Following Dr. Fuji's lead, Maki arrived in front of a massive glass containment unit filled with a specially formulated nutrient solution.
Suspended within the fluid was a Pokémon—one that remained in a deep slumber.
Though its body had yet to fully develop, its future form was already taking shape. Compared to the Mewtwo known to the world, this one appeared notably slimmer, resembling Mewtwo Y's form rather than the standard Mewtwo.
"Mew...two?"
Even though the creature was still asleep, Maki could already sense the immense psychic power hidden within its being—an overwhelming potential waiting to be unleashed.
"That's right—Mewtwo! The strongest Pokémon in the world, surpassing even Mew itself!"
Gazing at the embryonic Mewtwo suspended in the solution, Blaine's eyes burned with obsession. This was his life's greatest masterpiece—without question.
Meanwhile, Dr. Fuji's expression betrayed a fleeting sadness, though he quickly masked it.
Maki placed a hand against the glass containment unit. Though it looked like ordinary glass, it was made from a special material that even Pokémon attacks would struggle to damage.
This was why neither Blaine nor the researchers worried about anything going wrong.
After all, if Maki could break this containment with his own strength, what need would there be for Mewtwo? Wouldn't that make him the true god among Pokémon?
"But are you confident that you can control it once it fully awakens? I don't believe for a second that this creation of yours will simply obey like a puppet on strings."
Retracting his thoughts from Mewtwo, Maki also withdrew his hand.
At his question, both Blaine and Dr. Fuji fell silent. They had been arguing endlessly before, yet neither of them had a concrete plan. Their debate had merely been about two different theories—neither of which offered a guaranteed method of control.
Maki sighed. He had anticipated this.
"Originally, we estimated that completing the Mewtwo Project would take at least two to three more years. But everything progressed far more smoothly than expected—so much so that implementing proper control measures has become the real challenge."
The project's rapid success had been almost unnatural, as if fate itself had aligned to assist them. Every stage had proceeded without major setbacks, bringing them to this moment much sooner than they had prepared for.
"So what's the plan?"
"For now, we'll halt Mewtwo's development," Blaine stated decisively. "We need to suppress its terrifying potential—preventing its power from escalating further—until we find a way to fully control it."
Dr. Fuji hesitated, his mouth opening as if to speak, but in the end, he swallowed his words.
Maki, however, noticed this small detail.
"Dr. Fuji, do you have a different idea?"
"Ignore him," Blaine scoffed, cutting in before Fuji could answer. "He's always coming up with naïve, unrealistic suggestions."
"What did you just say, you old bald fool? Your so-called 'plans' are the ones that'll make things worse!" Fuji shot back, his brows furrowing in anger.
"Alright, alright—enough! Let's just hear Dr. Fuji out first."
Maki quickly intervened, stopping the argument before it could spiral further. He couldn't afford to waste too much time here.
"Hmph."
Blaine let out a cold snort but refrained from speaking further.
Dr. Fuji finally had the chance to explain.
"I believe that since we created a Pokémon, we should treat it like a Pokémon. Instead of trying to subjugate it through force, we should raise it as a normal Pokémon—bond with it from its infancy. Even if its potential surpasses ordinary Pokémon, emotionally, it won't be much different from any other young Pokémon. This is our opportunity."
He turned to Maki with a look of conviction.
Maki considered his words carefully before asking, "Dr. Fuji, I have one question."
Dr. Fuji blinked. "Go ahead."
Maki turned his gaze back to the slumbering Mewtwo.
"At this stage, does Mewtwo already possess independent thought and intelligence? Or, more importantly, is it capable of perceiving the outside world?"
His eyes locked onto Fuji, awaiting his response.
"For the first question—yes. Mewtwo's consciousness has already formed. However, for the second—absolutely not." Fuji shook his head without hesitation. Even Blaine, despite his previous disagreements, nodded in agreement.
"The containment unit has been specially modified. Not even psychic abilities can penetrate it to interact with the outside world." Blaine stated firmly.
"…Is that so?"
Maki didn't question their certainty, but deep down, he wasn't entirely convinced.
Could this containment system truly isolate Mewtwo's perception?
He had his doubts.
And then—just as Maki was about to shift his attention away from Mewtwo—something unexpected happened.
The containment unit began to tremble violently.
Inside, Mewtwo's body started to shudder slightly—
The signs of awakening.
"Quick! Increase the dosage! It's not time for this thing to wake up yet!"
Blaine's face twisted in alarm as he grabbed a nearby intercom and barked urgent orders.
Immediately, the tubes connected to Mewtwo injected a specially formulated sedative into its system, calming the once-agitated Pokémon.
But Maki was no longer paying attention to the chaos around him.
Because in that brief moment, he was certain—
He had heard something.
A voice.
Faint, almost imperceptible.
Yet undeniably real.
No one else seemed to notice.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the room, Ariana sat quietly, sipping her tea. When the tremors first began, a hint of surprise flickered across her face—
But then, she smirked.
A subtle, knowing curve of her lips.
Of course, no one else had been watching her.
The focus remained solely on Mewtwo.
Roughly ten minutes later, Mewtwo had fully stabilized once more.
"Does this happen often?"
Blaine shook his head.
"No. The last time something like this occurred was when we first detected Mewtwo's consciousness forming. That reaction was even stronger than this one. But ever since then, this is the first occurrence."
"Any theories?"
"None. We're still investigating."
One thing was certain, though—
The day of Mewtwo's true awakening was drawing near.
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