Nessa and Catherine were stunned. "Wow, does she have some guts or what?" Grace couldn't believe her eyes, exclaiming, "What's gotten into Lillie?"
Carl shook his head with a mix of amusement and disbelief. Normally, Lillie was gentle and composed, but now, she seemed quite bold with Mew. It wasn't a change in character; she was simply letting loose. Over the past week, Lillie had been using Mew to try out various cosmetics, often complimenting its soft skin and even cuddling it like a plush toy at night.
Having already crossed a line with Mew, Lillie decided to go all in, taking advantage of Carl's ability to control the situation. Mew, however, was desperately trying to escape Lillie's grip. As the ancient ancestor of all Pokémon, with god-like powers, Mew had never imagined being handled by a young girl in such a way.
"Stay still, or I'll give you a real witch makeover," Lillie teased, a mischievous glint in her eye. Mew felt a sudden wave of anxiety at the sight of Lillie's playful threat.
"Oh, right, you might not know what a witch makeover is," Lillie remembered, quickly pulling up an image on her communicator. The grotesque depiction of an old witch from a fairy tale appeared on the screen, causing Mew to gulp involuntarily.
In truth, even when Carl had suppressed its powers, Mew hadn't felt fear like this. After all, if it were ever destroyed, it could be reborn through the World Tree. But the idea of Lillie's threat hanging over it was a new and terrifying concept, a memory of shame it would never forget.
"Alright, alright..." Mew managed a strained smile, for the first time initiating a mental dialogue with Lillie. "Scared, are we?" Lillie grinned like a sly fox as Mew flicked its tail in frustration, clearly displeased with Lillie's proposal.
"Aren't you supposed to have some adventurous spirit as the ancestor of all Pokémon?" Lillie suggested with a laugh. "Even though I'm no expert, maybe I could give you a beauty treatment. You'd make a perfect model for practicing beauty techniques!"
"Such an honor," Mew muttered sarcastically, while internally it was backing away, thinking, "Who are we kidding? I'm a legendary Pokémon, not a beauty model!"
"I prefer the natural look!" Mew quickly retorted. Carl couldn't help but laugh. To have pushed Mew to the point of using the natural look as an excuse was quite the feat by Lillie.
"What's so funny?" Grace and the others looked at Carl curiously. Unable to understand Mew's words, they turned to Carl for an explanation.
"Our dear Mew is a bit scared," Carl relayed the conversation. The girls couldn't hold back their laughter. Even Nessa, usually so serious, almost cracked a smile, while Catherine maintained her composed demeanor, and Grace was too cautious to be as brazen as Lillie.
Who would have thought a legendary creature would be afraid of makeup, uttering phrases like 'natural look'?
"Don't bully it too much, it's still a legendary Pokémon," Carl advised. His control over the World Tree's domain was limited, and if Mew ever escaped and sought revenge, it could be problematic.
Though slightly disappointed, Lillie heeded Carl's advice. However, she was secretly plotting, knowing Mew's personality would eventually irk Carl, and then she'd have her chance.
Nessa, perceptive as ever, noticed Lillie's expression shift, and her own lips curved into a subtle smile, sensing things were about to get interesting.
Mew breathed a sigh of relief, casting a grateful glance at Carl. The scene was somewhat ironic, as Mew didn't seem to realize who was responsible for its current predicament.
Carl stifled his amusement, turning his attention to Groudon and Kyogre. Mew had mentioned they were still testing the waters, suggesting that despite their apparent recklessness, these two titans were quite cautious.
What were they wary of? Clearly, it was this strange space that absorbed their attack energy. Though Groudon seemed more boisterous on the surface, it was actually more meticulous than Kyogre, careful not to provoke a full-blown conflict.
"Mew, try to persuade them to stop," Carl said, granting Mew a third-level divine power. With this level of power, even if Mew tried any tricks, Mewtwo would detect it.
Reclaiming its god-like power nearly brought Mew to tears. It promptly slipped out of Lillie's embrace, its gaze shifting to the distant two titans.
As Mew flew leisurely toward the battlefield, deep in thought, the clash between Kyogre and Groudon intensified. This time, the energy released was even more intense, sending shockwaves that disrupted the river for miles around.
As the battle raged on, both sides kept ramping up their power. Yet strangely, the dispersed energy would mysteriously vanish, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole. This phenomenon put both titans on high alert. As ancient rivals, a mere glance was enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.
Groudon let out a low growl, beginning to gather grass-type energy. The sunlight grew intense, converging before it at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Simultaneously, Groudon and Kyogre began amassing power. Before Groudon, an intensely bright energy sphere formed, rivaling the sun's brilliance. Kyogre, meanwhile, drew in surrounding water elements, forming a massive blue sphere.
They unleashed their attacks, but just as the energies were about to collide, they deftly changed direction. Groudon's energy beam and Kyogre's water pillar narrowly missed each other, redirecting into the void.
Under the impact, Groudon was pushed towards the city, while Kyogre was propelled in the opposite direction. It seemed they had reached some tacit agreement to distance themselves.
Mew observed this with amusement, knowing full well the titans were ostensibly battling while actually seeking an opportunity to disengage. But it also noticed Carl, ever observant, recording the entire process with his Rotom.
"Seems like I won't need to intervene," Mew mused. It figured letting the titans resolve their conflict on their own might be the simplest solution.
Mew stifled a laugh, a glint of mischief in its eye. As the two Pokémon retreated through the air, their eyes showed clear hesitation.
The power disparity was too great!
Groudon was struck by the Origin Pulse and was sent flying thousands of meters away. Conversely, when Kyogre was hit by the Solar Flare, it only retreated a short distance. This wasn't because the Origin Pulse was stronger, but because the Solar Flare's energy inexplicably began to dissipate as it neared Kyogre.
"Not right... you handle this yourself," Kyogre called out from afar, abandoning its composure as it turned to shrink and merge with the river, planning to escape using the water.
Yet reality often falls short of expectations.
Just as Kyogre turned, it found itself immobilized, as if frozen by a spell. At the same time, Groudon's vision blurred, the surroundings shifting unexpectedly, and Kyogre reappeared just a few hundred meters away.
Groudon roared, scanning its surroundings warily. This scene was all too familiar. A thousand years ago, during the awakening of a volcano in the Sinnoh region, before it could even confront Kyogre, it had encountered the wandering Dialga.
Dialga had immediately driven it away, claiming it was trespassing. Groudon had almost exploded with rage at the time!