Just as man can create a sheet of music that is a masterpiece, it means nothing if there isn't a musician there to play it with the skill necessary to make sound as beautiful as possible, which is why I would like to thank Jakayrta for his assistance in this chapter once again. I would also like to make this a tribute to my brother Joel for the bigger fights that are to come. I researched it and found that there are two Regigigas, but when I looked for Mew, I could not find enough suitable evidence to support the idea that there is more than one Mew, the same could go for the legendary birds and some of the others.
Ho-oh and Mewtwo soared through the frigid air of the mountains. Icy winds swirled around the peaks and raised blinding snow. Ho-oh's iridescent feathers would have proved no match for the gelid winds and he would have been frozen if it were not for Mewtwo's unimaginable psychic powers that now warded off the biting cold.
Stretched out before them was a conifer forest embraced in a layer of pale slush. The duo soared over one of the many majestic snow-covered mountains.
It had taken them several hours, but they had reached the stone citadel at the base of the mountain. Despite the intense cold of the area, the base of the mountain and the stone structure were untouched by frost. This was known by the humans as Snowpoint Temple – home to the Mover of Continents, Regigigas.
A gray brick pathway led into the mouth of the temple entrance. Fresh snow crowned the pillars of stone that lined the path. The only things left of the once magnificent temple were piles of rubble and fallen pillars. Standing patiently upon a patch of earth untouched by the snow was Regigigas.
Black glyphs ran down the length of his body and along his arms. Gold bands wrapped around his shoulders and wrists. A sloping golden "line" ran down the middle of his body. The line was adorned with black dots; making up what Ho-oh could only assume was his "face".
Years of slumber had allowed moss to take up residence upon Regigigas's shoulders and feet. Three pairs of gems – red, blue and silver – flanked his "face".
Ho-oh landed in front of the ruins. His talons produced clicking sounds as he gently descended onto the brick pathway. The powerful winds produced by the flapping of his great wings cleared the snow away from him. Mewtwo, waiting for his next command, hovered behind the Lord of the Skies.
"It's a pleasure to see you up and about," Ho-oh said. He eyed the temple ruins briefly before he shifted his gaze back to the white titan.
There was no response, not a word nor even a visible gesture.
"I hope your awakening did not prove to be too…uncomfortable."
Again, there was no response. Regigigas's lack of facial expression and silence were starting to make Ho-oh uncomfortable. But as the Lord of the Skies, he could not show fear.
Several uncomfortable seconds ticked by. Suddenly, Regigigas spoke. "State your business," he grumbled, ignoring Ho-oh's previous question entirely. Small talk was quite obviously not his strong suit.
"Oh, of course," Ho-oh said, forcing a smile. "A series of events has occurred, resulting in Pokémon now waging war against humans. Every Pokémon has now been given the power to eliminate humans who have been tainting the earth with their presence. Strong Pokémon are gathering together to wipe out the humans, we would be honored if you were to join our cause."
Several more seconds ticked by. The white titan stood rooted in place. There was no indication if he even heard what Ho-oh had said.
Suddenly, the black spots on Regigigas's golden visage flashed red in random patterns as he spoke. "Do any oppose your movement?" he asked.
Ho-oh debated whether or not he should lie. After a few seconds of thought, he decided against it. The sooner this conversation was over, the better. "Yes, there are those who do not agree with what we are doing," Ho-oh replied.
"What is to be the fate of those that oppose you?"
Ho-oh's false smile began to fade into an expressionless line along his golden beak. "As long as they do not get in our way, they will be left alone and allowed to reap the benefits of a world without humans when we have succeeded," he replied.
"And those that do interfere?" Regigigas asked.
Ho-oh's expressionless face twisted into a mask of fury. "They will be…dealt with," he said. His voice was colder than the icy winds that swirled around them.
One of Regigigas's eyes flashed crimson. "I see…" he said.
A glacial breeze passed between them, neither side feeling it. Ho-oh wondered whether his gaze was even meeting Regigigas's gaze.
"What of those who are neutral?" Regigigas asked.
Ho-oh's face briefly showed an expression of surprise; he had been so focused on his allies and enemies that he had neglected those who would take a third party. The rainbow bird brainstormed but he could not come up with anything. Before he could open his mouth to say something, Regigigas interrupted him.
"I believe you have my answer. There isn't anything I have left to say to you," Regigigas said. With the sound of crunching earth, he began to slowly turn away and return to his temple.
Ho-oh smirked as he prepared to deploy his last ditch plan; if he could not recruit the Mover of Continents, he would settle for one of his treasures. "So you won't join? Pity," Ho-oh said with mock sadness. "In any case, I'm not done with you yet; I believe there's something that you can 'donate' to the crusade."
The titan stopped mid step. "And what would that be?" Regigigas asked. His back was turned to the rainbow Legendary.
"You were given six orbs of creation like Lugia and me. Three were used to create your guardian golems, two to make a mirror copy of yourself and your creations. Since you were unable to find a use for that last orb, you placed it somewhere in the temple," Ho-Oh said. He then gave a mock smile. "Why don't I take it off your hands and put it to good use?"
Regigigas slowly turned to Ho-oh. He now had the Mover of Continent's undivided attention.
"I can't give it to you," Regigigas replied. There was no malice or hatred in his voice.
Ho-oh cast a downward glance to the brick pathway, each crease filled with snow. He sighed as he realized what he would have to do.
"You leave me no choice," Ho-oh said calmly. With a single flap of his titanic wings, he flew hundreds of feet into the chilly skies. "Mewtwo! Kill him and take the orb!" he barked.
Almost immediately after Ho-oh's command, Mewtwo thrust his arms forward, attempting to immobilize the titan with a Psychic attack. At nearly same time, an orange ball of light rapidly formed between the Regigigas's three fingers. Unfortunately, for Mewtwo, his Psychic attack was not strong enough to stop the titan. He quickly formed a shield around himself at the last second. The psychic barrier parted the powerful blast of Regigigas's Hyper Beam like a rock in a stream parts the water. The split beams continued for miles, leaving behind a pristine strip of forest flanked by two deep gouges where the split beams had disintegrated the trees and carved out the land.
Regigigas's other arm was already aimed at Ho-oh, an orange orb cradled in his palm before he fired off another Hyper Beam. Ho-oh dove out of the way, the energy beam catching an innocent cloud miles behind him and obliterating it.
Mewtwo maintained the barrier, Ho-oh's orders from before the battle still echoed in his mind like a psychic recording. "Preserve yourself at all costs, and attack when there's an opening. Should I refer to you by name, prepare for battle. Kill any who attack you unless I say otherwise. As for Regigigas, if negotiations fail, immobilize him, but do not kill him until I give you the command."
Ho-oh had had just dodged the energy beam when Regigigas's fist came into view. There was no time to dodge; all he could do was watch the titanic fist close the distance between himself and Regigigas. He prepared for the blow; a blow driven with the strength to haul continents across the earth.
The sickening crack of every bone in Ho-oh's body breaking under the massive fist could not be heard over the deafening shockwave caused by the punch. Any structure within several meters was torn apart as if by a bomb. The shockwave was so powerful that a crater appeared on the stone floor beneath Regigigas's fist, as if he had punched the earth itself. The closest trees were shredded and uprooted by the massive shockwave.
How could something so big move so fast? Ho-oh thought. Miraculously, he was still alive, despite the fact that he nearly been liquefied by the powerful blow and shockwave. Of course, the blow had sent him flying across acres of frozen forest. After several seconds of flight he realized what had happened. "His ability halves his speed and strength for a certain amount of time. So that conversation…he was stalling for time!" he muttered. He could say no more as he crashed into the mountainside, completely destroying it and triggering a massive avalanche.
The bass rumble of the distant avalanche was heard as Regigigas prepared another Hyper Beam. Before he could do anything, a cerulean aura outlined his body. He tried to move only to find that he was pinned by an invisible force. The orange orb of energy in his palm flickered and died as Mewtwo raised the golem into the air.
Even as put all his strength into moving, he could not move an inch. He was at the complete mercy of Mewtwo. Mewtwo's psychic powers were weakened by distance. If there were some way to place Mewtwo at a distance, he could break the psychic bonds. Alas, Mewtwo had no intention of moving away from the titan. Regigigas was suspended a few meters off the air; Mewtwo hovered before him. Five seconds, ten seconds ticked by but nothing happened.
I'm at his complete mercy, why doesn't he kill me already? What is he waiting for? Regigigas thought.
He was suddenly released as Mewtwo formed a barrier around his body. Two bolts of lightning deflected off the psychic barrier. Regigigas plummeted to the ground, unhurt by the fall of several meters. He turned around, surprised to see who had come to his rescue.
The three Legendary Golems: Registeel, Regice, and Regirock stood at attention. They were prepared to defend their creator at all costs, even their own lives. Mewtwo's priorities had now changed, his attention now directed to the Legendary Golems. Both of Mewtwo's arms thrust out to his sides, the orb around him expanding like a blast wave from a bomb. The psionic shield slammed into Regigigas, driving him into the mountain that housed his temple and burying him under hundreds of tons of rubble.
Registeel lurched forward; his palms slamming against the psychic surface in a vain attempt to push it back. The ground beneath him crumbled and the golem of steel was swept under, unable to halt or delay the barrier's advancement. Regice slid back upon a path of ice and Regirock burrowed into the ground.
The psychic orb faded into nothingness and Mewtwo now hovered over a crater that spanned the length of a stadium. A geyser of golden energy erupted from somewhere in the crater. He nonchalantly tilted his head to the side, easily avoiding the Hyper Beam. He traced the source of the attack to Registeel, embedded in the earth.
With the flick of his wrist, Registeel flew from the crater like his previous Hyper Beam attack. Surrounded by a cerulean aura, he was suspended before Mewtwo and completely helpless. Registeel could not attack him for Mewtwo had taken the precaution to turn him towards the forest. Mewtwo then closed his hands as if he were attempting to crush an empty can. The shriek of tortured metal came from Registeel as the powerful psychic powers began to crush him. Dents began to cover the surface of Registeel's body as Mewtwo applied more force.
But those dents were only superficial; Mewtwo's immense psychic powers were pitted against another force – the toughness of metal tempered by millennia of crushing pressure deep beneath the earth. His psychic senses detected something underneath him. He quickly shifted Registeel underneath him.
All of a sudden, the air was perforated with the sound of stone pinging against metal. The hapless Registeel had been forced to block the rock shards fired by his stony brother. The shards pounded against the adamantine face of Registeel, leaving no traces except a fine layer of stone dust.
Regirock, seeing that his hail of stones was useless, prepared another attack. The dots on his "face" blinked as a swirling ball of orange energy began forming. Mewtwo reacted split seconds before the attack was launched. A simple swing from his arm flung Registeel right in the path of the powerful energy blast. Regirock immediately aimed the Hyper Beam straight down, causing a tremendous explosion and launching himself out of the crater and into the edge of the forest.
Registeel was once again embedded in soft dirt of the crater. The crater's walls seemed to rise as Mewtwo used the very gravity of the earth as his weapon, crushing Registeel further into the crater. Regirock raised his stony arms and almost immediately, a swarm of stones whirled around his body like planets around their star. Another gesture sent the stones flying like lithic missiles towards their target: Mewtwo. Mewtwo held out his hand. The stones shuddered briefly as his psychic powers froze them in place, a flick of his wrist sent them hurtling towards their origin.
The speeding rocks tore gaping holes in the golem of stone's body. He shuddered as parts of him were shattered and perforated by the stones. He stood for a few seconds, the dots on his "face" blinking in a random pattern. Before he could make any more moves, his entire body crumbled into a heap of multicolored stones.
Mewtwo turned around, backhanding a bolt of lightning as is if it were no more than an insect. Regice switched tactics; an ice-blue bolt flew from his core and struck Mewtwo's psychic shield, enveloping it in a hemisphere of ice. A quick clench of his fists reduced the hemisphere into icy daggers that he launched at Regice with a flick of his wrists.
Regice skated along a path of ice as the ice daggers landed behind him, shredding the forest into a mixture of mulch and slush. The golem of ice didn't make it very far; his icy body lifted off the ground and into the air. Mewtwo made sure to keep way from the subarctic winds that swirled around the golem of ice. He then attempted to crush Regice into a pile of icy shards, deep cracks played across Regice's body as Mewtwo continued applying pressure.
Mewtwo sensed a presence behind him, his frozen expression unable to show his surprise. Regirock had ridden a column of stone back to the battle site, his stony arm reared back to strike Mewtwo's shield at full force He was unable to dodge the massive blow; fortunately, his psychic barrier held. Regirock's arm shattered into many rock shards as the impact landed.
A flick of Mewtwo's wrist tossed Regice at Regirock. Regice's pointed head easily pierced through Regirock's stone "face", completely shattering it.
Regirock's bottom half tumbled towards the earth, the gravelly remains of his upper body fell to earth, peppering the ground. Regice's body continued in its trajectory, it flew into the forest. Anything it touched was instantly frozen and shattered into thousands of ice shards. Mewtwo ignored the golem of ice and looking at remnants of Regirock.
Regirock's lower half kicked off the ground and landed on its feet. The surrounding stones levitated from the ground and began rapidly orbiting it and attaching itself to the remains. It was like watching a skyscraper being built in fast-forward. In mere moments, Regirock stood before Mewtwo, the seven dots on his "face" blinking. Two columns of orange light energy burst from the ruins of the temple, vaporizing tons of rubble in seconds.
Regigigas, boulders tumbling off his body, took a step towards the levitating Mewtwo. A sphere of orange energy formed in his right hand. Regice emerged from the forest to the east, the gaping cracks on his body now gone. Registeel leapt out of the crater into the western forest – or what was left of it. The four golems each faced Mewtwo, their Hyper Beams fully charged and ready to fire.
Almost simultaneously the golems fired their attacks. Mewtwo stopped the Hyper Beams to his left and right. But two Hyper Beams had merged into a single, spiraling helix beam; Mewtwo's shield came up just in time to keep him from being vaporized. Dirt and dust rose as Mewtwo was thrust through the forest, leaving a miles long trench.
Mewtwo was thoroughly fatigued from the effort of shielding himself from the helix beam. In the distance, he saw Regigigas's fist hit the empty patch of earth where Mewtwo once stood, not aware that the combined helix beams had pushed him miles away. Waves of earth rose from the thunderous impact; the earth seemed to swallow an acre of forest. And this was not the work of Regigigas's strongest attack: Giga Impact.
Mewtwo swore he saw the landscape shift; if Regigigas had the strength to shift a tectonic plate, it would not surprise him. He had barely managed to evade the tsunamis of earth, the force severing and uprooting the surrounding trees outside the crater.
Regigigas vaulted out of the crater, landing on his feet. His arm was raised in expectation of something. Regirock burst from the earth and landed in his palm. The golem of stone curled up into a ball as Regigigas wound up for a pitch like a baseball player.
Mewtwo spotted Regigigas winding up for the pitch and quickly formed a shield. He had originally hoped that Regirock would crumble into gravel upon impact with his shield. But as the speeding boulder that was Regirock came into view, he was forced to reconsider; Regirock's body was glowing a brilliant white. He looked more like a ball of plasma than a boulder.
Regirock's high pitched beeps became more frequent and louder as he closed the distance between Regigigas and Mewtwo. Soon the beeps became a loud persistent whine. As Regirock used his Explosion attack, Mewtwo was blown out of the sky, landing roughly in the crater excavated by the powerful shockwave of the blast. He levitated himself to his feet and looked around for the other opponents. The air was heavy with choking quantities of sand. The sand gently rained over the ground. In a few seconds, rocks flew from the earth, shaping and reforming themselves into the golem of stone.
Thunderous shockwaves and brilliant flashes of light were the only hints of Regigigas's actions from where Mewtwo and Regirock were. Avalanches tore through the forest in waves and quakes shook the earth.
Mewtwo immediately formed a quivering blue orb forming between his palms and launched it at Regirock. The Aura Sphere tore through Regirock's "face", decapitating him and leaving the golem immobile for a few seconds. He blindly stomped around as his head slowly reformed. Spears of stone flew from the ground, attempting to strike Mewtwo, who shot out of the deep crater like a rocket after he blasted the golem with his Aura Sphere.
Mewtwo had just reached the top border of the crater when Registeel slammed into his shield with an Iron Head Attack. Both Mewtwo and the golem of steel plunged several meters onto a small cliff.
Mewtwo made the first move; a glowing cerulean blade materialized in his hand as he charged forward. In mere seconds, he had disproved the long-standing "fact" about Registeel's body being indestructible; the glowing blade of his Psycho Cut plunged into Registeel's face. He pulled the psychic blade out and prepared for another attack. Not surprisingly, the wound did not bleed but strangely, the innards of Registeel appeared to be hollow. He wondered if any of the Regis could be killed.
The golem of steel warbled angrily; the surviving "eyes" on his face flashing crimson. A massive silver beam flew from his "face" right at Mewtwo. Mewtwo quickly dispelled his psionic blade and put up his barrier to block the Flash Cannon. Before he could "draw" his psionic blade again, a vortex of crimson fire engulfed Registeel and good portion of the surrounding forest. Ho-oh then landed in front of Mewtwo. He searched for his targets, which were now veiled in the flames that engulfed them.
"I'm beginning to wonder whether your ability to follow my commands to the letter will be a hindrance or an asset. My order still stands; do not kill Regigigas…Yet," Ho-oh ordered.
Ho-oh awaited Mewtwo to acknowledge his order by means of a curt nod.
"I shall amend the last orders I gave you. Feel free to evade any attacks thrown at you, especially if they prove too difficult to deflect or block safely. Focus on Regigigas. I shall deal with his minions," Ho-oh ordered. He did not bother to check if Mewtwo had acknowledged his command before he flapped his wings, rising into the air. The intense wind from his wings turned the fire cyclone into a destructive fire tsunami that engulfed even more of the surrounding forest.
Regice emerged from the inferno, the ground below him simultaneously melting and freezing. Ho-oh gave one last glance over his feathery shoulder, but found that Mewtwo was no longer there.
Mewtwo was indeed powerful, but his total dependence on Ho-oh's orders severely limited his powers. His orders had to be thorough and constant, as Mewtwo lacked any autonomy and was unable to battle on his own or adapt to the battle conditions. Despite Mewtwo's nearly limitless psychic powers, he was completely helpless unless someone was to give him commands.
Regigigas was several acres miles away from where Mewtwo had been fighting his three guardians. The once pristine tundra was now barren and scorched wasteland; a testament to the ferocity of the battle between the Mover of Continents and Lord of the Skies.
"So he's sent you to fight me?" Regigigas said nonchalantly as Mewtwo hovered before him. "I'm not surprised that he got tired of the little charade we had going. But he's about to get a taste of his own medicine with my creations."
Mewtwo's response was to aim his palm at the Pokémon colossus. Regigigas quickly shot a red bolt at Mewtwo. The Confuse Ray temporarily blinded Mewtwo. His attempt at trying to restrain Regigigas with Psychic rewarded him with a splitting headache.
While Mewtwo was incapacitated, Regigigas struck. To his surprise, his burning fist struck nothing but open air. He spotted Mewtwo out of the corner of his "eyes" and swung his free arm behind himself, only to strike empty air again. He waited for Mewtwo to show himself. He did not have to wait long as Mewtwo appeared before him. Another flaming punch flew towards Mewtwo, who blinked out of existence and appeared above him.
Regigigas continued flailing at Mewtwo with his fists. None of his blows landed but they at least forced him to keep teleporting, making him unable to concentrate enough to use his attacks. Regigigas was starting to tire, his Fire Punch attacks kept striking nothing but empty air as Mewtwo rapidly teleported around him.
As soon as his arms dropped to his sides, Mewtwo appeared behind him and sheathed him in a glowing cerulean aura. Once again, the Mover of Continents was held aloft and displayed like a trophy. All Mewtwo had to do was await Ho-oh's command.
The battle between the Legendary Golems and Ho-oh further tore apart the already ravaged landscape. Various energy attacks lanced out from the battlefield and flew into the sky or shredded the land. The forest itself was on fire, making the landscape even more hellish.
Ho-oh ducked under Regice's Ice Beam and launched a river of flames in retaliation. The two attacks collided in a blast of superheated steam that enveloped the battlefield. Before Ho-oh could attack again, Regirock burst from the ground beneath him, his body spinning like a drill. Registeel rode an enormous glass pillar back to the battlefield.
Ho-oh quickly leapt back, Regirock's attack shaving off a few feathers from his breast. He had managed to dodge Regice's attack and place Regirock in the path of the Ice Beam. Regirock was struck by the beam and immediately entombed in a massive block of ice. The crimson dots that lit up Regice's face and his screech were the only indications of his rage. The tower of glass shattered with a mighty crash and explosion as Registeel fired his Hyper Beam at his feet, using the explosion to catapult him high into the air. His body was scorched black from the powerful blast but he was otherwise unharmed.
The dots on Regice's face flashed crimson in a particular pattern; his body turned and followed Ho-oh's movements. He extended both his arms and almost immediately, arcs of yellow lightning began to play between his them. At the same time, gravity was pulling Registeel down from the skies. His metallic arm reared back to strike Ho-oh. He easily dodged Registeel's Hammer Arm, only to realize that not only was the Hammer Arm not intended for him but that he had moved straight into the path of Regice's Zap Cannon. Regice seized his opportunity and fired at the same time Registeel slammed his metallic fist into Regirock's frozen prison, shattering it and freeing the golem of stone within.
Ho-oh disappeared as the crackling electric sphere slammed into him and detonated, enveloping him in a blinding maelstrom of lightning. The Legendary Golems now turned their attention to their creator, who was now in Mewtwo's grasp. They paid no attention to the Ho-oh's charred corpse landing on the ground with a sickening plop-crunch noise.
The dots on the Legendary Golems' faces blinked red in rage. The golems lined up in preparation for their deadliest attack: the Regivolt Cannon. Registeel took up the rear; he placed his hands on the ice spikes on Regice's back. Regice stretched out his arms and placed them on Regirock's shoulders. Finally, Regirock knelt down like a rifleman, placed his one of his arms atop the other and aimed squarely at Mewtwo
Mere seconds later, Registeel prepared to fire his Zap Cannon. Minute yellow arcs of electricity danced all over their bodies as each channeled the current into the other; the current rising in amperage and voltage as it passed from each golem to the next. Finally, the powerful current reached Regirock, who formed it into a massive yellow orb of lighting. Miniature lightning bolts danced within the lightning orb. Finally, Registeel launched the massive orb, sending it speeding over the landscape at Mewtwo
Mewtwo psychically tossed Regigigas into a distant mountainside, causing yet another massive avalanche. Just before the massive sphere of the deadly Regivolt Cannon reached him, he sheathed himself in a psychic shield. The impact of the electric sphere was like a thousand lightning bolts striking at the same time. Webs of lightning danced across Mewtwo's psychic orb, stray bolts tore up the land and fused the ground into a glassy plain, glowing red from the heat of the electricity.
His shield was no match for the millions of volts that struck it. The burning electrical lance penetrated the barrier and struck him. There was brilliant flash of blue-white light as Mewtwo was charbroiled by the intense electrical attack.
At the origin of the attack, several miles away from Mewtwo, the formation used to fire the destructive attack broke apart. The aftermath of the attack, an enormous trench in the middle of the forest with trees around it flattened and burning was insignificant compared to the amount of damage that had previously befallen the forest.
Registeel broke off the ice that had formed on his palms. Regirock discarded the frozen rocks on his back and replaced them with whatever rocks were nearby, not caring if the rocks had been scorched black.
A golden lance of energy shot out from one the remnants of the many avalanches that had occurred. Regigigas slowly dug himself out from underneath hundreds of tons of snow, preparing to continue the fight.
Mewtwo's scorched body was still, giving the impression that he was dead. Suddenly, it was wreathed in a sapphire aura. As Mewtwo used Recover, the burnt skin began to slough off. He made a fist and the rest of him almost literally fell off, revealing his uninjured body. He wheezed from the exhaustion; Recover was an energy intensive move. He flew back to the original battle site, ready to take on the three Legendary Golems, per his orders.
Ho-oh took to the skies once more, again surviving what should have been fatal injuries. Regigigas finally dug himself out of his snowy prison and prepared for battle against the power-crazed Legendary.
Regirock had only taken a few steps towards his master when something tore through him and reduced him to a shower of gravel and some scattered rubble. The cerulean dart continued on its path of destruction.
A few seconds later, sonic boom tore through air, rattling anything nearby.
The dart headed towards Registeel, revealing Mewtwo at its tip. Registeel charged a Hyper Beam, mere inches from Mewtwo's face. He quickly decelerated, hovered above Registeel, and psychically aimed the golem of steel towards Regice. As soon as Mewtwo was finished with his manipulations, Registeel's Hyper Beam fired, leveling yet another section of forest and striking Regice.
Mewtwo immediately used his psychic powers to seize Registeel's wrists. A sapphire aura surrounded the golem of steel as Mewtwo simultaneously pulled at his opponent's arms and pushed against Registeel's back. Slowly but surely, Registeel's arms began to stretch, the metal screeching in protest and Registeel beeping frantically. With a loud metallic snap, Mewtwo's efforts were rewarded as both arms came free from their mountings. He psychically held both of Registeel's arms before him like trophies.
Registeel staggered upwards and faced the one who had ripped off his arms. A series of shrill beeps came forth and the "eyes" on Registeel flashed crimson. Mewtwo psychically bent the metallic fingers into fists. He immediately began pummeling Registeel with a relentless barrage of punches and chops, using severed arms as boxing gloves. More dents marred the metallic body as Mewtwo thrashing Registeel with his own appendages. The golem of steel began to crumple like a tin can as he was being assaulted by the only thing capable of damaging him: his own body.
Suddenly, Mewtwo spun around, Registeel's left arm whirling around him. The flying blade that was Registeel's arm struck the regenerated Regirock. Hard stone proved no match for cold steel and Regirock was again reduced to a pile of rubble. Registeel made one last desperate attempt to fire another Hyper Beam at his assailant.
Mewtwo reacted immediately, pointing at Registeel. With a twitch of his fingers, he sent the metallic appendage flying at Registeel like some spear. The speeding appendage skewered Registeel's "face" and knocked him to the ground. The Hyper Beam soared into the sky like a pillar of orange light. Mewtwo seized Registeel – or what was left of him – and began to crumple him up like a wad of aluminum foil. But despite all the abuse that Registeel took, he was still alive, somehow.
Regirock had finally reformed once more and prepared to strike Mewtwo with his stony fists. Mewtwo quickly flung the cannonball that was the golem of steel at Regirock, reducing him to rubble yet again.
It didn't take long for Mewtwo to find Regice, the golem of ice. A blue aura surrounded him as he was lifted into the air by Mewtwo's awesome psychic powers. Mewtwo then attempted to crush him. As Mewtwo applied more pressure, Regice's body began to fracture and split. Regice gave one last shrill warbling beep before he was reduced to powder snow that gently dusted the ravaged landscape.
As Ho-oh prepared another Fire Blast attack, something caught his eye. The pair of blue gems embedded in the Regigigas's midsection cracked, then shattered completely, leaving only the silver and red gems behind.
Regigigas froze, his attention suddenly turning to where Mewtwo had been battling his creations.
Mewtwo soared above the forest – or what was left of it. Floating at his sides were a crumpled ball of metal, and the still form of Regirock. Ho-oh could not suppress his delight; he smiled sadistically as he looked at Regigigas. The white titan's dots remained black, his "face" did not betray any sort of emotion. Ho-oh shifted his attention between Regigigas and Mewtwo.
"Mewtwo, holding them will not be necessary anymore, dispose of them and restrain Regigigas," Ho-oh commanded.
One of Mewtwo's hands clenched into a fist, the other moved down. Regirock was instantly crushed into sand; Registeel, or what was left of him, hurtled towards the earth. Before Registeel had touched the ground, Mewtwo appeared before Regigigas, shackling the titan in psychic restraints for the third and final time.
Regirock was starting to reassemble when Ho-oh gave Mewtwo a new order. "Mewtwo, destroy the red gems on Regigigas's body, without damaging him if possible," he barked.
Mewtwo made a small gesture. Almost immediately, the red jewels cracked and exploded into a shower of red fragments. Regirock stood before them, ready to fight. But there was one noticeable change; the dots on his "face" gradually faded out of existence. The golem of stone stood for a few moments before he collapsed into a pile of sand, which was gradually scattered by the icy winds.
Ho-oh smiled. His guess was correct; the Legendary Golems were tied to their creator. As long as the gems on Regigigas's body were intact, they could not be killed – with the exception of Regice.
"Now the silver gems!" Ho-oh barked. He was delighted; now that Regigigas's protectors were out of commission, he was completely at his mercy.
Mewtwo complied. The silver gems cracked and exploded into a cloud of glittering dust. The golem of steel – or what was left of him – was now merely a heap of scrap metal.
Ho-oh gazed at the mutilated landscape, once a peaceful vista of mountains and forests veiled in a snowy cloak of the purest white. Now all that remained were deep trenches gouged in the earth, smoldering forests, stark mountain peaks, piles of rubble and desolate, glassy plains where nothing would ever grow again. Ho-oh gave a mental sigh; he had wanted to avoid damaging the environment, but he reminded himself that sacrifices were necessary to achieve his goal. He only hoped that there wouldn't be too many sacrifices.
Regigigas was silent once more; Ho-oh wondered whether it was due to the shock of his defeat or seeing his creations being destroyed before his very eyes.
"It matters not," Ho-oh muttered. He perched on the shimmering rainbow platform that appeared from thin air, courtesy of Mewtwo. He was perched above Regigigas, letting him look down upon the Mover of Continents. He cleared his throat. "As you can see, I can kill you at any moment," he said. "But I prefer to avoid more bloodshed if possible. I prefer that you give me the orb of creation. I shall let you live if you do so. But I am prepared to kill you and take the orb. So what will it be?"
Regigigas remained silent for a few seconds, his "eyes" blinking various colors. "I believe I was very clear when I said that I cannot give you the orb," he said calmly.
Ho-oh gave a patronizing smile. "Now, now, Regigigas, let's not be rash," he said, gesturing with his wing to the pile of scrap metal that was the golem of steel. "I hold all the cards now. You have no more subordinates, while I still have one – a very powerful one at that. My patience is wearing thin and I would be most delighted if you handed over your orb of creation; that is all I ask. I am giving you the chance to live, take it before I change my mind."
"Ho-oh, it's not a matter of wanting to give you the orb, not that I would give it to you…if I had it."
Ho-oh's eyes widened, the lower half of his beak slightly dropping in horrific realization. He moved his beak but no words came out.
"I can't give you the orb, because I don't have it," Regigigas said. "I'm not the original Regigigas."
Ho-oh ground his beak together in rage. He could feel the roaring flames making his way up his throat. "If you don't have it, why didn't you say so! Did you intend to force me to destroy what could have been part of my new world!" he screamed.
"Celebi came to me before you did. She told me what you planned to do and what my fate was to be if I fought you."
Ho-oh was flabbergasted at Regigigas's words. "You fought me knowing you would die? Why!" he demanded.
"Because I knew I had to try and stop you and your plans – even at the cost of my own life. Even if you were to kill me now, I die knowing that I was able to slow you down. According to Celebi, Lugia has already gotten the orb of creation from the original Regigigas and has long since departed Sinnoh."
Ho-oh let out a screech of rage; roiling flames issued forth from his beak and struck a patch of ground, melting it into a glowing red plain of glass. He glared at Regigigas with daggers in his eyes.
Regigigas could only chuckle at Ho-oh's tantrum, Mewtwo remaining expressionless throughout the entire affair.
"You speak of a new age of peace and prosperity. But look around. This is not the mark of an age of peace and prosperity; it is the mark of an age of hatred, bloodshed and total war," he said calmly.
Ho-oh disdainfully spat a small ember at the feet of the white titan. "Your words mean nothing to me. A new age is dawning and I shall be its emissary. This is not my age; it is an age for all Pokémon!" he shouted.
He nodded at Mewtwo, who nodded back obediently. They prepared to head off to their next destination. As Ho-oh thought back at Regigigas before Mewtwo killed him, he could've sworn that he saw the white titan somehow smile.
Next, Chapter 8: Root
