Kanto Region.
Viridian City, Viridian Gym.
"I lost…"
A young Trainer lowered his head helplessly, gazing at the calm, black-suited Gym Leader Giovanni, and quietly conceded defeat.
"Not bad. But your skill still needs refinement."
Even after the battle ended, Giovanni smiled gently, offering quiet reassurance to the defeated challenger.
"You're a promising Trainer. With more effort to strengthen your Pokémon, you might one day earn the Earth Badge from me."
"Yes! I'll keep training harder!"
The rookie looked stunned by the praise, nodding rapidly as he thought to himself—
'Just like the other Trainers said… Giovanni may seem stern, but he's actually a good person!'
'If it weren't for his presence, Team Rocket would've already taken over Viridian City!'
After escorting another challenger out, Giovanni's warm smile vanished instantly.
"Only twenty years… and today's new Trainers have already degraded to this level of mediocrity?"
"But perhaps that's good for Team Rocket."
"Other than the Kanto Elite Four, none of them pose a real threat. No need to pay them much attention."
His gaze soon shifted to the peculiar Pokémon still standing motionless on the battlefield.
Its body closely resembled a human's, covered in thick, gleaming silver armor that obscured its true form.
(Who might this be? Hard to guess~)
Since Giovanni had not issued any further command, and the battle had ended some time ago, the Pokémon remained utterly still—no movement, no reaction.
In that alone, its behavior diverged sharply from that of a Pokémon with independent thought.
To Giovanni, it was less a partner…
…than a tool.
With a subtle glance, a team of researchers approached.
"Did you record the battle data?"
"Yes! Compared to just a few days ago, Mewtwo's physical resilience has increased significantly. Our theory—that battle accelerates its growth—is entirely correct!"
Giovanni nodded in satisfaction.
He had known it all along.
Pokémon were born for battle. Only through combat could they truly unlock their potential.
Just like his own veteran Beedrill…
Every Trainer in Kanto knew that while Giovanni, "Giovanni of the Earth," was renowned for his mastery of Ground-type Pokémon—rivalling even Elite Four members and Champions—his starter and most trusted battle partner was always, and would always be, Beedrill.
Even as a Weedle, this little creature had shown its aggressive nature.
But everyone knew: Bug-type Pokémon were, on average, the weakest among all classifications.
Even in its final evolved form, Beedrill rarely outperformed even one of the Starter Pokémon with evolutionary potential, like Charmander.
But this Beedrill? It was different.
Through Giovanni's meticulous training—and the full resources of Team Rocket—it had become a terrifying phantom assassin. Even the newly born Mewtwo had fallen to it in a single strike.
To Giovanni, every other factor mattered little.
The only thing that truly mattered was that this Beedrill had lived in constant struggle since the day it followed him. Team Rocket's expansion owed it a debt.
Because it had endured enough battles, it had grown stronger—until it reached this level.
Thus, Giovanni's method for accelerating Mewtwo's growth was simple:
Battle. Endless battle.
And with his position as Viridian Gym Leader, he could easily make this happen.
The Trainers who challenged him were mostly recent badge-holders—those who had collected seven badges and possessed respectable strength. Perfect as training dummies for the newborn Mewtwo.
And Mewtwo had not disappointed.
Soon, it would become his most formidable weapon.
Giovanni stared at the motionless Mewtwo, lost in thought.
At that moment, one of the researchers, after watching Mewtwo for several long moments, timidly raised a hand.
"Leader Giovanni… aside from Mewtwo's physical growth, there's another matter we believe requires urgent attention…"
"Speak."
Giovanni didn't turn. A simple gesture urged the researcher to continue.
"Yes!"
The two researchers exchanged glances, then decided to speak plainly.
"Mewtwo's growth rate far exceeds our projections. Alongside its physical enhancement…"
"…its psychic abilities, derived from Mew, are also developing at an alarming pace. Even our mental dampeners effectively suppress its cognition—but this power itself remains completely unrestricted."
"So… we fear it is accumulating energy. It may soon attempt to break free from the dampeners."
The dampeners—the armored plating covering Mewtwo's body—were designed to suppress its mind, allowing only basic obedience to its Trainer's commands, preventing independent thought.
Sometimes, this mechanical obedience limited Mewtwo's potential.
But its raw power and growth rate had, ironically, compensated for this flaw.
The researchers didn't understand why Leader Giovanni went to such extremes to prevent Mewtwo from gaining self-awareness.
Because, from what they'd seen, this suppression had only bred rebellion.
The Hypno kept in the underground lab to prevent accidents had sensed Mewtwo's growing hatred for humans through telepathy—so strongly, in fact, that it was beginning to show early signs of psychological distress.
If Mewtwo ever broke free, not a single soul in the Viridian Gym would survive its wrath.
Giovanni clearly read their fear.
He smiled confidently.
"Rest assured. Even if that day comes…"
"A single Mewtwo is not enough to threaten Giovanni of the Earth."
Beedrill subdued it once. It will do so again.
Giovanni had absolute faith in his old partner.
"Understood!"
With their leader's word, the researchers buried their doubts deep inside and resumed their duties without question.
"Return to the chamber, Mewtwo."
Seeing no more challengers were coming, Giovanni waved his hand.
Mewtwo's body stiffened briefly—then obeyed, slowly walking toward the gym's interior.
And just then, Giovanni's brow twitched.
He turned instinctively.
As the man who controlled all underground forces in Kanto, his sixth sense was rarely wrong.
He had felt something… strange.
When he looked upward, he saw it immediately.
A small, adorable pink figure, hovering in midair.
The legendary Pokémon—the origin of all life, possessing the genetic code of every Pokémon—Mew.
Yet, instead of shock, Giovanni's face held only quiet appreciation as he studied the tiny creature—its expression shifting from irritation to grim seriousness.
"So… you've finally appeared, Mew."
Giovanni spoke, his voice carrying an unexpected depth of emotion.
Long ago, when his mother founded Team Rocket, her sole goal had been to find this mythical Pokémon—to use its genome to unlock the secrets of Pokémon biology.
Yet, after a lifetime of searching, she never laid eyes on Mew. All she found was a fossilized Mew hair.
Now, decades later, Team Rocket's purpose had transformed beyond recognition.
And yet… here Mew was.
Fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Giovanni sighed inwardly.
"Mew!"
Actually, Mew had been watching for hours.
It had come as usual to the underground lab beneath Viridian Gym, hoping to chat with Mewtwo and pass the time.
But today, Mewtwo was gone.
Only Hypno remained.
Using its Shadow Hole to render Hypno unconscious before it could react, Mew suddenly realized—
'They knew I was coming to see Mewtwo.'
This was its own fault.
It was a millennia-old wild terror—a little tyrant who bullied every Pokémon in the forest, making them flee at its approach. He'd spent his life roaming freely, never once thinking humans could detect it.
So it had never bothered hiding the residual psychic energy left behind by its Teleport.
Any Pokémon with psychic sensitivity should've noticed it, right?
But it hadn't expected that this human—this villainous-looking man—had created Mewtwo not to understand power… but to own it. To turn it into a slave.
Even Mew, whose patience was legendary, felt anger rise within it.
"Mew!"
Faced with Mew's tiny finger pointing at him, Giovanni remained calm—almost amused.
"You've come all this way. Don't leave just yet. Become my ally, Mew—just like Mewtwo!"
"Mewtwo! Vent your rage upon Mew!"
"Use Hyper Beam!"
"..."
At Giovanni's command, Mewtwo stepped forward, placing its body between Giovanni and Mew.
"Mew?"
Mew let out a confused cry, eyes filled with worry as it stared at Mewtwo.
It could feel it clearly.
Mewtwo's consciousness was nearly gone—likely due to that thick armor.
And in just one week, the Mewtwo that had once radiated hope and wonder under Mew's influence now carried only pain… and something darker.
'Hatred… for humans?'
Such negative emotions should never have taken root in Mewtwo's soul.
And for that, Mew despised these arrogant humans even more.
But the problem?
If it were another Pokémon causing this, Mew had countless ways to fix it.
But this? This was a human creation.
He didn't understand it.
If he destroyed the armor… would it irreparably damage Mewtwo?
Though he usually appeared careless and mischievous, Mew had lived since ancient times. His mind was subtle, intricate.
He didn't want to hurt the one Pokémon who had shown him kindness—even the possibility of harm was too much.
Life was meant to experience beauty—not to be twisted into a weapon.
Giovanni's actions were an abomination. No Pokémon would ever accept them.
But now… he had no choice.
To avoid further harming Mewtwo, he had to retreat…
Mewtwo's arm was trembling as it struggled to lift it, its body resisting Giovanni's command—but it couldn't reclaim control.
Mew knew it was time to go.
He didn't understand human affairs.
He needed help.
He needed… Uncle Aiden.
What do you do when a child misbehaves?
Call Uncle Aiden to give them a good b̶e̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ education!
"Mew!"
With one final, furious glare at the man behind Mewtwo, Mew vanished in a flash of psychic energy.
…
Morning.
Aiden was preparing breakfast for his entire household.
With the rented Pokémon now permanently stationed at the Sunshine Gym, his daily routine had grown slightly busier.
Still, overall, it was manageable.
After all, Paldea's staple food was sandwiches. Making them in various flavors was simple.
As he chopped fresh ingredients and stirred powdered milk into hot water, Aiden reached for his knife—then paused.
A sudden feeling prickled at the back of his neck.
He turned.
In that instant, a small, slightly disheveled pink feline appeared in midair—its movements frantic, its expression urgent.
"Mew?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
'This little troublemaker picks the perfect timing—shows up right when I'm making breakfast.'
"Want a sandwich? Today's flavor is Galarian curry."
"Mew!"
Unlike its usual cheerful grin, today Mew's eyes burned with seriousness. It quickly reached out, grabbed Aiden's outstretched hand, and shook its head violently.
"What's wrong?"
Aiden had never seen the legendary street loafer of the Pokémon world look this tense.
What could possibly rattle a creature that had spent millennia outwitting gods and dodging hunters?
Was a Legendary Pokémon misbehaving again? Did it need a good spanking?
As Aiden mentally wondered, Mew had already climbed up his arm—then slammed its forehead into his forehead with a THWACK!
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