"Hey, Mewtwo, how long do you plan to keep sleeping there?" Ash's voice brought the dazed Mewtwo back to her senses. She slowly lifted her head, her gaze focusing on the spirited young man standing in the arena below.
Initially, when he arrived at the Viridian Gym, she thought he was just an ordinary boy. However, during their first encounter, he surprised her immensely by enduring her moves with his human body, even though she was heavily restrained at the time.
Subsequently, she felt her own power within Ash. For the first time since her birth, she initiated communication with a stranger, which ultimately led to a riddle of an outcome.
Soon afterward, she engaged in battle with this young man, and the Pokémon he sent out was unexpectedly strong. Even after releasing most of her restraints, she found herself completely overwhelmed.
In the end, she removed all her restraints and engaged in a fierce battle with him. During the battle, she discovered the meaning of her existence for the first time.
She wanted to become stronger! She wanted to experience the bond between humans and Pokémon, rather than existing as someone else's weapon in battle.
The battles between Pokémon awakened the dormant passion in her heart. For the first time, she realized that battling with Pokémon could make one's blood boil so intensely!
Ultimately, she was defeated, and she etched Ash and Lucario deeply in her mind.
When she was taken back to the League for healing, the League's advanced healing technology not only healed her physical injuries but also addressed some psychological deficiencies within her.
Although it didn't completely restore her missing mental foundation, it did provide her with a stepping stone to glimpse a higher domain.
Once her body had mostly recovered, she used her Superpower to directly cross the psychic inhibition field set by the League, a field that even Psychic Type Pokémon of Champion Level would struggle to traverse. Yet, for her, it was insufficient to hold her back.
After leaving the League, she went to Ash's side. With her strengthened abilities, she wanted to battle Ash once more, and also wished to see him again.
However, the outcome was disheartening. The boy who showed such a strong bond with Pokémon had deceived her!
She couldn't believe Ash didn't know that Gardevoir's mental foundation belonged to her. Yet Ash claimed that, at this stage, she couldn't use it... It was hers to begin with, so why couldn't she use it? Ultimately, he was just concerned about his own Pokémon.
If she forcibly removed the mental foundation from Gardevoir, it would cause irreversible damage to Gardevoir.
So it was understandable why Ash lied, but Mewtwo still couldn't comprehend...
Back then, Ash clearly had power far beyond her own. Even if he exposed Gardevoir's mental foundation, it didn't matter, so why deceive her?
Deceiving her for the sake of his Pokémon, this was something Mewtwo found hard to accept. So, she left without facing Ash.
Now, she and Ash faced each other again, but this time Ash didn't have Lucario's assistance, while she had already reached that legendary pinnacle of Pokémon. Their strengths were no longer on the same level.
But just then, Ash stepped forward and punched her back into reality—without Lucario, she still wasn't his match!
'I don't believe it... I don't believe it!!' For the first time, Mewtwo's face showed anger. She then floated out from the wall and charged at Ash like an arrow leaving the string.
As Mewtwo neared Ash, she swung her fist. Her fist, glittering with golden electric sparks, struck towards Ash's face like a thunderous strike.
Thunder Punch!
Ash showed a puzzled expression and then swung his fist as well.
"Boom!!"
Their fists collided, and a visible shockwave burst forth from the center between them. Lorelei's numerous Pokémon had returned to Lorelei's side and created an ice wall to fend off the aftermath when the shockwave spread out.
But just the aftermath of their collision caused a deep crack in the ice wall created by Lapras. On one side was the aftershock of a Divine Domain Level battle, on the other was the barrier meticulously crafted by a Champion Peak level. Yet, in front of the former, the latter was astonishingly fragile.
"Bang!!"
Another muffled noise rang out, and Mewtwo once again turned into an aerial rocket, flying backward. She flew several hundred meters through the air before finally halting in the dark sky, then began to fall.
Just as she was about to hit the ground, Mewtwo finally recovered from the punch and hurriedly used her Superpower to stabilize herself.
She looked at Ash, then down at her chest, her face filled with disbelief.
The first time could be attributed to carelessness, an accident, but what about this time?
Even using Thunder Punch, she couldn't make any progress against Ash. Her Thunder Punch couldn't inflict the slightest harm on him because Ash's fist was also enveloped by a force, the power of Aura.
Although Thunder Punch wasn't a move she was particularly proficient at, it was her full-force attack. Ash being able to withstand it was enough to prove that him sending her flying previously was no accident or fluke, but was indeed backed by genuine matching strength.