Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Rio was pleased—Mewtwo was repeating his words from last night, which meant it was actually thinking about them.

"Mewtwo—you feel like you can’t find meaning in your existence, like you don’t belong in this world. But do you really not belong? Have you ever considered that you might be overthinking it—that you’re essentially no different from any other life in this world?"

"Just like life itself has no inherent meaning—you write your own. But right now, isn’t it ironic that you’ve written ’no meaning’ for yourself, and then you’re desperately searching for it?"

Mewtwo was taken aback. Its eyes widened as it looked at Rio. It felt like this human was incredibly profound—everything he said made so much sense that it couldn’t even argue.

Rio continued: "Mewtwo—do you think you feel inferior?"

Mewtwo blinked, caught off guard by the question. "No—I’m not inferior," it said, shaking its head firmly. "In this world, my power stands at the top. There’s no Pokémon that can challenge me. Even Giovanni or you—both of you desperately want me to be your Pokémon. I have no reason to feel inferior."

"Really?" Rio smiled, holding its gaze.

Mewtwo’s body stiffened, and its fur involuntarily stood on end. It didn’t know why, but it suddenly found this person terrifying—truly terrifying. It felt like he could see right through its shell, straight into its heart.

"Maybe... a little," Mewtwo said, a hint of nervousness creeping into its voice.

"Just a little?" Rio smiled again.

The look in his eyes made Mewtwo deeply uncomfortable. "Yes—just a little," it insisted, lowering its head, unable to meet his gaze.

"Alright—let’s say it’s just a little. But what I want to say is this..." Rio didn’t press further, speaking calmly instead. "Inferiority is a normal part of life. Every person—and every Pokémon—will feel it at some point."

"Inferiority is normal?" Mewtwo lifted its head, staring at Rio in surprise.

Rio continued: "Yes. The root of inferiority is the pursuit of perfection and magnifying what others think of you. Mewtwo—do you often feel like you don’t fit in, like everyone or every Pokémon looks at you with prejudice, so you want to find a secluded place to hide?"

Mewtwo’s mouth fell open. It was stunned—completely stunned. This human understood it so perfectly, laying out its exact psychological state.

It was true. It wanted to find a place to hide away, because it couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone looked at it with disdain—that they were pitying it, mocking it. They had parents, and it didn’t. It was just a clone of Mew. The only Pokémon in the world created by humans. It didn’t want to live like that, so it constantly asked itself: Who am I? Why do I exist? What is the meaning of my life?

But Rio wasn’t finished. "At the core of inferiority is the inability to accept your true self. Mewtwo—the reason you’re not confident isn’t because you’re not strong enough or good enough. It’s because you can’t accept your own imperfections. But imperfection is the norm of life—the norm of being a Pokémon. Truly perfect beings don’t exist."

"Have you ever considered that even Giovanni might feel inferior? That even I feel inferior? Every human and Pokémon you’ve ever seen has their own insecurities—just in different degrees."

"Those who can openly admit their feelings of inferiority fall into the ’minor insecurity’ category—its impact on them is minimal. But those who stubbornly refuse to admit it? They’re the ones most controlled by it. Their hearts are like paper—pierced with a single poke."

Mewtwo stared at Rio in utter disbelief. It felt like its entire worldview was crumbling. It had never heard such an argument before. Giovanni—that arrogant man—could feel inferior? And this confident, eloquent person in front of it could also feel inferior?

It wanted to argue, but on reflection, everything he said seemed true. He could openly admit his own insecurities, which clearly didn’t affect him much. Meanwhile, Mewtwo had been stubbornly denying its own—while being deeply controlled by them, afraid that Rio would see through its internal emptiness.

"What about this one—do you think it feels inferior?" Mewtwo suddenly pointed at Gengar, who was fast asleep nearby. "It seems to live happily, knows a lot, and doesn’t strike me as someone who’d feel inferior."

Rio turned and smiled: "Old ghost—are you still going to pretend to be asleep?"

He’d noticed Gengar was awake for a while now, just pretending. A few seconds passed with no response. Rio spoke again: "Old ghost—are you going to tell Mewtwo about your insecurities yourself, or should I do it for you?"

Two seconds later, Gengar floated up. Looking at Mewtwo’s curious gaze, it sighed: "Fine—according to this kid, I guess I’ve felt inferior too."

"What did you feel inferior about?" Mewtwo pressed.

"My insecurities are a bit like yours—I also felt like I didn’t belong," Gengar explained. "I lived alone for a hundred years in an ancient sunken ship. When Rio found me, everything outside had changed. My old trainer was already dead. The difference is—I accepted it. Rio said he’d help me go back to the past, so I could stay optimistic. Otherwise, I probably would’ve ended up like you—hiding away somewhere with no one around."

Mewtwo nodded repeatedly. For some reason, it felt like a huge weight had shifted off its chest. Then Rio’s voice came again: "So you see—you’re no different from any other life in this world. You’re not alone. The differences are all in your head."

"Mewtwo—do you want to come with me to the town we visited last night?"

"What—to buy more beer?" Mewtwo’s eyes seemed to light up.

Rio was speechless. Is it already craving more?

"No—I want to take you there to observe whether your feelings of inferiority are actually justified. And to grab some breakfast," Rio said.

Hearing "breakfast," Munchlax, who had been dead asleep, snapped awake instantly. "Ka~" It scrambled up, looking at Rio excitedly, as if asking what they’d be eating.

Rio sighed and covered his face. Every one of my Pokémon has their own distinct personality...

Half an hour later, Rio led Mewtwo and Munchlax into a nearby town—Azalea Town, in the Johto region.