Chapter 76 Natsuki: So I Took the Blame
It was evening.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the harbor of Cinnabar Island.
After the storm, everything had returned to calm. Apart from the puddles everywhere, it was hard to imagine the terrifying scene from before.
Natsuki and Sonia stood on the shore, unable to recover for a long time.
Just a moment ago they were on New Island, and the next second they were here.
And everything had changed, even a new memory had appeared in their minds.
This memory seemed to overturn their previous experience, but it also told them that this new memory was false, covered by the real experience due to an irresistible external force.
Natsuki was the first to recover, feeling around on the Pokémon buckle at his waist.
After confirming that his Pokémon were all there, and that the Master Ball was still there, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
His Aura could connect with the Pokémon inside the Poké Balls, and he could even resonate with Mewtwo inside the Master Ball and have a simple conversation.
"[This is the terrifying power you and Mew combined to unleash. It's unbelievable that you could achieve this. Is it the same for me, and for everyone else? Or...]" Xia Mu thought to himself, not continuing, his gaze shifting to Sonia beside him.
Mewtwo seemed to sense his question and responded with its psychic power: "[Erasing all traces of existence. Mew and I's psychic power covers all known areas. Everyone except you will have their memories of me replaced by that false memory.]"
[As expected!]" Xia Mu was even more shocked by the answer.
This kind of power truly only exists in the real world. How could it exist in a game?
A god! This is the power of a first-level god.
"[But why did you shift the blame to me? You can read my memories? So you modified them to all challenge me?]" Xia Mu was somewhat amused and exasperated. This was
actually a very serious question; he needed to know.
His memories were no small matter.
"Initially, I did want to access some of your memories for confirmation, but my abilities weren't sufficient. So, I retrieved recent events from most trainers. To make the whole thing seem more natural, I defined the strongest Pokémon trainer as a false claim, and then used you as the acting gym leader to divert everyone's attention. Thus, everyone will only know that you, the powerful trainer, are at the Cinnabar Gym, and everyone will challenge you." Mewtwo's answer was simple and straightforward.
It didn't even ask if he was willing.
To be fair, Mewtwo had tricked Xia Mu.
But since he had already caught Mewtwo, he might as well take the blame; it would certainly boost his reputation.
In short, all trainers now knew of his formidable strength, making him even more famous.
As for the original story, Xia Mu didn't want to delve into it, since everything had changed.
Xia Mu was also very fortunate that at least his memories hadn't been accessed by Mewtwo. The
fact that Mewtwo couldn't access his memories immediately reminded Xia Mu of the cheat device simulator, which shielded him from external interference.
Otherwise, as a human, despite possessing the power of Aura, Natsuki didn't consider himself particularly special.
Lost in thought, Natsuki thought of Mew again, intending to ask about her whereabouts, but ultimately didn't ask.
Just as Natsuki was deep in thought, Sonia also snapped out of her reverie, their eyes meeting.
"Xia Mu!" Sonia exclaimed, seemingly trying to determine if this was a dream or reality.
"Hmm." Xia Mu remained calm and tentatively asked, "Do you remember how we got here?"
"How did we get here?" Sonia paused slightly, then quickly replied, "Of course I remember. Mewtwo and Mew are amazing; they can modify memories at this level, making it seem like a dream."
Hearing Sonia's answer, Xia Mu sighed inwardly.
He had thought that Mewtwo and Mew would also erase her related memories, but it seemed that Mewtwo and Mew had tacitly agreed not to forcibly alter the memories of anyone or any Pokémon related to them.
Therefore, Sonia's situation was the same as his.
"Mewtwo told me that what they did to us was simply to add a new memory to our minds. For others, it's different; this false memory becomes a real memory, thus erasing any trace of their existence. So remember not to let it slip; it's best if too many people don't know about their existence," Xia Mu said.
"Of course I know that. Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped," Sonia nodded seriously.
Just as she was about to say something, she caught a glimpse of Ash, Misty, Brock, Sweetie, Sora, and Seaman in the distance. They were standing quietly on the shore, admiring the sea view.
As for Nurse Joy, she wasn't there. Natsuki could guess without asking that she had been sent back to the Pokémon Center by Mewtwo.
Wherever they were taken, they were sent back.
"Let's go check on them," Natsuki beckoned to Sonia.
According to the fabricated memories, the group had come to Cinnabar Island port to escape a storm, which was how they met.
She tried to find loopholes in Ash and the others' memories by using clever language, but to her surprise, their memories of Mewtwo and Mew had completely disappeared.
Without those memories, their gazes towards Natsuki changed.
Excitement was clearly visible on their faces; they wanted to compete with Natsuki.
Only Sweetie was different. She already knew Natsuki, and her purpose in coming to Cinnabar Island was to see if the title of "strongest Pokémon trainer" was real.
They arrived to find nothing, only to discover it was fake, much to their disappointment.
Xia Mu readily accepted their challenge, but not immediately; they could challenge them later at the Cinnabar Gym, provided he was there.
After bidding farewell to the group, Xia Mu, unsure if it was just his imagination, sensed a hint of confusion and strangeness in Pikachu's eyes when their eyes met.
Returning to the Cinnabar Island port, Xia Mu and Sonia subtly communicated with the trainers. Their
enthusiasm for Xia Mu's arrival was overwhelming.
Clearly, Mewtwo had been modified too much; this feeling of being surrounded was comparable to being besieged by an Elite Four member.
Xia Mu couldn't be offended, so he accepted it, using the opportunity to let everyone go to the Cinnabar Gym if they wanted to challenge someone.
He would still be there for the next two days anyway; otherwise, who would clean up this mess? After some investigation, Xia Mu and Sonia confirmed that everyone's memories had been wiped clean and replaced with new ones.
Not just the trainers, but everyone!
...
Leaving the passenger terminal, Xia Mu and Sonia strolled along the harbor shore.
As they walked, they gazed at the calm sea, their hearts filled with emotion. This experience became uniquely theirs, and only they remembered the true details.
"What are you planning to do next, Xia Mu?" This incident brought Sonia and Xia Mu closer.
She asked proactively, and Xia Mu was slightly taken aback, glancing at her curious expression. "What are you planning to do?"
"The new island, of course! Are you just going to ignore it? There are still the remains of the cloning machine on that island, even though we've already destroyed it..." Sonia said righteously.
She looked very serious, almost lecturing, but Xia Mu found it quite endearing, especially under the glow of the setting sun.
Seeing Xia Mu staring at her, Sonia blushed slightly.
Thanks to her cheerful personality, she said, "Although I know I'm very charming, it's very impolite for you to stare at me like that."
Xia Mu felt a little awkward after saying this, then quickly changed the subject: "You should answer the question you asked, Mewtwo."
Xia Mu passed the buck to Mewtwo.
It can see everything outside while inside the Master Ball and can also use its psychic powers to communicate its thoughts at any time.
As for releasing it, it's best not to now. After all, with so many people around, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause if it were discovered?
Especially Team Rocket. This time, although Mewtwo and Mew erased all traces of their existence, Mewtwo overlooked the traces of Team Rocket's creation of it, which led to the future plot where Giovanni finds Mewtwo again.
"Mewtwo?" Sonia asked suspiciously.
She thought Natsuki was going to have Mewtwo come out to answer, but the next second, Mewtwo's voice appeared in her mind. "
[The erased traces aren't just the memories of humans and Pokémon, but also some special buildings in Pokémon Castle, including the cloning machines underground and the equipment used to create Poké Balls. So even if someone goes to the new island, they will only see the ruins left by Pokémon Castle.]"
Mewtwo's answer surprised Sonia, but she quickly calmed down.
In short, if this problem is solved, then there are no other problems.
"Actually, what we need to care about now are the Pokémon that were created. Their memories haven't been altered; they remember everything, but they know very little about this world. They'll need guidance one by one in the future," Xia Mu got to the point. "So I need your help, Sonia."
Hearing Xia Mu's words, Sonia was slightly taken aback, then her cheeks flushed red.
For some reason, it felt like Xia Mu was confessing his feelings to her.
"If… it's just about taking care of the Pokémon, I could agree. I'm not agreeing because of you; I just feel sorry for those Pokémon." Sonia used this straightforward answer to mask her emotional change.
Xia Mu hadn't thought too much about it, considering she was a researcher and naturally skilled at taking care of Pokémon.
In the end, Xia Mu took on all the responsibility, capturing all the Pokémon.
Originally, Xia Mu's plan was for everyone to share the burden, since taking care of so many Pokémon would be very difficult, and training them one by one would be a huge expense.
There was no other way, as Mewtwo and Mew needed to have their existence erased.
Now, Xia Mu needed to go to the Pokémon Center to confirm Nurse Joy's safety before contacting home.
Since he had caught more than six Pokémon, they were all teleported back to his family's Pokémon Teleporter. His mother must be very busy taking care of them.
It's worth mentioning that Mewtwo, after being caught in a Master Ball, wasn't counted towards the six-Pokémon limit.
This meant Xia Mu could carry seven Pokémon.
As for the sixth Pokémon, Xia Mu unhesitatingly chose Charizard to accompany him.
Those three starter Pokémon—he didn't know how Mewtwo was created, but their stats were top-notch in every aspect.
After chatting with Sonia for a few more minutes, Xia Mu summoned Arcanine, leaped onto it, and extended his hand to Sonia.
Having ridden Arcanine once before, Sonia didn't feel awkward about this intimate gesture and naturally accepted Xia Mu's invitation, sitting on Arcanine's back.
The broad back and fluffy mane gave off a warm feeling.
Sonia enjoyed the comfort provided by Arcanine, while Xia Mu inhaled the fragrance emanating from her.
That refreshing scent made him feel relaxed and even his heart race.
During Arcanine's ride, because there was no wind or rain, their bodies were close together, allowing them to feel each other even more.
...
Arriving at the Pokémon Center in Cinnabar City, Xia Mu reluctantly got off Arcanine.
Sonia's face was now flushed, like a ripe apple, even more alluring.
Xia Mu found teasing Sonia quite amusing. In the original story, she was older and more mature, and wouldn't act like a little girl so easily.
The current Sonia was the same age as Xia Mu, just turned eighteen, so she was still quite naive.
This sweet and sour feeling was like first love.
"Get down, let's go see Nurse Joy, and then we'll go back to the Cinnabar Gym," Xia Mu urged Sonia, helping her to distract herself.
Sonia gave Xia Mu a playful glare before getting off the Arcanine.
The two entered the Pokémon Center, where a considerable number of people had already gathered, some from the League, but mostly trainers.
Regarding the alteration of the missing person record, just as Mewtwo had said, it had changed Nurse Joy's memories to show her spending time in the wild, rescuing wild Pokémon, so those unaware thought she was missing.
After confirming that nothing unexpected had happened, Xia Mu took Sonia back to the Cinnabar City Gym.
Back at the Cinnabar Gym, Blaine and Professor Magnolia already knew what had happened at Cinnabar Harbor.
Xia Mu and Sonia were also very curious about the changes in their memories.
After learning that their memories were the same as everyone else's, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In fact, Xia Mu's relief was inevitable, as it meant the matter was largely resolved.
Although many details still needed to be confirmed and processed, the problem was no longer a major one.
Sonia breathed a sigh of relief, though she herself didn't know why she felt this way.
...
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(End of Chapter)