Chapter 161: With the Philosopher Mewtwo

Between losing and regaining consciousness, Mewtwo passed only a minute.

Unlike many Psychic-type Pokémon with weak physical bodies, its immense psychic power constantly forged and altered its physical strength; even as an artificial Pokémon, it possessed the robust stamina of a legendary Pokémon.

Now it lay in the massive crater left by Raichu on the shore, its wounds untreated, its entire body still aching; it had merely regained consciousness, far from restored to its peak.

Mewtwo watched as the clouds overhead gradually dispersed and the storm over the sea subsided—surely sunlight would fall here soon.

Yet as the defeated, it had no right to enjoy such sunlight.

For a defeated Mewtwo had lost all reason to exist.

Mewtwo's gaze grew distant, its mind filled with confusion and a hollow emptiness, unsure where to go now that it had lost the title of "strongest."

Until Luo Mu curled his finger and tapped Mewtwo on the forehead with a knuckle rap.

"What're you doing brooding over here? Don't tell me losing one fight gave you EMO syndrome."

Luo Mu had seen every shift in Mewtwo's expression since it woke up—he knew this philosopher-type Pokémon was once again overthinking some philosophical problem.

"E-M-O? EMO syndrome? What's that?"

Mewtwo fell silent for a long while before its telepathy finally surfaced in Luo Mu's mind.

Luo Mu didn't mind the ground charred black by Raichu's lightning—he gestured for Raichu, Dragonite, and Ho-Oh to sit beside him in a row, sighed, and softened his voice: "Consider it my nonsense. You've calmed down now—can we talk?"

". Hmm."

Mewtwo fell silent again, then let out a voice thick with nasal resonance.

In its thoughts, Luo Mu and Raichu were the strongest—having lost to them, it had no right to bargain.

Seeing Mewtwo's defeated posture, Luo Mu frowned, feeling stuck.

In anime and films, no one had ever bested Mewtwo; even during its Clarion Cliff phase, when Mewtwo had begun to awaken, it was merely bound by Team Rocket's targeted technology. Mewtwo had never shown the face of a "weakling" or a "loser."

Now, Mewtwo—still desperately seeking the world's validation and confirmation of its existence—had suddenly suffered a devastating defeat. Its mental collapse wasn't hard to understand.

Yet how to verbally dismantle Mewtwo remained a shared challenge among countless transmigrators.

Even Luo Mu couldn't guarantee he could offer an answer better than the one Mewtwo found in its original storyline.

Finally, the still-confused Mewtwo began to speak slowly: "I was created by humans."

"Once, I believed my purpose was to obey my creators and wage endless battles—that was my entire reason for existing."

"But I soon realized that was wrong. I never asked anyone to create me, nor begged anyone to bring me into being. I equally resented every human, including my creators. If they all say I'm the strongest, why should I obey the weak?"

Luo Mu sat up straight—was Mewtwo dissecting its own psychological confusion?

"I once thought 'strongest' was my reason for existing. But I lost to you. The only goal I pursued has lost all meaning. There is no place for me in this world."

"I am neither human nor Pokémon. Then who am I? Where am I? What is the meaning of my existence?"

Mewtwo's voice was filled with confusion—as if losing to Luo Mu and Raichu had shattered the last force that drove it.

Raichu, Dragonite, and Ho-Oh, crouched nearby, were nearly dizzy from Mewtwo's words. They had assumed Mewtwo was a powerful, capricious villain—but never imagined its inner world was so complex.

Luo Mu paused, then said carefully: "In short—you feel that as a human creation, you won't be accepted by the world like a Pokémon, nor are you one of humanity's own, so you're searching for your reason to exist?"

Mewtwo grunted: "Yes."

For some reason, it had never intended to lay bare its psyche to others—but facing this human who had defeated it face-to-face, it couldn't stop speaking.

"First, you are unquestionably one of the Pokémon. No matter who you are, if you've come into this world, the world has already accepted you. It has nothing to do with species—simply because you, as a living being, were born into this world is already an extraordinary thing."

Mewtwo opened its mouth to speak, then hesitated: "I—"

Luo Mu cut in: "Don't rush to contradict me. You're not the first artificial Pokémon in this world, and your kind don't spend their days pondering these philosophical questions—they still live somewhere in this world as Pokémon."

"If you get the chance, go find them. Learn from their experiences. They, too, when first born, were as lost and confused as you are now. But that's normal—how long have you existed? There's no need to find answers immediately. Your life is long. You don't need such drastic methods—you can learn to think slowly."

Mewtwo's eyes widened slightly—were there others like it in this world?

"You don't need to immediately find the meaning of your existence as a living being. Just as the path to 'strongest' is still far from both of us—walk steadily forward. One day, you will find your own answer."

As he spoke, Luo Mu extended his hand, signaling Mewtwo to take it.

Mewtwo glanced at him in confusion. Luo Mu added: "You've always believed you're the strongest—and now, I, who defeated you, am the strongest, right?"

Mewtwo nodded.

"But this wondrous, magnificent world holds far stronger beings than you or I. Your vision is now bound by obsession—too narrow."

"You can read others' memories, correct? There's one memory I want you to see."

Luo Mu's smile blended with the sunlight pouring down—his expression mirrored the smile in Mewtwo's memory of a family photo. Without thinking, Mewtwo reached out and clasped his hand; its recovering psychic power began to surge.

Then it saw the black-gold Sky Dragon that had left a deep impression on Luo Mu—the same awe and helplessness he once felt now clear to Mewtwo.

Mewtwo murmured: "That's…?"

Luo Mu replied: "That's Rayquaza—a Pokémon living beyond this planet's atmosphere. Even now, you couldn't break through to reach it, could you?"

Though unwilling, Mewtwo nodded.

"Don't forget—the cloned Pokémon are also your companions. Even if you're no longer 'strongest,' you still gave them life in this world."

"Your future is still long. Don't be bound by anyone's chains. Tell me—what is your truest inner thought?"

(End of Chapter)