Mega Evolution wasn't something that could be fully understood that easily. Li Xiang could only give Mewtwo some indirect hints, like about awakening and such.
In the Genesect movie, that Mewtwo had evolved into Mewtwo Y using that method.
Mewtwo indicated it understood and promised to bring back any Key Stones or Mega Stones it found in Western Europe.
The matter of Mega Evolution was put aside for now. It seemed somewhat unrealistic to expect Metagross to completely solve its rampage issue in such a short time.
The simpleton was very dejected; it had always hoped Mewtwo could help it stay conscious. Unfortunately, even Mewtwo was helpless against the raging Mega Evolution energy, at least for now. Mewtwo was good at destroying things, but not much else.
Li Xiang idly let his imagination run wild. He thought that with Mewtwo's help, the Junior World Tournament singles would probably be a complete sweep. He wouldn't even need to fight, nor would anyone else on the team. Even doubles would be an easy first place.
Alas, that was just wishful thinking.
Mewtwo wasn't suitable for public exposure right now. Until the genetics it had intentionally left behind in North America were discovered, revealing its presence would cause trouble for itself and for Li Xiang.
Prematurely exposing their connection could put Li Xiang's family in danger. Several conglomerates in North America saw Mewtwo as a thorn in their side. All that money down the drain—who wouldn't be bitter? If their relationship came to light, who knows what they might do.
It was a classic case: "We can't deal with Mewtwo, but we can deal with you!" A very realistic problem. Mewtwo was powerful, but by the time it could respond to a crisis, it might be too late. Punishing those people afterwards would be meaningless, because what was lost couldn't be brought back.
If Li Xiang were alone, he wouldn't be afraid. But he had too many ties. In the end, it came down to him not being strong enough.
If Li Xiang were powerful enough, he wouldn't fear even the North American Pokémon Association, let alone some conglomerates. If they showed their fangs, he would fight his way in with his Pokémon. By then, not even the association chairman would dare to treat him poorly.
Given time, that day wouldn't be too far off.
....
In mid-to-late June, after staying for about a week, Mewtwo left with its group of followers. It had planned to stay until the Summer Tournament started, but the Ranger Union had contacted it about something urgent, so it had to leave early.
It took all the gold bricks with it. It had brought them back to share with Li Xiang, but he wasn't short on money. He declined and suggested Mewtwo exchange them with the rangers for currency it could use to buy supplies.
Mewtwo said that once that business was done, it would start building its secret base—the one they'd talked about, the billion-dollar project.
Li Xiang was curious. Mewtwo might end up building a replica of New Island. He just hoped it wouldn't randomly control humans to be its secretaries.
The large group of Pokémon departed.
The "pigs" from Mist Island were a bit reluctant to leave, because apart from the poorer air quality, life at Li Xiang's place was quite comfortable. Food was served, clothes were provided, and they even had help with bathing.
Such royal treatment was something they had never experienced before.
Fortunately, they remembered their purpose in leaving Mist Island: to accompany Mewtwo in building its empire.
Instantly, Li Xiang's home became much more spacious and quieter. It was no longer as crowded and noisy as the previous half-month. The pressure on the Galarian Meowth, who cooked daily, had also lessened.
But Li Xiang sat by the window, gazing in the direction Mewtwo and the others had gone, feeling a sense of loss. He also longed to travel to other parts of this world. Unfortunately, too many factors held him back.
But one day, he too would do what he truly wanted, just like Mewtwo.
"Traveling..."
Li Xiang stroked the Galarian Meowth's head as it napped in his arms, looking very much like a cat. Well... it was a cat, after all.
As if sensing Li Xiang's gaze, Mewtwo turned its head slightly and gave a gentle smile toward the tiny speck of a figure in the distance.
Someday, it would stand openly beside him, unafraid of prying eyes. Li Xiang was working toward that goal, and it would work toward it too.
Technology.
It would try to master that power as well. Who said Pokémon couldn't use technology?
Mewtwo clenched its fist slightly. The gains from the research base weren't just three tons of gold, but also over a thousand followers—and knowledge.
The most precious thing on this planet.
Just wait. A blue glow surrounded Mewtwo's body, further increasing its flight speed. And then it vanished.
The countdown had begun.
....
With deliberate hype from the United Universities, the Summer Tournament's popularity soared to the top and stayed there for days.
Mist City University's promotional music video was also released online after editing. In the school team group chat, everyone relentlessly mocked the strange production quality.
Li Xiang took one look and didn't continue watching; he found it too embarrassing and cringey. He really wanted to ask who had placed that bold, calligraphy-style comment next to his photo: "Blessed by the gods, inheriting the world's elegance."
This had to have been written by someone from Sakura Island, right? It had to be!
Watch out, Arceus might come after you!
The MV was already online and sparking heated discussions. There was no way for Li Xiang to change it now. He could only pretend not to see it and tune it out.
But Lin Feng, Yang Tianwang, and Qu Sheng kept bombarding him on WeChat, asking who wrote that chuunibyou comment and whether Li Xiang was actually going to play in the Summer Tournament.
Li Xiang could only reply, "Stay tuned."
Yang Tianwang, being the information specialist, naturally launched into his intelligence sharing.
He said there were six notable people to watch in the Junior World Tournament:
- Zhao Pan from Tiandu
- Jing Feng from Shen Island
- Dong Xia from Yandu
- Su Qian from Mist City
- Tian He from Dragon City (Longdu)
- Kong Wewen from Shanghai.
If Li Xiang wanted to be the brightest star of the tournament, he'd have to climb over these six mountains.
Besides them, there were many other opponents across the schools worth watching out for. Yang Tianwang didn't have deep insight into other schools' internal affairs, but he could share a bit about Shanghai's.
As soon as he typed that, Li Xiang and the others quickly told him to stop. Mentioning names and Pokémon was fine, but revealing school secrets would violate school rules. Don't do anything stupid.
Yang Tianwang, burning with the desire to share, reluctantly backed off.
However, he did remind Li Xiang: if Mist City faced Shanghai in the Summer Tournament, they needed to watch out for captain Kong Wewen, vice-captain Zheng Ba, and a new member named Ni Cheng. These three were Shanghai's strongest fighters.
Li Xiang looked up their records and past battle footage. He couldn't find any specific footage of Ni Cheng, but he did find Kong Wewen and Zheng Ba's.
Their performances surprised him.
No wonder those schools had stayed in the top three for so long—their teams really had something special.
One specialized in singles, the other in doubles, together securing Shanghai's position in the top three.
After watching their past matches, Li Xiang realized he still needed to grow, and he trained even harder.
The path forward was clear.
Incineroar's weakness was its incomplete mastery of Magma Form. This skill, always kept as a trump card, had rarely seen the light of day, mostly used only in practice and internal battles.
This prevented Incineroar from using it with full proficiency, but at the same time, keeping it hidden also lost its value as a trump card.
To overcome this, Li Xiang frequently had practice battles with Su Qian and Chao, accumulating more real combat experience. Incineroar and the others had trained long enough; they only lacked practical application.
Lucario continued practicing its Aura Shield and was also learning ways to strengthen its mental fortitude. If its mind were strong enough, the issue of accelerated vision draining its stamina would be resolved.
Greninja kept practicing its triple-control technique. Ever since it had revealed that its clones could use moves, it had become much more blatant about it.
The other Pokémon also progressed steadily. Metagross and Aegislash practiced the Three-Blind Perception Method. Li Xiang had reason to believe that once Metagross made even minor progress in that technique, it might be the key to initially mastering Mega Evolution.
The Galarian Meowth swung between obeying and disobeying commands. Its lightning power was good, but its foundation was lacking.
Perhaps treats could make up for that. For now, Li Xiang wasn't giving it any gummies.
He planned to wait until its condition had improved significantly before offering them.
Days passed.
One day, Mo Ye suddenly approached him.
"Remember that thing you asked me about? I've got news."
Li Xiang was momentarily confused, then recalled that he had asked Mo Ye to help find the God-Slaying Sword Art.
There was news?
"The last successor of the God-Slaying Sword Art is living in seclusion in a small village in Haizhou. He's no longer accepting disciples."
Mo Ye handed him a bag. "Inside are the diagrams, the general outline, and practice videos. They were specially recorded."
Li Xiang took the bag, feeling its weight. It was quite heavy.
No longer teaching, huh... Looks like I'll have to practice on my own.
Li Xiang asked Mo Ye if he could share it with others, specifically his fellow disciples at the martial arts hall. If not, he wouldn't.
The answer was yes.
Li Xiang was overjoyed.
After a hasty thank you, he went to a print shop. He made a copy and sent it to Senior Sister Jiang Shangrong in Qingcheng, waiting for her feedback. As the most talented in martial arts, she would surely understand the contents.
Then, he could have Senior Sister teach Greninja.
Over on her end, after receiving the package and spending half a day, Senior Sister Jiang sent him a message: after the Summer Tournament, she could try teaching him.
Li Xiang knew it was a sure thing.
With the arrival of the God-Slaying Sword Art, the final days of preparation for the Summer Tournament quietly slipped by.
The hour had come.