Mewtwo glanced at Sam one last time.
As if engraving his appearance into memory.
Then it turned and vanished into the night.
"…I'm alive?"
Only after Mewtwo disappeared completely did Sam finally exhale.
He had survived.
After confirming Mewtwo was truly gone, Sam removed the meteorite-shaped core from his backpack.
"It's beautiful…"
Even someone like Sam, who had little interest in gemstones, had to admit—
The emerald-green crystal in his palm was a treasure beyond measure.
Under the moonlight, it shimmered with an intoxicating glow.
But soon—
Sam noticed something was wrong.
The moment he held the gem firmly, his stamina began draining at an alarming speed.
Within seconds, he felt as though he had just sprinted three kilometers.
His breathing grew heavy.
His limbs felt weak.
Sam immediately dropped the gem.
Clink!
It struck the ground with a clear, crisp sound.
If he wasn't mistaken, the crystal looked even more radiant than before.
Sam stared at it warily.
He definitely couldn't carry something that absorbed his energy like this.
If he fell asleep and woke up as a dried corpse—
That would be a real tragedy.
And yet…
Throw it away?
That was Deoxys.
As long as it absorbed enough energy, the Deoxys sealed within the core could be revived.
Even if the chance of it acknowledging him was slim—
Even if it was only one percent—
Sam still wanted to try.
Human greed was difficult to suppress.
Just as he was hesitating, the system provided an answer.
Perhaps because it had once been Deoxys, Sam found he could use his Detection Eye on the crystal.
"Detection Eye."
[Emerald Core]: The crystallized core formed when Deoxys exhausted its remaining life force. With sufficient energy absorption, it can be revived.
(PS: You may use your own psychic power to nurture it. Unexpected results may occur.)
Psychic power?
Sam paused.
Was it absorbing his stamina earlier—
Or his psychic energy?
Should he pick it up again?
Sam hesitated only briefly.
Then he clenched his teeth.
Fortune favors the bold.
Even a one percent chance was worth gambling on.
He bent down and picked up the glowing gem.
This time—
No energy drained from him.
Perhaps it had absorbed enough for now.
Or perhaps Deoxys understood that draining its host dry was counterproductive.
Whatever the reason, the crystal now felt no different from an ordinary gemstone.
Sam carefully placed it back into his backpack.
He checked his watch.
More than an hour had passed since the meteorite fell.
If he guessed correctly, authorities would arrive soon.
It was time to leave.
But just as he turned—
Three familiar figures appeared at the edge of the crater.
They were running toward the impact site.
The boy in front moved at astonishing speed—faster than most Pokémon.
Sam had the feeling that if he weren't slowing down for the two behind him, he'd be even faster.
"Long time no see, Ash!" Sam called out.
"Ash?"
Ash quickly ran up, slightly surprised.
"Sam? What are you doing here?"
Sam couldn't help but feel envious.
After sprinting all this way, Ash wasn't even out of breath.
If Sam had Ash's physique, he could let Deoxys' core absorb energy freely. Maybe Deoxys would revive within days.
Unfortunately—
He wasn't built like that.
A few moments later—
"Haa… haa…"
Misty and Brock finally arrived, completely exhausted.
Compared to Ash, they looked like they had just survived a marathon.
To be fair, their stamina wasn't bad.
But next to Ash—
Anyone would look ordinary.
After resting on the ground for over half an hour, the two finally recovered enough to speak.
"Ash," Misty said irritably, "can you please wait for us next time? We're not indestructible like you."
Ash scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry! I got excited. I've never seen a meteorite before!"
Misty sighed.
She had heard that promise countless times.
During their short conversation, Sam learned that the three of them were also heading toward the wild areas near Fuchsia City. They had seen the meteorite fall while traveling and chased it all the way here.
"Sam," Brock asked curiously, "did you find the meteorite?"
If Brock had seen correctly, Sam had been preparing to leave just now.
Which meant—
He might have gotten it already.
Ash, Misty, and Brock were trustworthy. They weren't the type to spread rumors carelessly.
After a brief pause, Sam took the emerald from his backpack.
Under the moonlight, it glowed brilliantly.
"So beautiful…" Misty breathed.
No woman could resist the charm of a living gemstone.
"Can I touch it?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course."
Since it wasn't draining energy anymore, it should be safe.
Misty carefully accepted the emerald.
She admired it for a while, completely mesmerized.
Then she reluctantly returned it to Sam.
And the night grew quiet once more.
---------------Author---------------
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