Chapter 161. Mew
"Bastard! What are you doing!"
The only one who broke free, Ash Ketchum, reached out to stop Mewtwo, only to find a barrier had formed around it, and he couldn't move an inch.
"I told you, Pikachu and the others are my partners, not tools!"
Seeing the Mewtwo Balls carry Pikachu and the others into the duct, Ash panicked and rammed his head—thud, thud—against Mewtwo's barrier.
"Humans love to lie, hypocritical creatures."
Mewtwo watched Ash expressionlessly.
"Actually, Ash is right.
It's just that you were treated as a tool.
Most people truly love their Pokémon."
Natsume's voice rang out.
Mewtwo's face darkened, and the Mewtwo Balls accelerated.
The scrambling Pokémon were absorbed even faster.
"Don't provoke it!" Misty roared.
Nearly forty Pokémon were running amok in the hall.
Among them, center-parted stood out in particular.
"Pika?"
Center-parted hopped and intercepted a Mewtwo Ball.
It slapped the eye in the center, and center-parted was sucked inside.
Half a second later, as if it had an upset stomach, the Mewtwo Ball shuddered violently and spat center-parted back out.
"Pika!"
Center-parted refused to accept this.
It felt like the ball was discriminatory.
By the very end, every Pokémon had been taken away, leaving only it standing alone in the middle of the hall.
"Why wasn't that Pikachu caught?" the three Trainers stared at center-parted in confusion.
"Pika?"
How awkward.
What terrified center-parted most was the thought that, with everyone's Pokémon gone, it would have to take up the banner against the purple-skinned one.
Center-parted shivered hard.
No.
It absolutely would not allow that to happen.
"Pikachu!"
At the instant the duct was about to close, Ash dashed in without hesitation.
"Pika!"
Ash!
Feigning deep emotion, center-parted followed and dropped into the duct as well.
Off to the side, Mewtwo's focus remained on Ash.
At the moment Ash and center-parted chose to jump into the duct, Mewtwo wavered a little.
But what followed was the emotion its outward-radiating psychic power perceived—an emotion called falsehood.
"Hmph.
Hypocrisy!"
With that, Mewtwo's figure flickered and vanished, and the force restraining everyone disappeared with it.
"It's over—my Pokémon!" Misty wailed.
As if infected by the crying, everyone else was moved.
"Why cry? We're going to take them back!"
Honora glared at the group.
No one had ever dared steal her Pokémon.
Even Team Rocket's trio wouldn't dare!
"But we don't have any Pokémon…
How are we supposed to take them back!"
The three Trainers looked dejected.
"Who said we don't have Pokémon?"
Natsume spoke up.
"Right, Natsume's Rotom wasn't taken!" Misty's sobs hit a snag.
"No, what I mean is…"
Natsume stood and whistled.
A second later, several figures dropped from the dome overhead.
"Bibarel!!!!"
Four Bibarel appeared, snapped a neat leg-kick, and saluted Natsume.
"I've got Ash's location.
Then these four Bibarel will Dig us a route.
Find Ash and we find our Pokémon!"
Natsume had just finished when—
"Swoosh!"
Not far away, four Mewtwo Balls popped out and, in a flash, captured all four Bibarel.
"We're done for.
There's no saving us."
Everyone slumped to the floor, dispirited.
"Wait, this woman is still here!"
The burly Trainer suddenly stood, looking to the woman dressed like a nun.
"Tell that Pokémon called Mewtwo to give our Pokémon back!"
The burly Trainer charged forward, but before he could act, the woman dressed like a nun collapsed.
Her wig fell, revealing a flash of pink.
"That's—!" Brock rushed up and helped her up.
"She's Nurse Joy—the Nurse Joy missing from Vermilion City!" Brock said, and everyone froze.
"Natsume, what should we do now?"
While the others were checking on Joy's condition, Honora sidled up and quietly asked Natsume.
"Huff!"
At that moment, the wall to the right sounded, splitting open like a door.
In view was a black corridor.
At the end of the passage, there seemed to be a battle arena.
"What… does this mean?"
Everyone was confused.
"Natsume—where's Natsume?"
Only after Misty and Brock had settled Nurse Joy did they notice Natsume had already walked into the passage.
"Wait for me, Mr. Natsume!" Honora hurried after him.
Behind them, the three exchanged looks and quickly followed.
When everyone reached the battle arena, they discovered more than one passage had opened.
They had come out of the southern passage.
To the west, another corridor rumbled with many approaching footsteps.
At the center of the field, Mewtwo stood in silence.
From the western passage, the footsteps drew nearer and nearer.
Two Gyarados walked out.
Two Charizard walked out.
Two Bulbasaur walked out—
"Those are… cloned Pokémon?" Honora gasped, searching for her Rhyperior.
"My Gyarados—and Fearow—you're okay, thank goodness!"
The burly man burst into tears of joy.
"Blastoise, over here!" the female Trainer waved.
At once, the Pokémon that had appeared together began to split up.
Some came toward the group.
Some stiffened and stood behind Mewtwo.
Except for those eight Bibarel.
"Bibarel!!!"
All eight ran to Natsume, leg-kicked, and saluted.
The lead Bibarel indicated this job was on the house—
they'd just developed four new employees for the company, so hello, bigger commission.
Not far away, Mewtwo glared at the four cloned Bibarel.
The latter timidly hid behind the four Bibarel wearing ID tags.
No way—they'd been promised room and board, single rooms, human massages, and help finding mates.
In a blink, the atmosphere on site turned… delicate.
"Natsume! Everyone!"
Ash emerged, carrying a pile of Poké Balls, with Team Rocket's trio trailing behind him.
"What the heck is this place?
Twerp, you gotta get us outta here, meow!"
Meowth clung to Ash's leg, wailing the whole way.
"I intercepted some of the Poké Balls ahead of time!"
Ash said, handing a Poké Ball to Honora, then several to Natsume.
Honora exhaled in relief.
"What about Dragonite?"
Natsume looked oddly at the lone Dragonite standing by the western gate.
It somehow didn't have any clone.
"Uh… Dragonite made the cloning machine burst.
That's how we got out."
Ash pointed at Dragonite at the doorway, who looked very innocent.
"But, down in the underground chamber I learned a lot about this place.
You—are really infuriating!"
Ash flipped his cap backwards and charged Mewtwo, bristling.
He swung a fist!
Boom—
A psychic barrier flashed up before Mewtwo.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier.
"Hmph!"
Mewtwo snorted.
With a wave, Ash was blasted away like a cannonball.
"Ash!" Everyone's hearts jumped.
"Uh—"
Overhead, a faint sound rang out.
Looking up, a pink Pokémon with a long tail appeared behind Ash.
A pink bubble was blown out, appearing behind Ash like a cushion.
"Aah!"
Startled, Ash realized he had already been set on the high cross-beam.
Mewtwo snapped its head toward distant Mew, eyes full of hostility.
The two Pokémon faced off from afar, psychic power surging, crossing wills in secret.
Clearly, Mew also sensed on Mewtwo the half of its Divinity that belonged to it.
"Fight, fight, fight!"
Natsume cheered in his heart.
For the system to record Divinity, it must pass through battle.
That means the Legendary Pokémon have to cooperate with you in battle.
It also means you have to become good friends with all of them.
Natsume thought, that's too hard.
However, if two of them are already fighting, dragging them into a battle arena would still allow recording.
"Fight, fight, fight!"
Natsume shouted silently in his heart.
His emotion was instantly caught by the two Pokémon going all out with psychic power.
Mewtwo and Mew both halted, turned together, and looked at Natsume.
"How about a kiss instead?"
Realizing something, Natsume changed tack inwardly.
"So you are Mew?"
Mewtwo turned away from Natsume, fixing its gaze on the pink figure.
"Mew… Mr. Natsume, what Pokémon is that?
It helped me a lot down below just now!"
Up on the beam, Ash shouted his question.
"You can think of Mewtwo as its son."
Natsume replied loudly and seriously, his voice echoing around the open arena.
The moment the words fell, Mewtwo's sharp gaze swept over, laden with heavy pressure.
"Daughter?" Natsume amended.
Maybe Mewtwo had read some strange book—best not to presume its gender lightly.
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