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The goal was set.
Next came implementation.
Over the past month, through books and Li Xiang's verbal accounts, Mewtwo had at least on paper, learned a good deal about human society's common knowledge.
If it were transformed into a human and dropped into a crowd, it could probably get by without issue.
It knew to look for a police officer if in trouble, go to the hospital if sick, and find a job if broke.
The prerequisite for entering human society was gaining the trust of Uxie and Mo Ye, making these two gatekeepers aware that it posed no threat. Only then could Mewtwo leave Mist Island.
Otherwise, it could try fighting its way out?
Fighting might be simple, but then it would easily become a "wanted criminal," potentially even implicating Li Xiang.
Mewtwo glanced at Li Xiang, who was tidying up the dishes. Regardless, it couldn't and didn't want to drag him down.
It seemed another method was necessary.
—Winning trust and building rapport.
This was a rather tedious process, but one that would bring it immense benefits. After all, before it stood one being at the pinnacle of human society and another at the pinnacle of the Pokémon world.
Having connections within the inner circle made things easier.
If it gained Mo Ye's trust and goodwill and had a conflict with humans, it could go to him.
If it gained Uxie's, and couldn't make it on the outside, it could return to live on Mist Island.
These two points were something it and Li Xiang had discussed together.
Setting aside the assumptions that it would inevitably clash with humans or fail to survive outside, Mewtwo felt this made a lot of sense.
But just as Li Xiang had previously said, it was easier said than done.
Given the personalities of those two, no matter how well-behaved it was, they might not proactively let it leave.
For over a month, they had never asked about its intentions, even seemingly ignoring its existence. This indicated that from the very beginning, they had hoped it would settle down long-term on Mirage Island.
If it never left, there would be no conflicts or unforeseen variables.
A different kind of sealing.
But how could it waste its wonderful time on this floating island, only a few hundred square kilometers in area?
Even if Li Xiang were still here, it could tolerate it. But someday he would have to leave and return to human society.
How could it continue to stay then?
Snap!
A crisp snap of the fingers.
"What are you thinking about?"
Li Xiang's voice sounded beside it, interrupting its thoughts.
[Contemplating the process we discussed before.]
Mewtwo looked up and replied.
"Oh, so when are you planning to cozy up to that Dragonite?"
Li Xiang pointed at the dishes, waiting for Mewtwo to wash them voluntarily.
Starting with simple things, gaining Uxie's favor by breaking through from the Knowledge Museum was a good choice, and the only one it had interacted with somewhat, leaving a decent impression, was that Dragon Sage who spent more time sleeping than awake.
That fellow seemed to have considerable influence among the Ten Sages.
If it acted as an intermediary, Mewtwo might gain the trust of the Ten Sages.
Then the first step would be complete.
[When I'm resting.]
Mewtwo used its psychic power to control the dishes, creating a whirlpool in the flowing stream to rinse them.
Such a small task took only five seconds.
"You don't actually have to worry about me. The number of Phantoms has already decreased significantly. With Kingdra and the others around, safety is guaranteed."
Li Xiang knew why Mewtwo had formulated a plan but hadn't acted on it.
[Step by step. No rush.]
Mewtwo's one sentence silenced him. If even this wasn't rushed, what else was there to say?
Time flew by like a fleeting steed.
Previously, Lucario had said there were tens of thousands of Phantoms, but that was an exaggeration.
Based on Li Xiang's observations over these days, even though one or two Phantoms still occasionally emerged from the ley lines, the number definitely didn't exceed ten thousand.
Not to mention that sometimes a few mindless ones would escape the island.
A wave of huge gains had turned into a wave of modest gains, which disappointed Li Xiang slightly, but it was better than nothing. And so, another week passed.
The Phantoms had gone from a pervasive nuisance, creatures you could encounter while fetching water, to just a handful.
Under Mewtwo's relentless tracking using its Clairvoyance ability, they became nearly endangered.
Their numbers were almost exhausted.
Li Xiang realized that this eventful activity with many rewards was nearing its end.
Elsewhere, from the time he had handed over the honey paste, less than a week had passed outside, but the internal composition had been roughly analyzed.
The conclusion was: an unknown, high-energy reactive substance containing many unrecorded components.
However, among the known components, no harmful substances existed.
Perhaps Li Xiang could try feeding a small amount and then confirm there were no issues through regular check-ups. After all, dosage was a crucial factor in toxicity.
What else could he do?
He would feed it, of course.
He was already feeding them that jam from before.
Fortunately, Incineroar and the others got enough daily exercise; otherwise, they might have gotten quite fat.
Perhaps Incineroar would truly become a fat tiger.
Just as he was on the verge of exterminating the Phantoms, Uxie descended from Trophy Mountain again.
[Good work, young man. Ah, so diligent. Hardworking young trainers like you are rare these days.]
Uxie spoke with its eyes closed, giving the impression it was lying through its teeth.
It'd probably get along very well with Brock. In the anime, it was also an out-of-body experience that sought him out.
"You flatter me. May I ask, when will Mirage Island disappear? And after it disappears, can we still freely enter and exit?"
Li Xiang nodded, asking a very important question.
[Regarding that, you definitely won't be able to come and go freely. You'll have to wait until its next appearance.]
[Based on past patterns, Mirage Island would exist for one month of Mist Island time. We've already passed nearly half of that.]
Uxie looked up at the blazing sun.
[But this time is rather special, so it will stay for another month. The time flow rate will remain unchanged.]
The time ratio between Mist Island and Mirage Island was slightly more than one to three. Existing for two months of Mist Island time would equate to nearly seven months inside Mirage Island.
Only a month and a half had passed, meaning Mewtwo still had over five months left.
Plenty of time, relatively speaking.
Uxie's approach was actually a bit of encouragement and hinting. It hoped Mewtwo could prove it was safe and gain true freedom, but unless it spoke up, no one could be certain that was its intention.
This was the detestable nature of riddle-speakers.
Li Xiang, on one hand, felt grateful to Uxie, but on the other, deeply loathed this creature that looked cute yet refused to speak plainly.
Less scheming and more sincerity—if things were like Mewtwo, how wonderful would the world be?
Of course, Li Xiang had Mewtwo to thank for gaining more time to grow.
The biggest gap between himself and those powerful trainers was simply time.
Seven months inside the island, one month outside. Ordinary people couldn't understand just how great that felt.
Mewtwo was a lucky star.
However, winning over others was something Mewtwo had to do for itself.
Li Xiang couldn't devise strategies for Mewtwo for its entire life; eventually, they would have to part ways.
In every anime featuring Mewtwo, it was also exceptionally good at gaining the affection of other Pokémon.
It didn't need his help at all.
Mewtwo understood this principle as well, yet it still couldn't hide its disappointment.
"Oh, don't make that face. Maybe someday I'll get tired of city life and come beg you to take me traveling with you."
Li Xiang patted Mewtwo's shoulder and laughed.
"Maybe you'll even find me annoying then."
Essentially, he was trying to tell a joke to lighten Mewtwo's mood.
However, the latter asked with extreme seriousness: [A promise?]
"...Yeah."
Li Xiang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
For Mewtwo, besides freedom, only "promises" likely mattered most.
Keeping one's word was a fundamental principle of being a living creature.
It always believed in this.
Therefore, [I will wait for you. Always.]
Mewtwo revealed a radiant smile, so bright that Li Xiang couldn't help but blink. If he went back on his word now, he'd probably feel guilty for life, he thought to himself.
The next day, Slowking came up for a look around.
After confirming the Phantoms had been eliminated, it looked at Li Xiang with considerable admiration.
"Young man, thank you for your help. You've truly done us a great service."
It held Li Xiang's hands.
"We really don't know how to repay you for solving this big problem for us."
Honestly, the Ten Sages hadn't expected Li Xiang to actually clean up the polluting Phantoms on Mirage Island, just as he had said because they couldn't understand his reason for doing so.
Was there profit to be had?
Phantoms didn't drop equipment.
So they had long been prepared for Li Xiang to quit.
They never imagined he would actually succeed!
"It was nothing."
Li Xiang responded cheerfully.
"Just being able to enter this earthly paradise is satisfying enough for me."
Slowking was even more moved and immediately decided that the doors of Mist Island would always be open to him, welcoming him to visit anytime.
The token he had been given before didn't need to be returned; it could serve as a beacon for entering Mist Island.
Furthermore, if he ever had any difficulties, he was welcome to come to the Knowledge Museum to find it.
It seemed Li Xiang had, ahead of Mewtwo, gained the friendship of Mist Island's Pokémon.
Of course, Mewtwo's contributions likely hadn't been forgotten either; at the very least, Slowking's gaze toward Mewtwo was noticeably kinder.
Li Xiang was overjoyed.
Without a doubt, this was a pleasant surprise.
Mist Island was a treasure trove of nature. Simply living on Mist Island could bring joy to one's mind and body, let alone eating its food and drinking its water.
After staying on Mirage Island for over a month, Li Xiang felt he had been elevated considerably.
It was as if he had gone from an ordinary person to a true novice.
Along with that, his Beng Quan and Ten Forms of Ksitigarbha had seen significant improvement.
Move sequences that were previously incomprehensible had become simple and easy to understand.
It was as if a layer of fog had been lifted.
Incineroar and the others were also full of praise.
The irritable Metagross had initially struggled to accept a life away from computers and video games. But as time passed, its internet addiction had been completely broken.
Now, it preferred racing through the sky with Mewtwo, the two Psychic-type Pokémon flying around like fighter jets.
All of them had grown.
After seeing off Slowking, Li Xiang patted Mewtwo on the shoulder.
"Looks like we've managed to build up quite a bit of goodwill by chance."
[So it seems.]
Mewtwo nodded.
But it understood that if not for Li Xiang's needs, it wouldn't have bothered with the Phantoms in the first place.
All the credit belonged to Li Xiang.