What Mewtwo unleashed next was something that could produce results far beyond anyone's expectations.
With a loud roar, Mewtwo charged forward head-on, straight at the incoming boulders.
Before the rocks even had the chance to fall upon him, his fists had already smashed into them.
Two devastatingly powerful punches landed in succession, and the enormous rocks instantly crumbled into fragments, exploding into countless shards that scattered across the battlefield.
But Regirock's assault had not yet ended.
More and more massive stones were hurled toward Mewtwo in an unrelenting barrage.
Yet these attacks were completely meaningless.
Every last one of them was pulverized into rubble beneath Mewtwo's iron fists, shattered before they could so much as graze his body.
After breaking through more than a dozen gigantic rocks in rapid succession, Mewtwo surged forward like an unstoppable locomotive, his aura pressing down on everything in his path.
"Regirock, use Stone Edge!"
Seeing Mewtwo closing in, the white-robed man hurriedly gave his command.
By now he already knew just how overwhelming Mewtwo's power was. If Mewtwo was allowed to close the distance and engage Regirock in close combat, then Regirock would be completely overpowered. He could not allow that to happen.
But wanting something and making it reality were two very different things.
In the next instant, jagged stone spikes burst up from the ground, forming lethal spears aimed directly at Mewtwo.
And yet, Mewtwo didn't even attempt to evade. He barreled forward without hesitation.
At first, the white-robed man felt delighted—this was nothing short of suicide. To blindly charge into Stone Edge without defending meant certain death.
But what happened next left him utterly despairing.
The sharp stone spikes slammed into Mewtwo's body, only to crumble into pieces on impact.
It was as though they weren't striking flesh at all, but solid steel.
"What… what is happening?"
The man's face twisted in shock.
No matter what kind of attacks he commanded, none of them could even scratch Mewtwo. Was this truly the power of a Champion-level Pokémon?
His Regirock was a legendary level! Yet before Mewtwo, it looked like nothing more than a helpless newborn.
"This is… the boss's original move—Iron Body!!"
While the others didn't recognize it, Grog knew immediately.
Back then, he had never paid much attention to such things, only ever focusing on making money.
But after following Nathan, he had begun to study Pokémon battles more carefully, especially when it came to Nathan's techniques. He remembered vividly that during a previous match, Nathan's Pangoro had displayed this exact move.
After using it, the Pokémon's entire body would take on the hardness of iron—that was why the move was given the name Iron Body.
The challengers standing beside Grog, listening to the translation, suddenly felt a deep chill run down their spines.
Coming here to challenge Nathan… had been a colossal mistake.
They too could command legendary Pokémon in battle, but their fighting style had always been limited to using the moves Pokémon already possessed, or teaching them techniques via TMs.
Nathan, however, had gone far beyond that level. He had reached the point of creating new moves entirely on his own.
How could that even be considered the same realm of strength?
Being able to do such a thing meant Nathan possessed an incredibly deep understanding of both moves and the nature of Pokémon themselves. He could tailor-make techniques perfectly suited to their bodies and strengths.
Others had tried before to invent new moves, of course.
But how many of them had actually succeeded?
And even among those few successes, how many of those moves were truly usable in actual battles?
Most were far too weak, or too ineffective, paling in comparison to even a Pokémon's ordinary moves.
But now, Mewtwo was tearing apart a legendary with a self-created move.
The battle pressed on.
Mewtwo, unstoppable and unyielding, rushed straight into Regirock's range.
Regirock swung its massive arm in an attempt to strike back.
The two colossal beings clashed once more in close quarters.
But this time, Regirock was completely outmatched.
Mewtwo, now empowered by Mega Evolution, possessed overwhelming strength.
Every collision between them ended with Regirock being forced backward.
And Mewtwo's barrage of blows showed no sign of ending.
Each time his fists struck Regirock's rocky body or limbs, a deep crater-like mark was left behind.
If Regirock hadn't been a creature entirely composed of rock, any other Pokémon would already have been left in ruins.
The dents driven into its body were two or three centimeters deep, marks that no ordinary Pokémon could withstand even once.
Finally, after one particularly heavy strike, Regirock was sent flying through the air, crashing heavily into the ground.
When it landed, it was nothing like its proud, towering self from the beginning.
Its once-mighty body was now battered and broken. One arm had been completely shattered, and its surface was covered with pummeling marks.
At this moment, Mewtwo perfectly embodied the very definition of raw, crushing power.
On the sidelines, Grog and the others felt their blood boil with excitement, swept up by the sheer intensity of the clash.
With a thunderous crash, Regirock slammed into the earth once more.
It tried several times to stand but ultimately collapsed, its ruined body unable to support itself.
Meanwhile, Mewtwo stood tall and unharmed, not bearing so much as a scratch.
The white-robed man's expression grew frantic.
The battle had barely begun, and already Regirock had been reduced to this state.
Could it be that Nathan truly was unbeatable?
"Regirock! Quickly, restore yourself! Stand up and continue fighting!"
The man's voice cracked with urgency.
Losing right at the beginning to such an arrogant opponent was humiliating beyond words.
Regirock's remaining arm slammed into the ground.
Immediately, its broken form began to repair itself, drawing power from the surrounding stone.
Even the shattered arm gradually regenerated.
"Nathan, I admit you're strong, but don't forget—Regirock is a legendary Pokémon. Its ability is nothing less than immortality!"
Seeing Regirock restored and standing again, the man smirked with renewed confidence.
Yes, he had been intimidated before, but he had remembered something crucial: as long as Regirock wasn't completely destroyed, it could endlessly replenish itself from nearby stone.
At this rate, even if it couldn't defeat Mewtwo, it could still wear him down through sheer attrition.
Once its body was whole again, Regirock launched itself back into combat.
But the outcome was unchanged.
Minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and once again Regirock was smashed into the ground by Mewtwo, unable to rise.
Yet again, it slowly regenerated.
The battle seemed to fall into a deadlock.
Regirock could never overcome Mewtwo.
And Mewtwo, for his part, was refraining from killing blows.
After all, legendary Pokémon were exceedingly rare and precious.
Nathan wasn't willing to simply destroy one.
If he wanted only victory, Mewtwo could easily take Regirock into the sky, shatter it into gravel beyond repair, and end it for good.
But Nathan chose restraint.
The white-robed man, however, completely misread the situation. He assumed that Mewtwo was simply incapable of killing Regirock.
"Hmph. Nathan, let's see how long it takes before your Pokémon can truly defeat Regirock."
His tone was laced with smugness.
Hearing this, Nathan's patience finally snapped.
If not for his own concern that every legendary's growth was extremely difficult, he would have already ended this.
And yet, this man dared to taunt him here?
"Heh… since you're so eager for defeat, let's finish this. Mewtwo—leave only its head intact!"
Nathan knew Regirock's secret well.
Its entire energy source was tied to the H-shaped pattern of glowing dots on its head.
As long as that remained, Regirock could not truly die.
At his order, Mewtwo acted instantly.
The white-robed man shouted frantic commands for Regirock to counterattack.
But against Mewtwo's Iron Body-enhanced might, none of Regirock's moves could make a difference.
When Regirock left the slightest opening, Mewtwo seized it.
In a flash, his arms locked tightly around Regirock's head.
His entire body tensed, muscles swelling as he poured every ounce of his strength into the hold.
Regirock pounded desperately at his arms, but those arms were like forged steel. There was no budging them.
With a resounding crack, Mewtwo ripped the head free and carried it back to Nathan.
The rest of Regirock's body collapsed into nothing but useless rubble.
The white-robed man was dumbstruck.
Just moments ago, he had been boasting, and now—mere minutes later—the battle was already over.
His Regirock's head, though still glowing faintly, was clutched in Mewtwo's hands.
Without contact with stone, it couldn't regenerate. Its vaunted ability was meaningless here.
"Now then," Nathan said coldly, "will you surrender on your own… or shall I have Mewtwo destroy even this head?"
The man completely broke. His pride, his confidence, his arrogance—everything crumbled in an instant.
The Regirock he had always been so proud of had been reduced to nothing more than a toy in Nathan's hands.
"I… I surrender!"
Even though his heart boiled with unwillingness, he had no other choice.
What was the alternative? To let his Regirock be killed outright?
At his admission, Nathan nodded.
Mewtwo casually dropped the head onto the ground.
The moment it touched the earth, Regirock immediately began absorbing stone once more, its body slowly re-forming.
But if one looked closely, the glowing dots on its head had begun to dim.
Even with its endless regeneration, there was a cost.
Nathan returned to Grog and the others with Mewtwo at his side, a faint smile playing across his lips as he turned his gaze upon the four remaining challengers.
(End of Chapter)