"?"
"??"
"???"
What the heck? Daddy? Who's she calling Daddy?
The instant that Mewtwo uttered that word, everyone—Liko, Cynthia, and even Haru himself—was stunned.
Not even the time when Blue was Champion for ten minutes before being dethroned had been this shocking.
Had they just heard Pokémon speech that sounded that much like human language?
That was the thought popping into several heads at once.
But Korrina immediately cast a suspicious look at her grandpa.
Could it be that her grandpa once had some scandalous affair with a Pokémon… then heartlessly abandoned her? And now that very Pokémon had come knocking at the door?
Oh no! Her grandpa was a scumbag all along! Then what was she supposed to call that Pokémon now?
Auntie? Or maybe big sister?
Gotta admit—Korinna's imagination really ran wild.
But the rest of them, almost in tacit agreement, turned their eyes toward Haru.
After all, the title "Daddy" obviously referred to a man. Among the three men present, Haru was by far the most mysterious, the one they knew least about. That alone made him the prime suspect.
He always carried himself with that cryptic air—who's to say he didn't have some deep, hidden past?
Human–Pokémon unions weren't exactly impossible. Sure, none of them had ever witnessed one, but that didn't mean it had never happened.
Even Sinnoh's legends had no shortage of tales involving humans and Pokémon.
Of course, if it were a Gardevoir or something, maybe you could still talk it through. But if it involved certain other Pokémon—yeah, definitely not something you could broadcast to the public.
The bigger question now was: What kind of Pokémon had Haru possibly gotten involved with for this to happen? And why was this Pokémon's psychic power so overwhelmingly terrifying?
It wasn't like Haru had gone around using some kind of divine whip on Legendary Pokémon, right? Because you definitely couldn't broadcast that.
But on Haru's side… if Cynthia and the others thought they were shocked, they couldn't begin to imagine how shaken he was.
He had originally been curious how on earth Necrozma had managed to trick Mewtwo into coming here.
His theory was maybe Necrozma had smacked the newborn Mewtwo around a bit.
Then, faced with Necrozma's overwhelming aura, Mewtwo had collapsed and immediately bowed down, acknowledging him as unbeatable.
After that, Mewtwo's "Never Give Up" trait must have kicked in again, so she clung to Necrozma for a rematch. With no choice, Necrozma brought Mewtwo to Haru instead, pushing the problem onto him.
Crude as that sounded, it still followed a kind of logic.
After all, Mewtwo's role in "the plot" had always been one of striving for growth, constantly trying to stage comebacks.
Not that those comebacks ever succeeded—if anything, the more absurd Legendaries appeared, the weaker she seemed in comparison.
But now, that single word—"Daddy"—had completely fried Haru's brain.
And the even crazier part? Why did Mewtwo's voice sound so soft—nothing like the battle-maniac she was supposed to be? It sounded more like a little sister character straight out of a dating sim.
If he hadn't recognized who she was, Haru might have been tempted to challenge her to a heated battle right then and there.
But now? Forget temptation—he couldn't muster it even if he wanted to.
"You… just called me what?"
So stunned was he that Haru instinctively asked for confirmation.
He wasn't even married yet—how the hell had he suddenly become a dad?!
Well, wasn't this just a fine mess…
"Daddy…? Did I say it wrong? Or should I have called you 'Father'… or maybe 'Papa' instead?"
"I remember that humans use this term for their direct male progenitor, don't they?"
Seeing Haru's shell-shocked expression, Mewtwo herself began to feel uncertain.
In the "common sense" she had been taught, there wasn't much detail about the deeper nuances of familial terms.
So she had no idea how heavy a word like "Daddy" could feel to a human. To her, it was just a label—like a name.
She couldn't fathom the shock it would deliver.
And of course, the culprit behind this misunderstanding was none other than… her teacher, Necrozma.
Necrozma had taught her "common sense," sure—but always selectively, always just enough to set up one of his little pranks for Haru.
Haru didn't know what had gone down between Mewtwo and Necrozma. But after several seconds, he managed to calm down a little, his thoughts spinning in new directions.
What if… this Mewtwo really is my kid?
Considering Team Rocket's twisted tastes, it wouldn't be impossible for them to cook up some clone "Mewtwo 2.0" using his genes just to spite him.
So Haru steadied himself and asked the Mewtwo hovering in the sky:
"In other words… the human DNA in your body belongs to me, doesn't it?"
And sure enough, Mewtwo nodded.
That only made the surrounding Trainers' expressions grow even more bizarre—even Liko's.
She had always thought her sensei was kind of free-spirited, but this? This was beyond anything she'd imagined.
Good grief. She could only mutter good grief. Even Pokémon, huh?
Wait—did that mean maybe she could also—? No no no, what was she even thinking?! She was a proper girl, thank you very much!
Haru, of course, had no clue what Liko was thinking. He simply nodded after hearing Mewtwo's answer.
"All right, I get it now."
"Looks like Team Rocket's even more outrageous than I thought. Not only did they get their hands on Mew's DNA, but they didn't even spare mine."
He gestured to the ground before him. "Come down first. Let's talk properly."
Mewtwo saw no reason to refuse. She had plenty she wanted to say as well.
But for some reason, now that she was standing face-to-face with the human who, at least genetically, was closest to her… she found herself speechless.
Meanwhile, the mention of "Team Rocket" immediately caught everyone else's attention.
That syndicate might have spread its operations across regions, but no regions had suffered more from them than Kanto and Johto.
For Blue, they were a household name—he'd fought them more times than he could count.
But at this moment, he was still lost in thought. It was Cynthia, who had brought Haru here, who spoke up first:
"This child… is a creation of Team Rocket?"
Cynthia felt like today had been nothing but one incomprehensible revelation after another.
Even someone as normally composed as she was felt like she was on the verge of turning into Captain Marvel with how often her worldview was being shattered.
Sinnoh myths overturned, Legendary Pokémon popping out of nowhere, now a Legendary claiming Haru as her father…
And if what Haru said was true, this Pokémon wasn't just tied to him and Team Rocket—it was actually artificially made?
Could Team Rocket really create a Legendary? Using Mew's DNA and Haru's?
The idea was absurd.
Yet Mewtwo herself promptly confirmed Haru's words—rocking Cynthia's worldview even further.
"At this point, let me explain."
When Mewtwo floated closer to Haru, he finally spoke again.
"Team Rocket has long plotted a scheme called 'Project Mewtwo.' Their aim was to combine the DNA of Mew—said to contain all Pokémon genes—with human DNA, to create a Pokémon stronger than Mew itself."
"They intended to use this powerful 'weapon' to carry out their crimes."
Korrina, who had watched the recent livestream, couldn't help blurting out:
"But isn't Mew already—"
"Yes. I have a Mew by my side, which is why they targeted me."
"In Paldea, I was ambushed by Team Rocket several times. It was only with great difficulty that I repelled them and kept them from capturing Mew."
"I thought that would put an end to Project Mewtwo. But apparently, they still managed to obtain Mew's DNA—and then combined it with mine, successfully creating Mewtwo."
Blue, finally snapping out of his daze, hurriedly pulled out a Poké Ball. "Then isn't she extremely dangerous? If she's just a tool of Team Rocket…"
"No. Though she was born from an evil plan, Mewtwo herself is innocent."
"When Project Mewtwo was completed, she escaped Team Rocket's control. She's not bound by them."
"So the Mewtwo standing here now is a free Pokémon. In fact… you could even consider her a person."
Haru's explanation was half-truth, half-concealment. He blurred over a lot of details, but he hadn't actually lied.
He simply wasn't ready to reveal his final trump card yet. It wasn't Necrozma's turn to appear.
Seeing everyone still in shock, he added:
"There's one more strange thing: where exactly did Team Rocket get their sample of Mew's DNA? I should have driven them off completely."
This time, his puzzlement was genuine. He honestly didn't know where they had gotten it—surely they hadn't gone back to pluck it from the Mew in 'the plot'?
But in the very next moment, his question was answered.
"Why, they got it from me, of course!"
A crisp, lark-like girl's voice piped up from Haru's waist. A flash of red light shot out, materializing into the pink big kitty herself—Mew No.1.
Mew looked absolutely delighted. She circled Haru twice before perching on his shoulder, eyeing Mewtwo with a peculiar expression.
The moment Mewtwo saw her, she immediately felt uncomfortable.
For some reason, every time she looked at Mew, she just felt irritated—like she desperately wanted to fight her.
It was nothing like how she felt around Haru.
By all logic, Mew was her parent too…
Could it be that the very name "Mewtwo" had cursed her into this hostility?
"I'm guessing Team Rocket must have picked up some of my shed hair or something. That's how this child came about."
"But hey—that makes it even better, right? You could even say she's the love child between me and Master."
"Isn't that right, my—dear—ba—by~?"
Smirking mischievously, Mew extended her long tail toward Mewtwo's face, clearly intending to tease her.
But Mewtwo was having none of it. She immediately smacked the tail away.
Mew wasn't bothered. She just floated there, laughing lightly.
That casual air only made Mewtwo even more irritated.
Maybe from the very moment she was named "Mewtwo," her fate had been sealed—to never get along with her mother.
She even recalled something Necrozma had once said, some so-called "prophecy": that she was destined to "kill her mother and wed her father."
Of course, Mewtwo had always assumed that by "kill," he was exaggerating. And she'd thought Necrozma's face was full of mischief when he'd said it.
So it was probably nonsense.
After all this time, she'd grown used to his ridiculous statements.
Shaking off Mew's tail, Mewtwo turned her gaze back to her "father":
"Can I battle her?"
After mulling it over, Mewtwo realized that was the only way to clear her head.
Hesitation and dithering weren't her style. If looking at Mew annoyed her, then she'd just pummel her.
And besides—she felt an urge to prove her strength before Haru. To prove she was worthy of the name she bore.
The sudden request caught Haru off guard, but in the end, he nodded.
"If you want to, go ahead."
Then he turned to Blue. "Mind if we use this battlefield?"
"Go ahead. Though… I'm not sure it'll survive those two."
Blue agreed without hesitation.
In truth, he was feeling a little lost.
He'd been preparing for his own match against Haru, stressed over the pressure from that second-tier god and the Mew. He'd been considering Mega Evolution as his only chance.
But before he could even settle on a strategy, another Pokémon—claiming to be Haru's kid—suddenly appeared.
He couldn't gauge her exact rank, but she had to be at least a Legendary-tier or Champion-tier Pokémon.
And if this "child" actually joined Haru's roster—then what chance did he have?
How had a simple fishing trip in a pond turned into hooking a water goddess mermaid?!
This was straight-up sending him to the grave.
Still, watching a battle between Mew and Mewtwo was no small privilege. At the very least, he'd get valuable intel on their capabilities.
Maybe not "Full Power Blue," but at least "Scout Blue."
As for the battlefield damage from a clash between two Mythicals—well, that could be fixed by Ground and Rock types. Easy enough.
And so, Gurkinn and the others all stayed to watch as well, captivated by the prospect.
Just as the battle was about to begin, Haru suddenly called out to Mewtwo again:
"Oh, one more thing."
"Welcome to this world, my child."
"It may be late, but I still want you to have my blessing."
"..."
At the center of the battlefield, Mewtwo said nothing. Instead, she silently shifted into human form.
As a hybrid of human and Pokémon DNA, even she couldn't say for sure whether she was truly one or the other. But at least… in Haru's words, she had been acknowledged as human.
For fairness—and out of consideration for both Mew and Mewtwo—Haru refrained from giving commands.
He left it entirely to the two of them, mother and daughter in theory, but hardly harmonious in practice, to fight it out on their own.
Meanwhile, Haru sat with Cynthia and Liko, ready to enjoy the spectacle. He wanted to see firsthand just what kind of power the real Mewtwo possessed.
On paper, Mewtwo's base stats outclassed Mew's.
Every Mythical aside from Arceus and Unbound Hoopa had a 600 total base stat. Mewtwo, however, had a Legendary-tier 680.
Aside from being 10 points lower than Mew in both defenses, she outstripped Mew in every other stat—most notably with a monstrous 154 Special Attack.
Abilities didn't matter much for either, both being fairly generic.
But in terms of movepool, Mew absolutely blew Mewtwo away.
Even though Mewtwo had inherited Mew's genes, she clearly hadn't inherited the movepool in full. The difference in versatility was staggering.
That was game logic, of course. Reality was another matter.
Still, watching this Mewtwo, it was obvious—perhaps because she was newly born—that she was too raw in combat.
Her lack of polish, especially when executing moves, drastically hindered her overwhelming psychic strength.
And as the battle dragged on, her frustration mounted—only making things worse.
Mew, by contrast, remained calm. Her approach was more play than fight. She cycled through every move in her arsenal, including strange "variants" she'd picked up.
Most of those tricks came from her "filming practice" sessions. While she hadn't become a good director, she'd ironically become a much sharper battler.
Gurkinn, Korrina, and the others watched with wide eyes.
They couldn't possibly imagine how Mew had learned those techniques. To them, it only proved Haru's skill as a Trainer.
To bring out such creative applications of even simple moves—he had to be on a whole other level.
That thought passed through all their minds at once.
In the end, though, perhaps Mew simply grew bored. She suddenly used Transform—and turned herself into her own daughter.
Originally, for her to transform into a first-rank deity was an extremely difficult feat—and even if she managed it, she would never be able to wield its full power.
But Mewtwo's genes were simply too close to hers. So when she transformed, the process felt surprisingly effortless, and the strength she displayed was much closer to that of Mewtwo herself.
The moment Mewtwo saw the other take on her own form, she flew into a rage.
To her, this was nothing short of Mew belittling her. At once, she launched several Psystrikes straight at Mew.
And then… she realized, at some point, she had been sealed?!
She couldn't even use her own signature move to break through—yet Mew, transformed into her, could cast it freely?!
Though Mew's version lacked the raw force of her own, being struck by her own technique was already humiliation enough for the proud Mewtwo.
And at that very moment, the Mew who had likewise taken on human form teleported behind her, smiling sweetly as her breath brushed like orchids at Mewtwo's ear:
"Why are you so intent on striking me down? Could it be… you're jealous of me?"
"Jealous that I have a master who cherishes me?"
"Or is it that what you're longing for… is a mother's love?"
"It's fine, you know. You can cling to me all you want."
Breaking free of the Seal, Mewtwo swung a furious strike behind her—but it hit nothing. In the instant before her blow landed, Mew had already blinked away to another spot with Teleport.
Rage—this was the only thing left in Mewtwo's heart.
Having been toyed with again and again, her fury was now a blazing fire.
If she couldn't smash that smug little brat's face in tonight, she doubted she'd be able to sleep.
"I will… I will win!"
Blinded by wrath, Mewtwo first forced herself through a burst of Recover, barely regaining some stamina, before charging a fist down toward her "mother."
But alas—the gulf of experience between them was simply too vast.
When Mew finally tired of the game, she swiftly ended the battle with a mix of Ghost- and Dark-type moves…
The invincible Mewtwo collapsed.
This was her second defeat. Compared to her loss against Necrozma, the sting she felt now was far greater—so much so that it shook her to the core.
Once again, she began to question herself. Did she truly deserve to bear the name Mewtwo?
Was she really a match for Mew at all?
Lying battered upon the ground, Mewtwo asked herself these questions again and again—but no answer would come.
It was then she noticed someone standing before her.
One of her progenitors—Mew's true master, Haru.
"I see unwillingness in your eyes," Haru said.
"Ordinarily, what I should do in this moment is comfort you. Tell you that your defeat comes only from the gap in experience between you and Mew."
"But… I won't do that. Instead, I'll ask you this."
"Do you want to become stronger?"
"Do you want to evolve further, to reach the true limit of your being?"
"In this world, there are only two first-rank deities with the potential for Mega Evolution. And you… you are one of them."
"My child, Mewtwo."
"What?!"
Haru's words had barely fallen when, from afar, voices of shock rang out from Gurkinn and Korrina.
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