As for Cynthia and the others, Ash had already left a barrier capable of withstanding Divine Domain Level attacks for them. Although his Aura Power couldn't directly block a darkened Lugia's direct attacks, it was enough to hold off the aftershocks.
"Such powerful wind pressure... Is this the power of the legendary Lugia? Even controlled by Dark Power, it's still terrifying," Cynthia frowned deeply, her fists unconsciously clenching. She could clearly feel the destructive force contained in the vortex, knowing that ordinary Pokémon might not even have the right to get close.
The gap between a Champion and the Divine Domain is vast, let alone the Divine Domain Peak. Humans appear so insignificant before the gods.
Facing the oncoming cyclone drill, Mewtwo's muscles tensed, its lavender body brimming with a fierce momentum, showing no intention to evade.
She suddenly stamped her foot in the void, her figure shooting out like a cannonball, surrounded by lavender Super Energy and crimson Fighting Energy. This was incorporating psychic abilities into close combat to further enhance its power.
This strike, she would give it her all!
In the next moment, Mewtwo's fist collided head-on with Lugia's Aeroblast!
"Boom!!" An unparalleled explosion erupted in the sky, as if time had stopped at that moment. Violent air currents and dual attributes interweaved into a blinding ball of light at the point of impact, shaking the surrounding space into severe distortion, with debris swept into it and turning to ashes instantly.
Initially, their attacks were evenly matched; Mewtwo's single punch stalled Aeroblast in mid-air. But a few seconds later, Mewtwo gathered all her strength, launching a storm of continuous blows at the vortex core!
Punches fell like raindrops, each accompanied by a dull, booming sound, with crimson Fighting Energy exploding from the fists. What appeared to be an intangible Aeroblast was forcibly punched open by Mewtwo!
"Is this... pure physical strength?!" Pluton's pupils shrank drastically, frozen in shock. He had never seen such terrifying physical prowess in a Pokémon.
Even if a Fighting-type Pokémon trained to the extreme, they might not reach Mewtwo's level of physical power. What's more baffling is... isn't this guy supposed to be a Psychic-type Pokémon? Why is her physical strength this astonishing?
Normally, the weakness of Psychic-type Pokémon is supposed to be their vulnerability in close combat, yet Mewtwo defied expectations. Her strength in Fighting Type far exceeded even when she used Aura Sphere!
Everything Pluton encountered today completely overturned his understanding of common sense and etched Ash and Mewtwo firmly into his mind.
Lorelei, Cynthia, and the others were also stunned by Mewtwo's sheer outburst of power, feeling, like Pluton, that despite Mewtwo's Psychic Type, she could use Fighting-type moves—but theoretically shouldn't excel at them.
If it were specialized attacks like Aura Sphere, it would be understandable. But close combat for Psychic-type Pokémon should be a weakness. Generally, even Psychic-type Legendary Beasts have weaker attacks, though their special attacks are strong—this is normal.
Yet Mewtwo completely defies logic; her close combat might even punch through the sky itself, with just three words to describe it—unbelievably strong!
Today, they witnessed a battle of the world's pinnacle strength; without Arceus, the Creator God, this represented the strongest force on Earth. Every move carried the power to destroy worlds, and ordinary people couldn't even get close without being overwhelmed, let alone command such beings in battle.
In normal human terms, participating in Divine Domain Level battles is impossible, unless you're a special individual like Ash...
Amidst everyone's exclamations, Mewtwo's blows became increasingly fierce, her lavender figure weaving through the light orb, the frequency of her punches against the vortex fast enough to leave afterimages.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The repeated heavy thuds overpowered the hissing air currents, and the cyclone, initially solid as a drill, gradually lost form under continuous physical assault. Its surface air layers repeatedly shattered and reformed, only to be shattered again by more punches.
Finally, gathering her entire strength, Mewtwo unleashed a powerful punch at the cyclone's core. Amid a deafening explosion, the pale blue Aeroblast shattered into countless streams, scattering its air currents across the ground, churning up towering dust and stirring mighty waves across the sea—none of which affected Mewtwo.
Having shattered the Aeroblast, Mewtwo's form slipped through the remnants like a ghost, closing in on Lugia's enormous body in an instant. Her fist, filled with the power to crush all darkness, struck hard on Lugia, wrapped in dark power.
"Screech——!" Lugia let out a heart-wrenching wail. The punch not only pierced its scales and feathers but also carried fierce Fighting Energy, stabbing like a blade into the core of its dark energy. Visibly, the dark red aura enveloping Lugia quivered violently at the punch's impact,
Then, from the point of impact, the dark force shattered and dissipated like glass. The feathers corroded by dark power gradually shed their gloom, restoring their original snowy white luster. The violent crimson in Lugia's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a hint of clarity.
Pluton's face turned a shade akin to a pig's liver; he knew something was wrong the moment he saw the Aeroblast shattered. The collected shadow force he had relied on to make a last-ditch comeback was also shattered by Mewtwo's single punch with Fighting Energy.
Not only did it fail to trouble Ash, but it also returned Lugia. Moreover, he likely lost his best chance to escape...
Lugia, having lost all its strength, plummeted from the air, only to be gently caught by Mewtwo using psychic power, and then moved to the island beside Ash.
Ash, Cynthia, and the others rushed up to check on Lugia's condition. Making sure Lugia was just overly exhausted, they breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, Champion Ash couldn't help but mentally note—Divine Domain beings are incredibly resilient!
If Lugia hadn't been controlled and fought normally, even a battle lasting a day might not have determined a victor. Despite taking all those hits earlier, Lugia only had a minor injury.
The strain now was mostly mental, caused by fighting against the Dark Power.
So, Legendary Beasts, especially Divine Domain Level ones, have incredibly tough lives. If one really desires to capture a Legendary Beast, it tests not only the Pokémon's battle power but also the Trainer's physical and mental stamina.
After confirming Lugia was fine, Champion Ash turned his gaze towards Pluton, who was sneakily preparing to escape.
Mars was already boarding Articuno, while Pluton returned to a submarine, ready to pilot away.
As the saying goes, when disaster strikes, everyone flies off on their own. The two had chosen separate escape routes. Mars riding Articuno would be a focus for Ash and the others, as they certainly needed to rescue Articuno.
But at the same time, a Divine Domain Level Articuno undoubtedly had top speed. Riding it meant a fair chance of escape, while the submarine, though slower, was further down the priority list. Pluton gambled that after Articuno's capture, he'd have long fled aboard his submarine.
But he underestimated Divine Domain Level power.
"Mewtwo, stop both of them."
Upon Champion Ash's command, Mewtwo, back to normal, clenched her hand. In an instant, Articuno, already kilometers away, froze in mid-air, while the submerged submarine became immovable.
Under the pinnacle psychic power of the Divine Domain, whether flying in the sky or swimming in the sea, no one escapes!
Thus, the Orange Archipelago incident formally concluded, dealing a massive blow to Team Galactic. The two top officers, Mars and Pluton, were captured.