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'It changed back?'
Li Xiang stared at Mewtwo inside the pitch-black crystal, utterly astonished.
He had never imagined that one day, through words alone, he could pull a Pokémon back from the path of darkness.
Was Mewtwo really that naive, believing whatever anyone said?
Still, this transformation also put Li Xiang on guard.
He was afraid Mewtwo would use this as an opportunity to break free.
Fortunately, Mew was reliable. The pitch-black crystal and the tree roots held it firmly imprisoned, even though it was no longer in its dark state.
Meanwhile, Mewtwo noticed its own transformation but it didn't pay it much attention. Instead, it became immersed in an indescribable emotion, a complex expression appearing on its face.
"This feeling... is this happiness?"
It murmured to itself, like it was experiencing it for the first time, showing a look of pleasure.
"Not entirely. Part of it is called a sense of identity."
Li Xiang, hiding behind Cloyster, replied while worrying about the crystal shattering, successfully drawing Mewtwo's attention.
If it could break free from the crystal, distracting it with words might be a good option.
"A sense of identity?"
"Yes. A sense of identity is being acknowledged, understood, and respected by others."
Li Xiang was always especially patient when dealing with Pokémon.
"It stems from the need for respect and is a major requirement for advanced intelligent life. You believe you are a lifeform of this planet, and I acknowledge that. So you feel happy. That's all."
"I see..."
Mewtwo understood.
Both Mewtwo from the original animated series had gained a certain sense of identity, and it was precisely this sense of identity that made them abandon their destructive urges.
The Mewtwo from the first movie was the prime example.
Its journey of self-discovery went from being cynical, hating humanity, and doubting its own existence, to understanding that it too was a part of the planet, desiring peace, and caring more for the Pokémon around it.
It fully returned to the overarching theme of "Pokémon are inherently kind," proving that Mewtwo, a man-made weapon, was no exception.
Compared to conquering the world, the original Mewtwo clearly needed identity more.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been moved by Ash's death and resurrection, recognized the meaning of life, and ultimately chose to live in seclusion.
The sooner a Mewtwo gains a sense of identity, the sooner it becomes "laid-back."
And this Dark Mewtwo had clearly been swayed by Li Xiang's words earlier.
"Um, how did you change back?"
Li Xiang couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know."
Mewtwo replied honestly. If only its face were visible, it would have shaken its head. "It just naturally..."
Alright, so it even uses idioms.
'What exactly is going on inside your head?'
Li Xiang was at a loss for words. He thought to himself that this was indeed the crystallization of human genetic technology, the chosen one with two Mega Evolutions.
It's just a pity that its in-game ability wasn't great, leaving it with high base stats but a low usage rate in legendary battles.
There were plenty of more suitable legendary Pokémon.
Afterwards, Mewtwo once again became a curious child, asking all sorts of strange questions.
Li Xiang answered them all patiently, going with the flow.
Seeing the expression of partial understanding on its face, he couldn't help but say, "You don't have to completely believe what I say. You can think for yourself. You have that right."
"The right to think?"
Mewtwo seemed to have transformed into a philosopher.
"Yes. Everyone sees the world differently. What I say isn't necessarily correct, and what you think isn't necessarily wrong. Even the result doesn't matter.
"What matters is the process of thinking, which allows you to clearly understand yourself."
Li Xiang paused for a moment before continuing, "If you want to understand yourself and the world, you need a constant source of knowledge and learning."
Mewtwo was extremely curious and interrupted to ask, "What are knowledge and learning?"
"Knowledge is the sum of living beings' exploration of the physical and spiritual worlds. Learning is the process of exploring that knowledge."
Li Xiang patiently explained to Mewtwo, even using the grass on the ground and the camera in his hand as examples.
The more Mewtwo listened, the brighter its eyes became.
This made Li Xiang wonder if he was currently talking Mewtwo into becoming a literary girl... or boy?
Maybe Mewtwo could even become a great thinker in the future.
That probably wouldn't happen.
Li Xiang felt a little guilty, but on second thought, a literary girl Mewtwo wouldn't be so bad.
At least it was better than a war machine, a steel Mewtwo.
Just as they were having a lively conversation, Mew and the others returned. They were astonished to see Mewtwo's changed appearance.
"Eh? What happened?"
The pink kitten flew around Mewtwo in surprise, patting its face with its small paw.
Mewtwo's expression remained calm, undisturbed.
After being swayed by Li Xiang's words, it had found its place and was no longer fixated on defeating Mew to prove itself.
Hatred and resentment were out of the question.
At the same time, it understood that the one before it was its biological sibling, after all, it was an artificially created Pokémon using Mew's genes.
"Release me. I'll tell you everything I know."
Mewtwo said this.
"Release you?"
Mew showed a surprised expression, pressed its small paw on Mewtwo's head, closed its eyes, and felt for a moment.
Then it scolded, "Release my foot! You're quite the actor! Your body is full of dark energy. Just suppressing it doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"
"I told you, it has become part of my life. As long as I still feel anger and hatred, it will never disappear."
Mewtwo remained composed. The fact that it had been trapped was the truth, and it had accepted it. "But as long as I don't get angry, it won't emerge."
"Besides, you should understand that I never did anything to harm this tree. It used me on its own, leveraging my anger and hatred."
As the favored child of this world, Mewtwo's negative emotions were so powerful that dark matter could exploit them extensively.
Mew was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Li Xiang. "Kid, what did you say to it?"
In the short span of less than half an hour since they left, the changes in Mewtwo's psychology far exceeded any physical transformation.
"Uh, I just casually chatted with it a bit when I had nothing better to do."
Li Xiang had an awkward expression, like someone caught in the act.
Mewtwo spoke again, "It has nothing to do with him. This is my own decision. One word: will you release me, or not?"
Being shameless was a basic passive skill for kids, and Mewtwo had mastered it to perfection.
What else could Mew do? Since it had come to this, and it wasn't unaware of the main reason for the erosion of the Tree of Beginning.
"I'll give you one chance. If you come out and start attacking people again, I'll seal your face up too!'
The pink cat threatened.
Mo Ye silently approached Li Xiang. "What did you say to it?"
"Philosophical questions. This Pokémon really enjoys discussing philosophy with people, like what we are born for, that sort of thing."
Li Xiang replied softly. Mewtwo, a Pokémon that could overthink things and had a mind like a blank slate, was rare.
In fact, Li Xiang had used similar tactics back when he convinced Litten. But now Incineroar had developed mental immunity and was no longer affected by his nonsense.
"...?" Mo Ye was a bit stunned.
There were Pokémon that liked philosophy?
"If you're considering capturing it, I'd personally advise against it."
Li Xiang tried to dissuade Mo Ye from harboring such unrealistic thoughts.
From their conversation earlier, he had understood Mewtwo's longing for freedom and lack of constraints, as well as its desire to understand the world.
Perhaps you could consider it a friend or a comrade-in-arms.
But if you wanted to have a trainer-Pokémon relationship, which was akin to a superior-subordinate dynamic, and confine it in a Poké Ball, that was basically impossible.
At its core, Mewtwo, the philosopher and thinker, should not be bound by things like battles.
For it, power was a tool to explore the world's secrets, not everything.
"Mm."
Mo Ye nodded to show he understood.
Whether he had truly taken it to heart, Li Xiang didn't know.
Not far away, Mewtwo was successfully released. Under the watchful eyes of Ho-Oh's Guard and Mew, it transformed into Dark Mewtwo.
Then, just as they were about to pounce, it changed back.
See? Just being playful.
"I was just trying it out. Don't be nervous."
Mewtwo said, full of mischief. Judging from this, its mood was probably pretty good.
"You're really not cute at all."
Mew rolled its eyes. Alright, now talk. What do you know?
Mewtwo didn't answer immediately. It first looked at Li Xiang and asked, "Can we be considered friends?"
Friend.
A word Mewtwo had heard while still sleeping in its cultivation tank.
It was like a chain, connecting two originally unrelated beings, giving rise to an emotion called friendship.
Mewtwo didn't fully understand the meaning of "friend," but that didn't stop it from yearning for friendship.
If others had it, it wanted it too.
"Of course." Li Xiang stood behind Cloyster, responding calmly.
If he weren't gripping Cloyster's spikes so tightly, his words would probably be more believable.
Mewtwo nodded, then finally responded to Mew. "You didn't find what you were looking for, did you?"
"How do you know?"
Mew was a little surprised.
It had gone around a huge area and found nothing. It was incredibly frustrating.
It had even awakened the will of the Tree of Beginning and still couldn't figure it out.
"I can tell from your expression."
Mewtwo stretched its stiff body slightly, a faint glow appearing around it. This was Recover.
"When I came in, something did follow me. If I'm not mistaken, it should be hiding in the nest of some Fossil Pokémon now."
Mewtwo yawned after recovering its energy.
Mental fatigue couldn't be restored by Recover. It would need time to rest.
Mew: "??? Why didn't you say so earlier!"
"You didn't ask."
Mewtwo retorted with righteous indignation. "Also, I couldn't remember what that person looked like, but the feeling they gave me was different from other people I've seen."
"There was a sense of incongruity, like someone who didn't belong there. They also had a strange energy about them."
This statement successfully captured the attention of Li Xiang and Mo Ye.
The latter patted the former's shoulder.
Li Xiang immediately understood and asked, "Was that person wearing silver clothes, with a style somewhat similar to mine?"
...
Mewtwo delved into its memories but ultimately shook its head. "I can't remember clearly. Whenever he appeared, my ability to think became particularly muddled."
Brainwashing, strange energy, incongruity.
The probability was at least eighty percent.
After two years of silence, had these people reappeared? And even extended their reach into the Tree of Beginning?
How did they manage that?
Mo Ye frowned slightly, surprised that after failing to gain any advantage in the Xia Region, these people had gone to North America to stir up trouble and had almost succeeded.
Mew wasn't very concerned about that person. It only wanted to catch the one who had come in with Mewtwo.
Knowing where it was, Mew immediately took the lead and left.
Ho-Oh's Guard followed closely.
Mo Ye didn't hesitate either. Matters concerning those otherworldly visitors were too important for him to pretend ignorance.
In an instant, only Li Xiang and Mewtwo remained on the platform.
But unlike before, Mewtwo was now free, while Li Xiang was still in his original position.
The two looked at each other.