Pokémon: Starting with a Volcarona

After accepting this new perspective, Nathan quickly took action.

He began searching one by one for the secret bases that Chiyou had hidden throughout the capital.

"This isn't the place."

Standing in front of a villa, Nathan walked out slowly, having examined even the tiniest weeds.

There wasn't a single trace left behind—not even on the surveillance footage.

"This one's not it either."

Leaving a casino, Nathan silently headed toward the next location.

He had grown increasingly adept at this. He could now enter and exit even high-security places like a casino without drawing attention.

"This one's not the right one either…"

…

He had already searched through more than half of the suspected locations—five laboratories in total—before Nathan finally began to feel like his luck wasn't entirely cursed.

At the very least, he hadn't had to wait until the final base to find something.

It was in an abandoned residential area.

Such places were actually quite common in the capital—entire neighborhoods bought up early, intended to be resold at a profit, but ultimately left vacant due to market recession. Owners would rather let them sit empty for years than sell at a loss.

But beneath the underground facilities of this particular community, there was a hidden area—an extremely well-concealed laboratory.

From the outside, even entering the basement would only reveal what looked like an abandoned freezer.

But with information from Tina— Nathan's undercover agent.

Nathan directly smashed through one of the freezer's walls!

While his physical strength alone wasn't enough, his psychic abilities made it possible.

Boom!

As a section of the wall collapsed under the force, Nathan walked in expressionlessly.

This lab had no personnel.

For the sake of absolute secrecy, not even most of Chiyou's high-ranking officials knew about this place—only the bare minimum resources were left for its maintenance.

Even Tina had to risk sneaking into the personal villa of Chiyou's leader to discover this lab's location.

And to further confuse anyone searching, there were multiple decoy locations as well.

This level of secrecy showed just how obsessively important Mewtwo was to Chiyou's leader.

However—

When Nathan finally stepped inside and saw the dimly lit incubator, he was still deeply shocked.

Mewtwo's condition was far worse than he had imagined.

Mewtwo floated silently in a fetal position within the nutrient solution, wearing a suit of armor that was battered and broken.

What was once a high-tech, futuristic set of armor was now practically destroyed—only the helmet remained somewhat intact.

If the original armor had weighed 300 kilograms, now it probably weighed less than 100.

Mewtwo's body was also covered in severe wounds—injuries far beyond what would ever result from normal Pokémon battles.

These were wounds inflicted with the sole intent to kill.

[Partner, the subject's life signs are barely holding on. Even with the energy provided by Rainbow Pokeblocks, there's no sign of recovery]

Kroxus reported grimly, cutting in before Nathan could act.

But it was the truth.

The once godlike artificial legendary that Nathan had imagined… now lay on the verge of death, unable to resist his fate.

[Even if Chiyou has some hidden plan, it's pointless]

Kroxus continued, as if pouring another bucket of cold water on Nathan's thoughts.

As someone bonded to Kroxus, Nathan could easily sense whether he was lying.

Even when he activated his Viridian Power, it only confirmed that Kroxus was telling the truth.

Mewtwo… was dying.

"…What a pity."

After gazing at Mewtwo for a while, Nathan finally spoke.

No pity. No sympathy.

Only regret and sorrow.

It was a miracle forged by human hands, and yet it was about to perish for reasons completely unknown to Nathan.

How could he not feel regret?

As he stood there, just as he was about to leave, Mewtwo suddenly opened its eyes.

At the same moment, a calm voice echoed in Nathan's mind:

"You're leaving?"

It wasn't a telepathic link like with legendary Pokémon or Kroxus, but rather, the use of psychic power to simulate human language—bypassing physical sound entirely.

That's why Nathan could "hear" it in his head.

Looking into Mewtwo's eyes, Nathan asked, almost without thinking, "You… don't want me to go?"

But he couldn't read anything from Mewtwo's gaze.

Those eyes had no focus—duller than even those of a blind person.

"I don't really know," Mewtwo's mental voice continued, "but by human standards… I suppose I'd rather not die alone."

Though his tone was flat and emotionless, Nathan could sense a lingering sorrow in it.

Only now did he finally understand why Chiyou had acted so fanatically, so desperately.

Mewtwo's life was nearing its end.

If they didn't take a gamble while they still had time, anyone would feel regret.

Even Nathan couldn't deny his own desire for Mewtwo's power.

Unfortunately, Mewtwo was still heading toward his final moment.

He wouldn't die in glory. Nor would he pass with peace or resolution.

He would simply wither away, abandoned in a dark lab—dying alone and meaningless.

No value left at all.

Well—no, that's not quite right.

Perhaps Mewtwo could still serve as a specimen. His corpse could become a lab sample.

But seeing as there weren't even any researchers present, it was unlikely this world's current technology could make use of Mewtwo's body.

In fact, the very fact that Chiyou had managed to get involved with Kroxus was shocking enough to Nathan.

"…Alright," Nathan said, nodding. "A Pokémon like you really shouldn't have to die alone in a place like this."

With that, he sat down beside Mewtwo's incubator.

Since he was already here, he figured he might as well witness the passing of a legendary Pokémon.

There wasn't much else to do. Might as well find some bitter amusement in it.

After all his planning, this was the scene that greeted him.

…

"What's your name?"

Seemingly bored, Mewtwo asked with psychic power.

"My name's Nathan. As you can see, I'm a Trainer who's hungry for your strength."

Bored, Nathan continued scrolling through his phone as he answered with brutal honesty.

"Why do you pursue strength?" Mewtwo asked, puzzled.

Even now, he still wore his suppressive armor—likely unsure of the meaning behind his own existence.

"There are tons of reasons," Nathan replied. "Ideals, dreams, the desire to rise above others…"

"In short, humans are creatures who chase power to fulfill their endless desires."

He had no emotion about his nature or that of his species.

Even if he turned to philosophy full-time, Nathan didn't think it would mean anything.

Better to accept it as it is—it's not like it would cost him anything.

"…You're different from the humans I've met before," Mewtwo said.

His mental voice wavered slightly.

Since his birth, Mewtwo had encountered many people, but none like Nathan.

"Maybe it's because I've already died once," Nathan said. "The older I get, the more indifferent I feel."

"I used to love the internet. Dreamed of being cool, becoming popular, winning at life…"

"But now? Sometimes I feel more like a monk. The only thing I want is to become stronger."

"Maybe if I become the strongest, I'll finally understand what I want—what my existence even means."

Nathan spoke honestly with Mewtwo.

It was the first time he'd opened up so much to someone—and it happened to be a Pokémon.

Even Nathan didn't realize that his casual remarks had stirred something deep within Mewtwo's lifeless heart.

Mewtwo, who had been ready to die, suddenly found that… he didn't want to die anymore.

"If I become the strongest… will I really know what I want? Will I really understand why I exist?"

"Become the strongest…?"

"…The strongest?"

…

Without even realizing it, Mewtwo experienced for the first time a feeling called hope.

It wanted to become the strongest!

And then—it wanted to understand what it truly desired… and why it existed in this world.

"Hey, Nathan, was it? If I become your Pokémon, can I really become the strongest?"

Suddenly, a spark of light shone in Mewtwo's once-cloudy eyes, and its voice was no longer cold.

Nathan hadn't processed it yet, but instinctively replied:

"Yeah! Ever since I arrived in this world, I've been striving to be the strongest! That's the one thing I'll never change!"

Interests may change.

Hobbies may change.

But that one thing… never would.

(End of Chapter)