This human actually released another Pokémon that looked extremely similar to that one.
"Nathan… this Shadow Mewtwo…"
Standing at his side, Lily saw the deepening furrows in Nathan's brow and couldn't help but feel worried.
She had followed Nathan for such a long time, yet she had never once seen him vexed like this over dealing with a Pokémon.
Ever since he was young, no matter what kind of troublesome opponent appeared, Nathan would only smile, return to training with even more diligence, strengthen his Pokémon, and then challenge again.
That was exactly why Nathan had grown stronger and stronger.
But now, before a single Pokémon whose whereabouts weren't even known, he was knitting his brows in frustration.
It was clear how much he dreaded this particular Pokémon.
"It's nothing. Just a powerful Pokémon. If I want, I can still string it up and beat it."
Sensing the worry in Lily's eyes, Nathan patted the hand she had looped around his arm and said lightly.
But in truth, his mind was filled with doubt.
Why was Shadow Mewtwo doing all of this?
He himself possessed the system, a system that granted him methods to raise the levels of his Pokémon.
Shadow Mewtwo definitely couldn't have the same ability as him.
It couldn't possibly possess experience bars either. If it merely fought opponents of the same rank, that would be understandable.
But this Shadow Mewtwo didn't even let weaker ones go—it wasn't simply training or trying to grow stronger.
Could it be that it was nothing more than a pure battle maniac?
A genuine war machine.
A true battle fanatic wouldn't care what level the opponent was.
And Shadow Mewtwo deliberately avoided humans, as though it didn't want mankind to learn of its movements.
That was the part that confused Nathan the most.
"So, if we follow that logic, doesn't it mean the Pokémon has already left this mystic realm?"
George asked cautiously.
Nathan nodded. Judging from the situation, it had most likely already gone.
He had originally hoped to encounter Shadow Mewtwo here, maybe even try to resolve this looming threat.
But looking at things now… the trouble had probably grown into a massive headache.
The only somewhat reassuring point was that Shadow Mewtwo had virtually no chance of advancing into a world-class Pokémon.
As long as it didn't evolve into a world-class being, everything else could still be managed.
"Forget it. Let's leave. There's no point wandering around this mystic realm any longer."
Nathan said decisively.
Since Shadow Mewtwo was gone, staying here would yield nothing.
Better to spend two days having fun, then move on to another place.
After leaving the mystic realm, Nathan released Volcarona and let George record some footage.
The days that followed were far more carefree.
The four of them—one newlywed couple, one pair of lovers in the heat of romance—enjoyed their time thoroughly.
Yet even in leisure, Nathan didn't relax completely. He often searched the internet for information.
The discovery of Shadow Mewtwo in this location had left him vigilant.
No Pokémon would act in ways completely useless to itself.
If doing this benefited Shadow Mewtwo, then it would surely not be the last time it did so.
He wanted to see if he could find other incidents similar to this one.
And indeed—digging into it, he really did uncover cases that seemed suspiciously like Shadow Mewtwo's handiwork.
Not only in this city.
Online, Nathan found no fewer than ten mystic realms with similar reports.
After eliminating those that differed too much in detail, there were still six left.
He went to a bookstore and bought a global map.
Marking the locations of those six mystic realms on the map, he soon realized—shockingly—that the six connected to form a straight line.
This discovery left his heart unsettled.
Six mystic realms. If his guess was right, Shadow Mewtwo had already swept through all six.
And this was just within the confines of mystic realms.
Who knew how many similar things had happened out in the wild?
Adding them all up, it was enough experience to raise a Pokémon from the lowest level to Champion rank, maybe even to the level of a legendary.
The world was vast, but at the same time, very small.
With the internet, everything was connected. Even while Nathan remained in this city, he could learn of events in countless other places.
"Should I go after it now? Or wait until a year later, when it comes looking for me?"
Nathan muttered while staring down at the map in his hand.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but summon Mewtwo.
"Mewtwo, I found traces of Shadow Mewtwo. Should we go and look for it?"
He asked directly once it emerged.
Mewtwo had assumed it was being summoned for battle, but when it heard those words, it fell silent.
Memories of that day surged up, vivid and chilling.
Yet quickly, Mewtwo steadied its heart. Back then, it had indeed been weaker.
But now, it was nothing like before.
It had advanced to legendary rank.
It even had its Mega Evolution form.
If it faced Shadow Mewtwo again, it was confident it could win.
"I am no longer afraid of it. In fact, I believe I can defeat it."
Mewtwo's voice rang in Nathan's mind.
Nathan lifted his head, meeting its gaze. At that moment, Mewtwo's eyes shone with blazing fighting spirit.
Just as he expected—if he asked, Mewtwo would always answer this way.
"But keep in mind, Shadow Mewtwo has been roaming at least six mystic realms. The powerful Pokémon there have all been struck down by it."
"Its strength might be even greater now than it was before."
Nathan reminded.
But even after he said that, Mewtwo's expression didn't change.
He knew. Mewtwo was determined to seek Shadow Mewtwo out.
Seeing that, Nathan said nothing more.
He simply recalled Mewtwo back into its Poké Ball.
Two days later, after enjoying themselves a bit longer, Nathan and the others set out for one of the marked points on the map.
From their current location as the starting point, Nathan decided to check each mystic realm one by one.
Since George had already managed to capture some footage, there was a chance of discovering even more leads elsewhere.
If possible, Nathan wanted to gauge Shadow Mewtwo's current strength along the way.
After all, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
After landing from the plane, the four found a hotel and rested for the night.
The next morning, Nathan sent Grog and George out to play, while he himself took Lily straight toward the mystic realm where Shadow Mewtwo might have appeared.
Arriving at its entrance, he didn't rush inside.
Instead, he circled the area, quietly observing.
There were many others here as well, some looking for teammates to venture into the realm together.
Nathan and Lily began questioning people one by one.
At last, persistence paid off.
Someone was willing to speak.
"I really did see the thing you're talking about."
A man in his thirties glanced at the stack of Pokécoins in his hand, delight flickering across his face.
"Go on. If your story interests me, I'll give you more coins."
When they had first approached him, the man had acted reluctant, as if what he'd witnessed was some great secret that couldn't easily be revealed.
But once Nathan pulled out a wad of Pokécoins, the man's attitude flipped instantly into fawning eagerness.
"About a month ago, I think. Can't remember the exact day."
"At that time, I was in the mystic realm trying to capture a Pokémon. Suddenly, a shadow flashed past."
As he spoke, his face gradually grew pale with fear.
Seeing that silhouette, he had grown curious.
After securing his catch, he followed it.
He shouldn't have.
For when he caught up, he saw a gray-black Pokémon battling against a Champion-level one.
He remembered clearly—that Champion Pokémon was the strongest in this mystic realm.
And yet it was being completely overpowered by an unfamiliar creature.
The fight didn't last long. The Champion-level Pokémon was defeated swiftly.
The gray-black one, having won, prepared to leave.
But before going, it turned its head and looked at him.
Just one look left him shaken for three full days, his heart seized by terror.
Those eyes…
For two weeks afterward, they haunted his dreams.
Cruel, violent, wicked. What kind of Pokémon could possess such eyes?
After that, he avoided this mystic realm for an entire month.
This time he had only come back to scout, to see whether that Pokémon was truly gone.
And then he ran into Nathan.
From what he'd heard in the past two days, many of the stronger Pokémon here were still nursing wounds.
Which meant that gray-black Pokémon hadn't just fought the Champion, but had also brutalized numerous others.
(End of Chapter)