Although the Ancient One wasn't the sort of person who grew more set in her ways with age, she really had no interest in keeping pets—even extremely cute mechanical ones.
But after Kaecilius bought the first mechanical pet, the Ancient One had one delivered to every person at Kamar-Taj. Of course, she paid for them herself. As for the cost, money was never a problem for her.
"I was already suspicious of that robot you brought here before. Its soul was very unusual, unlike any life I'd ever encountered. At first, I thought it was some kind of intelligent program created by technology. But when I saw these little creatures, I finally understood. They aren't programs; they're unique forms of life," The Ancient One said with a sigh.
"But didn't you see my combat units before?" Luo Xia had nearly fallen out with Kamar-Taj back then, summoning a large number of Mechanical Lizards through a portal. The Ancient One had been there too.
"The mechanical units you brought out back then seemed to have been programmed with fixed routines. I couldn't sense anything special about them, so I took them for intelligent programs. These little creatures are different. Their souls seem very simple, almost like blank slates, yet their intelligence can be developed through nurturing, and they can come to experience joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. That's what makes them truly alive," The Ancient One explained.
Luo Xia understood what the Ancient One meant. The Mechanical Lizards were combat robots, programmed with fighting skills as soon as they were made. So, to the Ancient One, there wasn't much difference between them and ordinary machines. If she hadn't been especially knowledgeable about souls, she might not have noticed the distinction at all.
These Pokemon, on the other hand, had been made