The blazing wings of Moltres cut through the sky as it circled once, then descended slowly. Its shadow stretched long across the grass before it landed with a rush of heated wind.
From its back leapt down a tall man in an off-white coat, none other than Champion Gale.
Lin Feng rose to his feet, greeting him politely. "Champion, sir."
Then, unable to hold back the hope flickering in his chest, he asked, "Did you find any news about my parents?"
Gale's gaze lingered briefly on the Dragonite beside Lin Feng, his eyes betraying a hint of astonishment. He quickly recalled the last few days of fruitless searching. Every record, every database, every regional archive had been scoured, yet there was no trace of Lin Feng's parents' origins.
In all the League's history, he had never encountered such a strange case.
Even the supercomputers run by Metagross had found nothing. It was as if Lin Feng's parents had vanished from the world itself.
He exhaled softly and shook his head. "No. The League's last record shows your parents disappeared near a field zone outside Changsha City. But that area has long since been redeveloped into a tourist district."
Lin Feng's shoulders drooped. He nodded faintly. "I see..."
Gale, seeing his disappointment, tried to console him. "Don't lose heart. This isn't the end. It simply means the trail has complications. Progress will come."
But Lin Feng only shook his head, forcing a small smile. "It's alright, Champion. If not about my parents, then what brings you here today?"
"To be honest," Gale admitted openly, "I was passing through. And I wanted to buy more of your Sweet Bamboozle drinks. They do wonders for my mood."
Lin Feng stared at him wordlessly. "…Right."
So much for the grand entrance.
Yet Gale's eyes, sharp as ever, shifted toward the corner of the ranch. There, lingering near a playful Goodra, was that same pink, humanoid Pokémon he had seen before.
The memory of that day came back vividly. That being had stood toe-to-toe with Darkrai, unflinching, powerful. Curious, Gale had quietly investigated. He had searched across Kanto, Kalos, Alola, and even Johto. Yet the result was always the same. Nothing.
Not a single record of such a Pokémon.
Now, seeing it again, he asked carefully, "That humanoid Pokémon from before... What is it exactly? Why have I never heard of it?"
Lin Feng didn't bother hiding it. "Oh, that? Its name is Mewtwo. It's a unique lifeform that recently emerged from Mew's genetic lineage. An independent being."
Gale's eyes widened. "Derived from Mew itself? Does it have a clan, a species?"
Lin Feng shook his head. "No. It's the only one. But it's incredibly strong."
"I could see that," Gale murmured, recalling its aura and its casual conversation with Darkrai. His voice lowered as he pressed, "And... is it still here with you? Did you capture it?"
The question carried weight. He spoke with care, almost cautious reverence. If this boy had truly captured such a being, his power as a trainer would be beyond measure.
Lin Feng hesitated. Mewtwo was only a short distance away, and with its psychic abilities, it could easily hear them. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, "Not exactly. It just... helps me out with things."
Gale blinked. "Helps... you work? Like an employee?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Pretty much."
The Champion stood stunned. The word echoed in his mind. Employee.
He recalled a researcher once telling him that some Pokémon possessed such unique self-awareness that they no longer considered themselves mere Pokémon. They saw themselves as people, independent minds deserving recognition. For such beings, one had to respect how they wished to be addressed.
That Lin Feng, so young, had already formed such a relationship with one of the strongest beings Gale had ever seen... was almost unthinkable.
His eyes drifted back toward Dragonite. The creature's expression was twisted, its fangs bared not just at Gale, but even at Lin Feng. At first Gale thought it was protective instinct against Moltres, but the hostility never faded.
More than hostility it was hatred.
Gale's instincts prickled. Something was wrong.
"This Dragonite..." he asked quietly.
Dragonite's growl deepened the moment it heard itself mentioned. Facing Moltres, which it sensed was stronger, only fueled its agitation. Fear of being taken again, fear of captivity, gnawed at it.
Moltres flared its wings in response, a shrill cry echoing in the air. The tension thickened, violence trembling on the edge.
Then it broke without sound, without flash. A pressure descended, invisible yet undeniable, pressing between them like a mountain. Both Dragonite and Moltres turned at once.
Mewtwo.
Its presence alone was enough to freeze them, a silent warning woven into every psychic thread. Move, and consequences would follow.
Dragonite's snarls subsided. Moltres' fire dimmed.
Lin Feng, oblivious to the sharp exchange, explained lightly, "This Dragonite was rescued from Team Rocket by Mewtwo. It endured... a lot of experiments. That's why it behaves this way. Right now, it's recovering here."
His words struck Gale harder than expected. Rocket's cruelty... evident in the faint needle marks across Dragonite's arms and wings.
"If the League rescues Pokémon from criminal groups, how do you handle them?" Lin Feng asked.
Gale sighed. "Usually we return them to safe habitats or find them new trainers."
"And what about the ones too broken, twisted by abuse?"
The Champion hesitated, his tone grim. "In extreme cases... if their violence can't be curbed... we put them down."
Lin Feng stiffened, glancing instinctively at Dragonite.
Gale softened his voice. "If you find it too much to handle, the League can take it. There are specialists who rehabilitate cases like this."
Most trainers would have had Dragonite confiscated immediately. It was like a ticking bomb. But Lin Feng had something rare an ability to keep it from detonating.
He nodded slowly. "If I can't calm it... I'll agree to that."
Gale studied him one last time, then purchased crates of juice and, almost sheepishly, some rice wine from the counter. With a final look at Mewtwo, he mounted Moltres and soared into the clouds.
Once they had cleared the town, Gale leaned close to his partner. "What did you sense, Moltres?"
The legendary bird's voice rumbled like embers. "Strong... far stronger than I expected. That one could crush me without effort. To defeat it, I would need my clan's deity itself..."
The Champion's breath caught. A being with power rivaling a god? He looked back over his shoulder at the ranch far below, mind reeling.
In Willow Town, Lin Feng turned to Dragonite, his voice calm but firm. "You heard him. When Pokémon harm innocents, they pay the price. You may be strong in the wild, but you're not invincible. If you destroy recklessly, humans will hunt you down. Do you want that?"
Dragonite averted its gaze, silent, its hatred unyielding.
"I know you despise humans. But not all humans. Only the ones who hurt you deserve that hatred, not everyone."
Dragonite's chest heaved. No reply.
"Then let me tell you a story," Lin Feng said gently.
He wove a tale of a child, a happy family, a home filled with beloved Pokémon. Until one day, a Dragonite appeared, destroying everything. The child grew, scarred by loss, into a Champion who commanded the League's full might. His goal: not just vengeance on one Dragonite, but annihilation of the entire species.
As Lin Feng spoke, Dragonite's mind filled with visions. It saw itself in the role of the destroyer, saw the child's sorrow harden into ruthless justice. Saw armies sweeping through valleys, capturing or killing every Bagon, every Shelgon, every Dragonite.
The cries of its kin, the grief of extinction, crushed its heart. It wanted to scream, to resist, but in the vision it was helpless, bound to the Champion's side as executioner of its own kind.
When the last Dragonite fell, it finally moved again. But too late. The Champion looked at it coldly. "So another survived. Pokémon like you don't deserve to exist."
The illusion shattered.
Dragonite's eyes refocused. Lin Feng was still there, watching Goodra smile in the sunlight.
"No one is born undeserving of life," Lin Feng said softly. "But hatred can turn anyone into a monster, human or Pokémon. That story showed a human pushed to extremes... and a Dragonite who could have been you."
He gestured to the bottle of juice nearby, laced with the Dream Spinach extract from their last encounter. "The choice is yours now."
Dragonite stared at the bottle. Its claws trembled.
And for the first time, its fury wavered.
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