Seeing Mewtwo grow guarded, Hikaru quickly waved his hands.
"No need to be so tense. I have nothing to do with those researchers—I'm just a passing Psychic-type user."
"And, mm, I do know Mewtwo—just the first one."
"When I saw you at first glance, I thought my friend had come looking for me."
"You mean this thing with the immense power, right?"
Hikaru revealed the Red Chains without hiding them.
"This mythic craftwork is called the Red Chain. I forged it here to repel a certain Pokémon. Do you know where 'here' is?"
Mewtwo: "The Hollow of the Heart… a sacred place."
"Right. And it's also a sub-dimension—an interspace linking Sinnoh and Unova. Long ago, the lake trio emerged from here to grant life feeling, will, and knowledge. That's why Pokémon sense this place as sacred."
Hikaru patiently explained the Hollow of the Heart, then introduced the Pokémon at his side.
But Mewtwo's doubts only deepened.
"Who exactly are you? And why do you know about me?"
"You called me Individual No. 2—does that mean there's an Individual No. 1?"
Mewtwo had escaped from a research facility.
Those researchers had experimented on her endlessly to create the strongest Pokémon; thus Mewtwo deemed humans broadly untrustworthy.
"I always thought I was all alone, rejecting everything…"
After breaking free, she had drifted from place to place, refusing to converse with any Pokémon, because she was special, frightening, with no place to belong.
Until one lightning-slashed night, in treacherous rocky highlands, a thunderbolt struck her hard. Battered, she crawled into a cave and was treated by the Pokémon sheltering there. Only then did she feel, tangibly, that she too existed as a true living being.
"When the storms cleared, I understood. Saved by Pokémon, I could find a place of my own. Everyone can be companions."
"And yet… just as I accepted my own existence, you tell me there's another me in this world?"
As Mewtwo—the "Goddess Mewtwo"—recounted her past, Hikaru also recalled it. Compared to the original Mewtwo, her history was comparatively simple.
No grinding in philosophical despair, no burden of lives and souls, no growth clawed back from the brink of death.
From birth she had already been "mature." After torment, she destroyed the facility and quickly found her meaning in life.
"Your soul is free."
"But Individual No. 1 wasn't like that."
Breathing in the uncanny air of the Hollow of the Heart, Hikaru found this meeting rather miraculous.
"If you're resting anyway, let me tell you the story of the other Mewtwo."
"Would you like to hear it?"
The Goddess Mewtwo didn't hesitate long; curiosity erupted in her heart.
Hikaru's words shocked her beyond measure. She couldn't grasp every detail, but one point was clear:
Long ago, a Mewtwo already existed in this world.
Another me, out there…?
Hikaru explained why he knew her name.
"In the Kanto seas, there was once an island called New Island, and on it a research base."
"That facility delivered results for an organization called Team Rocket."
"After they obtained a fossilized eyelash from Mew, the ancestor of Pokémon, and extracted its genes, a Pokémon called Mewtwo was, for certain reasons, created."
"In the beginning, that Mewtwo's life was like duckweed without roots—one misstep in cultivation, and it would die in the tank."
"Slumbering in the nutrient bath, the infant Mewtwo wondered in the dark: 'Where is this? Who am I? Who brought me here?'"
"Outside, the researchers puzzled over why this body—identical to other clones—hadn't awakened."
"It heard them talking about it, yet didn't understand."
"Then a little girl's voice told it: that is human language. The girl appeared before it; asked who she was, she answered: human."
"Mewtwo asked the girl whether it was human, too."
"The girl replied: it might be human, or it might be her Pokémon."
"The words led Mewtwo back into confusion: human or Pokémon? The girl comforted it—either way was fine, because it, she, and the Pokémon there were the same kind of existence."
"Everyone was a replica of some original—and she was a replica of a deceased girl named Amber, hence 'Amber Two'."
"Amber's father, Dr. Fuji, sought to craft the strongest Pokémon and study its tenacious vitality—to bestow true life upon Amber Two."
"Mewtwo was created as the key pillar of that project. Of course, the scientists had their own mixed motives, but their shared aim was to create the world's strongest Pokémon."
"The clones born alongside Mewtwo were many, but one by one they failed to be born and perished—Amber Two as well."
"Originally, Mewtwo should have vanished with them."
"But Amber asked it to live. 'Live on. Living will be fun.'"
"So it fought with everything it had—and lived."
Amber's tale wasn't complicated.
But her parting—Live on. Living will be fun.—pierced the Goddess Mewtwo's heart.
"And then?" she asked without meaning to.
Different—completely different.
Individual One's past and pain… Even hearing it secondhand, the thought of clone companions dying one after another—and that you could vanish the next instant—filled Mewtwo's heart with a shapeless terror.
Pain of the body is transient; the mind's torment and pressure endure.
To survive only by sheer will… the plain narration hid a crushing weight and a darkness unfit to revisit.
"I was already like this when I was born."
"I can't imagine what I looked like as a child…"
Hikaru: "Mm, actually rather cute—somewhat like Mew, just bigger."
He smiled and continued:
"Overwhelmed by grief, Mewtwo unleashed tremendous power. Dr. Fuji ordered sedatives; only then did its brainwaves normalize and it returned to sleep."
"In sleep, it forgot Amber and the clone Pokémon."
"Time passed."
"Mewtwo kept pondering—'Where is this? Who am I? Who brought me here?'—and dreamt of things that weren't in its memories."
"It often saw Mew's silhouette, and a place where people could fly…"
"One day, its yearning for the outside reached the limit. It shattered the apparatus. The Mewtwo they created didn't heed their orders; it destroyed the New Island facility entirely."
"Perhaps out of a lingering humanity, not all the scientists died in the blast—some vanished without a trace."
"After New Island fell, Team Rocket's boss flew in by helicopter to coax it into cooperation—control the world together, he said—and advised it to restrain its power lest it destroy the world."
"Mewtwo accepted the offer and fought for them; fighting and fighting, it again questioned, 'What do I live for?'"
"The boss told it: since humans made you, you should live for humans—otherwise you have no value."
"Hearing that, it burst its bonds, annihilated Rocket's HQ, returned to New Island, and swore vengeance on the humans who made it."
After that came Movie 1—Mewtwo Strikes Back.
When the Goddess Mewtwo heard that the original could twist sea and sky with sheer might and then battle Mew over "clone vs. original," she fell into deep silence.
Different—utterly different.
Though tormented by a lab, she still liked this world, and many Pokémon stood with her.
But the elder "brother," seeking the meaning of self too intensely, cloned an army of replicas and clashed with the originals. She thought: perhaps that was the will and resentment inherited from the companions who died as children.
Though the first no longer remembered them, a Psychic Pokémon would never truly forget; the memories were merely sealed away.
"Hatred goes on like a rolling wheel. It's terrifying."
"'Who's stronger is the true one'—that dispute is meaningless."
Hearing that a young Trainer even dared to punch such a powerful "brother," she couldn't help but admire him.
There are evil humans aplenty, but brave idealists are not few either.
And when she heard the ending—understanding the meaning of life, reconciliation, the dead revived, Individual One leaving for an unknown haven with the clones—her eyes brightened.
She sighed. "To grasp life's meaning, reconcile, and let the departed return… Individual One took the clones to live in parts unknown. That's the best ending."
"But the story isn't over, is it?"
"I can guess… Individual One remembered the girl, didn't he?"
At Hikaru's hint, a powerful curiosity welled in Mewtwo's heart for the first time.
The first of her kind—kin, companion—living somewhere out there, unseen.
"…What you're saying is true."
Mewtwo could feel Hikaru's emotions. She could read living memories; Hikaru knew this, too. In the movie, she read the fossil memories of the Genesect Army at a glance.
Thus she could tell truth from lies—and that was why she looked so astonished now.
Like a child long alone, finally finding the truth of her birth.
Hikaru: "Yes. So he has a new goal now—and he's working toward it."
Mewtwo shook her head. "How could the dead return?"
Hikaru: "They can. Don't imagine the spirit world as purely dreadful. Some Legendary Pokémon possess the power to call the deceased back into reality."
"It's complicated. If someday you meet the first Mewtwo, let him tell you."
"But merely calling back is temporary. How to let the departed truly live again in this world—that's what he's pursuing now."
Hikaru's answer left the Goddess Mewtwo stunned.
Then she realized the human before her might have such power—those two Red Chains clearly didn't belong to the mundane world.
Goddess Mewtwo: "Then… what are you?"
Hikaru: "A remnant of Shenhe—just an inconspicuous craftsman who knows a few historical secrets."
"Shenhe…" Mewtwo tasted the word. Of course she had never heard it, but now her interest was aflame.
A knower of history and lore… a maker of mythic tools…
It felt like she'd stumbled upon a remarkable human!
A fated encounter!
The Hollow of the Heart truly is a sacred place!
"My work here is finished. Next…"
Hikaru took out his Poké Device and searched for Arthas Nature Park.
It was, apart from Newt City, the only place in the world where the Althas Flower existed.
But not now—Tree of Melody was closer.
Hikaru handed a medicine vial to Mewtwo. Though wary, because the human was accompanied by a Riolu, she finally accepted it.
"Even a Riolu you've never met is more trustworthy than me, huh?"
"Woof!" Riolu glanced back at Hikaru, then padded forward and raised a paw to Mewtwo.
A pink pulse rippled outward—rosy, ringed energy restored Mewtwo's spent stamina.
"That's Heal Pulse… learned it suddenly?"
"Awoo!" Riolu nodded. In the Hollow of the Heart, mysterious power thrummed; after a short attunement, its Aura grew lively.
Thus the healing pulse arose naturally.
Unlike Recover, Heal Pulse not only restores life, it also replenishes spent energy.
Few Pokémon can use it; among those Hikaru had met, only Calyrex and Gothitelle had shown that technique.
"Thank you," Mewtwo said, feeling much restored.
Her eyes firmed as she told Hikaru her current plight:
"To be honest, I'm not out of danger."
"Those researchers hired Pokémon Hunters. They're pursuing me."
"I intended to hide here for a while; once they lost the trail, I thought they'd give up."
"Where is my refuge…? That was my worry. But now, I think I can go seek Individual One. After hearing his story, I'm interested."
Hikaru: "He's in a very distant region—hard to reach. But you can try meeting him in the Dream World."
"Judging by your face, you don't know about it, right? Haha—ask the wild Pokémon. Some have entered it."
"Here—take this."
Hikaru produced a special capsule-like container.
"This is Dream Mist, exhaled by Musharna. It can manifest dreams in reality."
"Just use it to enter the Dream World smoothly. Dream Mist is rare, though; after one link is established, the next time you'll need to get in under your own power—but it'll be easier."
"And don't eat it—just open it and go to sleep."
"If you run out, head to southeastern Unova—to the Dreamyard—and seek other Musharna to help."
Mewtwo studied the capsule. She didn't doubt him; she could feel his heart.
And the item was clearly born of a Pokémon.
Mewtwo: "The… Dream World?"
Hikaru: "That's right. It's also a kind of extra dimension. In there, I co-manage a dream-farm with a Pokémon called Calyrex. Many Legendaries drop by now and then. Ask around in the Dream World—the largest sky island is my turf."
Mewtwo hesitated. "Then this is precious. I have nothing to exchange for it—better I return it. I'll go to the Dreamyard."
Hikaru: "It's fine. If you see anything interesting in the future, keep an eye out for me. As you saw, I forged the Red Chains here—my main job is being a craftsman."
So the capsule still ended up in Mewtwo's hand.
"…All right. I'll use it well. If I obtain anything useful later, I'll bring it to you in the Dream World. Or…?"
"Do you have a Poké Device?" Hikaru suddenly asked.
"The first Mewtwo learned human network comms—he masqueraded as human and registered an online account. You could try, too."
"Since it's a disguise, there's no 'unboxing' risk."
"I know a Professor who researches dream-related matters—getting you an identity is trivial."
"That I'll pass on." Mewtwo shook her head, resistant to such human tech. Hikaru laughed and told her about the first Mewtwo studying technology; she was astonished—
—and that such weighty matters even linked back to Mew. She'd never met Mew.
Yes, Mew—the source of the genes that birthed her. Perhaps she should seek that Pokémon as well.
"Oh, one more thing."
"What is it?" Mewtwo tilted her head.
"Pokémon Hunters don't just wander off," Hikaru said, shaking his head. "They're obsessive when money's on the line."
"For example… right now."
Beeee—
Genesect's eyes lit. Its new systems detected harmful radio waves approaching!
The cannon on its back glowed—
"Finally found you, Mew—"
"Hyper Beam." Hikaru snapped his fingers.
A cataclysmic beam lanced toward the entrance of the Hollow of the Heart. With a scream, someone was blasted clean out!
A salute to Lance—the legendary G-Man of the Indigo League!
(End of Chapter)
[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]