"The real Maxie must've figured out from our conversation with Brodie that our goal is the Red Orb," Lucius said calmly. "Now that the headquarters has fallen, he only has one option left—to awaken Groudon as quickly as possible."
He was certain that Maxie had planted surveillance equipment in the secret chamber where Brodie was hiding. Everything they had just discussed had likely been overheard. If Maxie wanted to obtain Groudon without delay, Mt. Chimney would be his most direct option.
"Let's head back." By now, Anabel already understood—Maxie was probably lurking in the volcano.
Once again, they teleported nearly across the continent. But for Lucius, such a feat was no longer difficult. Celebi, too, was a Pokémon adept in the powers of time and space. Moving through subspace was second nature.
As Gallade and Celebi suddenly appeared inside the hot spring resort, where Lance and Steven were sunbathing, the two Champions blinked in surprise. But that surprise turned into laughter as Gallade calmly stepped into the hot spring and transformed back into Volkner—stark naked.
Lance and Steven exchanged glances and immediately burst into laughter.
"Maxie is most likely inside the volcano right now. Let's have all our Psychic-type Pokémon join forces and use their psychic energy to scan the entire Mt. Chimney region," Lucius said once the laughter subsided. He quickly shared the situation at Team Magma's headquarters via pheromone-based telepathy.
Anabel's Alakazam, Mismagius, and Metagross, along with Steven's Metagross, were all at the level of King-tier Pokémon. The moment their psychic energy expanded, it blanketed the entirety of Mt. Chimney, Lavaridge Town, and the surrounding forest region.
The sheer pressure of their mental force caused every wild Pokémon in the area to tremble and shiver uncontrollably.
They hadn't done this earlier for fear of waking Groudon prematurely. But now that Maxie was likely nearby, even if Groudon did awaken, they could use the Red Orb Maxie carried to facilitate the infection.
Sure enough, while connected mentally with the King-tier Pokémon, Lucius quickly detected the presence of a campfire in the volcano—and Maxie himself, lurking just behind Courtney.
"That slippery bastard… he sent Courtney ahead to scout the way while secretly following her from behind," Anabel sneered in disgust.
Now that they'd located him, there was no need for further delay. Lucius instantly teleported to confront Maxie face-to-face.
But when Maxie saw Lucius and Anabel suddenly appear, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he smiled and asked, "So, you're the leader of Hive?"
A ferocious surge of psychic energy erupted from Maxie like a storm. The sheer force of it etched cracks across the nearby rock walls, and even the lava responded, rising in waves of fire.
"You're not Maxie…" Lucius's eyes flared blue. His own immense psychic power burst forth in a Psychic Surge, crashing head-on with the intruder's.
As the two forces collided in midair, the entire volcano trembled. The mental shockwaves alone were enough to shake the earth.
In a flash of blue light, "Maxie" was gone—replaced by a silver-white creature, humanoid in form, with a feline tail and a violet-hued belly and tail.
From the back of its head, a cord-like bundle of neural tissue extended down into the nape of its neck. It stood upright, humanoid in size and shape.
"What… Pokémon is that?" Anabel frowned.
As a former Champion, her knowledge of Pokémon was extensive. And yet—even she couldn't identify this one.
"Mewtwo…" Lucius said quietly.
Anabel might not have known, but as someone who had crossed worlds, Lucius recognized the creature immediately. This alien-like clone Pokémon was created using Mew's DNA in a secret lab on New Island by Team Rocket—a super-genetic Pokémon.
Mewtwo.
"You know who I am?" Mewtwo was visibly surprised. Born in a human lab, it was unique in this world. Unlike other Legendary Pokémon, it had no myths, no legends—only a handful of people had ever seen it. And none of them included this man.
With its eidetic memory, Mewtwo was certain—it had never encountered Volkner before.
"Heh… I know everything about you," Lucius replied with a soft laugh.
"Everything about me?" Mewtwo's interest was piqued.
Not even Dr. Fuji, its own creator, had fully understood it. And now this stranger claimed to know everything?
"Your greatest goal has always been to find the purpose of your existence, hasn't it?" Lucius asked.
Mewtwo's expression shifted.
"…!" He had struck a nerve.
"Follow me," Lucius said gently. "And I'll help you find that purpose."
Mewtwo was silent for a moment.
Then, it burst into laughter—loud and wild.
"Hahaha… I thought you might be different. But you're just like him. Just like the rest."
There was madness in the laughter—but also a trace of sorrow.
Giovanni had once told the newly born Mewtwo: "With your power and humanity's cooperation, the world will be ours."
But eventually, Mewtwo came to understand—that being a weapon for Team Rocket's domination was never what it truly wanted.
As Lucius watched Mewtwo laugh, he quietly began strategizing.
Mewtwo was far too powerful. He didn't know why it was here, or why it had taken on Maxie's appearance, but either way—a battle would be the worst possible outcome.
From the original timeline, he knew: Mewtwo's greatest inner conflict was about its origin.
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going?
These ultimate philosophical questions of existence weighed heavily on Mewtwo—a Pokémon with intellect far surpassing that of any human.
"I know that you were once used by Giovanni, forced to become a weapon of Team Rocket," said Lucius, breaking the silence and drawing Mewtwo's attention back.
"Later, you imitated humans, even taking on the role of a Pokémon Trainer. You created an army of clones—perhaps because, in your own way, you didn't want to be alone."
"You've already met Mew. I imagine you've come to terms with your origin. But you're not like the others. Can a life of simplicity, spent with your cloned companions, really satisfy you?" Lucius met Mewtwo's gaze directly.
Mewtwo was fundamentally different from the others—His intelligence was too advanced.
The cloned Venusaur didn't ponder where it came from or what gave its life meaning. Give it sunlight and a few bugs, and it was perfectly content.
The cloned Pikachu was the same. Once the purpose Mewtwo gave it had ended, its greatest joy became eating Oran Berries.
But Mewtwo? Could He live that way?
Could He truly squander each day, idly burning through His lifespan, wasting power so immense it eclipsed human comprehension?
"…" Mewtwo fell silent, caught off guard by Lucius's words.
It was true—he had not spent this past year constantly among his clone army. Time and time again, he had left their quiet island to travel the world, trying to understand how other humans and Pokémon lived… what it truly meant to be alive.
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