At this moment, little Hoopa was utterly baffled and miserable. It had just been happily snacking on some pastries it "borrowed" from a friendly neighbor in Dahara City when it happened.
All of a sudden, a shimmering ring—identical to its own—appeared before its eyes. Before Hoopa could even react, a powerful psychic force seized hold of it and dragged it straight toward the portal.
For any ordinary Pokémon, that would've been nothing; they'd simply pass through the ring. But Hoopa was different.
When its true power was sealed away inside the Prison Bottle, a unique curse was also cast upon it: Hoopa could not pass through its own rings.
And now, as if to prove it, Mew's conjured ring had triggered that curse flawlessly.
"Ahhh~ Hoopa can't go through! Stop pulling! Hoopa feels awful!"
"Mii~"
Seeing that yanking alone wouldn't drag Hoopa across, Mew floated curiously to where the little Pokémon was stuck half-in, half-out of the ring. With wide and inquisitive eyes, it studied the very being it had once envied.
"Let Hoopa go! This really hurts…"
Humiliated and treated like some zoo exhibit, Hoopa's frustration boiled over. It bellowed angrily:
"Argh! Hoopa challenges you to a duel! Let Hoopa go!"
"Mii?!"
The declaration made Mew's eyes gleam. Even Mewtwo, Regigigas, and the gathered Regi Guardians turned their gazes in astonishment toward the tiny figure—just who had the nerve to challenge Mew?
After all, the last Pokémon to try was an Electivire, and Mew had nearly beaten it to death before Ho-Oh resurrected it.
"Mii~"
Mew's amusement lasted only a second before disdain took over. With a dismissive flick of its paw, it slapped Hoopa backward through the air.
'Challenge Mew? You? Don't make me laugh.'
It wasn't that Mew looked down on Hoopa, it was that this "sealed" little Hoopa was pathetically weak. At this level, it couldn't even match that Electivire it had first met.
In Dahara City, Hoopa tumbled across several rooftops from the impact before shakily standing again. Fuming, it pointed straight at Mew, who had just stepped out of the portal alongside Mewtwo.
"You dare bully Hoopa?! Hoopa will duel you for real this time!"
"Mii!"
Gladly.
No sooner had the words left Hoopa's mouth than Mew's psychic power manifested into two gigantic hands: one seized Hoopa, while the other began spanking it repeatedly.
The damage was negligible. The humiliation was absolute.
Hoopa flailed helplessly, tears in its eyes.
"Mii~"
'With strength like this, what use are you besides being cute?'
Rolling its eyes, Mew continued disciplining Hoopa without mercy.
"Aaaah! Enough already! Hoopa will summon help!"
Cornered and desperate, Hoopa hurled out the twin rings on its horns—calling for reinforcements.
But if Hoopa could summon allies, so could Mew. The difference? Mew didn't even need to.
Amused, Mew let Hoopa proceed, curious to see what would come through. Its psychic hands never stopped delivering swats, but its eyes gleamed with interest.
Soon enough, the rings shimmered and two colossal birds emerged: one golden, one silver.
"Ah… ah?"
It was Ho-Oh and Lugia.
The pair had arrived, ready to back up Hoopa—until they froze mid-flight.
'What in the world…?'
Before them, Mew was busy spanking Hoopa like a misbehaving child.
Both Legendary Birds blinked in disbelief.
'You summoned us… to fight Mew? Are you insane?'
If it had been any ordinary Mew, perhaps. But this was no ordinary one, this was the unique World Tree Mew, the eternal guardian tied to the Tree of Beginning itself.
Ho-Oh and Lugia exchanged bewildered glances. Instead of lifting a talon, they turned around and calmly flew back into the rings.
"Wait! Don't leave Hoopa! Don't—!"
"Mii!"
'Summon another, then! Go on—try it again!'
With another psychic slap, Mew reminded Hoopa exactly who it was dealing with.
As the symbiotic guardian of the Tree of Beginning, Mew was born invincible. Even beyond the tree's reach, no one dared challenge it—those strong enough wouldn't risk it, and those bold enough couldn't match it.
But Hoopa, young and ignorant of such truths, still didn't understand.
"I… I don't dare anymore… Hoopa won't challenge you again…"
Before long, the little Pokémon gave in, finally surrendering with teary eyes.
"Mii~"
Pleased, Mew gave Hoopa two final smacks and floated happily, intent on making the little one its follower.
After all, an unclaimed Legendary like Hoopa—one not bound to any oath of balance or region, would make a fine ally for safeguarding the world under the Tree's watch.
But Hoopa resisted. Submitting to Mew and leaving its home was one thing. Abandoning its sealed power was another.
"Hoopa hasn't reclaimed its strength yet! Hoopa won't leave until it does! If you can help Hoopa regain its true power and still defeat Hoopa, then Hoopa will follow you forever!"
It wasn't just pride, it was resentment. To Hoopa, had its power not been sealed, it would never have feared Mew. At its peak, it had once overpowered even titans like Reshiram and Regigigas.
"Mii~"
Mew didn't hesitate. It agreed instantly.
Helping its new "underling" regain strength only meant empowering itself by extension. And as for defeating Hoopa afterward, Mew had never lost to anyone.
But retrieving Hoopa's power was easier said than done. Before it could think further, Mew felt its phone ringing back at the Tree of Beginning. With a flick, it teleported the device across dimensions into its paw.
The caller ID: Paul.
Without a second thought, Mew tossed out another ring and reeled him in.
On the other end, Paul frowned at his phone. "Why isn't Mew answering—?"
Before he could finish the thought, a portal swallowed him whole and spat him out into Dahara City.
"...?"
Looking around, Paul was stunned to find Mew, Mewtwo, and Hoopa all gathered together. Surely this wasn't some bizarre accident of "ring-pulling roulette"?
"Mii~"
Mew zipped up to Mewtwo, chattering away in its strange "meow-speak," recounting everything that had just transpired.
Paul listened quietly, his gaze falling on Hoopa. He knew exactly what the little genie was plotting.
Mew's confidence in itself was absolute. But should Hoopa regain its power—whether as the shadowy giant from the movie, or as a perfected master of its rings—it would stand among the Pokémon world's very highest tiers of power.
And outside the Tree of Beginning, Mew might not be able to handle it.
Feeling Paul's sharp eyes, Hoopa shrank nervously.
But Paul said nothing. He simply revealed the truth: Hoopa's origins, and the location of the Prison Bottle where its power had been sealed.
"Mii~"
Mew nodded, stretched out a paw, and with psychic precision yanked the Prison Bottle straight out of a portal.
"My power! Hoopa's true power!"
Unable to contain itself, Hoopa lunged toward the vessel—
Only for Paul to catch it by the tuft on its head, toss it aside, and telekinetically seize the bottle himself.
"Let's take this back to the Tree of Beginning." Paul suggested.
"Mii~"
Mew tilted its head, eyes glinting with curiosity before it nodded in agreement. Under Hoopa's desperate gaze, Mew opened a shimmering psychic ring and sent Paul back to the Tree of Beginning.
Together with Mewtwo, Mew then teleported across vast distances, dragging Hoopa along as they leapt closer and closer to their home.
Paul had barely returned to the Tree when a surge of spatial distortion rippled. Within moments, Mewtwo appeared, holding Hoopa by its small topknot, with Mew floating happily beside him.
Back on Mew's home ground, Paul didn't bother with pleasantries. He tossed the Prison Bottle toward Hoopa and walked directly up to Mewtwo.
"I've already defeated the Elite Four. Next is my battle with Cynthia. I want you to take the field."
His voice was steady, and serious.
What was the point of such overwhelming power if it remained hidden in the shadows forever? The upcoming Champion battle was the perfect stage—not only to showcase Mewtwo's strength, but to finally reveal its existence to the world.
"…So it is time. When the moment comes, I will unleash my true power."
Mewtwo understood at once.
"Let's hope this world's Team Rocket has the sense to stay out of it."
"No problem. We can handle them."
If they displayed enough terrifying strength, then even the main-world Team Rocket—if they dreamed of recapturing Mewtwo—would have to think twice about whether they were capable of it.
This Mewtwo was no longer the newborn from Mewtwo Strikes Back. With Paul, Mew, and the Tree of Beginning behind it, Mewtwo had already crushed three ordinary Rayquaza in battle—an undeniable testament to its current power.
And if Paul were ever truly pushed, he would not hesitate to spend some time leading a cross-regional sweep, clearing out Team Rocket from Kanto once and for all.
With Mew's help, Mewtwo's strength, and Paul's Champion-level skill, that was hardly impossible.
If they rallied the Pokémon League and powerful trainers worldwide, a global eradication might not even be out of reach.
Whether Giovanni chose to quietly make his fortune in the shadows or gambled everything on a doomed pursuit, that would depend on whether he still had a clear head.
Paul's eyes glimmered with curiosity. "What I'm really interested in is… how will this world's Mewtwo react when it sees you?"
After all, the Mewtwo of the anime world had its life rewritten by Paul's intervention. But the main-world Mewtwo had not. Paul couldn't help but wonder: in this hybridized world of merged canons, what state was the original Mewtwo in now?
"I hope I can meet it soon… and prove that our existence is not without meaning."
Mewtwo clenched its fist silently. It had long since come to terms with the value of life, and it knew that certain Legendary Pokémon in this world were truly unique. But whether its "other self" understood that was another question.
Having been battered by life's storms, it now wished only to hold out an umbrella for another.
Paul nodded firmly. "It will understand. The higher a Pokémon's intelligence, the less you need to worry. What makes a Mewtwo obsessive isn't weakness, it's being born into the world too long ago, and being shaped by too many scars."
"Given time, all wounds can be healed."
"Hoopa! Here's your surprise!"
A sudden cry of pain split the air. From the Prison Bottle, an abyssal torrent of energy surged into the small Hoopa. Its adorable body swelled and expanded, becoming burly, menacing, and rough.
Hoopa Unbound entered the stage!
"Mii~"
Mew was stunned.
Just moments ago, it had been so happy imagining Hoopa as a cute little underling. But now—this giant, grotesque form?
One look was enough to make Mew clutch its head in pain, unable to bear it. Staring any longer at Hoopa's triumphant face made its skull feel as if it would split open.
'Unacceptable! The Unbound form was hideous!'
Having seen Hoopa's cuteness, Mew now found its other form unbearably ugly. The sight made its little heart shatter.
"Come on, Mew! Battle me! Hoopa is the strongest!"
Hoopa, overjoyed at regaining its power, bellowed with laughter, eager to rebel.
"Mii~"
Mew didn't even bother to glance at it. With a casual wave, it conjured a psychic ring around Hoopa, ready to banish this annoying eyesore back to Kalos.
But halfway through, the ring stalled—Hoopa still could not pass through its own portal.
"No! Hoopa—ugh! The ring… the curse… it hurts! Aahhh!"
Dark crimson light burst across Hoopa's body. Its eyes twisted into an evil glare. With a snarl, it seized Mew's ring and hurled it aside.
Six arms spread wide as six enormous portals materialized around Mew. Hoopa's fists clenched, and with a roar, six simultaneous punches thundered forward.
Hyperspace Fury!
SWOOSH!
"Mii?"
Mew teleported effortlessly to the side, cocking its head in confusion.
'Why was Hoopa throwing such a tantrum?'
"Its power's been separated too long. That energy has birthed its own will. Hoopa can't control it."
Paul's warning rang out.
"Mii~"
Mew nodded in understanding. With its Miracle Eye, it pierced through to Hoopa's true self. A surge of psychic force crashed down, pinning the raging Hoopa helplessly to the ground.
No matter how it thrashed, Hoopa could not move—not even to open its mouth.
Never had Hoopa suffered such humiliation. Dark red and violet mist poured off its body, lashing toward Mew, Paul, Mewtwo, and the gathered Regi Guardians.
In an instant, the corruption engulfed them all.
"Mii?"
Mew tilted its head, flicked its paw, and dispersed the energy like smoke.
With a chirp, the entire Tree of Beginning lit up, radiance sweeping out to dissolve every trace of malice.
Hoopa Unbound's power was immense, but the Tree of Beginning was no feeble bystander.
Neither Paul nor Mewtwo had been overtaken, and already the crisis was resolved.
Seeing this, Hoopa's eyes widened in disbelief.
'A Pokémon… that could ignore its control? Just what was this place?'
"Mii~"
Mew's eyes sparkled with thought, pondering how to restore Hoopa to normal. At that moment, Paul calmly picked up the Prison Bottle and aimed it at Hoopa.
At once, a powerful suction dragged Hoopa's corrupted energy inside.
In the blink of an eye, Hoopa shrank rapidly, reverting back to its Confined form.
"Hoopa… that power… the shadow… the shadow wanted to kill Hoopa…"
Freed of corruption, Hoopa cowered like a child, and hiding behind Mew. Its eyes flickered with raw fear as they glanced at the Prison Bottle.
Never before had Hoopa feared its own power so deeply.
"The Prison Bottle seals Hoopa's energy. It allows it to shift between Confined and Unbound forms."
Paul explained briefly, setting the bottle aside.
"Mii~"
Mew's eyes lit up with delight. It patted the little Hoopa comfortingly, reassuring it.
'Hoopa, the Prison Bottle's waters run too deep. You can't control them. So let big brother Mew hold onto it for you.'
Before Hoopa could even protest, Mew waved its paw and sealed the bottle inside a psychic bubble.
Hoopa opened its mouth, but no words came. It wanted its power, but feared it even more.
Mew ignored its hesitation. Until the shadow of Hoopa's Unbound self was purged, and until Hoopa truly mastered form-shifting, the Prison Bottle would remain under the custody of the strongest—Mew.
After all, Unbound Hoopa was so hideous. Why cling to power when you could be like Mew—both beautiful and strong?
(End of Chapter)
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