Bang!
A faint gust of wind echoed along the storm-battered shores of New Island. Nawaki Senju's figure emerged like a ghost from the rolling waves, landing smoothly on the slick rocks.
He casually set down Jessie and James, who had been clinging to him. Mewtwo, still shaken, jumped off and collapsed onto the ground, limbs limp.
"We… we're saved," Mewtwo muttered, glancing back at the churning sea that seemed like the gaping mouth of an abyss, feeling as if he had just returned from the gates of hell.
Jessie and James sank to the rocks, gasping for air, their eyes a mixture of relief and utter shock at seeing Nawaki.
This guy could not only run on water, but he did it with astonishing speed almost inhuman!
Nawaki shook water from his hair and cast his gaze toward the icy, castle-like building atop the cliff.
The massive metal doors were tightly shut, as if sealing off two worlds.
Rain and wind pelted the exterior, emphasizing its solemn and mysterious aura.
"It looks like Ash and the others are ahead of us. They've already gotten inside," Nawaki said, sensing the area ahead.
"What? The doors are closed!" Jessie scrambled to her feet, stomping angrily as she pushed against the heavy metal doors with no success. "How do we get in now?"
A sly smile curved Nawaki's lips. He pointed to an unassuming iron gate on the side of the castle, half-hidden by weeds.
"The main entrance is locked, but if we use the exit, it works the same, doesn't it?" By "exit," he meant the drainage system leading inside.
At that moment, Nawaki's eyebrows twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.
A subtle yet powerful psychic presence brushed through his awareness like a breeze. Though it vanished instantly, he had sensed it clearly it was Mew!
It was nearby. Perhaps it had been watching them from the beginning, Nawaki realized.
"Sewers?!"
James looked disgusted at the dark, damp opening. "So gross."
"Shut up, James!" Jessie smacked him on the back of the head. "We should be grateful we even have a way in! Besides…"
A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "This is the perfect chance to infiltrate the enemy's headquarters!"
Mewtwo perked up. "Yeah! Maybe we'll find some treasures or secrets!"
Nawaki ignored their daydreaming and moved forward. He covered his hands with chakra, grasped the rusty gate, and applied a gentle force.
Squeeeaaak!
With a screeching grind of metal that made their teeth ache, he pried the gate open just enough for a person to slip through.
A musty, damp air wafted out from the hole.
"Let's go." Nawaki bent down and crawled inside first. Jessie, James, and Mewtwo exchanged glances, then reluctantly followed.
The interior of the sewer was dark and wet, with water rising past their ankles. Moss-covered walls pressed in on all sides.
Only faint light from distant vents and the whistle of wind through pipes broke the oppressive silence.
Yet Nawaki moved as if walking in his own backyard, unhesitant and sure.
Relying on the basic structural layout Ai had once provided and his ninja instincts for navigation he guided them swiftly through the complex network of tunnels.
Soon, they reached a reinforced metal blast door requiring authorization to open.
"Great, it needs a password!" James muttered in frustration, staring at the keypad beside the door.
Nawaki stepped forward and typed a string of characters with precise confidence.
Beep! The green light flashed, and the blast door silently slid open.
"Ah?!"
Team Rocket stared, wide-eyed.
The same happened repeatedly. Whether it was a security checkpoint requiring a key card or a complex password for a sealed door, Nawaki always seemed to know exactly how to get through, as if he owned the place.
Jessie finally couldn't contain herself. She leaned close to Nawaki, whispering in disbelief, "Hey, how do you know this place so well? You even know the passwords?! This is way too suspicious!"
Nawaki paused, glancing back at them with an expression both innocent and knowing. "Oh, that? I just tried some common passwords I knew from before. Didn't expect them to work."
He tilted his gaze toward the deepest part of the base, seeming to see through walls. "Probably the 'owner' here was too lazy to change them."
His calm tone sent a shiver down Team Rocket's spines.
"Master?" They wondered if he meant the mysterious strongest trainer or someone else.
Following Nawaki, they passed the final sealed door and entered a laboratory filled with futuristic technology.
The scene left everyone stunned.
The lab was spacious and bright, with precise instruments quietly humming.
Most striking were the massive cylindrical glass tanks in the center, filled with glowing green nutrient fluid.
Some tanks were empty, while others were connected to complex pipelines and data interfaces, screens displaying genetic sequences and vital signs.
"Whoa, what is all this?" Mewtwo asked, curious, glancing around.
Nawaki didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the well-maintained and upgraded equipment, a flicker of understanding crossing his face.
Mewtwo had not only repaired Dr. Fuji's legacy equipment but seemed to have optimized it as well.
Its obsession with creation went far deeper than he imagined.
His attention settled on the control console, which included a clear biological sampling point linked to displays and the central system.
Jessie and James crowded around, confused by the complex buttons and screens.
"These machines look impressive, but what do they actually do?" James scratched his head.
A mischievous glint appeared in Nawaki's eyes. He suddenly grabbed the curious Mewtwo.
"Curious? Why don't you try it yourself?"
"Hey! Mewtwo, what are you doing?! Let go!" Mewtwo struggled in panic.
Before Jessie or James could react, Nawaki pressed Mewtwo's tail against the biological sample point.
Beep! A red light flashed as a few strands were collected from Mewtwo's tail.
"Mewtwo! Help! I don't want to be an experiment!" he yelled, kicking frantically.
Nawaki laughed and released him. Mewtwo darted behind James, trembling.
Almost immediately, the central console lit up, analyzing the collected sample.
[DNA Analysis in Progress…]
[Subject Identified: Mewtwo.]
[Gene Sequence Comparison… No anomalies detected.]
[Initiate Cloning Procedure.]
Before their eyes, the green nutrient fluid began flowing into an empty tank. Tiny luminous points swirled within, cells dividing, multiplying, and differentiating at visible speed.
In moments, a clone of Mewtwo, identical in every way, floated quietly in the tank, eyes closed, hooked to tubes, as if asleep.
"Mewtwo?!" Jessie and James gaped, pointing at the tank and then at the real Mewtwo hiding behind James, who stammered incoherently.
"Clone?!"
Even Mewtwo was terrified, staring blankly at his duplicate.
Nawaki used the moment to scan the experimental records and data on the central console.
It detailed Mewtwo's creation process: the world's most powerful Pokémon, derived from the fossilized genes of Mew, combined with advanced technology and immense life energy.
It also referenced previous failed clones, including… artificial intelligence.
"Just as I thought. Life in this world is the final frontier of technology…" Nawaki murmured, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.
Suddenly, change struck!
Several pipe openings appeared along the lab's side wall, and black shadows shot out like returning bees!
They were all dark Poké Balls, radiating a foreboding glow. They neatly fit into slots on the conveyor belt, being transported in a specific direction.
Then, a familiar figure stumbled in through another entrance.
It was Ash! His face was full of anxiety and anger, immediately spotting Nawaki and the others.
"Nawaki! Thank goodness you're okay!"
Ash's attention was immediately drawn to the conveyor belt, to the black Poké Balls. More precisely, he saw Pikachu struggling desperately inside one.
"Pikachu!"
Eyes red with rage, Ash charged toward the conveyor belt, intent on reclaiming his partner, reckless and furious.
"That kid?!"
Team Rocket shrieked in surprise. The sudden turn of events snapped them out of the shock over the cloned Mewtwo.
With Ash's arrival and reckless actions, the lab's atmosphere turned sharply tense.
Nawaki's gaze hardened as he watched Ash's desperate figure and the endless stream of black Poké Balls being transported.
Mewtwo's "game" was clearly reaching its climax.