Pallet Town
After a full day of travel, Ash and the others finally returned to Pallet Town from the port. Lance and the other Elite Four members had already gone back to report the incident, while Corey and others went their separate ways. For them, this experience was something they would never forget.
They all expressed that they would definitely cheer for Ash during the Indigo Plateau Conference. After all, they were companions who had shared life-and-death danger together, or more accurately, Ash had been their savior. Naturally, they had to witness his battles.
Ash and his three companions arrived in Pallet Town around noon the next day. Since Delia had already been informed of their return time, she had prepared a large table of food in advance.
After returning home, everyone ate heartily. Once the meal was over, Ash bid farewell to Delia and headed alone toward the back mountain of Pallet Town.
This time, Misty and Brock did not accompany him.
This conversation was meant to be between Ash and Mewtwo alone. Whether Mewtwo could truly be reasoned with depended on this talk. If others were present, certain emotions and truths might not be expressed honestly.
Upon reaching the back mountain, Ash took out an ordinary Poké Ball and released its contents.
Mewtwo appeared on the ground, lying quietly and motionless.
To prevent any drastic actions, Ash had not fully healed her. He had only stabilized her internal injuries enough to reduce pain, leaving her unconscious but no longer in critical condition.
However, the moment Mewtwo appeared, Ash sensed something was wrong.
From the outside, her injuries seemed far better than expected.
Ash stepped closer and reached out, intending to check her condition. Before his hand could touch her, Mewtwo suddenly moved.
Three spherical fingers closed tightly around his wrist.
Her eyes, which had been shut moments ago, opened instantly. Deep purple pupils stared at him, filled with complicated emotions.
"You've already woken up, Mewtwo."
'You underestimate my recovery ability.'
"So what? Do you still want to fight me?" Ash replied calmly, without arguing further.
Mewtwo fell silent.
Ash already knew the answer.
Judging by her condition, she must have regained consciousness sometime during the night. With her strength, breaking free from the Poké Ball would have been effortless.
Yet she had not done so.
That alone meant her emotions had calmed, at least to some degree.
'There's no need. A loss is a loss. The gap between us is still enormous. I truly don't understand how you, a human, trained yourself to this extent.'
Mewtwo's confusion was genuine.
She, the strongest artificial Pokémon, had endured countless hardships to finally reach God Level. Yet Ash, a human, had already reached that realm and gone even further. It defied all logic.
"I already told you, it's natural talent," Ash replied casually. "Since you don't want to fight, then let's talk properly."
He sat down on the grass.
Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and sat beside him, eyes wide with undisguised curiosity.
Mewtwo glanced briefly at Pikachu, clearly uninterested.'What do you want to talk about?'
"About Gardevoir's origin," Ash said. "Let the person involved be present too."
He released Gardevoir from her Poké Ball.
A flash of light passed, and a mature, blue-haired woman in an elegant long dress appeared in the clearing. The moment Gardevoir appeared, she looked at Mewtwo, her expression complex.
At such close range, the connection was unmistakable.
The power within her body resonated strongly with Mewtwo.
Gardevoir was currently at the High level, but by borrowing that power, she could touch the higher tiers of her strength, even approaching the peak.
She knew very well that this power was not originally hers. It belonged to the Pokémon standing before her.
Yet she also needed it.
"Gardevoir," she said softly. "Do you want to take this power back?"
Her words entered Mewtwo's mind.
Mewtwo froze for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
'There's no need. I've already reached God Level. The missing origin in my body can now regenerate on its own. It will take time, but that's fine. I have more than enough time.'
This answer stunned Gardevoir.
If that was the case, then why had Mewtwo gone to such extremes? Why had New Island happened at all?
"Really?" Ash looked equally surprised. "I was planning to see if we could safely extract the spiritual origin from Gardevoir's body. As long as it doesn't harm her, you could take it back."
'Extract it?' Mewtwo's voice remained calm, though something subtle stirred beneath it. 'That spiritual origin doesn't just accelerate Psychic-type growth. It can also be used as a powerful trump card. You're really willing to give it up?'
"There's nothing to hesitate about," Ash replied indifferently. "As long as Gardevoir is safe, that's enough for me. As for power, I'll help her grow properly. If she can only become strong by relying on something borrowed, then wouldn't I, as her Trainer, be the one failing her?"
He shrugged.
To him, the origin was valuable, but it was never his to begin with. If its rightful owner wanted it back, and Gardevoir wouldn't be harmed, then returning it was only natural.
Blaine had sealed that spiritual origin within Gardevoir to prevent Mewtwo from reaching God Level.
But now, Mewtwo had already crossed that threshold. Blaine's precaution had become meaningless.
Blaine feared Mewtwo's breakthrough because he feared what she might become under Team Rocket's influence. He feared twisted values, fear-driven destruction, and a world thrown into chaos.
Yet in Ash's eyes, the Mewtwo before him was clear-minded.
The fact that she could sit here calmly and talk already proved something.
At least for now, the malice in her heart had been set aside.
Perhaps those two punches to her face had truly worked.
'You… if you truly didn't care about that origin, then why did you deceive me?'
"When did I deceive you?" Ash said irritably. "You misunderstood it yourself, alright? What you sensed back at the Viridian Gym was this."
He reached into his backpack and took out two Mega Stones.
At last, he could explain everything properly. This misunderstanding had been stifling him for far too long.
A simple mistake, yet it had directly led to the destruction of an entire island.
Fortunately, New Island had been uninhabited. Mewtwo's three cloned Pokémon had escaped in time, and none of them had perished. Team Rocket's black technology had also been completely wiped out by that explosion. Unless they managed to rediscover cloning methods from scratch, cloned Pokémon would likely never appear again.
As for Mewtwo, the moment her gaze fell upon the Mega Stones, something deep within her genes stirred.
Her body reacted instinctively.
She could clearly sense a power within those stones, a power that resonated with her own. Though it wasn't overwhelming, it seemed capable of further stimulating her potential. More importantly, it was the same power she had sensed back at the Viridian Gym.
In other words, Ash hadn't lied to her.
This power was entirely different from her spiritual origin. She didn't yet understand what it did, but she knew one thing clearly: even if these stones were given to her back then, she wouldn't have been able to use them.
Just as Ash had said.
She wasn't ready.
And while she remained under Giovanni's control, Ash could never have handed such an item to her. Doing so would have been aiding the enemy. Only someone completely insane would give such power to an opponent.
As this realization dawned on her, Mewtwo's heart was suddenly overwhelmed by remorse.
Because of a misunderstanding, she had destroyed an island.
She had endangered countless lives.
If Ash hadn't stopped her, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
This time, Ash was there. But what if he hadn't been?
Even in the best-case scenario, the Elite Four would have intervened, and the result might have been mutual destruction. New Island, her companions, and perhaps even innocent bystanders elsewhere could all have been buried beneath her anger.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Then, a hand gently patted her shoulder.
"What are you overthinking for?" Ash said calmly. "What's done is done. There's no point dwelling on it. What matters is not repeating the same mistake. As long as you move forward, that's enough."
He paused, then raised the stones slightly.
"Besides, weren't you curious about these? They're called Mega Stones."
His words pulled Mewtwo out of her spiral of guilt, if only briefly.
'Mega Stones…' she murmured. 'They're related to the MEGA Evolution Venusaur used, aren't they?'
She remembered that battle clearly. The power Venusaur had displayed was both mysterious and awe-inspiring. During its transformation, she had vaguely seen a gem hovering before it, remarkably similar to the ones in Ash's hand now.
"So you use these to unleash that power?" she asked.
"That's right," Ash nodded. "MEGA Evolution requires a Mega Stone, a Key Stone, and most importantly, a bond between Trainer and Pokémon. Back then, you had no bond with Giovanni, and you were still part of Team Rocket. Of course I couldn't give this to you."
He stepped forward and held out the stones.
"But now…"
Mewtwo froze.
Ash was offering them to her. Just like that. No conditions.
"Take them," he said. "And one day, when you find a Trainer you truly trust, you'll be able to use this power. I believe that day will come."
Mewtwo remained silent for a long moment. Then, using Confusion, she drew the two Mega Stones toward herself.
As they approached, the stones seamlessly merged into her body.
She could clearly sense their presence now. A dormant power stirred within her, yet no matter how she tried, it refused to surface.
This, she realized, must be the power Ash had spoken of, locked away until the proper conditions were met.
Without a Key Stone.
Without a bond.
It could not be awakened.
"Alright," Ash continued. "That's everything I needed to say. These three Poké Balls contain your companions. They came back for you in the end. Even knowing the gap in strength, they tried to snatch you away from us. You have extraordinary partners."
He handed the Poké Balls to Mewtwo.
Her expression grew even more complicated.
She released them immediately.
The three cloned Starter Pokémon appeared, fully healed. Unlike Mewtwo, they hadn't been able to force their way out of their Poké Balls, so Ash had restored them completely.
The moment they saw her, they rushed forward and embraced her, voices overlapping with concern and relief. Surrounded by them, listening to their worried chatter, Mewtwo felt warmth surge through her heart.
Then, abruptly, they fell silent.
The three turned to look at Ash, confusion written all over their faces, as if confirming something unbelievable.
After Mewtwo gave a small nod, realization dawned on them. They exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
Ash and Pikachu tilted their heads at the same time.
They had no idea what had just been decided.
Mewtwo was clearly communicating with them telepathically, and though they couldn't hear the conversation, the expressions alone made it obvious that a major decision had been reached.
Finally, Mewtwo spoke.
'It's settled, Ash. You can hand these three over to the League's Elite Four. Let them be given to Trainers of good character. Though they are clones, they are no different from ordinary Pokémon, aside from the markings on their bodies. With their strength, suitable Trainers won't be hard to find.'
Ash was stunned.
"You're… not taking them with you?"
'I'm not leaving.'
Her gaze lifted, meeting his directly.
'I'm staying too. Because I've already found the Trainer I can trust.'