Chapter 257: Establishing a Soul Bond with Mewtwo!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
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"..."
The Fodder Mewtwo, in its state of extreme rage, was still erupting with energy. A great net of blood-red Confusion shot out, covering the two Viridian Gym Leaders at once.
He was seeing red, attacking friend and foe alike!
"Hmph, even like this, you're still just fodder. You're not quite down to the level of a common pest yet," Green sneered, not bowing his head in the slightest.
Giovanni: "..."
But before either of them could make a move, Mewtwo, who was still in the middle of its furious rampage, suddenly stopped. The red glow around its body dissipated, and the howling energy vanished into thin air. Even its pupils lost their focus, as if its very soul had been hooked and pulled away, leaving behind an empty shell.
Yet, its body remained levitating in mid-air, wrapped in psychic energy. The swirling power around it was dangerous to approach.
Unlike the completely baffled Giovanni, Green instantly understood what had happened, because he sensed a familiar aura.
"Tsk, has that fodder arrived?" he muttered with a pout, clearly displeased.
It felt annoyingly like having his kill stolen.
The next second, a tremendous, furious shout suddenly echoed in Green's mind, making his head spin.
"You're the fodder! Your whole family is fodder!!"
Green: "..."
Powerful Psychic-type Pokémon could, to some extent, control the power of the soul. A Psychic-type Pokémon on Mewtwo's level could even separate a soul from its body.
Within Ash's soul space.
The Fodder Mewtwo appeared here. Unlike its physical body, its soul state represented the deepest willpower of its heart. For a Mewtwo full of inner turmoil, its willpower was not actually that strong, and the face of its young soul bore no trace of its earlier ferocity.
It just had a completely bewildered expression.
It looked around at the gray, hazy scenery, a question mark on its face.
"Where is this?"
A moment ago, Fodder Mewtwo had been unleashing its energy. Then, as if drawn in by an irresistibly attractive black hole, it appeared here in the next second.
Was this a mighty one of this world?
Mewtwo was an artificial Pokémon, not part of the natural order of things. It was possible that some passing native powerhouse had captured it to issue a warning.
Was he going to be deported?
He could faintly sense two extremely powerful wills existing within this space. One of them even felt strangely similar to his own aura, as if they shared the same origin.
Lifting his head, he saw the source of one of the two powerful wills. It was a man sitting on a Grand Master's Chair, about 17 or 18 years old. He wore a red baseball cap, and his expression was cold and detached, his eyes gazing at Mewtwo without a ripple of emotion.
"Mewtwo, your heart is lost. You cannot find the meaning of your own existence."
Red didn't deliberately stay silent to act profound. His opening words struck directly at Mewtwo's dao heart, causing its pupils to shrink violently.
That was right. This was the source of all its confusion.
As an unnatural Pokémon created by humans, what was the meaning of its life?
He stayed with Team Rocket and even helped Giovanni cause trouble everywhere simply because of something Giovanni had once said.
"At thirty, you will be free of doubts."
The meaning was simple: if Mewtwo worked for him for thirty years, it would no longer have any confusion.
"Heh, that old scoundrel Giovanni only ever thought of you as a tool. He never planned on helping you with anything."
At that moment, the other powerful, yet familiar, will sneered. Fodder Mewtwo hurriedly looked left and right but couldn't see its source at all.
Fodder Mewtwo grew anxious. Just as it was about to ask the familiar will for answers, Red, on his Grand Master's Chair, suddenly raised a hand, stopping its inquiry.
"There's no need to ask. The meaning of life is something you must comprehend for yourself. No outsider can help you."
The older Mewtwo agreed with this statement and said no more.
This only confused Fodder Mewtwo even more. *If you're not going to tell me anything, why did you drag my soul here?*
"Oh, in that case, let's fast-forward to the punching session."
Red raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers. His figure then suddenly and bizarrely vanished from the Grand Master's Chair.
Fodder Mewtwo: "?"
"Swoosh!"
The next second, another soul appeared on the Grand Master's Chair. This figure also wore a red and white baseball cap, but he was much younger than the previous one, and his expression was that of a hyperactive child. His posture, however, was strange; he was cracking his knuckles, raring to go.
"This is..."
Fodder Mewtwo's eyes widened. This third soul that had suddenly appeared was completely different from the previous two. It wasn't particularly powerful, yet it gave him a very special feeling.
It was as if...
It was as if all the willpower in this world revolved around this one soul...
If one were to describe it with a theoretical framework, it could be called a certain hypothesis.
Ash's Heart Theory.
Ash curiously sized up the Fodder Mewtwo before him. It looked a bit like a human, and a bit like a Pokémon. Very peculiar.
"Oh, so you're the little bro who wants to throw down with me? Your skin is pretty pale, but I hate pretty boys the most!"
His expression suddenly turned hostile. He was reminded of that pretty boy, Gary, and immediately dropped to the ground to do two push-ups as a warm-up.
Although Brother Red had told him to skip the chatter and go straight to the punching, Ash had rejected the suggestion.
How could you have a fight without announcing your name?
"Hey! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, the future Pokémon Master! Remember the name of the man who's about to beat you until you cry!" he shouted with righteous indignation.
Fodder Mewtwo: "?"
Before it could say anything, Ash, in his soul state, had already launched a Flying Tiger Pounce, slamming straight into Mewtwo and knocking it to the ground!
He then rolled up his sleeves, and his meaty fist smashed right toward Mewtwo's eye socket.
"Ahem... Is this really okay?"
On the sidelines, the spectating older Mewtwo asked with some doubt.
"It's not a big deal. This Mewtwo is still in its initial stage. To leave an unforgettable bond etched into it, this is the simplest method," Red replied.
That's right. The two of them planned to help Ash catch this Pokémon.
In any case, it couldn't be allowed to keep working for Giovanni, and it certainly couldn't be caught by that guy Green!
One had to remember, back in Cerulean Cave, the older Mewtwo had beaten Green to tears...
Given Green's petty personality, if this Mewtwo really ended up with him, there was no question it would become a true tool-Mewtwo, equipped with the toolset of Cut, Surf, Rock Smash, and Strength. It would also be a way for Green to get revenge for Red messing with his bird.
Of course, whether it would be caught or not was a matter for the future. At this stage, this Mewtwo still needed a period of training on its own; catching it now would actually be bad for it.
What needed to be done now was to let Ash establish a bond with this Mewtwo in its initial stage.
Bonds could be good or bad, but a good beating, while neither good nor bad, would definitely create a bond.
And the deepest kind of bond, without a doubt, was to drag the other party's soul over and beat it up directly, letting them experience an unforgettable soul bond!
That way, no matter how this Pokémon developed in the future, the deepest part of its soul would forever be connected to Ash.
The older Mewtwo: "..."
*Why does it feel like this is a setup to screw over this youth named Ash?*
He could already imagine a future where Mewtwo, having attained divinity and reached the pinnacle of strength, suddenly descends like a war god and beats a bewildered Ash to tears.
"By the way, can Ash even beat him?" the older Mewtwo asked again.
Red: "It's not a big deal."
In the soul space, external strength was irrelevant. The contest was one of willpower, and in that regard, this newborn Mewtwo had no advantage whatsoever against Ash.
Sure enough, on the battlefield of the soul space, Ash had already pinned Mewtwo to the ground. He unleashed a muscle-combo punch right into its eye sockets, instantly giving it two tragic-looking black eyes.
Mewtwo was beaten black and blue, its soul felt dizzy, and its expression was one of utter confusion.
*Where am I?*
*Who's hitting me?*
*Why are you hitting me?*
The newbie's innocent expression made Ash pause for a moment, finding it hard to continue.
"No, Brother Red said that the harder I beat him now, the greater my benefits will be in the future!"
With this thought, Ash instantly lost all pity. He redoubled his efforts and let loose another barrage of blows.
*Hahaha, my future is finally looking bright!*
The older Mewtwo: "..."
*Youth, your future... it looks like it's already done for.*
(end of chapter)