Another line of text appeared on the light screen.
Those few words pushed the already frenzied audience straight to the brink.
Blood rushed to their heads, emotions exploding to their peak.
Ultra Ball!
Battle!
Rewards!
Put those words together and what did that mean?
Free rewards, basically!
Once the livestream picked you, all you had to do was brainlessly bet on Ash!
You might win big—but the stream would never lose.
Was there anything in this world happier than that?
The answer was no.
As the text faded, images appeared once more on the light screen.
Several pictures flashed by in succession.
Careful viewers could tell these were scenes from the aftermath of the great battle.
There was the reconstruction of Hammerlocke,
and footage of Chairman Rose stepping down from his position as Galar League Chairman to accept judgment.
Everything seemed to be moving toward the best possible outcome.
After the images faded—
Ash's figure reappeared on the screen.
The moment viewers saw him, their enthusiasm skyrocketed.
Hurry up and climb the rankings already!
They wanted rewards!
On screen—
"According to current research, the origin of Pokémon may trace back to a single legendary Pokémon—Mew. Studies show that the genetic markers of every Pokémon discovered so far can be found within the remnants of Mew's fur. In other words, Mew may be the ancestor of all Pokémon!"
Professor Cerise spoke passionately to Ash and Chloe.
Ash and Chloe both wore looks of disbelief.
Seeing their reactions, Cerise was immensely satisfied.
Finally—
a chance to show off in front of his daughter!
"Professor, reports say that traces of Mew have been discovered on an island near Lumiose City in Kalos,"
researcher Ren added, pulling up the relevant data.
"Mew… I'd really like to see it once,"
Chloe said softly, her gaze lingering on the fleeting image of Mew on the research screen.
Though Goh had once dragged her into danger,
it was precisely because of that incident that Chloe had seen Mew as a child—
And been saved by it.
Because of that, Chloe harbored a special feeling toward Mew.
She wanted to thank it in person for saving her life.
But she hesitated.
Even if they went… would they really be able to meet Mew?
"Want to see it? Then let's go meet it."
Ash's voice suddenly sounded right beside her ear.
At some point, he had leaned in close.
The warm breath against her ear made Chloe's ears turn red instantly.
"Ash…"
"Don't leave yourself with regrets."
Ash grabbed Chloe's hand, making as if to take her straight to the island.
Professor Cerise froze on the spot.
You brat—kidnapping my daughter right in front of me?!
Can't you see she's already turned into a puddle?!
(Ash: Just multitasking!)
In the end, Ash and Chloe boarded a plane bound for Kalos.
The island where Mew resided wasn't as mysterious as Dragonite Island,
but it lay deep in the middle of the ocean.
There were no reference points around it whatsoever.
Finding it required a fair bit of luck.
But Ash wasn't worried.
As long as they flew fast enough,
they could sweep through the entire sea region.
No matter how well Mew Island was hidden, it wouldn't matter!
And his confidence came from—
"Come out! Eternatus!"
Audience: ...
Ash, what are you doing?!
Just minutes ago, they had witnessed Eternatus nearly destroy the world.
And now you're releasing it again?!
Did Eternatus suddenly become obedient after being caught in a Poké Ball?!
That sounded absurd!
And the moment Ash called out "Eternatus"—
Chloe's startled expression and instinctive step backward were painfully obvious.
Clearly, Ash hadn't warned her that Eternatus was coming along!
[Flint]: That can't be right… no way months have passed in just a few minutes of livestream time!
[Sonia]: I'm scared—Eternatus isn't about to trigger another Darkest Day in Kalos, right?!
[Diantha]: ...
[Diantha]: Quick! Ash, return Eternatus to its Poké Ball right now! If it goes out of control in Kalos, I will never forgive you!
[Chairman Damaranch]: It shouldn't come to that. If Ash could defeat Eternatus before, he must've neutralized it somehow.
[Volkner]: Really? I don't think Kalos's legendary Pokémon could stop Eternatus. And look at Chloe—her reaction is not normal at all.
[Drasna]: Is it possible Ash can summon Zacian to Kalos, so he's not worried? Chloe… Chloe might just be having PTSD.
Do you believe that?
I don't.
Unless Ash has some kind of magic that made Eternatus completely submit in just a few days—
But that was even more unbelievable than Ash summoning Zacian to Kalos.
Still…
Ash looked way too calm.
So maybe there really wasn't a problem?
…Probably?
But Chloe's reaction said otherwise!
That backward step was very real!
So—
Ash, you are playing with fire, right?!
On screen—
Unlike the red light of ordinary Poké Ball releases,
Eternatus made a far grander entrance.
The moment the ball opened, black mist poured out.
It looked exactly like the opening act of another Galar catastrophe!
But then—
A yellow blur flashed past.
Metallic light flared across the screen.
Behemoth Blade?!
No—Pikachu's Iron Tail!
But wait—Pikachu wasn't even on the same level as Eternatus!
This was like throwing an egg at a boulder!
Yet the result stunned everyone.
Pikachu's Iron Tail struck Eternatus squarely on the head.
Clang!
The spreading black mist instantly collapsed—
sucked straight back into the core on Eternatus's chest.
The situation flipped too quickly for the audience to process.
"Honestly… Eternatus, you're still just as arrogant as ever."
Ash rubbed his forehead, clearly dissatisfied.
Only after the mist fully receded did the audience see Eternatus clearly.
Even in its first form, Eternatus had once towered dozens of meters high.
But now—
It was only two or three meters tall.
Was this really the same Eternatus?!
[Leon]: What's going on? It feels like Eternatus got way weaker!
[Professor Magnolia]: My guess is that after Eternatus was captured, the Dynamax particles condensed within it dissipated. Without them, this may be its true size.
[Flint]: So you're saying Eternatus went from a god-tier monster to a total scrub?
[Cynthia]: Do you really think you could beat it like this?
[Flint]: Of course! If Ash can suppress it with Pikachu's Iron Tail, then my Infernape definitely—
[Diantha]: No—didn't you see that faint blue glow when Pikachu swung its tail? That was clearly Zacian's Behemoth Blade!
[Lance]: Damn it, how did I forget that?! Rewards obtained in our era synchronize with future Ash! That means Pikachu has already mastered the secret art!
[Volkner]: ...
[Volkner]: We all caught our Pikachu in Kanto—why is yours so ridiculously talented?!
[Professor Oak]: Don't ask. The answer is talent.
Wow.
Professor Oak, you really said nothing at all.
It seriously felt like the initial Pikachu footage shown by the light screen wasn't the full version.
Something huge was definitely missing in the middle.
Professor Oak—you absolutely made some kind of deal with Pikachu!
On screen—
Eternatus, having been struck by Pikachu's Iron Tail, was clearly unwilling to accept it.
After all, that wasn't a full Behemoth Blade.
The attack had merely forced it out of its rampage.
On top of that, Eternatus wasn't a native Pokémon of Earth—
Like Deoxys, it originated from outer space.
The language barrier made communication extremely difficult.
Ash couldn't properly converse with it.
As for Aura—
Ash had no intention of trying.
The last time he used Aura, it had directly accelerated Eternatus's Eternamax transformation.
If that happened again now,
all their effort calming it down would be wasted.
If Aura wouldn't work—
There was still one power that could transcend language barriers: Psychic power.
But Eternatus's level was simply too high.
Ordinary Psychic-type Pokémon couldn't even establish contact, let alone communicate.
That was why, upon seeing Mew's traces,
Ash had immediately chosen to head for Mew Island.
After all—
Mew's level should be sufficient to communicate with Eternatus.
As Eternatus's Trainer,
it was only right for Ash to understand his Pokémon's needs.
Given Ash's relationship with Mew,
once he found it, Mew surely wouldn't refuse.
For now, however—
Ash could only communicate with Eternatus through force.
Having lost most of its Dynamax particles before capture,
Eternatus's strength was now roughly on par with an ordinary deity.
With Pikachu's customized Behemoth Blade,
Ash could suppress it to some extent.
After Iron Tail landed successfully,
Pikachu clapped its paws and hopped back onto Ash's shoulder.
"Pika!"
'That was before. This is now. Don't compare the past to the present—here, I'm the boss!'
Pikachu was extremely satisfied with its new power.
[Flint]: See? I told you there'd be no problem—this Eternatus isn't scary at all now!
[Drasna]: Thank goodness… Pikachu really pulled through. That Iron Tail's speed and power are already far beyond normal Pokémon! If Pikachu had the Steel type, it might gain another title besides Thunder God—Steel God!
[Steven]: Hiss… that wasn't Iron Tail at all. That was clearly Behemoth Blade.
Clearly, only Steven saw through the truth.
On screen—
After that, Ash successfully set off riding on Eternatus.
Chloe clung tightly to Ash's waist from behind.
The events of that day were still vivid in her mind.
Only someone as thick-skinned as Ash
could so calmly command Eternatus.
For ordinary people, Eternatus's Poké Ball would stay sealed forever.
The pitch-black bone dragon soared into the sky.
Its speed was like a bolt of black lightning.
Before long, the sea near Lumiose City came into view.
In just a short time,
Ash led Chloe to the isolated island—Mew Island.
As Eternatus descended—
A violent surge of blue psychic power erupted from the island.
The instant Ash felt it, his brows knitted together.
This overwhelming psychic force—
This wasn't Mew's power.
The terrifying psychic pressure crashed in like a natural disaster,
freezing the winds and forcing the sea to retreat!
For a moment,
the entire beach was steeped in an apocalyptic aura.
Psychic power at this level—
And that familiar feeling!
Ash's frown instantly relaxed.
He had already identified the owner.
"Mewtwo! Are you here?!"
Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward the forest.
Behind him, Chloe—still hugging him tightly—looked confused.
"Mewtwo? Weren't we here to look for Mew?"
Clearly, Chloe didn't know Mewtwo existed.
In fact—
Only a handful of people in the entire world knew.
After all, Mewtwo was the pinnacle of artificial Pokémon.
"You don't know this, but Mewtwo is a really interesting guy,"
Ash said with a grin.
"In a sense, he's actually Mew's son."
'Discussing others behind their backs is extremely rude.'
A deep voice echoed across the area.
It didn't travel through the air—
It resonated directly within their minds.
Chloe turned her head in confusion.
There wasn't a single Pokémon in sight.
Ash, however, looked up—
And immediately spotted that familiar silver-white figure in the air.
Floating above them—
A humanoid, feline-like Pokémon bathed in blue light—
Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's body was silver-white,
with purple eyes, tail, and abdomen.
A neural conduit extended from the center of its back to the back of its neck,
and its fingers ended in three spherical digits.
It looked nothing like an Earth-native Pokémon.
If anything—
It looked even more alien than Eternatus.
Mewtwo's sudden appearance made Eternatus instantly bristle.
The Pokémon before it gave off the same feeling
as Zacian and Zamazenta!
Though not on the level of the Sword and Shield Kings—
The sheer psychic pressure was still chilling.
Driven by instinct—
Eternatus attacked.
In an instant,
red light gathered in the core on its chest.
The energy condensed completely—
And a devastating beam erupted from its mouth!
Though Eternatus hadn't yet replenished its Dynamax particles,
its inherent strength was still terrifying.
"Stop! Eternatus!"
Sensing the movement beneath him, Ash shouted urgently.
But it was too late.
The attack had already been fired.
The colossal beam shot straight toward Mewtwo in the sky.
Seeing this—
Everyone except those who knew Mewtwo
felt a pang of regret for the Pokémon Ash had called "Mew's son."
Eternatus's attacks had effortlessly destroyed Hammerlocke.
One Pokémon. One city. Gone.
All with a single attack.
That level of power was something even most top-tier legendaries couldn't achieve.
Yet Eternatus could.
Even weakened.
Even without Eternamax.
The fear it inspired hadn't faded.
And so—
Everyone mourned for Mewtwo.
Taking Eternatus's attack head-on
would surely result in severe injury.
The screen was flooded with crimson light.
One second later—
The beam completely engulfed Mewtwo.
Some viewers closed their eyes, unable to watch.
This was Mewtwo!
The strongest of the first generation!
'Ash… your friend seems rather ill-mannered.'
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