While Haru was still tearing through Space-Time Path and obsessively playing that "Past Meets Future" game, a certain research institute in the Kanto region was also pushing forward with their own project…
The Mewtwo Project was gradually entering its final phase.
Although they still couldn't guarantee complete control over Mewtwo, they had indeed succeeded in using the genes of both a Mythical Pokémon and a human to create a true Tier One Legendary.
In less than three days, Mewtwo would reach full maturity.
By then, it would possess every power befitting a Tier One Legendary—save for "Authority" itself.
After that, all they needed to do was follow Giovanni's original plan to the letter, completely lock down Mewtwo's mind, and Team Rocket would have the perfect weapon of war.
And the first person they'd go after? Haru, of course!
As the paternal genetic donor to Mewtwo, he was a perfect "ritual sacrifice" for its debut.
And while they were at it, they could use the Mew by Haru's side to test Mewtwo's limits—see if it truly out-Mewed Mew. If Mewtwo could smash Mew into the dirt, then everything would be perfect.
So far, everything seemed firmly under their control. The project was advancing step by step, just as planned.
Only… little did they know, their "weapon of war" was secretly undergoing heavy "modifications" at the claws of another Tier One Legendary.
In the end, that so-called "weapon of war" might well become nothing more than a weapon of war against its own Trainer.
After prolonged "brainwashing" from Necrozma, Mewtwo had begun to accept certain "common sense" ideas that—at least to Necrozma—seemed perfectly reasonable…
For example: fighting your own mom to win over your dad.
Mewtwo still felt something about this was… off. But having had almost zero contact with the outside world, it had no choice but to trust this fellow Psychic-type Legendary who liked taking human form.
After all, Pokémon don't lie to other Pokémon… right?
…Right?
And that was when Mewtwo noticed something—at some point, Necrozma had changed into a rather odd outfit.
It was black and white, vaguely like a dress, but with several overly exposed parts. Its decorations looked a little… fuzzy, and for some reason that made Mewtwo feel vaguely… uneasy.
"Notice anything about my clothes?"
Seeing Mewtwo's strange expression, Necrozma twirled twice in place as if showing off.
Currently disguised—thanks to Necrozma's bad taste—as blue-haired, amber-eyed "Toyokawa Shoko," Mewtwo pointed at Necrozma's outfit.
"…And this is supposed to be what, exactly?"
There were many times Mewtwo was shocked by the "common sense" of the outside world.
Human clothing seemed a little… too revealing.
It had already learned from Necrozma about nurses, teachers, police uniforms… and they all seemed just a bit too indecent—always exposing something here or there.
But Necrozma always dressed like this, and she never acted like it was unusual.
So maybe Mewtwo was just oversensitive? After all, she was wearing it, so it had to be fine.
Surely Necrozma wasn't… some kind of pervert?
"It's a Fallen Angel Gothic Maid Outfit! You should try it sometime."
"Oh, and when you wear this in front of Haru, you have to say this—"
"Welcome home, Master. Please, sink it in with one stroke."
"…What does that even mean?"
"It means inviting him to exercise with you. You know—keep fit." Necrozma answered without missing a beat.
Then she glanced at "Toyokawa Shoko" and smiled. "You're about to become 'complete.' Have you thought about what you'll do next?"
Mewtwo nodded solemnly.
"I know they plan to use me as a weapon. And they've been trying to control me this whole time.
"But… the me who once let others control my fate… is dead."
"Good." Necrozma's smile turned dazzling. "I'll help you. Let's give Team Rocket—and the 'Master'—a little surprise."
---
Meanwhile, also in the Kanto region, a young man with a hairstyle that screamed I'm amazing at card games strolled into a private battle arena, hands in pockets, under the adoring gaze of the security staff.
He stretched his shoulders, then casually pulled a red-and-white Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it.
"Come out, Charizard."
The instant the ball hit the ground, a red flash burst forth—
—and in the center of the battlefield now stood a great orange dragon with powerful hind legs, relatively small forelimbs tipped with three sharp claws, and massive wings on its back. At the end of its long, muscular tail, a fierce flame blazed.
Yes—this was Masuda's dad, one of Kanto's three original starters, in its final evolved form: Charizard.
In the games, Charizard's base stat spread isn't exactly ideal.
As a special attacker, its physical attack is oddly high.
Its abilities aren't amazing, and its movepool is only average, so competitively it's never been truly top tier.
Charizard somehow manages to get perks in almost every generation.
Mega Evolution? It got two forms—Mega Charizard X and Y.
Gigantamax? Check—plus an exclusive G-Max Move.
Tera? Okay, it didn't benefit much there, but still.
That's why it stayed relevant for so long—at one point even ranking among the strongest Mega Pokémon.
By Gen IX, with battle system restrictions allowing only Terastalization, Charizard's glory days began to fade.
But this was reality—not a game.
Theoretically, if a Trainer could wield Mega Evolution, Terastalization, and Gigantamax all at once, they could stack every buff on a single Charizard and wreak havoc.
Just look at Leon, the Galar Champion—his ace was a Gigantamax Charizard, hailed as the "strongest Charizard."
So in reality, Charizard should be extremely powerful—borderline Legendary.
After all, any of those transformations alone can raise a Pokémon's power tier by at least one level.
Unfortunately, compared to pseudo-Legendaries or actual Legendaries, Charizard still isn't considered ultra-rare—just more coveted than your average cat or dog Pokémon.
Trainers with one might draw envy, but not jealousy.
The reason is simple—almost no one can stack all those power-ups, because collecting them is extremely hard.
Mega Stones require a perfect match to the Pokémon, plus a deep bond and trust—no casual Trainer can just slap one on.
Tera Orbs and Dynamax Bands are usually reserved for top local Trainers; outsiders rarely get them.
So while Charizard's potential is sky-high, reaching that potential depends entirely on the Trainer's skill and the Pokémon's effort.
But… for one man, that wasn't a problem.
If he raised his Charizard to handle that much power, he could get it all—Mega Stone, Z-Move, Tera Orb—no matter what.
Because he was none other than the first Pokémon League Champion of Kanto—Blue, "The Breeder."
After learning Haru had a Tier Two Legendary, Blue poured everything into training this newly raised Charizard.
Now, he felt it was nearly battle-ready.
"The day of our match is getting close," he murmured.
"But I've already got a hundred percent chance of winning. Type advantage alone is a fatal weakness for that Grass-type Tier Two."
He stroked Charizard's neck, then pointed at a boulder in the distance. "Charizard—Flamethrower!"
Though Blue hadn't raised it for long, this Charizard was noticeably larger and sturdier than most, its moves visibly stronger.
It opened its jaws wide—
—and a searing torrent of flames engulfed the target boulder.
When the fire dissipated, the rock was gone—replaced by a bubbling pool of molten lava.
That was just one move. Terrifying.
If weather effects like Sunny Day boosted it, the power would be monstrous.
"Not bad. If you're this strong in base form, Mega Evolution in battle will make beating him easy."
Originally, Blue hadn't planned to put much effort into the match—this Charizard was just his "insurance" pick to avoid an upset.
As the world's greatest Pokémon breeder, he could quickly raise a strong team whenever he wanted.
But after seeing Haru's Grass-type Tier Two—its thorny club hits looked nasty—he decided to take things more seriously.
Still, it was just a Grass-type Tier Two. Nothing unmanageable.
This Charizard was built specifically to counter Arboliva.
With its Fire/Flying typing, it double-resisted Grass and took minimal damage from anything Arboliva could throw.
If needed, Blue could even Mega Evolve it into Mega Charizard Y for maximum effect.
But just then, a familiar voice called from outside:
"You're being too cautious. Is this really necessary?"
Recognizing the speaker, Blue turned—and sure enough, there was the wild hermit of Mt. Silver himself, Red.
"I'm just sticking to the plan. Being cautious never hurts. And I'm not losing this one—I don't need Blue laughing at me for a whole year."
Red said nothing, simply pulling his cap down slightly.
Blue recalled Charizard. "So, what brings you down from the mountain this time?"
Red—one of the few "ascetic monks" of the Pokémon world—had spent years in seclusion atop Mt. Silver, protecting rare Pokémon and honing his strength.
If he'd come down to see Blue, it meant something serious.
"The match is drawing near. I've seen a lot of Trainers from other regions saying they'll come watch."
"I get it. You're looking for fights again, huh?"
Silence.
"Come on, man—how many people in that crowd will actually be able to battle you? Champion-tier Trainers don't just grow on trees."
Silence again.
After a long pause, Red finally spoke.
"…Maybe someone will surprise me."
***************************
Read advanced chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell