Pikachu tilted its little head back, its nose twitching constantly as it sniffed the air!
In just half an hour, a feast so lavish it made people sigh in admiration was laid out before everyone.
After finishing everything,
Gengar clapped its hands together.
"Koujie~"
Amidst the applause of countless Pokémon, Gengar proudly planted its hands on its hips!
As expected of it!
Even Ash couldn't help but pull Gengar over.
"It really has to be you, Gengar!"
"Koujie~"
Gengar grew so shy it almost looked like it was blushing, twisting its body and turning away bashfully.
Gary: What are you blushing for, you bubble-teapot!
Seeing this scene gave Gary a massive headache.
Seriously—
What kind of Trainer matches what kind of Pokémon!
Gengar has completely turned into you, Ash!
Forget it.
For the sake of this ridiculously delicious meal, he'd refrain from complaining this time!
Thinking that, Gary accepted the bowl and chopsticks Gengar handed him and proactively joined the banquet.
The feast officially began.
Ash sat beside Cynthia.
How could attentive Gengar forget that Cynthia loved desserts?
Placed in front of her were all kinds of elaborately crafted sweets.
After taking a bite of a dessert she liked, Cynthia's eyes curved into blissful crescents.
At the same time, she didn't forget to share it with Ash.
After personally feeding a macaron into Ash's mouth,
The smile on Cynthia's face was impossible to hide!
Meanwhile, Gary—sitting right across from them—was completely speechless.
He suddenly felt that the grilled meat in his hands wasn't tasty anymore!
Damn it!
Don't spread dog food while people are eating!
As for Mewtwo—
It simply watched quietly.
Yet the slight curve at the corner of its mouth betrayed it.
It, too, was enjoying this warm, home-like atmosphere.
But suddenly—
Mewtwo stood up!
Its gaze locked tightly onto the moon in the sky!
"Save me."
A mysterious voice echoed within Mewtwo's mind.
It sounded like a plea for help.
Who was it?
Mewtwo could only vaguely sense a blurry silhouette—
It couldn't make out the figure clearly at all!
It was as if some force was interfering with its perception.
That familiar feeling!
Team Rocket!
Seeing Mewtwo's abnormal behavior, everyone turned to it in confusion.
"Mewtwo, did something happen?"
Ash walked up and asked.
Mewtwo didn't explain.
Instead, it directly synchronized its senses with Ash!
Ash froze for a moment.
Then that same voice echoed in his mind.
"Save us…"
The voice was extremely weak, as if just asking for help had already exhausted all its strength.
"Mewtwo, what's going on?! Who's asking for help?"
Ash could feel the urgency and anxiety in that voice and could only ask Mewtwo.
"I don't know."
"Then what do we do?! We can't just stand by and do nothing!"
At this moment, Cynthia and Gary also came over.
"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked.
Seeing everyone gathered,
Mewtwo synchronized its senses with all of them.
Then it stated its decision.
"I can't leave this island. The children here still need me. So, Ash—help me with this."
"No problem! Leave it to me!"
Ash agreed without the slightest hesitation—
He didn't even know what Mewtwo needed him to do before saying yes!
Mewtwo glanced at Cynthia and Gary.
"We're the same," Gary said bluntly.
"In that case—"
The next moment, pale blue psychic energy enveloped the three of them.
Mewtwo used Teleport once again, transferring them away.
In an instant, the trio vanished from Mew Island.
The next second, they appeared in a completely unfamiliar place.
After they materialized—
There were already two figures standing in front of them.
"Tobias! Why are you here?"
"That's my line. Why are you here?"
...
[Brandon: Tobias… that name sounds really familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.]
[Tobias: If nothing unexpected happened, the person on the screen should be me.]
[Brandon: ...]
[Brandon: It's you! That arrogant guy who claimed to have captured the Nightmare God, Darkrai!]
[Tobias: I'm not arrogant, and I never claimed it. If you don't believe me, look closely—Darkrai really is standing beside me.]
[Steven: Hahaha, poor Brandon got shut down. He thought he was about to slap someone in the face, but ended up getting slapped himself!]
[Brandon: Heh, Champion Steven, you're quite humorous.]
[Flint: Anyone who can capture Darkrai is definitely strong. How about a battle with me? I haven't found a suitable opponent in a long time.]
Flint wasn't lying.
His opponents were either too weak—or ridiculously strong.
Ash's Infernape could even defeat Moltres. Surely his own Infernape could handle Darkrai too!
Besides, Tobias didn't look that strong!
Definitely no match for Cynthia!
Perfect—he'd be Flint's first opponent after recovering!
[Tobias: Sorry, I'm currently lost on the path of life.]
Tobias glanced at the surrounding primeval forest and replied solemnly.
[Flint: No problem! I recognize you as an opponent!]
[Iono: Hey, old man, you still have the nerve to think about that? How about paying back the money you owe me first? Otherwise, don't even think about leaving Paldea—just stay at my Gym and work it off.]
[Flint: !!!]
[Flint: Volkner! Save me!]
[Volkner: Get lost. We're not that close.]
...
On screen—
Tobias's suspicious gaze swept over Ash and the other two.
Then, when he spotted Pikachu, his eyes lit up.
"You're that guy from the Lily of the Valley Conference, right? My semifinal opponent?"
"You jerk! My name is Ash! At least remember my name!"
"Pika pika! Pikachu!"
Tobias's reaction left Ash with a face full of black lines.
Even Pikachu was clearly displeased!
This guy was a full-on Mythical hoarder!
If Ash hadn't fully awakened as a god-slayer back then—
He would've chopped him down on the spot!
(The highly anticipated Ash Ketchum was eliminated in the semifinals of the Lily of the Valley Conference!)
Seeing the two of them fuming, Gary burst out laughing.
He hadn't expected there to be someone capable of breaking Ash and Pikachu's mental defenses at the same time.
This Tobias guy was something else!
Gary's gaze swept over Tobias, and suddenly his pupils shrank!
Behind Tobias, he saw a familiar figure.
As a Pokémon researcher, there was no way he could mistake it!
The legendary Nightmare God—
"Darkrai!"
"Oh? You know Darkrai too?"
"What do you mean 'too'? I'm a researcher—how could I not know Darkrai?! Ash, are you looking down on me or what?!"
Gary was genuinely grinding his teeth when he said that.
Are you seriously underestimating me that much?!
Watching the two bicker, Cynthia sighed helplessly.
She stepped between them, cutting off Ash and Gary's argument.
Then she turned to Tobias and asked about their current location.
They had been teleported here by Mewtwo without any preparation whatsoever—
They didn't even know where they were.
"Tobias, where is this place? Has anything strange been happening nearby?"
Cynthia spoke calmly.
First, they had to figure out where they were.
Second, they needed to know what had happened.
Those were the most important things.
After all, being suddenly teleported from Mew Island to here left Cynthia feeling uneasy—
Like things were slipping out of her control.
For someone like her, who preferred to keep everything within her grasp,
The recent events were unsettling.
The first was Ash's relationship with Diantha.
The second was Mewtwo's sudden use of Teleport.
The first issue—she still hadn't figured out how to deal with.
So she'd handle the matter at hand first.
After hearing Cynthia speak, Tobias finally turned his attention to her.
"Champion Cynthia, sorry—but I don't know where this is either."
That answer left everyone speechless.
"Huh? You don't know where this is? Then how did you end up here?" Gary asked.
"Well… I often get lost on the road of life and can't find the direction forward."
Gary: "6!"
"Then has anything unusual happened around here?"
Cynthia didn't dwell on that odd answer.
Earlier, she had glanced at the moon in the sky.
Just from that angle alone, she had roughly determined their location.
Unlike Mew Island in Kalos,
The moon here was positioned differently—meaning this was Sinnoh, on the opposite side.
With that conclusion, Cynthia no longer cared much about where they were.
She wasn't Leon—she wouldn't get lost in her own region.
Worst case, she could just have Garchomp fly up and locate a town from above.
What mattered now was figuring out what had happened here.
"Well, if you ask what happened… there is one strange thing."
Tobias stroked his chin, speaking with interest.
"I found a Cresselia here. I planned to capture it, but it was taken away by another Darkrai."
"Another Darkrai? Cresselia?"
Gary was confused. "Aren't those two supposed to be enemies?"
That didn't match what the textbooks said at all!
In everyone's understanding, the Lunar Pokémon Cresselia and the Nightmare Pokémon Darkrai were natural enemies.
But from Tobias's description—
They sounded more like a couple?!
Not just Gary—
"I don't know either. I was shocked when I saw it. But if we're talking about what's really strange—then the strangest thing is you three."
As he spoke, Tobias suddenly shifted the topic.
His gaze swept over Ash, Gary, and Cynthia.
Appearing behind him out of nowhere in the middle of the night—
No matter how you looked at it, something was off!
[Fantina: You have to admit, Tobias really lives up to being Darkrai's Trainer—his mental fortitude is impressive. If someone suddenly appeared behind me in the middle of the night, I'd definitely jump. He took way too long to react.]
[Morty: Fantina, you do realize you're a Ghost-type Gym Leader, right?]
[Allister: Yeah… that's kind of embarrassing.]
[Fantina: I meant they were suspicious, okay?! Don't twist my words!]
[Diantha: Exactly~ If a cold-faced woman suddenly appeared behind you at night asking questions, who wouldn't be scared~]
[Cynthia: Oh? You have a problem with that?]
[Diantha: Of course not~ What problem could I possibly have~]
[Cynthia: Good.]
[Caitlin: What's going on?! I asked you if you think Diantha and Cynthia feel like destined rivals! Ever since Diantha saw Cynthia's expression change on that plane, she's been competing with her nonstop! She runs, the other chases—she can't escape! Why are these two women constantly at odds, and why does it all trace back to him?!]
[Elesa: I'm invested! Update faster!]
...
On screen—
Facing Tobias's questioning gaze,
Cynthia found it hard to explain.
It was genuinely difficult to explain Mewtwo's existence,
Let alone why they had been teleported here.
Could they really say they came to save someone?
"We're here to save people!"
Ash blurted out first.
Gary: What are you saying?! You just say it like that?! Who would believe it?!
"So that's how it is. I understand now."
Gary: What do you understand?!
Watching Ash and Tobias communicate without any issues,
Gary felt his head start to ache.
Not only that—they were chatting happily!
They even brought up the Lily of the Valley Conference.
"If it weren't for you, I would've already been the Lily of the Valley champion!"
"Unfortunately, I was the champion that year. Champion Cynthia personally awarded me the trophy."
"That was cheating! Who brings Legendary Pokémon to a conference?!"
"There were no rules against it. No one stopped me when I registered."
"But you lost to Champion Cynthia in the end!"
"Even so, I was still the Lily of the Valley champion."
"Aaaah! Dare to battle me again! I'll definitely win this time!"
"I don't like fighting opponents I've already defeated."
"..."
That was emotional damage on top of emotional damage!
Tobias spoke the entire time with a blank expression, as if stating simple facts.
That made Ash furious!
At least show some expression!
You're being incredibly disrespectful!
How did the two of you even sync up like this?!
And why do you just believe everything he says?!
Aren't you two supposed to be rivals—why are you getting along so well?!
Is he naive? Or just dumb?!
How did someone like this even manage to capture Darkrai?!
Gary seriously suspected that Tobias was being controlled by Darkrai!
Otherwise, how could a Legendary Pokémon choose this kind of person as its Trainer?!
[Wallace: Hahaha, this is great. Gary looks like he's about to collapse.]
[Iono: I'm about to collapse too—Flint still hasn't paid me back and is freeloading at my place!]
[Volkner: Flint, you've committed all kinds of evil deeds!]
[Flint: What do you mean?! I'm working to pay off my debt! Which Gym has an Elite Four member stationed there? Iono, you should be happy!]
[Professor Kukui: Tobias really is interesting. Being able to sync with Ash on the same wavelength is a talent in itself.]
[Paul: A future Lily of the Valley champion? Sounds like a strong rival. I hope your battle skills live up to the title of god's messenger.]
[Tobias: I don't think you can force me to use my second Pokémon.]
Strange as Tobias was, his strength was undeniable.
With Darkrai alone, he could instantly defeat 90% of Conference participants.
Paul?
Tobias hadn't even heard of him—clearly not someone impressive.
[Paul: Just wait. The Lily of the Valley champion will be me.]
[Tobias: Then I'll look forward to it. I hope you can at least make me take out my second Poké Ball.]
[Ash: Don't underestimate me either! The future Lily of the Valley champion will be me!]
[Tobias: But the future you already lost to me. That has no reference value.]
Ash: "?"
If you can talk, then talk more, why don't you!
...
On screen—
In the end, Cynthia stepped in to smooth things over, preventing the argument from escalating.
Then she raised another question.
"Other than us, is there anything else unusual nearby? Or perhaps… has anyone been kidnapped?"
To be honest, Cynthia still hadn't fully believed Mewtwo's words.
Even though her senses had been synchronized,
That voice was far too ethereal—too unreal.
"Well, now that you mention it, I do recall something."
Prompted by Cynthia, Tobias carefully retraced his journey through the area.
"I think I saw several people wearing black outfits, with a big 'R' on them."
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