Mewtwo used telepathy to share the image of the pink figure from its dream with Nozomi.
"That's it."
Mewtwo looked at Nozomi and said, "The figure I've been chasing all this time."
"Mew."
"What did you say?" Mewtwo froze for a moment.
"I said, that Pokémon is called Mew. And coincidentally, I happen to know where it lives." Nozomi smiled at him.
That was exactly the outcome Nozomi had been hoping for.
"That one's called Mew?" Mewtwo murmured, then looked back at Nozomi, realization dawning. "You mean you can take me to find it?"
"Of course," Nozomi replied lightly. "As I said before — if you become my Pokémon, I'll help you understand the meaning of your existence in this world."
He smiled.
Capturing Mewtwo was now practically a done deal.
If Mewtwo had been a being without desire or purpose, it would have been difficult to win it over. But since Mewtwo yearned to understand the meaning of its existence, Nozomi would help it find that meaning.
Facts. Logic.
He had said everything that needed saying, done everything that needed doing.
Nozomi believed that as long as Mewtwo possessed even a shred of reason, it wouldn't reject his offer.
Sure enough, after a brief hesitation, Mewtwo finally nodded.
"I accept."
Mewtwo had decided to take Nozomi's deal — to become his Pokémon.
Partly because the promise of understanding its purpose was too great to resist, and partly because it had nowhere else to go.
During its time with Giovanni, Mewtwo had learned all too well that as a Legendary Pokémon, it would be coveted wherever it went. It didn't want to spend its days fending off endless challengers. Staying with Nozomi wasn't such a bad choice.
"Then, I'll be in your care from now on."
Nozomi extended his hand.
Mewtwo glanced at it, then reached out its three-fingered hand and gently clasped Nozomi's. And just like that, Mewtwo officially became Nozomi's Pokémon.
Perhaps their bond would still take time to deepen, but for now, Nozomi could at least command Mewtwo in battle — and his overall strength had risen dramatically.
"Since you're one of us now, let me introduce you to my other Pokémon."
He threw all of his Poké Balls.
Dragonite, Leafeon, Ivysaur, Steelix, Haunter, Misdreavus, Dusknoir, and Golden Magikarp.
Along with the Metagross already on the field, nine Pokémon appeared together, completely filling the space.
"Hmm? Nine Pokémon? Haven't you activated your Poké Ball transporter?" Sabrina asked curiously.
Normally, Trainers only carried six Pokémon at a time. That wasn't just a League rule for official tournaments — research had shown it was the optimal number for both training and care. After all, a person's time and energy were limited; feeding and caring for too many Pokémon every day would leave little time for proper training.
"I've just been busy lately, so I haven't gotten around to transferring them," Nozomi replied.
Of course, he knew that rule — but with everything that had happened recently, he hadn't had time to send any back to Professor Oak.
He hadn't planned to raise that many Pokémon long-term anyway.
For example, of the three Ghost-types he had, he only intended to keep one by his side. Steelix, being powerful enough already, didn't need further training, so he planned to leave it in Professor Oak's care temporarily.
While Nozomi was explaining this to Sabrina, Mewtwo was already meeting the other Pokémon.
Though its aloof nature made it seem distant, it still acknowledged them all — even the Magikarp bouncing excitedly on the ground.
On the surface, at least, Mewtwo seemed to get along fine with them.
After introducing everyone, Nozomi recalled his Pokémon one by one, and Mewtwo willingly returned to its Master Ball. Through the ball's translucent shell, Mewtwo could be seen sitting quietly inside, eyes closed in meditation.
Nozomi tied the Master Ball securely to a string and hung it around his neck. Then he turned to Sabrina.
"Well then, I'll see you at the Indigo League."
According to their prior agreement, Nozomi would lend Mewtwo to Sabrina after the tournament.
"See you at the Indigo League," Sabrina nodded, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes.
Whether she was looking forward to Mewtwo — or to seeing Nozomi again — was hard to say. Maybe both.
Saffron Department Store
After parting with Sabrina, Nozomi arrived at the Saffron Department Store.
Right outside the entrance, he immediately spotted Lorelei sitting on a bench, fixing her hair with a small mirror.
"Lorelei."
Nozomi approached and waved his hand in front of her.
Lorelei blinked, then looked up. When she saw who it was, she raised her wrist and pointed to her watch.
"You're late."
Nozomi glanced at the time — indeed, he was nearly ten minutes late. He coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem. Sorry about that. I got held up with something."
Lorelei eyed him suspiciously, her nose twitching faintly as if testing the air.
Although nothing had happened between Nozomi and Sabrina, the situation was… delicate. He immediately changed the subject.
"So, did you finish things up with the League?"
He remembered the chaos from earlier — nearly a thousand Team Rocket members had been captured in that building. There was no way it had all been resolved so quickly.
"Of course not," Lorelei said with a laugh. "But that wasn't my jurisdiction anyway — Lance is handling it."
Apparently, she'd dumped all the work on him just so she could go shopping with Nozomi.
"Poor Lance," Nozomi sighed.
Just imagining the mountain of paperwork — the detainment, the aftermath, the compensation claims — made him silently pity the Dragon Master.
This was not a task that could be finished in a day or two. Nozomi figured Lance would be buried in it for at least half a month, cleaning up the mess from the Rocket incident.
"Enough about that," Lorelei said, waving her hand. "I haven't even had lunch yet, and it's nearly evening. Let's grab something to eat first."
Hearing that, Nozomi realized his own hunger too and nodded.
"I found a famous barbecue place in Saffron online. Let's go there."
"Barbecue, huh? Sounds good." Lorelei smiled.
"Then it's decided — barbecue first, shopping after," Nozomi said.
This was, after all, his first official date with Lorelei.
And he couldn't help feeling a little excited.
As they walked side by side under the city lights, their voices blended softly into the night.