"Ash...?"
Misty's voice came in distant echoes as the trainer opened his eyes slowly, groaning as the lights from the lab pierced his sight. Raising a hand to block them, the trainer blinked several times before Misty's image came in clear and he saw the state of the room as well as his friend. Sitting up, instantly regretting so as fireworks went off in his head and a wave of nausea washed over him, Ash waiting for them to pass before asking what had happened.
"We're not sure, to be honest." Misty told him, helping him to sit up straight so he could better view the surroundings, though there was hardly anything to look at anymore. The lab had been reduced to…nothing. Only piles of charred scrap metal lay here and there, Ash assumed they had come from the ceiling as well seeing as how the upper level was now visible, a dull light pouring in barely managed to light the darkened room.
"Are you alright?" Ash asked Misty, looking over the female who looked no better off then he felt. Scratches and bruises were visible under her tattered clothes and she was holding her arm, wincing every so often.
"I'm fine, kinda." She assured him with a quick smile before looking around anxiously. "Where's Brock?"
"Over here!" The leader's panicked voice rose up from somewhere behind them and they turned to see frantic arms waving over piles of debris. "Hurry!"
"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, sounding equally as flustered.
Ash and Misty exchanged worried looks before she helped him to his feet, draping an arm over her good shoulder and limping over to the rest of their group. They had barely gone ten feet before Ash saw what had Brock in such a panic. Laying motionless on the ground were Amber and Mewtwo among the debris, Brock kneeling above them with Mew floating desolately by his side and Pikachu at his feet, each of them regarding at the fallen pair.
"Amber! Mewtwo!" Ash shouted, running over to the hybrid as fast as he and Misty could, pushing through the fallen structure.
"Ash…." Brock began, his voice deathly quiet as the two made their way over. He feared the worse, and his face showed it. After spending time with a handful of breeders and professors Brock had seen injuries and illness of all kinds and he knew things were looking grim for both of them.
"Brock, are you-" Misty started only to be cut off by Brock, his voice serious.
"Fine, I'm not the one to worry about right now." He interjected, eyes returning to the hybrid and Pokémon.
"Are they…" Ash asked, voice cracking as a dread washed over him that almost send him back to the ground, and Misty squeezed his arm encouragingly.
"No," Brock assured but he didn't look up to his friend, and that alone reignited Ash's panic. "But we have to get them out of here before anything else happens."
"Mew…" The pale Pokémon was also battered but conscience at least, and as it moved to peer into its counterpart's face, Ash felt something in him break. They couldn't have lost…not after everything…not after all that. They had come so far...
Too far to just have it end like this….
"Wake up! Both of you!" He screamed, fear overwhelming him.
But his cries went unheard.
It was dark, and an uneasy and familiar sense swept over Amber as she looked around at the nothingness she seemed to be floating over since she could feel no ground beneath her. She had been here before, she knew, not that long ago before everything had happened with Giovanni. But she couldn't remember…
"Where are we?" Floating next to her, Mewtwo looked down at her, eyes questioning.
"I don't know…" She answered quietly, confused. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was Giovanni and the lab…then nothing. And now she was here, with Mewtwo no less but where were Ash and the others? Were they okay? Amber paled at the thought. Giovanni had mentioned something about her taking care of Ash, hadn't he?
"You mean you don't recognize this place?" A small voice asked, breaking the hybrid out of her thoughts as her and Mewtwo looked up to see a recognizable young girl above them.
"Ambertwo…?" The name reached Amber's lips before she knew it and she immediately winced as a pain shot through her head setting off stars, and recent memories soon after in an abrupt, chaotic reel.
"That's right," the girl smiled warmly before turning the same smile to Mewtwo, whose eyes narrowed slightly at the gesture. "Why the long face, Mewtwo?"
The pokémon didn't answer, whether by choice or just shock Amber didn't know. Some thing about the way the Pokémon regarding the girl was almost uncharacteristic and it caught Amber off guard for a moment, having never seen Mewtwo so…hesitant, she supposed. She only knew snippets of the bond these two shared in the past, and though a part of her longed for more information regarding the events before their true lives she remained quiet in the darkness, watching as the young girl's expression softened.
"I understand." AmberTwo nodded slightly when a few seconds had gone by in utter silence, the smile waning as she floated to close the space between her and the pokémon. "I never thought we'd be able to speak again, and it's been so long since…" she drifted off as she came to a stop directly in front of Mewtwo. She didn't need to finish, Mewtwo was well aware of the events that lead to their separation.
Suddenly it hit Amber.
"Are we…?" Amber couldn't bring herself to finish but the sheer dread in her voice made AmberTwo giggle frivolously, much to the hybrid's perplexity.
"Of course not, silly!" She assured in almost innocent tones that did little to comfort the hybrid. "You're just sleeping."
"Why are we here then?" Amber asked instead, puzzled. The last time she was here within this darkness, it had been after Giovanni's attempts in Celadon City and she had lost control in the hospital.
Amber's eyes widened at the thought. The lab…She remembered Giovanni showing her a device…something to 'suppress and control' her powers. But it had been a lie, and he had forced her to wear the device and after that everything was a blank…Had she lost control again? Was she here because of her own frailties? And what had she done to bring Mewtwo here as well?
More importantly, were Ash and the others okay?
"Because you're about to start a new adventure, Amber." The girl informed calmly as she came to take the hybrid's hands in her own comfortingly, taking Amber by surprise as she looked into her counterpart's young eyes, an unmistakable twinkle in them. "And this will be the last time we will ever see each other."
Though directed at Amber, the girl's gaze moved to Mewtwo upon the last part, her eyes suddenly distraught and the Pokémon simply stared back at her for a moment, a debate on its face as though trying to decide whether the girl's last statement was a bad one or otherwise.
"What do you mean 'adventure'?" Amber asked, after a few moments had gone by in silence. AmberTwo's gaze returned to the hybrid, a twinkle returning to those young eyes once more but no answer was given straightaway.
Finally, the girl placed two small hands on her shoulders, and gave a small smile. "You will see…" she assured the other, wrapping her small arms around the hybrid suddenly, taking her by surprise as she reflexively return the gesture to keep them both from falling over, or rather floating in the opposite direction. "Take care of Mewtwo," AmberTwo told her quietly before releasing her counterpart and floating away enough to look at the psychic Pokémon in turn. "And promise me you'll do the same to her…" Her voice was quiet, and her eyes clouded faintly as a light glowed faintly behind her.
Mewtwo nodded slightly. "I shall."
Amber smiled as the light flared, blindingly, silhouetting her tiny frame until only white surrounded the hybrid and Pokémon, replacing the darkness in one extent until Amber felt gravity suddenly rush down around them again, sending her back into a altered blackness as the girl's last words echoed softly around them.
"Goodbye…friends…"
"…ber!"
A voice…? But who…?
It called to her in the haze that surrounded her, the pain that surrounded her. In a nostalgic realization, Amber soon found her body was on fire, or so it felt. Every part of her was either burning in pain or throbbing in painful silence, her head especially and it didn't help that she seemed to be laying on her back on what felt like, and probably was, a cluster of rocks.
"Is she…?" It, the voice, asked again, a familiar tone to it that brought memories back to the hybrid in one abrupt surge. Ash, Pikachu, Misty Brock, Mewtwo…Giovanni. It all hit her at once, images in rapid replay, and she groaned before she could stop herself, forcing open weary eyes to come face-to-face with the blurry faces of…her friends.
"Amber?" Ash's voice was quiet, as if he were afraid the volume alone would send her back into unconsciousness, as he leaned over the hybrid, worry etched on his face. But the thing that caught the hybrid's eye was the cuts and bruises that covered the other's bodies and dread washed over her.
Amber blinked, once, slowly, fighting back unwanted tears and failing miserably. "Ash…I'm sorry…" She croaked, as she somehow managed to prop herself up on her elbows, ignoring the scream of protest from her body as she continued to sit up.
"No, don't be. It…wasn't your fault." Ash tried to assure her, but was interrupted by the female's sudden sobs as she buried her face in her hands. Unsure what else to do, the trainer moved to embrace the hybrid, who didn't try to break away and buried her head in his chest, making the trainer tense in convention. "Everything's okay now, don't worry…" He calmed, tones worried but sympathetic.
After all, if anyone had the right to cry right now it was Amber.
For a while, Ash just held her in silence, Amber's muffled cries the only noise apart from the sparkling of wires, as his friends looked on, a mix of worry and relief on their faces. A sudden shuffle broke the silence and the trio looked to the side as Mewtwo sat up, looking no better off than anyone else, pain visibly fixed in its features.
"Mew!" The pink counterpart immediately perked up at the sight of its other half, floating full circles around Mewtwo before coming to a rest on the bigger creature's tail, laying prone on the floor.
"How are you feeling?" Misty asked the psychic pokémon, not bothering to hide the relief in her voice.
Mewtwo merely looked at her for a moment before replying, "I am fine," and looking to the hybrid and Ash, concern replacing the hurt briefly. Catching the pokémon's eye, Ash gave a half-smile.
"…We did it," he said placidly, shifting slightly as Amber began to recompose herself and lifted her face from his now damp shirt.
Mewtwo nodded once, slowly as though still trying to comprehend the situation. "Yes…It seems we are victorious…"
"Now what…?" Amber asked softly, looking at Ash. Her amber eyes bewildered.
It abruptly occurred to Ash that the topic was wholly foreign to the female. Freedom wasn't something Amber ever had and, with that in mind, Ash didn't know how to expose the fact that with Giovanni gone that very thing was now within the hybrid's grasp. All she had do was reach out and grab it.
However, before he could suggest a next move, a chilling voice cut in.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, children."
Ash felt Amber tense in his grasp, as the trainers and pokémon looked up to meet with the raggedy figure of the Rocket's leader, a wicked smile on his face that unnerved the trio and was in no way dulled by the gleam in his dark eyes.
"Giovanni…" Misty narrowed her eyes, a fist clenched at her side. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
"Quite the contrary, I refuse to give up what is rightfully mine." He said in tones enough to freeze oxygen and his eyes shot toward the hybrid, a longing practically palpable in them. "Now Amber, dear. Return to me. We have unfinished business to attend."
"Forget it!" Misty snapped, making Amber flinch as the gym leader moved to shield her.
Brock stood up, voice hardhearted. "Haven't you learned yet?"
"You're finished, Giovanni," Ash shouted, following Brock's lead and was soon shadowed by Misty. "Give up!"
Instead Giovanni smiled wickedly, a crooked and demonic smile on his face. It shot chills down Amber's spine as she grasped the trainer's leg, far too weak to do much else. Glancing at Mewtwo, Amber could see it struggle to stand, Mew floating by its side and both with discontented expressions. Looking back to Giovanni she froze. His eyes were on her, like a predator stalking helpless prey, paying no mind to the trainer's threats or the fact his base was reduced to rubble. There was only one thing that mattered. And that was her.
The next word was out of her mouth before she realized, hushed and barely audible.
"No…"
"What was that?" Giovanni asked, tones dangerously level.
Amber had to force herself to meet his eyes with a calm voice and almost accomplished the latter. "I'm not…going with you…"
"Why you ungrateful…!" Giovanni grated, scowling at the hybrid in the first unprincipled motion she had ever seen from him. "It's thanks to me you're even here, without me you would not exist! You belong to me!"
"I don't belong to anyone." Amber affirmed quietly, eyes fiery. "Especially not you."
Giovanni scowled, eyes burning as he glared at the hybrid, who stared back indifferently. Something flashed behind the leader's eyes, or maybe that was putting it too lightly. Staring back, Amber could almost see something snap in Giovanni's mind as his face twisted into a frown as his eyes regarded her furiously. She wouldn't take it back though, ever. Ash and his friends had taught her that she was worth more than she ever thought she could be. That living as an experiment wasn't what she had to do. Not anymore. She had seen what lay beyond the walls of the labs and white rooms of the places where she was born and lived.
And she wanted to see more.
For the first time in her life, Amber felt a need pulling at her, more than her escape had and she wanted more. She…deserved it, didn't she? Ash had made her realize she was just like them, in more ways than she ever thought, and that it didn't matter if she wasn't truly human. She earned a life away from test tubes and the like. She earned it, and she wanted it. And the only thing in her way right now was the man whose indication and self-indulgence had lead to her birth.
Still, could she actually manage to break away…with him like this?
Giovanni wasn't happy, that much was obvious. He was about as willing to loose Amber as she was to stay, and in their staredown something told Amber that he wasn't going to give up until he tried every last thing up his sleeve. Which is why it didn't surprise her that a moment later, the Rocket leader pulled a small device from his frayed coat pocket. Only one thing catching the other's eyes…
A red button.
Giovanni laughed, almost madly. "I will not let myself be defeated by mere children. I maybe finished but I can at least die without any regrets knowing you're going down with me." His tones ever still deathly calm, betraying the chaos behind his eyes.
"You're insane…" Ash understood at last. Giovanni, he was willing to do anything, everything, for his goal. Even destroying his own base, everything he had created here and everyone inside it. If he couldn't have Amber, no one would. If he couldn't get what he desired, pursued, then that very thing wasn't even meant to exist…
"You will not escape." The man drawled shooting a last glare at Ash in particular before compressing the button promptly.
Abruptly, the ground below them started to quiver, sending tremors to the fractured and crumbling support columns around them, wisps of white raining down on them as chunks soon followed.
Misty was the first to realize the danger of the situation. "We have to get out of here! C'mon!" She broke for the exit, avoiding what debris she could, stumbling once.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Brock followed her promptly, a glance towards Ash telling the latter to follow.
Ash was about to follow suit, about to help the hybrid to her feet when she refused to move. Looking down at her, he gave a worried glance. "Amber what's wrong?" He asked softly, kneeling back down to eye level.
The hybrid stared back, eyes blank but Ash still saw a hesitation in them when she spoke. "I…" She drifted off, eyes clouding over with contemplation.
"Amber." Mewtwo's voice rose up and the two others turned to see an unusual expression in its eyes, focused on the hybrid who blinked once then glanced to the lighter counterpart, floating next to her with a curiosity plastered to its pink face.
"Mew?"
Amber was quiet, looking at the pink feline then back to Mewtwo, who regarded her silently as something flickered behind its eyes…Compassion?
Or a promise?
"C'mon," Ash said lightly and offered his hand. Amber looked at it before taking it, a small smile appearing on her face as she stood up shakily, leaning against the trainer for support as they started to move. Casting one look back to Giovanni, who hadn't moved an inch, Amber stared at him before following Ash.
Moving swiftly through the crumbling building, meeting Brock and Misty just outside the lab the group continued through the tremours and falling rubble, barely avoiding being crushed by larger sections. They made their way through the halls, now empty of opposition and Amber wondered briefly where Giovanni's followers had run to, or if they were even able to and even as they ascended collapsing stairs to the top most level. Rounding corners at breakneck and adrenaline powered paces, they entered the main corridor at last, the exit just meters away when a earth-shattering crack filled the room as a quake shook the floor, sending the group to their knees. Looking up in unison as if under a spell, they could hardly blink before a massive section of ceiling came hurtling towards them, each of them bracing themselves for the sure impact and bereavement.
But nothing came.
Daring to open his eyes, that had closed instinctively, Ash looked to the roof only to find it bathed in an all-too-familiar jade and azure glow, floating inches from their heads. Turning towards the hybrid and psychic Pokémon behind them, Ash couldn't help but grin, ignoring his quickened heartbeat.
"Nice work!" Misty commended with relief heavy in her voice as she forced a relaxed smile on her face, Brock nodding in agreement by her side.
"Guess you're finally getting used to your powers." Ash said, resting a reassuring hand on the hybrid's shoulder, his eyes weary but glad.
Amber smiled sheepishly as she looked at him. "Yeah…" She said meekly.
"Let's go." He told everyone.
How they made it, none of them knew, but as soon as they stepped out of the diminishing building into the sunlight and into the gathering citizens of the island who had felt the tremors and were drawn by curiosity, a deafening roar erupted behind them. Dust and smaller pieces of wreckage blasted from the fallen structure, the crowd covering their faces from harm as the escaped trainers, pokémon and hybrid fell to the ground, exhaustion finally taking over before they turned to see the mass of rubble the structure had become in mere seconds, burying Team Rocket's ambitions and frontrunner with it.
It was over.
As Misty let out a sigh, falling back to lay on the ground, Amber could only stare. That was it, everything was gone. Giovanni, the lab, everything that had lead to her creation, her life was now submerged beneath tons of debris. She no longer had to live with the relentless anxiety of the same man she had escaped, she no longer had anything to fear…and she could hardly believe it…
She felt a hand return to her shoulder and looked up into the face of the trainer she owed her life to. The next two words he spoke sending her into a long earned harmony.
"You're free."
Holy poo. It's finally here and this story is one Epilogue from being finished! AT LAST! Only took like a year or something, sorry about that. School and all, you know? But for those of you who HAVE reviewed and faved and followed I thank you SO MUCH. You have no idea what it means to me, especially when this story was pretty much dead and I haven't been trying too hard with it for the last few chapters.
So, don't worry, the last chapter will be up soon (PROMISE) and then it'll be FINISHED. I have no idea if I want to do another pokemon ffic or a sequel so don't count on it.
Stay beautiful you guys.
