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What else could be done but play it by ear? Speaking of which, how did Mewtwo bypass Mew's authority and get into the Tree of Beginning?
The answer was, it simply did it.
As an enhanced clone of Mew, it seemed to have inherited some genetic memories, causing the Tree of Beginning to mistake it for Mew and let it in.
"Exploiting a glitch?" Li Xiang was taken aback. How could the Tree of Beginning be as unreliable as artificial intelligence?
[What is a glitch?] Mewtwo asked curiously.
"That's a bit complicated to explain." Li Xiang scratched his face.
Mew, on the other hand, was about to lose its mind. It turned out that the Tree of Beginning's own incompetence, mistakenly letting Mewtwo in, had led to this disaster. And as a part of the Tree of Beginning and its guardian, Mew bore a huge share of the blame because when Mewtwo entered, it had been sleeping.
If it had been awake, it would have noticed Mewtwo immediately. But it wasn't, so the biggest fault lay with itself.
[Ah... why did it have to be like this...] Mew dejectedly flew over to Li Xiang's shoulder, saying with a sense of self-abandonment, [Hey kid, how about you take my place?]
"Huh?" Li Xiang was stunned for a moment.
[Just kidding.] Mew stared with its big, watery eyes at Mewtwo. [What are you planning to do? I can't let you out unless that black energy is removed.]
Mewtwo frowned. [Why? What if I promise not to harm anyone and do my best to control it? Isn't that okay?]
[It's not a matter of promising. If this black energy appears in the outside world, it will cause huge trouble!] Mew glared. [You know how dangerous it is yourself, don't you?]
Mewtwo fell silent.
Indeed, as Mew said, while it could control itself from being corroded by the black energy, it couldn't prevent the black energy from leaking out. If that stuff appeared in the outside world, it might proliferate endlessly. After all, it originated from the negative emotions of Pokémon.
But Mewtwo truly wanted to go to the outside world, to experience the wonders of nature, and to experience every single thing Li Xiang had told it about.
"Um..." Li Xiang raised his hand, drawing the attention of the legendary Pokémon. "Those things that appeared just now came from the outside world, right? And they reacted with the black energy inside Mewtwo. Does that mean it originated from black energy, or shares the same root as it? If that's the case, wouldn't it mean there's already black energy in the outside world?"
He wasn't trying to excuse Mewtwo, just wanted to remind them that black energy was already present outside.
They shouldn't assume it wasn't, and needed to take it seriously.
As soon as he said this, Mo Ye's pupils contracted sharply!
As someone who had experienced it firsthand, he naturally understood the power of the black energy. If this stuff appeared in the outside world, the damage would be immeasurable.
Mew was also taken aback, then quickly recovered, hugging its arms in thought.
[Seems like that's the case... the outside might already have it...]
The way it hugged its little claws was quite adorable, almost making Li Xiang lose control of his urge to reach out.
But this creature was too irritable to pet.
Seeing Li Xiang speak up for it, Mewtwo was deeply moved and immediately gave its word: [I will control it. I definitely will!]
[Hmm...] Mew glanced at Li Xiang, then at Mewtwo. Honestly, it was a lazy creature by nature and didn't want to take Mewtwo's life.
[Alright, make a vow. Make a vow to this tree.]
It thought of a compromise.
Mewtwo didn't understand, but under Li Xiang's guidance, it made a vow to the Tree of Beginning. The content was that it would never do anything bad, would absolutely control the black energy, and if it ever lost control, it would come back immediately.
A series of unequal treaties.
When it finished speaking, countless colored crystals within the tree lit up, sparkling like stars. Countless shimmering points of colored light flew out, merging into Mewtwo's body, coating its surface with a colorful glow.
Mewtwo stared at its own body in amazement.
[The vow is established!] Mew spun in circles in the air, looking very pleased. [No need to worry now. You'd better be mindful. If you break the vow, something will come after you.]
'Something?'
Mewtwo didn't understand, but the joy of freedom outweighed these questions.
[Time's about up. We've done what needs to be done.] Mew started shooing them away.
It was completely different from the cute, playful Mew in the movies who desperately wanted others to stay and play with it. This one seemed like a slacker who knew all the tricks.
But the question was how to get back. They had no idea how they had gotten to the Tree of Beginning in the first place; they were just swallowed by the black energy and ended up here.
[Oh, just teleport directly. I'll handle it.] Mew waved its paw nonchalantly.
[In the Tree of Beginning, where can't you go? You can go to the realms of time, space, and antimatter!]
'Can you go to Ultra Space?'
Li Xiang suppressed his urge to make a sarcastic comment and let Mew control him, Mo Ye, Mewtwo, and the other Pokémon with its psychic powers. Then it wrapped them in a large ring.
The next moment, the two humans and the group of Pokémon vanished into the air.
[Ah, what a hassle.] Mew breathed a slight sigh of relief after they left, its face full of impatience.
[Why are there so many human problems? I guess I'll have to dig through the gene bank again.]
It muttered, opening a hole in the rock wall. Inside the hole, countless green bubbles floated upwards, like red blood cells in the bloodstream.
But just as it was about to step inside, the hole disappeared.
"Meow!" Mew yelped in pain, clutching its nose. It spun around furiously, trying to find the culprit that had interfered with it.
Then it saw the creatures that had completely surrounded it—countless beings no bigger than a palm, looking like a cross between a Tsuchinoko and a green cell. Their gazes towards it were far from friendly.
[Ah, haha, so you're here?] Mew pressed itself against the wall, laughing nervously.
In its vision, countless green creatures rapidly merged together, forming a pitch-black Doberman with a green mouth, green claws, and a green scarf.
"Grrr..." The Doberman bared its teeth at it.
Mew shuddered in fright, tears welling up at the corners of its eyes. [I know I was wrong! Don't bite me!]
It panicked and ran to the side. The Doberman barked loudly as it chased after it, seemingly intent on biting Mew's rear.
Mew's cries of agony echoed far and wide inside the Tree of Beginning.
...….
Mirage Island, Trophy Mountain.
Li Xiang and the others reappeared here, seeing the silent and dejected Zhong Hai, two grieving Chief Rangers, the sweating Uxie controlling the Adamant Orb, and the regretful Ninetales and other sages.
"What's going on with you all?" Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat. He noticed one ranger was missing. Had someone been sacrificed?
No, don't let that be the case! They were so close to a perfect ending!
Unexpectedly, his voice made Zhong Hai and the rangers look up blankly, then they rushed over with overwhelming joy!
"Your Excellency! Xiao Li! It's so great that you're safe!" Zhong Hai laughed heartily, his eyes shining with joy. He hugged Li Xiang. "It's good you're safe, it's good you're safe! I had already sent word to the outside world."
'Oh... so they thought we had been sacrificed.'
Li Xiang turned to look at Mo Ye, who was being surrounded by two rangers and asked something. Both rangers were very happy. Although they had spent very little time together, they were all part of humanity and were teammates.
Not far away, the three sages first showed expressions of disbelief, then smiled in relief, their postures relaxing. Uxie also stopped its movements, looking at the Ho-Oh Guard and the two humans, letting out a long breath. It seemed things were more or less as it had thought.
However, who was this extra one...
Uxie looked at Mewtwo, sensing the black energy within it, and instantly became alert!
[Everyone be careful!] it shouted. [Something wrong has followed them!]
Instantly, everyone present became vigilant. The Ho-Oh Guard thought there were still escaped shadows of nothingness, while the residents of Mirage Island looked at Mewtwo.
The only ones who kept a clear head were Li Xiang and Mo Ye. The former immediately stepped in front of Mewtwo. "Wait, wait, wait! Its situation is very complicated, and it's hard to explain quickly, but it doesn't mean any harm."
[Yes, I mean no harm.] Mewtwo nodded, repeating the sentiment.
[Hello.]
Following what Li Xiang had taught it, it greeted the people and Pokémon around them.
Instantly, everyone's expressions became complicated.
Afterwards, it took about half an hour to explain the previous events and the whole story. Although Mewtwo didn't gain everyone's trust, it did make most of the people present let go of their hostility.
Only the three sages were still a bit unfriendly towards Mewtwo. They worried the black energy within it would affect the Pokémon of Mist Island.
Mewtwo noticed but said nothing.
Li Xiang had told it that neither humans nor Pokémon were born to be liked by all creatures. Nor did they live to win anyone's favor. If they were rejected, so be it.
The world was vast; there would always be a place for it, always Pokémon and humans who would like it. No need to dwell on it too much.
Mewtwo thought this made a lot of sense.
The information was updated. Zhong Hai sent another person out to relay the new intelligence.
The three members of the Ho-Oh Guard circled the Adamant Orb for a while, confirmed there was no black energy inside, and prepared to leave. They intended to continue investigating based on the traces of the shadows of nothingness. Any unstable factors, they would eliminate.
Before leaving, Volcarona glanced at Li Xiang, flapped its wings, and flew over.
"What's wrong?" Li Xiang was momentarily startled, then saw Volcarona bite his finger, piercing his glove, then his skin.
"Hiss!" Li Xiang's scalp tingled. He felt something being sucked away and something else being poured in. When he looked at Volcarona again, it felt incredibly familiar.
Suddenly, his wrist felt slightly hot. He quickly took off his glove and pushed up his combat suit sleeve, revealing a black sun tattoo.
This is...
[This is a bond.] Entei had somehow come to his side, looking down at Li Xiang sitting cross-legged on the ground. [A bond of blood and spirit. You can call upon it, and it can call upon you.]
'Like Blaine and Mewtwo from the special manga?'
Li Xiang looked at Volcarona, who hid behind Entei, looking like a shy little girl. Before he could say anything else, the Ho-Oh Guard and Volcarona departed.
What was the use of this? Calling for backup when I'm outmatched? Just wait, my big brother Volcarona is coming?
Li Xiang twitched the corner of his mouth, never expecting to form such a connection with Volcarona, once the Sun God, through sheer chance.