After traveling through so many places, Mewtwo still found itself coming back to the same thought.
The food here truly was the best.
Even a simple cup of wine carried a richness no other place could match.
It lowered its gaze toward the glass and silently mused to itself, a strange warmth stirring deep inside.
On the opposite side of the table, Lin Feng suddenly clapped his hands, realization dawning.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot about Pidgeot and the others…"
He had sent Pidgeot away earlier to participate in a Sky Challenge and had never called it back.
Beside him, Gardevoir closed her eyes. A soft psychic ripple swept out, her graceful form still and calm. Within moments, she opened her eyes and nodded.
"Garde~" (I've told them.)
Lin Feng's expression brightened. "Of course, it's always you, Gardevoir. You're the best."
Over time, as Gardevoir's power grew stronger, the range of her telepathic communication stretched farther and farther. What once required closeness could now reach across great distances.
But speaking of Pidgey and Pidgeot, Lin Feng tilted his head in mild surprise. Normally, that Pidgey of his had a very precise biological clock. It would arrive at mealtime without fail, chirping impatiently for food. Yet today, it was nowhere to be seen.
And as though answering his thoughts, the air above stirred.
A familiar small form descended rapidly, wings fluttering in a blur. The little Pidgey landed on its usual perch with practiced ease, ready to dig into the food prepared for it.
But before it could lower its head, the bird froze.
Something wasn't right.
Its sharp eyes darted around the room until they finally locked onto the figure of Mewtwo. Its expression shifted, a flicker of recognition glinting in its gaze.
Wait.
This aura…
Its eyes brightened, a secretive light flashing within. This wasn't an ordinary Pidgey.
And Mewtwo noticed too.
The artificial Pokémon's expression turned serious, its thoughts sharpening.
According to the scientists who had created it the humans of Team Rocket it was born from the genetic material of a Pokémon known as Mew.
Mew… a mythical being said to carry within itself the genes of every single Pokémon, capable of learning any technique and transforming into any form it desired.
And now, right here in this small body of a Pidgey, Mewtwo felt it.
That same pulse of origin.
The same breath of life.
This was no ordinary Pidgey.
It was Mew.
But the realization carried a strange twist.
Because what was it doing?
Instead of some grand, otherworldly entrance, instead of showing power befitting a legend, it was… sneaking a seat at the table? Joining them for dinner?
Was this… freeloading?
Mewtwo blinked, inwardly thrown off balance. Of all the possibilities, it hadn't considered this one.
Still, it quickly caught itself. For days now, Mewtwo had wandered alongside Lin Feng, traveling, observing, and quietly judging the bonds between humans and Pokémon. All the while, an instinctual drive had gnawed at it a relentless search for Mew.
Yet after all that effort, after endless searching…
It had stumbled across Mew here, of all places.
At a dinner table.
The two Pokémon's eyes met, holding each other's gaze for several long seconds. For a moment, the room grew taut, as though the weight of history and creation hung in the balance.
Then, simultaneously, they both looked away toward the steaming plates of food in front of them.
No matter the mysteries or tension between them, no matter the deep questions waiting to be answered…
Right now, dinner was more important.
So they ate.
Lin Feng, who had been observing carefully, let out a quiet breath of relief.
In his memories, in the movie Mewtwo Strikes Back, the moment Mewtwo and Mew met, they clashed instantly. Blows had been exchanged, power shaking the skies.
For a second, he had worried the same would happen here.
But seeing them choose food over fighting? That was far better.
At least tonight, the peace was holding.
Yet peace never stayed simple for long.
When Lin Feng plated a special dish for Mew, everything shifted.
He reached into his bag and brought out a carefully prepared pork cutlet, dusted lightly with a secret ingredient dried catnip powder. The scent was rich and enticing, the kind of flavor that made feline Pokémon lose their composure. Lin Feng placed the dish on the Pidgey's plate.
The reaction was immediate.
Mewtwo's gaze locked onto the food, disbelief etched across its face. Its throat tightened, and an involuntary swallow followed. For all its cold composure, its eyes betrayed a restless hunger.
What was this smell?
Why was it so intoxicating?
Mewtwo tried to remain still, to uphold its dignity, but every second the Pidgey no, Mew munched happily, its own restraint faltered. Psychic energy stirred uncontrollably around its body, a faint ripple of instability betraying its inner storm.
Gardevoir noticed first, turning her head toward Mewtwo with gentle concern. Even Mew, disguised as Pidgey, paused mid-bite, sensing the fluctuation.
Finally, Lin Feng saw it too. He chuckled softly.
"Right, I almost forgot. You're one of that type too."
Reaching into his storage ball, he pulled out another small vial of powdered catnip leaf. With practiced ease, he sprinkled a touch onto Mewtwo's plate.
The scent drifted upward, instantly curling into Mewtwo's senses. Its breath hitched. The urge to pounce was almost overwhelming, its hands trembling slightly as it forced itself to remain seated.
Why?
Why did this simple powder ignite such a reaction within?
It looked at Lin Feng, who met its gaze calmly, his eyes carrying reassurance. Slowly, carefully, Mewtwo lowered its head, cut a small piece of the pork, and brought it to its mouth.
The instant it tasted the food, its eyes widened.
Delicious.
Utterly delicious.
The word escaped unbidden, a rare break in its stoic demeanor. "Tasty!"
A tremor of pure delight shot through its body, and for a fleeting second, it almost wanted to leap up and dance. Only its immense self-control kept it sitting, forcing the waves of joy back inside.
Lin Feng laughed openly, leaning back in his chair. "If it tastes good, then that's all that matters."
As he suspected, no matter how human-like Mewtwo appeared, no matter how proud or intelligent, at the end of the day, it was still feline at heart. And no cat Pokémon could resist the call of catnip.
Across the table, Mew froze mid-bite. Its eyes narrowed as it processed what had just happened.
That human.
He hadn't just randomly sprinkled the powder.
He knew.
Every time he had cooked for this "Pidgey," he had added the same powder without fail, like it was second nature.
Which meant Lin Feng had realized the truth long ago.
He had known all along that this Pidgey wasn't really a Pidgey at all.
That it was Mew.
And worse still, he had just played along.
Mew's tiny heart skipped a beat, mortification washing over it. All that time it thought it was fooling everyone, flapping its little wings and pretending to be ordinary… only to realize Lin Feng had seen straight through it from the start.
Embarrassment and frustration tangled together inside it, coloring its cheeks with invisible heat.
"Pidgey…" it chirped weakly, unable to muster its usual cheer.
Suddenly, the pork cutlet in front of it didn't smell quite so good anymore.
What was it supposed to do now?
Reveal itself? Admit it had been caught? Or keep pretending and hope no one forced the truth out?
So the meal continued, awkwardly for Mew, yet quietly harmonious for everyone else.
And under the soft clink of cutlery and the aroma of food, an unspoken bond settled in the air between Mew, Mewtwo, and the human who had already seen through it all.
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