"What's wrong?" Caleb asked.
Standing beside the Mew2, Mimikyu blinked her black beady eyes and cried out: "Kyu!"
Caitlin looked at the scene somewhat bewildered. She didn't understand what was happening or what the Pokémon that resembled Mimikyu was saying.
But Caleb, who possessed the Viridian Power, understood.
Mimikyu was saying their new companion is unhappy.
Hearing this, Caleb was taken aback. He looked at Mew2 and asked hesitantly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Mew2 shook its head, its expression slightly off: >..Don't worry, I'm fine..<
'Yeah, you don't sound fine at all...' Caleb thought.
Actually, he could more or less guess some of what Amber had said to it.
He never doubted Mewtwo's claim that Mew2 had strong affection for him. But seeing it like this, Caleb began to wonder if Mew2 didn't actually want to follow him, and that it only did so out of obligation to Amber's final request.
At this moment, many thoughts raced through Caleb's mind.
Mewtwo was an exception. They had shared many experiences that transcended life, death, and time, forging a deep bond between them.
As for Mew2, Caleb wondered how it would've turned out if no one had reached out to it during its incubation, if it never met Amber.
His presence had already altered so much. The events of 'Mewtwo Strikes Back' and other canonical arcs hadn't occurred in this world.
'Mmh... Without those experiences, what kind of personality and values does Mew2 have?' Caleb suddenly realized he knew practically nothing about this little fella.
Still, he kept these thoughts to himself, showing no reaction on his face. Glancing at Caitlin, who was still stunned, then back at Mew2 and said, "Let's talk about this later."
Mew2 remained silent.
Caleb glanced at the task panel that had just updated:
*Ding!*
[Main Quest Updated!]
[Phase 3 Unlocked! Quest Code: Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!]
[Quest Objectives:
1. Rescue the missing Dragon-type Pokémon.
2. Prevent ??? from awakening ???]
[Note: No further mission updates will be provided. Completion rewards will scale based on clue progress...
- Minimum Reward: 100 points
- Maximum Reward: DNA Splicer]
[Current Faction: Unova League...
If ??? awakens ??? successfully, your main quest will fail!]
[Beware of enemy faction operatives!]
Caleb stared at the flood of question marks on the screen, speechless: 'What kind of cryptic nonsense...'
Caitlin finally recovered from her shock and asked, "Did you find anything?"
"Just their codename; Dragon Hunters," Caleb said after a moment's thought.
It was a mysterious organization. Aside from meeting locations and bounty postings for Dragon-types, he hadn't found much in the thief's mind..
"Dragon Hunters?" Caitlin frowned.
Caleb hummed in affirmation. Recalling the information he'd seen in the case files, he said, "They're a group that exclusively targets Dragon-type Pokémon. The higher-ups post high-reward bounties, and freelancers take the jobs. These freelancers are collectively called Dragon Hunters. The higher-ups are smart. They don't share much info with the hunters. Even meeting spots aren't fixed. I'd say they're more like off-the-books operatives."
Hearing this, Caitlin's frown deepened. The League's oversight had been somewhat lax these past few years, leading to this situation.
She met Caleb's gaze, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "This is our failure."
Caleb, however, took it in stride and reassured her, "Don't worry, there's still time."
Hearing that, Caitlin instinctively asked, "What should we do next?"
"Well," Caleb pondered for a moment, "I'll figure something out later."
He thought about following the trail first. Worst case, he still had the Book of Answers, one of his OP items.
'Besides, compared to this case, the issue with Mew2 feels more urgent...' Caleb thought.
Caitlin nodded, then looked at the thief on the ground and asked hesitantly, "If we leave, what happens to him?"
"Mind-wipe," Caleb said. "Don't worry. After erasing these memories, no one will know we were here."
Which meant the thief would still steal the Pokémon.
Recalling the trainer's devastated face when they reported the theft, Caitlin hesitated and asked, "Can't we stop him?"
"No," Caleb said firmly, "If you mess with time, time will mess with you. No one knows what changing the past will do to the future, or if it'll still be the future you know."
This was a principle he always adhered to...
If this event were altered, the quest itself would become a paradox. No one could predict the consequences.
Caitlin's expression shifted slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant. After a long pause, she nodded and said softly, "I understand. Let's go back then."
Caleb nodded, recalled Mimikyu and both Mewtwos, and used Celebi to leave the timeline.
After telling Caitlin he would investigate the matter, he parted ways with her for the time being...
...
Back in his room, Caleb took out the Mew2's Poké Ball.
Looking Mew2's cold expression, his heart sank. He thought for a moment and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Mew2 said nothing. Silence fell between them.
The scene reminded Caleb of a line from a literature textbook: A sorrowful wall now stands between us.
After a long pause, Mew2 finally said quietly: >..I'm fine. Don't worry..<
Caleb opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words. After a while, he could only say, "Alright then. You can tell me if anything's wrong. No matter what, I will respect your decision."
Mew2 hummed and returned to its Poké Ball on its own...
Caleb stood there in awkward silence. Then, the five Poké Balls on his desk popped open on their own. Dragonite, Celebi, Mimikyu, Lucario, and Hydreigon noisily tumbled out.
Caleb was startled. He reached out and scritched Dragonite's chubby face, asking in surprise, "What's up with you guys? Are you hungry already?"
He glanced at the time. It was only 9:30 AM.
"Roar!" Hydreigon said that Mewtwo had let them out.
Caleb didn't quite understand. He was about to ask for clarification, but Mimikyu and Celebi pounced at Hydreigon's middle head and blocked its mouth with their tiny bodies.
"Wuu~" Dragonite said, nuzzling against Caleb's hand, ignoring the commotion caused by the others.
Distracted by Dragonite's words, Caleb asked, "You want to see Garchomp? It'll probably be a while before they can get here though–"
He suddenly laughed at himself mid-speech. If Cynthia couldn't come now, he could simply go to her!
"Let me ask their where they are, then I'll take you there," Caleb said.
In that previous Transformation and Substitution Instance, he had traveled all over Sinnoh with Cynthia, unlocking almost every city. Now he could teleport there anytime using the Warp Beacon.
With that, he picked up the phone to call her...
...
~Inside the Poké Ball~
In the mental realm constructed by Mewtwo...
Mewtwo looked across at the confused Mew2 and sighed softly, "Why didn't you tell him?"
Mew2 looked at its counterpart. They floated on opposite sides of the mental space, like mirror images.
"I didn't know what to say," it replied.
Mewtwo fell silent upon hearing this...
As a fellow Mewtwo, no one could understand the little Mew2 better than he did. At this moment, he could feel the confusion radiating from his counterpart.
These emotions were all too familiar to Mewtwo.
Why do I exist? For whom do I exist? He had also asked himself these questions at one point.
Now, Mewtwo had found the answers.
"Let me give you some advice," Mewtwo spoke up.
Mew2 looked up and met his gaze.
Mewtwo said softly, "The answers that you seek... perhaps you can find them all in him. Besides, the bond and understanding between us wasn't there from the start either."
Mewtwo added in a joking tone, "You don't know this, but the first time I met him, I almost crushed his head with my psychic force."
Hearing this, Mew2 was stunned. It couldn't imagine that scene at all.
Then it involuntarily asked, "What happened after that?"
"After that?" Mewtwo smiled, "We slowly became what we are now. In human terms, a bond is something that forms after you meet. I think you understand what that means."