Facing Lance's question, Mewtwo shook her head.
'I erased those memories from Giovanni's mind,' she said calmly. 'However, memory deletion has limits. I can only remove memories tied to specific keywords. I cannot freely search through someone's memories unless they willingly open their mind to me.'
'Because of that, I cannot be certain whether other members of Team Rocket still retain fragments of that knowledge. But I can guarantee this much, Giovanni himself no longer possesses any memories related to Pokémon cloning or the forced capture technology.'
Although Mewtwo was capable of forcibly peering into a person's memories, doing so without consent would cause irreversible mental damage, effectively turning the target into an idiot.
Even during her most corrupted period, she still retained a bottom line.
That was why she had only deleted Giovanni's memories related to two technologies: Pokémon replication and the black Poké Ball used to forcibly seize Pokémon. She had not invaded his mind further.
Mewtwo's explanation put Lance at ease, at least partially.
If Giovanni no longer held the core memories, then restarting that technology would be extremely difficult. As the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni undoubtedly possessed the most complete and refined version of that knowledge. Without him, even if fragments remained elsewhere, recreating a finished product in a short time would be nearly impossible.
And the League would not waste that opportunity.
Team Rocket was already collapsing, not because of a direct League purge, but due to internal disintegration. Large numbers of members had been expelled, and once stripped of Team Rocket's protection, nearly eighty percent were swiftly arrested by the League.
Now, panic spread through Team Rocket's ranks.
No one knew who would be expelled next.
According to intelligence reports, many remaining members were already forming alliances, preparing to defect together. Rather than waiting to be cast aside, they intended to take what they could and leave as a group. Some even planned to establish a new organization to shelter themselves.
Given Team Rocket's current chaos, even if Giovanni had retained those memories, he would have had no time to make use of them.
After the Indigo Plateau Conference concluded, the League intended to apply pressure once again.
This time, Team Rocket would be crushed completely.
They could not afford to let such a threat recover, if that technology ever resurfaced, the entire world would be thrown into chaos.
Fortunately, that was a concern for later.
For now, the situation was under control.
"Since Giovanni's memories have been erased, there's no immediate danger," Lance said with a smile, turning toward Ash.
"Congratulations, Ash. You've found yourself an incredible partner. At this point, you could even challenge the position of Kanto Champion."
The teasing carried genuine admiration.
Ash had debuted less than half a year ago and had yet to participate in his first League Conference. And yet, he already had a God Level Pokémon at his side.
That kind of fortune went beyond luck.
It was a miracle.
And the source of that miracle was Ash himself.
After all, without possessing God Level combat strength of his own, Ash would never have been able to subdue Mewtwo. No matter how much Mewtwo trusted his character or how completely the misunderstanding between them had been resolved, she would never have stayed with someone incapable of standing beside her.
From Lance's perspective, at least half of Mewtwo's decision must have been influenced by Ash's overwhelming strength.
However, Lance was mistaken.
That logic might apply to other Legendary Pokémon, but not to Mewtwo.
For her, emotional understanding mattered far more than power.
Ash never treated her as a weapon. Never labeled her as dangerous.
He trusted her, explained himself to her, and stood by her even when the entire world was wary.
Those were the real reasons she chose to stay.
As for Ash's strength?
It accounted for less than ten percent.
"Kanto Champion is still way too far away for me," Ash said with an easy grin. "I'll focus on winning the Indigo Plateau Conference first."
Whether Lance was half-joking or subtly testing him, Ash didn't take the words seriously.
From the moment Mewtwo joined him, Ash had never intended to treat her as part of his official combat roster.
Just like Gengar and Aerodactyl, Mewtwo was not someone he planned to rely on.
Unless the opponent fought dirty, he would not call on her.
Before he personally trained a Pokémon to reach God Level, he believed he had no right to command one.
That was his own standard.
If he abandoned it, then what meaning would training even have?
He would simply use powerful Pokémon to capture even stronger ones, snowballing endlessly, until his entire team stood at absurd heights without effort.
Even so, if Ash truly wanted to rely on that method, the rate at which his team's combat power increased would far surpass that of conventional training.
Precisely because of this, and following advice from seniors in the group, he had set this restriction for himself from the very beginning of his journey.
Therefore, even after capturing Mewtwo, Ash had no intention of using her in official matches.
It was still the same principle he had always followed: unless the opponent played dirty, such as sending out a Legendary Pokémon, then he would respond in kind. Otherwise, there was no need.
And realistically speaking, such situations were extremely unlikely.
Legendary Pokémon were already rare to the point of absurdity. Encountering one was difficult enough, capturing one even more so. And even if someone managed to catch one, would they really bring it to a League Conference just to bully weaker Trainers?
That would be nothing more than childish showboating.
Seeing that Ash's mentality had not inflated in the slightest, Lance and the others secretly nodded in approval.
There were countless examples in the world of Trainers who suddenly obtained overwhelming power, only to lose themselves in it. After catching an exceptionally strong Pokémon, many began to believe that strength belonged entirely to them.
Their endings were often tragic.
Numerous talented Trainers had fallen precisely because of this mindset.
Ash, however, showed no such signs.
That alone spoke volumes about his character.
"Well then," Lance said, "we'll leave Mewtwo's matter at that. We'll keep it confidential for you. If the League asks, we'll report that Mewtwo has already left."
He paused.
"It's just that…"
Bruno, rarely looking awkward, rubbed his broad hands together in front of him, his expression unusually hesitant.
"About MEGA Evolution… could you explain it to us?"
Seeing this burly man acting so sheepish, Lorelei couldn't help but feel amused. Since she was already quite familiar with Ash, she spoke directly.
"Professor Oak explaining it and us asking personally aren't the same. Even if he already hinted at our intentions, it still feels more sincere coming from us."
They were determined to obtain the MEGA Evolution system.
If their ace Pokémon could undergo MEGA Evolution, it would be a comprehensive leap in vitality, species potential, and overall level. That might finally allow them to glimpse the realm they had struggled to reach for so long.
"No problem," Ash replied readily. "This will be revealed at the Indigo Plateau Conference anyway. If the Elite learn about it first, at least Kanto gains an advantage."
As a native of Kanto, Ash naturally hoped the region would shed its current reputation.
With him and Gary around, the next generation of mid-to-low-tier combat power would grow rapidly. As for high-end strength, Kanto's biggest criticism had always been the lack of a Champion.
But in truth, Kanto's Elite Four were anything but weak. Each of them possessed combat power comparable to that of ordinary Champions.
Now, with MEGA Evolution added to the mix, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Kanto's top-tier strength would undoubtedly surpass other regions, which would only benefit its future development.
"Well said!" Bruno exclaimed excitedly. "I didn't expect someone your age to already think this far ahead!"
Agatha tapped her cane against the floor, a strange smile appearing on her withered face.
"Ash is right. Our improvement is Kanto's improvement. However," she added calmly, "among us are two individuals from other regions. Perhaps we shouldn't tell them. No need to strengthen neighboring regions as well."
The moment those words fell, Bruno and Lance's faces instantly turned green.
"Hey, hey, hey! That's not right!" Bruno protested hurriedly. "Even if we're from Johto, we're still part of Kanto's Elite!"
If he missed out on MEGA Evolution, he would truly feel like crying.
Among the Kanto Elite Four, their overall strength was fairly balanced, but if one had to be singled out as having the weakest raw power, it was him.
If everyone else gained MEGA Evolution and he didn't, the gap would widen even further. He might even be pushed out of the Elite Four one day.
"Hehe," Lorelei laughed softly, covering her mouth. "Grandma Agatha was just joking. Can't you tell?"
Bruno's mouth twitched.
"This kind of joke really isn't funny."
"Alright," Ash said, pulling over a chair and sitting down. "Then I'll explain it directly. MEGA Evolution is..."
He began to speak.
Mewtwo stood quietly behind him. She had already heard about MEGA Evolution earlier that day, but this explanation was far more detailed. Ash went through everything step by step, from the origin of the Key Stone to the classification of Mega Stones.
Misty and Brock also dragged over chairs and listened attentively.
Gary appeared silently at the doorway.
At this moment, only Ash's voice echoed through Oak's Laboratory.
Whether they already understood MEGA Evolution or not, everyone listened with rapt attention.
This was the first time Ash had fully revealed the origins and structure of the MEGA Evolution system, as well as the types he had already researched, information that even Professor Oak had struggled to uncover.
Ash explained that he used Aura Power to perceive the genetic chains of Pokémon, allowing him to determine whether a Pokémon possessed the aptitude for MEGA Evolution.
Half an hour later, after listening to Ash's detailed explanation, Agatha and Lance were practically glowing with excitement, while Lorelei and Bruno wore noticeably darker expressions.
The ace Pokémon of the four Elites were Gengar, Dragonite, Machamp, and Lapras.
Among them, only Dragonite and Gengar possessed the aptitude for MEGA Evolution.
Machamp and Lapras did not.
The enhancement MEGA Evolution provided to Pokémon was one thing, but for the Elites, its true significance lay elsewhere: it offered a viable path for Champion-level Pokémon to break through to an even higher realm.
Even if that realm did not fully reach God Level, it was still the most promising and realistic method currently known.
But now the problem was obvious.
Bruno's Machamp and Lorelei's Lapras, both of their absolute aces, were completely excluded from this system.
Although they each possessed other Pokémon capable of MEGA Evolution, the meaning was entirely different. An ace Pokémon was not something that could simply be replaced.
If Lance's Dragonite and Agatha's Gengar both successfully achieved MEGA Evolution, and if that evolution allowed them to step into God Level, then the gap between them would become unbridgeable.
At that point, Lorelei would have no chance of stopping Lance from claiming the position of Kanto Champion.
That said, MEGA Evolution was not determined by aptitude alone. It also required a Key Stone and the corresponding Mega Stone.
At present, there wasn't even a trace of either.
Mega Stones, especially those corresponding to pseudo-legendary Pokémon, were exceptionally rare and notoriously difficult to locate.
Because of this, even Lance and Agatha only dared to hold onto a sliver of hope. Achieving MEGA Evolution in the near future was far from guaranteed.
Still, hope, no matter how small, was better than having none at all.
And compared to Lorelei and Bruno, who currently had zero possibility, Lance and Agatha were already far ahead.
"Hahahaha! Good! Very good!" Lance suddenly laughed out loud, completely abandoning his usual composure. "This is fate smiling on me! As long as I can find Dragonite's Mega Stone, even Leon, I'll have nothing to fear!"
Lorelei's already sour mood immediately worsened.
"Let's not even talk about whether you can find a pseudo-legendary's Mega Stone," she shot back coldly. "Ash just said there are dozens of different Mega Stones, and you don't even know how they're formed, let alone where they come from."
She glanced at him sideways.
"And finding a Key Stone is a whole other problem. You're already thinking about fighting Leon? Beat me first."
Lance: …
Why was she so aggressive all of a sudden?!
Then again, considering how smug he'd just been, it would be strange if Lorelei didn't snap back.
And every single sentence she fired off landed like a critical hit.
Even if Dragonite could MEGA Evolve, the whereabouts of both the Key Stone and Mega Stone remained enormous obstacles.
The only silver lining was that, for now, only a handful of people knew about MEGA Evolution.
Once Ash demonstrated MEGA Evolution at the Indigo Plateau Conference, the situation would change completely. Mega Stones and Key Stones would be hunted down across the world in a frenzy.
By then, Dragonite's Mega Stone might surface among the countless seekers.
If the person who found it was willing to sell, that would be ideal.
But if they refused…
Then, for all practical purposes, the world would have one less Dragonite Mega Stone.
Lance couldn't afford to gamble on that.
He had to find Dragonite's Mega Stone before the Indigo Plateau Conference.
As for the Key Stone, that should be slightly easier to obtain, at least compared to the Mega Stone itself.
...
You can support me and read chapters ahead @Keepsmiling 818 p@reon