Ash—a youth who had set out from Pallet Town.
"He really has grown up a lot… and that expression… it's genuinely nice."
Damian watched the black-haired boy in the middle of the trio not far away. The endless energy, the curious look people get when they arrive somewhere new—it was familiar. And with that "electric rat" sitting on his shoulder, it brought back a lot of memories.
What a shame. I wonder if Ash ever came back later.
Damian glanced at the two traveling with Ash—Misty and Brock. In his past life, from the "Original Series" that began in '97 to the end of "Journeys" in '23, Ash's companions changed again and again. But Misty and Brock were the most memorable—especially Brock, who stayed with him all the way until the end of the Sinnoh journey.
"Whoa!!! What kind of Pokémon is this?! It's way too cool!"
Ash suddenly noticed something. His eyes lit up and he ran straight toward Damian.
Damian tilted his head slightly. Ash stopped right in front of Armored Mewtwo and started reacting loudly, completely amazed.
"So cool, so cool!! This is just too awesome!"
"Pika… chu!"
The electric rat also made a small, surprised cry.
Armored Mewtwo's face was fully hidden behind its helmet; only its eerie purple eyes could be seen faintly through the visor. If anything, the helmet made it look even more unfamiliar—and harder to read.
"Ash!!"
Ash's sudden sprint left Misty speechless. She and Brock hurried after him.
"Huh? Why is there no data?"
Ash pulled out his Pokédex, trying to identify the high-tech, armored-looking Pokémon. But the "No Data" message on the screen made him freeze for a second.
Armored Mewtwo glanced at Ash and the Pikachu on his shoulder. It didn't care about the boy, but Pikachu happened to meet its gaze.
In an instant, Pikachu's fur stood up. Its body went stiff. A cold sense of danger hit so hard it almost triggered an electric discharge on reflex.
This thing is extremely dangerous!!
Pikachu forced that instinct down, warning itself over and over in its mind.
"Its name is Mewtwo. It hasn't been recorded in the Pokédex yet, so your device can't find anything," a gentle voice said nearby.
Only then did the trio notice the young man in white standing next to Armored Mewtwo.
What a good-looking guy!
Mewtwo? A newly discovered Pokémon?
Misty and Brock had completely different thoughts at the same time.
"So it's called Mewtwo? Even the name is super cool!"
Ash stayed excited, practically vibrating with energy.
"Yeah," Damian said, nodding. "Good taste. I think Mewtwo looks great too."
Honestly, if you ignored the size difference, Armored Mewtwo really did look like a Gundam—solid, intimidating, and striking.
"Excuse me," Ash asked, "is Mewtwo your Pokémon?"
"Yes. He's a very important partner to me," Damian replied with a smile.
Behind the visor, Armored Mewtwo's eyes flickered slightly. It didn't speak, quietly accepting Damian's words.
"That's awesome! I've got one too! This is Pikachu—my most important partner!"
Ash gave a big, bright smile as he introduced his closest teammate.
"Pika!"
Pikachu cooperated by lifting a small paw toward Damian. It definitely did not want to look at Armored Mewtwo again.
"What a cute Pikachu." Damian reached out and patted Pikachu's head.
Pikachu blinked. It didn't resist. For some reason, this person's scent and presence felt comfortable.
"Hehe…" Damian's reaction made the still-naive Ash grin and rub his nose. As long as you like Pikachu, we're friends!
So Ash introduced himself quickly and confidently.
"Hi! I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Right now I'm traveling for the Indigo Plateau Conference, but my dream is to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master!"
"Hello, I'm Misty."
"My name is Brock."
"I'm Damian. Nice to meet you," Damian replied politely.
His voice was calm and pleasant. With his clean appearance and steady manner, he gave a strong first impression.
Take Misty, for example. She was already thinking about what to name her and Damian's future children. No, no—don't get distracted by looks! I'm the woman who's going to save the Cerulean Gym!
But when she saw Damian's warm smile, her cheeks still turned red.
Aaaah! How can he be exactly my type?!
"Damian… so it really is you!"
After Damian introduced himself, Brock remembered immediately. His eyes—usually narrowed—opened as wide as they could.
"Huh? Brock, you know him?" Misty said, startled.
"Of course I do," Brock said. "Damian was last year's Indigo Plateau Conference Champion. He beat everyone without trouble the whole way. It was a huge topic for a while."
Brock gave Misty a strange look. It was one thing for Ash to be scatterbrained, but did Misty not check anything either? Damian's run—using only a single Annihilape from start to finish, treating the other participants like NPCs—had been discussed nonstop on the Kanto League's official forums.
"That person is Damian?"
Misty froze, then she remembered too. Near the end of last year, she'd heard her three sisters constantly talking about a "new heartthrob"—the winner of the Indigo League. But Misty had been focused on restoring the Cerulean Gym and training, so she hadn't paid attention.
"Ah?! Damian, you were last year's Indigo League Champion?"
Ash's eyes lit up again. Now he understood.
"Yes," Damian said with a light laugh. "But honestly, the opponents that year weren't very strong. It got boring."
The Kanto League still hadn't released any news about his connection to Team Rocket, likely for that reason. Damian's performance last year had been too extreme, which made him unexpectedly popular. For a brand-new star like that to suddenly be revealed as Team Rocket wouldn't be good for the League.
"Amazing! I'm going to win the Indigo Plateau Conference this year too!" Ash said, full of motivation.
"Tch… If it's you, Ash, you're definitely not beating Red, right?" Misty said, curling her lip.
"Misty, come on! Even if it's Red, I'm not losing!" Ash argued, stubborn.
Damian raised an eyebrow. That was an interesting name. And…
"Damian."
Armored Mewtwo's raspy telepathy sounded in his mind.
"What is it?"
"This person carries a special, scorching aura. The owner of that aura is very powerful."
Armored Mewtwo was referring specifically to Ash.
"Oh?"
For Armored Mewtwo to call something "powerful"… what kind of Pokémon could it be?