[Want to come out for a bubble tea?]
Edward stared at the message on his phone, falling into deep thought.
If anyone else had sent him this message, he wouldn't have thought much of it—but the sender's ID told him exactly who it was: his long-lost online friend who had been missing for quite some time.
He hadn't expected it at all—Mewtwo had escaped from New Island.
"Hmm?" Little Q rubbed against Edward and looked up at him curiously. It sensed a strange mix of emotions from its trainer—confusion, surprise, something complex—leaving it rather puzzled.
"It's nothing, Q," Edward said with a smile, gently ruffling Q's head. Although he didn't know how Mewtwo had managed to escape, since it was out now, of course they had to meet up.
After all, in the original anime, Mewtwo had also broken free of Team Rocket's control, become the ruler of New Island, and even invited Ash and other trainers there. Edward was also deeply curious: what kind of incredible power did a Legendary Pokémon like Mewtwo truly possess?
He hadn't encountered many Legendary Pokémon yet—just Ho-Oh, and that one only gave him a feather before flying off.
So, although he knew Legendary Pokémon were strong, he didn't know exactly how strong.
"Fortune, let's go get some bubble tea," Edward called out to the boy still working on his worksheet. Fortune immediately got up and obediently followed him.
Before the workday was even over, Edward left the company with Q in his arms and Fortune in tow.
He quickly found a decent bubble tea shop in Rustboro. Business was doing pretty well, but more importantly, it had private booths. Edward ordered four drinks, sat down, and then sent his location to Mewtwo.
Almost instantly after he sent it, Mewtwo appeared right across from him.
"Kyu!" Q leapt into the air, letting out a sharp, threatening cry. Fortune also put down his worksheet and stared warily at Mewtwo.
"Relax... It's a friend." Edward said, gesturing to Mewtwo in front of him. There was no doubt it was the real deal—the design was exactly like what he had seen countless times in games and anime.
But seeing it in real life, in person, was a whole different experience.
"Hahaha, Edward, long time no see," Mewtwo greeted him warmly, completely ignoring the hostility from Q and Fortune. It gave them a passing glance before turning back to Edward with a friendly smile.
Edward smacked his lips. Thankfully, the server had already delivered the drinks. Otherwise, who knew what their reaction would've been upon seeing Mewtwo?
"What's your situation?" Edward took a sip of his milk tea. The sweet taste of creamy Miltank milk filled his mouth, but it did little to quench his curiosity.
Though he knew how Mewtwo escaped in the anime, this was the real world—and he remembered how Mewtwo had tried to pretend to be a ghost to scare the lab director.
Mewtwo, not one to hide much, explained to Edward how it had escaped—sounding quite pleased with itself.
"But I really didn't expect that lab to be owned by Giovanni," Mewtwo said with interest. It didn't pick up the drink, but instead, the milk tea floated up through the straw into its mouth via psychic power.
"You saw Giovanni?" Edward wasn't too surprised—he had long known Giovanni's true identity.
"Yep. Not only did I see him, when I used telepathy to communicate, I felt a strange power coming from him... something that made me feel a bit of... fondness," Mewtwo said, eyes narrowing in contentment as it glanced around the booth.
For Mewtwo, even though it had gained some understanding of the world through using a smartphone, experiencing things in person still felt fascinating.
"A strange power? Fondness?" Edward paused. What was that supposed to mean? Why did this suddenly sound... supernatural?
But then, Edward thought of a possibility.
According to legend, Giovanni—the leader of Team Rocket—was born near Viridian Forest and was blessed by the forest, possessing the Viridian Force.
A mysterious power in the Pokémon world.
It was as rare as Aura, but perhaps even rarer. According to Professor Oak's research, only a few people were known to have the Viridian Force. In the Kanto region, even Champion Lance had only a trace of it.
And if it had anything to do with Giovanni, Edward could only think of the Viridian Force.
"Well, it's just this... hard-to-explain kind of feeling," Mewtwo said, its tail curled around the sofa as it gently held the milk tea cup in its hands, seemingly deep in thought.
From the moment it sensed Giovanni's presence to the moment it left, Mewtwo had a strange feeling...
As though it had missed something important.
The feeling was subtle—like a sixth sense. But Mewtwo didn't dwell on it. It harbored no particular affection for the man who had created it—in the lab, it was nothing but an experimental specimen.
Edward twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
Interesting. Could it be... the world he'd transmigrated into was the Rainbow Rocket version?
He remembered that in that particular timeline, Giovanni had captured Mewtwo and used its power to steamroll the League, becoming the most powerful man in the world. But even that didn't satisfy him—he began to experiment with parallel worlds.
Until he eventually fell.
"So what are you planning to do now?" Edward asked, watching Mewtwo closely.
It had escaped from New Island.
But it didn't become Giovanni's lackey, nor did it organize a Tournament of the Strongest Trainers. From the moment Mewtwo appeared in this world, it seemed to have chosen a completely different path.
"Hmm... maybe work for you, make a little money, and then lie flat at home playing video games every day?" Mewtwo answered honestly.
"...Excuse me, what have you been looking at online?" Edward's expression twisted. You're Mewtwo!
And Mewtwo wanted to be... a gaming couch potato?
"Of course I want to take it easy. Life is short. Only by lying flat can every day feel meaningful," Mewtwo replied, completely unashamed.
Edward buried his face in his hands.
He never imagined that after going online, Mewtwo wouldn't become some Ultron-like AI planning to destroy humanity—but would instead embrace the philosophy of "lying flat."
"I'm telling you, lying flat is amazing. But in my opinion, you can't lie flat unless you're financially free. So I'm planning to..." Mewtwo enthusiastically began sharing its ideas with Edward.
Edward stared at it helplessly.
Well... fine.
It was still better than Mewtwo telling him it planned to exterminate the human race.
But now the real question was... what job should he give Mewtwo?
(End of Chapter)