"A machine inside the Silph Co. building?"
After glancing at the Pokédex in his hand, Ryuuske snapped it shut, his gaze shifting toward the "ruins" of Silph Co. headquarters.
What remained of the once towering 500-meter skyscraper was now little more than a skeletal outline. The entire financial district surrounding Silph Co. had been reduced to rubble, leaving behind only shattered fragments of stone and steel.
"According to Green's message, that so-called machine should be located in the basement level of Silph Co., heavily fortified—no wonder it survived even after the building collapsed."
Ryuuske's eyes flickered as he considered how to locate the machine's exact position. At the same time, he remained vigilant, scanning the skies for any sign of Giovanni's Beedrill.
Compared to Sabrina's controlled Tri-Bird, Giovanni's Beedrill was the true source of Ryuuske's unease—even hesitation. Though the fusion of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres was powerful, it wasn't insurmountable. In fact, Ryuuske found it strange.
As "Mirage Pokémon," the Legendary Birds should have possessed formidable strength even without the "authority" of true Legendaries. A fusion of all three should have rivaled even the most powerful Legendary Pokémon. Yet, as Ryuuske faced them with Mew, he found the battle almost... effortless.
It was as if their power had been artificially weakened.
Research on Legendary and Mirage Pokémon was scarce even in human history, leaving Ryuuske with no answers. But in the end, an easier opponent was never a bad thing.
The only real threat now was Giovanni. Yet, after recalling Mewtwo, the Rocket leader had stopped pursuing him. Was he planning something even more dangerous?
When it came to Giovanni, Ryuuske always assumed the worst.
Beneath him, Mew shifted back into 'Rayquaza'—for Ryuuske, the Sky Dragon was simply the most intuitive to command.
'Rayquaza' and the Tri-Bird weaved through the clouds, their clashes sending shockwaves through the sky. Blades of wind sliced through the air, thunder roared, flames scorched, and blizzards froze—until the once-dense cloud cover was torn to shreds.
"Still refusing to surrender, Sabrina? Your boss Giovanni has vanished, the Saffron barrier can't hold back the Gym Leaders much longer—look to the west! The Celadon forces have already broken through Rocket's lines. It won't be long before the other three Gym Leaders breach the city. Rocket has no chance left!"
"...If you surrender to me now, I might even go easy on you."
With Giovanni no longer in sight, Ryuuske relaxed, standing atop 'Rayquaza' with his arms crossed, casually taunting the increasingly agitated Sabrina.
"Shut up! There's no way I'd lose—especially not to you!"
Sabrina's voice was venomous, but Ryuuske could hear the undercurrent of panic.
Only she and Giovanni knew the truth—Saffron's barrier had fallen so easily because a hidden expert had ambushed the Psychic barrier squad while they were distracted.
Without the energy supplied by over a thousand Psychic-types, the city's defenses had crumbled, allowing Celadon's forces—the strongest among the Gym Leader factions—to break through.
Giovanni had already informed Sabrina that Rocket's defeat was inevitable, ordering her to retreat. But she had stubbornly refused.
Even knowing the battle was lost, she couldn't accept defeat—especially not at Ryuuske's hands.
But she had underestimated him. She wasn't Giovanni. Even with the Tri-Bird, against Ryuuske's Mew—and the ever-looming threat of Mewtwo's return—all she could do was delay the inevitable.
Just then, Ryuuske's Pokédex vibrated.
Reacting instantly, he had 'Rayquaza' entangle the Tri-Bird while pulling a Poké Ball from his pocket. With a flick of psychic energy, he hurled it directly above the three-headed monstrosity.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
The Poké Ball released Gary's Blastoise—recovered by Mewtwo after her earlier battle with Sabrina.
"That little brat's Pokémon?!"
Sabrina barely had time to process the sudden appearance of a non-flying Pokémon at this altitude before the high-pressure blast struck the Tri-Bird like a cannon.
A chorus of pained shrieks erupted from all three heads as the fused Legendaries plummeted from the sky.
Wind howled in Ryuuske's ears as the Tri-Bird fell—only to stabilize at the last moment, mere meters above the ground.
But before it could take flight again, thick vines lashed out, coiling around its legs.
A moment later, a searing Fire Blast exploded in the air. Though the fire barely harmed the Tri-Bird (thanks to Moltres' resistance), the flames trapped it momentarily.
"Ryuuske! It's up to you now!"
Ash and Gary's distant shouts reached him. Without hesitation, Ryuuske crouched, pressing a hand against 'Rayquaza's' head.
"...Mew, scan the Silph Co. ruins below. Find that machine!"
Transmitting a mental image of the device via psychic link, the 'Rayquaza' twisted and shrank—reverting to Mew's small, pink form. With a soft "Mew!", it unleashed a wave of psychic energy.
Unlike Mewtwo's razor-sharp power, Mew's abilities were gentler—yet no less vast. In an instant, the entire ruin was mapped.
Ryuuske smirked.
Now airborne thanks to Mew's levitation, he hurled two more Poké Balls.
"Garchomp, Hyper Beam—level the ruins below! Dragonair, follow up with a precision strike! Mew, Mewtwo—gather your power. We're splitting those birds apart!"
A terrifying surge of energy coalesced around Ryuuske, distorting the very air. Then—
BOOM!
Garchomp's Hyper Beam tore through the sky like a divine lance, slamming into the earth with apocalyptic force.
A second later, the shockwave hit—unleashing a hurricane-like vortex that scoured the battlefield. The sheer energy vaporized everything in its path, leaving behind a crater where Silph Co.'s ruins once stood.
Dragonair's follow-up strike was surgical—a pinpoint Hyper Beam lancing straight into the now-exposed machine.
The device cracked. Then—
CRACK!
The stone disc atop it shattered, scattering across the ground.
SCREEEEEECH—!!!
The Tri-Bird convulsed violently, its three heads thrashing as if in agony. With a final, ear-splitting cry, it wrenched itself apart—flinging Sabrina from its back.
"Alakazam!"
Sabrina barely managed to summon her Alakazam in time, using its psychic power to halt her fall.
As she looked up, her eyes widened—
Ryuuske had already thrown another Poké Ball.
"Mewtwo, Mew—subdue those birds!"
Mewtwo stood to his left, Mew to his right. Both of their eyes glowed a deep, ominous violet.
Psychic energy thickened into a tangible force, warping the laws of space itself. Light bent, twisted—until the entire area resembled a black hole, a void where reality itself frayed.
Lightning, flames, and blizzards—all were swallowed by the psychic maelstrom.
Then—
RRRIIIIPPP!!!
An unimaginable force tore the Tri-Bird apart—splitting Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno back into their separate forms!
To be continued…
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