So then, was it that if this "bottleneck" could not be overcome, it would mean certain death?
"First of all," the psychologist said slowly, "you mentioned that this Pokémon never delivers a fatal blow, that it always holds back at the crucial moment. This, in fact, tells us that deep inside, this Pokémon still possesses a bottom line, a restraint that it refuses to cross."
"Yet immediately after, you also said that it is cruel, violent, and often rushes into battles against other Pokémon. That, however, may not actually be its true intention."
As he spoke, the psychologist pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. With practiced motions, he began sketching.
Soon, he had drawn two circles. Inside one circle, he wrote the words Bottom Line. Inside the other, he wrote the word Violence.
"One circle represents the consciousness that still clings to restraint and a moral boundary," he explained, pointing at the paper, "and the other represents the consciousness consumed by cruelty and savagery. Do you understand?"
Nathan stared at the paper, feeling cheated.
Wasn't this essentially the same thing he himself had already guessed? What difference did it make to put it into circles?
"Then what do you mean by a bottleneck?" Nathan asked again, pressing for clarity.
"According to your description," the psychologist replied, adjusting his glasses, "these two different consciousnesses inside the Pokémon are in constant conflict, struggling for dominance."
"My estimation is that in just a few days, this struggle will reach a conclusion. Once that happens, the Pokémon will stabilize."
As he spoke, the psychologist tore the paper neatly down the middle, splitting the two circles onto separate halves. He then handed the two pieces to Nathan.
"After it stabilizes, the Pokémon's personality will lock into one of these two states. If it stabilizes on the violent side…" His voice lowered, firm with finality. "Then you should kill it as soon as possible."
Having said this, the psychologist promptly pressed the timer on his desk, signaling that the consultation was over. He clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation. Truthfully, to even explain things this far was already proof of his exceptional professionalism. If it had been a less patient psychologist, they probably would have kicked them out the moment they brought up "Pokémon schizophrenia."
Nathan left the office with the two halves of paper in his hand. Stepping out into the bustling street, where humans and Pokémon moved side by side, his thoughts churned.
Was he really supposed to kill Shadow Mewtwo?
This single question kept echoing inside his mind.
Yet no matter how many times he asked himself, he could not give himself a definite answer.
"Ahh~ Forget it. Let's just spend the next few days having fun in this city."
Nathan let out a long sigh. Things that could not be figured out now—he would wait until the moment they truly happened to think them through.
Besides, Shadow Mewtwo had already vanished, and there was no way to find it in the short term. They might as well enjoy themselves for a few days and see what developments came later.
As for the two torn halves of paper, he crumpled them casually and tossed them into a trash bin.
With Shadow Mewtwo pushed out of mind for the time being, the four of them truly enjoyed themselves.
They ate, they drank, they visited amusement parks—anywhere in the city that promised relaxation, they went.
They even discovered a particularly charming little "Pokémon Café."
It was remarkably similar to an ordinary cat café—except, of course, that the cats were replaced with various adorable Pokémon.
When Nathan left that café, he even found himself entertaining the idea of opening several similar Pokémon cafés back in his own country.
It wasn't even about making money—though profit was never a bad thing. More than that, it was simply fun.
Imagine it: after a long and busy day, dropping by a cozy café to relax, playing with cute little Pokémon, feeding them Pokéblocks, just enjoying their company. The thought itself filled him with warmth.
For two whole days, Nathan really did let himself relax.
But Shadow Mewtwo… things were far less peaceful.
After all, ever since its creation, Shadow Mewtwo had always possessed its own independent consciousness.
Originally, after being defeated and essentially killed by Nathan's Mewtwo, Shadow Mewtwo had revived thanks to its fusion with the shadow stone crystal.
Yes, the fusion not only brought it back to life, it also made it far stronger—but at a heavy cost.
Because along with that fusion came an entirely new consciousness.
An evil consciousness.
At the beginning, Shadow Mewtwo's own will and this newly born dark will still coexisted somewhat peacefully. That was why, in the earlier encounters, Shadow Mewtwo had even agreed to Mewtwo's demands.
But as time passed, the evil will began slowly corroding and consuming Shadow Mewtwo's original consciousness.
Its intent was simple: to obliterate Shadow Mewtwo's true self and seize complete control of the body.
And by now, the struggle between the two wills was nearing its breaking point.
During the last battle, it had been the evil will holding the reins.
And yet, under the influence of Shadow Mewtwo's original self, it still had not delivered killing blows.
Had its true self not resisted, the six Pokémon it had fought would not merely have been beaten—they would have been slaughtered.
The shadow stone itself had no interest in battle for battle's sake.
It sought combat only as a means to grow stronger, to feed, to one day erase Shadow Mewtwo's consciousness completely.
After its clash with Mewtwo, Shadow Mewtwo had fled to a desolate, uninhabited place.
There, inside its body, the two consciousnesses waged constant war.
Shadow Mewtwo was locked in a bizarre, agonizing state.
"AAAHHHHH!"
A terrible roar tore from its throat. The struggle in its mind left it with splitting headaches, pain that seemed to rip it apart from the inside.
Yet no matter how it fought, it could not destroy the evil will entirely.
The only way would be to somehow extract the shadow stone crystal from its body.
But the crystal had already fused completely with its very being. Removing it now was near impossible.
If it had been so simple, Shadow Mewtwo would have rid itself of the cursed thing long ago.
"Fight… Kill… Follow me, and you will become the strongest existence in this world…"
"You are nothing but a weakling. Trust me…"
"Through slaughter, you will grow…"
Those insidious whispers, dripping with temptation, echoed endlessly in its mind.
Shadow Mewtwo longed to cover its ears, to shut away all sense and sound.
But it could not.
...
Meanwhile, in the city, Nathan strolled past a street corner and noticed a Pokémon beauty salon.
"You know," he remarked, "coming out for a walk really does let you see a lot of things you'd never normally notice."
Humans, after all, were creatures obsessed with appearances—at least half of them were, in his opinion.
Even with their own Pokémon, many Trainers wanted them to look as attractive as possible.
"Then tell me," Lily asked, linking her arm with his, "compared to Pokémon, who do you think looks better—me, or them?"
Nathan almost choked on his breath.
Women truly were women—always comparing themselves to everything around the man beside them.
And now, even Pokémon weren't spared.
"Of course you look better!" he replied without hesitation.
Even though, deep down, he wanted to roll his eyes, he wisely chose to go along with her words.
Because a man's weakness in battle might just be a single flaw.
But in the face of a woman, that weakness became more than a flaw—it was a master switch. One careless touch, and the whole system shut down.
"Tomorrow, let's rent a car and go on a trip," Lily said happily. "I heard there's a lotus pond nearby, and it's supposed to be really beautiful."
Having finally managed to drag Nathan into traveling with her, she was determined to make the most of it.
That lotus pond was a place she had wanted to see from the beginning.
And this season was exactly when the lotus flowers were in full bloom. If they went now, they would surely witness breathtaking scenery.
"Alright, you decide," Nathan said with a nod. "Forget about just renting a car—if you wanted to rent out the entire lotus pond, I'd do it."
Looking at lotus flowers wasn't exactly his favorite pastime.
But who knew? Maybe in that wild area, he might even encounter some rare Pokémon.
"Great! Then tonight, you and Grog prepare the things we'll need. Tomorrow morning, we set out early."
With that, Lily went off to find Mira. (TN: Finally found the name of Grog's wife Miesha -> Mira)
And so, once again, he and Grog were relegated to being the pack mules.
That evening, after dinner, Nathan dragged Grog along to buy some supplies for outdoor cooking.
They even purchased two luxurious double tents, intending to camp overnight at the lotus pond.
Time slipped away, and soon the night faded, giving way to dawn.
When Nathan saw the first light of the rising sun, he called Lily out of bed.
Still in her pajamas, she groggily followed as he knocked on the next room's door.
Because the lotus pond was a bit of a distance away, the four of them ate breakfast quickly, then set out in the rental car.
On the road, Nathan and Grog chatted casually, while Lily and Mira sat in the back, talking and laughing happily, their conversation flowing so lively that the two men couldn't even cut in.
The journey from their hotel to the lotus pond took about three hours.
By the time they arrived, the sun was already high in the sky.
They divided the work: tents and firewood gathering fell to Nathan and Grog, while the preparations for cooking were left to Lily and Mira.
After finishing with the tents, Nathan and Grog headed off to collect firewood.
But as Nathan looked around, he couldn't shake the feeling that the place lacked a certain vitality.
Yes, there were other people around—tourists and campers like themselves, some even planning to stay overnight just as they were.
And yet…
He remembered the map he had checked earlier. Within ten miles of this lotus pond, aside from this body of water, there was only a small stream.
Somehow, the air here felt strange.
(End of Chapter)