"Inside the Silph Co. building lies the machine?"
Glancing at the information displayed on his Pokédex, Logan snapped it shut, his eyes falling upon the ruins of the once-towering Silph Co. headquarters.
The grand skyscraper, which once reached over five hundred meters into the sky, was now nothing more than a broken silhouette against the skyline. The financial district of Saffron City, centered around Silph Co., had been completely annihilated. Where there once had been shining towers and bustling streets, only shattered bricks and rubble remained.
"According to Green's message, that so-called machine should be buried in the lowest levels of Silph Co., heavily protected. No wonder—even though the building itself has collapsed, the machine still remains untouched."
Logan's eyes narrowed in thought as he considered how to locate the machine's exact position. Yet his sharp gaze constantly flickered to the skies around him, alert for Giovanni's Beedrill.
Compared to Sabrina's current control over the three Legendary Birds, it was Giovanni's Beedrill that worried him the most. The fusion of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres was powerful, yes—but not to the point of being invincible. What struck Logan as odd, however, was how weak the trio felt. Even though they lacked the divine "authority" that higher Legendary Pokémon wielded, their strength still should have been overwhelming.
Especially in fusion, they should have had enough power to rival some of the stronger Legends. And yet here he was—Logan, commanding Mew against them with startling ease, even gaining the upper hand. It was as though the birds' strength had been deliberately suppressed… cut down.
The truth behind this limitation wasn't something Logan could discern. Records of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon in human history were scarce, and so he chose to stop dwelling on it. After all, the weaker his opponents, the greater his advantage.
The only true danger was Giovanni himself. Since Logan had recalled Mewtwo, Giovanni had not attempted to pursue him. That silence was more unnerving than any battle. Logan knew well—when it came to Giovanni, one always had to expect the most malicious, dangerous schemes.
Beneath him, Mew shifted and transformed into Rayquaza once more. Dragons were always the most natural for Logan to command. Riding the Sky High Pokémon through the storm-filled clouds, Logan pressed the assault against the Legendary Birds. Blades of air tore apart the heavens, lightning roared, blazing firestorms erupted, and freezing gales whipped through the skies. The very clouds were shredded into ribbons by the clash.
"You still won't give up, Sabrina? Giovanni's vanished, who knows where. The Saffron City barrier has already fallen, unable to stop the advance of the Gym Leaders. Look to the west—Celadon's army of Trainers has already broken through Team Rocket's defenses and entered the city. It won't be long before the other three fronts push inside as well. Your Team Rocket has no chance left!"
"…If you surrender now, maybe I'll even give you a merciful end."
With Giovanni absent, Logan let loose his tongue. Standing proudly atop Rayquaza's head, arms crossed, he smirked down at Sabrina, taunting her with deliberate cruelty.
"Shut up! I will not lose! I refuse to lose to you!"
Though her words were venomous, Logan caught the tremor of panic in Sabrina's voice.
Only Giovanni and Sabrina themselves knew the real reason why Saffron had fallen so easily. During their battle with Logan, a hidden ally had struck at the Psychic legion powering the city's barrier. Over a thousand Psychic Pokémon, all feeding energy into the shield, were taken down in one swift ambush. Without their power, the city's defenses had crumbled, allowing Celadon's strongest forces to break through into Saffron proper.
Giovanni had already warned Sabrina that Team Rocket's downfall was imminent, urging her to escape while she still could. But Sabrina's pride would not allow it. Even knowing the battle was lost, even knowing defeat was inevitable—she could not bear to admit she had lost to Logan.
But she had underestimated him. She was not Giovanni. Even with the fused might of the Legendary Birds, she could not stand against Logan's Mew—and the looming threat of Mewtwo waiting in reserve. At best, she could only delay her defeat.
At that very moment, Logan's Pokédex vibrated in his pocket. His thoughts sharpened instantly. He urged Rayquaza to bind the Legendary Birds, then reached into his coat and pulled out a Poké Ball, hurling it into the sky with telekinetic force.
"Blastoise—Hydro Cannon!"
The flash of light revealed not his own Pokémon, but Green's Blastoise. Before her earlier defeat, she had recalled it into its ball, which Mewtwo later entrusted to Logan.
"That girl's Pokémon?!"
Sabrina froze for an instant. A Pokémon that could not fly had appeared in the skies above, but it was already too late—the massive jet of pressurized water struck the fused birds head-on. Their screeches echoed across the heavens as their combined body spiraled downward from the clouds.
The rushing wind howled in Logan's ears as the fusion plummeted. Just before impact, Sabrina forced the birds to level out, but vines suddenly lashed upward, binding their legs.
From the ground, a massive blaze in the shape of a burning "X" erupted into the sky. Though Moltres' flames allowed the fusion to resist damage, the sudden burst still trapped them momentarily in place.
"Logan! It's all yours now!"
The faint cries of Red and Blue Oak reached him from below. Logan did not hesitate. He crouched low, pressing a palm to Rayquaza's crown.
"…Mew, scan the ruins below with Psychic. Find that machine!"
He telepathically sent Mew the mental image of the machine's design. With a ripple of distortion, Rayquaza transformed back into the pink, feline-like Mythical Pokémon. Mew gave a playful "mew!"—yet its power surged outward like a tidal wave, scanning the ruins beneath.
In seconds, Logan had his answer. Floating into the air under Mew's Psychic grip, he tossed out two more Poké Balls.
"Garchomp—Hyper Beam on the ruins below! Dragonair, same attack—pinpoint precision! Mew and Mewtwo, gather your strength—we're tearing those birds apart!"
Energy surged in a violent maelstrom around him. The air itself seemed to thicken as Garchomp unleashed a beam that pierced the earth.
"BOOOOMMMM—!"
The catastrophic blast hit with such force that, after a heartbeat of delay, the shockwave spread outward, shredding everything in its path. The earth boiled, rubble vaporized—Garchomp's desperate Hyper Beam annihilated the ruins, exposing a hidden underground chamber.
Dragonair's beam followed, striking with pinpoint accuracy. The strange machine that had created the fused birds took the full impact. With a cracking sound, its structure split, and the stone plate atop it shattered into fragments.
"SKRAAAAAAHHH!"
The Legendary Birds shrieked in unison. Their fused body convulsed violently, thrashing in agony. Then, with a final roar, they flung Sabrina from their backs.
"Alakazam!"
Sabrina plummeted, but quickly summoned her Alakazam, using its Psychic to halt her fall. When she looked up, horror flashed in her eyes.
For Logan had already thrown another Poké Ball.
"Mew! Mewtwo! Restrain those birds—now!"
On his left floated Mewtwo, its eyes glowing a deadly, icy violet. On his right hovered Mew, radiating a softer, gentler psychic light. Together, their combined aura expanded into a storm of impossible force.
The very rules of nature seemed to shatter. Light twisted, bent, and vanished, leaving only an endless void—a black hole of pure psychic energy.
The fire, lightning, and ice filling the skies were swallowed whole. The crushing psychic grip tore at the fusion relentlessly, ripping Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno apart from one another with devastating force.
The fusion was undone.
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