Thanks to Mew's tireless efforts, more than half of the vitality in Viridian Forest had been restored.
Aomori sent out Absol to use Rain Dance, washing away the lingering scent of gunpowder and smoke.
Mewtwo, having finished dealing with the remnants of the Team Rocket forces, and Ditto, who had "escaped" on its own, returned one after the other.
Guided by Aomori, the group of Pokémon and Sabrina returned to the Hikōkyū.
"Mew!" Ever the adventurer, Mew immediately set off to explore the various rooms of the fortress.
Mewtwo found a spot for itself and closed its eyes to rest and recuperate.
"Come out, Latias, Charizard, and Blaziken." Aomori tossed three Poké Balls, releasing the Pokémon within.
He had originally planned to use force to subdue Mewtwo, letting Latias and the others pull a "Three Heroes vs. General" scenario. However, a bit of "Talk-no-Jutsu" had managed to spirit Mewtwo away without a fight. He had forgotten about them until now.
"Master, can you please not lock Latias inside in the future? It's so boring," Latias pleaded in her maid form as soon as she emerged, tugging at Aomori's sleeve coquettishly.
"No. Maids don't have the right to make demands." Aomori flicked his middle finger against Latias's forehead, making her cry out in feigned pain.
"Are these all your Pokémon?" Standing to the side with her arms crossed, Sabrina's indifferent gaze swept over Charizard and Blaziken before lingering on Latias.
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Not bad. They are well-trained, especially this Latias. She's a Legendary Pokémon, isn't she?"
Sensing that Sabrina was not someone to be trifled with, Latias felt a sudden shiver. She instinctively hid behind Aomori, peeking out timidly at Sabrina.
"She is." Aomori patted Latias on the head. "She's just a bit timid and lacks a bit of combat experience."
"Oh? Then let me discipline her for a bit. I'm quite good at teaching Pokémon like this," Sabrina said with a slight smile.
"No! I don't want to go!" Latias hugged Aomori's waist, shaking her head frantically.
"We'll talk about that later," Aomori said.
"Mew~" Mew flew back after completing its tour. Its eyes lit up upon seeing Latias, as if it had found something incredibly interesting.
It flew gracefully to Latias's side and transformed into a Pokémon similar to her, but blue in color.
"Latios?" Latias reverted to her original form, speaking in surprise.
"Mew!" Mew shifted again, becoming a second Latias.
"Amazing! It's identical!"
The two Latias began chasing each other around the fortress, playing to their hearts' content.
Witnessing this, Aomori shook his head helplessly and said to Sabrina, "Let them play. I'll show you the treasures here."
"Treasures?" Sabrina followed him with an expression of curiosity. After seeing Legendary Pokémon like Mew and Latias, she wondered what else could possibly qualify as a "treasure."
"Look." Aomori led Sabrina to the collection room, showing her the rare Pokémon kept there.
"I remember our agreement to find three rare Pokémon. I didn't expect to see them all here," Sabrina remarked, observing the Pokémon staying quietly in their enclosures.
"Consider that agreement void. It's no longer meaningful to me."
Sabrina remained silent, giving a small, subtle nod.
"I'll give you a Pokémon." Aomori gestured for a large Pokémon to fly down. "Metagross has the Psychic type, and this one has excellent abilities, though its color is quite ordinary."
If it were a white Shiny Metagross like Steven Stone's, it would be perfect.
Sabrina had heard of Metagross. She examined it with interest and nodded. "Thank you. I like it very much."
She reached out to stroke Metagross's head; the Pokémon immediately bowed to the ground in a sign of submission.
"Is this the 'treasure' you mentioned?"
"Of course not." Aomori opened a secret safe in the center of the room and pulled out several shimmering items. "These are the treasures."
"Are these... Pokémon hairs?"
"Not just any Pokémon. These are hairs and feathers from Legendary Pokémon. This ice-like feather is from Articuno, this one is Moltres, and this is Zapdos. Those are hairs from the Legendary Beasts. And this… this is a feather from Ho-Oh. Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes... beautiful." Sabrina wasn't sure what expression to make, so she kept a straight face. "Where did you get these?"
"I plucked them one by one from their owners, naturally."
"You've met all those Legendary Pokémon?"
"Mhm. It's all destiny."
Recalling Mew and Latias outside, Sabrina believed him. "You truly are a mysterious person."
"I'm not the mysterious one; the world is." Aomori put the treasures away, muttering to himself, "I need to get some of Mew's hair later, and I can't miss out on Latias's either. Wait, Mew can transform into any Pokémon... doesn't that mean I can get the DNA of every Legendary through Mew?"
"The key is, how do I get Mew to behave?" Aomori fell into deep thought.
"Heh." Seeing Aomori like this, Sabrina couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
…
A few days later, high above the clouds, the battle between Aomori and Mewtwo was set to begin.
Sabrina, Mew, and the others sat on Pidgeot's back, watching the battlefield.
"Mewtwo, I am a Trainer myself. Pokémon are part of my combat power. It's not unfair for me to bring one to fight alongside me, right?" Aomori asked.
"As you wish," Mewtwo replied indifferently.
"Great. Come forth, Darkrai!"
The shadow-like Darkrai appeared by Aomori's side, its sharp blue eyes staring directly at Mewtwo.
"So it's this Pokémon. Darkrai, was it?" Having stayed in the fortress for a few days, Mewtwo was well aware of which Pokémon Aomori possessed, but this Darkrai was the only one it couldn't see through.
"Mewtwo, to show you how much I respect your power, I'll show you my strongest form." Aomori reached out toward Darkrai. "Come! Bond Evolution!"
Darkrai turned into a mass of shadows and merged into Aomori's body. With the beat of his heart, a terrifying aura radiated in all directions. A thick black mist surged from his body, weaving into the face of a demon above him.
"A Pokémon... merging with a human?" This scene stunned the spectating Sabrina. She looked at Aomori, who was exuding a sinister aura, feeling a hint of worry in her heart.
"Is this the source of your confidence? Good, very good!" Mewtwo's eyes lit up with brilliant silver light. It clenched its fists, and a soaring aura erupted from its body, clashing with Aomori's black mist and triggering bursts of sparks.
The two locked eyes, and their figures suddenly vanished.
To Sabrina and the other spectators, they looked like two orbs, one silver, one black, continuously colliding in mid-air, creating powerful shockwaves capable of leveling a town.
Gradually, the black orb gained the upper hand.
'My psychic powers aren't working on him. I have to use Aura Sphere.' Mewtwo frowned, attempting to put distance between them to use the projectile.
Aomori wasn't about to let it escape easily. Bond Evolution had a time limit. He had to use all his power without reservation in these few minutes to defeat Mewtwo!
"Domain Expansion!"
The thick black mist suddenly expanded, swallowing Mewtwo.
Inside the domain, Aomori was in his element, possessing full knowledge of Mewtwo's position and state. He closed the distance, unleashing hundreds of heavy punches, each one an Exploding Heart Release Fist infused with dark energy.
The violent force shattered Mewtwo's protective barrier in an instant, landing solid hits on its body. Even the domain was torn open by the sheer force, and Mewtwo was sent flying, coughing up blood.
Only a Pokémon's natural durability saved it; anyone else would have been killed instantly. Even so, Mewtwo was heavily injured. Unwilling to give up, its body glowed with light as it used Recover.
However, Aomori gave it no room to breathe. He gave chase and unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes, knocking Mewtwo down once more.
Two minutes later, the battle ended. Aomori had emerged victorious.
It wasn't that Mewtwo was weak; it was that Aomori, in Bond Evolution with Darkrai, was the perfect counter to a Psychic-type like Mewtwo. Even if it had been Darkrai alone against Mewtwo, the scales would have tipped toward Darkrai, though the victory would have been harder to achieve.
"I lost." Mewtwo, having suffered consecutive blows to its pride, finally let go of its "honored one" complex. There is always a higher sky; the reason it felt invincible before was simply because it hadn't encountered a truly powerful enemy.
"Don't take it too hard." Aomori comforted it while using Holy Light to heal its wounds. "You were only born recently. Your level is still low, and there is a lot of room for growth. You will only get stronger from here."
At max level, and with Mega Evolution, that Mewtwo would be truly invincible.
"I don't need you to remind me. I will work hard to improve myself. Sooner or later, I will become the strongest!" Mewtwo's fighting spirit burned like Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, eternal and fierce.
"According to our bet, come and form a contract with me." Aomori extended his right hand.
"..." Mewtwo looked at the hand, then slowly placed its own on top. Having been defeated fairly, Mewtwo begrudgingly accepted Aomori.
"Relax. Don't resist in your heart."
A brilliant band of light stretched from Aomori to Mewtwo, wrapping the two together. Mewtwo felt its fate become closely linked with the human before it, becoming inseparable. Even Aomori's face, which it had found annoying before, started to look a bit more agreeable.
"What is this?"
"A contract. A vow to move forward together." Aomori opened his system and checked Mewtwo's status panel.
'Only Level 34? Its stats are quite a bit lower than Darkrai's. No wonder it was so easy to beat. Its future is definitely promising.'
The friendship level with Aomori was at the lowest level, 1. As for its moves, there were so many they made his head spin. regardless, this was a massive win. Having successfully caught Mewtwo, the weight in Aomori's heart finally lifted.
'I guess I'm a real man on par with Red now.'
Aomori brought the grumpy-looking Mewtwo back to the spectators. Sabrina's eyes were bright as she looked at him. "You've become so powerful now. I can't even see your limits."
Although she had been defeated by Aomori before, it wasn't like this. Now, she felt like she wouldn't even have the chance to struggle.
"In the future, I will be even stronger. But the promise I made to you... I will never forget it," Aomori said with a smile.
"Mhm." Sabrina lowered her head slightly and gave a soft reply.
…
In the Kanto region, at the Indigo Plateau, the prestigious Indigo Plateau Conference was about to be held. Talented Trainers from all over had gathered here, carrying their dreams with them.
At the opening ceremony, Aomori, Sabrina, and Latias (in her maid form) sat in the audience, watching the chaotic scene below.
A giant robot was rampaging on the field—the work of the Team Rocket trio, who couldn't help but cause trouble. Facing them were their eternal rivals, Ash and Pikachu.
"Is it okay to leave your Gym unattended, Sabrina?" Aomori asked while watching the antics of Team Rocket and Ash.
"It's fine. My father is managing it for me. He said he's spent so many years wandering that he wants to make it up to me so I don't have to go back so soon," Sabrina replied. "Why? Do you want me to leave?"
"No, of course not." Aomori quickly changed the subject. "That sacred flame seems to come from Moltres. It contains the Will of Fire."
"Indeed. There is a unique vibration to it." Sabrina watched Ash being backed into a corner. "Don't we need to save him?"
"No need. Ash will be fine."
As they spoke, the sacred flame took the form of Moltres, flying up on its own to defeat Team Rocket before returning to the brazier. The Indigo Plateau Conference's sacred flame had been lit automatically.
The audience, thinking it was a special ignition ceremony arranged by the organizers, burst into applause. The League organizers acted as if nothing had happened and announced that the ceremony would continue with a speech by President Goodshow.
"The Pokémon League is a place for people who truly love Pokémon to compete and grow. The sacred flame, the fire of Moltres, watches over us. Pokémon Trainers, please fight fairly and leave no regrets on the battlefield!"
The stadium erupted in cheers. The two hundred-plus participating Trainers looked determined.
Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, gazed at the flame. "Pikachu, let's give it everything we've got."
"Pika!"
The Pokémon League Tournament, the Indigo Plateau Conference, had officially begun. Ash would compete against over two hundred participants for the ultimate title of Champion.
"Aomori, have you ever participated in a League tournament? With your abilities, you would surely be the Champion."
"No. It would be bullying if I joined. If I'm going to fight, it should be against the Elite Four or the Champion."
There was a world of difference between a Conference Champion and a League Champion.
"True." Sabrina looked at Ash and asked, "How far do you think he can go?"
"At least the Top 4." With Aomori's influence, Charizard now obeyed Ash's commands. He should be able to go much further.
"I thought you'd say he'd definitely win."
"It's better to avoid 'jinxing' him like that."
Winning a conference on his first try? Aomori didn't dare to think it.