Author's Note: Here we are at last, the final chapter of the Ex-Team Rocket arc. The battle in this chapter was a little hard to come up with since at this point Ash pretty much resolved to use Ho-Oh against our antagonists. But I think the solution I came up with will be an interesting twist.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 24: Legendary Miyamoto
Ash and the others had gotten on the road as quickly as they could after their encounter with Jessie and James. They had given up on restocking their supply of berries and just kept moving. The three had a lot of ground to cover before nightfall and could not afford to rest. Not with such powerful enemies on their tail. The sky above had become thick with clouds once more since getting back on the road. It did not seem like it would rain, but rain was the least of their worries.
"Hey guys, I was just wondering. Why didn't you use Ho-Oh and Suicune against Jessie, James, and Persian as soon as they showed up?" Chili inquired.
"Because we honestly didn't think we'd need them." Ash admitted. "Those three were a lot different when we fought them in the past. I mean they were a little hard to beat at first, but really they were pushovers."
"Yeah, they'd usually use some hair-brained gadget or clumsy robot to pull off their schemes." Misty added. "It got to be a bit of a pain after a while. But it'd always end with Pikachu blowing them up and sending them flying."
"Remember that dumb motto they'd recite every time they showed up?" Ash recalled. "That thing usually took about five minutes."
"You know thinking back on it, that would've been the perfect time to get rid of those three." Misty realized. "Just blow them away while they're performing that little song and dance."
"No kidding." Ash agreed. "But those days are over now. Look at what's happened. Pikachu's in no shape to fight, Lucario and Golett are banged up, and Politoed and Seismitoad have had it. We might as well face it, they're not the same trio that they were before."
"I know. They don't even seem interested in stealing our Pokemon anymore." Misty noted.
"But if they don't want to steal Pikachu or any of your other Pokemon, what're these guys after then?" Chili wondered.
"Don't know, don't care." Ash told him. "All I care about is getting as far away from those three as we can."
"Then I'm afraid you're out of luck, my dear boy." A deep refined voice interrupted. They looked and saw Jessie, James, Persian, and Wobbuffet standing nearby off to the side of the path.
"So now you've come to fight us all at once?" Misty assumed.
"Oh we're done battling for today." Jessie assured her. "Right now there's someone special we'd like you to meet."
Walking out in front of the group from behind a tree next to the road was a somewhat older-looking woman with ruby-red lips and long purple hair that split at the back like a V and curled at the ends. A short streak of grey ran through her hair beginning over the left side of her forehead. Her outfit consisted of an unusual pantsuit with a pink blouse, a jacket that was white on the right side and black on the left, and pants that were black on the right side and white on the left. She also had on black shoes, a string of white pearls around her neck, and a pair of orange earrings in the shape of balls.
"Who're you?" Ash demanded to know.
"I'm Jessie's mother, Miyamoto." The woman answered.
"You mean they actually found you?" a surprised Misty asked.
"We never said that we didn't find her." Persian pointed out.
"There is a resemblance between Jessie and this woman." Chili noted as he looked from Jessie to Miyamoto.
"Yeah, they both look like old hags." Misty commented.
"Watch your mouth, brat!" Miyamoto and Jessie shouted at the same time.
"Oh yeah, they're related all right." Ash confirmed. "So what, you've come to help your daughter get her revenge?"
"I guess you say that." Miyamoto replied. "But I guess my main objective was simply to meet the brats who caused my darling Jessie so much grief."
"Having to fight those three off was no picnic for us either, lady." Misty retorted.
"I suppose not." Miyamoto chuckled. "If it's any consolation I never wanted Jessie to join Team Rocket."
"Why didn't you stop her then?" Ash asked.
"The short answer is because I wasn't there to stop her." Miyamoto answered. "Plus I wasn't the best role model to begin with I guess. You see I was a member of Team Rocket too. I joined not long after Jessie's dead-beat of a father abandoned us. At the time I saw joining the organization as the chance to give my daughter a better life. The money I'd make sealing rare Pokemon would've been enough to set us both for life.
"So I worked hard, and eventually I had become an elite agent in the organization. I was the right-hand gal to Madam Boss. But then I was handed a mission that was probably a mistake to accept. Madam Boss wanted me go find and capture the elusive Pokemon known as Mew, a Pokemon that at the time was thought by many to be nothing but a mirage. Finding and catching Mew would've meant a fortune, maybe much more. So I set off on a quest to capture it."
"And you just left Jessie behind?" a somewhat outraged Misty asked.
"Let me get one thing straight right now, I had always planed to come back for Jessie." Miyamoto told them. "But I couldn't take her with me, the trip was too dangerous. So I left her in the care of a friend, who I learned ended up dumping her in some orphanage, and told her I'd be back soon. Jessie of course had no idea I was part of Team Rocket, or why I was leaving. But not once did I look back. Though I guess maybe I should've.
"I followed every lead on Mew the organization had and ended up in some far-off mountains. Pretty early in the trip I had gotten myself lost in a blizzard. But then suddenly it cleared up, and that's when I saw it."
"You mean Mew?" Ash asked.
"That's right kid." Miyamoto confirmed. "I guess it was curious about me. That's the only reason I can think of why it revealed itself. I tried the diplomatic approach with Mew. I asked it to come with me so I could return home to Jessie. But the little thing just flew off and that blizzard returned. And then after that I nearly killed myself falling off a cliff. I guess it was at that point when I became obsessed with catching Mew."
"So what happened?" Chili inquired.
"I ended up spending years wandering through those god-forsaken mountain looking for Mew and not finding it." Miyamoto went on. "I'd report in to the home base by radio every now and then like a good little soldier. Then after a long time, whom should I run into but my long lost daughter, her boyfriend, and some weird talking Persian. It wasn't exactly what many would consider a heart-warming reunion. As soon as we met, Jessie slapped me and asked me where the hell I was all those years, why I never told her I was a member of Team Rocket. She had every right to react that way, especially after the hell she went through.
"I've gained a real appreciation for irony in recent years. I had quickly realized that not only had I become so obsessed with chasing after Mew that I had lost sight of what was really important, but also in leaving Jessie alone I caused her to have a life that was the last thing I ever wanted for her. Even more ironic was that she started chancing after a Pokemon she'd never be able to get, just like what I was doing. Chip off the old block I guess.
"So my priorities changed with that little reunion. I immediately resigned from Team Rocket; or rather I faked my death. It was pretty easy to do since the organization pretty much abandoned me anyway after that brat Giovanni took it over. After that I devoted myself to spending time with my daughter. I even ended up training her and her two friends to become stronger. Being a former elite member of Team Rocket I did know a thing or two about Pokemon battles. The later on, James came into some serious money, and that was when another irony had occurred. By no longer being a part of Team Rocket we had all gotten everything we wanted out of life."
"And still even after all that you guys still want revenge." Ash pointed out.
"Revenge, I suppose that is a part of all this." Miyamoto mused. "But it's actually not the main reason."
"What we really wanted is to see how strong we've become." Jessie revealed.
"And to see just what it is that makes you twerps so strong." James added. "We wanted to know if it was simply because you had an extraordinary Pikachu, or if it was something else."
"From what we've learned, it seems like it truly is something else." Miyamoto went on. "Here we have a boy who not only has a stronger than average Pikachu and an equally strong Lucario, he has the mythical Ho-Oh too. Plus one of his companions has the legendary Suicune. Not ordinary Pokemon Trainers if you ask me."
"So what now?" Ash asked.
"What's your name kid?" Miyamoto inquired.
"Ash Ketchum." He replied as he narrowed his eyes.
"Okay Ash, I want to see this power of yours for myself." Miyamoto told him.
"You're challenging me to a battle?" Ash asked.
"That's right, you and that Ho-Oh of yours." Miyamoto confirmed. "And you've probably already figured this out, but I won't be taking no for an answer."
"It'll be a pretty short battle if I use Ho-Oh." Ash told her.
"Don't be so sure kid." Miyamoto said as she pulled a Pokeball from her pocket. "Come on out my precious!"
Ash and his friends were utterly stunned by the Pokemon that had emerged from Miyamoto's thrown ball. It was a small pink cat-like creature that floated in the air. It had a somewhat large head and a pair of prominent baby-blue eyes. Its arms were short and had tiny fingers, while its hind feet were large like that of a rabbit. Its tail was long and cord-like, making the Pokemon look almost like a human fetus.
"Mew." The feline Pokemon cried in a high voice.
"No way!" Chili exclaimed. Ash got out his Pokedex to confirm what he and the others were seeing.
"Mew, the New Species Pokemon." The Pokedex identified. "Scientists have found that Mew's DNA contains the traits off every other Pokemon species."
"You actually caught a Mew?" a still shocked Ash asked.
"I know, right? It's another one of my life's great ironies." Miyamoto chuckled. "About as soon as I quit Team Rocket, Mew appeared before me again. I'm not sure if this is the same Mew I encountered all those years ago or not, but it challenged me to a battle. And when all was said and done I caught it. So kid, do you still think it'll be a quick battle?"
Suddenly Mew's expression changed from calm and innocent to one that was eager for battle. Ash knew that it wasn't going to be an easy fight, for he was facing one of the most powerful Legendary Pokemon of them all. And Miyamoto's Mew didn't seem like a pushover.
"I guess there's no choice. Go Ho-Oh!" Ash called as he threw out his Pokeball. The great bird emerged from its ball with a shriek. "Attack Mew with Sacred Fire!"
Ho-Oh's eyes began to glow blue and its body quickly became covered in rosy flames. With a flap of its wings, Ho-Oh sent the blaze it created at Mew. The psychic cat flew at top speed away from the attack but was caught by the tail. When it was over, Mew was left with a wound on its rear.
"Looks like Mew was burned." Ash observed.
"Yes, too bad for you." Miyamoto replied with a smirk.
Mew smirked as well and its eyes briefly glowed with a blue light. Suddenly Ho-Oh shrieked in pain.
"What just happened?" Ash demanded to know. Miyamoto broke into a shrill annoying laugh as she brought the back of her hand to her cheek.
"What happened was my darling Mew's ability, Synchronize." Miyamoto explained. "When its hit with something like burns or poisoning, Mew sends those ailments right back at the enemy. Which means Ho-Oh just got burned by its own attack."
"I suppose you could call that a sacred backfire." Persian joked on the sidelines.
"Not funny!" Misty told the talking feline.
"Even if Ho-Oh is burned, Mew's still burned too." Ash pointed out.
"Not for long." Miyamoto told him.
As if on cue, Mew suddenly produced a small green berry and quickly ate it. In an instant Mew's burn was completely healed.
"No way! Mew just ate a Lum Berry!" Chili realized.
"That's right, that berry cures any kind of ailment." Miyamoto confirmed. "Now Mew, attack Ho-Oh with Psychic!"
Mew's eyes glowed blue and suddenly Ho-Oh was frozen midair by a blue aura. Mew looked down, and with the movement of its head the great bird was hurled down to the earth. The psychic cat looked up and Ho-Oh was hurled up into the air. Mew then brought its gaze forward and Ho-Oh was held in place before it. The end of the psychic feline's tail began to twirl and suddenly Ho-Oh began to spin around at high speed. When the phoenix finally stopped spinning, Mew brought its gaze downward, causing Ho-Oh to crash back down to earth. Mew's eyes stopped glowing and it began to snicker, accompanied by Miyamoto's shrill laugh. After a moment Ho-Oh flew back up into the air with fury-filled eyes.
"Aw man! That Mew is a bad-ass!" Chili declared. "It threw Ho-Oh around like it was a toy!"
"Ho-Oh, use Sunny Day followed by Solar Beam!" Ash commanded.
The great bird cried out as its body began to glow with a golden aura. Ho-Oh shot a beam of gold light into the sky and in an instant the light of the sun broke the clouds overhead. Powered by the light of the sun, Ho-Oh fired a beam from its open beak and managed to hit Mew in the chest. The psychic cat quickly recovered though and flew back into the air at the great bird.
"Time to make things more interesting. Use Transform!" Miyamoto commanded.
Mew began to glow white and its body began to expand and morph. When the light faded, Mew had become an exact duplicate of Ho-Oh.
"Mew can use Transform?" a shocked Ash exclaimed.
"I was surprised when I found out too." Miyamoto confirmed. "I suppose Transform I one of the reasons why Mew is so elusive. One never knows if the Pokemon they're looking at is a common Pidgy or a rare Legendary Pokemon."
"Why would Miyamoto have Mew transform?" Misty wondered.
"Because now Mew has more resistance to Ho-Oh's attacks." Chili explained.
"But now Mew's attacks aren't as effective." Misty pointed out.
"True, but Ho-Oh's also taken a good amount of damage. Plus it's suffering from that burn." Chili reminded her. "They're attacks can still damage each other, but it'll be a long drawn-out fight. Ho-Oh may not last that long."
"Ho-Oh, use Future Sight followed by another Solar Beam!" Ash commanded.
Ho-Oh's eyes glowed briefly with a blue light before flying at its doppelganger and shooting another blast. The enemy Ho-Oh began to fly out of the way but was grazed in the back by the beam.
"Fire back with your own Solar Beam!" Miyamoto ordered.
The enemy Ho-Oh came around and blasted its counterpart with its own beam of sunlight. Ho-Oh quickly moved to avoid the strike but was grazed over the top of the right wing.
"Attack with Sacred Fire!" Ash and Miyamoto commanded at the same time.
Both birds shrieked and became shrouded in flames as their eyes glowed blue once again. With a flap of their wings the sky overhead became a massive sea of flames. It was several moments before the blaze finally ended. When it did end, both birds were in the air panting and glaring at one another.
"I can't tell which Ho-Oh is the real one." A worried Misty admitted as she watched on.
"Whichever one it is, it looks like they've both taken a lot of damage." Chili noted.
Suddenly, one of the two firebirds cried out in pain as its body glowed with a blue aura and was surrounded by a twister. When the twister faded, the stricken Ho-Oh fell to the ground unconscious and reverted to Mew.
"What the…?" a shocked Miyamoto asked.
"Right after Mew transformed I had Ho-Oh use Future Sight." Ash explained. "It's an attack that doesn't strike right away. I wasn't sure about how much damage Mew took before transforming, but hoped Future Sight would be enough to finish it off."
Miyamoto chuckled a bit as she called Mew back to its ball. "Not bad at all kid. It's no wonder that you gave my daughter so much trouble."
"So now what? Another round?" Ash asked.
"No, we're done here." Miyamoto answered. "My family and I have learned all that we needed to. Haven't we Jessie dear?"
"Yes mother." Jessie agreed.
"Time for us to be off then." Miyamoto decided.
"Wait, you're just leaving?" a surprised Ash asked.
"That's right, brat." Miyamoto confirmed. "While this has been fun, we do have a business to run."
"Stealing Pokemon?" Ash asked as his eyes narrowed.
"We've left that sort of thing far behind us." James revealed. "Now a days we do various 'odd jobs' so to speak. But our main business is in bounty hunting."
"Bringing in criminals for money has proven to be far more profitable than stealing Pokemon." Jessie added.
"I thought you guys were already rich." Misty recalled.
"Oh you can never have enough money, dear." Miyamoto chuckled. "Anyway, perhaps we'll run into each other again one day. But for now this is goodbye. Jessie dear, if you please."
"Go Dustox!" Jessie called as she threw out a Pokeball. The moth Pokemon emerged and flew up into the air. "Use Flash!"
Dustox lit the area with a blinding white light. When the light finally cleared, Miyamoto and the other ex-Team Rocket members were long gone. An exhausted Ho-Oh landed back on the ground next to Ash and the others.
"Well, I guess we can relax now." Misty assumed. "Is a little weird the way all this ended though."
"Tell me about it." Ash agreed. "But I'm just glad we don't have to deal with them anymore."
"Think we'll run into them again?" Chili wondered.
"I sure hope not." Misty replied. "I've had enough of those four to last a lifetime."
"At least they're not hunting us anymore though." Ash pointed out.
"Well, since those guys are finally gone, why don't we stop here for awhile to rest?" Chili suggested.
"I'm all for that." Misty replied.
"Sounds good to me too." Ash agreed. "We could all use a rest after what we've been though."
"How soon should we get back on the road?" Misty asked.
"I'm in no hurry I guess." Ash shrugged. "After all, it's not like Nimbasa City's going anywhere."
Author's Note: As I mentioned earlier, the biggest dilemma I had with this chapter was making the battle challenging for Ash. A little hard to do with Ho-Oh in his arsenal. But a couple things occurred to me. The first was that the anime seemed to imply that there's more than one Mew out there. And the second thing was the idea of what if Miyamoto had actually captured Mew. Anyway, I greatly enjoyed writing this story arc. It was fun touching on something that the anime never really did. They should've had Jessie's mother appear in an episode.
But now that this arc is over, up next the appearance of one of my favorite Unova gym leaders. Not to mention a startling development with Bianca. So stay tuned. In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think.