet Town!"
Pallet Town—a place where even Team Rocket dared not act recklessly.
"Ash... do you really intend to make an enemy of Team Rocket?" Domino threatened.
However, the answer she received didn't come from Ash.
"ROAR!"
It was the roar of a Fire Dragon.