The clash between Mewtwo and Mew intensified further. In Mewtwo's eyes burned an unwavering fighting spirit, every move carrying devastating power.
Shadow Balls rained down toward Mew, streaking through the air in eerie purple arcs.
"Why do you keep dodging?" Mewtwo's voice was laced with anger. "Face me head-on!"
Mew maintained its innocent smile, darting lightly through the gaps between the Shadow Balls.
It seemed to truly treat this as a game, letting out cheerful cries from time to time.
But this attitude only fueled Mewtwo's fury even more.
Suddenly, it changed tactics. Dozens of Shadow Balls fired out at once, sealing off all of Mew's escape routes. One finally struck its target, sending Mew flying. It tumbled through the air several times before regaining its balance.
At that moment, Mew's expression finally turned serious.
A dazzling pink light began to radiate from its body, and the energy in the air grew restless.
The brilliance of Dazzling Gleam clashed violently with Psychic in midair, the resulting shockwaves causing the entire castle to tremble.
Just as the two Legendary Pokémon fought at full intensity, the artificially created clone Pokémon began to show abnormalities.
The glow around their bodies became unstable, and in their eyes, a sense of independent awareness slowly emerged.
Especially Pikachu's clone. It looked toward Ash and, on its own, unleashed Thunderbolt.
Even more shocking, all the clone Pokémon turned toward Mewtwo in unison. Their gazes were filled with doubt and defiance. No one knew who attacked first, but a Hydro Pump shot toward Mewtwo.
Then, a barrage of moves followed, raining down upon it.
"No!" Ash shouted. "Stop!"
But it was too late.
Seeing their clones attack, the original Pokémon also joined the fray.
In an instant, the entire arena descended into chaos. Charizard and its clone clashed in the sky, Blastoise and its clone battled fiercely in the water, and the Pikachu faced off with electric attacks.
"This can't go on!" Misty cried anxiously. "They'll both end up destroying each other!"
Ash clenched his fists, his Aura surging within him.
He could feel the pain and confusion of every Pokémon, both originals and clones. All of them were fighting for the meaning of their existence.
Only by stopping Mewtwo and Mew could this conflict end!
To everyone's shock, Ash charged straight into the battlefield between the two Legendary Pokémon. At that moment, both were gathering their strongest attacks—Mewtwo's Psystrike and Mew's Dazzling Gleam, both ready to be unleashed.
"Stop!" Ash spread his arms, standing directly between the two devastating energies.
Mewtwo and Mew both froze in surprise, but the attacks could no longer be withdrawn.
The two terrifying torrents of energy struck Ash at the same time.
"Ash!" Misty and Brock cried out in alarm.
At that critical moment, the Aura within Ash underwent an unprecedented transformation.
A brilliant golden light burst from his body, completely absorbing both attacks. Within the radiance, Ash's form began to change. Golden patterns spread across his body, a wise blue glow flickered in his eyes, and his Aura condensed into tangible blades of light in his hands.
"This is… a whole new realm of Aura?" Ash felt the surging power within him.
With a gentle wave of his hand, the light blade traced a graceful arc through the air, separating the battling Pokémon. A warm yet overwhelming force compelled all Pokémon to cease fighting.
"Mewtwo, Mew, please listen to me." Ash's voice carried a strange resonance. "The meaning of life isn't defined by strength, nor by origin. Every life, from the moment it is born, possesses its own unique value."
He walked over to an injured Pikachu clone and gently lifted it into his arms. "Like this one. Even though it was created artificially, it can still feel joy and pain, and it will still fight for what it cares about."
Mewtwo watched Ash in silence, the fighting spirit in its eyes gradually fading.
"Existence itself is the greatest meaning," Ash continued. "We don't need to prove our worth to anyone. Simply being alive is already the greatest miracle."
He set the Pikachu down and extended his hand toward Mewtwo. "End this meaningless battle. Whether original or clone, every Pokémon deserves the right to choose its own path."
Mewtwo gazed at Ash for a long time. At last, it slowly lowered the hand it had raised to attack.
Though it said nothing, it willingly withdrew all of its energy. The conflict finally came to an end.
Mew happily circled around Mewtwo once, then called out to all the clone Pokémon. One by one, they gathered around Mewtwo and Mew.
Mewtwo cast Ash one final look, its eyes filled with complex emotions—gratitude, understanding, and a faint trace of apology. Then, together with Mew, it led all the clone Pokémon as they slowly rose into the sky, flying off toward the distant horizon.
At the moment they vanished into the sky, a gentle light enveloped the entire castle. Ash felt his memories being slowly erased, but with the last of his strength, he sealed a portion of the most important memories deep within his Aura.
Because he had a feeling that he would meet Mewtwo again in the future. And when that time came, he would have grown strong enough to truly earn its acknowledgment and bring it onto his team.
When the light faded, Ash and the others found themselves standing on the old coastal dock, as if they had only just arrived.
The storm had passed, and the sea had returned to its usual calm.
"Why… are we here?" Misty looked around in confusion.
Brock also frowned, puzzled. "I remember we were going to attend some kind of banquet…"
Only Ash, though unable to recall exactly what had happened, felt a vague sense of realization in his heart.
He faintly remembered a golden light… and an important promise.
...
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