This is Mr. Steel's secret scroll from the Special (Pokémon Adventures) continuity!
Ahem! In the normal game/anime worlds, Mr. Steel doesn't have this thing—only the Special-version Mr. Steel owns this hidden scroll.
In the manga's story, the scroll was stolen by the Masked Man disguised as Pryce, and in the end it seems to have been tossed into a temporal rift together with Pryce.
"This is… quite the incredible gift!"
Celebi can freely adjust the timeline and thereby travel through time and space; theoretically, that makes Celebi one of the very few Pokémon—aside from the space-time dragons—that can shuttle through the multiverse.
Speaking of which, Pryce in the Special continuity is also a master craftsman: hand-threading feathers, weaving nets by hand—the guy's needlework is ridiculously amazing.
Mm, and among all versions of Pryce, that one is the shortest in stature, too.
Come to think of it, I've been invited by Pryce to an ice-sculpture exhibition at the end of the year. Thankfully, the Pryce of this world is a normal person and not a raving lunatic.
"Thank you, Celebi."
"Bii!" Celebi hugged the Time Flute with shining eyes. Hearing Hikaru's gratitude, it puffed out its little chest in pride.
I, the Trash King of Time!
Specialty: picking up ownerless treasures!
It really wanted to play a bit longer, but we still have a life to save.
So it fluttered its wings, pondered for a moment about how to say goodbye, then suddenly flew over to pat Hikaru on the head—and whoosh, it vanished.
"Uh… did it just put some kind of buff on me?"
Hikaru could feel Celebi's power lingering on his body!
[Acquired: Call of the Forest (Celebi's Partner).]
[Description: If you hear the call of the forest, don't move around—that's Celebi's voice.]
[Effect: Celebi left a coordinate on you. Borrowing Celebi's power, you can call your Celebi to come to you from any world.]
"I get it—a forced 'Return to Base' buff!"
As long as he calls Celebi, he won't get lost in space-time. It's not very useful right now…
…but it should come in handy later!
"However, if it takes nearly a month to reach Celebi's movie episode, isn't that a bit late? Maybe only I, at this exact moment, can craft the Time Flute—so it hopped along the timeline to ask me for the item."
Suppressing his curiosity about other worlds, Hikaru put away the Special-continuity exclusive item.
Then he set about forging the Red Chain.
Chunks of meteorite were taken out one after another. The Dream Ball opened; Larvesta's eyes lit up, all ready to roll up its sleeves and get to work—only to be halted by Entei's voice.
"Your flames might not be enough—let me join in."
Majestic Entei—though only a projection within the Crystal Tower—nevertheless possessed the same might as the true Entei. That sacred fire is likewise a gift from Ho-Oh, capable of burning away all matter in the world!
Hummm—The Light Stone flared with brilliant radiance as well, gathering the great spiritual energy around them!
It would serve as part of the forge's flame source, burning in concert with Entei and Larvesta to smelt these meteors from beyond the sky!
And so, azure flames billowed fiercely from the Light Stone!
That was Reshiram's signature move: Blue Flare!
"Ancient alchemy—time to show your power!"
Use Reshiram's alchemy to extract the vast natural energy hidden within!
Boom!
Heat waves churned, smoke roiled, the meteorites' energy surged. Crimson light burst outward from the dark cavern!
Rumble—
Far away at the horizon, a light spanned the mountains. Flying across the sky was a Pokémon whose form resembled a mix between humanoid and feline—its body silvery white, with purple eyes, tail, and abdomen!
"Escaped… Now where should I go next?"
"Those people are still chasing me…"
It crossed the mountain range. This primeval wilderness and living, breathing nature would be a perfect refuge. Many Pokémon lived here, and even an artificial lifeform like itself could be accepted.
Thus, it arrived at the mouth of a cavern.
Some bird Pokémon flapped down one after another.
They chirped to the newcomer about the uniqueness of this place.
"This is a sacred site—an unbelievable yet empty Hollow of the Heart. Here, you can slowly recover your strength… If you hide here, you'll be fine…"
[Mythic Craftworks: Red Chain ×2!]
[Description: A mythic tool. Said to be connected to the legendary Pokémon who gave birth to the Sinnoh region.]
[Because these Red Chains are forged from meteorites, their toughness can't compare to the genuine article—they're easier to break from the outside.]
[If you cannot fully bind Dialga or Palkia, the chains will explode due to the opponent's overwhelming power. If you have two Red Chains, you can face the vast might of space-time without fear.]
[The chains harbor the power of the Creator. If you embed a chain's jewel into a Pokémon's head, it will heed your command.]
[Combine the chain's jewel with Origin Ore to forge a special "Origin Ball."]
[Effect: Control/bind Dialga and Palkia, and open an extradimensional gate to summon the space-time dragons into the current world—but you must do it at specific, designated locations for the summoning to succeed.]
[Gained: Aura of Time!]
[Description: You successfully forged a mythic craftwork; the power of time now opens to you! By expending a vast amount of mental energy, you can unleash a Time Aura once to traverse time, meet space-time wayfarers, and repair temporal misalignments. You can travel to certain special destinations; your "Space-Time Explorer" class restriction is lifted!]
[You can now wield the power of the Adamant Crystal / Lustrous Globe!]
"Success."
Just as expected from the description.
If you only have one chain, the twin dragons of space-time aren't actually afraid of you. The probable result is the Hisui-era outcome—one full-power flex and you're blown to smithereens.
But if you've got two chains, those two will have to kneel and beg big bro to show mercy.
"Pouring everything into forging only one would be a waste of materials. If we're doing it, we're doing two. And now… hmm?"
Hikaru felt the immense energy within the Red Chains and wondered if meteorites, too, owe their power to Arceus?
『Larvesta / Entei / Reshiram have completed an important task and gained experience and growth.』
『Synchronized Knowledge Unlocked: Shining Spark—All powers of fire and light increase by 30%. You can freely control flame temperature. Objects tempered by the Shining Fire gain a refined property: stronger hardness and improved adaptability to energy.』
『Larvesta learned Safeguard!』
『Entei learned Smokescreen!』
『Reshiram learned Heat Crash!』
Just then, a surge of overwhelming psychic force shot in from the entrance of the Hollow of the Heart!
Vmm—
Fairy-light flared, blocking the incoming psychic blow. Iron Valiant handed the Soul-Heart to Genesect; she drew her light-blades and stood in front of Hikaru.
At the cave mouth appeared a figure Hikaru knew all too well.
"Mewtwo? What are you doing here—are you done with—"
"No… which Mewtwo are you?!"
Hikaru realized that the Mewtwo he knew would never open with Psychic as a greeting, and the strength of Iron Valiant's defense had clearly exceeded this Mewtwo's expectations.
Sure enough, a graceful feminine voice rang out.
"Who are you, and why are you in this sacred place? What is that thing with such tremendous power?"
Mewtwo's eyes gathered psychic power. She glanced at the three "steel constructs" before her, and unpleasant memories surfaced.
Artificial Pokémon…
Humans modifying and fusing Pokémon at will—just as they once did to her.
How awful. As machines, are they being driven as mere tools by humans? Could this human be hiding here to conduct some kind of evil research?
But Mewtwo's brow subtly furrowed.
Even as she thought so, the thoughts rising from these Pokémon's hearts did not match…
[Unknown enemy—eliminate immediately! I'll handle it.]
"Gah-no! (Anyone who threatens my allies—be repelled!)"
"Ah—launching an attack so suddenly? What a dangerous lifeform!"
The three "modified Pokémon" before her—no, that "Steel Heart" doesn't count as a Pokémon, but the other two were undeniably united in purpose.
It was shocking: such different existences, yet by her judgment they'd already issued a counterattack command.
And there weren't just these two in the cavern!
"Rrroar! Who goes there!"
Entei's roar could have triggered a volcanic eruption. Larvesta crouched on Entei's brow, huffing flames with fierce bravado—bug pretending to be a lion!
"Me-la!"
Iron Valiant flashed her light-blades. She had been built as a supreme battler as well; even facing a powerhouse like Mewtwo, she didn't retreat or waver in the slightest.
"Hold up—you've got the wrong idea," Hikaru patted Iron Valiant on the head. She obediently sheathed her blades and stepped back, which only deepened Mewtwo's puzzlement.
Mewtwo: "Are you a reformed mad researcher or something?"
Hikaru: "What are you even talking about? I've never had a job like that."
At that moment, Riolu sprinted out from the back of the cavern. It used Extreme Speed, dashed into a shallow pool, and stared warily at the powerful newcomer!
I only went in to grasp a bit of Inner Focus—why did a boss spawn out here all of a sudden?!
"Woof! (You okay?!)"
Riolu set its fists in a martial opening stance!
Seeing Riolu, Mewtwo's expression flickered, then eased.
"A human followed by a Riolu… then you are not an evildoer."
"So easy to talk to—your presence says more than a thousand words," Hikaru crouched to ruffle the blue pup.
This is because Riolu possesses a peculiar power to read hearts. It recognizes and follows those of good nature, and detests those of evil intent. It can perceive the feelings of people and Pokémon—and the forms of nature—through the wave called Aura.
Thus, even Mewtwo knows: a human acknowledged by Riolu is not malicious.
Hikaru put away the chains. "Seeing you here really gave me a scare. I didn't expect you to be 'created' so soon!"
Mewtwo, puzzled: "What do you mean…? Also, I never introduced myself, yet you knew I am 'Mewtwo'?"
"You're a Psychic-type!"
"Of course!" Hikaru raised a finger. "Although I didn't expect to meet you here… your appearance means you're Individual No. 2."
That weighty designation made Mewtwo instantly realize something.
From Hikaru's perspective, this Mewtwo showing up was truly unexpected.
This softly-spoken, feminine-voiced Mewtwo is the one from Movie 16, "Genesect and the Legend Awakened."
Because she isn't the "Revenge of Mewtwo" individual, people often think she's a Mewtwo from a parallel world—but some also argue she coexists with the original Mewtwo in the same world as Individual 2.
Since she self-describes as feminine and has a completely different voice—and is gentler by nature, even refusing to kill—people also call her the Goddess Mewtwo.
Unlike the first Mewtwo, one difference is that she can Mega Evolve on her own!
As for why Ash didn't recognize her as "Mewtwo"… well, Ash has lost his memories so many times that it's not surprising.
"You look exhausted," Hikaru observed her condition.
"Want to take a rest?"
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]