"They're still here."
Mewtwo raised a Poké Ball and revealed what was inside. "When I escaped from Team Rocket, I rescued a number of Pokémon. Most of them scattered during the chaos, running into the wild. Some I released during my travels, but… there were a few whose minds and temperaments had been warped by torment. Like that Salamence."
Lin Feng rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
The Salamence on the screen was definitely not something that could be casually released. With the way it had rampaged earlier, if it were set loose in the human world, it would no doubt cause destruction. The League would quickly dispatch professional trainers to subdue it. Afterward, its fate would be decided whether it should be rehabilitated, or, if too far gone, erased.
Fortunately, the disaster hadn't yet occurred. There was still time to intervene.
"So… how many are like Salamence?" Lin Feng asked, voice tinged with unease.
"The most violent is Salamence," Mewtwo replied flatly. "The others… only two remain with me. One is a Goodra. The other, Dragonite."
"Goodra?" Lin Feng blinked in surprise.
Mewtwo's brows furrowed, clearly bothered just by mentioning the Pokémon. "Yes. That Goodra is… unusual."
"What do you mean, unusual?"
"It clings to me," Mewtwo admitted, his voice caught between resignation and disbelief. "Perhaps because I was the one who freed it, it refuses to leave me alone."
Originally, Mewtwo had planned to release Goodra as well.
When he traveled to the Kalos region, he even searched for a suitable wetland habitat where Goodra could live peacefully. He intended to let it go.
But things hadn't gone as planned.
At the time, Mewtwo had been traveling in human form, blending into the city. Not long after he released Goodra, the Pokémon reappeared in the streets, teary-eyed, wailing as if abandoned.
Even Mewtwo cold, proud, and unyielding had felt a pang of guilt.
So he took Goodra back.
But when he tried again, choosing another location in a different city, the result was the same. The creature tracked him down, crying until it was scooped up again.
At last, Mewtwo gave up. He allowed Goodra to stay by his side.
"Uh… it clings to you?" Lin Feng's mouth twitched. "Seriously?"
A Goodra, stuck on Mewtwo? The image was absurd.
Dragonite, sure. That gentle dragon didn't seem the type to smother anyone. But Goodra?
"Yes," Mewtwo confirmed, tone deadpan.
Lin Feng muttered under his breath. "So now you're stuck with three dragons."
Salamence, Dragonite, and Goodra. Just thinking about the daily food bill for dragon-types made his head pound. How much would they eat in one day? He was going to need to prepare more filling Pokéblocks tomorrow.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's eat first. Then we'll take a proper look at the dragons."
By the time he turned back, several of his own Pokémon were already inhaling food like vacuum cleaners. Combusken especially was devouring mouthfuls with such speed it looked like he hadn't eaten in days. When Lin Feng didn't immediately stop him, the greedy chicken started eyeing the afternoon's supply of Pokéblocks as well.
"Okay, that's enough, Combusken! Stop!"
At his scolding, Combusken reluctantly pulled back, wiping crumbs from his beak and letting out a cheeky chuckle before bolting toward the orchard to burn off the calories.
Lin Feng sighed in exasperation, though a small smile tugged at his lips. Then he and Mewtwo finally sat down to eat.
Half an hour later, Lin Feng led Mewtwo out to the open space near the riverside.
Behind them drifted Mew, no longer disguised as a Pidgey, but in its true pink form, darting playfully in the air.
Rather than stay close, it vanished and reappeared at will, flickering in and out of sight like a mischievous spirit. Lin Feng didn't bother to restrain it.
By the water, he spotted his Pidgeot. The proud bird was honing its moves with tireless focus. Ever since it had driven Fearow from its flock's territory, Pidgeot had rarely trained this obsessively.
Lin Feng couldn't help wondering if that intense day with Mewtwo and Darkrai had lit a fire under Pidgeot. He had called it down during that battle, and perhaps that sting had pushed it to better itself.
Shaking his head, he left the bird to its work. Pidgeot was an adult now. It had its own pride, and training hard was no bad thing as long as it didn't overdo it.
"Let's start with Goodra," Lin Feng suggested. "I'd rather see the clingy one before Salamence goes berserk."
Mewtwo inclined his head, withdrew a Poké Ball, and pressed the release.
In a flash of light, a Pokémon appeared before them.
It was just over a meter tall, its body a gentle lavender shade. Its eyes gleamed like polished emeralds. Glossy slime coated its arms and jaw, glistening without ever dripping. Two antennae curled from its head, and its tail ended in a rounded green nub.
"Goo?"
The Goodra blinked at its surroundings, then instantly spotted Mewtwo. Its eyes lit up, sparkling with pure devotion. It waddled closer, arms half-raised, clearly intent on flinging itself into Mewtwo's embrace.
Mewtwo extended a hand, halting it in place.
Lin Feng's jaw went slack. "It really does cling to you."
Mewtwo exhaled with clear exasperation. "Exactly."
Lin Feng studied the dragon carefully. Despite its clingy behavior, he quickly noticed something odd.
Its size was off.
For a Goodra, it was rather small barely two meters at most, perhaps even shorter. That was less than many fresh evolutions, which meant this one was undersized. And yet, its aura was anything but weak.
A quick scan confirmed it.
Pokémon: Goodra
Gender: Female
Ability: Sap Sipper
Potential: Gold-tier
IVs: HP (31), Attack (18), Sp. Atk (30), Defense (31), Sp. Def (31), Speed (14)
Level: 59
Moves: Tearful Look, Acid Spray, Dragon Breath, Absorb, Protect, Water Pulse, Rain Dance, Outrage, Charm, Draco Meteor, Noble Roar, Dragon Pulse, Earthquake, Endure, Hydro Pump, Hyper Beam…
Description: Forced to evolve prematurely by injections of condensed energy fluid, this Goodra experiences pain when channeling its moves.
Friendship: 0 (It does not know you.)
Happiness: 30 (Content).
Level 59 just shy of Elite Four tier.
But that wasn't the shocking part.
This Goodra, despite its evolution, was still only about a year old. Barely even that.
In other words… it was still a baby.
Lin Feng's eyes softened as understanding dawned.
Maybe that was why it clung to Mewtwo.
Captured as a child, forced to endure injections of unstable energy fluid, suffering pain no infant Pokémon should have faced… it must have longed for someone to save it.
And then, one day, Mewtwo appeared.
The proud, lonely clone who rejected humans had become this Goodra's savior.
A story unfolded in Lin Feng's mind, and although it was almost too absurd, it made sense.
Goodra wasn't simply clingy. It was a baby searching desperately for comfort.
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