Team Rocket was by no means a righteous organization. They stole Trainers' Pokémon, engaged in Pokémon poaching, conducted black market Pokémon trades, performed live biological experiments on Pokémon, and harbored ambitions of conquering the entire world.
In his previous life, Ash had been a die-hard Pokémon fan. To him, the Pokémon world should be a pure, peaceful, and beautiful paradise—one that he would never allow anyone to corrupt or destroy.
As far as Ash was concerned, scum like Team Rocket, who endangered society and stained this beautiful world, deserved nothing less than complete eradication.
Not to mention that after Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp had ended, Team Rocket had once sent Jessie, James, and Meowth to capture him. And Ash had always been someone who held grudges remarkably well.
Whether for his own sake, for the safety of his family and friends, or to protect this beautiful world from being ruined, Ash had already made up his mind—not only Team Rocket, but every evil organization lurking throughout the various regions would one day be destroyed.
According to his original plans, four years from now, after officially beginning his journey and attaining Elite Four-level strength, he would immediately sever all ties with Team Rocket and report Giovanni—the Viridian Gym Leader—to the Pokémon League as Team Rocket's true leader.
Giovanni's newly accepted disciple—his junior fellow disciple—would one day become his enemy. Moreover, Giovanni accepting another disciple introduced yet another variable that might interfere with Ash inheriting the Viridian Gym after exposing Giovanni's identity to the League.
Thus, for this junior fellow disciple who would one day stand against him and potentially compete for Giovanni's legacy, Ash truly shouldn't have been able to like him.
"By all logic, I shouldn't like him. So why do I feel such a strange sense of familiarity and closeness whenever I look at this boy named Steyn?"
Ash couldn't help feeling puzzled as he glanced at his mysterious junior fellow disciple, who had concealed himself beneath his hood and mask.
As he had just reasoned, Steyn would one day become his enemy and might even complicate his plans regarding Giovanni's legacy.
Logically speaking, he should have instinctively disliked or rejected him.
Yet after carefully examining his own feelings, Ash discovered that not only did he feel no resistance whatsoever, but he instead felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity and affection toward the boy before him.
If he had to describe it...
Steyn felt like his own twin brother—or perhaps a younger brother who had been separated from him for many years.
But I don't have any siblings... Besides, my bargain-priced deadbeat father has been dead for years already.
"What's going on here? Why do I feel like he's my own brother? Have I gone crazy?" Ash silently complained inwardly.
While Ash was secretly observing Steyn, Steyn himself was likewise carefully observing Ash—observing the original body that looked exactly like himself.
Steyn had already existed for quite some time since his birth at the New Island research facility. During this period, he had learned that he was Ash's clone and that, due to receiving excessive growth hormone injections, both his cellular development and aging processes occurred many times faster than those of ordinary humans.
To solve the problem of accelerated cellular aging, he had spent all this time training within the New Island research facility, desperately attempting to awaken the power sleeping within his body—the Viridian Blessing—so that he could heal himself.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he trained, he had been unable to awaken it.
Although Giovanni had never attempted to instill hatred or antagonism between the clone and the original body into him, instead merely instructing him to become stronger and remain loyal to both his teacher and Team Rocket, things had gradually begun to change after he received the name Ashtwo.
Once he learned that his name symbolized standing above Ash—the original body—he secretly vowed to himself that he would one day surpass him.
Although Giovanni and his creator, Doctor Fuji, frequently told him that his talent and aptitude were in no way inferior to Ash's, they would occasionally discuss amongst themselves—believing he couldn't hear—that his greatest disadvantage was the short amount of time since his birth.
Compared to Ash, he lacked experience and accumulation in every aspect.
Ash had already nurtured an outstanding team of Pokémon, while he himself had only just begun learning what it meant to become a Pokémon Trainer and didn't even possess his own Pokémon yet.
Furthermore, although his talent wasn't inferior to Ash's, surpassing him would be extraordinarily difficult—especially considering that he had begun his journey so much later.
Although he had failed to awaken the Viridian Blessing, Ashtwo had awakened another mysterious psychic ability altogether.
Because of that, he had clearly heard every word Giovanni and Doctor Fuji had spoken behind his back.
Particularly after his repeated failures to awaken the Viridian Blessing despite his relentless training, Giovanni had no choice but to bring him here today and ask Ash—the original body—to use his supernatural abilities to heal him.
At that moment, Ashtwo could clearly sense a trace of disappointment hidden within Giovanni's heart.
Likewise, watching Giovanni laugh and converse casually with Ash filled him with complicated emotions.
There was neither resentment nor hostility in his heart.
Yet he couldn't help feeling somewhat bitter and envious.
At the same time, his curiosity regarding Ash—the original body—grew even stronger.
"Why is he so outstanding? I wish I could become someone like him."
"Can I really become as remarkable as he is? Can I make Teacher Giovanni proud of me as well?"
"And... can I truly surpass him?"
Ashtwo silently pondered to himself.
Ash, naturally, knew nothing of these thoughts. He hadn't used Aura Perception to eavesdrop upon Steyn's innermost feelings and simply greeted him with a warm and friendly handshake.
The two fellow disciples exchanged only a few words before Giovanni spoke once more.
"Ash, I brought Steyn here today not only to introduce the two of you and have you study under me together in the future. There's actually another matter I'd like your help with."
"Oh?" Ash immediately became somewhat vigilant upon hearing Giovanni's words. "What kind of matter could even Teacher find troublesome? If it's something I'm capable of helping with, naturally I won't refuse."
"But if it's too difficult and beyond my abilities, then there won't be anything I can do."
Although he spoke politely, Ash deliberately avoided making any promises too quickly.
At present, he and Team Rocket were still enjoying something of a honeymoon period in their relationship. Whenever one side required the other's assistance, as long as appropriate compensation was provided, they could quietly conduct mutually beneficial transactions behind the scenes.
For example, he had previously used the Healing Grace of the Viridian Blessing to stabilize Mewtwo's fertilized embryo cells and temporarily suppress the collapse of its genetic chain.
Likewise, he had once treated a critically wounded and incurable Team Rocket member who had been hovering on the brink of death.
Even Giovanni—a Champion-level Trainer and Team Rocket's leader—considered this matter troublesome. Naturally, Ash wouldn't recklessly guarantee that he could resolve it.
Sometimes, being polite was one thing.
Making promises too easily was quite another.
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T/N:
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