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Mewtwo's disappearance caused quite a stir within the entire Alliance. After all, its importance to the Alliance was self-evident, and the Alliance had heavily guarded Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's treatment was going well, and its body was slowly recovering, but its consciousness remained unresponsive, so the Alliance had relaxed its vigilance.
The result was that in the blink of an eye, Mewtwo had simply vanished.
No matter how much the Alliance relaxed its guard, there were absolutely Psychic-blocking measures around Mewtwo. They certainly wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
However, Mewtwo's abilities far exceeded their imagination. Even with Psychic-shielding measures, Mewtwo could still use its own Psychic powers to escape.
The world is so vast; for a Champion-level Psychic Pokémon to escape, finding it again would be harder than ascending to heaven!
Lorelei could only cling to a faint hope and call Ash, but Ash indeed had no information.
Although Ash was also very concerned about Mewtwo's disappearance, since it was already gone, even if his Aura's search function was powerful, it was completely useless for a Mewtwo whose whereabouts were entirely unknown.
Finding Mewtwo in such a vast world would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack, unless Ash had been present at the moment of Mewtwo's disappearance; then he might have been able to stop Mewtwo with his own power.
As for now... he might as well just go to bed. The world is so big; how could he find Mewtwo?
Therefore, even though Mewtwo's disappearance was a big deal, Ash didn't pay too much attention to it, only temporarily suppressing the matter in his heart, planning to deal with it if he encountered Mewtwo in the future.
However, on the third day of Mewtwo's disappearance, which was the seventh day since Ash returned to Pallet Town to begin training, Ash received a letter.
The letter was delivered by a Dragonite. That Dragonite not only delivered a letter to him but also carried a large pile of letters, appearing to be a dedicated messenger Dragonite.
Misty and the others couldn't help but exclaim how extravagant it was for someone to send a fully evolved pseudo-legendary Pokémon to deliver mail.
Ash opened the envelope, and a holographic figure jumped out from within.
"Congratulations on qualifying for the Strongest Trainer Challenge. In three days, a Strongest Trainer Qualifier will be held on New Island. You are welcome to come and accept the challenge, competing for the title of the Strongest Trainer," the figure in the envelope said.
Immediately after, the figure on the envelope disappeared, replaced by the location of New Island.
"The technology used in this letter is truly advanced. It can display a holographic image on the envelope, and even set up two layers of images. Who could possess such technology?" Brock narrowed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and wondered aloud.
Frankly speaking, even the current Alliance temporarily couldn't achieve such technology. It's not that the Alliance's technology is weak, but rather that the Alliance dedicates most of its research efforts to Pokémon. For the Alliance, this kind of research is not a priority.
So the Alliance doesn't have this technology yet, but that doesn't negate the fact of its exaggerated technological power.
"Gardevoir~" Gardevoir came to Ash's side and spoke softly.
"You said you sensed a familiar Aura on this envelope?" Gardevoir's words made Ash's face show surprise.
Just from an envelope, she could sense a familiar Aura. Wouldn't the originator of the letter be someone Gardevoir was extremely familiar with? But besides him, who else could Gardevoir be so familiar with?
"Gardevoir~~" Gardevoir nodded, a hint of uncertainty on her face as she spoke.
"You're saying the power that made this envelope is Psychic, and you're familiar with this Psychic power?" Ash repeated Gardevoir's words, his mind constantly pondering. After a moment, his expression began to change.
Someone who could make Gardevoir feel familiar, and who was a Psychic user, in Ash's impression, there seemed to be only one Pokémon—Mewtwo!
Besides Mewtwo, whose spiritual essence was within Gardevoir's body, Ash didn't know who else could make Gardevoir feel this way.
So, this letter was sent by Mewtwo? She wants to determine the strongest Trainer? What's gotten into her?
"Ash, this letter couldn't be..." Brock also thought of that possibility, then asked Ash with some uncertainty.
"It should be correct, it's Mewtwo's doing," Ash nodded gravely.
At these words, Misty couldn't help but cover her mouth, her face showing shock. Mewtwo actually came looking for them proactively? And also wanted to determine the strongest Trainer on New Island?
"Wait a minute, Ash, this letter talks about determining the strongest Trainer, right? So, does that mean someone has captured Mewtwo, then used Mewtwo's power to send out this letter, to satisfy their own vanity?" Misty thought of a possibility.
That is, Mewtwo might have already been captured, and the captor is the original sender of this letter.
He used Mewtwo's power to create this letter, then distributed it throughout the world, calling upon Trainers from across the world to participate in the so-called Strongest Trainer competition.
Any Trainer with a bit of pride and spirit would probably go, and the person holding Mewtwo naturally most wanted to see this scene. The more people he defeated, the more it would satisfy his vanity.
"Mewtwo has been captured? Who could do such a thing? Is it Giovanni again?" Brock couldn't imagine who could possibly capture Mewtwo.
Don't look at how easily Ash seemed to defeat Mewtwo, but Mewtwo's power was evident to everyone. Even if Lance, the Dragon Master, came, he might not be able to subdue Mewtwo.
Moreover, if Mewtwo wanted to run, Lance definitely couldn't stop it. So, to capture Mewtwo, one would need at least a Champion-level Psychic Pokémon to stop Mewtwo when it tries to escape, and also possess the strength to defeat Mewtwo head-on.
Someone who could defeat Mewtwo head-on and intercept a fleeing Mewtwo is practically non-existent in this world.
So, who is this new guy who captured Mewtwo?
"Ash, are you going? The other party has captured Mewtwo, and the danger level is probably even more severe than the battle with Giovanni," Misty asked Ash with some worry.
In her heart, she naturally didn't want Ash to go to such a dangerous place. This was no longer an adventure or a challenge; it was practically going to one's death!
Unless Ash could recreate Lucario's miracle, otherwise, she didn't know how Ash could fight such a person.
"Yes, I must go. I can't let Mewtwo fall into the hands of someone unknown. It was hard enough to get her out of Team Rockets; how can I let her escape one den of wolves only to enter another?" Ash decided without hesitation. He was going to this Strongest Trainer competition!
He didn't care about the title; he cared about Mewtwo's whereabouts and her current situation.
From his brief communication with Mewtwo, Ash could sense that it wasn't a cruel Pokémon. The reason she made the moves Blaine mentioned was either due to Giovanni's influence or an infection from being around Team Rockets.
In any case, that was definitely not Mewtwo's true nature!
Now, after finally rescuing it from Team Rockets, it had fallen into the hands of another person. How could Ash accept that!
He must bring Mewtwo back!
"Then should we tell Lorelei and Professor Oak? You can't go alone!" Brock didn't stop Ash, because he knew that even if he did, Ash would still go his own way. It would be better to let Ash gather more helpers.
If Ash went alone, it would be too dangerous. They had already made this mistake once; they couldn't make it a second time.
Moreover, although Lorelei didn't come during the Giovanni incident, she was monitoring remotely. If it weren't for the contract Giovanni produced, Lorelei would have intervened immediately at the first sign of things getting out of control.
This time couldn't be like dealing with Giovanni, after all, Giovanni's situation somewhat required adherence to rules and a slight concealment of Lorelei's presence, all to lure Mewtwo out.
But this time, Mewtwo was already, in essence, in the open, so they could just go directly to find her.
"Alright, then let's inform Lorelei and Professor Oak, and see what they say," Ash pondered for a moment and agreed with Brock's suggestion.
Although Ash was quite confident in his own strength, he was facing someone capable of capturing Mewtwo. He didn't know what means the opponent had, so it was better to be prepared... Three days later, at the dock—
The sky was gloomy, lightning flashed frequently, rain poured down, winds howled, and waves crashed in layers!
To go to New Island, one had to depart from this place by boat, then cross a stretch of sea to reach New Island.
But today's weather was as if it had gone mad. Gale-force winds, lightning, torrential rain, and various unexpected conditions raged across the sea, making it impossible for ships to sail.
At the dock, there were not only Ash and his two companions but also Lorelei, wrapped in a gray cloak, and a sea of Trainers.
The invitation for the Strongest Trainer had spread throughout Kanto, and anyone with a bit of interest was preparing to go to New Island, but who would have thought such a thing would happen.
Why did the storm have to come today of all days, and such an unprecedented one at that? In this weather, going out to sea was simply unrealistic, and many Trainers gave up on going to New Island.
One could only say this was fate; fate didn't want this Strongest Trainer competition to be held.
Ash was in the Pokémon Center, looking through the window at the flashing lightning outside, his eyes showing a thoughtful gaze.
These lightning bolts, these heavy rains... he felt as if there was a power at work within them.
This was not a natural phenomenon, but man-made, or rather, a Pokémon's doing!
'To influence nature to this extent, perhaps only a Champion-level Psychic Pokémon could achieve it. Could it be Mewtwo? But it doesn't make sense; wasn't Mewtwo's Trainer inviting us to New Island? What's the meaning of this now?'
As Ash was deep in thought, a voice sounded in his ear: "Hey, Ash, what do we do now? Are we still going?"
Ash turned his head, and a spiky-haired young man came into view: "Of course we're going. No matter what, I have to rescue Mewtwo. Gary, if you're not going, you can go home now."
Gary had also received the invitation for this Strongest Trainer competition. Ash had also told Gary the truth about this situation. Upon learning that the instigator was Mewtwo and the mysterious Trainer behind it, Gary was initially a bit hesitant.
But in the end, he still chose to come. As a Trainer, if one doesn't have the courage to face challenges, how can one become an Elite or Champion? How can one become the strongest Trainer in the world?
He had agonized for so long, and after coming here, it was raining heavily. Was it that heaven didn't want him to go?
But even in the face of this storm, Ash was still determined to go to New Island. So, as Ash's rival, he certainly couldn't fall behind. If Ash went, he would go too!
"Go home? No way! If you go, how can I not? I can't let you have the title of Strongest Trainer. How do you plan to go?"
"I'll take you," Lorelei, wrapped in her gray cloak, said softly.
Then, led by Lorelei, they arrived at the seaside. Lorelei lightly tapped the Poké Ball on her waist. With a flash of light, a blue Pokémon with a huge shell on its back appeared on the sea—Lapras!
Lapras is an extremely rare Pokémon. Although not as rare as a pseudo-legendary, it is still very difficult to encounter in the wild.
However, it was not surprising that Lorelei, as one of the Elite Four, owned a Lapras. What surprised Ash was that this Lapras was Champion-level!
Even for Champion-level Trainers, having a Champion-level Pokémon is extremely rare. For Trainers like Lorelei, who are nominally part of the Elite Four, having a Champion-level Pokémon is even more incredible.
Kanto may have declined, but Kanto's high-level combat power was not just for show!
"Let's go," Lorelei said, leaping onto Lapras. The heavy rain poured onto her cloak, completely soaking it. Now that cloak probably weighed over ten kilograms. In such conditions, Lorelei could still jump so far; her physical fitness was not bad!
Ash thought silently, then threw a Poké Ball. Blastoise appeared on the sea.
"Lorelei, you and Misty ride Lapras. Brock, Gary, and I will ride Blastoise. This way it won't be too crowded."
"I'm fine with that, but can you manage?" Lorelei looked at the churning waves with some concern.
"Don't worry, for Blastoise, this level of waves is easily overcome!" Ash said, then took Brock and Gary onto Blastoise. The two Pokémon, amidst the strong winds, heavy rain, and churning waves, set off towards New Island!