Having finished feeding his Pokemon, Ash walked indoors and saw Cynthia and the others already sitting in the living room. He casually sat on a couch and curiously asked, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Miss Cynthia wants to know more about you; she's quite interested," Brock said a bit jealously, though it's unclear what he's jealous about.
"Uh... interested in me? Is it a battle, Miss Cynthia?" Ash was initially taken aback, then realized something and said excitedly.
To say nothing else, if Cynthia proposed a battle, he'd definitely not refuse. He wanted to see just how wide the gap between him and a Champion was now.
As for challenging Cynthia himself... partly because he wasn't that arrogant. If Cynthia challenged him, it would be called guidance; if he challenged her, it'd be asking for trouble.
However, Ash hadn't thought that deeply about it; he simply thought Cynthia was a guest from afar, visiting Kanto, and since it was during the Quartz Conference, challenging her might be somewhat presumptuous.
That's why he wouldn't proactively challenge Cynthia. In truth, he wanted a battle with her.
If Cynthia were to propose a battle now, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
Cynthia, about to say something, hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "Sure, let's have a match then."
Misty & Brock: ...
Seriously, sis, wasn't the topic just now something else? How did it suddenly turn into a battle?
"Let me test how strong you are now; although it's not your Pokemon's strength that matters…"
"What?" Ash didn't hear Cynthia's last murmured words; he was too happy about battling her.
"Nothing. So where are we going to battle? With our levels, we can't just fight outdoors randomly."
An Elite Champion-level match can't be fought casually in the wild; it would be devastating to the environment. Especially at Champion level, if they go all out, even if they are miles away from the Quartz Arena, the arena would still be affected.
This is the destructive power of Champion-level Pokemon, nearly divine.
Mewtwo and Ash's battles even destroyed an entire New Island. Although not as exaggerated, Champion-level battles require more than just casual combat.
'No worries, I'll limit the battle's aftershocks within an arena's range.' A mature female voice echoed in everyone's minds, and Cynthia, hearing it for the first time, looked surprised.
She looked around, finally focusing on Ash: "That voice... Is it your Pokemon, Ash?"
"Yes, she's Mewtwo."
"Mewtwo... I see, it's that Pokemon." Cynthia's face showed a sudden realization.
Apparently, she was aware of Mewtwo's existence.
Though Mewtwo appeared in the Kanto League, within Team Rocket's control, the Pokemon had a significant global impact because it was a Divine Domain-level Pokemon created by humans.
Though Mewtwo wasn't Divine Domain-level while with Team Rocket, she became one later, harboring thoughts of destroying human civilization.
Later she was influenced by Ash and stayed by his side, a fact known only to the Elite Four.
The Elite Four told the League and others that Mewtwo left after recovering, as no one could hold her back given her power.
Lorelei, Cynthia's close friend, didn't tell her about Mewtwo, using the public line that Mewtwo had disappeared.
Now Mewtwo appeared here by Ash's side, and the clever Cynthia figured it out without needing further explanation.
"You have such a card up your sleeve, this task entrusted to you puts my mind at ease."
"Huh?" This time Ash heard Cynthia, but he was confused; what task was she entrusting to him?
"Nothing... Speaking of which, will you use her in our battle? Then I would be the challenger~" Cynthia placed her hands behind her, relaxed.
Even knowing Mewtwo's Divine Domain-level status and Ash might use her against her, Cynthia showed no panic.
"No, no, this time my battle against Miss Cynthia is with Pikachu. Normally, I wouldn't let Mewtwo take the field." Ash waved his hands emphatically.
If Mewtwo were to appear, it wouldn't be a battle; he wouldn't learn anything.
A Divine Domain versus below that is a dimensional attack, even if Cynthia's command is excellent, she couldn't win.
Even with strategies within the group, Ash's command needs six Champion-level Pokemon to even have a chance against Divine Domain-level Pokemon.
While Cynthia is formidable, Ash doesn't believe she can surpass his Parallel World self, at best equaling him.
So with Mewtwo, the battle ends before it even begins.
"Pikachu, huh... Let's go." Cynthia looked at Pikachu with a thoughtful gaze, then stood up and led the way out. Ash and Pikachu shared a glance and quickly followed.
…
Outside on a piece of open land, since the entire area was private property of the homeowner and a bit far from the Quartz Conference venue, few people came here, and no one knew Ash lived here.
Though he had fans, they weren't fanatical enough to stalk him home.
The group of four stood on the open ground, Misty holding Togepi and Brock standing two meters behind Ash. If Champion-level combat broke out, this distance would surely be collateral damage.
But with Mewtwo present, such problems could be easily resolved; even Ash himself could block the battle's aftershocks, but then he couldn't fully focus on battling Cynthia.
Currently, Pikachu was at Gym Peak; even with Aura Power stacked, it couldn't reach Champion-level. Even if Cynthia used the Champion primary level, Pikachu would struggle, so Ash must gamble using all available means to win.
Mewtwo silently appeared by Misty and Brock's side, creating a conspicuous barrier enveloping the entire area, excluding Ash and Cynthia outside it. Inside the barrier, Ash would manage, but Cynthia wouldn't withstand the explosive aftershocks.
Misty glanced at Mewtwo and felt calm. Mewtwo had been in the group for a while, and as the initial slight fear turned into full acceptance of Mewtwo, the process wasn't too daunting.
Now they fully regard Mewtwo as a partner, and Mewtwo feels the same, otherwise, given her solitary nature, she wouldn't have proactively set up the battleground for Ash and Cynthia.
"Please, Pikachu, let's give this our all!"
"Pika Pika!"
Pikachu nodded, then jumped away from Ash, passing through Mewtwo's created azure barrier onto the battlefield.
Cynthia thought for a moment, then threw a Pokeball: "Please, Togekiss."
A flash of light revealed a large white airplane-like creature on the field, Togepi's final evolution—Togekiss!