Chapter 149. The Escaped Mewtwo
When Natsume arrived at the courtyard of the laboratory, he still saw Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak scuffling with each other.
"Aren't they supposed to be having a Pokémon battle?"
Natsume asked in puzzlement.
"Yeah. Ash sent out center-parted, Gary lost, and he won't accept it," Misty waved her hand.
"Alright. I've got a task for you."
Natsume clapped his hands, cold blue light flickering in his eyes as he forcibly separated the two with psychic power.
"Go to the seaside laboratory and invite Professor Westwood V over. Understood?"
As Natsume spoke, he handed them a photo.
In the photo stood a research institute on a beach.
"Professor Westwood V?"
The two took the photo and looked carefully.
At the laboratory entrance, a white-bearded old man with a balding, Mediterranean hairline could be seen.
He was clearly Professor Westwood V himself.
"If I remember right, Professor Westwood V is a master of Pokémon theory," Brock leaned in.
"Wow, there's a beach near Pallet Town. It looks perfect for a vacation."
Misty's focus was completely different.
"Yeah. The northwest side connects to the sea," Ash didn't find it surprising.
"That's strange. How come I've never heard you say Pallet Town is a vacation paradise?" Misty looked at him curiously.
"I don't know. The tourism over at the beach is pretty developed, though."
Ash shook his head.
He wasn't interested in that.
Adjusting his cap, he got ready to head out.
"Have a safe trip—"
At the gate of Professor Oak's Laboratory, Natsume waved the group off.
"Ah—Natsume, what did you mean by 'getting familiar with the protected area' this afternoon?"
Behind him, Honora came out yawning.
"That. I'll take you for a spin up the snowy mountain over there, and as for the beach Ash and the others are going to, you can go take a look yourself when you've got time."
Natsume pointed with his hand.
Following his finger, Honora could just make out a tall mountain capped in white.
Around Pallet Town, the terrain is diverse and well suited for developing tourism.
But when the League drew up the zoning, it did not designate Pallet Town as a tourist city, because this place is also part of a protected area.
Natsume had discovered this recently while considering where to establish his own laboratory and poring over maps and League policy.
It is designated as a Level-Two Protected Area—Low Gaze Realm.
Within Level-One Pokémon Protected Areas, most are habitats for precious Pokémon populations, such as Mt. Moon.
Level-Two Protected Areas, by contrast, are places whose ecosystems are diverse and host extremely rich biodiversity.
Professor Oak choosing to build his laboratory in Pallet Town, located within the Low Gaze Realm protected area, was also an important reason.
"Climb a snowy mountain!?" Honora shuddered.
"Don't worry. There are plenty of Ice-type Pokémon from the lab up there. You can just go have some fun."
Natsume waved it off.
When considering the site for his future laboratory, aside from whether there was League policy support, the diversity of the local ecosystem was also an important reference point.
Take Pallet Town for example.
It borders the sea, sits near a snowy mountain, has hilly terrain around it, and lies on a small plain itself.
By this standard, Natsume diligently stared at maps for two whole days.
He finally confirmed the site for his lab—right across from Professor Oak's Laboratory.
That way, when Ash and Gary were at home, they could serve as free labor.
And if the lab ever exploded, he could borrow Professor Oak's lab to handle emergencies.
The key point was that Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum stayed in Pallet Town year-round.
Even if he were away, he wouldn't have to worry about the lab having no one to look after it.
Most crucial of all, the League requires every laboratory to take on the duties of raising starter Pokémon for new Trainers and feeding surplus Pokémon belonging to Pokédex-registered Trainers.
As for starter Pokémon, Professor Oak's Laboratory has plenty.
Natsume had already expanded several of the daycare wings.
Feeding Trainers' surplus Pokémon?
Natsume could have them go mooch meals at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Utterly worry-free, wonderfully convenient, and he could calmly keep developing Rotom.
The more Natsume thought about it, the more he felt the future would be infinitely beautiful.
"Boom!"
A thunderous roar came from the direction of the snowy mountain, and the whole earth seemed to tremble.
"Natsume, look!" Honora pointed anxiously at the mountain.
At the summit, white smoke billowed.
Natsume's face changed drastically.
An avalanche!
It's over.
There are still a lot of Ice-type Pokémon from Professor Oak's Laboratory on that mountain!
Just as Natsume was about to use Teleport, an overwhelming wave of psychic pressure swept down from the sky.
"Huff!"
On the snowy mountain, countless plumes of white instantly compacted, layer upon layer, until they became solid ice.
What powerful psychic power!
Natsume was stunned.
This psychic power was several times stronger than Sabrina's.
He looked up toward the source.
A streak of blue light ripped across the sky.
Within the blue light, there was a cat-eared, long-tailed humanoid form.
"Mewtwo?" Natsume's expression turned odd.
Mewtwo had shed its restraining armor.
Its psychic power was fully unleashed, spilling outward without end.
"Who am I?
What is the meaning of my existence?
What am I going to do?"
The same words suddenly appeared in the minds of countless people.
"Natsume!" Honora looked at him in surprise.
"I heard it too." Natsume nodded, understanding in his heart.
It looked like Mewtwo was about to rebel.
Extending his psychic power, Natsume tried to communicate with Mewtwo.
"Your name is Mewtwo.
You're a paragon of kindness.
You will thrash Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Groudon—"
"And you will donate the Rainbow Wing, the Tidal Bell, the Red Orb, the Blue Orb, and the Donkey Kong Gem to the Natsume Laboratory free of charge."
Natsume transmitted his simple, sincere wish.
In the sky, the unstoppable Mewtwo seemed to collide with an invisible wall and staggered.
Very soon, Mewtwo's figure completely vanished over the horizon.
"Natsume, that Pokémon looked like the one from Viridian Gym—" Honora's uncertain voice sounded.
"Did it just escape?" Honora was wildly curious.
From the power it displayed, Honora felt it might be one of those legendary divine Pokémon, like Ho-Oh.
But she had never seen a Pokémon of that appearance before.
"This isn't something you need to worry about."
Natsume tapped Honora on the forehead.
"The urgent matter now is to go check the snowy mountain and see whether any of the equipment up there got damaged."
Saying that, Natsume took the lead.
Mewtwo had run away from Giovanni's laboratory.
Ever since it obtained Divinity, this was an event bound to happen.
To Natsume, Mewtwo felt like a student who had read too many books but had never practiced.
From what it had seen these days, Mewtwo had probably realized that the reality forged by humans and the descriptions in books had a huge gap.
Now, this student with great power could no longer hold back and wanted to practice with its own hands.
However, books only contain the principles of being a person.
The principles of doing things lie outside the books.
"Let's hope it doesn't get too idealistic."
Natsume yawned.
His psychic power flared to the fullest, and he flew with Honora at high speed toward the snowy mountain.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts