Chapter 161: The Meaning of Existence

Chen Ou still failed to set off on his journey.

The sudden appearance of Mewtwo was certainly a pleasant surprise, but it did disrupt Chen Ou's plans. However, it was not a major issue, especially since Mewtwo held a different significance for Chen Ou.

"What would you like to drink?"

Chen Ou stood in front of the beverage dispenser and turned to ask the six people behind him.

"Green tea," said Blue.

"Black tea," said Red.

"Berry juice," said Cynthia, Leaf, and Daisy in unison as the three girls spoke together.

Chen Ou shifted his gaze to Mewtwo, smiled, and asked, "And you, Mewtwo?"

Mewtwo looked at Chen Ou, pondered for a brief moment, and replied, "Coffee, please."

Chen Ou's expression remained unchanged as he simply nodded, then turned around to brew the tea. While the tea was steeping, he also fetched the berry juice and filled three cups, followed by brewing a cup of coffee. By this time, the green tea and black tea were also ready.

Daisy and Leaf exchanged a glance.

Does he usually brew his own tea? Daisy asked silently.

Of course not! Leaf rolled her eyes in response.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was looking at Mewtwo, who was sitting gracefully in front of the coffee table, a look of curiosity and exploration in her eyes.

She had actually guessed the reason why Chen Ou insisted on brewing the tea himself.

Mewtwo watched Chen Ou expertly preparing the drinks over there, a trace of yearning flashing through her eyes.

Blue shot a glance at Red, looking rather baffled. Red shrugged; Chen Ou's thoughts had never been something the two of them could guess since childhood. With everyone lost in their own thoughts and no one intending to speak, the atmosphere fell into a brief awkwardness.

"Mewtwo, I've heard your name before," Cynthia looked at Mewtwo and broke the silence. After all, they couldn't let the atmosphere remain frozen forever, and Chen Ou certainly hadn't gathered everyone here just to watch him brew tea.

So, Cynthia initiated the conversation.

Mewtwo turned her head to look at the blonde beauty before her. Activating her telepathy, a spirited female voice resonated in everyone's minds.

"I have heard of you as well, Champion Cynthia."

"Oh? Have you traveled to the Sinnoh region?" Cynthia asked with considerable surprise.

Mewtwo shook her head. "Not quite traveling. I simply heard legends of the Creator of all things there and wanted to go look for something."

"Is that so? Did you find it?"

Curiosity was evident on Cynthia's face.

"No, I did not. I went searching for the traces of the Creator, but sightings of the Creator are indeed rare. In the end, I never found a sign of him."

A look of regret crossed Mewtwo's face, and rightfully so. After hearing the legend of the Creator, she had wanted to find the deity said to have forged the world and ask about the meaning of her own existence. Yet, she had searched the entire Sinnoh region without success.

Disillusioned, she had returned to her homeland, to the laboratory she had once reduced to ruins.

When the major incident occurred, she sensed numerous presences on par with her own, and some even slightly superior. Thus, she had quietly drifted over.

She saw her friend Red, along with many others, battling those legendary deities.

She only felt it a pity that the Creator was not among them.

However, she witnessed another scene: a young man who raised a massive, flaming fist and smashed it squarely into Hoopa Unbound.

As Hoopa Unbound was sent flying backward, Mewtwo felt as though she had finally found someone with whom she could truly communicate.

A human wielding the power of a Pokémon.

With these thoughts, she looked back at Chen Ou.

By this time, Chen Ou had finished preparing everything. He walked over carrying a large tray and distributed the items from it to everyone one by one.

"Mewtwo, what is it that you are searching for?"

Chen Ou sat down, dispensed with pleasantries, and asked straight to the point.

Mewtwo picked up the coffee Chen Ou had given her, a hint of confusion lingering in the depths of her eyes. After a moment, she looked at Chen Ou and said, "I am searching for the meaning of my existence."

"Are you trying to find Arceus to ask about the meaning of your existence?"

Chen Ou asked, then took a sip of the berry juice in front of him.

"Yes."

Mewtwo nodded.

The others present remained silent, quietly sipping their drinks while watching the exchange between these two beings.

They had never pondered such philosophical questions as the meaning of their own existence. For most people, such a question required no thought.

To live was simply to live. Everyone wandered through this world just as they did, and since she was no different from anyone else, why bother deliberately pursuing the meaning of existence?

Most people lived this way.

Yet the two individuals before them were truly different.

Chen Ou had no idea how his predecessors who transmigrated had managed to adapt to the reality of arriving in another world.

His own acceptance had been agonizingly slow.

A fifteen or sixteen-year-old student, suddenly dumped into a completely different world. This wasn't merely being far from parents, family, and friends; it was practically the heartbreak of eternal separation.

Did they really expect him to accept reality in half an hour?

He was not an orphan, and the responsibilities of being an only child had been instilled in him by everyone around him since birth.

"You must study hard, grow up to be successful, and then provide for our old age!"

"You must carry on the family line!"

"You have to make big money when you grow up; otherwise, how will you support your mom and dad?"

The disorientation of losing one's responsibilities, the agony of being far from loved ones, the profound loneliness of being in a foreign realm...

Unless someone was already accustomed to such hardships in their original world, the transmigration they yearned for was always nothing more than a superficial fantasy.

Under these circumstances, Chen Ou naturally began searching for the meaning of his transmigration—the purpose of his arrival in this world.

Mewtwo was no different.

Born in a laboratory, possessing human intellect alongside the formidable power of a legendary Pokémon.

Her human-like consciousness stood out as an anomaly among Pokémon.

Her immense power inspired fear in other people and Pokémon alike.

Everyone subconsciously kept their distance from her. Those who pursued her only desired to harness her strength.

At her birth, she had been defined as a combat weapon. But when she was told that this definition was wrong and should never have existed, Mewtwo found herself helplessly sinking into bewilderment.

"Have you found the meaning of your own existence?"

Mewtwo asked abruptly.

The gazes of everyone present focused on Chen Ou once more.

"I once gave up the search for meaning, wanting simply to blend into this world and flow with the current. At that moment, I realized that the meaning of my own existence wasn't all that important after all. There are many things in this world far more significant than the ethereal concept of 'the meaning of existence.' For instance, someone who genuinely cares about you. That is life. Perhaps I am an accident to this world, but to me, the world is simply life."

Chen Ou shrugged and said with a smile.

"But later, Arceus told me he hoped I could shoulder the role of a 'bridge.' And so, I found my meaning—albeit after I had already let go of the obsession."

There was no bitterness on Chen Ou's face, only a serene and gentle smile.