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Bringing Mewtwo back to the Alliance also carried a certain risk.
As Giovanni said, the Alliance isn't entirely composed of bright and upright individuals; it's just that Ash has only encountered good people so far, but that doesn't mean everyone is like that.
If those with ill intentions in the Alliance were to learn of Mewtwo's existence, its fate might not be much better than it was under Giovanni.
However, with Lorelei's guarantee, Mewtwo's safety is at least assured; those with ulterior motives cannot cross Lorelei's line.
After some discussion, everyone finally decided to have Ash take out a Poké Ball. After all, Ash was the one who defeated Mewtwo, and even if it wasn't a capture, it was naturally the best choice for Ash's Poké Ball to contain it.
After Mewtwo was placed inside the Poké Ball, Lorelei and Agatha prepared to bid farewell to Ash.
"Actually, we still have many things we'd like to ask you. Whether it's your Lucario, which suddenly became so strong, or your Venusaur, which can evolve to an even higher stage, both are extremely intriguing. However, there are more important matters to attend to now. We'll discuss these with you when we have time."
Lorelei said to Ash with a knowing smile.
She was extremely interested in MEGA Evolution, as well as Ash's Lucario inexplicably reaching the Divine Realm. This was a level all Trainers currently dreamed of.
Even for a Champion, this was an unattainable existence, so Lorelei desperately wanted to stay and discuss the mysteries of these two things with Ash.
However, Mewtwo's matter was more urgent now. She had to take Mewtwo back to the Alliance first and prepare the best medical treatment.
After Mewtwo is healed, its whereabouts and the genetic secrets it holds will be key areas of focus for the Alliance. This could very well be related to the mystery of ordinary Pokémon advancing to the Divine Realm. As Kanto's Elite Four, they also need to be involved... After parting with Lorelei, Ash and the others arrived at the Pokémon Center, where both Gary and Ash handed their Pokémon over to Joy.
All of Gary's Pokémon had been ravaged by Mewtwo, and their injuries were not light. If Ash hadn't been caught in the whirlpool, Gary would have already rushed out of Viridian Gym to the Pokémon Center for treatment.
Ash's Venusaur and Lucario, however, had not sustained any injuries and were still quite energetic, though they had expended some stamina, especially Venusaur, whose one move had nearly exhausted him.
After depositing their Pokémon, Ash and his three companions found a place to sit in the Pokémon Center. Since Ash wasn't wearing a mask, some people recognized him.
Although Ash had recently lost to Lorelei, it also implicitly proved that Ash's strength was not unfounded; his defeat was merely a narrow one. For someone of his age and strength, he was definitely one of the most formidable Trainers.
Therefore, Ash's reputation had now risen even higher than before.
The public opinion Giovanni had used to discredit Ash had now, instead, become a stepping stone for Ash's fame to advance further.
However, the people who recognized Ash in the Pokémon Center were still very sensible. They merely asked Ash for an autograph and a photo, then left happily. For them, this was already quite satisfying.
Such photos and autographs, if Ash truly became an Elite Four member in the future, would undoubtedly be worth far more than they were now.
Although they weren't asking Ash for autographs and photos for that reason, the higher the value of these things, didn't it also prove their good judgment? Of course, they would be happier.
"...You're really popular now, Ash." Brock looked at Ash signing a rather ugly name on an older sister's clothes, his tone a little sour.
If he had Ash's name, and so many older sisters came to him for autographs and photos, or even to express their affection, he couldn't imagine what kind of paradise he would be in!
But all of this was just fantasy; in reality, only Ash was popular, not him.
Ash heard this and a slightly smug expression appeared on his face: "Hehe, these are all fans I've earned with my solid strength! If you, Brock, could also go back and forth with Lorelei, you'd probably have a lot of fans too."
In the Pokémon world, Trainers are the most popular profession, and powerful Trainers are even more like celebrities. Ash and Lorelei are the best examples.
Three beautiful women performing synchronized swimming, tickets were cheap, and usually, no one paid attention, only on holidays would more people come to watch.
But the battle between Ash and Lorelei, even without any promotion, was merely announced on a whim in Cerulean City, and instantly spread like wildfire, known to every household.
The massive Cerulean Gym was packed in the blink of an eye.
The influence brought by powerful Trainers was evident.
At this, Brock's mouth twitched. Going back and forth with Lorelei? He couldn't even beat Blaine; stronger Gym Leaders could easily defeat him.
Among all Gym Leaders, his overall strength could only be considered upper-middle, and his strongest Pokémon before was only Professional Intermediate.
However, during his journey with Ash, his Pokémon also progressed quite rapidly. His strongest Golem and Onix have now reached Superior Peak.
You know, when these two Pokémon first started traveling with him, they were only at the Advanced stage. Now, in just over three months, they are already approaching the Professional stage.
Before, Brock wouldn't even dare to imagine such a thing.
Before coming to Viridian Gym, Brock had made a detour back to Pewter Gym. Three months had passed, and the Gym's ace Pokémon were still Professional Intermediate, with no change whatsoever, at most their ability values had increased slightly.
This was the normal rate of Pokémon level progression.
At the Professional level, raising a small level in one or two weeks was already an incredibly fast rate of improvement!
And Ash's Pokémon, generally, had this kind of growth rate. For example, Charizard and Gardevoir had already reached Professional Peak two days before arriving at Viridian Gym, and are now challenging the Gym Leader level.
Although Pikachu's level was still Professional Peak, Brock always felt that Pikachu seemed to have become much stronger. While still Professional Peak, its strength was worlds apart from before.
Ash's Pokémon leveled up quickly, and their Pokémon's levels were second only to Ash's. If Ash's Pokémon were improving by airplane, theirs were improving by train.
So, in just over three months, Brock and Misty, starting almost from scratch, were about to become upper-middle-tier Gym Leaders.
Misty, with Superior-level Pokémon as a foundation, already had Professional Peak Pokémon. Beyond that was the peak realm of ordinary Gym Leaders, the Gym Leader level.
However, even with this rapid advancement, Brock's distance to becoming an Elite could only be described as immeasurable.
Fighting Lorelei was even out of the question.
"Alright, alright, do you think everyone's as abnormal as you are... Speaking of which, what exactly happened with Lucario? Don't tell me it's another Victini thing; even Victini itself might not be able to do something like that!" Gary waved his hand, ending the previous topic and introducing the question he cared about most.
How did Lucario become so strong?!
Although Gary didn't know that Lucario's level had reached the Divine Realm, even an idiot could see that its power was definitely much stronger than that of an ordinary Champion!
And Lucario had only just evolved; there was no way it could possess that level of power!
Now, Gary felt as if a cat's claws were scratching at his heart, itching terribly.
As Ash's childhood friend, revealing a small secret shouldn't be too much, right?
Ash heard this and immediately pulled out his prepared, brand-new excuse!
"Alas, actually, this method really can't be taught to you all. This time, it wasn't Victini's help, but it's related to Lucario's origins."
"Origins?!" *3
Everyone spoke in unison, their faces full of confusion. How did a battle suddenly become related to origins?
"Ahem, it's like this. Misty, Brock, you also know that my Lucario is a Pokémon Egg that Dr. Sakuragi obtained from Oulu Delang City. And the predecessor of this Pokémon Egg was the legendary Lucario that protected Oulu Delang City."
"A thousand years ago, Oulu Delang City faced a war that nearly wiped it out. The hero Aaron and his Pokémon Lucario stood up at that time, and with immense power, forcefully stopped the war!"
"Legend has it that Aaron and his Pokémon Lucario already possessed power comparable to deities, meaning they had reached the Divine Realm, a level that ordinary Pokémon cannot achieve today."
"Finally, the hero Aaron and his Lucario were revered by the people of Oulu Delang City for generations, and my Lucario is the reincarnation of that Lucario from back then."
Gary and the others: !!!
Ash's Lucario was actually the reincarnation of that Lucario? Reincarnation, while sounding unscientific, there are too many unsolved mysteries in this world, so so-called reincarnation is not impossible.
As for what it was actually like... of course, Ash made it up.
Rather than Ash, it was Aura Ash who made it up. The power used this time had far exceeded the power displayed by a Champion, and it had easily defeated Mewtwo.
This kind of power couldn't be explained by something like Victini's existence. It needed a more outrageous yet reasonable explanation. Reincarnation, a vague, high-sounding, and traceable reason, was the most suitable for prevarication.
Aura Ash was familiar with the legend of Oulu Delang City because he had experienced that event and had even met that Lucario from back then. That Lucario's strength was absolutely beyond doubt.
At that time, he was still far from his peak, and his own Aura was not strong. But that Lucario's Aura was like an ocean to him, unfathomable.
It could be confirmed that the legendary Lucario of Oulu Delang City had reached the strongest level in the Pokémon world, the Divine Realm.
And after going to the World Tree, to protect them, it fought fiercely against the three Regi-Pokémon, its strength and character were beyond doubt.
However, that Lucario and Ash's Lucario actually had no reincarnation connection. If there was a connection, perhaps Ash's Lucario inherited some talent and power from that Lucario.
But now, that Lucario was Ash's best shield.
"...Because of reincarnation, Lucario's body contains the hidden power of the legendary Lucario from its previous life. I already discovered it when it was a Riolu. It's an incredibly vast power, but before evolving, Riolu couldn't tap into or use that power."
"As for how strong that power is, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure, but one thing is certain: the power within an average Champion is not as strong as Lucario's hidden power, so I decided to take a gamble!"
"Originally, this gamble was meant to deal with Giovanni's main Pokémon, but I didn't expect things to develop this way, and the opponent turned out to be Mewtwo, so I could only bite the bullet. The final result was also unexpected; Lucario's power from its previous life was too fierce! However, after using it this time, the last glimmer of its previous life completely dissipated."
Ash's face showed regret, also expressing sorrow for the dissipation of the previous life's Lucario.
Gary and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing expressions of skepticism.
If you say Ash is making things up, what he's saying sounds logical and well-reasoned. But if you say it's true, it sounds like nonsense!
What reincarnation, rebirth, and even possessing the power of a past life? You wouldn't even write a novel like this!
But if it wasn't the reason Ash gave, then what else could it be?
Although this reason was far-fetched, it seemed to inspire slightly more trust than Victini's blessing.
After all, setting aside whether Victini possessed such terrifying power, even if Victini's level had reached a point beyond Mewtwo, and it could bestow this power upon others, under Arceus's contract, external forces couldn't affect what was inside.
So, Victini as a reason was no longer possible. While Ash's excuse was far-fetched, it did fit the contract's conditions. If Lucario used the power of its previous life, then Lucario's power would not be blocked by the contract.
Now, Gary and the others couldn't go to Oulu Delang City to verify the truth of the matter, so they simply stopped pursuing the strange situation with Lucario. Anyway, it was just one thing... no matter how incredible the power Ash displayed, as long as he was still Ash, that was enough.