"Volcarona, let's search around here."
Nathan spoke softly to his partner.
Together—one human and two Pokémon—they combed through every inch of the seven-kilometer radius surrounding the area.
But after an exhaustive search, they came up empty-handed.
There was not the slightest clue, not even the faintest trace of Shadow Mewtwo.
It was as if his guess had been completely wrong.
"Could it be… that it's already left?"
Nathan muttered his suspicion aloud.
After all, the disturbance had taken place yesterday, and he had only come to investigate today. It was indeed a little late.
But that led to another question—why would Shadow Mewtwo have caused such a huge commotion in the first place?
Could it be… schizophrenia?
Suddenly, he recalled the words of that psychologist from before.
Was it possible that the two consciousnesses within Shadow Mewtwo's body were now clashing, fighting to determine which one would dominate?
Unable to find any trace of Shadow Mewtwo no matter how hard he searched, Nathan had no choice but to return to their tent beside the lotus pond.
Because of the rift that had torn through the land, lotus pond was completely ruined. Even Lily had lost the mood to keep playing around.
So, the four of them simply decided to head back.
When they returned to the hotel and lay down on their beds, Nathan's thoughts still lingered on Shadow Mewtwo.
Where could it have gone? Could it be hiding somewhere?
As for Lotus pond's strange condition, others had already gone to investigate, but no useful information had been discovered.
Yet, the matter was far from over.
Mystic realms in this world could appear at any time.
And now, near lotus pond, a mystic realm quietly emerged.
However, before the mystic realm had even stabilized, anomalies began to occur.
Another dimension began to fuse with this newborn mystic realm.
What should have been a stable manifestation within one or two days was delayed indefinitely.
As the two dimensions slowly merged, the ecosystems of both Realms began to intertwine.
It was just like the gradual merging of a mystic realm with the outside world.
And as the two environments fused, so too did the Pokémon within them encounter each other.
But for those Pokémon that had no business being inside this bizarre Realm, trouble soon arrived.
The result, however, was grim.
The Pokémon that challenged the strange inhabitants of this realm were utterly powerless.
Against overwhelming attacks, the intruders were annihilated one after another.
As time passed, not a single Pokémon survived within this fused mystic realm.
Even their corpses did not remain—everything simply vanished from this world, erased within the realm itself.
It was as though, from the very beginning, no Pokémon had ever lived in this merged, distorted space.
Yet within the realm, traces of life were everywhere—broken branches, worn paths, and even scattered footprints.
There was no doubt that countless Pokémon had once lived here.
But that was only in the past.
After stabilizing, the mystic realm gradually formed an exit.
On the outside, an entrance appeared as well.
One tourist, who had come to lotus pond out of curiosity, stumbled upon the unguarded entrance.
The moment he saw it, his heart leapt with excitement, as though he had just discovered a priceless treasure.
In every country, mystic realms were strictly under the control of the authorities.
And naturally, they were always guarded by official personnel.
So, to find a mystic realm without guards could only mean one thing—it had only just appeared.
And newly formed realms were often brimming with valuable resources.
Rare Pokémon could sometimes even be captured within them.
Either way, such discoveries were worth a fortune outside.
To the tourist, it was no different from striking gold.
Collecting himself, he stepped eagerly into the mystic realm—becoming the very first human to set foot inside.
Once inside, he noticed the battle marks all around him, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Immediately, he released his own Pokémon.
He wasn't reckless—he dared to enter alone because he had the strength to back it up.
His partner was a Champion-tier Pokémon—already a force to be reckoned with in the outside world.
That was the confidence that allowed him to venture in by himself.
"Seems like I really am lucky this time."
His face shone with delight as he looked around.
Although there were traces of battle everywhere, he found no signs that another human had been here before.
That could only mean he truly was the first.
The countless battle scars etched into the landscape only proved one thing—that the Pokémon of this realm had a fondness for combat.
But the deeper he ventured, the stronger his unease became.
For despite all the traces of life, he could not find a single Pokémon.
Only signs that they had once been here… along with endless scars of battle.
The ground was riddled with craters left by immense force.
Some trees were scorched black, while others had been frozen into solid ice sculptures.
The frozen plants still radiated an intense white chill, and the air around them was devoid of moisture.
"Tsk tsk… this ice is unbelievably cold. Not even the slightest sign of melting."
"Hm? And this… looks like the mark of an Electric-type attack?"
He grew increasingly puzzled as he examined the battlefield.
Many skilled Trainers could deduce what type of Pokémon caused a mark just by studying the traces.
But the more he looked, the stranger it became.
The marks were chaotic and mixed—almost every element was present.
It was as though a great war involving every type of Pokémon had taken place here.
Yet in no mystic realm, no matter how diverse, would one encounter signs of every single attribute.
But here, in just the parts he had explored, all known Pokémon types were represented.
And he hadn't even finished his exploration.
As confusion weighed heavily on him, a shadow silently appeared behind his back.
His Pokémon sensed the threat immediately and tried to shield its Trainer.
But before it could react, a devastating attack struck it directly.
In an instant, under its Trainer's horrified gaze, his Champion-tier Pokémon was killed.
Instinctively, he turned to run.
But how could he possibly outrun a Pokémon that could kill a Champion-class in a single strike?
The merciless attack descended upon him as well.
Like his partner, he too perished—forever buried within the new realm.
And he was not the first.
Outside the mystic realm, a car slowly came to a halt.
Another pair of tourists, also here for sightseeing, had discovered the unguarded entrance.
They, too, decided to explore in hopes of finding treasures.
The outcome, however, was the same.
Before long, someone discovered the abandoned vehicles outside.
The cars were already gathering a thin layer of dust.
The matter was reported, and soon the authorities arrived to deal with it.
They dispatched teams to investigate inside the realm.
But only after suffering severe casualties did, they finally issue a public warning.
By the time Nathan saw this announcement, nearly half a month had passed.
During those two weeks, he had almost completely forgotten about Shadow Mewtwo, spending his days traveling happily with Lily.
Grog and his new bride also accompanied them, enjoying themselves to the fullest.
After a month of traveling, the four finally boarded a flight back.
"Nathan, I'm exhausted. Wake me up when we land."
Lily leaned against his shoulder, closing his eyes as she drifted to sleep.
Nathan flipped through the in-flight magazines to pass the time.
Before long, a headline caught his attention.
"Hm? The location… it's near lotus pond?"
He frowned slightly as he read further.
What a coincidence—the mystic realm had appeared in exactly the same place.
And the timing was uncanny, surfacing less than half a month after they had left.
What's more, the realm was described as extremely dangerous, harboring fearsome Pokémon within.
Piece by piece, the puzzle fit together.
Everything pointed toward one conclusion—Shadow Mewtwo was likely inside.
Still, to be certain, he would have to see it with his own eyes.
When the plane landed, Nathan gently woke Lily.
"You all go on ahead. I'll need to catch another flight."
The moment they stepped off the plane, he spoke firmly.
Lily, still groggy from her nap, froze for a second.
He had just gotten off one plane—and now he was planning to board another?
Where could he possibly be headed this time?
(End of Chapter)