"Ursaah~"
Ursaluna shook its massive forepaws, then flopped lazily back onto the ground. With an innocent look, it lumbered toward Paul.
It had been a long time since it last battled such a rookie-level Pokémon. For a moment, it nearly failed to hold back and accidentally flattened its opponent. Honestly, that wasn't its fault.
"Return."
Paul let out a faint speechless sigh, recalling the "pretending-to-be-cute" Ursaluna into its Poké Ball. He sent out Torterra to heal the near-fainted Sceptile. While at it, he had Torterra restore Pikachu and every other Pokémon currently in Poké Balls nearby—just to save time on recovery later.
"I lost…"
Ash shook his head. His chest tightened with disappointment, but he still managed a small smile at Paul.
After all, his opponent was someone capable of defeating Cynthia. Losing to someone like that was easier to accept. It was only when he lost to a Trainer he thought he could beat that he truly felt crushed.
"Your battling style has its own identity… but it's too straightforward."
Paul's evaluation was simple. He recalled Torterra and rummaged through his bag before tossing two items toward "Paul" (the alternate-universe counterpart standing nearby).
"This is…"
Catching them, "Paul" found he was holding a lump of peat-like charcoal and a strange Evolution Stone.
"Peat Block." Paul explained. "On a full moon, it can evolve Ursaring into Ursaluna, which gains a Ground typing. Whether you evolve yours is up to you."
Paul had found this Peat Block in the Hisui region alongside Akari. He'd left another piece with Professor Rowan for research.
Remembering that, he decided it would be interesting to give this one to his counterpart. A fully evolved Ursaluna—already a powerhouse, would be quite the spectacle.
"Let's go."
Paul released Metagross and soared into the distance, leaving the group below to watch him disappear in silence.
After a while, "Paul" looked down at the Peat Block in his hand, mulling over the telepathic message Paul had left him before departing—
"In this world, there's a shiny Metagross in the Metagross Mountain near the Strong Wind Town. Check it out if you're interested."
He had no reason to doubt it. Judging from reality, Paul's own Metagross likely came from that very mountain in another world.
If Paul could raise even a Ninetales to such strength, then his Metagross must be something else entirely.
"Paul's" thoughts wandered—losing to Cynthia, the Ninetales egg, the Peat Block for Ursaluna, the tip about the shiny Metagross…
It had been a lot for one day. He needed time to breathe, then reconsider his travel plans.
With one last glance at Ash and his friends, "Paul" cradled the Pokémon Egg and walked away.
Meanwhile, Paul was flying west across the Sinnoh region on Metagross.
He hadn't come to this world just to deliver an egg—he wasn't that bored. He intended to take this cross-world trip as an opportunity to scout the Kalos region early, hoping to locate the ancient kingdom seen in the movie continuity, as well as a special device capable of forcing a Pokémon to Mega Evolve.
But the earlier battle had stirred other thoughts.
"By now, Ash should've been traveling in Sinnoh for a while. I wonder… did the Deoxys from that Devil's Sea get struck by lightning yet?"
He still didn't understand how a being capable of freely roaming the cosmos could be forced back into its core form by a simple lightning strike—but that didn't diminish his curiosity.
In the games, Deoxys was special, but not overwhelmingly so. In reality and in the anime, a Deoxys able to shift between all four forms at will was, in Paul's eyes, among the strongest Pokémon in equal-power matchups.
Of course, if Mewtwo ever mastered self-initiated Mega Evolution (both X and Y forms), it would surpass Deoxys in theoretical combat potential.
With that in mind, before heading to Kalos, Paul made another trip to that small strange island in the Devil's Sea.
The barren place looked exactly as it had last time. That alone told him Deoxys hadn't "crash-landed" here yet.
He was about to turn away for Kalos when he spotted a Crawdaunt near the shoreline, lugging a smooth purple gem from one spot to another.
The gem was perfectly rounded—and looked exactly like Deoxys's chest core.
"Right on time."
Paul smiled with satisfaction, guiding Metagross down beside the Crawdaunt.
"Cra-raaawnt!"
Startled by the sudden arrival, Crawdaunt stumbled backward, feeling the oppressive aura of Metagross.
Paul ignored the Pokémon's nervous refusal to leave and reached for the gem. Probing it with his psychic sense, he detected a second consciousness within.
"This is it."
Confirming that Deoxys really had been struck by lightning, Paul sent out Mewtwo and Torterra.
"Raaa~"
The ground trembled under Torterra's weight, yet it smiled warmly at Paul.
Mewtwo silently examined the gem, clearly recognizing it.
In the original storyline, Deoxys recovered by absorbing the meteorite energy that Crawdaunt, Pikachu, and the others retrieved. Paul had no need for that process.
If cosmic meteorite energy could work, then the near-limitless restorative power of Life Dew would certainly suffice.
"Use Life Dew on this."
Paul held the gem out toward Torterra.
"Raaa!"
A beam of green light poured onto the stone. The dense life energy was instantly absorbed. Torterra's eyes widened in surprise, and it pushed more power into the stream—only for every drop to vanish into the stone.
The process continued for thirty seconds before slowing.
Shhhhhh—
When the limit was reached, the unremarkable gem flared brilliantly, floating into the air. Purple and white light radiated outward.
A humanoid figure emerged—its body a vibrant orange, arms formed into DNA-like twin helixes, with a teal face marked by a single vertical purple stripe. Its black eye sockets housed calm, white eyes that betrayed no emotion.
The moment it appeared, an unusual pressure rolled outward from Deoxys, though it was far weaker than the aura of Mewtwo or Zapdos.
Deoxys fixed its gaze on Paul, then lifted into the air. All around the island, meteorites began to glow, their strange energy flowing into it.
Moments later, Deoxys had fully restored itself to peak condition—and its strength had grown even further.
Landing back on the island, Deoxys bowed slightly and uttered a cry of gratitude.
"What is it saying?"
Paul could tell it was trying to express gratitude, but the strange, alien language…
"I don't understand."
Mewtwo shook its head. Even it could not comprehend the alien Pokémon's speech.
Still, that didn't matter—Paul could use telepathy to communicate directly with Deoxys.
"No need for gratitude. I'm going to capture you. Prepare to battle."
"Capture? Battle?"
Receiving the thought, Deoxys looked momentarily surprised before flipping backward in midair, soaring several dozen meters away to ready itself for the fight.
"Mewtwo, I'll leave this to you."
Paul could tell from its aura—this Deoxys wasn't fully matured. Judging by its strength, it was only around the Elite Four level.
"Understood."
Mewtwo immediately recognized that Paul wanted to test Deoxys' abilities. Without hesitation, it launched an Aura Sphere high into the air.
Deoxys shifted into Defense Forme to block the attack, then darted upward in response.
The two Pokémon began their battle in the skies above, while on the ground Paul moved to a better spot, released all of his Pokémon, and began preparing lunch—occasionally glancing up to monitor the fight.
In the air, Mewtwo deliberately suppressed its own power to match Deoxys' level, refusing to rely on its higher experience or raw strength.
Because of that, the battle was surprisingly even. Mewtwo couldn't simply overwhelm Deoxys. Instead, each exchange was met with a counter, blow for blow.
This intrigued Mewtwo. In most battles, it relied on absolute power to dominate or on speed and range to outmaneuver opponents.
But at equal strength, Deoxys' ability to shift between Speed Forme, Attack Forme, and Defense Forme allowed it to adapt rapidly, minimizing its mistakes.
Mewtwo found itself struggling—its raw power fell short of Deoxys' Attack Forme, its defenses were outclassed by Defense Forme, and even when it enhanced its speed with psychic power, it still couldn't match Speed Forme.
Only after studying Deoxys' attack patterns and adjusting its strategy did Mewtwo finally tap into its full power, pressing Deoxys back with overwhelming force.
An hour later, Mewtwo landed beside Paul with Deoxys at its side.
"Well?" Paul asked.
"As expected of a Mythical Pokémon." Mewtwo replied. "Its ability to change form is formidable."
The repetition of formidable made it clear—Mewtwo held Deoxys' species in high regard.
Deoxys was a versatile Pokémon, and its form changes were just the beginning. Like Mewtwo, it could use powerful Psychic techniques, but it also had the ability to create auroras, absorb meteors and cosmic energy, generate numerous (though weaker) physical clones, and even create pocket dimensions.
It was, in every sense, a "six-sided" Pokémon—balanced in multiple fields.
"Will you follow me?" Paul asked directly.
"Mewtwo's power and leadership inspire me," Deoxys conveyed telepathically, "and I wish to follow you—but for now, I want to see more of this world."
It hadn't been long since Deoxys' birth, it had been struck by lightning before it could travel far. Its curiosity about the world outweighed its desire to train alongside Paul and Mewtwo.
"Traveling with me would let you see more of the world… but I respect your choice." Paul didn't believe in forcing Pokémon to obey; he sought partners whose goals aligned with his own.
"If we meet again someday, I will gladly journey with you and Mewtwo."
Deoxys bowed slightly, then shifted into Speed Forme and shot off into the distance.
"What a shame." Mewtwo murmured, watching it go. "It's rare to find such a worthy Pokémon."
"There will be others. I'll see to it you face more opponents on your level."
"I'll prove that I am the strongest Pokémon."
"I believe you."
...
Time passed quickly. Riding his Pokémon, Paul traveled from the Sinnoh region to Kalos.
In the main game world, he might have stopped by Professor Sycamore's lab to inquire about harnessing Mega Evolution energy.
But in the anime world, research into Mega Evolution was still slow. Sycamore hadn't even confirmed yet whether Garchomp could Mega Evolve. Paul had no interest in wasting time in Lumiose City.
Instead, he flew straight toward the Azoth Kingdom near the Nebel Plateau—one of the main stages for the movie Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, featuring Magearna.
He wasn't entirely sure if the events of that movie shared continuity with the anime, but since the Azoth Kingdom didn't exist in the main game world, he assumed—for now, that it belonged to the anime's world.
Before long, a massive mechanical city came into view.
The Azoth Kingdom was a metropolis powered by mysterious science, its skyline dominated by enormous gears turning endlessly. It was one of the most unique nations within Kalos.
After dismounting outside the city, Paul entered, marveling at the interlocking gears everywhere. Inside, conveyor belts driven by the gears transported citizens to different areas, making it easy to reach most parts of the city.
Even Paul, who had seen much of the Pokémon world, couldn't help but feel impressed.
Rather than storming the royal palace in search of a Forced Mega Evolution Device, Paul preferred to first observe, letting Mewtwo study the kingdom's rare technology.
Five hundred years ago, the genius scientist Nikola created Magearna using this very science. In the movie's "present day," the inventor Alva managed to create a prototype device capable of forcibly Mega Evolving Pokémon, and sought to use Magearna's Soul-Heart to conquer the kingdom.
Clearly, this mysterious science was worth studying.
If Mewtwo mastered it, they might even replicate the Forced Mega Evolution Device—or perhaps invent an entirely new type of Poké Ball capable of holding multiple Pokémon at once.
And so, Paul remained in the Azoth Kingdom for a while, leaving Mewtwo to absorb knowledge in the royal library while he gathered information and secretly monitored Alva's research progress.
Within days, Mewtwo had memorized most of the kingdom's scientific archives, and Paul confirmed that Alva had completed an early version of the enhancement device and was already planning its next improvements.
(End of chapter)
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