Having created a battlefield suited to itself, Kyurem attacked at once.
Amid the bone-piercing wind and the blizzard of swirling snow—
BLIZZARD
One of the Ice type's most devastating finishers.
A whiteout that swallowed everything.
It didn't have the overwhelming sweep of an avalanche, but its power was no less terrifying.
Facing the Blizzard, Mewtwo's eyes flared with an eerie blue glow.
A surging tide of psychic power burst from its body, and in moments it flooded the entire frozen world.
Frozen.
It was as if a single domineering word rang in everyone's mind.
The next second—the whole battlefield seemed to hit pause. Countless snowflakes hung motionless in midair.
They could even see the shape of each individual flake with startling clarity.
"T-This… this…"
No one there could find their voice.
Until Mewtwo lifted its right hand and pushed.
The Blizzard reversed course in an instant, every last flake racing back along its original path.
In the blink of an eye—Kyurem was swallowed by the storm it had created.
Gulp.
Jie Ke and the others, who'd been wearing confident expressions, all felt their throats go tight.
"What even is that Pokémon?"
"Kyurem… it's not a match at all."
So what if Kyurem's presence was overwhelming?
Its attacks were being turned aside—effortlessly, casually.
That alone proved it.
The two Pokémon weren't even on the same level.
"Leader, what do we do?"
"If this keeps up, we're finished."
Jie Ke asked anxiously.
Yang Yong only stared, face dark, offering no answer—lost in his own thoughts.
...
Seeing its ice-and-snow assault shut down, Kyurem instantly switched tactics.
Its ferocious dragon head lifted high.
The Dragon-type finisher Draco Meteor gathered, ready to fall.
With a sharp BOOM—a blazing flare shot straight into the sky, racing upward, about to burst in brilliant glory.
But just then, Mewtwo's figure wavered, turning hazy.
In the next instant, it was above the still-unreleased Draco Meteor, a blade condensed from psychic power in its hand.
PSYCHO CUT
A move that solidified intangible psychic energy into a real, cutting strike.
Mewtwo raised the psychic blade and cleaved downward.
A cold flash split the sky and Draco Meteor was cut cleanly in two, the broken halves dropping from the air.
"Wait… you can counter Draco Meteor like that?"
Jin Peng stared, disbelief written all over his face.
Draco Meteor was a Dragon-type's signature finisher. He knew its power inside and out.
Once it went off, the opponent could only dodge or tank it.
But Mewtwo—cutting it down before the energy even detonated—
He'd never seen anyone fight like that.
Unfortunately…
Aside from Mewtwo, very few Pokémon could pull it off.
Getting in front of Draco Meteor before it burst and smashing it apart—that wasn't something an ordinary Pokémon could do.
And after that—Mewtwo still didn't press the attack. It simply kept countering Kyurem's moves.
The posture, the ease… it was like it was playing with Kyurem.
"Mewtwo, stop messing around—finish it already!"
Watching Mewtwo enjoy itself a little too much, Guo Yi finally spoke up.
He understood what Mewtwo was thinking.
After being sealed in that Poké Ball for so long, finally getting out… of course it wanted to blow off steam.
But... time didn't wait for anyone.
"Mew."
Mewtwo's face showed a faint trace of displeasure at being interrupted.
But its body was honest. It finally started fighting for real.
It raised its right hand.
A pitch-black sphere of energy formed in its palm.
SHADOW BALL
It screamed through the air.
Even though Mewtwo was a Psychic type, Shadow Ball was still one of its favorite moves.
BOOM!
The Shadow Ball struck Kyurem dead-on, and the compressed energy detonated instantly.
Kyurem had never been Mewtwo's match to begin with. Now that Mewtwo was truly cutting loose, Kyurem was completely pinned down and pummeled.
Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Psychic—even Ice Beam.
One move after another slammed into Kyurem without pause, dazzling everyone watching.
And as the Seven Sages looked on, despair finally swallowed them whole.
Is a Pokémon like that… something we can ever defeat?
The thought rose unbidden in each of their minds.
Just then—Luo De came running back from the distance.
"Leader—the workers are basically done!"
"Only the last step is left."
He slowed beside Yang Yong and spoke in a low voice.
Hearing that, a cold edge flickered in Yang Yong's eyes.
"Dragon Country's League… and Guo Yi."
"We'll meet again."
"In the meantime—just you wait."
In a situation like this—gorget defeating Mewtwo. Whether they could even escape was the real question.
As the saying goes—as long as the green hills remain, you'll never lack firewood.
In the end, Yang Yong chose to cut off his own arm to survive—abandoning Kyurem to save himself.
He unleashed every last shred of the emotion power he'd been using to control Kyurem, forcing it to erupt.
"ROARRR!"
Kyurem, which still had a sliver of reason left, now held only one word in its mind:
Destroy.
A crimson, icy glare seeped into its pupils.
"ROARRR!"
With that sky-splitting dragon rage, the range of Ice Burn began expanding, spreading wider and wider.
"Retreat!"
At the same time, Yang Yong decisively gave the order.
In an instant—
Every member of the Seven Sages bolted toward the breach site.
"Damn it!"
"They're running!"
Jin Peng, who'd been tracking their movements the whole time, warned immediately.
But when they tried to pursue—a razor-cold wall of ice shot up, cutting off their path.
Kyurem, completely out of control, was venting its power with reckless abandon.
It was as if some kind of shackle had snapped.
Its aura was strengthening at a visible rate, surging higher by the second.
"Mewtwo!"
Seeing that, Guo Yi called sharply up at Mewtwo.
Mewtwo understood instantly.
Its psychic power carved a passage through Kyurem's frozen world—an open lane people could run through.
"Move!"
Lin Feng and the others didn't hesitate. They immediately led their teams after them.
They couldn't let the Seven Sages escape.
Very quickly—they caught sight of Yang Yong and his group again.
But what they saw next made Lin Feng and the others go cold.
A deep chasm, more than ten meters across, had opened right in front of them—Yang Yong's people already on the far side.
"Lin Feng, Jin Peng. This time, I'll admit I lost. But I didn't lose to your Pokémon League—I lost to Guo Yi."
"I never imagined Guo Yi would have a Pokémon that can match Kyurem. And it's a pity the Shanghai operation was stopped by Guo Yi too."
"Otherwise—who knows which side would've been stronger?"
To be honest, Yang Yong felt a twist of regret in his chest.
Because Kyurem hadn't reached its strongest state.
If it had been at full strength when it fought Mewtwo—even if it still lost, it wouldn't have been reduced to a disposable pawn like this.
If I'd known… even at the risk of drawing the League's attention, I should've seized that item by force.
Yang Yong roared inwardly, unwilling to accept it.
Back then—to avoid raising the League's suspicions, he'd chosen the gentlest approach, planning to take the Dark Stone quietly.
Who could've expected—just when the plan was about to succeed, Guo Yi showed up as a variable—and smashed his entire strategy to pieces.
To be honest if he'd gotten the Dark Stone smoothly, Yang Yong might not have even chosen to cooperate with Team Galactic.
There was no medicine for regret.
Now—even his final trump card was about to be lost.
Yang Yong had no choice but to keep working with Team Galactic.
Staring at the gaping trench, Lin Feng's brow knotted.
He warned immediately, "Yang Yong, you still have a chance if you turn back now."
"If the dike breaches, there won't be anywhere left for you in Dragon Country."
Yang Yong gave a light laugh. "Turn back? I can't turn back anymore."
"As for Dragon Country—when I chose to cooperate with Team Galactic, I already planned my way out."
"Elite Four—where there are people, there are sides. We'll meet again."
BOOM!
The instant he finished speaking, the ground shuddered violently.
A roaring surge of river water poured endlessly through the gap, crashing toward the boundless plains beyond.
And Yang Yong used that moment to retreat fast, taking the Seven Sages' remaining forces with him.
"Don't run!"
Jin Peng immediately tried to give chase.
A large hand stopped him.
"Don't. You've already lost nine out of ten of your fighting strength."
"Even if you catch up, you're not Yang Yong's match."
Lin Feng's voice was firm.
Yang Yong wasn't weak.
Even at full strength, in a one-on-one, neither of them could guarantee taking him down.
Let alone now, when their main Pokémon had all lost the ability to battle.
With only their second string, they had no chance against Yang Yong.
If anything...
One mistake, and they'd be the ones trapped.
"Damn it…"
Jin Peng cooled down and stopped.
"We'll deal with the Seven Sages later. Right now we have to plug the breach—fast."
Lin Feng hated letting them go too.
But compared to the Seven Sages, the breach in front of them was the true priority.
If they didn't handle it immediately, the towns across the plains would suffer irreparable damage.
Lin Feng quickly organized the Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon in their ranks, having them form massive boulders on both sides to try to seal the gap.
But the current was far too fierce.
The stones dropped in—and were instantly swept away, vanishing into the flood.
"Brother Lin, this isn't working!"
"The water's too fast—we can't stop it!"
Jin Peng said urgently.
Lin Feng thought for a moment, then said, "Go back and find Guo Yi. See if he's dealt with Kyurem."
"If he has, ask him for Mewtwo's help."
"Got it."
Jin Peng nodded and immediately turned, rushing back.