After Mewtwo took down the corrupted heroes, he paused for a moment, quietly assessing the aftermath. What stood out most wasn't the victory—it was how effortless it had been.
These so-called heroes hadn't even put up a real fight. They were weak, far below the standard. Honestly, they were worse than average. A competent hero, even one lower on the charts, should've offered more resistance than that.
It became obvious to Mewtwo that these individuals had somehow inflated their reputations. Maybe they falsified reports or exaggerated their accomplishments to climb the rankings.
That would explain how someone like that ended up above rank 300. In Japan, heroes ranked below 600 were typically the solid, dependable ones—the backbone of the profession.
The ones in the 250 range? They were strong enough to take on an average villain alone without much issue.
The top 100 were the elite, and the top 50 were considered the best of the best. And those in the top 10? Legends. Each one had the power and experience to dismantle entire criminal networks or resolve nationwide threats when they are together.
By that logic, the hero he had just defeated couldn't possibly belong anywhere near the top 500—let alone higher.
Their strength didn't match their status. It lined up far more with the shady business they had been running. It all made sense now.
Once the mission was completed, Mewtwo and Lady Nagant contacted the Bureau. Within minutes, police and special agents arrived to secure the scene and contain the incident quietly. Everything was handled discreetly. With the area secured and the corrupted heroes in custody, the two operatives returned to the Bureau's main headquarters.
They headed straight to the director's office. He was already waiting for them, seated comfortably behind a sleek black desk. A steaming cup of coffee sat in front of him, and two more rested on the table, clearly prepared for Mewtwo and Lady Nagant.
"Welcome, welcome!" the director greeted with a wide smile, rising slightly from his chair. "This—this was excellent. Just one day on the job and you've already closed a case! Based on what the police have uncovered so far, it's practically airtight. They didn't even try to cover their tracks. We've got more than enough to put them away for years. Wonderful work, truly wonderful. We had high hopes for you, kid. And I'll say this—whether or not you choose to work with us long-term, we're certain you're going to be a remarkable hero."
"Thank you, sir," Mewtwo replied calmly. "I just did what had to be done."
While his words were polite and his expression unchanged, Mewtwo quietly reached out with his mind. He wasn't trying to invade or manipulate the director's thoughts—just lightly brush against them.
He wasn't reckless. He didn't want to reveal what he was capable of. But after experimenting with this subtle technique on others, he finally felt confident enough to attempt something minimal—barely noticeable.
He simply wanted to test the waters.
The moment their minds connected, Mewtwo froze inside. Outwardly, he remained composed, still talking casually with Lady Nagant and the director, nodding along to the conversation. But internally, something else entirely was happening.
What Mewtwo sensed through the connection took the breath out of him.
He stood in the middle of a city—but something was off. There were no people. No sounds. Just rows of skyscrapers stretching into the sky under a pale, unmoving light. It was eerie. The place felt abandoned, hollow. So far, it was the strangest mental place Mewtwo had ever encountered.
Hovering a few feet above the ground, he slowly levitated through the empty streets, observing the bizarre details. Something caught his attention almost immediately—none of the buildings had windows. Not a single one. In their place were doors. Every level, even the highest floors, had doors facing outward where windows should've been. Each door had a heavy lock. Not a latch or simple handle—an actual lock.
He tried a few, out of curiosity, but all were sealed tight.
Mewtwo took his time. Inside a mental landscape like this, time passed differently. Slower. It was as if reality outside paused while the inner mind drifted. He floated quietly above the rooftops, lost in thought.
For a brief moment, something else crossed his mind—what about my own mindscape? He had never really explored it.
His power centered on the mind—every mind—yet he had barely looked inward. Maybe if he learned to navigate his own mental space, he could unlock new layers of control, refine his abilities, or even discover techniques he hadn't considered before. That would be a task for another day. Right now, he had to focus on this place—the director's strange mental construct.
He continued his slow search, gliding between buildings, examining door after door. All of them were locked tight. Not a single one open, not even slightly ajar. The scale of the city was overwhelming. If each door represented a memory or a thought, he would be here for hours trying to find a way in. There had to be a pattern—some logic to the placement—but he hadn't figured it out yet.
The silence pressed down on him. It wasn't just quiet—it was complete silence. No wind. No hum of electricity. Not even the faint ambient sound of the city breathing. Just stillness.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of him. He approached one of the doors. He didn't force it—he knew the risks of pushing too hard into someone's mind. That kind of intrusion could trigger a violent backlash. Instead, he lightly brushed one of the locks with his fingers.
Nothing happened.
It felt solid, ordinary—as if it really was just a door in the physical world. That, in itself, was revealing.
If this is how his mind is structured, Mewtwo thought, then with enough skill, I might be able to unlock these without alerting him. The presence of locks actually helps—it gives me something to focus on.
He continued exploring the maze-like city, floating silently past the cold buildings. And then, something changed.
A sound—barely audible at first, but unmistakable in the absolute stillness. He turned sharply to his right. Across several rooftops, something moved.
A shadow.
Huge.
It stretched across the buildings, slowly gliding between them. Mewtwo couldn't see what cast the shadow—only that it was massive and moving with deliberate slowness, as if searching for something. Its form shifted just out of view, always one step ahead of his gaze.
He didn't know what it was.
It was the first time he had encountered something like this in someone's mental space. It moved with purpose. Maybe it was a defense—some kind of guardian meant to patrol the subconscious. Or maybe it was something else entirely, something dangerous.
Whatever it was, Mewtwo didn't wait to find out. He cut the connection instantly.
The city vanished in an instant.
He was back in the real world—and only half a minute had passed.
Throughout his brief mental excursion, he had kept up the conversation with Lady Nagant and the director, speaking calmly and showing no signs of distraction. No one had noticed a thing.
The only event that took place during that time was the director offering him another round of praise.
And Mewtwo, now more intrigued than ever, silently took note.
This mind wasn't ordinary.
Not at all.
"So now, Raiden-kun, you'll be with us for the next two months," the director began, his tone oddly friendly.
"However, we can't have you working all week. You still have classes at U.A., so we won't assign you to cases that require infiltration, nor will we send you to other cities or prefectures. Your assignments will stay within this city, making it easier for you to manage both your studies and your internship."
He paused briefly, giving Mewtwo a look that was hard to read before continuing.
"That said, you're not just any student. You already proved you're ahead of most of your peers during the licensing exam. Because of that, we'll be giving you something a little more challenging. Don't worry—Lady Nagant will accompany you for your safety in most cases. But we still want to test your limits."
At those words, Mewtwo tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "A challenge?" he asked in a calm, curious voice.
"Yes," the director nodded. "The gang you two recently took down was only part of a larger issue. That group had been causing trouble near the city center, but they weren't the only ones. We've received troubling reports from the port area. Civilians have spotted cargo ships docking late at night—well outside of permitted hours. There's no reason for any shipping traffic at that time, especially without clearance."
He gestured toward a hallway. "The archive room holds all the reports and information we've collected on the matter. You'll find everything you need there to begin your investigation. That's your mission. You can adjust your internship schedule however you see fit in order to complete it."
The director's voice remained polite, even pleasant—but something in his tone sent a faint chill down Mewtwo's spine. There was too much calm, too much precision. It wasn't fear that struck him, but instinct—the kind that warned him when things were too clean to be real.
Once dismissed, Mewtwo and Kaina stepped out of the office together. The hallway was quiet, their footsteps barely echoing against the polished floors. As soon as they were a few steps away, Mewtwo sent a message directly into her mind.
"I'm sorry, but I tried… and I succeeded," he said with a quiet mental tone.
Kaina didn't stop walking, but her pace faltered slightly. "What do you mean, 'you tried'?" she asked, forcing herself to stay calm even as unease began to twist in her gut.
"I entered the director's mind," Mewtwo replied plainly.
For a moment, Kaina said nothing. She kept walking, her eyes narrowing as she stared ahead.
Then, without warning, she glanced at Mewtwo floating beside her, her gaze sharp and full of disbelief. Her head turned upward, scanning the ceiling, then downward to the floor, then all around them as if expecting the walls themselves to react.
Finally, she responded in a sharp, controlled voice, "Even after I told you not to? He's not powerful, but he's smart—absurdly smart. Not like the U.A. principal, but smart enough to realize if something's wrong inside his own head. And you just went in? Just like that? Are you kidding me?"
She stopped walking and turned to face him fully. "Do you actually want to help me or not?" she snapped, her voice now a low growl of frustration.
"I want to help you. I knew he wouldn't detect me—it's hard to explain," Mewtwo said, his voice echoing calmly in Kaina's mind.
"Technically, I didn't read his thoughts. It's more like… entering the landscape of his mind. I don't see or hear anything unless I force my way past natural mental barriers. I didn't do that with him. I only wanted to see how well-defended his mind was."
Kaina's brow furrowed, her suspicion growing. "You wanted to see how sturdy his mind was?" she asked, her tone skeptical.
"Not just sturdy… strange," Mewtwo replied, pausing for a second as he organized his thoughts. "His mindscape was shaped like a city. Dozens of doors, each one locked. It didn't feel strong in the traditional sense—not like an impenetrable wall—but it was spread out, dispersed. I couldn't tell what was behind the doors. They might be decoys… or maybe he's compartmentalized his secrets."
Mewtwo's telepathic voice carried a note of confusion. This was new ground for him—he'd never thought reading minds would come with so many variables, so many risks. He had also realized something else: if he forced entry into someone's mind, he could cause serious damage. That meant he'd need to master the technique properly, without violence. There was too much uncertainty—and far too much at stake—for guesswork.
"That sounds exactly like the director," Kaina muttered, shaking her head. "Creepy as hell."
Then, unexpectedly, she added, "Wanna practice with me?"
Mewtwo blinked, surprised by the offer. That was… unusual. He wouldn't let just anyone explore his mind, not freely. The idea of someone wandering around inside his head made him instinctively uneasy. And Kaina? She didn't strike him as the type to offer that kind of vulnerability without a reason.
There had to be a catch.
"You want to see how strong your own defenses are, don't you?" Mewtwo asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he hovered beside her.