Time slipped by quietly—before they knew it, several days had passed.
In truth, Electivire had gained far more in those days than anyone expected.
Not only had its control over magnetic fields, electromagnetism, and thunder improved significantly, but its resistance to interference had also reached a whole new level.
At the beginning, Zapdos could easily disrupt Electivire's control over magnetic fields, rendering most of its abilities ineffective.
But as training and battles progressed, Zapdos made a shocking discovery:
Its old tricks weren't working anymore?!
Abilities like Magnet Rise, Magnetic Boost, and even electromagnetic domain control—one by one, the suppressions were broken. Electivire was not only regaining these abilities but mastering them with even greater power.
By the later stages, Zapdos realized something even more astonishing: aside from its unmatched speed, it was being outclassed by Electivire in every other aspect.
Electivire wasn't overwhelmingly strong, just barely enough to suppress Zapdos.
If it were any other Pokémon, Zapdos wouldn't care. Even Ground-type Pokémon could be neutralized through its custom use of Plasma Storm, temporarily converting the opponent's typing to Electric, allowing it to unleash a devastating thunderstorm upon them.
But Electivire's Motor Drive ability made that impossible.
Thanks to the internal synergy of its Electrum Crystals and the three Thunder Plates it had once absorbed, Electivire's energy reserves were absurdly high. No matter how hard Zapdos pushed itself, it simply couldn't deplete Electivire.
Don't ask how Zapdos knew—after realizing it couldn't win a battle of attrition, it sulked in isolation for quite a while.
At one point, it even refused to be Electivire's sparring partner anymore. But every time it heard Electivire taunting:
'You dumb bird!' or 'That's all you got?'
Zapdos would feel a rush of blood to the head, it simply couldn't help itself.
That cursed bloodline of the "silly bird" drove it into battle again and again!
The other Pokémon had also made clear progress over those days. Electivire wasn't fighting nonstop; the rest took the rare opportunity to gang up on Zapdos as well, using it to sharpen their own skills.
Among them, the most notable improvements came from Ninetales and Metagross in their mastery of Gravity.
Initially, even when working together, they could barely suppress Zapdos. But by the end, their combined gravity was strong enough to keep the legendary bird grounded.
Individually, they still couldn't drag Zapdos from the sky—but they could make it difficult for Electivire to stay airborne, forcing it to float rather than fly.
As for the rest of the team, none could manage flight under such intense gravity.
Their proficiency in using Gravity was rising dramatically.
...
On the final day, after the Pokémon had finished their last meal in the Kanto region, Paul approached Zapdos and said:
"I know you don't want to stay here. I'll let you go."
"Ah?!"
Zapdos' eyes flickered with surprise, quickly replaced by delight.
As a godlike being who valued freedom above all else, Zapdos hated nothing more than the feeling of being restrained or watched from above.
This miserable place, being dragged into battles every day by over-eager Pokémon—was driving it mad. It had long since grown tired of staying.
"Mewtwo, send it off. Let it say goodbye to Mew."
Though the "silly bird" was heartless, Paul was not. He decided to let Mewtwo and Mew share one final farewell.
"Alright. Come with me." Mewtwo said.
It gave Zapdos a glance, cloaked itself in psychic energy, and soared off toward the Tree of Beginning.
"Ahh!"
Zapdos didn't quite understand what this had to do with Mew, but it was thrilled to be leaving and followed without hesitation.
At first, everything seemed fine. But as they flew, Zapdos suddenly realized something—
'This isn't the direction of the Orange Islands! This isn't toward Thunder Island!
Something's wrong—it's a trap!'
Without hesitation, Zapdos struck with a full-powered Thunder aimed at Mewtwo and tried to make a run for it with Agility.
"Just now realizing it? Truly purebred." Mewtwo muttered calmly.
Having been watching carefully from the start, Mewtwo teleported instantly above Zapdos and unleashed a devastating Ice Punch, smashing it squarely on the head and freezing it midair.
With a flick of its psychic power, Mewtwo levitated the frozen bird like a statue and carried it toward the Tree of Beginning.
Bound by both ice and psychic energy, Zapdos could only watch helplessly as its freedom slipped further and further away.
A short while later, Mew, who had been lazily eating candy and playing with a phone, sensed Mewtwo's arrival. It quickly put its things away and darted over to meet its old companion.
"…This one is said to be the guardian deity of the Orange Islands. Together with two others, it helps regulate air currents, ocean tides, and the climate… Paul asked me to leave it in your care."
"Mew?"
After hearing Mewtwo's explanation, Mew tilted its head in confusion.
'Guardian deity? Controlling air and sea currents? But… why?'
Sure, Mew had spent most of its time holed up inside the Tree of Beginning, but that didn't mean it was clueless.
'Aren't there multiple Lugia living under the sea? Air currents, tidal flows, storms… shouldn't those be managed by the Lugia clan?'
From what Mew remembered, the most powerful Lugia primarily roamed the seas near Kanto and the Orange Islands.
'Wait a sec… could it be—are the Lugia slacking off like I used to?!'
The realization made Mew gasp.
The so-called Guardian of the Seas, Lugia—falling off so hard it's basically dog-tier now, and still trying to dodge responsibilities?!
'Unacceptable! No slacking off! We must work hard and grow stronger!'
"Guess I'll just take care of this Zapdos on your behalf~"
"Mew~!"
Mew cheerfully waved a paw, casually signaling that the bird would be staying with it.
"Ahh!"
Zapdos, however, was absolutely not okay with this.
Back in the Orange Islands, it feared no one. Now it was expected to be bossed around by a pink puffball?
"Mew?"
A glint of danger flashed in Mew's eyes. Without another word, it instantly transformed into Groudon, slammed a claw into the ground, and unleashed Precipice Blades.
BAM!
The Legendary Bird was sent straight into dreamland.
"Mew~"
Returning to its cutesy form, Mew chuckled and casually tossed the unconscious Zapdos into the Regi Guardian for training, before teleporting over to Mewtwo's side.
There, it made a bold request:
"You want to take in the other two, Moltres and Articuno as guardians of the Tree of Beginning too?"
Mewtwo blinked. Even it was surprised.
"Mew-mew-mew~"
Mew nodded without hesitation.
'If I'm already taking in one, might as well bring the other two. That way they can keep Zapdos company here at the Tree.'
"What about the climate instability in the Orange Islands?" Mewtwo posed the most critical concern.
'If these three blockheads are all gone, and Lugia doesn't step in, what then?'
"Mew~"
Mew's answer was simple.
'If needed, I'll just take them out for a walk every now and then. Once a month should be fine, right?'
'Alright, fair enough~'
Though the word "walk" made it sound like they were just "walking birds" seemed plausible enough. Surprisingly, Mewtwo was convinced by the logic.
The two Legendary Pokémon—Mew and Mewtwo—nodded in perfect agreement.
In a flash of Teleport, they zipped off to Ice Island and Fire Island.
With no mercy, they each launched a Psystrike at the napping Moltres and Articuno, knocking both out cold before dragging them back to the Tree of Beginning.
"Come visit again sometime~"
Disguised as Mewtwo, Mew cheerfully waved goodbye, holding a bird in each paw.
—
When Mewtwo returned to the Pokémon Center, the next day, Paul and Reggie boarded departing from Kanto.
Thus, their journey in Kanto came to an end.
(End of Chapter)
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