The deafening noise exploded on the ground, followed by a sharp, jarring shattering sound.
The lingering smoke gradually settled down, with Lucario maintaining a punching posture, his entire body erupting with endless power.
On the other hand, Mewtwo lay on the ground looking very disheveled, his expression extremely grim, with an emerald green barrier in front of him blocking Lucario's Meteor Mash.
This is the Protect skill!
If it weren't for this Protect, Mewtwo would've been directly hit by the Meteor Mash, practically sealing his defeat.
Even though he used Protect to block this move, Mewtwo is now barely hanging on.
The rapidly changing situation on the field caught Misty and the others by surprise. They originally thought it would be a fierce showdown, especially since Mewtwo had already unlocked all his shackles.
According to Blaine, Mewtwo in a fully unleashed state is almost second only to a god, a power even the average Champion Peak can't match.
Even though Lucario has ramped up his power to this terrifying level by unknown means, against a prime Mewtwo, it should've been a balanced struggle, right?
Resultantly, Mewtwo was utterly overpowered, no matter how hard she resisted or erupted in strength, she couldn't budge Lucario an inch.
The battle scene was indeed spectacular, yet Lucario seemed to handle it with ease, while every attack from Mewtwo made his muscles tremble, his expression grotesque, exerting himself to the utmost.
Their combat powers can only be described by one phrase—disparity!
This disparity in power reminded Gary of his own confrontation with Mewtwo, only now the roles were reversed, with Mewtwo being in his past position and Lucario in Mewtwo's.
Even though Gary was intensely curious about how Ash made Lucario so strong, now wasn't the time for pondering, winning this battle was the priority!
It wasn't until this moment that Gary got a tangible understanding of what Giovanni had mentioned.
If Ash wins this battle, half of Team Rocket will be disbanded. Such a vast organization losing half its members and funds would be tantamount to complete collapse.
After all, if you suddenly declare half the organization to be disbanded without reason, how would the remaining members react? How would those who stayed feel?
Even if half remains, it wouldn't pose any threat, and the once airtight Team Rocket would dissolve into disarray.
Thinking of eliminating such an evil organization for the alliance and the world made Gary excited, even if he wasn't the one doing it.
Giovanni also realized this outcome, feeling a chill in his limbs and his facial expression frozen. Losing this battle meant not only the risk of Team Rocket's disbandment but also the possible defection of Mewtwo!
There was never any affection between him and Mewtwo—they were controlled entirely by machines. Since Mewtwo's birth, Giovanni manipulated him into wearing those machines, tightly binding him until today, fearing Mewtwo's realization.
Originally, even if Mewtwo had thoughts of rebellion, as long as the machines were on him, he'd still be at Giovanni's disposal, but now...
According to Giovanni's initial plan, even if Mewtwo defected, having Ash—a Trainer like a monster—would be worth the loss!
But now... hehe, losing both the wife and the army is a perfect description of his current situation!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
On the field, the cracks on the barrier before Mewtwo became denser, as if it would shatter at any moment.
"Teleport!" Giovanni attempted a last struggle, trying to have Mewtwo use Teleport to dodge Lucario's Meteor Mash.
However, in such a state, even Mewtwo needed to muster all her strength to maintain the barrier. Any distraction would lead to its destruction, leaving no opportunity for her to use Teleport in that fleeting moment.
The time to move via Teleport is indeed brief, but the initiation isn't just a moment, or else Mewtwo wouldn't have been hit by the gigantic Aura Sphere earlier.
Therefore, Giovanni's order went unanswered, with Mewtwo still desperately holding up the barrier, hoping Lucario's Meteor Mash would weaken at some point for her to dodge.
But things went contrary to wishes, as seconds later, the emerald barrier shattered with a crash, and a fist emitting a silvery glow pierced through it, hitting Mewtwo forcefully, making her emit an extremely painful scream.
"Boom!"
On her body's surface, the muscles nearly clustered, and the terrifying force pierced through her body, hitting the ground directly, erasing a portion of the field and revealing a huge crater.
Lucario slowly retracted his fist, leaping to the non-cratered area, while Mewtwo fell into the crater, her eyes blank and breath silent, as if she were dead.
Aura Ash, after glancing at Mewtwo, relaxed his slightly tense expression.
It was certain that she had lost her combat ability; as for her Life Force... it was still quite strong.
Mewtwo was created using Mew's genes, an existence comparable to divinity, hardly prone to death, and Lucario had held back deliberately, making death impossible.
With Mewtwo incapacitated, the surrounding golden barriers began turning illusory, eventually condensing into a golden light shooting into Giovanni.
Giovanni displayed a deadpan expression, having no intention of dodging, knowing too well the effect of the contract he had released.
Giovanni took out a phone, dialing a certain number. The call connected instantly, and he immediately spoke: "Archer, begin by disbanding half of Team Rocket's members, senior members, dismiss half of Team Rocket's funds, and destroy half of Team Rocket's research materials…"
With each order Giovanni announced, Archer on the other end began sweating profusely. Was the boss trying to destroy Team Rocket?
Or had someone taken control of the boss leading to such orders?
No matter the allegiance, such orders couldn't be followed blindly; Archer was no exception.
He had no ulterior motives against Giovanni, but he couldn't heed his current orders as it undoubtedly meant destroying Team Rocket!
"...I know you have doubts about my orders, even suspecting whether I'm being controlled or if I'm the genuine article, I'll address these doubts later, for now, just execute the orders, get those procedures done, and I'll come to find you later."
Giovanni stated before hanging up.
The most remarkable aspect of the Arceus contract is its absoluteness—you cannot harbor any form of resistance psychologically, even adhering to the contract from the heart.
Just like now, Giovanni is genuinely and methodically intending to dismantle half of Team Rocket.
In his mind now, a complete plan was ready to be executed shortly.
Yet Giovanni remained unchanged, only his perspective towards Team Rocket had been forcibly altered. Once he ended the call, his gaze immediately fell onto Mewtwo on the ground.
Team Rocket's loss was guaranteed, but Mewtwo mustn't be sacrificed!
As long as Mewtwo remains, Team Rocket's resurgence was just a matter of time. While she was incapacitated, seizing this chance to capture and take her away would be ideal, for it'd be too late once Mewtwo revives.
At this moment, Lucario stood before Mewtwo while Ash slowly approached Mewtwo: "Giovanni, the official battle is over. Now it's the clash between justice and evil, you can't take Mewtwo away."