Chapter 168. The Mysterious Mewtwo Ball
After calling a few Pokémon back, Natsume returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"There are just over ten days left before the Indigo Plateau Conference begins."
As soon as he walked in, he heard everyone discussing it.
"Yeah, Ash, did that one-month special training of yours do anything at all?" Misty asked.
"Relax. I kept count. This month alone, I fought in more than two hundred Pokémon battles!"
Ash proudly puffed out his chest.
"Pikachu!"
Beside him, Pikachu clenched its fists.
Seeing how confident the two of them looked, Natsume pulled up a chair and sat down.
The slab in Ash's body with the humanoid crystal set in it vanished after melding into him.
Natsume ran tests for an entire day afterward and found nothing.
This was largely the same as the slab with the black, heart-shaped crystal that had lodged itself inside Rotom.
With center-parted as a reference point, it might need time to synchronize.
It was also possible they had merely been temporarily chosen by some authority.
Whether they could gain recognition would require further study.
For example, before center-parted earned recognition from the Divinity authority, it became far more sleepy than before.
Although the authority wasn't complete and Natsume did not record center-parted's Divinity authority, it was still easy to deduce that it was related to sleep.
Excessive sleepiness implied recognition from a Divinity authority related to sleep.
As for the "humanity and bonds" within Ash, Natsume had no worries about that.
It probably wouldn't be long before Ash achieved complete recognition, and then Natsume would be able to learn a few things as well.
What stumped him was his own Rotom.
As for what the black, heart-like crystal represented, Natsume had no clue.
"Natsume, where's Gary?"
Seeing Natsume sit down, Ash asked curiously.
For the past month, he had been wearing shorts, carrying a Bug-Catching Net, and challenging people on the roads outside Pallet Town.
Two hundred straight wins!
Ash felt ridiculously strong now and couldn't wait to ask where Gary had gone.
"Him? He seems to have set out long ago."
Professor Westwood V came out carrying a tray of fruit.
"You should get going too. If you hurry, you might catch the torch ceremony."
"Torch ceremony?"
Ash was all curiosity.
"It's said that whenever a major tournament is held, Moltres appears," Brock reminded him.
"The Legendary Pokémon, Moltres!"
Ash's eyes shone.
"In that case, let's head out right now!"
"Hey, hey, at least get some things ready and leave tomorrow!"
Misty yanked back the overexcited Ash.
As she spoke, she turned a curious gaze to Professor Westwood.
"Professor Westwood, why does Moltres show up? Did someone powerful in the League actually catch Moltres?"
"Gaining the recognition of a Legendary Pokémon is something some strong Trainers in the League can accomplish, but—"
Professor Westwood shifted the topic.
"Moltres appearing at various competitive venues has been reported in many regions in recent years."
"I think it may be related to the flame of competition."
Professor Westwood nodded as he spoke.
This was the prevailing hypothesis among most League scholars.
Among the Moltres population, the strongest, bearing Divinity, should be tied to fire and competition.
"The flame of competition?"
Ash looked to Natsume in curiosity.
"The strongest Moltres is similar to that slab inside you, except it's the flame of competition."
"The other Moltres, perhaps out of imitation of a powerful counterpart, show up frequently at major events, producing this phenomenon."
Natsume thought for a moment and explained simply in a way Ash could understand.
"So that's how it is!"
Ash nodded, half understanding.
"Then—then can I challenge Moltres?"
Ash looked to Professor Westwood with hope.
"No. Because of Moltres, the League stations an Elite Four member to stand guard every year during the Conference."
"That's precisely to prevent anyone from making trouble."
"Alright…"
Ash lowered his head in disappointment.
"Take it easy, Ash. If Moltres is willing to battle you, Agatha definitely won't interfere."
Natsume patted Ash on the shoulder.
After a round of preparations, Ash and the others left to get ready at home.
Natsume, meanwhile, followed Professor Westwood into the lab.
On a display stand in the lab sat a peculiar Poké Ball.
It had a faint purplish hue.
The central button had disappeared, replaced by a design in the shape of a small eye.
It was unmistakably a Mewtwo Ball.
"Gengar!"
Gengar suddenly popped out from the Poké Ball, holding an old-fashioned smoking pipe.
Its outward style was exactly the same as the one in Professor Westwood's hand.
Professor Westwood glared at it, and Gengar obediently put the pipe away.
"Here. This is the detailed teardown you asked me to do earlier."
From a large pile of papers, Professor Westwood produced a structural analysis diagram of the Mewtwo Ball.
On the diagram, every single component and structure of the Mewtwo Ball was clearly labeled and categorized.
To the side were comparison figures between the Mewtwo Ball and a standard Poké Ball across various parameters.
"Thanks, Professor."
Natsume stared intently at the materials in his hands.
When leaving New Island, Mewtwo had destroyed every trace of that place.
Except for one Mewtwo Ball Natsume had secretly smuggled out.
"Whoever modified this ball is brilliant!"
Professor Westwood couldn't help but praise.
"Modified? Professor, what do you mean by that?"
Seizing on the key point, Natsume asked curiously.
"Here, take this."
Professor Westwood handed over a stack of documents.
"I found that this thing was modified from an Ultra Ball. The circuitry inside is almost the same."
Natsume nodded, waiting for Professor Westwood to continue.
"However, the inside was partitioned by the modifier into two spaces—one large and one small. The small space seems usable for storing items."
At this, Professor Westwood frowned.
"It's just that I really can't figure out how they split the interior space of a Poké Ball."
Creating space was something League technology could presently accomplish.
But partitioning space into zones with different functions was a problem that had stumped the League for decades.
"If the inventor—the modifier—were willing to publish their data, many of the League's technologies would advance by leaps and bounds!"
Professor Westwood grew more and more excited, finally grabbing Natsume by the arm.
"Uh… the other party isn't a researcher."
Not even human.
"Not a researcher?"
Professor Westwood's expression turned odd.
"What a shame! If only they were a researcher!"
He thumped his chest in regret, looking utterly heartbroken.
He still didn't have a promising apprentice.
No—the students he had taught couldn't even compare to this layperson.
"Professor Westwood, what's with the telekinesis test?"
Flipping through the materials, Natsume asked in puzzlement.
"Oh, that. I discovered it by accident."
Professor Westwood pointed at the Mewtwo Ball.
"Under the augmentation of telekinesis, this Poké Ball's performance improves dramatically—frighteningly so."
"In fact, with this kid's telekinetic boost, this modified Ultra Ball tested on paper at roughly fifty percent of a Master Ball's standard."
As he spoke, Professor Westwood patted Gengar on the shoulder.
"Gengar!"
Gengar raised the pipe in response.
Professor Westwood glared again, and Gengar lowered its head and put the pipe away once more.
"I see…"
Natsume's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Perfect.
The gap between Ultra Ball and Master Ball was too big, and he'd been fretting over the lack of a transitional Poké Ball form.
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