Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Just as the destructive energy from Mewtwo's palm was about to pour down, an even sharper and more piercing alarm sounded throughout the base!

The red warning lights flashed wildly, illuminating everyone's faces as if they were stained with blood.

The previously fanatical face of the Dark Star Organization's second-in-command now revealed an even more twisted madness.

He suddenly ripped open his sleeve, revealing a controller hidden on his wrist, and pressed the red button without hesitation.

"Haha! Since we can't control the so-called strongest, let's destroy them all!"

He roared, his voice carrying throughout the base via broadcast, filled with a mad, suicidal rage, "Activate the self-destruct program! Let all data, along with this legendary strongest, turn into cosmic dust!"

In the center of the laboratory, the dark purple crystal suddenly burst forth with a terrifyingly bright light, and began to frantically absorb all the life energy around it!

Meanwhile, the space where the laboratory is located is also sealed off and distorted by unknown instruments, and visible patterns appear in the air.

The Flying-type Pokémon flapped its wings with all its might but could not take off, as if it were bound by invisible chains.

Undeterred, the guards released Pokémon in an attempt to teleport away, but were bounced back by the distorted spatial forces and crashed heavily to the ground.

In just a moment, the life force of all living beings in this space was forcibly drained in a visible manner, and streams of pale blue light escaped from the bodies of every person and every Pokémon, flowing into that greedy crystal.

Their bodies began to wither and become emaciated at an alarming rate.

The shadow of death was palpable, and the air seemed thick and suffocating, each breath feeling like swallowing mud and sand.

"Hang in there, little ones!"

Zhang Jianying shouted hoarsely.

The three little ones simultaneously used their defensive abilities, and the three barriers of different colors overlapped together, barely managing to block the life-draining power.

But the ripples that keep spreading across the barriers show that they are under tremendous pressure.

Zhang Jianying could clearly feel that the vitality of himself and his companions was slowly draining away, as if their blood was gradually congealing, and their heartbeats were becoming heavier and heavier.

The energy in Mewtwo's palm slowly dissipated. It coldly observed the disaster caused by humanity itself, its eyes completely unmoved, like an audience member waiting for the final episode of a boring movie.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Its spiritual perception, carrying a chilling conclusion, entered Zhang Jianying's mind, which was suffering terribly from the slow draining of his life force: "This is the worst nature of mankind. If they can't have it, they will destroy it, even if it means their own destruction."

"Destruction is an instinct etched into your genes. What about your so-called bonds and emotions in the face of pure fear and greed?"

"Ha, it's meaningless."

Zhang Jianying felt the power being slowly drained from this young body; his back involuntarily hunched over, and his legs began to tremble.

Ralts in his arms let out a soft sob, and Kirlia, Grovyle, and Haunter also showed expressions of pain as their Protect barrier was thinning at a visible rate.

Despair, like a cold tide, tried to drown him.

He felt as if he had returned to that rainy night when he was shot and on the verge of death in his previous life, with the same helplessness and the same darkness.

But when he looked at his companions who were in dire straits because of protecting him, and at Ralts, which he had just rescued from its cage and whose eyes were now filled with renewed will to live, he was overwhelmed.

A stronger emotion welled up from the bottom of her heart—not the fear of death, but anger at Mewtwo's words.

In its merciless words, the bond he had built with the three little ones was ruthlessly trampled, and the genuine emotions between them were mocked as meaningless.

He turned away, no longer looking at the now "crazy" Mewtwo, nor paying attention to the operation of the instruments and crystals.

"Kirlia, Grovyle, Gastly, listen up! I'll give you instructions in a bit, don't worry about me, just hold on as long as you can."

He spoke with all his might, his voice hoarse but filled with unwavering determination, "Even if this is the last moment, we must not give up! It's not about defeating anyone, nor is it about saving anyone."

His gaze swept across the eyes of each of his companions, and in them he saw the same determination.

"Just to prove that we existed! We fought! We trusted each other! Our feelings, our connection, were real!"

"Turtle, go all out on Grassy Terrain! Focus your energy on them! Gastly, unleash the strongest Protect you can! Kirlia, use Healing Pulse!"

The order was given, and the light shone again, but it was completely different from the previous battle.

The Torterra looked intently at its trainer, but did not follow its instructions.

It let out a deep and resolute roar, and the roots of the grass field pierced the alloy floor with unprecedented force, causing the ground beneath the metal to crack.

Despite its own rapidly fading life force, it mixes the meager life force of the earth with its own, transforming it into beams of emerald light that it infuses into its companions and trainers.

"Forest turtle! Follow my command!"

Zhang Jianying roared at it for the first time.

The forest tortoise simply shook its head and continued to exert its full power on the grassy field.

Gastly's body became almost transparent, as if it were burning with primal energy.

The purplish-black light was no longer dark and eerie, but instead showed an unusual warmth, transforming into a protective barrier that, though teetering on the brink of collapse, held firm against the pressure brought by the extraction of life force and the distortion of energy.

Kirlia's crimson eyes shone with a brilliance like stars.

A warm yet protective wave of healing energy, like the gentlest ripples, spreads out from its center.

This is not about healing the wounds, but about conveying a belief—we are always together.

Mewtwo watched this scene in silence.

This is an attitude of choosing to connect and protect even in the face of destruction. This bond, born in dire straits and transcending life and death, is no longer an empty slogan.

It is so real, so intense, so... inviolable.

Mewtwo's mind, filled with hatred and prejudice, was deeply moved at this moment. Its psychic field began to fluctuate unstablely. It discovered that its logic was contradictory.

This human allowed the Pokémon to fend for themselves, yet they chose to die together. This doesn't make sense. Survival should be the first instinct of all life.

It felt agitated. Watching Torterra recklessly channel its life force and listening to Kirlia convey its belief in coexistence reminded it of the boy in Pallet Town, the trainer who had also acted irrationally.

"Why? Why is there such an exception?"

If it's a coincidence once, then the occurrence of the same pattern twice means that its judgment may be wrong.

The crystal was still spinning wildly, Zhang Jianying's life was slipping away, and the three Pokémon were also about to give out.

"We can't let them just disappear like that."

It wants to see for itself whether this illogical behavior will ultimately lead to destruction or something else.

This action is exactly the same as the one that the boy with Pikachu in my memory did at a crucial moment, an action that still confuses it to this day.

It can no longer simply dismiss this behavior as "hypocrisy" or "stupidity." It is an action that it cannot analyze with reason, nor can it deny with hatred.

"...That's enough!"

Mewtwo waved its hand irritably.

But this time, its destructive superpower did not bring about destruction. Instead, it transformed into countless threads of psychic energy, like the most precise scalpel, instantly slicing into the frantically spinning crystal and the core of the instrument.

There was no explosion, no roar.

The instrument, along with the purple crystal, instantly turned into dust and scattered in the air.

The distorting force field in the laboratory subsided, and the life extraction stopped.

All that remained was a scene of devastation and the silence of survivors.

It slowly looked at Zhang Jianying, who was kneeling on the ground due to exhaustion, but still protecting all the Pokémon behind him.

The chilling malice and mockery in Mewtwo's eyes had faded, replaced by a deep and complex weariness.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Dark Star's second-in-command fled in panic to the emergency passage.

Hunter J realized the deal had completely failed the moment Mewtwo intervened to resolve the chaos.

Without any hesitation, she took a deep look at Mewtwo and Zhang Jianying, turned around, activated the armor thrusters, smashed through the wall, and disappeared into the night.

Mewtwo ignored their escape.

Its gaze finally fell on Kirlia, who was exhausted but still insisted on protecting Zhang Jianying, her body trembling slightly from overuse of her superpowers.

"I...still stand by my opinion."

The telepathic connection was no longer icy and chilling, as if it had been relieved of its former burdens, but had been burdened with new shackles, its voice heavy and hoarse.

"The human species, in its essence, may be beyond redemption."

Its gaze returned to Zhang Jianying.

"But you, and that boy with Pikachu..."

It paused, as if searching for the right words, "You are a rare anomaly in this world, and like a programming error."

"I still hate this world that is full of hypocrisy and deceit."

"But I...cannot ignore the foolish yet genuine brilliance that you and that boy displayed."

It hovered in front of Kirlia.

"Your trainer has chosen a path that may be destined to fail. But this naive belief needs a will strong enough to shatter everything to protect it."

The telepathic voice faded away.

A condensed beam of superpower, imbued with the power to "cut through confusion" and "break through destiny," pierced Kirlia's forehead.

Mental breakdown!

Mewtwo planted the essence of this skill, like a seed, into the soil of Kirlia's spirit.

Let's keep going.

The telepathic connection resonated clearly in Zhang Jianying and Qirulian's minds.

"Let me see how far you can go on this doomed path of failure, and how much weight these naive ideas, like straws, can bear."

"..."

A survivor with four Pokémon plus a Mewtwo.

They looked at each other speechlessly, falling into an awkward silence.

Zhang Jianying was physically exhausted and mentally scattered, but he still couldn't help but think about random things: "Isn't this Mewtwo a bit chuunibyou, and even a bit philosophical? It's so strong, but its thoughts are so... um... naive? That's it? And you're talking about me, your Mewtwo isn't much better."

Mewtwo, whose telepathic abilities far surpass Kirlia's, twitched at the temple and took a deep breath.

Its figure began to blur, preparing to teleport away. It feared it might soon be unable to resist crushing this human it had just begun to find somewhat agreeable.

Looking at Mewtwo's face, which was turning gloomy again.

To break the eerie silence, and to prevent the reckless trainer from being suddenly obliterated by a furious Mewtwo, the exhausted Kirlia used its last bit of mental energy to send a picture to Mewtwo:

Those Pokémon who are still locked in cages, trembling with fear.

Mewtwo's blurry figure gradually became clearer as it was about to leave.

It looked at Kirullian, this frail life that, even when struggling to survive, still cared for its kind.

"...trouble."

Its telepathic connection remained indifferent, but it changed direction.

"lead the way."

Zhang Jianying immediately understood and forced himself to stand up: "I know where they are being held."

He used a Poké Ball to recall the Torkoal and Haunter, who were too exhausted to fight back.

Only Kirlia resolutely dodged the red light, holding Ralts in her arms, and stretched out her little hand to Zhang Jianying.

Zhang Jianying didn't say anything, but simply held Kirulian's hand tightly.

Mewtwo remained silent as it watched this scene unfold.

It had just sensed Kirlia's unwavering determination to protect its trainers forever, and gave them a deep look.

Then, with a thought, it led them to the room where the Pokémon were imprisoned.

Looking at the Pokémon wailing all over the place, Mewtwo felt a chilling anger rise in its heart.

It didn't say much, but simply used its mental power to open the cages one by one.

The rescued Pokémon spontaneously gathered around Mewtwo, a scene that softened its aura slightly.

Just as they were clearing out the last slightly different cage, a faint dragon breath suddenly slammed into Mewtwo's barrier, without even causing a ripple.

Zhang Jianying was taken aback and looked ahead.

A sky-blue baby dragon with irregular blood-red patterns on its body was baring its teeth. Despite trembling all over, it still adopted a fighting stance and guarded the corner of the isolation chamber.

Unlike other Pokémon, it is not obedient; in its eyes, there is only resentment and stubbornness.

The cage was marked: "Failed experiment in fusion of characteristics, highly aggressive, subject of observation."

Mewtwo raised its hand to stop Zhang Jianying from stepping forward, and floated to the front of the isolation pod alone.

It stared blankly at the "different" aura on the baby dragon that was exactly the same as its own, and remained so for a long time.

"We...were born different."

"Therefore, they are seen as errors, tools, or monsters."

Mewtwo's telepathic connection carried a complex resonance.

"They fear our power and brand us as 'outcasts.' But remember, this unique pattern is not your shame, but a medal for tearing apart fate and rising from the ashes."

"This human..."

Mewtwo glanced at Zhang Jianying, "He might be able to give you a place that is different from a 'cage'."

"The choice is yours."

After saying that, Mewtwo used its psychic powers to leave with the Pokémon that had followed it, as well as Ralts in Kirlia's arms.

The Ralts only managed to send a wave of gratitude to Zhang Jianying and the others.

However, Mewtwo's words were like a seed, imprinted on Bagon's heart. This was the first time it had heard anyone refer to its "cursed pattern" as a "medal".

Baby Dragon stepped out of the cage but did not immediately approach Zhang Jianying.

It held its head high, trying to maintain its arrogance, but its eyes kept glancing at Zhang Jianying, who had reached out to it and invited it to join, and Kirulian, who had a gentle smile on her face.

Zhang Jianying looked at the baby dragon and strained to expand his data field of vision.

Baby Dragon

[Gender: Female]

[Attribute: Dragon]

【Characteristic: Hard Head】

[Age: 3 months]

[Status: Mildly depleted vitality, fear, sensitivity, hope]

[Special Talent: The incomplete flight skin characteristic allows Normal-type skills to be transformed into Flight-type skills, with a power increase of 0.8.]

[Special Status: Suspected of being forcibly modified through special means, incorporating some flight-related abilities, resulting in extremely unpredictable temperament.]

[Skills: Spark, Gaze, Bite, Dragon Breath, Headbutt]

[Inherited Skills: Dragon Dance, Dragon Dive, Rampage]

"Aww!"

Baby Dragon turned its head away. "Since that powerful Pokémon said so, I'll reluctantly observe you for a while. It's not that I want to follow you!"

Zhang Jianying came to his senses. He wanted to study the data in detail, but he couldn't bear the mental and physical pain any longer.

He took a deep breath, noticing its sensitivity and fragility. Without rushing, he simply turned and dragged his heavy body toward the exit.

Despite its arrogant tone, the baby dragon followed Zhang Jianying's steps closely, revealing its small longing for a "home" in its heart.

Zhang Jianying stared in the direction where Mewtwo had disappeared, tightly gripping Kirlia's hand, while Bellatrix stood beside him with a complex expression.

Outside the base, sirens blared as they drew closer, indicating that the Alliance's reconnaissance forces had finally arrived.

But he knew that tonight's experience was far from over. He had formed a fragile and peculiar understanding with a legendary Pokémon.

Hearing the orderly and hurried footsteps in the passage, and the majestic roar of Arcanine, he barely managed to switch his Pokédex to recording mode. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he fell backward to the ground.

In the last second before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness, the last thing he heard was the familiar, worried cries of the three little ones, and a strange dragon roar filled with panic.