Mewtwo silently stepped out of the nutrient solution, her mind lost in thought.
She had already decided that once she rescued that human, she'd immediately leave his side.
With her current physical state, she wouldn't last long.
She didn't want him to grieve over her condition.
Satisfied with her plan, Mewtwo nodded lightly to herself.
Even though she'd just come into existence and had yet to truly experience the world, she was already facing the end of this brief life.
Yet, precisely because her life experience was like a blank page, she felt nothing in this world worth lingering for—aside from Elias himself.
After all, the cold lab equipment and those annoying human researchers had left her with nothing but unpleasant memories.
Beep—Beep—
A sudden, sharp alarm broke through her thoughts, echoing urgently through the lab.
Mewtwo turned sharply toward the noise, quickly realizing it was the lab's internal security system.
Someone had entered the building while she'd been submerged in the nutrient fluid.
Realizing this, Mewtwo scoffed coldly.
Those humans still haven't given up trying to capture me, huh?
She had shown mercy before, not seriously harming anyone despite multiple provocations.
But now, her patience had run out.
This time, she'd teach the intruders a memorable lesson.
Eyes blazing with anger, Mewtwo swiftly moved toward the source of the alarm.
---
Elias had been following Mew through the darkened corridors for quite a while before a troubling thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Mew, do you actually know the way?"
Elias cast a doubtful glance at Mew walking ahead of him.
Though Mew was holding the building blueprint Giovanni had provided, Elias seriously doubted she knew how to read it, considering her usual behavior.
Sure enough, hearing his question, Mew's steps abruptly halted.
"Mew... (O-of course I do…)"
Mew nodded vigorously, feigning confidence.
Despite her current disguise as Aunt Tias, her wandering gaze betrayed her instantly.
Elias sighed softly, gently taking the blueprint from Mew's hands and flipping it around.
This silly kitten was holding the map upside-down.
Although Elias said nothing, Mew, fully aware she'd been caught, awkwardly turned her head away.
Only after wandering a bit had she remembered that she'd never learned to read human blueprints.
Now that the blueprint was properly oriented, Elias carefully began narrowing down possible locations Mewtwo could have chosen.
Given her physical condition, Elias's attention settled on the medicine storage area at the building's top floor.
If Mewtwo were feeling unwell, it made sense she'd head there.
Elias briefly explained his reasoning to Mew.
Hearing this, Mew scratched her head curiously.
Why doesn't Elias just use psychic power to scan the whole building at once?
Wouldn't that instantly pinpoint Mewtwo's location?
Following this thought, Mew cautiously expanded her psychic senses to find Mewtwo's position.
Yet…
She soon discovered, much to her surprise, that her psychic energy was blocked by something, unable to penetrate the building's walls.
Such interference was unheard of anywhere else.
Noticing Mew's subtle attempt, Elias calmly explained:
"Team Rocket constructed these walls using special materials that block psychic powers."
"Don't worry, it's normal you can't penetrate them."
To protect their secrets, Team Rocket never skimped on construction. Psychic-blocking walls were practically standard procedure.
Hearing Elias's explanation, however, Mew's eyes instantly lit up.
Psychic powers can't penetrate here?
Realizing this, Mew swallowed quietly in excitement.
Doesn't that mean even Gardevoir wouldn't sense what's happening inside?
As she walked beside Elias toward the top floor, Mew's heart raced with delight.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized this was an extremely rare opportunity.
Still, not yet having found Mewtwo, she forced herself to suppress her restless excitement.
She'd already decided: once they found Mewtwo, she'd absolutely seize this precious moment!
Lost in eager anticipation, Mew suddenly twitched her ears, sensing something. She quickly glanced back into the darkness behind them.
===
Mewtwo had locked onto the intruders' location.
If not for the severe restrictions on her psychic abilities inside this building, she could have moved much faster.
With a disdainful scoff, Mewtwo teleported swiftly through the darkness, quickly closing in on her target.
Two intruders...?
From afar, Mewtwo saw two shadows walking ahead, entirely unaware of her presence.
Choosing stealth, Mewtwo decided not to startle her prey.
Gathering dark energy into each hand, she formed two [Shadow Balls], preparing to disable them swiftly from a distance.
As the [Shadow Balls] finished forming, Mewtwo instinctively extended her psychic senses forward to lock onto her targets.
Without any walls obstructing her this time, her psychic perception flowed freely—
Yet, at that very moment, Mewtwo's claws trembled violently.
She almost lost control of the two [Shadow Balls].
Panicking slightly, Mewtwo hastily suppressed and dispersed both attacks before they could accidentally launch.
Once certain of her control, she stared in disbelief toward the distant shadows.
She sensed that familiar presence…
That gentle, comforting aura she had encountered during her most helpless moments.
Despite their limited interactions, Mewtwo was absolutely certain she wasn't mistaken.
That uniquely intertwined psychic signature couldn't be faked.
Yet…
Why is Elias here now?
Mewtwo struggled to understand.
The only explanation was that someone else—or another Pokémon—had rescued him from the Distortion World first.
Realizing this, Mewtwo bit her lip softly.
A mixture of relief and bitter disappointment filled her heart.
Elias was safe—but she hadn't been the one to rescue him.
And now…
Though she no longer needed to confront Giratina, her body was still teetering on the edge of collapse.
Her best course of action remained the same as before—quietly leave.
Find a secluded corner and wait silently for the inevitable end.
After all, returning to Team Rocket at this point was meaningless.
Having studied Team Rocket's internal data thoroughly, Mewtwo knew this better than anyone.
In the end, she'd neither been able to leave a lasting impression in that human's heart nor stay by his side for even a moment longer.
---
PS—Mew: She's my daughter, after all. Who else should she be helping if not me?!