But the more it saw of the world, the more confused it became. Even though humans had built vast cities and created incredible inventions, most of them were no different from ordinary Pokémon—living out dull, repetitive lives.
To escape this boredom, humans made movies, television shows, wrote novels, and even began to domesticate and train Pokémon for competitions—battles, beauty contests, and more. But what was the true meaning behind any of it?
A small number of humans pondered the same questions it did—these were called philosophers. But the vast majority drifted through life aimlessly, each day the same, their futures easily predicted.
Is my existence the same? it wondered. Eat, sleep, play with Pokémon... and then one day, die when my lifespan ends?
Mewtwo had wrestled with this question before, but had never found an answer.
Until just days ago—when it encountered one of the oldest beings in existence, known by humanity as the God of Time—Dialga.
Dialga took Mewtwo on a journey through time itself—guiding it across ages past and ages yet to come. Together, they witnessed the evolution of life across eons and the rise and fall of civilizations.
They saw countless mighty Pokémon, once earth-shaking forces, now decayed and buried. They saw humans who had saved millions, now reduced to nothing but dust in the soil.
It seemed as though the endless cycle of life and death served no deeper purpose. Life simply... existed.
And just as Mewtwo was beginning to feel numb to the idea of meaning, Dialga showed it the beginning—the true beginning of creation.
There, it saw a radiant being crowned with a halo of light: a lifeform so majestic, so powerful, that it stirred awe in Mewtwo's heart for the first time.
Could this be the Creator? The origin of all life?
Mewtwo was shaken—deeply moved by the power to summon existence from nothing.
Then, Dialga took it forward in time—just a few centuries ago. The same radiant figure was there... but diminished. No longer whole, weakened—injured by something as mundane as a falling meteor.
Dialga explained: Even beings as divine as that will eventually fade. What hope do lesser lifeforms have?
Finally, Dialga made an offer: to help them. They could make Mewtwo into something greater—something closer to that first shining life. Something... transcendent.
Having seen the Creator firsthand, Mewtwo could not refuse.
The first step of the plan, Dialga told it, was to assist another legendary being—known to humans as the Guardian of the Seas: Lugia.
"Can you tell me where Maxie is?" Lucius asked. "And why did you take the form of someone you hold in contempt—a human?"
Lucius knew well how Mewtwo viewed humanity. Though created by them, it had seen enough ugliness in human hearts to scorn them deeply. Someone like Maxie—so much like Giovanni—would certainly not earn Mewtwo's respect.
"The one I became? He's probably dead," Mewtwo replied calmly. "Lugia had no interest in keeping him around."
As expected, Lucius's pupils contracted sharply. This was indeed connected to Lugia.
But if Lugia wouldn't come in person and had instead sent Mewtwo...
"Then that means the awakening of Groudon and the Red Orb must already be in Lugia's hands." Lucius sighed inwardly. If Lugia had it, retrieving it wouldn't be easy.
"Are you talking about this?" Mewtwo raised a hand, and in a flash of light, a gemstone appeared—sharply pointed at one end, filled with infinite inner facets, glowing with a deep crimson light.
"Lugia said you'd come for it," Mewtwo said, and then released a psychic pulse. A sapphire-colored barrier formed around its body, and it launched straight toward Lucius and Anabel.
Lucius and Anabel leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the collision. But Mewtwo didn't stop—hurtling deeper into the volcano.
"After it!" Anabel shouted, vanishing in a blink as she gave chase.
Lucius, however, remained behind. He was waiting—for Steven.
Moments later, Steven's Shiny Metagross descended from the sky, carrying a massive machine.
When Lucius had first spotted Mewtwo, he had immediately signaled Steven with pheromones.
Talking with Mewtwo had served two purposes: to learn why it had come, and to buy time—for Steven to bring over the upgraded, miniaturized version of the Infinity Energy weapon originally used in the Rayquaza Containment Initiative.
Even as a "miniaturized" version, the device still weighed nearly ten tons—far too heavy for teleportation.
Lucius lifted the device using his psychic abilities and shot off in pursuit.
Ahead of him, he could already sense Anabel clashing with Mewtwo. Though Anabel was a powerful psychic and backed by a Legendary Pokémon, she had no chance of winning against Mewtwo.
Lucius rocketed forward with the weapon, breezing past a stunned Courtney, who could only exclaim:
"Ah-leh~ Another one?!"
She barely had time to react. That strange Pokémon that had just flown past her like a gust of wind—was that really Celebi? And now, yet again, Lucius's sudden telekinetic maneuver with his weapon had startled her.
Lucius didn't stop. He chased the anomaly deep into the heart of the volcano. There, the scene was almost surreal—a roaring magmafall cascaded beside him, and locked in a fierce psychic clash right above it were Anabel and Mewtwo, both exuding overwhelming power.
The intensity of their psychic battle was shaking the very space around them. Lava surged like stormy seas, while cracks splintered across the surrounding mountainsides, exploding outward from the sheer pressure.
"Damn. Are they trying to blow the whole volcano sky-high?" Lucius muttered. He didn't jump into the battle. Instead, he activated his Infinity Energy Weapon, its tip radiating with a focused beam that he aimed directly at Mewtwo and Anabel.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Just as Lucius was about to strike, a terrifying rumble echoed from beneath the lava. The sound of shattering stone reverberated like thunder.
An immense, ancient power surged upward from the depths beneath the magma.
The lava began to swell unnaturally—waves forming as if an ocean had awakened in the heart of the mountain. It churned violently, throwing up plumes of molten rock and waves over ten meters high.
"This is bad..." Lucius immediately ceased charging the weapon. He shouted toward Anabel and Mewtwo, "Stop fighting! The volcano's about to erupt!"
The disturbance had likely awakened Groudon, long slumbering within the mountain. Its stirring presence had destabilized the volcanic system and now threatened to trigger a full-scale eruption.
Mt. Chimney spanned over a hundred kilometers across. If it blew, the entire Hoenn Region could be wiped off the map.
And during this season, the volcanic ash, carried by the monsoon winds, could drift across to other continents as well—covering them in ashfall and causing massive ecological disruption.
The power beneath the mountain surged again—stronger, deeper, more unrelenting. Lava responded to Groudon's call, erupting in spiraling bursts of flame, each wave more violent than the last.
Thankfully, Anabel was level-headed enough to prioritize the bigger picture. She immediately pulled back. Mewtwo, too, didn't want to see an eruption claim the lives of countless Pokémon, and thus ceased his assault as well.
Lucius let out a slow, relieved breath.
For now, there was only one thing left to do—wait until Groudon fully awakened and emerged from the heart of the volcano.
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