In the banquet hall, all the Pokémon belonging to Hiroshi, Luna, and Yusho had been captured by Mewtwo Balls and taken to an unknown location. Ash knew that Mewtwo planned to use the cloning machine on these captured Pokémon.
"Pikachu, can you stop it?" Ash asked Pikachu, who stood beside him. For some reason, the Mewtwo Ball hadn't targeted Pikachu, as if it hadn't been detected.
Ash had some theories about this. It was likely due to Pikachu's inheritance of the Winged Dragon of Ra. The three phantom gods possessed powerful resistance, and the capture function of the Mewtwo Ball could be considered a negative status condition on some level.
While Ash had his suspicions, others also speculated about the situation, especially Hiroshi. Witnessing the Mewtwo Ball ignore Pikachu, his eyes reddened, and he charged towards Ash with a furious expression.
"It's you! You must be in league with that strange Pokémon! Right? Otherwise, how would you know about this strange Poké Ball!" Hiroshi wanted to seize Ash, threatening him to return his Pokémon.
Hiroshi's words might have seemed plausible to those who didn't understand the situation, but Luna and Yusho quickly dismissed his claims after a moment's thought. There was no logical connection.
The power displayed by Mewtwo was undeniable, and judging from its behavior, it was unlikely to be allied with any human. Ash might possess some knowledge, but it was unrelated to Mewtwo's actions.
Pikachu stood before Ash, glaring at Hiroshi. Electricity crackled around its cheeks, and if Hiroshi dared to approach, it wouldn't hesitate to unleash a Thunder Shock!
Hiroshi faltered, then glanced at Luna and Yusho, seeing they had no intention of supporting him. He gritted his teeth and stepped aside, his face contorted with anger.
At that moment, the ascending Mewtwo Balls suddenly stopped and fell powerlessly to the ground.
"Huh?!" Everyone was stunned, watching the Mewtwo Balls plummet. One even rolled to Luna's feet.
"What happened?" They had thought their Pokémon were lost, but this unexpected turn of events suggested the Mewtwo Balls had malfunctioned.
Luna, Yusho, and Hiroshi quickly came to their senses and rushed to pick up the Mewtwo Balls, hoping to release their Pokémon. However, they soon discovered that no matter what they tried, they couldn't open them.
Brock and Misty looked at Ash simultaneously, thinking he might know what had transpired, but Ash shook his head, admitting he didn't understand the cause.
"Damn it, why won't this thing open!" Hiroshi, unaware of whose Pokémon the Mewtwo Ball in his hand contained, slammed it furiously against the ground, but it remained undamaged.
Witnessing this, Luna and Yusho frowned. The captured Pokémon's identities were unknown, and Hiroshi's reckless behavior towards the Mewtwo Ball showed a disregard for the Pokémon inside.
Suddenly, four figures materialized in the banquet hall, capturing everyone's attention.
"Great, we're finally out of there!" Jessie exclaimed, relieved to have escaped the research room. She hadn't fully grasped their location but was grateful to be away from the terrifying Pokémon that had instilled fear even in her fearless heart.
"If it weren't for Mew, we'd all be dead at the hands of that Pokémon!" Meowth said, still shaken. It glanced at Mew, only to realize they hadn't left the castle yet.
"It's those kids!" James spotted Ash and his group first. His face hardened slightly as he alerted Jessie and Meowth.
"Those twerps?!" Jessie and Meowth looked in the direction James indicated and also saw Ash and his friends, their expressions turning sour.
Ever since the mysterious Pokémon had chased them away, they knew a powerful Pokémon protected Ash. Although they continued to pursue Ash and his group, they maintained a safe distance.
This time was no different. They had followed Ash and his friends to Old Coast City and were surprised to find so many Trainers gathered there. They decided to investigate and report back to their organization.
Unexpectedly, a large group of Trainers had left the harbor despite the hurricane and rain. Unsure of their destination, Team Rocket had hastily constructed a small boat and followed them.
With a stroke of luck, they had navigated through the storm and arrived at New Island.
However, there was no one to receive them, so they wandered around until they stumbled upon the laboratory. Meowth had been accidentally cloned by the machine, attracting Mewtwo's attention.
"Team Rocket?!" Ash was surprised to see the trio after such a long absence, especially under these circumstances.
And beside them... was that the mythical Pokémon, Mew?
"It's not the time to talk about these things, hurry up and run!" Just as Jessie and James were about to say something to Ash and his group, Meowth grabbed them and ran towards the banquet hall exit.
Jessie and James reacted immediately and followed Meowth without hesitation. They didn't dare to stay in the castle, or even on New Island.
"Mew!" Mew giggled as it looked at the distressed Team Rocket trio, but it didn't follow them. Instead, it turned its attention to the people in the banquet hall.
"It turned out to be Mew..." Looking at the cute, small Pokémon floating in mid-air, everyone was stunned. For many years, Mew, and even the legendary Pokémon, had not appeared before humans.
And now, not only were they lucky enough to encounter Mew, but they were also so close to it.
"That's right!" Luna came to his senses and anxiously asked Mew, "Mew, can you destroy these Poké Balls and let the Pokémon inside out?"
Yusho and Hiroshi also reacted and gathered in front of Mew, looking at it pleadingly.
Mew looked at the Poké Ball in everyone's hands and was about to respond when its expression suddenly changed. Psychic energy surged, and a pink light formed a protective film, shielding itself and the three people around it.
"Boom!" Before anyone could react, an Aura Sphere bombarded the protective film. The violent impact swept in all directions, and smoke obscured Mew and the others.
Looking in the direction from which the Aura Sphere was launched, they saw that the attacker was Mewtwo, who had pursued them there.
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