Once upon a time, Mewtwo—still bound within a container—made its first contact with humanity.
That encounter happened during the challenge at the Viridian Gym.
It was also the first time Ash met Mewtwo.
From that moment on, an unbreakable bond was forged between them.
Later, Mewtwo chose to command Pokémon as a Trainer, launching a counterattack against humanity.
Yet that plan was ultimately moved by Ash's sincerity.
Afterward, the two of them worked together to help Genesect.
Their connection deepened again and again.
Even during these days of seclusion on Mirage Island, whenever the bright moon rose over the sea, Mewtwo would always think of that boy who was willing to give everything for Pokémon.
If the first human Mewtwo had ever met had been Ash, perhaps there wouldn't have been so much hatred toward humanity in its heart.
Hatred can infect everything—but love can as well.
Ash's love for Pokémon was beyond question.
After completely linking its mind to Ash's through psychic power, Mewtwo read all of Ash's experiences over the years—traveling and growing together with Pikachu and countless other Pokémon.
Even when facing Eternatus, a being that knew only destruction and possessed no emotions at all, what Ash thought about was communication—about letting it join the big family in the backyard of Professor Oak's laboratory.
Ash was simply too kind.
Mewtwo gazed up at Eternatus, which was twisting and writhing in the sky.
You really don't know what's good for you!
At that moment, Mewtwo's eyes turned cold.
If you're unwilling to communicate properly, then I'll beat you until you are!
"Mewtwo! Can we fight together?"
"..."
"…Alright."
Fight together—are you treating me as your partner?
That feeling…
Isn't bad at all!
The normally expressionless face of Mewtwo actually curved into a faint smile.
That smile was caught perfectly by Boss Giovanni, who was watching the livestream.
A smile never disappears—it only transfers.
Clearly, the smile on Boss Giovanni's face had transferred to the face of "343" Mewtwo.
Mewtwo being this gentle—who would believe it?!
[Lorelei: Such a warm smile… For Mewtwo to escape from an evil organization like Team Rocket and still retain its purity—it really wasn't easy.]
[Lance: That's right! Team Rocket does nothing but evil—they're absolute trash!]
Warm? Mewtwo?
Can those two words even go together?
Boss Giovanni took a deep drag from his cigar.
Why had there been so many things lately that annoyed him?
"Petrel, aren't Musashi and the others on vacation recently?"
"Yes, Boss!"
"Then notify them—their vacation is canceled."
After saying that, Boss Giovanni suddenly felt much better.
(Team Rocket Trio: Achoo!)
...
On the screen—
After Ash agreed to Mewtwo's request, Mewtwo's entire presence changed.
A massive, tangible pressure surged forth, crushing down toward Eternatus in the sky!
In battle, momentum is everything!
Although Eternatus's size was absurdly huge, Mewtwo could clearly sense that there wasn't much power contained within that massive shell.
It was already at the end of its strength.
A two-meter-tall Mewtwo displayed the momentum of two hundred meters!
So much so that Eternatus, which had been stirring up wind and clouds in the sky, was frozen in midair.
Psychic! Mewtwo used Psychic!
An Eternatus that fought purely on instinct had an incredibly sharp sense of danger.
Just like back in Hammerlocke, when the Rusted Sword and Shield on Ash and Gary began to shine—it knew something terrible was about to happen.
Unfortunately.
Zacian and Zamazenta had been far too fast back then!
Eternatus hadn't even had time to flee before being sealed away!
But now—
Eternatus felt it could try.
This wasn't Galar. There was no way two giant wolves would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
The humanoid creature in front of it that looked vaguely like a cat didn't give it the same instinctive fear of a natural predator like Zacian and the others.
Still, the overwhelming pressure blanketing the sky made Eternatus extremely uncomfortable.
Before Mewtwo even made a move, Eternatus launched the first attack.
Sadly, without a Trainer to guide it, Eternatus's attack patterns were the same old trio—
Claws, beams, and charges.
If it hadn't at least known to activate Darkest Day to give itself home-field advantage, its battle sense would've been about on par with a roadside Spearow.
The metaphor wasn't perfectly accurate, but it fit well enough.
Fighting purely on instinct meant it could only dominate weaker opponents.
Coincidentally, Mewtwo was a master of control, capable of wielding psychic power with exquisite precision.
Add Ash's commands into the mix—
And the outcome was already decided.
Eternatus had no room to struggle at all.
First, the immense Psychic power directly covered the entire sky.
Even the Darkest Day unleashed by Eternatus was forcibly compressed.
And when Eternatus fired back with Dynamax Cannon—
Mewtwo revealed its exclusive move!
Psystrike!
Under the gaze of countless viewers—
Mewtwo raised one hand, and a terrifying, night-black mass of condensed psychic energy gathered in its palm.
Head-on against the Dynamax Cannon!
Psystrike directly nullified Eternatus's attack.
The red laser of the Dynamax Cannon couldn't even slow Psystrike down.
There was no suspense whatsoever.
With a single Psystrike, Mewtwo forcibly freed Eternatus from that rampaging state.
Eternatus reverted to its original size.
Even the core in its chest, which had once glowed with a brilliant red light, gradually dimmed.
Ash could even feel that after the battle, Eternatus's body had shrunk slightly more.
The Pokémon hailed by countless viewers as the second coming of the Creator God had fallen just like that—at Mewtwo's hands.
Only now did the audience gain a true understanding of Mewtwo's strength.
A single strike was enough to end that state.
That level of power—even among Legendary Pokémon, it stood at the very top!
Terrifying beyond belief!
[Bruno: So cool, Master Ash! Is this your newly captured Pokémon? If there's a chance, please introduce us!]
[Lance: Where the hell did you go just now? You vanished completely—I didn't see you say a word.]
[Bruno: Me? Of course I was on the road! Ever since I heard Master Ash returned to Pallet Town, I've been rushing nonstop! I finally swam across the entire ocean to the outskirts of Viridian City!]
[Lance: 6]
[Sabrina: Was that psychic move exclusive to Mewtwo? Truly terrifying—to condense such pure psychic power into physical form. Mewtwo must possess a divine authority over psychic abilities.]
[Wikstrom: Can even artificial Pokémon obtain divine authority? That's not scientific at all! If Mewtwo could be mass-produced, wouldn't every one of them gain divine authority?]
[Diantha: Champion Wikstrom, you really should read more books. Have you considered that divine authority may only be held by a single Pokémon? And Mewtwo has already broken free from Team Rocket—do you really think they'd still dare to produce another?]
[Mewtwo: You needn't worry. Before I left that laboratory, I destroyed all data related to me. Aside from me, there will never be a third Mewtwo in this world.]
[Flint: What am I hearing? There's another one as strong as me?!]
[Red: Um… the other Mewtwo was captured by me.]
Audience: ...
As expected of you, Red!
...
On the screen—
After Eternatus was dealt with, Mewtwo quietly floated back to Ash's side.
Hearing the praise whispered near its ear—"You're amazing, Mewtwo"—it narrowed its eyes slightly, clearly enjoying the feeling.
'Thanks to your command, beating that guy was easy.'
"That's not true at all. You were already incredible, Mewtwo."
'Am I really that incredible?'
"Of course! You once took on all of us Trainers by yourself!"
'Alright, stop. Keep going and it'll get rude.'
Seeing Ash about to bring up its dark history again, Mewtwo decisively cut him off.
'Weren't you trying to link with this Pokémon? I've already injected psychic power into it. Try communicating now.'
As it spoke, Mewtwo's eyes flickered.
The entire screen instantly turned pitch black.
Within the darkness, only two points of light stood out.
One glowed blue, and a thin blue line connected the two points.
Slowly—
Drip.
The sound of a water droplet echoed through the dark space.
A human figure gradually emerged in the dim light.
Wherever that figure stepped, beams of sunlight illuminated the darkness.
The figure walked toward the blue light.
More than half of the black world was now lit.
There was no doubt—the figure was Ash.
"Come out, Eternatus. I know you're here."
Ash's voice echoed through the black-and-white space.
The moment his voice fell—
Space and time around them began to twist.
All the darkness condensed into a tangible form.
And within that darkness, a pair of hollow eyes slowly appeared.
'Hero of the Sword! Why are you here?!'
A metallic, grating voice rang out.
It was sharp, piercing—and carried a force that shook the soul.
Clearly, Eternatus was extremely displeased by Ash's presence.
This was a mental world constructed by Mewtwo's psychic power.
Facing the Sword Hero who had intruded into its world, Eternatus displayed intense hostility.
"Eternatus, I'm here to negotiate. Please stop releasing Darkest Day. Neither humans nor Pokémon can survive in that environment!"
'Home! I just want to go home!'
"Home? Where is your home? I can help you find it!"
'No! You can't find it! I don't even know where my home is!'
As the words fell, the dark mass that was Eternatus churned violently within the mental space.
The topic of "home" had clearly touched a nerve.
[Professor Magnolia: It's said that Eternatus came to Earth because a meteor carried it here ten thousand years ago! After incubating within that meteor for ages, it finally hatched and caused the Darkest Day…]
[Leon: I can understand Eternatus not being native to Earth, but why would it sleep for twenty thousand years before awakening again? Humans back then couldn't possibly organize a proper resistance!]
[Professor Oak: It's possible that the Eternatus which fell to Earth was merely a Pokémon Egg. After such a long incubation period, it finally hatched three thousand years ago.]
[Lance: Wait! By that logic… could Eternatus actually be a newborn baby Pokémon?]
[Flint: Are you stupid? Eternatus is a Pokémon from three thousand years ago—how could it be a newborn?!]
[Volkner: The stupid one is you. Did you forget that Zacian and Zamazenta defeated and sealed Eternatus three thousand years ago? Its state now is no different from back then!]
[Ash: From outer space… carried by a meteor? Isn't that basically the same as Jirachi?]
[Cynthia: It's very possible that Eternatus is the same type of Pokémon as Jirachi. There may be a special connection between them.]
[Flint: One more thing—did Zacian and Zamazenta technically bully a child three thousand years ago?]
[Lucian: Your train of thought is truly… unique.]
...
On the screen—
Due to Eternatus's sudden rampage, the mental world was on the verge of collapse!
The black-and-white space裂 open again and again, as if it would shatter entirely in the next second.
"Eternatus! If you're willing, I can give you a home!"
'NO!!!'
Clearly—
Ash's scumbag-like proposal wasn't accepted.
In fact, Eternatus's emotional fluctuations grew even more violent.
At that moment—
Facing the roiling black cloud ahead, Ash's monochrome figure stepped forward.
He placed his hand into the darkness.
An invisible force rippled through the mental space.
Light-blue waves—identical to psychic energy—spread outward.
Layer after layer, wave after wave.
Waves of Aura power, filled with emotion, slowly flowed into Eternatus's mental body.
Because this wasn't the real world, Eternatus's core didn't activate to absorb Ash's Aura.
Instead, all of it poured directly into Eternatus's spirit.
That warmth—containing all of Ash's emotions—pulled Eternatus out of its berserk state.
Just as Professor Oak had said—
At its core, Eternatus was essentially a newborn Pokémon.
Its power was so terrifying that the moment it was born, it stirred the heavens and earth purely on instinct.
Even being defeated and sealed by the Sword and Shield Heroes hadn't changed its perception.
But after feeling Ash's Aura—
That warm, sun-like power shone upon Eternatus's spirit, allowing it to experience a feeling that existed only in distant memory—
A feeling called "home."
Even as its mental body accepted the Aura, Eternatus's physical form outside was slowly being healed.
The grievous injuries inflicted by Mewtwo's Psystrike began to recover.
To Eternatus, Ash's Aura was an energy even more satisfying than Dynamax particles.
"Don't worry. After I captured you, I already considered you family. We'll live together forever."
Ash spoke in the gentlest tone.
'Family?'
"Yes. Family. From now on, we're family."
Gentle words that made one sink into them.
At that moment, color gradually returned to the once black-and-white mental world.
Even Eternatus's spirit regained its original form.
'We are… family.'
Crack!
The mental world shattered.
Sunlight. Beach.
The scenery of Mirage Island appeared before Ash.
Eternatus's body shrank again—
Until it was just over a meter long, when it wrapped itself around Ash's neck like a ferret.
In the process, it forcibly squeezed Pikachu off Ash's shoulder.
Hey, you brat!
Having his spot stolen, Pikachu could only sulk as he climbed onto Chloe's shoulder instead.
"Pika~"
I'll forgive you this once.
Eternatus's sudden docility left Chloe utterly dumbfounded.
Was this really the world-destroying demon from Galar's legends?
Eternatus looked a bit ferocious, but that didn't stop Chloe from judging—
It was just a clingy Pokémon!
And that wasn't even the most shocking part.
Right before her eyes—
Mewtwo slowly floated up behind Ash.
'What about me?'
That expression was practically screaming "So you've got another dog outside now?"
Something's wrong.
Very wrong.
Eleven out of ten levels of wrong.
Ash… don't tell me you really have some kind of special constitution?
To make Legendary Pokémon get jealous?!
Chloe also wanted to say—
What about me~?
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