Pokemon Paldea [158-160] (Patreon)

Chapter 158: The Illusion in Dragonite's Eyes — The Trainer Who Plays with Minds

"Deli~?" (Did your trainer tell you to wait here?)

After a brief hesitation, the Delibird asked its question.

"Drago~?" (She's playing with me right now, what are you talking about?)

Dragonite tilted its head, clearly confused by Delibird's words.

Its pupils were a bit unfocused. Under Delibird's wide-eyed stare, Dragonite acted as if it was being petted by someone in thin air, showing expressions of joy and comfort, even trying to introduce its trainer to Delibird and Pidgey (Mew in disguise).

Suddenly, Delibird felt a chill run down its back. Only it, Mew, and Dragonite were in the attic—so who was Dragonite interacting with in the darkness?

"Mew~…" (Mew senses traces of the mind-controlling psychic's power lingering on Dragonite.)

Mew closed its eyes, carefully sensing, and came to a conclusion.

Staring at Dragonite, who was lost in its own world, Delibird's pupils shrank. An unbelievable thought struck.

Delibird quickly pulled out the notebook Lucas had given it and flipped to the page on Psychic-type Pokémon:

"Psychic-types are versatile, almost omnipotent. They can control objects at a distance, teleport, manipulate the environment, predict the future, and even alter the memories, emotions, and minds of other beings.

If you encounter a Psychic-type Pokémon, avoid conflict as much as possible—their strange powers are impossible to guard against!!!"

Lucas had even highlighted the last sentence in red.

Delibird stared at the Dragonite leader, seemingly interacting with someone nonexistent, and combined this with the words of psychic master Mew. Could it be that Dragonite's strange behavior was because its mind had been altered by the owner of this castle—a Psychic-type Pokémon belonging to the strongest trainer—and that a phantom trainer had been fabricated in its mind?

Fury rose in Delibird's heart toward this strongest trainer it had never met. How dare they toy with Dragonite's mind like this!

Such evil was unforgivable.

Mew, sensitive to Delibird's emotional shift, grew curious about what Delibird would do. As it had done for ages, Mew chose to watch the story unfold, perhaps intervening for fun if it felt like it.

Delibird realized it probably couldn't handle Dragonite's current state, so it turned to Mew, whose face was the picture of a bystander enjoying the show.

Maybe, as another Psychic-type, Mew could break the control over Dragonite's mind?

Delibird shared its thoughts with Mew and, to sweeten the deal, produced an unopened box of Pokéblocks, promising that if Mew helped free Dragonite's mind, the treats would be all Mew's.

But Delibird had underestimated how steadfast Mew could be—behind its innocent face, who knew how many years it had lived?

"Mew~" (I refuse~)

Mew let out a sly chuckle, showing a capricious and playful side for the first time.

It would help if interested, watch if amused, or stir things up for fun—classic mischief-maker.

Delibird: "…"

Of course, Mew never looked reliable.

Fortunately, Delibird had picked up the art of persuasion from Lucas. After some thought, it began enticing Mew with a bewitching tone:

"Deli deli~" (My trainer can make all kinds of delicious food and desserts. There's Ceruledge who grills amazing barbecue, and cakes decorated with Milcery's fresh cream that'll sweeten your heart…)

Seeing Mew's changing expression and involuntary swallowing, Delibird pressed on.

"Deli deli~!" (Help Dragonite break free, and I'll have Lucas host you at the farm and make all sorts of treats just for you!)

Mew swallowed yet again. Its imagination ran wild; it could already see the delicious food Delibird described.

Mew had to admit, it was tempted.

Without further pretense, Mew teleported behind Dragonite, placed a wing on its back, and channeled mysterious psychic power.

Delibird watched hopefully, vowing that if Dragonite was freed, it would have Dragonite fly it back to the farm, then gather Lucas and Luxray to give this so-called strongest trainer a lesson.

However, Mew soon scratched its head and awkwardly admitted: "Mew~" (The psychic controls in Dragonite's mind are too complex. I can't undo them~)

Mew looked innocent—after all, it had never studied psychic control. If it had free time, it would rather have fun elsewhere.

It made sense that Mew couldn't break the mind control.

Delibird: "…"

What a disaster!

BOOM!

Just as Delibird was at a loss, a violent explosion shook the attic. Dust filled the space, and Delibird covered its nose and mouth in pain.

Dragonite, meanwhile, was still interacting with its nonexistent trainer.

Perhaps to make up for things—or just really craving the food Mew imagined—Mew offered, "Mew~" (The one with the power is nearby. Want me to take you to them?)

Delibird hesitated.

Could it really face an enemy powerful enough to change the weather across an entire sea and summon storms and tsunamis?

Images of Lucas and Luxray flashed through Delibird's mind. If only they were here…

Mew looked Delibird in the eye, then reverted to its original form and took Delibird's wing, closing its eyes.

A glow surrounded them, and a bubble formed, enveloping both Pokémon.

Mew's psychic power connected to Delibird's mind, extracting the image of the person it wanted to see. With endless psychic strength, Mew reached across space, trying to summon that person.

Suddenly, pink light flooded the attic.

A soft slap echoed—like slippers on wooden boards.

Delibird, wondering what Mew was up to, looked over in surprise—and saw a very familiar pair of slippers.

Delibird: ????

Mew looked guilty: "Mew mew mew" (Too far. My power wasn't enough to bring him over…)

…

At Paldea's Los Platos Outskirts.

Lucas was napping comfortably on a lounge chair.

Suddenly, he felt his feet lighten. The familiar sensation made him open his bleary eyes.

"Huh? Where are my slippers?"

He ran a hand through his messy hair, confused by his sock-clad feet, until he heard Growlithe digging nearby.

Looking over, Lucas' eyes widened as he saw Growlithe joyfully digging holes. Realization struck, and he roared, "Grow–lithe!"

Chapter 159: Mewtwo Strikes Back? Just Zap It.

After giving the bewildered Growlithe a stern punishment, Lucas ordered it to dig up and clean his slippers, or else no dinner tonight. He stormed off.

Growlithe, wronged and confused, stared at the holes it'd dug, feeling the sting of being wrongly accused.

Usually it chewed Lucas' slippers every day, but this time, when it hadn't, someone had set it up. Poor Growlithe!

Staring at the holes, worrying about dinner, it reluctantly started digging again.

Maybe it really had made a mistake?

On his way to find Luxray, Lucas looked toward the farmland and saw a miniature sun—created by Dragonair and friends—shining on the crops to help photosynthesis.

Seeing their dedication, Lucas remembered his promise to help find Dragonite's mother.

After a moment's thought, Lucas asked in his mind, "Where's the Dragonite leader now? If not exact, even a general area is fine."

The system stayed silent for a bit, then typed out a reply:

[Kanto region]

"Kanto, huh…"

Lucas stopped, frowning.

That was far. Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh were neighboring regions; Paldea and Kanto were twelve hours apart by time zone. Even at full speed, it'd take Dragonite ages to fly that distance. Why would Dragonite leave its children and go all the way there?

Lucas couldn't figure it out.

…

Delibird picked up the slippers, thinking that Mew really wasn't reliable—so much for hoping it would finally be useful and teleport Lucas over.

With the slippers gone, poor Growlithe would be the scapegoat.

Delibird sighed, put both slippers in its tail pouch, and said to Mew, "Deli deli~?" (I'm going to find the strongest trainer and ask them to free Dragonite's mind. Coming?)

Mew thought about it and, perhaps to restore its image, nodded and touched Delibird.

A flash of light, and the two Pokémon vanished from the attic.

Dragonite sat there like a puppet, lost in memories of the human girl deep in its mind, willingly immersed in a false bubble of happiness.

…

Delibird's vision blurred, and it found itself in a spacious hall, looking down to see a familiar human swinging his fist at a humanoid Pokémon radiating terrifying power—a glance told Delibird this was trouble.

As expected, the punch missed, and the Pokémon used psychic power to fling the boy—right toward where Delibird and Mew appeared.

Amid shouts, Delibird caught Ash's clothes and helped him land safely.

"Thanks, Delibird!?"

Ash rubbed his head, dizzy from the impact, and stared at the Pokémon who saved him.

He remembered Delibird well—his Pikachu had never lost so badly; lately, all he thought about was challenging Delibird for a rematch.

Mew drifted down, curiously eyeing the cap-wearing boy.

Ash's friends, worried about him, were startled by Delibird and the unfamiliar Mew.

Mewtwo's gaze turned their way. Upon seeing Mew, its pupils contracted, psychic aura exploding as it hurled a Shadow Ball at Mew—regardless of Ash and Delibird being in the blast radius. Mewtwo saw only Mew.

Mew tilted its head, unfazed, but Delibird's heart lurched. It quickly used its strongest move: Blizzard.

Icy winds froze the Shadow Ball mid-air.

Blinking, Delibird realized something: that humanoid Pokémon looked scary, but its attacks weren't as overwhelming as expected. At least Delibird could block its Shadow Ball—if this were Luxray's Thunderbolt, it would've blasted through the Blizzard and zapped Delibird numb.

Infuriated that its attack hadn't even reached Mew, Mewtwo launched two more Shadow Balls.

Finally, Mew acted. With a flash of psychic power, it teleported Delibird and Ash right in front of Mewtwo.

Ash's sudden appearance startled his friends.

"Teleportation!?" Misty shouted.

Mew giggled, lost in its own fun.

"Mew! Even if I was made from your DNA, I'll prove I'm stronger—victor takes all! I'm the real one!"

Unable to hold back fury, Mewtwo attacked Mew with a barrage of psychic force.

Mew dodged nimbly, using Teleport to evade. Mewtwo couldn't land a hit.

"What's going on?" Ash, Nurse Joy, and the trainers looked at each other.

Perhaps having used too much psychic power earlier trying to teleport Lucas, Mew's Teleport lagged, and it was hit by a Shadow Ball, sent flying.

Sensing Mewtwo's psychic aura, Delibird realized this must be the Pokémon that had tampered with Dragonite's mind. Anger flared.

"Deli~!" (You call yourself strong?!)

Delibird's voice drew Mew and Mewtwo's attention.

Mew taunted, "Mew mew mew!" (The real one is always better—the fake can never compare!)

Mewtwo, enraged: "Then let's prove who's truly stronger!"

With a psychic wave, Mewtwo ordered its clone Pokémon army to attack the trainers' Pokémon below.

Mewtwo itself cloaked in psychic power and charged at Mew for a close-quarters battle.

Each clash sent shockwaves through the surroundings, shattering the building.

Below, duplicate Pokémon fought their counterparts fiercely, even the gentlest ones driven by instinct to battle.

Wounded and exhausted, the Pokémon kept fighting. Above, Mew's psychic shield grew weaker as it battled Mewtwo.

Nurse Joy, hands trembling, said: "Original or clone, they all live in this world now. What's the point of this fight…?"

"They're all Pokémon—why must we fight?" Brock and Misty were shaken and saddened.

Ash rushed into the fray, trying to stop Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and the others from hurting each other.

Delibird watched the chaos, dazed but knowing it had to do something—at least stop the fighting below.

But alone, it was powerless.

BOOM!

A deafening crash drew Delibird's attention.

Mew's psychic shield had shattered; Mew was slammed into the ground by Mewtwo, lying in a crater, battered.

Delibird froze, suddenly remembering—Mew had used up much of its psychic power trying to summon Lucas! It wasn't at full strength, so it lost to Mewtwo.

"It's over. From now on, I'm the real one—Mewtwo, the strongest Pokémon and the greatest trainer!"

Mewtwo's eyes were cold as it formed another Shadow Ball for a final blow.

"Mew…"

Mew's weak voice sounded. Knowing why Mew lost, Delibird somehow found the courage to stand protectively in front of Mew.

"Move!"

Mewtwo dispersed the Shadow Ball, gathering psychic power to fling Delibird away.

But Mew, mischievous but not foolish, spoke up: "Mew mew mew, mew mew!" (Sure, I lost, but even if you beat me, you're not the strongest trainer—have you asked Delibird's trainer?)

"What did you say?"

Mewtwo stared Delibird down, sizing it up.

Sure, Delibird could block its Shadow Ball, but that didn't mean it should take Mew's word that it wasn't the strongest.

Now obsessed with proving itself, Mewtwo took the bait. It wanted Mew to admit defeat.

Mew quickly shifted blame: "That trainer is far stronger than me; even if you beat me, it doesn't make you the strongest!"

Mewtwo knew it was being provoked, but proving itself was its purpose. If it became the strongest, then it was the real one; Mew was the fake.

Mewtwo spread its psychic power, forcibly stopping the Pokémon battles below and dividing them into two groups, clearing space.

Then it turned to Delibird: "Where is your trainer? Bring him out."

Delibird glared at Mew, but Mew looked away, unfazed. Despite Mewtwo's pressure, Delibird stayed silent.

Mew spoke: "Mew mew." (He's far away. Even I can't teleport him here.)

Mew briefly explained the failed attempt to summon Lucas.

Mewtwo sneered at Mew's lack of skill. "Your psychic control is pathetic. Give me what you used to summon them, and let me try!"

Mew endured the taunt, planning to escape with Teleport at the first chance.

Delibird glared at Mew, not expecting such betrayal. Under Mewtwo's psychic force, items in Delibird's tail floated out.

A family photo caught Mewtwo's eye. The warmth in the photo made it pause, but it focused on the task. Guessing the trainer was the one in the photo, it grabbed a pair of slippers.

Mewtwo's immense psychic power surged, tracing the faint scent on the slippers, searching across space for their owner.

…

Back in Paldea, Lucas had just recalled Luxray and found Dragonite, returning them to their Pokéballs before heading to town.

Just outside the farm, a subtle spatial ripple whisked Lucas away.

"????"

Looking around at the familiar scene, the silver humanoid Pokémon, and the slippers in its hands, Lucas' mind nearly short-circuited.

What's going on?

Then he saw the people and Pokémon restrained by psychic power, and the Mewtwo before him. A wild thought occurred:

Could this Pokémon be... Mewtwo from "Mewtwo Strikes Back"?

"Deli…"

A familiar cry made Lucas turn. Delibird was staring at him, eyes shining, along with Mew, also restrained.

No use panicking. Forcing himself calm, Lucas picked up Delibird and asked, "What's going on?"

Delibird tried to answer, but Mewtwo interrupted: "You're the strongest trainer Mew mentioned? Battle me—and lose miserably!"

Strongest trainer?

Why would Mew call him that?

Confused, Lucas caught the important part: "Is this New Island? Did you use psychic power to bring me here for a battle?"

"Exactly."

Mewtwo was surprised by Lucas' quick deduction—perhaps he really was as strong as Mew said.

Mewtwo moved to grab Lucas with psychic power, but his Pokéball opened by itself—Luxray appeared, crackling with golden electricity, disrupting Mewtwo's psychic grip.

Luxray was furious and guilty—it had barely entered the Pokéball before Lucas was whisked away.

It stood protectively between Lucas and Delibird, growling at Mewtwo.

"You're strong. Mew didn't lie. Let's settle this—let's see who's the strongest!"

Mewtwo rose into the air, sealing the trainers and their Pokémon with earth and rock. The clone Pokémon stood quietly aside.

Its gaze was full of excitement—Luxray gave off the aura of a true warrior, unlike the lazy Mew.

Lucas: "????"

Where did this lunatic come from, obsessed with fighting?

But if this was the edgy Mewtwo, it wasn't surprising.

Lucas didn't know how strong Mewtwo was now, but seeing the changed circumstances, he realized things had already deviated from the movie.

They had to battle.

Previously, Lucas might have avoided the fight, but after witnessing the power of Shiny Rayquaza on the plane, he was eager to see how strong a legendary Pokémon really was. He grinned: "Electric Terrain!"

Luxray roared. Lightning surged through the ground.

Mewtwo responded with a barrage of Shadow Balls, each condensed to the limit.

Luxray blasted them apart with surging electricity, the current racing toward Mewtwo.

Mewtwo's psychic power exploded, shattering the current and blasting back at Luxray, destroying everything in its path. Only now did it reveal its full power.

Luxray dodged with lightning speed, ignoring Lucas—it knew he was safe with another partner.

Riding on Dragonite's back, Lucas commanded Luxray to attack Mewtwo.

Ash and friends, restrained, stared in shock at the battle between Luxray and Mewtwo.

"How can an Electric-type Pokémon go toe-to-toe with Mewtwo?" Ash exclaimed.

The fierce battle devastated most of the arena. The castle crumbled under Mewtwo's psychic power, only to be blasted apart by Luxray's electricity.

Ash glanced at Pikachu: "They're both Electric-types. You can do that too, right?"

"Pika?!" Pikachu shook its head frantically—it couldn't!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Mewtwo burst from the ruined castle, radiating psychic power. Luxray and Dragonite followed.

After the warm-up, Lucas gauged Mewtwo's strength: it was newly born, once restrained in armor by Giovanni—not yet at its peak.

Its strength was just below Luxray's—full of future potential.

Luxray's Thunder shattered Mewtwo's psychic grip, and Lucas shouted: "Why are you obsessed with being the strongest?"

"I already surpassed Mew. If I defeat you, I'll be the strongest on the planet! Only that will give my existence meaning!"

Mewtwo unleashed a torrent of psychic power, stirring storms and rain, hurling energy at Luxray.

Luxray howled, summoning thunder from the clouds—lightning shattered the psychic blast.

"Is your existence only for the empty title of strongest? If so, you'll never truly reach it."

"Hmph!"

Mewtwo gathered even more power, intent on blasting Luxray and half the island.

Lucas knew Mewtwo was trapped in an existential crisis. In the anime, Ash's sacrifice and the Pokémon's tears made Mewtwo realize it was part of the world, not just a tool.

But now, things were off-script. Only Lucas could stop Mewtwo now.

Ash's approach wouldn't work—so Lucas would do things his own way.

He pulled out his ever-present Tera Orb, tossed it to Luxray, and shouted: "Luxray, give this sulking kid a real shock!"

A crackling crystal light covered Luxray—golden lightning cloaked its body, crowned with a Tera crystal. Luxray roared like a lion.

"Wild Charge!"

Faster than Mewtwo could follow, Luxray smashed through its psychic shield, pinning Mewtwo to the ground.

Even the hastily erected Reflect and Light Screen couldn't stop the thunder. Mewtwo endured the pain, tried to fight back, but Luxray pinned it with a paw.

Thunder crashed down, and Mewtwo's consciousness faded.

Chapter 160: With a Philosopher-Mewtwo

Mewtwo regained consciousness a minute later.

Unlike many frail Psychic-types, Mewtwo's immense spirit had honed its body—it was tough, even as an artificial Pokémon.

Now, it lay in a crater on the shore, still aching, far from full strength.

It stared at the sky, the storms clearing, sunlight breaking through.

But as the loser, it felt unworthy of enjoying the sunlight.

Having failed, it lost its sense of purpose.

Mewtwo's eyes grew vacant. Without the title of strongest, it didn't know what to do.

Until Lucas flicked its forehead.

"What are you sulking for? Don't tell me you're depressed just because you lost one fight."

Mewtwo's changing expression didn't escape Lucas' notice. He could tell the philosopher in Mewtwo was spiraling again.

"Depressed? What does that mean?"

After a moment, Mewtwo spoke telepathically.

Lucas didn't mind the scorched ground and beckoned Luxray, Dragonite, and Delibird to sit. He sighed and spoke more gently: "Just ignore my nonsense. Now that you're calm, can we talk?"

"…Okay."

Mewtwo was silent for a while, then grunted.

In its mind, Lucas and Luxray were the strongest. Having lost, it had no room to argue.

Seeing this, Lucas frowned—this was tricky.

In the anime, no one could defeat Mewtwo. Even at Cerulean Cave, the enlightened Mewtwo was only restrained by Team Rocket's tech. So it had never shown weakness or defeat.

Now, freshly created and desperately seeking meaning, Mewtwo had suffered a crushing defeat; a breakdown was easy to understand.

But how to talk Mewtwo out of its funk? That was the eternal challenge for all transmigrators.

Even Lucas wasn't sure he could answer better than the original story.

Finally, Mewtwo began to speak: "I was created by humans."

"Once, I thought my purpose was to obey my creators, to fight endlessly. That was my entire reason for existing.

"But I soon realized that was wrong. I never asked to be created. I never asked to be born. I resented every human equally—including my creators. If they said I was the strongest, why should I obey those weaker than myself?"

Lucas straightened up—was Mewtwo baring its soul?

"Once, I thought being the strongest was my purpose, but I lost to you. My only goal is now meaningless. There's no place for me in this world.

"I'm neither human nor Pokémon. So, who am I? Where do I belong? What is the meaning of my existence?"

Mewtwo was lost—losing to Lucas and Luxray had shattered its only motivation.

Luxray, Dragonite, and Delibird were dizzy from all the philosophy. They'd thought Mewtwo was just a powerful villain, not this complex inside.

Lucas pondered, then said seriously: "In short, because you're a human creation, you feel you won't be accepted as a true Pokémon or person—so you're searching for meaning?"

Mewtwo replied gruffly: "Yes."

For some reason, it felt compelled to confide in the human who had bested it.

"First, you are definitely a Pokémon. No doubt about it." Lucas stroked his chin, shaking his head at Mewtwo's skeptical look. "Anyone who exists in this world has already been accepted by it. Race doesn't matter—just being alive is incredible."

Mewtwo hesitated: "But I—"

Lucas interrupted: "Hang on. You're not the first artificial Pokémon. Your siblings aren't agonizing over philosophy—they've found a place in the world, too.

"If you get the chance, seek them out. I'm sure they were just as lost when they were born. But that's normal—you're all still very young. There's no need to find answers right away. Your life has just begun. Take your time."

Mewtwo's eyes widened—there were others like it?

"Finding purpose doesn't have to happen immediately. Just like the path to the strongest is still far off, take it one step at a time. Someday, you'll find your answer."

Lucas offered his hand.

Mewtwo looked at him in confusion. Lucas added, "You thought you were the strongest, and now you think I am, right?"

Mewtwo nodded.

"But this amazing world has many beings far stronger than us. Your perspective is too narrow—blinded by obsession.

"You can read memories, right? There's a memory I want to share."

Lucas' smile overlapped with the sunlight above—so much like the family photo in Mewtwo's memory, Mewtwo couldn't help but take his hand. Psychic power flowed.

Mewtwo saw the black-and-gold Rayquaza from Lucas' memory—the awe and helplessness he felt.

Mewtwo whispered, "That's…?"

Lucas replied, "That's Rayquaza, living beyond the ozone layer. Even now, you couldn't reach it, right?"

Mewtwo nodded, reluctantly.

"Don't forget, those clone Pokémon are your companions. Even if you're not the strongest, you helped give them life in this world.

"Your future is long—don't let anyone else's definitions bind you. Tell me: what do you truly want, deep down?"