"Let's leave here for now. From what that Rocket member said earlier, there are at least thirty to forty of them in Viridian Forest. Even if their captain was killed, they wouldn't know who did it. It's unwise to clash with them in the forest."
After some quick calculations, Ryuuske decided to leave the crime scene with Gible. Those Rocket members weren't complete pushovers. Defeating one or two with just Gible wouldn't be difficult, but if they encountered a group, Gible wouldn't stand a chance. Using Mewtwo on such small fry would be beneath him.
[Your consciousness wavered just now.]
Finding a safe spot near a water source, Ryuuske and Gible sat down to rest. However, in the depths of Viridian Forest, there was no such thing as true safety. Even while resting, they had to remain alert to their surroundings.
[A wavering consciousness? It must have been when that guy screamed as Gible's Dragon Rush hit him.]
Leaning against a tree trunk, Ryuuske spoke to Mewtwo in his mind.
[That was the moment.]
[Mewtwo, you sound confused?]
[I don't understand why you had such a strong emotional reaction. Is this a unique trait of humans?]
Mewtwo's voice was melodic, yet filled with deep confusion.
[It was just fear from killing someone.]
Ryuuske didn't see himself as a ruthless person. Having absorbed so much information from modern society, he didn't think he was a hypocrite either. To put it simply, he was just an ordinary person. And as a law-abiding citizen, it was natural to feel fear after taking a life. However, due to the differences in worlds and laws, that fear had been greatly diminished.
[Why do you still feel fear? On that island before, you killed far more people.]
Inside its Poké Ball, Mewtwo tilted its head. Although it was the one who actually did the killing, the orders came from Ryuuske, making no real difference in the act.
[Back then, I didn't see the corpses up close, so I wasn't afraid. Humans are like that. Only when they witness something firsthand do their emotions react. No matter how ruthless an act they commit, if they don't see it directly, they won't feel much about it. I didn't really look at that guy just now, either. But taking a direct hit from Gible's Dragon Rush, without a Pokémon to absorb the impact for him, his death was probably gruesome.]
The ground had been smashed into a half-meter-deep crater. That kind of force hitting a human body would leave bones shattered and organs ruptured. The corpse was probably nothing more than a twisted lump of flesh.
In this world, humans—no matter how strong—were still fragile. Without a Pokémon by their side for protection, any attack from a Pokémon could be fatal. That's why, for trainers, the first lesson wasn't how to attack an enemy but how to protect themselves. Keeping at least one Pokémon constantly by their side was a necessity. In a two-on-two battle, one Pokémon focused on offense while the other defended and provided support. It was an essential survival strategy.
[Don't worry about me, Mewtwo. I think I'll get used to it soon enough. I can look at a Pokémon's death without flinching, yet I hesitate when it comes to humans. Isn't that hypocritical? Humans are cruel creatures. When their lives are on the line, they'll do whatever it takes to survive. If it comes down to it, I won't hesitate either. Besides—]
Ryuuske placed a hand on his chest, his brows furrowing.
In that moment of taking a life, he had felt an indescribable, primal pleasure.
It wasn't the twisted joy of a psychotic killer who needed to murder to feel alive. It was something deeper, wilder—a yearning for absolute freedom, for unrestrained violence.
No one could stop him. Nothing could restrain him.
(Ok wannabe Xianxia immortal)
Was this the instinct of this body's bloodline? Or the remnants of his soul from the world he came from? Or perhaps, both?
The power of the Dragon Tamer flowed in his veins, allowing him to control terrifying, savage Dragon-type Pokémon at will. Someone with that kind of gift could hardly be a calm, peace-loving person. Perhaps all those who wielded this power were born with a natural inclination toward cruelty—just like dragons themselves.
Meanwhile, the soul inhabiting this body had spent its past life in a world bound by laws and regulations. Human instincts, including cruelty, were constantly suppressed. But now, in a world with fewer restraints, those suppressed instincts were resurfacing exponentially.
(T/N: Please, stop lil bro…)
When these two forces merged, breaking the rules felt exhilarating.
And every time he fought, beneath his calm exterior, he felt an uncontrollable, violent battle lust—a madness that wanted to gamble his own life for the thrill.
This instinct was useful for battle. It would make him stronger.
But in moments of calm, Ryuuske wondered if this instinct would eventually consume his personality, pushing him toward something more… inhuman. If that happened, developing some kind of antisocial disorder wouldn't be out of the question.
'Forget it. No point overthinking it. Thinking won't change anything.'
He glanced at Gible beside him.
It had no psychological burden whatsoever. In its worldview, there was no difference between using attacks on humans or Pokémon.
In ancient times, the person it had just killed might have even become its next meal.
Of course, modern Pokémon had long grown accustomed to the delicacies prepared by humans. The idea of eating raw meat likely no longer appealed to them. In a way, that was progress—a sign of civilization.
[Mewtwo, do you want to meet Mew? After all, half of your genes come from it. What do you think of it?]
[I have no opinion until I see it. But I do want to meet it… It's a strange feeling—both familiar and repulsive.]
Mewtwo's eyes flickered with a cold light as it clenched its fists.
[Can you sense where Mew is?]
[Not while I'm inside this Poké Ball. If it's too far, I can't feel anything. But once we get closer, I'll be able to detect it.]
[Alright! Then our next mission is to find Mew!]
Ryuuske made his decision immediately.
Before leaving Viridian Forest, he would track down Mew—and at the same time, sabotage Team Rocket's plans.
As for those Rocket members in the forest?
He didn't care about them.
They didn't have the strength to capture Mew. But the fact that they had found its traces meant they had likely developed a device capable of tracking it using its genetic material.
If they managed to locate Mew and called in Team Rocket's true elites, even if they couldn't capture it, they could still extract some of its genetic structure—enough to restart another Mewtwo Project.
Though Ryuuske doubted they could ever recreate such a miracle.
To be continued…