The only thing that could really be considered fortunate was that the mysterious Pokémon hadn't shown any true intent to kill.
Although several Pokémon had been gravely injured, after a month of recovery, most of them had more or less healed.
"I only know this much. Ever since that day when I saw that Pokémon, I haven't set foot inside the mystic realm again."
As the middle-aged man spoke, his gaze kept drifting toward Nathan's backpack.
Seeing Nathan lost in thought, Lily quietly reached into her own bag, pulled out some Pokécoins, handed them to the man, and then waved him off.
The man's face immediately lit up with joy after receiving the money, and he left in high spirits.
"Looks like there must be more beyond this."
Lily speculated softly at Nathan's side.
The Pokémon in the previous mystic realm had been attacked, and now the ones in this mystic realm had also been assaulted.
That gray-black Pokémon… wasn't that exactly the Shadow Mewtwo Nathan had spoken of?
And from what they had gathered, it was a creature overflowing with dark, negative emotions.
"That's right. Before coming here, I already investigated. Aside from this mystic realm and the one we visited earlier, there are at least six more. Maybe even seven or eight. For all we know, Shadow Mewtwo could be fighting in another mystic realm right at this very moment."
Nathan nodded as he spoke.
This time, he didn't even have the intention of entering the mystic realm.
He worried that the longer they delayed, the more mystic realms Shadow Mewtwo would sweep through.
Even if it wasn't killing, the pattern was deeply troubling. Nathan had an uneasy feeling that Shadow Mewtwo definitely had a purpose behind all this.
Otherwise, why would it go from place to place, challenging so many Pokémon to battle?
On top of that, Nathan feared that with each passing day, Shadow Mewtwo's power would only grow stronger.
Mewtwo by itself was already a monstrously powerful Pokémon.
And after being altered by that unknown crystal, who knew what kind of terrifying changes it might undergo?
...
"Let's go inside and take a look. Maybe we can learn something directly from the mouths of the Pokémon here."
Even knowing Shadow Mewtwo wasn't currently in this mystic realm, Nathan still chose to investigate.
After entering, he sought out several Pokémon and began asking questions.
From their exchanges, he managed to gather some information about Shadow Mewtwo's current strength.
Among the Pokémon he questioned was a Champion-level Pokémon who claimed to have once managed to injure Shadow Mewtwo.
But only lightly.
"From the sound of it, when Shadow Mewtwo came to this mystic realm, its power wasn't completely overwhelming."
After piecing together what he'd learned, Nathan gained a clearer sense of Shadow Mewtwo's capabilities back then.
If a Champion-level Pokémon could at least inflict an injury, then it meant the battle wasn't entirely hopeless.
Still, that wasn't the only thing Nathan wanted to know.
After spending two days in the city, he and his companions hurried to their next destination.
In the third city, Nathan once again confirmed signs of Shadow Mewtwo's presence.
Within the mystic realm, after questioning a few more Pokémon, he obtained a startling piece of information.
Shadow Mewtwo had once exhibited symptoms of a split personality.
A psychotic break—what humans would call schizophrenia.
During a battle, while locked in combat with another Pokémon, Shadow Mewtwo suddenly froze, muttering words like "Don't try to control me."
"Looks like checking each place one by one really was the right decision."
Glancing at the mystic realm entrance behind him, Nathan allowed a rare smile to appear.
Schizophrenia was rare enough in humans.
For a Pokémon to display it was even more extraordinary.
And not just any Pokémon—this was a being like Mewtwo, with psychic powers far beyond ordinary understanding.
The stronger the psychic abilities, the stronger the mental fortitude should be.
Yet even with such overwhelming mental power, Shadow Mewtwo was showing signs of fracture. That in itself spoke volumes about the severity of its condition.
"But if its strength is that immense, could there really be another Pokémon capable of interfering with its mind?"
Lily asked curiously.
When she heard "schizophrenia," her first thought was whether it had been caused by some external Pokémon.
"No. It shouldn't be another Pokémon. The cause is within itself."
Nathan shook his head.
He recalled how Shadow Mewtwo had been created—when the leader of Chiyou embedded that mysterious crystal into its body.
If his guess was right, that very crystal was both the source of Shadow Mewtwo's existence and the root of its current unstable condition.
Soon, the group of four set off once more, heading toward a fourth location linked to Shadow Mewtwo.
This time, within the mystic realm, Nathan uncovered even more details.
He even saw Pokémon still suffering from wounds that had yet to heal.
That meant they were drawing closer—closer to Shadow Mewtwo's trail.
And here too, the schizophrenic episodes had manifested during its battles.
Not only once, but several times.
Compared to the previous mystic realm, this was clear evidence that Shadow Mewtwo's condition was worsening.
Yet at the same time, its strength also seemed to be growing.
"Stronger, but with an even sharper mental breakdown… could it be that I won't even need to fight it—that it might end up destroying itself?"
Nathan muttered as he looked at the exit of the mystic realm.
But instead of relief, a flicker of worry lingered in his heart.
Schizophrenia meant that two entirely different personalities were fighting for dominance within the same being.
In humans, it might manifest as one person sometimes acting like a sister, sometimes like a brother.
But eventually, only one identity remained, while the other faded away.
In Shadow Mewtwo's case, this wasn't something as trivial as a "sister or brother" personality.
These were two entirely different Pokémon personas.
And considering Shadow Mewtwo had been wandering across mystic realms, endlessly battling Pokémon, if that behavior stemmed from one particular persona…
Once that personality crushed the other completely, the only thing left for Shadow Mewtwo might be endless battle until death.
For Shadow Mewtwo itself, perhaps that didn't matter.
But for the countless Pokémon it fought, the consequences would be disastrous.
When that time came, who knew how many would suffer under its rampage?
"Haah… I can only hope its personality isn't too twisted."
The more Nathan thought about it, the more troublesome the situation appeared.
He couldn't help but feel the urge to speed up their investigation.
Time passed in a blur.
A week later, after visiting all six marked locations, he had traced Shadow Mewtwo's path step by step.
At first, its symptoms of mental fracture had been subtle.
By the end, they had become utterly severe.
Shadow Mewtwo's transformation left Nathan with a growing sense of dread.
At the sixth mystic realm, the Pokémon's condition had nearly spiraled into madness—shifting personalities mid-battle, unable to even complete a proper fight.
Standing at the outskirts, Nathan pondered which mystic realm it might target next.
At the same time, he scoured the internet for any trace of Shadow Mewtwo.
But no matter how long he searched, he found nothing.
"Damn it… don't tell me it just went berserk in that last mystic realm and then vanished into thin air?"
Frustrated, Nathan shoved the keyboard away.
He had chased it for so long, yet ended up with nothing concrete.
Shadow Mewtwo's whereabouts were a complete mystery.
Wasn't this all just wasted effort?
"Enough. We've been running around endlessly—don't you think Grog and the others deserve a break?"
Lily gently placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder, giving it a light massage.
Nathan nodded. She was right.
Coming along with him really had been exhausting.
What was supposed to be a trip had turned into endless traveling—barely staying in one place for two days before having to move on.
"Alright then. We'll take a few days off."
Pulling Lily into his arms, Nathan was just about to move into the "paid content stage" when—
An unexpected interruption occurred.
A deafening roar thundered through the air, followed by the faint tremble of the building beneath their feet.
Immediately, Nathan shielded Lily in his embrace, bracing for a possible collapse.
At the same time, he released Volcarona.
"Such a noise… could it be war breaking out?"
Nathan muttered as he walked toward the window.
He didn't know what exactly had exploded, but one thing was clear—the disturbance was massive.
And their current residence was no remote location.
They were staying in the heart of the city, in a luxury hotel right at the center.
For the tremors to be felt even here, it couldn't possibly be a small matter.
Nathan peered outside the window, but saw nothing.
"Volcarona, fly out and investigate."
The great moth flitted through the open window and soared into the sky.
It didn't take long before Volcarona returned.
(End of Chapter)