Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

Mewtwo is completely dumbfounded. How could the kid who dares to bleed to feed his partner at the drop of a hat be the child of such an evil person?!

“It’s absolutely true, and he does look quite like Giovanni…” Ash glanced at Mewtwo, saving face by not saying the rest of the sentence.

You and Giovanni are actually quite similar.

Ash sometimes feels that the Giovanni family has indeed inherited some very certain traits.

For example, that philosophical vibe, and those occasional bursts of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Of course, Mewtwo's intelligence, bravery, gentleness, kindness, and abhorrence of gambling and drugs are more like her own traits... so it is actually still her and Mew's child, and Giovanni is just an outsider.

But these are not the point.

Silver, as the son of Giovanni, said a lot of self-centered things, but did things that no one else could do, which undoubtedly shocked Mewtwo!

"Mewtwo, tell me now... what is meant by 'inherent evil'?" Ash looked at Mewtwo seriously. "Silver also has Giovanni's blood flowing through his veins, but how could he do something like that?!"

“Because…” Mewtwo fell into deep thought for a moment.

Its gaze swept across the still-playing split screen, watching the trainers and Pokémon persevere through thick and thin, before finally settling on Ash beside it.

It suddenly realized that it knew the answer to the question.

Not long ago, when Ash decided to confront that lofty being, it had already been proven true!

“It has nothing to do with whether he has a bad nature…” Mewtwo’s eyes gradually brightened, and his expression slowly regained its confidence. “He simply made a choice!”

“That’s right!” Ash nodded firmly. “It has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority, good or evil, nor does it require consideration of identity or faction... Your choices determine what kind of person you will become!”

All living beings in this world, whether human or Pokémon, make choices... even every moment.

The choices we make gradually build up the path we take, ultimately determining what kind of person we become.

As for the so-called inherent flaws, they are just like the limitations imposed by the protagonist's halo and the involuntary environment in the computer world—they are all objectively existing conditions.

People can fight against it or go with the flow; it's essentially a choice.

Therefore, the presence of Giovanni's genes in Mewtwo is not due to it being infected by a negative trait, but simply because it has an additional objective condition.

This condition is very powerful now, even Mewtwo cannot fight against it... but it will eventually be lifted one day!

"Find Ho-Oh and ask it to use its flames to remove the alien power from your body. That way, you can become a completely independent individual and make choices based on your own will!" Ash said decisively.

"Very good…"

"Yes, it is indeed very good." Looking at Mewtwo lost in thought, Ash nodded with satisfaction. "But this is not the end. The choices of you, me, and the trainers who are currently undergoing testing cannot be guaranteed to be permanently effective. Those who stay may become villains in the future, and those scum who abandoned their Pokémon may one day have a change of heart."

"We cannot decide how we will become in the future... but at least we can take every choice we make seriously in the present moment and make sure we don't go down the wrong path."

"You...you're right, the most important thing is to seize the moment!" Mewtwo's tone was incredibly excited. At this moment, it finally broke through the gloom brought by Giovanni's blood!

"I am who I am, the one and only Mewtwo! My choices will never be swayed by anyone!!"

boom! !

A powerful and confident aura rekindled around Mewtwo, sweeping away its previous dejection!

Ash smiled with satisfaction. In his opinion, Mewtwo had now truly evolved to its full potential.

It no longer doubts itself, is not easily swayed by external factors, can think independently, and has a clear understanding of the relationship between humans and Pokémon!

This Mewtwo will undoubtedly become Ash's most important obstacle and source of strength on his journey!

As Mewtwo regained its senses, all the screens that were running simultaneously shut down, and the struggling children were teleported back to the castle hall.

The test of extreme survival is over... or rather, it was a test for Mewtwo from the very beginning.

...

“Ugh… Bai Gungun…” Suddenly everything went black. When Lillie regained her vision, she found herself back in the hall, sitting in a chair.

Bai Gungun wasn't beside her, and her clothes weren't dirty. The experience just now felt like a nightmare.

She frantically rummaged through her backpack for a Poké Ball, finally releasing Whitey, and her heart finally settled down.

"Everyone is back safe and sound, that's wonderful!" Looking around, Lillie was overjoyed to see Kachi and the others appear one after another.

"It feels so strange... It was so tough before." Shui Lian hugged Qiu Qiu the sea lion tightly. "But, it's good that we're back."

The remaining Kachi, Mamane, and Mao all wore expressions of relief.

Pa~pa~

A perfunctory round of applause drifted over, and the five of them saw the young waitress from before once again.

"Congratulations on successfully passing the first round of testing. You can rest in the lobby and have something to eat." The young waitress waved her hand casually, and a variety of delicious foods appeared out of thin air on the table, making the five students' mouths water.

"But... are we the only ones who passed the test? There are so many powerful trainers..." Kia felt something was wrong.

“Of course it’s not just you guys.” The young waitress shook her head and said, “A total of nine people and one cat passed the test… The five of you were not qualified to participate in the second round of testing, so you were sent back early.”

“Uh…” Kachi’s face immediately fell.

In his view, the other party was openly saying that he was weak.

"However, they are still better than those who were eliminated, so you will receive a reward." The young waitress waved her hand, and five orbs of light flew in front of everyone one by one.

The children were taken aback; the so-called reward was actually Z Pure Crystal!

Kaki got the Dragon Z, Mamane got the Bug Z, and the three girls got the Fairy Z.

"What a strange feeling... I actually got a Z-Crystal in Kanto." Shui Lian couldn't help but mutter to herself.

"There's nothing we can do. Even the strongest trainer is short of supplies. You'll just have to make do with what we have," the young waitress said, sounding completely resigned.

"Huh?" The five Alora members were all taken aback. This casual style of 'rewards depend entirely on what I have' reminded them of a certain 'poor and penniless' newly crowned island king.

"Besides," the young waitress continued, "haven't you already had a great experience?" "That chubby boy over there isn't afraid of the dark anymore, is he?"

“That’s true~” Mamane chuckled and scratched his head.

He was thrown into a dark and cold cave. For Mamane, who was always afraid of the dark, the pitch-black environment almost scared him half to death.

Thanks to Togodemar for providing him with electricity and light, Mamane was not driven mad with fear, but his little cousin Alora became very weak as a result, so much so that Mamane had to wrap himself in his own clothes to keep warm.

The others experienced similar situations, and after this fright, they gained a deeper understanding of the importance of relying on Pokémon.

That is, the Alora word 'Manaro' – meaning symbiosis between you and me.

"A trial, huh..." Lillie's eyes lit up noticeably. "White Rolling, wanna give it a try?"

"Woo!" The little fox cried happily and leaped into Lillie's arms, where it was held firmly by its trainer!

"Bai Gun Gun... That's great!" Feeling her companion's warmth once again, Lillie's eyes welled up with tears.

She is real, able to touch Pokémon…

"Aaaaaah!!" The familiar scream swept through the living room, and the girl turned ashen at the same time.

"Sorry, sorry... so other Pokémon still won't work." Mamane apologized as he picked up Togoldmar, who had suddenly jumped onto Lillie's lap.

But just then, a transparent tentacle suddenly approached Lillie and gently stroked her back.

"You are..." Lillie froze for a moment, but quickly recovered, a look of surprise appearing in her eyes, "It's Lillie!"

She recognized the strange Pokémon behind her; it was Nihilego, whom Ash had captured, and Lillie, who shared the same name as her!

Could it be that... the so-called strongest trainer is Ash?!

Chapter 461 The Second Round of Testing, Different Experiences

The party for the strongest trainer continues, but the main course has actually just ended.

The claim that the Alola Five weren't qualified to participate in the second round of testing was simply a last-minute decision by Ash to give Gary and his friends a little extra challenge since the rest of them were all his own.

For example, the three main characters, after being thrown out of the computer world, plunged headfirst into a strange black fog.

Their minds were blank for a long time, and when they finally came to their senses, they found themselves in a strange movie theater.

The place was empty, except for the three of them. The big screen wasn't showing a movie, but rather their past.

Musashi, Kojiro, and Meowth all had tragic experiences... The difference is that Musashi and Meowth's were truly tragic, while Kojiro's story is more like stomach-churning literature.

In short, they all joined Team Rocket and, by chance, became teammates in the same group, beginning to diligently learn how to be bad guys.

They take pride in being part of Team Rocket, stealing from Pokémon Centers, robbing other people's Pokémon, and even using firearms on more than one occasion...

Although their actions mostly ended in failure after encountering Ash, they did cause a lot of trouble for many people.

Watching these events from the sidelines, seeing the trainers' anxiety as their partners were stolen, hearing the Pokémon's screams as they were attacked by weapons, and witnessing their own smugness, the trio couldn't help but feel a tightness in their chests.

"Weren't we... a bit of a jerk?" Kojiro asked uncertainly. "I don't want the Double Gas to be separated from me... and the others probably don't want their partners to be taken away either..."

"So what? We were the bad guys back then!" Musashi retorted irritably. "Now... we're not exactly good guys now either, we're just being forced to work by those brats~"

"Meow, I just feel like I wasted so much time before, meow." Meow also looked full of regret.

However, it wasn't because of doing evil, but rather because of the regret of wasted time.

Now, whenever Miaomiao returns to her company in Yuhong City to report on her work, she always encounters many researchers who are full of admiration and regard her invention as a treasure.

This is probably what the little brat meant by realizing one's own value, meow.

The trio quietly reviewed the past, their mindset subtly shifting, and they were gradually drifting away from their former identities.

...