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After their chat, it was getting late. Blaine wanted to offer two rooms for Ash and the others to stay, but Ash and Gary politely declined.
Are you kidding? Although this place was suitable for sleeping, it was nowhere near as comfortable as the hotel they rented!
Gary's situation aside, the hotel Ash rented was the most top-tier on Cinnabar Island, the kind money couldn't buy. He hadn't even fully experienced the comfort of that hotel yet, so who would want to stay in this old, rundown place!
Besides, if he didn't stay at that hotel, wouldn't that be wasting Erika's good intentions? Ash was someone who absolutely couldn't bear to waste other people's good intentions!
So, they both declined staying with Blaine, and in the end, Blaine, with a dark expression, sent the four of them out.
After everyone left, Blaine's expression returned to normal. He sat down on a wooden stool, as if all the air had been let out of him, his whole body slumping, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
After a long while, he finally propped himself up again, then walked to the fixed-line phone nearby and dialed a number.
"Hello, Oak? It's Blaine..."
On the way back, Gary hesitated many times, as if he wanted to ask Ash something, but in the end, he didn't speak. Ash glanced at him, then clasped his hands behind his head and slowly said, "If you have something to ask, just ask. We've known each other for so many years, why are you still so hesitant?"
Hearing this, the conflicted expression on Gary's face instantly disappeared. He then exhaled and said, "You should have said that earlier! I was just intimidated by Blaine and didn't dare to ask. Sigh, what exactly happened? What exactly is Mewtwo? Is that Pokémon so powerful that it can destroy an island?"
As a fifteen-year-old boy, he was at an age of curiosity. To have held back his questions for so long was already a sign of extremely strong willpower.
Now, with Ash's permission, Gary also opened up.
Ash felt there was no need to hide anything from Gary. Although Gary's strength was somewhat lacking right now, to put it bluntly, Gary didn't have to face Mewtwo. Even if he knew, nothing would happen, and it would even serve as a precaution in the future.
On the way, Ash recounted the story of Mewtwo, Gardevoir, Blaine, and Team Rockets in detail to Gary.
Gary's expressions changed dramatically, from utter shock, to his mouth hanging open, to a dazed look...
He had never seen such bizarre things in his life, and Ash had encountered a whole series of them!
No wonder Blaine said not to involve him in this matter. After all, the impact of this matter was indeed too great, and he wasn't a party involved, so knowing so much really wouldn't do him any good.
However, human curiosity is innate; it's impossible not to learn gossip because of some good or bad influence!
Gossip is one of the things human nature inherently seeks!
"That's pretty much the gist of it. In short, Gary, if you encounter Mewtwo or Team Rockets, it's best to turn and run. You're no match for them right now."
Gary shrugged helplessly and said, "Do you think I'd run into such a behemoth? And I don't even know what Mewtwo looks like. It's not like I'd just randomly encounter it, right? Its target isn't me."
Ash looked at Gary's nonchalant expression, and for some reason, he felt that Gary seemed to have set a flag... After returning to the hotel, Ash and the others directly collapsed onto the chairs or floor in the hotel room. Misty wouldn't let Ash and Brock lie on the bed because they were covered in volcanic Ash and completely dirty.
If they wanted to lie down, they had to take a shower first. Even though it was a hotel room, they couldn't just dirty the bed. This was where they were going to sleep tonight. If they lay down so dirty, what would be the difference between taking a shower and not taking one?
After sitting down to rest, Ash was subjected to a second interrogation by Misty and Brock. For example, when did Ash perform MEGA Evolution with Aerodactyl, when did he experiment with MEGA Evolution with Gardevoir, and why they knew nothing about it.
Ash also used a lot of words to vaguely explain, basically boiling it down to two words: luck.
Fortunately, his usual luck was incredibly good, so such absurd reasons could be accepted by Misty and the others.
Although relying on luck to discover MEGA Evolution did seem a bit too exaggerated, if it was Ash, it didn't seem so exaggerated after all.
The Riolu Pokémon Egg that Blaine randomly teleported could inexplicably fly into Ash's hand. What else couldn't be explained by luck?
Then, the two also asked Ash to keep an eye out. If there were any MEGA Evolution Stones or Key Stones, they wanted to see if their Pokémon could evolve.
Ash nodded repeatedly, saying he would check on Professor Oak's collection progress tomorrow.
Then Misty went to take a shower, and Ash and Brock were kicked out of the room. They could only go in after she finished. The two thought about it and decided to run off to the hotel's own hot spring for a bath.
Imagine, after a tiring day, immersing your whole body in the warm hot spring—that feeling was simply too refreshing.
And the hot springs here on Cinnabar Island were all natural, with the effect of soothing the body and mind and relieving fatigue, so naturally, they had to go for a soak.
As for Misty... if she finished her shower and didn't see them, she would naturally call, and they could just tell her then.
So, the two people and one mouse arrived at the hot spring in the hotel. Unfortunately, this place was a public hot spring, so Ash couldn't let his large Pokémon out to soak. He could only let Charizard and Pidgeot stay in their Poké Balls.
The other Pokémon, due to their smaller size, could still soak, and Togepi was also brought along by Ash.
However, Ash did not release Gardevoir here, mainly because... her appearance was too much like a normal girl. What kind of situation would it be to have her in the men's bath? Ash had already released Gardevoir before entering the men's bath, letting her go to the women's bath next door.
What? Togepi is also a girl? Heh heh, looking at Togepi's appearance, although its gender is female, does its appearance resemble a girl? And it was already late at night, and besides the two of them, there was no one else in the entire men's bathhouse.
"Togepi~~" Togepi happily floated on the hot spring, its small hands constantly splashing the hot spring water, its face beaming with a joyful smile.
Pikachu had a towel draped over his head, leaning against the edge of the hot spring with a look of pure enjoyment on his face.
Wartortle was also floating on its back in the hot spring, while Riolu was by Ash's side, splashing water, its expression a bit gloomy.
It seemed to be because it hadn't had a battle in quite some time.
Ash closed his eyes, as if falling into a deep sleep, but in reality, he had sunk into the group chat.
[Newbie Ash: Big shots, big shots, I got a new MEGA Evolution Stone. Can you tell me what Pokémon's Stone this is?]
[Image]
Ash put the image of the MEGA Evolution Stone he remembered into the group chat. After a brief silence, Miner Ash popped up.
[Miner Ash: These two Stones... are Mewtwo's Stones! Where did you get them?]
[Champion Ash: Mewtwo? Newbie, have you encountered Mewtwo?]
[Breeder Ash: Whoa, whoa, no way, encountering Mewtwo at this time? Are you okay? Are you missing any limbs?]
[Newbie Ash: ...Is it that exaggerated? Is Mewtwo that powerful?]
[Breeder Ash: Hey, the Mewtwo here went berserk back then, and I had to call in two peak God-tier Pokémon to suppress it. That guy is already very powerful in its normal state, and with MEGA Evolution, ordinary God-tiers are no match for it.]
[Champion Ash: I'm doing fine over here. After New Island, I also encountered Mewtwo once and had a battle with him. After Charizard's MEGA Evolution, I narrowly won. He couldn't perform MEGA Evolution at that time, but now I can make him MEGA Evolve, and his strength is undoubtedly in the top tier in my hands.]
[Newbie Ash: In your hands? Champion big shot, so you caught Mewtwo?]
[Champion Ash: Yes, after all, Mewtwo and I are old acquaintances. After a battle, I had a slight advantage, and he was tired of wandering outside, so he simply became my Pokémon. I'm even planning to take him to spar with Rayquaza sometime soon; he says he can become even stronger.]
[Newbie Ash: ...]
What is the meaning of a gap? This is the gap! Another world's self is already engaging in legendary Pokémon battles, while he struggled to even beat an Elite. But then again, he's just a newbie who's only been traveling for three months, so he can't be expected to do anything, right?
[Champion Ash: Getting off track. We're asking how you got your MEGA Evolution Stone? Have you already encountered Mewtwo?]
[Newbie Ash: I haven't encountered Mewtwo, but I met Blaine. These two Stones were obtained from Blaine.]
Ash fully recounted the story of meeting Blaine and the matter of Gardevoir in his possession to the group chat.
This was the second time he had recounted this story today, so he was quite familiar with it.
[Champion Ash: I see. Is the Mewtwo in your world created by Blaine? This is a bit different from the history here. The Blaine here is just a relatively powerful Gym Trainer, without so many stories.]
[Breeder Ash: The Mewtwo here wasn't created by Blaine either. The one who created Mewtwo was a researcher named Mr. Fuji, who was part of Team Rockets and eventually died at Mewtwo's hands.]
[Miner Ash: You guys have a lot of stories over there. As for me, I don't know how Mewtwo was created. In short, it's just a very strong Pokémon. The Stone was also accidentally discovered in a ruin, and through research, it was found to be Mewtwo's MEGA Evolution Stone.]
[Champion Ash: Regardless of how Mewtwo came to be, the newcomer will probably have to face Mewtwo soon. Although, according to what you said, Mewtwo might have been tampered with by Blaine and ultimately couldn't reach the God-tier, it is a Pokémon with divine potential, and its strength should not be underestimated.]
[Champion Ash: Even if your Aura has reached that level, you can't say you'll definitely win against Mewtwo, because Mewtwo is a Psychic-type Pokémon. So, it's best to be a bit more discreet until you have enough power.]
[Newbie Ash: Uh, why do you say I'll have to face Mewtwo soon? I shouldn't necessarily see him, right? He's Team Rockets' secret weapon. If I don't break into Team Rockets' headquarters, how could I possibly confront Mewtwo?]
[Champion Ash: Because you're going to Team Rockets' headquarters next.]
[Newbie Ash: What? I'm going to challenge Viridian Gym next. Where do I have time to go to Team Rockets' headquarters? And I don't even know where Team Rockets' headquarters is.]
[Champion Ash: Don't you know?]
[Newbie Ash: Know what... No, wait!!!]
Ash was typing halfway when he suddenly realized what Champion Ash meant.
He had just said he was going to challenge Viridian Gym, but Champion Ash still didn't change his words, stating that he was indeed going to Team Rockets' headquarters.
If that's the case... Team Rockets' headquarters is Viridian Gym?!
No way, buddy, is that for real?! That's too fantastical!
[Newbie Ash: No... it can't be, right? Viridian Gym is Team Rockets'?]
[Champion Ash: You guessed correctly. Viridian Gym is one of Team Rockets' strongholds, and it's a very important base for Team Rockets. Mewtwo... is underneath Viridian Gym.]
[Newbie Ash:!!!]
Damn it! Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner!
If he hadn't mentioned it in the group today, he probably would have gone directly to Viridian Gym and confronted Mewtwo!
Without knowing that there was Mewtwo in Viridian Gym, he would definitely have used Gardevoir for battle, because Viridian Gym's Gym Leader, Giovanni, was known as the strongest Gym Leader in the Kanto region!
To deal with him, he would naturally have to pull out all the stops, so it would be normal to use all his main Pokémon.
But now, Champion Ash told him that there was Mewtwo in Viridian Gym! How could he dare to let Gardevoir fight!
As soon as Gardevoir appeared, no, it should be said as soon as Gardevoir appeared in Viridian City, she would probably have been discovered by Mewtwo.
So, would he still go to Viridian Gym for a battle?
Ultimately, why would Viridian Gym be Team Rockets' territory!
[Newbie Ash: Isn't Viridian Gym the strongest Gym in Kanto? Gym Leader Giovanni is rumored to be comparable to a Champion-level Trainer. How could a Trainer of this caliber let Team Rockets build a base under his Gym?]
[Champion Ash: Is there a possibility that the Giovanni you're talking about is the leader of Team Rockets?]
[Newbie Ash:???]
Holy crap!! What?! Giovanni is the leader of Team Rockets?!
The strongest Gym Trainer in Kanto is actually the leader of Team Rockets?! What kind of international joke is this?!
If that were truly the case, then Kanto... is it doomed?