A gentle flick of her hand, and suddenly, a creature that none of them had seen before appeared before the group.
Both Grace and Ethan Cross were visibly surprised. Even Hoopa, known for summoning legendary creatures, was intrigued: "Hoopa doesn't know this one."
The news from Hoopa immediately piqued Carl's interest. How could Mew have found a creature that even Hoopa wasn't familiar with? Hoopa could summon legendary Pokémon, so anything it found unusual had to be extraordinary.
As Carl pondered this, a head popped out from the portal's shimmering light. When the creature fully emerged, Carl was momentarily stunned.
"An attribute void?! No... this is..."
Standing before him was an initial form of the Ultra Beast Slayer, a creature secretly developed by the Aether Foundation. How had Mew managed to get her hands on such a rare being? This was an artificial mythical Pokémon on par with Magearna, and it shared unique design elements with Mewtwo.
If nurtured into its final form, the Ultra Beast Slayer would have formidable battle prowess.
[Pokémon Data]
Name: Attribute Void (named by Lusamine)
Type: Normal
Ability: Battle Armor (activated)
Hidden Ability: Bond Perception (locked)
Strength: Champion-level peak (restricted by mask)
Potential: Level 2 God
Skills: Aerial Ace, X-Scissor, Double-Edge, and 10 other moves
To Carl's delight, it was already at the Attribute Void stage. He knew very well the value of this Pokémon.
Once Attribute Void formed a deep bond with its trainer, it would break free from its mask and evolve into the Silver Companion Beast. Once evolved, it would be fiercely loyal to its recognized trainer and could switch attributes at will using the AR system, akin to a mythical being using plates.
Carl reflected on the differences between the two forms. Both Attribute Void and its predecessor were based on synthetic biological skeletons, using all-attribute cells as genetic templates, equipped with an AR system developed from information sourced from the Sinnoh region. However, after three tests, Attribute Void's predecessor was fitted with a control mask due to a rejection reaction with the AR system and was sealed away...
This mask was the key to its evolution into the Silver Companion Beast. Carl observed the creature closely, confirmed the mask's presence, and smiled. This indicated that the creature named Attribute Void was indeed the precursor, possessing the potential for evolution.
"Lusamine hasn't renamed you yet, has she?" Carl approached Attribute Void, gently touching its mask, "From now on, you'll be called Attribute Void." Behind the mask, its black eyes glared fiercely at Carl, wild and untamed. At this moment, it was entirely driven by instinct, with only a primal desire remaining.
But within Carl's controlled domain, it couldn't act. "You've got quite the fierce gaze," Carl remarked. He smiled slightly and used his psychic abilities to move Attribute Void to a corner of the front yard. He planned to interact with it daily to build rapport, believing that through mental communication, Attribute Void would eventually acknowledge him and evolve into a powerful Silver Companion Beast. This might become his first Pokémon to reach a Level 3 God strength, and Mew's gift was indeed sincere.
"It's time to go back." Carl lifted the restrictions on Hoopa's ring. Hoopa immediately sensed the call and excitedly exclaimed, "Hoopa, retrieve!" The ring flew back to its horn. "Welcome back!" Hoopa clapped joyfully. Mew, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have resolved Hoopa's problem.
At that moment, Carl's invitation echoed from the other side of the ring, "Mew, would you like to come over for a visit?"
Delighted, Mew's eyes sparkled. Confident in her powers and curious about this mysterious place that Hoopa had managed to find, she nodded eagerly.
Turning to Grace, Ethan Cross, and Victini, she asked, "Would you like to join me?"
Victini shook its head, "I need to return to the Unova region." Ethan Cross also declined, "The flower fields are about to bloom." Grace pondered, "I promised Diancie to visit—next time for sure."
"Alright then," Mew nodded, turning to fly toward the ring.
Bam! She bumped into an invisible barrier, rubbing her head as she retreated. Although it didn't hurt, it was certainly embarrassing.
Hoopa burst into laughter without holding back.
"Oops, forgot to grant access," Carl's voice carried through.
Carl, on the other side of the ring, offered a casual apology. Mew gritted her teeth but held back her anger, waiting for a chance to get even.
"All clear now," Carl's voice came through again.
Having learned her lesson, Mew cautiously extended a paw to test the space before stepping through the ring. Immediately, she was greeted by Carl's cheeky grin and the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Come back and visit sometime!" Hoopa waved goodbye from the other side, quickly retracting the ring to its horn, visibly relieved. Ethan Cross chuckled, clearly not the only one spooked by the earlier surprise.
Grace was intrigued by Carl. If not for her prior commitment to Diancie, she would have followed Mew to take a look. "Take me to a human city near the Diamond Kingdom," she requested Hoopa, intending to bring a gift for Diancie.
"Welcome to my home," Carl smiled at Mew, who was struggling to suppress the urge to smack him, cautiously surveying the area. This place was intriguing yet vaguely unsettling—not for herself, but for its connection to the World Tree. The sense of danger was fleeting, leaving her wondering if it was just her imagination.
As she surveyed the villa, the gym, the river, the distant mountains, and the city outline, Mew was filled with questions. How could a place on the city's outskirts be undetectable by Ho-Oh, Lugia, and the three Musketeers? It was simply astonishing.
Mew attempted to sense Lugia's location and found it effortlessly. Tilting her head in confusion, she couldn't make sense of the current situation.
"A special space after the world's fusion?" she muttered softly.
Carl crossed his arms, watching her expressive face with interest. "I win this round," he remarked, "You have to help Mewtwo remove its ankle ring, right?"
"Alright!" Mew nodded decisively. She believed in honoring her bets.
Carl immediately used telepathy to contact Mewtwo in the study. Indeed, Mewtwo was there, engrossed in a book. After last night's enlightening conversation, it had become an inquisitive creature, constantly bombarding Carl with questions about philosophy and biology, nearly driving him up the wall.
Unable to keep up, Carl had suggested Mewtwo visit the study.
Mewtwo, wearing reading glasses and holding a copy of "The Three Kingdoms," teleported over. Upon seeing Mew, it merely nodded calmly, neither excited to see its parent nor driven by the desire to surpass it. To Mewtwo, Mew was merely a tool.
Mew, unfazed by Mewtwo's attitude, waved a hand, and the ring on Mewtwo's ankle melted away like snow under the sun's warmth.
"Welcome to my world." Carl grinned at Mew, who was still digesting the new environment.