Kairos worked at a breakneck pace, fine-tuning and arranging Mewtwo's mirror encounter.
Finally, just moments before Mewtwo reached Slateport City, he completed the setup. At that exact moment, Mewtwo's game character stepped onto the busy docks of Slateport.
In the holographic display of the invitation card, the dock scene rendered in stunning detail.
The massive Wailmer fountain sent up clouds of mist. Cargo ships bellowed their horns. Tourists chattered excitedly.
Yet all this vibrant noise only made his sense of isolation worse. Instinctively, he avoided the crowds and walked alone toward the quiet beach at the city's edge.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, painting both sky and sea in matching shades of red and purple. The ocean breeze stirred gently as waves lapped against the sand with a soft, rhythmic sound.
This peace only made the confusion churning inside Mewtwo's heart feel sharper.
He guided his character to stop beside a rocky outcrop, facing the endless ocean, apparently lost in thought.
Just then, a semi-transparent system notification quietly appeared:
[Special atmospheric conditions detected... Resonance level increasing... Hidden story event triggered...]
Something was coming.
Mewtwo's guard shot up instantly, his psychic energy snapping taut.
In the game screen, the air before his character began to ripple, light and shadow twisting together.
A figure materialized silently, its back turned to him, also facing the sea.
The instant he recognized that figure, Mewtwo froze completely.
That was...
Himself?
This thing looked exactly like him.
Mewtwo's psychic power reached out instinctively. There was no collision or resistance, only a sensation eerily similar to his own, yet somehow even purer in its cold detachment.
This wasn't another version of himself. It was more like another mirror.
The mirror image slowly turned around.
Its face showed no expression, yet its hollow eyes seemed capable of piercing through everything, staring straight into the depths of Mewtwo's soul.
A glacial thought drove into Mewtwo's mind like an icicle:
"What are you looking for? Power? Proof that you matter? Or... the reason you exist?"
"You keep thinking that training your Marshtomp and Beedrill, earning badges, beating opponents... how is any of this really different from what those people made you do? It's just another routine they programmed into you."
"You hate being controlled, yet you've locked yourself in a cage made of efficiency. Haven't you become a controller yourself, in a way?"
Each word struck at Mewtwo's most vulnerable spots.
Cold rage mixed with the humiliation of being seen through so completely.
Mewtwo seemed to force himself to stay calm as he replied icily, "Power is everything. They're tools, a means to an end. This has nothing to do with control. This is... simple logic."
The mirror image's lips curved into a mocking smile, and a cold laugh rang out:
"Logic? You dismiss emotional bonds as meaningless, yet you can't explain why Gym Leader Brawly smiled at his Pokémon after losing, calling them his 'partners.' Can your 'logic' make sense of that 'inefficient' connection?"
Brawly's cheerful grin flashed through his mind, along with those words: "Your Pokémon really trust you, don't they?"
More images surfaced before Mewtwo's eyes: Marshtomp's pure, trusting gaze in the glow of evolution; Beedrill believing in him even on the verge of fainting at Rustboro Gym, enduring that final hit; the wordless understanding between old man Hachi and his Wingull...
A strange sensation rippled through Mewtwo's core.
No. This shouldn't be happening.
The thoughts they'd drilled into him surged through his mind: You're just a weapon. Weapons don't need feelings. Emotions are weaknesses.
Self-denial crashed violently against this new realization, bringing Mewtwo a level of inner chaos he'd never experienced before.
"You look down on human emotions as weaknesses," the mirror image's voice suddenly sharpened, "but you don't even have the guts to face your own confusion. You're afraid to admit that those 'meaningless' interactions have shaken something inside you."
"What scares you so much? Scared to admit you're not 'perfect'? Scared to admit... that you actually want connection with other living beings?"
"Shut up!"
Mewtwo's psychic power exploded in a furious roar.
At the same time, in Team Rocket's underground laboratory, the cultivation tank's instrument panels erupted in flashing red lights, accompanied by shrill alarms.
Purple light blazed around Mewtwo's entire body as the culture fluid churned violently around him.
In the game, he thrust out his hand, an invisible psychic shockwave blasting toward the mirror image.
But the light effect passed straight through the phantom and vanished without a trace.
The mirror image stood completely unmoved, smiling again.
"Look. The power you talk about. Completely meaningless. You can't even beat yourself."
Before the words finished, the mirror image transformed into pure psychic energy and surged into his consciousness.
In that instant, countless agonizing fragments came flooding into Mewtwo's vision:
The sensation of cold metal restraints digging into his body...
The tearing pain after energy overload...
The emotionless commands over the intercom...
And those figures in white coats, looking at him as if he were nothing more than a weapon...
"Ngh!"
In reality, Mewtwo curled up in pain inside the cultivation tank.
In the game screen, his character collapsed to his knees on the beach, hands clutching his head.
The mirror image had already faded, leaving only one final statement behind.
"Think carefully. If you refuse to be their weapon... then what do you want to be?"
[Host alert: Invitation card player "Mewtwo" psychic connection forcibly disconnected due to severe fluctuations!]
[Warning: Psychic fluctuation level exceeds safety threshold!]
[Emotion points calculated: 600 (Source: Confusion/Pain/Anger)]
Kairos stared at the system notifications, his expression complicated.
Honestly, the mirror image's performance had exceeded his expectations.
He'd originally intended to use it to make Mewtwo confront his confusion, but he hadn't expected the mirror to tear open Mewtwo's wounds so viciously, pushing him to the breaking point.
Still... from the looks of it, he'd gotten the effect he wanted, hadn't he?
What came next depended on whether Mewtwo could find his own answers.
He could only hope the big guy would pull through soon.
Kairos shook his head slightly and closed the invitation card function.
Who knew when his next connection with Mewtwo would be.
At 9 PM, while working on Emerald's second playthrough content and the expanded maps for Dark Phantom, Kairos suddenly received an email from Adam's team.
The email contained the initial playable build of Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time. Though still rough in Kairos's opinion, the framework was solid.
And honestly, for what he needed, that was more than enough.
He immediately activated the system modules to enhance the graphics, generate the opening cutscene, and set up the character AI logic.
Then he opened the Regional Forms concept expansion pack and selected activate.
In the next moment, an invisible scanning wave swept across Hoenn's mountains and rivers, touching the borders of Kanto and Johto.
Mt. Chimney's magma, Petalburg Woods' hidden groves, Mt. Pyre's mist, all of it was precisely captured and converted into blueprints for game ecosystem zones.
The engine hummed as it calculated ecological chains based on the data: heat-resistant Slugma and Numel inhabited lava caverns; the foggy cemetery became a haven for Ghost and Psychic types, following nocturnal patterns...
Something incredible happened.
Random algorithms kicked in, and certain Pokémon forms began to subtly shift.
First, a Marowak, influenced by Hoenn's ancient tomb environment, its bones turning pale white, wreathed in ghostly blue flames. Its bone club lengthened considerably, its typing stabilizing as Ghost/Rock.
This guy... actually looked pretty cool. Maybe rename it Cemetery Form Marowak?
Kairos raised an eyebrow.
Next, Kanto's Grimer appeared to have been contaminated by Hoenn's industrial waste zones in the simulation.
It became thick and pitch black, its surface gleaming with metallic oil slicks, transforming into a hard-shelled Grimer with Poison/Steel typing.
Holy crap, Poison/Steel?
Kairos glanced at it and immediately saved this absolutely broken type combination.
After that, under Kairos's modifications, the dungeon complexity began to skyrocket.
Sandstorms raged through desert mazes. Heavy rains flooded forest floors. Dense fog obscured player vision.
In Fire-type dungeons, lava started flowing and rockfall traps multiplied.
Hidden passages required specific type moves to open: flames melting ice barriers, water streams washing away sludge.
Players could even encounter legendary Pokémon apparitions that needed rescuing deep within dungeons...
Massive amounts of data, terrain, ecosystems, Pokémon, items, quest text, were all precisely integrated by Kairos into the program framework.
He also fixed numerous bugs and optimized performance.
Not only that, after brief consideration, Kairos enhanced the experience of playing as a Pokémon: he added vivid physical gestures like Pikachu nuzzling faces to show affection, Bulbasaur using vines to pull up fallen teammates. He enriched voice options and designed numerous charming partner interaction animations.
The final step was adding a simple local rescue record leaderboard and sharing functionality.
After finishing everything, Kairos suddenly realized dawn was already breaking.
Exhaustion washed over him. After one final check to confirm the game was bug-free, he clicked the publish button and went straight to bed.
Once he woke up, he'd see how the release was received.
Two hours later.
Iono's stream came online. Her energetic face appeared against a background packed with Pokémon plushies.
She looked like she'd rushed to start streaming, barely styled at all, yet her eyes sparkled with unusual brightness.
As she went live, floods of fans poured in, and the chat immediately came alive:
[Good afternoon, Iono!]
[Huh? Isn't today your day off? I remember your announcement said you were resting today!]
[Surprise stream! What happened?]
Iono looked at the chat and grinned.
"Good afternoon, everyone! Yep, today was supposed to be a lazy rest day, but!" She drew out the word. "I got some absolutely mind-blowing news! Couldn't keep it to myself! So I had to hop on right away!"
Chat curiosity exploded:
[What news? New merch dropping?]
[Could it be... that thing? The rumor going around?]
Iono nodded vigorously, clapping excitedly. "Nope, neither! It's that 'Wind Workshop' that made the masterpiece Emerald! They just released a new game! Dropping any minute now!"
"I think it's called Mystery Dungeon or something?"
Chat instantly exploded:
[Holy crap! For real?! Wind is back already?! How long has it even been??]
[Is this a *Dark Phantom* sequel? Or an expansion?]
[Take my money! How much this time? My wallet's ready!]
[If Wind made it, it's gotta be gold! Let's go!]
"The official trailer just dropped. First time seeing it myself! Let's watch together!"
Iono excitedly clicked her mouse and switched screens. The stream began playing the promotional video for Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time.
Pale lightning tore through storm clouds. Savage waves swallowed a lone boat like some massive beast.
A tiny human silhouette on the bow was tossed up and down, completely helpless.
Iono gasped. "Whoa, this opening! So intense! Is someone in trouble?"
Chat started flooding:
[Damn, this art style! Cinematic quality!]
[When wind works, it's always different! Money burning on screen!]
[This ocean scene is incredible! I'm so immersed...]
Just then, a burst of pure, brilliant light tore through the darkness, accompanied by deep, resonant sound effects that swept across the entire screen.
As the light faded, the camera focused on a fluffy, somewhat confused orange paw.
The perspective slowly pulled back, revealing a Charmander lying on a white sandy beach. Waves lapped gently. Sunlight streamed down.
A calm, magnetic narration voice began: "When you wake, the world has changed. This is a wondrous world." "And you... have become a Pokémon."
Iono felt completely stunned.
Wait, what?
Become a Pokémon?
She'd imagined many possibilities for this studio's new game, but becoming a Pokémon? How could anyone have guessed that?
At the same time, chat absolutely lost it:
[This studio really never does anything conventional, I'm dead]
[The protagonist turned into a Charmander, what the hell!]
[Bulbasaur fan here, not happy! Why not Bulbasaur?]
[Wait, so if you're a Pokémon now, what's the main storyline? Beat up trainers?]
[Curious +1]
As everyone discussed, the footage began rapidly cutting between scenes:
The Charmander protagonist faced a pile of damp firewood, awkwardly puffing out its cheeks and *poof*, releasing a small orange flame that successfully lit a campfire.
Warm light pushed back the surrounding darkness.
A Pikachu wearing a scarf approached, smiling warmly at the Charmander.
A Bulbasaur nervously backed away in a dark, damp cave, vines slightly raised.
Before it rolled Geodude closing in and Zubat hanging silently from the ceiling, spreading their wings.
A massive overhead map appeared, showing a Squirtle carefully moving through it. The grid spaces contained grass patches, rocks, and unknown shadows.
Iono spoke rapidly, excitement clear: "Look! That's the core gameplay! This is an exploration game! Lighting fires, encountering wild Pokémon! No wonder they went with pixel art again, it really fits this style."
"But... the game's called Mystery Dungeon something... what's the connection to rescue? I don't see it?"
Many in chat posted similar questions.
But just then...
A help letter marked "SOS" fluttered down in the wind, landing before the protagonist Charmander and that Pikachu.