"What is this...?"
In an instant, Liam and Garchomp were enveloped by pink mist. However, Liam quickly noticed that the mist merely floated around them without drawing any closer. It looked soft and harmless, showing no signs of being dangerous.
Garchomp curiously swept one of its fins through the mist and discovered that it was much stickier than it appeared. More importantly, the moment it disturbed it, the mist began to change.
"Wow! This is so fun! The park is huge!"
"Yay! An amusement park! Mom, Dad, let's ride the roller coaster together!"
"Mom! Mom! I got 100 on my exam this time! I'll never score zero again!"
Countless voices suddenly echoed from within the mist. As the voices rang out, the pink haze twisted and shifted, forming vivid scenes one after another. Though every scene was different, all the people within them wore happy smiles, radiating joy and contentment.
Liam's eyes narrowed.
"A dream...? Dream Mist? The Dreamyard? Heh, I see now. Garchomp!"
"Graaah!"
"Sandstorm!"
"GRAAAH!!"
Following Liam's command and Garchomp's mighty roar, a massive sand tornado erupted around them. Within moments, the pink mist was scattered and torn apart by the raging storm. The voices vanished, and the dreamlike images disappeared completely.
The sandstorm dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Thud!
"Munna..."
As the storm faded, a pink Pokémon dropped from the air like a rubber ball and crashed onto the ground. Its black pearl-like eyes spun in circles, clearly indicating that it had already lost the ability to battle.
Liam chuckled.
"As expected, it's a Munna. Using Dream Mist to show people their dreams and scare them... and using pleasant dreams at that. What a cute bunch."
A bunch.
That was the key point.
The amount of Dream Mist that had just appeared could never have been produced by a single Munna. As soon as the defeated Munna fell, numerous Munna and Musharna floated out from various corners of the ruins. They quickly gathered around the fallen Munna, shielding it with their bodies while glaring at Liam and Garchomp with determined expressions, as though prepared to fight to the very end.
But then—
"GRAAAAHHH!!!"
Garchomp suddenly stepped forward and unleashed a deafening roar.
The Munna and Musharna who had looked ready to sacrifice themselves instantly lost all courage. Panic spread across their faces. They scattered in every direction, fleeing in complete terror.
A few seconds later, only the unconscious Munna remained.
"...They ran pretty fast."
Liam walked over to the Munna with a speechless expression.
"Well, this Munna will do. Go, PokeBall."
He casually tossed out a PokeBall and recalled the unconscious Munna inside.
The ball landed on the ground, shook twice, and then became still.
Capture successful.
Liam bent down to pick it up—
Whoosh!!
"Graah!"
The instant he lowered himself, a blue-and-white sphere of energy shot down from above at incredible speed. Garchomp was the first to notice. With a sharp growl, it leapt in front of Liam and immediately erected a green barrier.
BOOM!!!
The energy sphere slammed into Protect, producing a tremendous explosion. Thick smoke spread across the battlefield.
As the smoke billowed below, a humanoid Pokémon slowly descended from the sky, surrounded by blue psychic energy.
Its body was pale purple. A massive, powerful tail extended behind it. Its crimson eyes stared intently at the smoke beneath it, its expression solemn and cautious.
"Munna... Musharna..."
At that moment, the Munna and Musharna that had fled earlier began emerging from hiding once again. They gathered around the newly arrived Pokémon in a large circle, loudly recounting Garchomp's "atrocities."
After listening for a moment, the purple Pokémon gently waved a hand, silencing them.
Then a gentle female voice echoed through the ruins.
"Leave this place for now. The enemy hasn't been defeated. Go hide somewhere else temporarily. Once I've driven the enemy away, you can come back."
The Munna and Musharna exchanged glances before obediently following a Musharna leader and departing from the ruins in a neat line.
Only after they had all left did the Pokémon turn toward the gradually dispersing smoke.
"Come out. I know you're unharmed. There's no need to hide."
Anger was evident in its voice.
Yet the smoke gave no response.
"You came here to capture me, didn't you? I recognize your aura. You've been pursuing me for a very long time—from that distant place all the way to here. I've already run so far away, yet you still..."
Still no response.
The Pokémon continued shouting into the smoke, but silence answered every time.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Nothing.
"Damn it! Why won't you answer me?! Do you despise me that much?! Is it because I was created by those hateful humans?! Because I'm a freak that doesn't belong in this world?! Then say something!!"
Having received no response whatsoever, the pale-purple Pokémon finally exploded in anger.
It swung an arm violently.
A blue psychic storm instantly erupted across the ground below. The gale swept away the remaining smoke in moments, revealing Liam and Garchomp standing there unharmed.
Looking up at the furious Pokémon, Liam let out a quiet sigh.
After a brief pause, he stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"...You're right. I did come here because of you. My purpose was to capture you."
"Because I believed you were dangerous. You possess extraordinary power—something you understand better than anyone."
"If you chose to use that power to take revenge on humanity, very few people would be capable of stopping you."
"To prevent that from happening, I came."
He paused.
"And... I had to come."
"When it comes to you, I owe you an apology. Do you know that? Your birth happened because of me. It was I who initiated the research project that eventually created you."
"But afterward, I failed to pay enough attention. I didn't learn about your situation in time, and because of that, you were hurt."
"I'm sorry."
As he spoke, Liam clenched his fists tightly. A trace of regret flashed through his eyes.
The Pokémon froze.
Slowly, its pale-purple body descended to the ground. Its large eyes remained locked on Liam.
Then an angry voice exploded directly inside his mind.
"What did you just say?! So it was you! You're the reason I was created! A copy! An imitation! Something unnecessary! A monster that doesn't even know what it is! Why?! Why would you do something like that?!"
Liam's expression hardened immediately.
He shouted back without yielding an inch.
"You are NOT unnecessary! And you're NOT a monster!"
"You're a Pokémon!"
"Yes, you were created using Mew's genetic material—but you're a living being now! A real lifeform!"
"You're not a copy either! You've surpassed the original!"
Then Liam took another step forward and raised his voice.
"And you have a name!"
"Your name is—"
"Mewtwo!!"