Under a tree in the distance, Rex watched the group of players surrounded by the three Closed Beta Players, his brow slightly raised.
When he first saw the Typhlosion, he thought someone else—like him—had also obtained some kind of system. That possibility made him hesitate to step in and challenge them for money. He preferred to observe the situation first.
But now, after hearing the bespectacled young man mention Closed Beta Players, Rex quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Good.
At least no one else had cheats like his. His advantage was still unique.
---
"Pidgey~"
At that moment, Mew, perched on Rex's shoulder in its Pidgey form, let out a cry.
Rex turned toward it in confusion. Now that he had returned to human form, he could no longer understand Mew's voice.
"Mew, you should be able to communicate with me using Telepathy, right?" Rex asked.
After all, Mewtwo, which was created using Mew's genes, could communicate telepathically. It would be strange if the original Mew couldn't.
"Yes, Master."
A soft, ethereal voice echoed directly inside Rex's mind.
The pleasant sound made him like Mew even more.
"Master, are those people bad?" Mew asked. "I don't like people who use Pokémon to bully others."
Mew tilted its head while speaking.
Hearing this, Rex's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, they are," he replied quickly. "Mew, do you want to teach them a lesson with me? People like them deserve it."
"Yes, Master."
"Good," Rex said with a faint smile. "Then listen to my commands during the battle."
With Mew by his side, Rex didn't think he could possibly lose to those Closed Beta Players.
After all, no matter how strong their Pokémon were…
Could they possibly be stronger than a Mythical Pokémon?
And not just any Mythical Pokémon—
Mew, the ancestor of all Pokémon.
Even if Mew wasn't as battle-hardened as Mewtwo, defeating those players would still be effortless.
---
With that thought, Rex began walking toward the group.
But after only two steps, he suddenly stopped.
He retreated behind a nearby tree.
Then he used Transform.
In the next moment, Rex's appearance changed into that of a middle-aged man.
---
"Master, why are you doing this?" Mew asked curiously.
"I'm doing it so we can save people more easily," Rex replied calmly.
"Mew, remember this—helping people also requires strategy. Human hearts are complicated."
"If I chased those guys away using my real identity, someone might recognize you as Mew. That would bring endless trouble."
"So using a fake identity is safer."
"Even if they eventually figure it out, it won't affect me."
Mew blinked its eyes in confusion.
"You'll understand later," Rex said with a grin.
Then he picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it toward the Bayleef that was currently chasing players away.
---
"Bayleef!"
Bayleef cried out angrily after being hit.
It turned around and saw a middle-aged man approaching with a Pidgey on his shoulder.
Immediately, it lashed out with Vine Whip.
---
"Pidgey, use Hurricane!"
With a flap of its wings, Mew flew up from Rex's shoulder.
First, it knocked aside Bayleef's Vine Whip with a powerful wing strike.
Then it soared above Bayleef and began beating its wings rapidly.
In the next moment—
four powerful whirlwinds descended from different directions.
Bayleef had no chance to dodge.
"Bayleef!"
The Grass-type Pokémon cried out in pain as it was slammed to the ground by the raging storm.
It quickly lost the ability to battle.
After all, Flying-type moves had a natural advantage against Grass-type Pokémon like Bayleef.
---
The battle immediately drew the attention of the three Closed Beta Players.
Especially the leader among them.
When he saw his Bayleef defeated by an unevolved Pidgey, his expression darkened instantly.
He waved his hand.
"Typhlosion—go!"
Then he recalled Bayleef into its Poké Ball and glared coldly at Rex.
"Uncle," he said mockingly, "are you trying to play the hero?"
"Hahaha!"
Rex clapped his hands enthusiastically, acting like an eccentric middle-aged man.
"I'm just excited for a good fight."
"You three look pretty strong. How about having a match with me?"
---
"You want a bet battle?" the young man asked, raising an eyebrow.
He had assumed the old man came to stop them from robbing people.
But this worked out well.
He hadn't fully satisfied his craving for battles yet.
"Alright, Uncle," he said with a grin. "How big of a wager do you want?"
Rex spread his hands casually.
"Everything."
"Let's bet all our money."
"If you win, you take all my money."
"If I win, you give me all yours."
---
The young man frowned.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
The three exchanged glances.
Finally, the girl beside him spoke.
"First tell us how much money you actually have. If all you have combined isn't even—"
"Don't ask how much money I have," Rex interrupted confidently.
"Because I'm going to fight all three of you at once."
"What I want to know is…"
"…do you dare?"
---
The three players looked at each other again, clearly suspicious.
"Could he be trying to trick us?" the girl muttered cautiously. "How could something this good exist?"
"Ziqiu's right," the quiet young man beside her added. "He might also be a Closed Beta Player like us. Maybe his teammates are hiding nearby waiting to ambush us."
The leader looked around carefully.
---
"Why? Too scared to fight three against one?" Rex taunted loudly.
"Are you even men?"
"If you're still afraid, all three of you can attack at once."
"I'll just use one Pidgey to fight."
---
That was enough.
The young man's pride flared immediately.
"Fine!"
"Anyone who backs out is a coward!"
Then he turned to his companions.
"You two stay out of this."
"Watch how I roast that Pidgey with my Typhlosion."
---
"Typhlosion — Sunny Day!"
Typhlosion roared.
The flames around its neck blazed even brighter, shining like a miniature sun.
The surrounding temperature rose instantly, making the air feel scorching hot.
"Typhlosion — Flamethrower!"
A blazing torrent of fire shot from Typhlosion's mouth.
Empowered by Sunny Day, the Flamethrower burned even more fiercely than before.
If it hit the Pidgey directly, it would definitely be knocked out instantly.
---
Rex remained calm.
"Pidgey, use Quick Attack to dodge. Fly above its head and start gathering energy in your mouth."
"Pidgey!"
A lightning-fast Z-shaped blur flashed through the air.
Mew effortlessly dodged the Flamethrower and rushed toward Typhlosion.
Its eyes gleamed sharply.
In the blink of an eye, it appeared directly above Typhlosion.
At the same time, a dark sphere of energy began forming in its mouth.
---
"Pidgey—use Hyper Beam!"
"What?! That's impossible!"
The young man's eyes widened in shock.
He had been wondering what move the Pidgey was charging.
But when he heard Hyper Beam, his entire expression changed.
"Typhlosion! Dodge quickly!"
---
Typhlosion tried to leap away.
But it was too late.
Against Mew disguised as Pidgey, its reaction speed simply wasn't fast enough.
A massive beam of energy erupted from Pidgey's mouth.
The attack struck with a deafening roar.
A violent explosion followed, sending smoke and dust into the air.
For a moment, no one could see what had happened to Typhlosion.
---
Then a gust of wind blew the smoke away.
Typhlosion lay on the ground.
The flames around its neck had completely gone out.
It was unable to move.