An abstract trainer who taught Charmander the Incinerate move

Chapter 252: A Battle of Wits at its Peak, Director Mo's Masterpiece! (The aftereffects are immense; it left me in a cold sweat.)

Mo Zhen's knees were slightly bent, his body like a fully drawn bow!

The next second—

boom!
The dream space beneath his feet was rippled with energy by his step!
His figure transformed into a comet trailing a blue-gold tail, hurtling towards Xiaomengzi high in the sky at a speed surpassing any previous one!

"Experience the ultimate form of art! Infinite Bullet Fist: Art Explosion Rhapsody!!!"

Mo Zhen's maniacal laughter resounded through the sky, and countless afterimages of arms bloomed in front of him in an instant!

It wasn't just about speed; it was as if it had broken through the constraints of time and space, with hundreds or even thousands of fists being thrown out at the same time!

Each fist was enveloped in a highly refined blue-gold dreamlike energy. Wherever the fist passed, the air was compressed to the extreme, producing a series of sharp sonic booms that could pierce eardrums!
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang! ! ! !

The dense, indistinguishable bursts of sound merged into a continuous high-frequency noise!

Countless blue-gold fist shadows, like bullets fired from an Uzi submachine gun, rained down on Xiaomengzi's massive body without leaving any blind spots!

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
Each impact unleashed a blinding aura of blue-gold and pink-purple energy!

Xiao Mengzi's plump body was like a small boat in a storm, trembling, shaking, and leaning backward violently!
The excruciating pain caused it to let out a heart-wrenching, sky-piercing scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

[Ouch! Stop! Stop, you bastard! It's going to explode! It hurts so much!!!]

The screams were filled with unbelievable terror and excruciating pain that went deep into the bones.

It tried to use its dream power to defend itself, but found that every punch that hit it carried a trace of the cold, orderly power of Mewtwo, like a sharp cone that pierced through armor, frantically eroding and disintegrating its defenses!

Under Mo Zhen's terrifying attack, which combined the powers of two Dream Gods, Xiao Mengzi's massive body, as large as a mountain, began to shrink rapidly at a visible speed, like a balloon punctured with countless holes!

A vast, dreamlike energy, tinged with pinkish-purple hues, burst forth uncontrollably from the cracks in its surface, like surging steam!

The leaked energy did not dissipate; instead, it was greedily absorbed and devoured by the blue-gold energy vortex swirling around Mo Zhen!
In the blink of an eye, the enormous boar that blotted out the sky disappeared.

Only a trembling, pink ball of fluff, now the size of a normal Dream Eclipse, remained in place.

It lay limp on the cold ground, its eyes filled with extreme fear and tears of despair, its voice shrill with sobs and despair.

[Ceasefire! Ceasefire! I surrender! I admit defeat!]

Xiao Mengzi desperately protected herself with her short claws, her voice trembling.

[It was just a joke! A misunderstanding! It's all a huge misunderstanding! I was just joking! I... no, I promise I'll follow your lead from now on! I'll serve you like a slave! I'll never have any disloyalty!]

As it spoke, it widened its eyes and looked up to ask.

[Sigh... Is it possible to reconcile?]

However, Mo Zhen's offensive did not stop; instead, it became even more precise and ferocious due to the opponent's shrinking size!
His fists were like rockets, the muffled thuds like heavy hammers striking rotten wood!
"Reconcile? Are you kidding me?"

Mo Zhen's laughter was chilling and mocking, each word accompanied by an even more ferocious punch.

"Weren't you just going to be the God of Dreams? Weren't you going to trample me underfoot and never let me rise again? Where did that arrogance go? Now you know to back down? Too late—!!"

The punches were as swift as the wind, causing Xiaomengzi to roll on the ground and wail in pain.

Xiao Mengzi completely broke down, champagne smeared all over her face, and she let out a desperate scream that shattered her voice.

[Ugh—Stop hitting me!!! Mo Zhen!!! Are you fucking serious?! Didn't we agree to act out a scene to trick that idiot imposter out of his power?! This torture scene wasn't in the script you gave me!!!]

With its last bit of strength, it tried to claw at Mo Zhen's trouser leg, its cries filled with anguish.

Look at me! Look into my loyal eyes! My unwavering loyalty! Heaven and earth bear witness! My loyalty is unparalleled!!! How could you do this to me? This is not fair!

Mo Zhen sneered.

"Who told you to act so 'realistically' on the spot?"

Mo Zhen's smile grew even brighter, carrying both the "appreciation" of a director seeing an actor's exceptional performance and a hint of coldness.

"Since you've delivered such a brilliant impromptu performance, I, as the director, certainly can't let you down. I must fully cooperate!"

He suddenly launched a powerful attack straight at Xiaomengzi's weak spot.

"If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. Only by giving a truly authentic performance of the suppression of the rebellion can you do justice to your incredibly realistic acting skills!"

Bang! Xiaomengzi was hit so hard that she flipped in mid-air and fell to the ground with a scream.

【Oh my god, you bastard, you beast! You've used me and then slaughtered me! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Oh my god, you beast!】

Mewtwo's massive self-destruction finally brought Mewtwo, who had been watching the show, back to reality!

Still shaken, it sensed something was terribly wrong and immediately tried to reclaim the portion of the Dream Origin power that it had lent to Mo Zhen.

hum-

A powerful mental pull was released, but that force seemed to sink without a trace!

Instead of reclaiming that part of its power, it felt as if that part of its power had been welded and assimilated, firmly embedded in the core of Mo Zhen's soul, merging with his own peculiar power, and even faintly absorbing his remaining power!
What?! What's going on?!

Mewtwo's expression froze instantly, its icy blue pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, it revealed an almost horrified look. Its voice changed due to extreme shock.

Why can't I take back my power?! Mo Zhen! What's going on? What did you do to me? This isn't what we agreed on!!!

Upon hearing Mewtwo's question, Mo Zhen gracefully ceased his furious punching attack, much like an artist taking his final bow.

He straightened up and slowly took out a clean white silk handkerchief from the pocket of his still-crisp red suit. He began to meticulously wipe his fist, which had just finished the performance, with every movement carrying a calm and unhurried mockery.

"What have you done?"

Mo Zhen raised her eyelids, her blue-gold pupils filled with an all-knowing smile as she looked at the terrified Mewtwo with amusement.

"It's just following the spirit of the contract and taking back some things that I deserved. It seems you have a bad memory. Do I need to remind you?"

Mo Zhen spoke slowly, as if telling an interesting story.

“Once upon a time, there was this guy who called himself the ‘Dream God,’ and he made a bet with me in a dream. He said that if I could wake up the people in the dream, they would become my slaves… But when he lost, he tried to renege on his promise and just turned into a stray smoke and ran away? Tsk tsk, his credibility is worse than that of a gangster on the streets of Liyong City!” Mo Zhen’s every word was pointed, making Mewtwo grit its teeth and break out in a cold sweat.

Seeing Mewtwo about to exhale, Mo Zhen fearlessly spread his hands, making a helpless yet sly expression.

"So, in order to recover this debt, I had to come up with a way to take that deadbeat to a place where he couldn't escape and get back what he owed me. After all, it's only right to pay back debts."

His smile was incredibly bright, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Simply put, the gambling debt you owed last time, including principal and interest, will now be settled with this little bit of interest. Not unreasonable, right? Don't be surprised that it can't be recovered. This is the power of the [Contract Spirit]. I have Arceus as the guarantor of this bet. The power you gave me is like water spilled on the ground; how could it possibly be taken back? After all, this power already belonged to me when you lost last time!"

You...you guys...

The image of Mewtwo, the red-haired boy in disguise, fluctuated violently, like a television screen with a poor signal.

It looked at the disheveled, broken Old Bei, and the crying Mengzi who looked like a child weighing several hundred pounds, and then at the smug Mo Zhen who seemed to have everything under control.

In an instant, all the clues, all the anomalies, and all the overlooked details were pieced together like countless puzzle pieces in its powerful computing core!
You two old bastards!!!

A roar, a mixture of extreme anger, shame at being fooled, and sudden realization, shattered the silence of the entire dream!
Mewtwo's avatar became blurred due to extreme emotional fluctuations, and its voice distorted and trembled with extreme anger.

[From beginning to end... from the moment it feigned rebellion... no! Even earlier! This damn farce! You've been playing me all along?! This was all a setup?! Just to swindle my power?!]

The sunlight silently fell on the broken, enormous crown of the World Tree, illuminating Mo Zhen's unfathomable face, which bore the smile of a victor.

He neither admitted nor denied it; his smile remained an eternal enigma.

The fact that this scene could fool Mewtwo, a peerless powerhouse with the ability to see through everything, must mean that it was definitely not as simple as just following a script!

The intricate and complex strategies behind this three-way power struggle are beyond anyone's imagination!

This battle of wits encompassed an incredibly complex array of topics, including psychology, game theory, sexual repression, PUA techniques, the art and cultivation of actors, and postpartum care for sows... There were simply too many elements involved!

Indeed, Mo Zhen, as the mastermind behind all of this, must be the director of the entire play.

However, only he and Xiaomengzi truly know what the script in his hands is like, and how much of the intricate plot is exactly the same as the original script.

As the saying goes, when falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood; when nothingness is taken for existence, even existence becomes nothingness.

This drama, a blend of truth and fiction, is a high-stakes gamble by Director Mo. If any link in the chain goes wrong, the final outcome will be drastically different!

Did Xiaomengzi really betray him?
Between the temptation of power and loyalty to Mo Zhen, did it ever waver?
How much sincerity and how much of the instinct for survival are hidden in that desperate cry of "unparalleled loyalty and righteousness"?
In fact, the question of whether Xiaomengzi betrayed Mozhen has delved into the realm of quantum mechanics, reaching a state of "Schrödinger's pig."

Like that cat in a quantum superposition state of life and death before the box was opened.

Before Mewtwo decided whether to join forces with Mo Zhen and lend his power to Mo Zhen, even Mewtwo himself didn't know whether he had truly betrayed Mo Zhen or was just acting!

Regardless of the circumstances, judging from the ending of this drama, Director Mo is undoubtedly the ultimate winner.

From instigating Little Dream to guiding it to swell, then using Mewtwo's fear to force it to submit, and finally capturing both Little Dream and Mewtwo in one fell swoop, this intricately linked scheme, with its deep scheming and precise grasp of human nature, is chilling to contemplate.

Years later, when King Luca was interviewed by the Pokémon World Daily and asked about this legendary story, he touched his strong right leg, his eyes still filled with lingering fear and admiration, and told the interviewer.

[After the scene where the fat pig fakes his betrayal, I was drenched in sweat. The intellectual battle was phenomenal! I couldn't sleep all night; the aftereffects were too strong. My brain hadn't recovered; it was constantly tense, and I couldn't stop thinking. The subsequent dream sequence had me drenched in sweat. No wonder it's directed by Mo; no one can surpass his skill in creating such a battle of wits!]

In the dream world, as the last trace of pinkish-purple energy was completely swallowed up by the blue-gold vortex swirling around Mo Zhen, Mo Zhen slowly withdrew his fist, and the rampaging [Infinite Bullet Fist - Artistic Explosion Rhapsody] came to an abrupt end.

He did not disengage, but merely adjusted his center of gravity slightly, like a conductor taking his final bow, gracefully lowering his arms.

"Cut!"

He parted his thin lips slightly, and his voice instantly filled the deathly silent space.

A blue-gold halo slowly rotated in his eyes, reflecting the disheveled figures of the two losers below. Deep in his eyes was absolute confidence and unquestionable authority.

【Mo Zhen—!!!】

Below, Mewtwo's red-haired boy form had become extremely unstable, its icy blue pupils almost burning red with boiling rage and extreme humiliation!

[Despicable! Shameless! Vulgar! Disgusting! You thief who manipulates people's hearts and steals power! You think you've won?! This is nothing but another dirty scam! Victory gained through such despicable means is the greatest disgrace!]

Its mental fluctuations were so violent that they almost tore this fragile dream apart completely.

[I! In the name of the God of Dreams, curse you! I curse that your ridiculous script will eventually collapse! I curse that the power you stole will ultimately backfire! I curse that you will forever be trapped in a cycle of betrayal and deception!]

Its words have lost all logic, leaving only the purest hatred.

It was an extreme madness born from being manipulated, having one's power stolen, and having one's dignity utterly trampled upon.

On the other side, Little Dream Child, who had returned to her normal Dream Eclipse size, lay limply on the cold ground like a completely melted pink slime.

It didn't dare to breathe, its short claws tightly covering its cracked old shell, trying its best to reduce energy loss, while cautiously peeking at Mo Zhen who was floating in the air.

It was waiting, waiting for the director who had just beaten it to a pulp to deliver the final verdict on this "negligent actor".

Hearing Mewtwo's extremely venomous curse, which was almost burning his soul, Mo Zhen's smile did not diminish in the slightest.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the pink mud on the ground, and let out a contemptuous snort.

"Hmph, greedy, cowardly, foolish, opportunistic, ambitious yet without any foundation... with treacherous hearts and doomed fates, how can a pig be called supreme?"

Mo Zhen's words were like a scalpel, precisely and coldly cutting into Xiao Mengzi's essence. The pink dumpling on the ground trembled violently, and Dou Dou's eyes were filled with tears of despair and humiliation.

"but……"

Mo Zhen abruptly changed the subject, revealing a smile that could only be described as wicked.

“You know what, imposter? While that pig was ‘acting’ just now, it made a rather interesting suggestion…”

Watching Mewtwo constantly panting, Mo Zhen slowly uttered words that sent chills down its spine.

"Actually, I'm quite curious about what it would be like to be the female version of myself."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Such a brilliant battle of wits, let's give it a monthly pass!
(End of this chapter)