"I'll show you what you should already be capable of learning. Follow me," the other Mewtwo said, his voice calm.
As soon as he finished speaking, his feet gently lifted from the ground. He began to levitate without effort—no glowing eyes, no flaring aura. He simply rose into the air, smooth and silent. Then, in a sudden burst of motion, he shot upwards like a flash of light, vanishing into the sky at incredible speed.
Raiden didn't hesitate—he launched himself into the air after his other self. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't match the speed. The gap between them widened fast. Raiden pushed harder, his mind racing. How is he so much faster? How far ahead of me is he? What path did he follow to reach that level?
Without wasting another second, Raiden activated his Agility. Instantly, his speed surged, nearly doubling. The air roared past him as he closed the distance. The higher they climbed, the faster they moved. Clouds rushed by on either side, the wind tugging at Raiden's body. Bit by bit, he gained on the other Mewtwo, until finally, the figure stopped—high above the clouds, hovering in the open sky.
Raiden reached him moments later, coming to a stop just a few meters away, his chest rising and falling with effort.
The taller Mewtwo extended a hand outward and said, "You need to stop limiting yourself to psychic abilities. There are techniques you've never even considered—things you can do. But you have to be more creative. Your potential goes far beyond what you've been using."
Without warning, a sphere of fire began to form in his open palm. It glowed bright orange, swirling with intense heat. Then, in an instant, the fire exploded forward, transforming into a massive column of flame that roared straight toward Raiden.
Eyes widening, Raiden dropped downward, narrowly avoiding the inferno.
The flames passed just above him, the heat licking at his skin. He could feel the scorch of the attack even without being touched. It had come too fast—he hadn't even had time to react, only to move.
He said I should know how to do this, Raiden thought. That he can't use anything I don't already understand on some level. But I've never used fire before. My powers don't work that way… do they?
"Everything begins in the mind, kid," the older Mewtwo said, his tone unwavering. "You could've started figuring this out back when Endeavor fought beside you. He was the key. Your abilities already produce burns—your energy hurts. So the spark was always there. Maybe you haven't mastered it, but you could have started to. And fire's just the beginning."
Without giving Raiden time to respond, the taller Mewtwo raised his other hand. A surge of electricity crackled to life in his palm—deep yellow bolts lined with flickers of violet. In a heartbeat, he unleashed it. The lightning strike hit Raiden square in the chest.
Pain exploded through him as electricity coursed through his body. His muscles locked, his limbs twisted uncontrollably as he spun backward through the air. He grit his teeth, trying not to scream. His instincts kicked in—he reached for his telekinesis, trying to disperse the energy, to stop the pain—but it was no use. The power behind the strike overwhelmed him.
His thoughts were jumbled, but one thing became clear: this wasn't just a demonstration. It was a test.
And he wasn't ready yet.
When the attack ended, Raiden's body hovered in the air, smoking from the impact. His chest heaved as he struggled to stay afloat. Through the haze, his other self's voice rang out again, calm but sharp.
"When you redirected that man's electric attack, you should've realized you could learn this too. Or at least—" he said, pausing as another charge of electricity sparked to life in his hand.
This time, the energy didn't crackle into a bolt. It formed into a round, pulsing orb—similar in shape to a Shadow Ball, but alive with flickering arcs of electricity. Raiden's instincts screamed.
He didn't need to wait for confirmation—this bastard was going to launch it straight at him. Gritting his teeth through the lingering pain, he quickly summoned a Shadow Ball and hurled it forward.
Both projectiles collided mid-air, erupting in a bright explosion that split the sky. Sparks and fragments of energy scattered outward, lighting the air with brief flickers of raw power.
"You need to learn faster," the other Mewtwo said firmly, his voice cutting through the fading echoes. "Stop limiting yourself. Like I told you before—you're not weak. In fact, you're already stronger than most of your peers, even comparable to some pro heroes. But you've seen it yourself—there are monsters out there. And if you're not ready, you'll be crushed. You've got to push beyond your limits. Never let your power stagnate."
Raiden wiped the sweat from his brow and steadied his breathing. He wasn't about to just stand there and take this. If this other version of him was saying he should make better use of his abilities—then he would.
He summoned another Shadow Ball and launched it directly at the floating figure before him. But this time, the other Mewtwo didn't dodge. He didn't block either. He simply stood there, motionless, as if daring Raiden to hit him.
As the attack struck, Raiden's eyes widened. The orb exploded against the other Mewtwo's shoulder, but the impact didn't land the way it should have. There was a flash—no, more like a reflection. Light shimmered around his opponent's body like a transparent shell, absorbing and diffusing the explosion.
"That's Light Screen," the other Mewtwo explained. "Something you used the other day, but forgot. Your mind didn't register it as a move because you weren't fully aware of it at the time. Light Screen reduces the effectiveness of energy-based or special attacks by half. Your Shadow Ball hurt—but it only did half the damage it could've."
Raiden's heart pounded. He stared in disbelief, trying to process what he had just seen. That was five moves now—five techniques he had brushed past without realizing their true potential.
"The issue," the other Mewtwo continued, "is that you only seem to unlock new powers when you're under pressure. Almost all of your abilities—Headbutt, Hyper Beam, Iron Tail—they were learned in battle, during emergencies. The only ones you developed outside of combat are Shadow Ball and Agility. That's not bad, but it's not enough."
Raiden's eyes narrowed, listening carefully.
"You need to expand your arsenal, and not just add more attacks—you need to refine your control, especially in long-range combat. It's good that you've focused on close-quarters fighting. You're strong, and you're only going to get stronger. But your greatest advantages lie in your speed and your special attacks. One day, your speed will surpass the limits of what most beings can even perceive. But to get there, you need to train smarter—not just harder."
Raiden said nothing, but the weight of those words settled heavily on him. He knew his other self was right. It wasn't just about power—it was about awareness, creativity, and pushing his mind as much as his body.
And he wasn't going to waste another opportunity.
"This isn't a move. This... is a projection. A glimpse of what I believe you could one day become. So pay close attention."
The moment he finished speaking, the other Mewtwo's eyes flared with a deep, glowing blue. His aura brightened, then shifted rapidly—turning from vibrant blue to a dark, intense violet that mirrored the color of his gaze.
The change in energy was immediate. The air around them thickened, charged with static, and the once-gentle breeze grew into a howling wind.
Within seconds, the sky darkened. Clouds twisted from pristine white into stormy gray, swirling faster and faster until they spiraled into a furious vortex. The temperature plummeted. Icy wind whipped through the air, carrying snow and shards of hail as a violent blizzard took shape.
Raiden stood frozen—figuratively and literally—watching the chaos unfold around him.
The scale of the storm was unreal. Rain and snow crashed together in chaotic currents, flying in every direction as the air pressure dropped further.
It was no longer just a storm; it was a force of destruction that could flatten entire cities in moments. Mewtwo had conjured a storm with the sheer force of a hurricane—no, worse.
As Raiden turned to scan the devastation, his heart dropped. This wasn't just a city-level threat. A storm like this would cause nationwide catastrophe.
It had the power of a Category 6 hurricane—if such a thing even existed—with winds likely surpassing 400 kilometers per hour. The sheer intensity was beyond anything he could have imagined.
"Remember," Mewtwo's voice echoed through the storm, calm despite the chaos, "this is just a projection. What you could become might be even greater."
The cold was unbearable now. Raiden felt ice forming on his limbs, creeping across his body with every passing second. His breath came out in harsh, visible gasps. Just as it felt like the storm would swallow him whole, the other Mewtwo's eyes gleamed once more.
And everything stopped.
In an instant, the wind vanished. The clouds dispersed as if swept away by an invisible hand. The snow, the thunder, the biting cold—all gone.
Warm sunlight returned to the sky, replacing the blizzard with calm, almost unnatural serenity.
Raiden stared in disbelief, stunned by how effortlessly it had all changed. It was like watching a god rearrange the world as if it were nothing more than a sandbox.
"I'll be able to do that?" Raiden asked, his voice barely a whisper, disbelief etched into every word.
If that power was truly within him, then he wasn't just on the path to becoming great—he might one day surpass legends. He could rise to a level beyond even All Might. The most terrifying part wasn't just the power itself—it was how easily Mewtwo had summoned and dismissed it. If Raiden could truly reach that level...
The thought alone sent a chill through him.
"That's all I can show you for now," the other self said firmly. "I can't hold your hand through this. Even if you are me, that wouldn't help you—it might even hurt you. You need to learn, not just how to fight, but how to accept me as part of yourself. You have to find the right balance."
Raiden tilted his head slightly, trying to make sense of it all. "What exactly are you, then? What part of me do you represent?" he asked, needing clarity.
"I'm your ideal self," the other Mewtwo replied without hesitation. "Some call it the superego, others call it the higher consciousness. I've had many names. Humanity's been surprisingly accurate in describing the inner voices we all carry. Most of us—these inner figures—exist within everyone."
"Most of us?" Raiden echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," the other Mewtwo confirmed, his tone steady. "And you'll meet them, eventually. You'll have to, if you truly want to understand who you are and what you're capable of becoming. As I said before—you need to know your mind like the back of your hand... and even better than that. And that means facing parts of yourself you don't yet know, or perhaps aren't ready to see."
There was a pause, a finality in the silence.
"This has been enough for now," the ideal self said, his expression turning serious. "So, goodbye—until next time. And I recommend you don't return here until you're stronger and more self-aware. Because next time, I won't go so easy on you. I have high expectations, after all."
The words hung in the air.
And then, in an instant, Raiden—no, Mewtwo—felt his mind shift. The surreal space dissolved around him, and just like that, he was back in the arena.
.
.
.
A/N: First of all, thank you for reading—and, most importantly, thank you for waiting. I took quite a long rest, but seeing some of the old readers still around truly made me happy. To all of you who waited, thank you so much. It was a wonderful surprise to find that people were still looking forward to this story. I'll be uploading more consistently from now on, though I can't promise I won't take another break in the future—you know how life goes, hahaha.
I've been wanting to create a special number 100 chapter where Raiden could catch a glimpse of what the real Mewtwo is capable of in terms of power.