Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command!

Lance and Agatha's teamwork was seamless.

Without needing to exchange a single word, they coordinated their moves flawlessly. This level of synergy alone placed them among the top 0.1% of trainers in the world, truly worthy of the title of Elite Four.

But Luo Yuan and Mewtwo were no amateurs, either.

"Mewtwo, Teleport!"

Mewtwo vanished from its spot.

Flare Blitz and Shadow Ball collided at the location where Mewtwo had been, re-creating the explosive scene from Charizard's initial ambush.

Seeing Mewtwo use Teleport, Agatha frowned.

When it came to frustrating opponents, Psychic-type Teleport was as infuriating as the Ghost-type's Phantom Force.

Mewtwo's sudden disappearance put every Pokémon on high alert, bracing for it to appear behind them at any moment with a devastating surprise attack.

The most cautious—or perhaps the most paranoid—of all was Agatha's Gengar.

It immediately disappeared into the shadows, clearly planning to wait until Mewtwo reappeared.

Although this sequence of events sounds long, it all happened in an instant.

Mewtwo's figure materialized in the air the next second.

"What? In the sky?"

Hovering high above, Mewtwo floated even higher than Dragonite.

None of the League trainers watching from afar understood why Mewtwo had taken to the air.

Only Lance, Agatha, and Bruno had an inkling of what was coming.

The word Luo Yuan spoke next confirmed their suspicions.

"Calm Mind!"

In midair, Mewtwo tossed its Psychic Spoon down to Luo Yuan.

Crossing its legs, it hovered in a meditation posture, its hands clasped before it.

Drip—drip…

A soft dripping sound echoed in everyone's ears, though Lance and Agatha, familiar with battle techniques, knew it wasn't real water. It was the prelude to Calm Mind.

"Stop it!"

Lance and Agatha shouted at their Pokémon.

From Mewtwo's previous show of psychic power, it was clear its strength was already terrifying.

Now, it was using Calm Mind?

If Mewtwo boosted both its special attack and special defense, this battle would be unwinnable.

Their Pokémon—Gengar, Dragonite, Charizard, and those on standby: Gyarados, Arbok, and Alolan Marowak—launched their attacks on Mewtwo in unison.

"Shadow Ball! Dragon Pulse! Flare Blitz! Hydro Pump! Poison Sting! Shadow Bone!"

Six Pokémon, six attacks all aimed skyward.

If Mewtwo insisted on using Calm Mind and got hit by these moves, it might be finished—or at the very least gravely injured.

Lance and Agatha were counting on this.

They were certain Mewtwo would cancel Calm Mind and dodge.

However, what happened next was beyond anything they could have expected.

A blue, spherical barrier appeared around Mewtwo.

"It's actually planning to tank the hits?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

"How arrogant!" Agatha huffed, her cane thumping on the ground.

It was a direct challenge to their power.

She intended to watch Mewtwo be knocked from the sky.

But once again, things took an unexpected turn.

Blue light flashed from Luo Yuan as he shot into the sky.

Gripping Mewtwo's Psychic Spoon, he locked onto Marowak's Shadow Bone and deflected it with a flick.

Then, he erected a Light Screen by his side, using up a significant amount of his psychic power to absorb most of Flare Blitz.

And he didn't stop there.

Twisting the Spoon in his hand, Luo Yuan poured nearly all his remaining psychic energy into it, blending it with Mewtwo's stored psychic power to execute one of Mewtwo's exclusive moves from the special series.

"Psycho Twister!"

A roaring cyclone of psychic energy whipped toward Hydro Pump, swallowing it whole and transforming into a watery twister.

Before the tornado could spiral out of control, Luo Yuan flicked the Spoon again, sending it veering toward Charizard, which scrambled to dodge.

After all this, Luo Yuan floated in midair, breathing heavily, looking down at the stunned League trainers below and the equally shaken Lance and Agatha, who were struggling to maintain their composure.

He was at his limit. Fending off Elite-tier moves in a human body, even with some clever technique, had taken a toll.

The remaining Poison Sting, Shadow Ball, Dragon Pulse, and weakened Flare Blitz he could no longer deflect. He could only watch as they struck Mewtwo's barrier.

But it was enough.

Luo Yuan watched as the attacks struck Mewtwo's shield.

Bang!

Boom!

Crack!

First, Poison Sting made no impact. The weakened Flare Blitz barely scratched the barrier.

Only Dragon Pulse and Shadow Ball made any dent. Much like before, the combined force of Dragon Pulse and Shadow Ball shattered the shield after a brief struggle.

The residual energy from the explosion scorched Mewtwo, leaving a few burns.

But… it was a price worth paying.

Whoosh!

A psychic storm erupted from Mewtwo, wiping away the last wisps of energy.

Standing high in the air, Mewtwo released an even more intense psychic energy than before.

"Mewtwo!"

Luo Yuan tossed the Psychic Spoon back up to Mewtwo.

As it caught the Spoon, Mewtwo disappeared and reappeared behind Dragonite.

Humm—

Pouring psychic energy into the Spoon, Mewtwo struck, sending Dragonite spinning through the air before it could regain control.

Dazed, Dragonite struggled to stabilize itself.

Gengar took advantage of the moment, smirking as it flung a Shadow Ball at Mewtwo and reached with Shadow Claw, trying to yank it down.

But Mewtwo, brimming with power, didn't flinch.

In one swift motion, it swung its Spoon, smashing the incoming Shadow Ball before it could detonate, dispersing it into dark energy in the air.

As Gengar paused in shock,

Mewtwo unleashed a Psycho Cut, narrowly missing Gengar's tail and sending it scrambling away, no longer willing to taunt Mewtwo.

"We can't let this continue—attack together!" Agatha commanded.

With Mewtwo's strength now boosted by Calm Mind, it had reached a terrifying level, well beyond what two or three Pokémon could handle. Any further delays would lead them down Bruno's path of being picked off one by one.

Their testing was over—it was time to go all out.

"Understood!" Lance replied, immediately springing into action.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

"Charizard, Overheat!"

"Gyarados, Crunch!"

"Dragonair, Dragon Pulse!"

"Aerodactyl, Stone Edge!"

Adding to his original Dragonite, Charizard, and Gyarados, Lance summoned Dragonair and Aerodactyl as well.

Just giving these orders took several seconds, a feat only a trainer of Lance's caliber could manage without being overwhelmed.

Agatha's response was simpler.

She released two more Pokémon.

Crobat and Mismagius appeared beside her.

"Attack freely!"

Crobat and Arbok both used Venoshock, while Mismagius, Marowak, and Gengar launched Shadow Balls.

Leaving one Pokémon each to protect themselves from potential attacks on their persons,

all ten Pokémon unleashed their attacks simultaneously, leaving Mewtwo with no room to dodge.

The League trainers watching were slack-jawed, caught between awe at Lance and Agatha's prowess and a growing fear for Mewtwo, their target.

How powerful must it be to warrant an all-out attack by two Elites?

At the center of this assault, Mewtwo hadn't expected such an overwhelming barrage and instinctively used Teleport to dodge.

Explosions echoed across the field as the Pokémon chased Mewtwo with relentless attacks.

For a moment, Mewtwo was forced to flee from all directions.

"They're reacting that strongly?"

Although Luo Yuan expected some pushback after Mewtwo used Calm Mind, he hadn't foreseen such a fierce response.

Against Bruno, he had gradually worn him down, giving him small glimmers of hope only to pull them away, until Mewtwo had picked off his team one by one.

But just now, Luo Yuan had taken the trainer's role himself and further empowered Mewtwo with Calm Mind, which seemed to have accelerated matters. Looking back, it felt as though he had abruptly tossed a bucket of boiling water into the frog's pot, kicking Lance and Agatha straight into a showdown.

Watching Mewtwo dodge attacks through continuous Teleports, Luo Yuan glanced at his watch.

"Only ten minutes have passed…"

He needed to stall for another ten minutes to meet his agreement with True Bird.

"Mewtwo, can you hold out for ten more minutes?" Luo Yuan asked through their psychic link.

If Mewtwo could last that long, he'd avoid revealing his identity—he'd grown attached to his Tech Hunter alias over the years and wasn't eager to give it up.

Mewtwo: "..."

Seeing Mewtwo's ellipsis through the telepathic bond, Luo Yuan mused that it had become almost human in its time with him.

Giovanni should be paying him a caretaker's fee.

Whoosh!

A Shadow Ball grazed Mewtwo.

With a snarl, Aerodactyl swooped in, aiming to bite down on Mewtwo's tail.

Forced to Teleport once more, Mewtwo was beginning to feel the strain.

Through the bond, Mewtwo sent a plea for support.

"All right, I get it…" Luo Yuan sighed, reaching for Deoxys' Poké Ball at his waist.

"Go!"

Boom!

In a flash of white light, the red-and-blue Deoxys appeared on the battlefield.

Without a hint of emotion, it scanned its surroundings, pausing on a few familiar faces.

The sight of Deoxys struck a chord of terror in Dragonite, Charizard, Dragonair, and Aerodactyl—all of whom recalled their previous encounter.

"That's… the Deoxys from before!" Lance's eyes widened in shock.

He couldn't comprehend how a Team Rocket executive could summon the Tech Hunter's Deoxys.

"Is this the same Deoxys you and Lorelei encountered on the Sevii Islands?" Agatha asked, recognizing the powerful Pokémon hovering before them.

With Deoxys now in play, Luo Yuan didn't hesitate.

"Deoxys, clear the field!"

Without missing a beat, Deoxys shifted into Speed Form and shot into action.

Whoosh

It became a blur, disappearing into thin air before reappearing beside Aerodactyl.

Transforming into Attack Form, Deoxys' sharp tendrils stabbed through Aerodactyl's wings, puncturing them.

With its wings damaged, Aerodactyl spiraled down, crashing with a scream.

Deoxys didn't stop, shifting back to Speed Form as it zipped behind Arbok.

"Zen Headbutt!"

Still in high-speed mode, Deoxys rammed into Arbok, sending it flying like a cannonball.

The remaining Pokémon, witnessing the fate of Aerodactyl and Arbok, finally snapped back to reality.

They launched attacks on the speeding Deoxys.

But unlike Mewtwo, forced to rely on Teleport, Deoxys was simply too fast.

Every attack missed its mark.

Without Pokémon that could pin Deoxys in place or afflict it with paralysis, poison, or sleep, there was nothing to hinder its deadly strikes.

Gengar and Mismagius attempted to trap it with Mean Look, but Deoxys, often sparring with Luo Yuan's Gengar, was too familiar with Ghost-type tactics to fall for it.

Whoosh!

A Shadow Ball flew, striking Dragonite mid-preparation.

It had been about to use Dragon Breath to paralyze Deoxys, but half the move caught in its throat, paralyzing it instead.

Dragonite, now spinning uncontrollably, crashed into Dragonair.

The two Dragon-types tangled as Mewtwo seized the opportunity, hitting them with Psystrike and Psychic, finishing them off in one fell swoop.

With Dragonite and Dragonair out of commission, Deoxys, relentless as ever, sped toward its next target.

---

Attention, all. I am pleased to announce the release of a new translation, "This Is My Holy Grail War." Your support is acknowledged. Engage with this work at your discretion.

Reader, your presence signifies commitment.

To walk this path is to contribute to the pursuit of eternity.

Should you wish to further fortify our resolve, step forward: [patreon.com/WiseTL].

Each action contributes to the unyielding foundation of our creation. Together, we etch a mark that transcends the fleeting nature of time.

For those who aspire to push the limits further, offering one 'Burger' will unlock an additional 5 chapters: [ko-fi.com/wisetl]. Specify which story your donation pertains to; this offer applies exclusively to stories available on Scribble Hub.

— Raiden Shogun