Chapter 139: Gyarados: Why Is There Another Big Shot Here?!

At night, Lapras was already fast asleep in the pool, and Milcery was snoozing soundly right on top of its head.
Inside the room, Zhu Suihan and Mewtwo stared at each other with wide eyes, both radiating an abundance of energy and spirit.
[Why aren't you sleeping?]
"My constitution is a bit special; I'm practically the ancestor of night owls. Why aren't you sleeping?"
[I don't really need to sleep.]
"No, you have to sleep."
Zhu Suihan scratched his head. "I probably know why you don't need to sleep. Flying all the way back from Cerulean City really didn't drain you at all, did it?"
Mewtwo pondered for a moment: [Actually, there is a drain, but it feels like an ordinary person peeling an apple and then eating it.]
The consumption of psychic energy was certain, but the bond and emotional energy shared between Zhu Suihan, the two little ones, and Mewtwo were constantly feeding back into Mewtwo itself.
In short, the more effort expended, the more powerful it became.
If not for the existence of such a thing as bonded emotional energy—something completely defying the logical operation of energy—it would have been utterly impossible for it to exist in the first place.
Bonds: a power far too idealistic.
"Your situation should be somewhat similar to mine, so I know how to resolve it. The two of us will try to enter a state of shared consciousness."
Zhu Suihan sat at the head of the bed, then reached out both hands toward Mewtwo, palms facing outward.
Mewtwo glanced at the strange posture Zhu Suihan assumed while sitting cross-legged on the bed, feeling a trace of doubt.
[I've read the files in the laboratory; this seems somewhat similar to the postures of the practitioner trainers in Violet City. Have you trained there?]
"Nope, I just purely feel that standing is too troublesome, and sitting requires a bit of ritual to calm the mind."
Zhu Suihan pressed his hands against Mewtwo's slightly chilly palms.
"Don't use your psychic power. Use your own physical senses to feel our breathing as much as possible."
"Close your eyes with me."
Zhu Suihan and Mewtwo synchronized and closed their eyes, successfully entering the state of shared consciousness under the influence of the bonded energy, though it remained unstable.
If one were to describe a certain white-haired individual's state of mind as complex, chaotic, or even twisted, then Mewtwo's state of mind was like a blank sheet of paper, with at most a single brushstroke smeared in blue, pink, and white pigments.
The weights were different, making it easy to lose balance.
"Don't worry about those things; your path is yours alone to walk," Zhu Suihan said.
"I couldn't sleep because of my overflowing energy, but I've found a much more interesting solution with zero drawbacks."
Just as Mewtwo was about to speak, it suddenly felt a vast, boundless ocean of knowledge surge toward it from Zhu Suihan's direction, forcing it to immediately go all out to parry, using every ounce of its effort to comprehend and digest that knowledge.
After nearly half an hour, Zhu Suihan and Mewtwo separated their hands. Exchanging a glance, they both gave each other a look that clearly said, "What kind of monster are you?"
Then, rolling their eyes back, they fell soundly asleep, with ungraceful sleeping postures and peaceful expressions.
"What's wrong with you, kid?"
Inside the dean's office, Zhu Suihan, who had come to be reprimanded, rubbed his temples while holding a jar of liquor in his other hand, making Joy Jing's eyebrows twitch violently.
A hangover?
That kid didn't seem like the type to indulge in heavy drinking.
"No, I was thinking about a research direction yesterday and gave myself a headache. I'm just sipping some fruit juice to soothe it."
In order to grant Mewtwo baby-like sleep, the knowledge he chose to exchange yesterday completely exceeded his own tolerance limit, yet his mind held together like highly resilient rubber.
So his head hurt terribly right now—the kind of feeling where looking at one more formula would make him pass out.
"You should watch out and get more rest, kid."
From the dean's perspective, the increasingly competitive atmosphere of Joy Academy left her very satisfied. Once this batch of students graduated, not to mention dominating Kanto and sweeping through Hoenn, their average level would definitely serve as a rock-solid backbone for the future.
However, this ultimate overachiever had just returned and immediately given himself a headache by overthinking a problem, prompting Joy Jing to feel that the school leadership should hold a meeting to emphasize paying more attention to student health.
If an overachiever could end up like this, what would happen if the other normal students exhausted their bodies?
"It's fine. Is there anything else you wanted to say, Dean? If not, I'm taking a day off to recover."
Joy Jing sighed. "Forget it, there's nothing much to say. This is something Giovanni brought upon himself anyway, so no one can really be blamed."
The Indigo League governed Kanto and Johto; since the incident happened in the Kanto region, what did it have to do with the dean of a small academy in Johto?
"Behaves yourself in the academy for a while. There are definitely a lot of people looking for you outside right now."
Joy Jing said, "If anyone dares to come looking, their only option is to sneak around the back mountain via the small trail."
"We call that place the back mountain; the residents there call our patch of land their courtyard."
"Those fellows don't have the nicest tempers. If you get caught by them, you might end up spending the rest of your life farming and tending to fires, and the League wouldn't even bother saving you."
Zhu Suihan: ...
It sounded a bit like a bandit den, but it certainly gave people a strong sense of security.
"Go on, go on. I'll grant you a day off to rest. Just remember to catch up on your coursework afterward."
After resting for a day, the first-year students once again laid eyes on the classmate who had gone out and stirred up a storm.
Moreover, the rankings on the report card delivered a heavy blow to their hearts.
Zhu Suihan took first place, and by a landslide at that. The gap between his score and the second-place runner-up was absurdly large.
It wasn't because the second place was too poor, but because the first place was too outrageously good.
Aside from his psychological evaluation being annotated as "heterodox," he had snatched up every single possible full score.
The ones he didn't get weren't due to carelessness, but because those subsequent "max-score courses" couldn't be learned until the second year.
"What a fuss. Maybe I should have kept my previous academic level; the consequences of standing out like this are somewhat terrifying."
Zhu Suihan stood on Lapras's shell with his hands in his pockets, speaking to the bewildered Gyarados.
"Big guy, the other classmates all say I went out and updated my chips and software, which is why I improved so terribly much upon returning."
"My review is that they still have too much free time; they should increase their course load and watch less television."
"Gyarados?"
Then why are you telling me this, as if I could possibly understand?
"It's just that the social aspect gives me a bit of a headache. I always feel like chatting with you guys is more fun."
Zhu Suihan took out the Retaliation Ball from his waist and gave it a gentle toss.
"Gyarados?"
Gyarados instantly treated it like a formidable enemy, sensing a terrifying power emanating from this never-before-seen Pokémon.
[I am not your enemy. Relax.]
Mewtwo looked at Zhu Suihan: [The things I can learn are varied, but they are also very useful.]
Zhu Suihan patted Lapras's large head. "How should I put it? Finally, there's someone in the family who isn't illiterate, and they even shot straight up to become an honors student."
"Milcery!"
This emperor walks the path of the Great Emperor; how can you call me illiterate?!
"Lapras!"
You're no more familiar with the fun things at the festival than I am!
"Yes, yes, whether someone is illiterate or not shouldn't be defined by whether they read books; that's far too narrow-minded."
Zhu Suihan laughed heartily. "Such narrow-minded actions must not be performed—too lazy to bother."
"Gyarados."
Gyarados glanced at Mewtwo.
You're quite strong, aren't you? Want to go to the back mountain with me and challenge those big shots? They're very strong too!
[Challenge?]
Mewtwo's gaze was calm: [It's not me challenging them; it's them challenging me.]
[Because I am stronger!]
Gyarados was stunned: "Gyarados?"
Are you bragging? Your aura is only slightly stronger than mine, and you expect them to challenge you based on that?
"Gyarados."
How about we have a match? That way you should have a clearer idea of what your actual strength level is.
Mewtwo looked at Zhu Suihan, who merely waved his hand.
"We're old friends anyway, so go easy on him."
Gyarados: ?
Since that white-haired guy said so, that meant...
Oh no, this might actually be someone he couldn't beat!
"It looks like it's just the few of us watching the battle; there's no way to even open up a betting ring."
Lapras carried Zhu Suihan and Milcery a distance away, and upon hearing those words, all of them nodded in agreement.
They all knew how terrifying Mewtwo was, so the notion of "guessing who would win" didn't even cross their minds.
How should they put it? If Gyarados could force Mewtwo to use even one hand, it would be a complete success!
"Gyarados?"
Fighting right here?
Mewtwo calmly nodded: [For his sake, I will try my best to guide you, but how much you can comprehend depends entirely on your own performance.]
[Make your move.]
Roar!
Without hesitation or verbal response, Gyarados opened with a surging Flamethrower—the preferred tactic of many Fire-type Pokémon.
The damage wasn't low, the range was long, and when the situation was uncertain, always greet the opponent with a Flamethrower first.
[The output is decent, but far too scattered.]
Mewtwo crossed his arms as a barrier formed of blue light materialized in front of him, remaining completely unfazed no matter how fiercely the flames scorched it.
Gyarados charged forward head-on, harnessing its inner rage to further elevate its power, and swept a Water Tail toward Mewtwo, capitalizing on the momentum!
[The mastery and cohesion of the move are lacking. It seems you don't use this move very often.]
The blue barrier once again blocked Gyarados, but this time Gyarados didn't drop down; instead, it tightly coiled its massive body around Mewtwo, unleashing a grandiose Hydro Pump directly downward onto its head!
[Utilizing momentum to build on momentum—very clever. However, you should have used Leer while executing the Hydro Pump, combining it with your rage to suppress the opponent's fighting spirit.]
With a whoosh, Mewtwo dodged Gyarados's attack, but Gyarados didn't grow angry, knowing this was one of the specialties of Psychic-type Pokémon.
Teleportation! Only by firmly grasping the opponent's aura could one seize the tactical advantage the moment their opponent's ultimate move landed!
Not only must the speed be fast enough, but the mind must also be utterly steady!
Gyarados charged again, layering Dragon Dance using the techniques of the raging heart.
Must be fast! Must be steady!
Must grasp the dance of the grand dragon!
"Gyarados!"
Gyarados let out an angry roar, its body flashing with the blazing aura of fighting spirit—the hallmark of an increased capability!
The fiery aura ignited.
Then, it burned brighter still!
Double Dragon Dance!
Take Down!
The surging momentum whipped up massive wind and waves around the large lake, prompting Zhu Suihan to pull out a handkerchief to wipe the water droplets off Lapras and Milcery.
"A double Dragon Dance—I've never seen the big guy pull off a move like that before. It looks like the pressure Mewtwo is giving him is genuinely huge."
Milcery folded its arms: "Milcery."
But why did he use Take Down? Could it just be to harness the momentum bursting forth from his speed and the Dragon Dance?
"No," Zhu Suihan said.
"Take Down is just the first step, meant to shatter the psychic barrier Mewtwo set up."
Boom!
The blue barrier shattered like glass into countless fragments, then drifted away as points of light.
At that exact moment, the dark-purple, serrated energy hidden within the wild fury finally revealed itself!
Crunch!
(End of Chapter)