It took ten minutes for them to get to know each other.
Mewtwo grew increasingly curious about this new member.
Brain tissue lesions and incomplete function — this was the first time it had encountered such a thing.
What was the difference between a diseased brain and a normal one?
Driven by a thirst for knowledge, Mewtwo wanted to investigate further. Perhaps it could even fix the problem.
Diseased tissue could simply be healed, couldn't it?
Having recently learned Heal Pulse, Mewtwo felt it should be capable of doing something remarkable. It began to approach the Galarian Meowth on its own, often looking at it with a strange expression.
As for the Galarian Meowth, it just wanted to stay as far away from this executioner as possible. It felt that even the leader of the Savage Hounds Gang, Zoroark, wasn't as terrifying as this creature — not even one ten-thousandth as frightening!
This obvious aversion caught Li Xiang's attention.
Of course, he knew that while Mewtwo had a strong leadership presence, not every Pokémon would necessarily take a liking to it. It was normal for some to dislike it. But such blatant rejection definitely had a reason.
He tried to find the cause, but the Galarian Meowth remained tight-lipped, as if it had some unspeakable secret.
Asking Mewtwo?
It didn't reject the Galarian Meowth at all; in fact, it seemed eager to get closer. So the problem had to be with the Galarian Meowth itself.
...Well, to each their own. Maybe it was simply annoyed by Mewtwo's persistent attention.
After a brief moment of thought, Li Xiang decided not to dig any deeper. It was meaningless and might cause the Galarian Meowth to resent him.
They were still in the early stages of getting to know each other, and it was better to be tolerant and give each other enough personal space. After all, the Galarian Meowth hadn't been raised by him from birth; it already had a mature set of values.
But what Li Xiang didn't know was how desperately the Galarian Meowth wished he would keep investigating, so it could be "forced" to tell him what a terrifying being Mewtwo really was.
Unfortunately, Li Xiang gave up.
This trainer is useless!
The Galarian Meowth was furious inside, but it didn't dare approach Li Xiang on its own.
—The entire house was under that guy's surveillance. No matter what it did, it couldn't escape Mewtwo's eyes!
Ever since Mewtwo had started standing at the door on time to watch Li Xiang enter, the Galarian Meowth had fully understood this. The big cat, suffering from paranoia, kept its distance from Mewtwo even more.
On the other side, Mewtwo had initially planned to let things cool down, but seeing the situation heading toward an unpredictable direction, it decided to clear up this little "misunderstanding" to prevent the Galarian Meowth, who always thought it would strike, from worrying further.
So, one morning when the Galarian Meowth was preparing breakfast and Li Xiang and his Pokémon had all gone out for training, Mewtwo quietly slipped into the kitchen.
It used its psychic power to seal off the area, ensuring that neither sound nor body could leave this space unless it was defeated.
In front of the stove, the Galarian Meowth, while chopping vegetables, suddenly sensed the scent of blood approaching and couldn't help but shudder.
"Y-you! Stay away from me!"
It spun around, pointing its claws at Mewtwo, hissing, though it knew full well it was no match for it. The gap between them was immense.
"There's no need to be nervous. I won't do anything to you. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have waited until now. I'm just here to explain and avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Mewtwo's expression remained calm. If it weren't for the Galarian Meowth being Li Xiang's Pokémon and affecting their relationship, it wouldn't have bothered. It would have let it think whatever it wanted.
What did it have to do with Mewtwo?
But, reluctantly, to avoid being scolded by Li Xiang or having him hold a grudge, it was necessary to clear things up.
The two were only about two meters apart. Mewtwo hovered in the air with its hands behind its back, and the entire kitchen seemed to freeze, creating an eerie scene.
The Galarian Meowth hesitated for a moment, thinking it over.
As Mewtwo had said, the power gap was huge. Mewtwo could probably crush it with a single finger. It wouldn't need to resort to a sneak attack, especially since there was no reason to.
Maybe it really was overthinking things?
The Galarian Meowth didn't actually want to have a falling out with Mewtwo either. If there really was a special reason and it had misunderstood, clearing things up would be for the best.
"...Alright, go ahead. I'll listen while I cook."
The Galarian Meowth turned back around. "I'm on a tight schedule. Can't waste time."
"Fair enough."
Mewtwo nodded slightly. "It's nothing major, really. I just did to those humans what they had done to others."
No matter how many underlying reasons there were or how much value was created, cruel acts never change their nature. The success of genetic engineering, the creation of Mewtwo, even the creation of Porygon — all of it was built on countless failed or partially successful experiments. And experiments inevitably produced "casualties."
When Mewtwo had torn through most of the base, what it found underground were piles upon piles of "waste products" and the countless unnamed beings who left behind nothing but cold records.
How cruel humans were.
As it gazed at them, the first emotion that arose in Mewtwo's heart wasn't anger, but a kind of lament. It marveled at how humans, while dominating the world, had never stopped harming Pokémon for all kinds of reasons.
Then came the urge to destroy — still without any anger mixed in.
Mewtwo simply wanted to know how humanity would cope when their civilization was completely ruined and they were left face to face with powerful Pokémon. Wouldn't that be interesting?
The first step toward that goal was to make those humans taste the pain that Pokémon had endured.
This wasn't about revenge for the test subjects, nor was it about venting a sense of shared suffering, nor was it an act of righteous justice.
No.
Mewtwo realized deep down that it wasn't doing the right thing, but that didn't stop it from continuing. Because it was truly entertaining.
When those people were confused and in pain, wondering why they had to suffer, desperately searching for answers, arguing with it, begging for its mercy — Mewtwo felt a deep pleasure from within. It also noticed that, at some point, it had fallen into a dark state.
So this was a negative emotion too.
It understood, and before it could strike at the innocent, it stopped in time and returned to its normal state.
Looking back, Mewtwo realized it had been boasting when it said the black energy wouldn't interfere with it. The black energy itself was negative emotion.
Any creature with feelings had negative emotions — that was unavoidable for everyone.
But what was done was done. Mewtwo didn't intend to make excuses for it.
When Interpol and the Ranger Union arrived, Mewtwo voluntarily explained everything that had happened.
They were furious.
On one hand, it was because Mewtwo had broken its promise, doing cruel things to many who couldn't fight back.
They had shown Mewtwo enough respect, only adding a light "restraint" with gentle words, hoping it wouldn't harm anyone or destroy nature indiscriminately. They had never mentioned any consequences if it broke its promise — because they trusted Mewtwo to keep it.
What did that mean?
It meant that everything depended on Mewtwo's own conscience and sense of morality. If it wanted to keep the promise, it was unbreakable; if not, it was just a few notes.
Mewtwo had betrayed their trust.
It showed that their faith had been nothing but one-sided fantasy.
On the other hand, it was because of the horrifying scenes inside the research base.
The Ranger Union, in particular, was deeply affected. Their mission was to protect Pokémon, nature, and humans, always carefully maintaining the balance. When one side harms the other, those who operate on love and dedication suffer the most.
Why couldn't both sides develop together?
Why did there have to be harm?
Their idealistic pursuit was deeply wounded within those walls.
Fortunately, the Chief Rangers had anticipated the situation and brought only seasoned veterans. If they had sent rookies, who knows what chaos might have ensued.
Needless to say, things had escalated.
In the end, Mewtwo, having broken the agreement, received a fitting punishment — one it accepted itself: it had to help investigate matters related to visitors from other worlds. The gold it had was compensation.
To be honest, the punishment was almost negligible.
Even if they hadn't asked, Mewtwo would have tried to investigate on its own anyway.
"I have never taken a single life. I may have gotten some blood on my hands, but I can assure you, every human I dealt with is still alive."
Mewtwo crossed its arms. Even at its most violent, it never forgot that taking a life was a line it absolutely could not cross — even if some of the things it had done were far worse than killing.
"..."
The Galarian Meowth was silent, its feelings complicated. Even from Mewtwo's few words, it could tell that those test subjects must have been in a terrible state, and those humans probably weren't much better off.
Mewtwo's actions might have been cruel, but from another perspective, maybe it was a form of revenge for them? Even if that wasn't its intention.
"Rest assured, I won't do anything strange to you."
Mewtwo waved its hand. It might have been curious about the Galarian Meowth's brain lesions, but it wouldn't hurt someone just to satisfy its curiosity.
"So, if possible, I hope you won't say anything to Li Xiang. I harmed his kind, after all, and I broke my promise. Speaking of it won't change anything — it'll only make things unpleasant for everyone. Better left unsaid."
"...Fine."
The Galarian Meowth nodded. It didn't want to seek justice against Mewtwo; it was only afraid of being harmed itself. It still had unfinished business and didn't want to die young.
"But is it really okay to keep this from Li Xiang forever? Nothing stays hidden forever."
The Galarian Meowth stirred the pot with its spatula. "Instead of deliberately hiding it, it's better to admit it openly. Right or wrong, honesty is the foundation of a true partnership."
It wasn't judging whether Mewtwo's actions were right or wrong. The important thing was that when Li Xiang trusted Mewtwo, had Mewtwo reciprocated that trust?
They clearly cared about each other.
"I'm just saying. The decision is yours."
The Galarian Meowth glanced at the silent Mewtwo and spoke casually.