"You two competed in the Kanto Pokémon League's Indigo Plateau Conference too?"
Luther was genuinely surprised to learn that Etorre and Mao had traveled through the Kanto region and even participated in one of its most prestigious tournaments.
Mao and Etorre exchanged a wry smile. Without a word, they each pulled a jewelry-style badge case from their backpacks and opened it.
Inside were Gym Badges from Pewter City, Cerulean City, Vermilion City, Celadon City, and even the Fuchsia City, along with three others from lesser-known Gyms they'd visited along the way.
"When we first started our journey, the flexible lineup system of the League was really encouraging. So we followed the official trainer's path, challenging the major Gyms one by one, just like the League guidelines suggest," Etorre explained. "But… there was one thing that made me decide to stop."
He paused, his expression darkening with the weight of memory. "Do you know about the Pewter City Gym?"
Luther, mid-bite of jerky, froze.
Pewter City Gym. Giovanni?
How could he not know?
If he had to sum it up, Giovanni was the very image of a calculating villain, someone who knew exactly when to advance and when to retreat. A ruthless figure who could manipulate any situation to his advantage.
Just look at how he abandoned his Gym Leader position the moment it no longer served him. When Team Rocket's base in Kanto was exposed, he severed ties and vanished, slipping right past the League and the International Police alike.
And Mewtwo, the genetically engineered Legendary Pokémon, was Giovanni's creation. To this day, no one knew where it had gone.
No matter the timeline or version of events, one could criticize Giovanni's methods, but never underestimate his ability.
"I heard the Kanto Elite Four are taking turns covering Pewter Gym since they haven't found a new permanent Leader yet," Luther said cautiously.
"There is a new Gym Leader now," Etorre replied. "I've been following the news about Pewter Gym closely. But what I wanted to talk about was the previous Gym Leader, Giovanni."
"I didn't come from a formal Trainer school, but I was proud of how well I knew the Pokémon listed in the Kanto Pokédex back then. Even so… when I fought Giovanni, after I defeated his first two Pokémon, his third was something I'd never seen before."
Luther felt a chill run down his spine. He could already guess what Etorre was about to describe.
"It looked like it was wearing some kind of armor, connected to cables and equipment. The Pokédex couldn't identify it at all. The worst part… it was absurdly powerful."
Etorre held up one finger. "Just one move, one Psychic-type attack, and my whole team went down."
"After that, I left Pewter City and avoided all the major Gyms for a long time. Back then, I just assumed Giovanni had brought that Pokémon from some other region… and that I'd lost because I wasn't strong enough. The truth is, the big-name Gyms can be truly overwhelming. But now, this year marks the sixth year since I began traveling."
"I even went to Hoenn. Got eliminated in the early rounds of the Conference, but I did have a battle with Drake from the Elite Four. A real eye-opener, that one. Still, I never saw that Pokémon in Hoenn. When I asked Drake about it, even he couldn't give me an answer."
"So I crossed the sea to Kalos. That's where my parents live, and I thought I'd continue my journey there. But even in Kalos, I found no clues."
"Still not giving up, I went to Alola. My parents had told me that the unique climate there had led to regional forms, maybe the Pokémon I saw came from that kind of special adaptation. But again, nothing."
"I even explored a few less-developed regions, places where the League hasn't officially established authority yet…"
"But…"
Etorre gave a weary smile and pulled a laminated sketch from his backpack.
Luther took it, glanced down, and let out a soft breath.
"This was drawn by Mao based on her memory," Etorre said. "It may not be perfect, but it's pretty close."
The image showed a Pokémon bound in armor and restraints, cables trailing from its body, an intimidating presence captured with eerie accuracy.
It was unmistakably Mewtwo.
"At some point," Etorre continued, his voice growing unsteady, "competing in the League stopped being my priority. I started wandering, not to win battles, but to find answers. I wanted to know just what that Pokémon was."
His hands clenched tightly, voice trembling with a quiet, restless intensity.
"The number of Pokémon in the world keeps growing. I've seen so many different species during my journey... but only she, when I first laid eyes on her, something felt off."
"When she used her moves, she looked hesitant, almost uncertain. The attacks themselves didn't make much sense to me… It was like she didn't fully understand her own abilities, like she was trying to relearn them."
Etorre shivered slightly at the memory.
"It was like watching a child holding something incredibly dangerous, trying to figure out how to use it. Innocent... but unsettling."
"I brought it up at the Research Lab, shared everything I observed, but they just brushed it off. They thought I was confusing her with a Pokémon from another region. They chalked it up to inexperience, told me I'd probably seen some rare variant or foreign species."
"I went back to Pewter Gym, hoping to find answers, but Giovanni was already gone. I heard he resigned just before the Indigo Plateau Conference that year and vanished. It wasn't until later that I learned about his ties to Team Rocket."
"I told people that Giovanni might've been forcing some unknown Pokémon to fight for him, but no one took me seriously. They either dismissed it outright or bombarded me with pictures of obscure Pokémon from other regions, convinced that one of them had to be what I'd seen."
Etorre paused, then gave a bitter laugh.
"So, eventually... I gave up."
Mao gently took Etorre's clenched hand in hers, offering quiet support. The frustration still lingered in his eyes.
"Why are you so determined to find her?" She asked softly.
Etorre picked up the sketch again, eyes scanning its details. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"She expressed... something strange."
"When she attacked, I could feel the psychic energy ripple. Just for a second, it was like I felt her thoughts. Confusion. Struggle. A deep, painful disconnection from everything around her."
"She didn't seem to understand emotion. It was like she wanted to, but couldn't. Like the entire world was foreign to her."
"I want to know if she's a one-of-a-kind being. And if she is, then I want to free her. Because Giovanni… he was controlling her. But if she's not alone, if there are others like her... then I want to meet them, too. See if they all share that same feeling of isolation."
Luther let out a quiet sigh.
Another pure-hearted soul.
Since coming to this world, he'd met more than a few people like this. People who chased their ideals, their questions, and their truths, even when the world refused to believe them.
They didn't care about recognition. They didn't seek glory or prizes. All they wanted was clarity, and peace of heart.
"If you want to know whether she's still being controlled…" Luther said slowly, "I can tell you this, Giovanni can't enslave her anymore."
"She's free now."
Etorre's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You… What did you say?" He stammered. "You know her? You've seen her?"
"Yes. I know her," Luther replied calmly. "And I'm not lying to you, nor trying to make you feel better. Don't ask how I know, that part stays with me."
"But she is real. And she is unique."
Strangely, Etorre didn't question him further. Something in Luther's voice made it impossible to doubt.
"…Can you tell me her name?"
Luther hesitated for a breath.
"Mewtwo. Her name is Mewtwo."
"And now… she's truly a part of this world."
(End of Chapter)
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