Bruce's Log- Day 27 (Part 1)
It felt wrong. My brain kept telling me it was impossible. Yet, everything I remembered about him, he was. He didn't say anything in response to me, he only reached his hand to his belt.
"You are trespassing. Without the rest of the humans present, this city belongs to him now."
"Red, what are you-"
He wasn't listening. He brought out six Pokémon. I knew most of them personally. Aerodactyl was the ancient and agile flier. Snorlax was his sturdy powerhouse. Eevee, the most versatile on his team, able to transform into any of three evolutionary states and revert back at will. Pikachu, was one of his first Pokémon and unbelievably strong despite his size. Venusaur, evolved from a Bulbasaur he received from Professor Oak. Poliwrath, his very first Pokémon, they had been friends since before I ever knew Red. All of them came out at once. I took a step back.
'This can't be happening. I have to fight Red, the legend who conquered the region at eleven years old?!'
"Red, I-"
He didn't move. All of his Pokémon remained where they were, resolute to fight unless I walked away. I felt my body shudder. Impatient, his Pikachu charged forward.
"ARGH!"
I didn't have a choice. I brought out my team, their familiar forms materializing on the bridge. Just then, a loud, groaning creak shot up, the bridge collapsing under the weight of Snorlax and Poseidon, both of them falling into the canal beneath us. Red and I stood on opposing ends of the remnants of the bridge. Jenso, Aerodactyl, Kratos, Tyrone and Starscream took to the air, while Pikachu and Eevee retreated to Red's side to avoid falling in. Poliwrath leaped into the water. Dyno stuck next to me, waiting for a command. I was frozen, my nerves were overwhelmed, I couldn't process what I was seeing. Snorlax and Poseidon wrestled in the water. Snorlax' fat allowed him to stay afloat. Poliwratch had vanished from sight, waiting for Red's word to strike. Aerodactyl was contending with Jenso, the only one of my team who wasn't waiting for an order. Dyno pushed against me. I shut my eyes, trying to think.
'I have to fight or they'll get killed! Focus, FOCUS!'
Red was silent, but suddenly I heard the surface of the water break, Poliwrath shooting a massive jet stream toward Jenso. Pikachu broke away from Red, jumping off the bridge railing and firing a Thunderbolt toward Starscream. Snorlax used his natural buoyancy to hit Poseidon with an uppercut Mega Punch. It wasn't until I saw Venusaur's powerful vines flying toward Dyno and me that I snapped into my usual battle trance.
"Jenso! Break away from Aerodactyl! Poseidon, rebound on Snorlax with Dragon Rage!"
'Jenso is at a disadvantage. Poseidon's the only physical match for Snorlax.'
"Tyrone, take Pikachu's Thunderbolt with Psychic! Starscream, break up Poliwrath's Water Gun with Razor Wind!"
'Tyrone is the only one except Dyno without a weakness to electricity, and Dyno's attacks will be next to worthless against Pikachu. Starscream is the best match-up against Poliwrath, since fighting moves will do next to nothing against him.'
"Dyno, use Poseidon as a platform! Leap up with Sonicboom and attack Aerodactyl with Thunderbolt! Kratos, swoop down and separate Eevee from Red!"
'Other than Poliwrath, Dyno matches up best against Aerodactyl. Kratos will be at a disadvantage if Red uses a Thunderstone, but he's the only one left and probably the best at adapting if need be.'
I ducked down to avoid Venusaur's vines, Dyno rocketing off the bridge and propelling himself off of Poseidon.
'I can't let him decide who fights who.'
Starscream covered Jenso by matching Poliwrath's attack. Poseidon pushed Snorlax back, fire pouring from his mouth. Jenso veered away from Aerodactyl just as Dyno sent a bolt of thunder toward him. Kratos dive-bombed toward Eevee and Red's position. Tyrone 'caught' Pikachu's electricity with his psychic energy, bouncing it back. I shouted to Jenso and Starscream to attack.
"Starscream, hit Poliwrath with Supersonic before he submerges again! Jenso, aim for Venusaur, and use Flamethrower!"
Starscream sent ear-splitting sound waves at Poliwrath, while Jenso circled down toward Venusaur, flames bursting from his jaws. Red remained silent, yet his team moved as if he were giving orders. Eevee nimbly avoided Kratos' assault, catching Red's Thunderstone in mid air, transforming into Jolteon. Pikachu was barely fazed by Tryone's counterattack. Current surrounded his body as he spun down to ground level, launching bolts of lightning at Tyrone as he gave chase. Snorlax shrugged off Dragon Rage, letting his body fall back, buoyancy bringing his feet up into Poseidon with a Mega Kick. Dyno's electricity dispersed upon colliding with Aerodactyl's Rock Throw, the boulders absorbing the shock. Still on edge, I watched as Venusaur jumped backward to avoid Jenso's attack. Venusaur ensnared Jenso with Vine Whip, pulling him out of the sky. Jenso crashed into the ground. Kratos swerved to avoid Red. Jolteon released a jolt of thunder as he sailed past them. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to ignore the fact I was fighting Red.
'Concentrate! Give orders faster! It's a battle like any other!'
Keeping my eyes off Red, I shouted to my team.
"POSEIDON! Beach Snorlax with Surf!"
A huge tidal wave crashed into the heavy Pokémon.
"Kratos! Knock Jolteon away from the bridge with Gust!"
A small, powerful tornado sent the genetic Pokémon flying away from Red.
"Cut off Pikachu with Psychic, Tyrone!"
A flash of blue energy spiked around the mouse Pokémon, surrounding him with story-high boulders.
"Starscream, knock Poliwrath away from the water! Wing Attack!"
The fighting toad Pokémon was batted away from his element toward land.
"Jenso, catch Venusaur's vines! Throw him into the air! Seismic Toss!"
He grabbed the vines before they could retract, swinging his opponent around before launching him skyward toward Aerodactyl.
"DYNO! Take the shot wile Aerodactyl is distracted! Thunder!"
Before the prehistoric Pokémon could evade his airborne teammate, Dyno struck him with a crackling surge of electricity. Aerodactyl spiraled to the ground.
"Jenso, blast Jolteon with Flamethrower! Kratos, hit Venusaur with Wing Attack before he lands!"
Jolteon was engulfed in Jenso's fire, while Venusaur roared in pain from Kratos' assault. Jolteon reverted to Eevee.
"Tyrone, hit Snorlax from behind with Night Shade! Poseidon, blast him from the front with Hyper Beam!"
Snorlax lost his balance after taking Tyrone's attack, falling forward into the massive oncoming wave of energy. The huge Pokémon fell, crashing to the ground.
'That's three.'
Poliwrath used Hydro Pump to propel himself back down into the water. Pikachu shot up from the rocky prison that surrounded him. With a loud battle cry, Venusaur pulled himself down to the ground with his vines. I glanced at Red. His face was paler. While my attention was averted, Poliwrath erupted out of the water, freezing the whole canal with a powerful Ice Beam. Poseidon was trapped. Pikachu let loose a massive rush of current, aiming for Poseidon.
'Can't call him back!'
"DYNO! INTERCEPT!"
Back on the ground, Dyno raced onto the ice, leaping into the air and taking the attack meant for Poseidon. The shock barely fazed him. Before I could name a counterattack, he was ensnared and pulled back by Venusaur. Jenso moved to strike, but Poliwrath was waiting, stopping him short with a Mega Punch.
'They're too strong as a combination. I need to pick them off!'
Pikachu was rushing toward Poseidon to deliver a point-blank shock. Poliwrath was in position to put down Jenso with Hydro Pump, and Venusaur had Dyno lifted high in the air, ready to smash him into the ground.
"TYRONE! Stop Pikachu with Psychic!"
The electric mouse Pokémon rose into the air, enshrouded by blue energy.
"Kratos, use Agility! Knock Poliwrath off Jenso with Quick Attack!"
Kratos rammed straight into his target, sending Poliwrath flying.
"Starscream, loosen Venusaur's grip on Dyno with Swift!"
Energy particles rained down on Venusaur in a flurry, freeing Dyno.
"NOW! Poseidon, Fire Blast the ice!"
A mass of flames flared from his jaws. The ice vanished in moments. Tyrone's Psychic attack ended, Pikachu falling toward the water.
"Dyno, use Agility! Hit Poliwrath with Thunderbolt!"
Dyno disappeared, visible only as a streak of lightning as he raced toward his target. Venusaur launched a barrage of Razor Leaf to block his path.
"Kratos, blast the leaves away with Razor Wind, then blind Venusaur with Sand-Attack!"
Blades of air cut through the storm of leaves, a swirling mass of sand enveloping Venusaur. Poliwrath made to use another Ice Beam to stop Dyno's advance.
"Tyrone, Shadow Punch Poliwrath, now!"
The light of Dyno's electricity cast a shadow behind Poliwrath. The silhouette of Tyrone's fist shot out from it, striking Poliwrath from behind. The toad Pokémon was thrown off balance long enough for Dyno to finish his assault, downing Poliwrath with a surge of crackling current.
'Can't let Pikachu touch the water!'
"Starscream, catch Pikachu! Bite attack!"
The electric mouse Pokémon squealed as Starscream's fangs closed around him. Pikachu growled, ready to shock Starscream.
"Double Team! Poseidon, hit from below! Take Down!"
The bolts of electricity shot through empty air as Starscream vanished, letting Pikachu fall into Poseidon's full body attack.
"NOW! Jenso, before the dust clears from Venusaur, close in and use Fire Blast!"
Jenso's feet left the ground as he flew toward his target, still encased by a cloud of sand. He plunged into the debris. From inside it, a flash of red and white exploded. The dust cleared, and the huge Pokémon was down, groaning and burned severely.
'I... we won?'
Red was shaking. His body was convulsing, and he looked downright terrified. He glared at me form the other side of the devastated bridge.
"No-"
He never finished his sentence, and crumpled into a heap to the ground. I recognized Blaine standing behind him, a log in his hand. I was still in a daze for several moments before I came out of it, recalling most of my team, using Poseidon to get to the other side of the destroyed bridge. Blaine was finishing recalling Red's Pokémon into their own Pokéballs. I stared down at Red's unconscious form.
"This isn't Red."
Blaine looked up at me.
"Hm?"
"There's no way in hell that I could have won against the real Red! This has to be an illusion!"
Blaine placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Bruce, calm down. There's an explanation for this, but now isn't the time. Let's go, the answers will be inside the cave."
I held my head for a moment. Then I nodded, using Poseidon to reach the cave entrance. A thick, steel door marked the way in. A machine was built into the outside wall, with a slot for a Pokédex. Blaine told me to feed mine into the machine to open the door. Moments later, the door slid open. The instant I had my Pokédex back in hand, I froze. I was paralyzed. My body wouldn't move, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't even open my mouth. Blaine stepped in front of me, and Alakazam drew forward. I could still move my eyes. I could still hear Blaine.
'Disable? Why?'
"You're not the first one to come here with intentions to fix my past mistakes, Bruce."
I watched him call out a full team of Fire-types. He kept his back to me.
"That is Red. The Red, who conquered the League and then disappeared. He's the real reason that only champions are allowed to even enter the cave. After he won vanished, things changed in the League."
I strained, but couldn't even utter a sound.
"They made the stadium, created a live spectacle out of the Elite Four challenge. You're the first to win it since then."
He finally turned to face me.
"I'm sorry I had to bring you here, Bruce, but I couldn't have gotten in without you, let alone beaten him. His Pokémon are out of practice, but they're still immensely powerful."
'Don't tell me...'
I hadn't been as afraid of Mewtwo before that moment, but after seeing Red, the thought of anyone confronting it alone was unnerving.
"I don't plan on using you anymore. You and Red were never meant to get involved in this. I'm ready to take full responsibility for my past now."
'Blaine, don't!'
He turned away, his team filing into the cave.
"I'm going to put an end to this, one way or the other."
He waved without looking back.
"Alakazam. Teleport."
'BLAINE!'
The last thing I saw was his coattails before it all disappeared.
I reappeared on Cinnabar, and Red was with me. I caught him to keep him from falling, whipping my head around.
"Alakazam!"
She was gone. There was no way to Teleport back.
'Dammit!'
I cursed to myself. The past few hours had weakened my certainty about confronting Mewtwo. But a confrontation with it, with a product of Giovanni's greedy pursuits, had become a goal for me. It had given my journey a purpose beyond just the title of League Champion.
"Bruce?"
'Oh no. Not now.'
Gary, of all people, walked toward us from the remnants of the laboratory.
"What're you doing here? Champion's are supposed to revel in their victory for a bit."
Red let out a groan.
"Who's that?"
"Gary, don't-"
I couldn't stop him. He bent down, caught one look of Red's face, and froze.
"...No."
"Gary, listen, just-"
He stood upright, staring at Red's unconscious form.
"It can't be."
"Gary, don't make a scene! Not here! I swear I'll explain, just as soon as we're out of sight! You can get us into Blaine's gym, right?"
He tore his eyes from Red. He stepped forward, regarding me with suspicion.
"How would you have known-?"
"Just trust me, all right?"
He considered me for a moment longer before nodding. We moved Red into the Cinnabar Gym, and looked the door behind us. I set Red down on the floor. Gary stood leaning against the doorway.
"Okay, B. What's going on?"
He had no intention of letting me leave. I swore under my breath.
"It's a long story."
"You in a rush or something?"
"Kind of."
He didn't change his expression or move from the door.
"Tough. You don't get to just appear out of nowhere with the long lost 'wonder boy' of Kanto and run off without filling me in."
He sneered a bit when he said 'wonder boy'. I didn't want to get into an argument with him, but I was tired, a little confused and frustrated.
"Blaine's doing something seriously danger right now, Gary. I can't let him do it alone."
"What's Blaine got to do with it? And what do you care what he does? He's a grown man."
I gritted my teeth.
"That's got nothing to do with it, Gary!"
"Then enlighten me! What does it have to do with Red and why are you involved? Huh?"
I took a step toward him.
"Gary, there isn't time for this! I need to go, NOW!"
I made to shove him aside, but found myself sent stumbling backward. I felt a jolt of pain on my face. Gary lowered his fist.
"MAKE TIME! I don't care how famous you are, you don't get to skip out on this!"
He pointed at Red.
"Five years, Bruce! For five years I trained, studied and worked so I could face him as a trainer! I finally get a chance to join his ranks, and you show up and take it!"
"Gary-"
"Now, you just appear out of nowhere with that same trainer after he's been gone for so long, and you expect me to just sit around, wondering what the hell happened to him? SCREW THAT!"
We stood glaring at each other for several minutes. I sighed.
"Okay, Gary. I'll tell you what I can. There's a creature, an artificial Pokémon that was made by a group of scientists here on Cinnabar years ago. Blaine was one of them. It was created on Giovanni's order. I don't know the whole story, but it was supposed to be a genetically superior clone of Mew. It's called Mewtwo. It rampaged in the lab and escaped. It's been in Cerulean Cave since then."
Gary didn't shift his posture. He nodded once or twice to show he was listening.
"Blaine told me how dangerous it is. I figured I should do something about it before Giovanni could. I had to win entry into the Hall of Fame to get into the cave, though."
Gary waved his hand at me.
"Yeah, yeah, we both know how that part went. Skip ahead."
"Blaine met me at the League after I was inducted. We met near Cerulean City after dark. We got to the outskirts and split up. I started across Nugget Bridge and found him."
I turned to look at Red. He was still unconscious. I pulled his hat out from my bag.
"I couldn't believe it either. But he had the same team he told us about whenever he used to call home."
I tossed Red's hat onto the floor next to him.
"We battled. I guess I won."
Gary twitched.
"But I have a feeling I wasn't really fighting Red. He wasn't the same."
"Whatever. Fine. I'll trust you on that part for now. Why are you here, then?"
"Blaine borrowed Sabrina's Alakazam and after the battle, he sent us here. He said he didn't want anyone else trying to fix his mistakes for him. I think he meant that Red-"
Gary rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, big surprise. He always did like to play hero. It was only a matter of time before that got him into trouble."
I looked back at Gary. I knew he was acting again a bit, but I understood why. Of the three of us, he had never been the emotional one.
"Yeah. I guess so."
"Anyway, what are we doing standing around? Let's go kick some ass!"
Gary started to unlock the door.
"Shouldn't somebody stay with Red? There's no telling what he might do when he wakes up."
Gary paused. He shrugged.
"Yeah. All right, Bruce, you've had your turn to be hero. You wait with him, I'll handle this one."
'Dammit.'
"Gary, you have no idea what this thing-"
I stopped, staring at Red. He was awake. He tried to sit up and groaned. He noticed his hat and pulled it onto his head. Then he paused. He looked up, his eyes hazy.
"Blue... Green. You found me. I can remember now."
Gary and I exchanged glances. Red had nicknamed us when we were younger. Both of us were silent. I couldn't think of anything to say. Gary held his hands in his pockets. Red managed to sit up, leaning against the wall.
"Blue, you said Blaine went in after Mewtwo alone?"
I nodded, stooping down next to him.
"Yeah. Don't worry about that, though. You're exhausted, you can't-"
He grabbed my shoulder.
"No. Both of you, you need to go back there. I'm no use for anything right now. Blaine doesn't stand a chance against him. But you two, you can stop him."
His breathing was shallow. I looked back at Gary. He nodded to me. I stood up.
"You sure you're okay, Red?"
He pulled out his Pokéballs. He brought out Poliwrath. The water Pokémon, battered as he was, helped his trainer to his feet.
"I'll manage."
I followed Gary out of the gym.
"I need to make a quick to the center, then we'll go to the cave."
Gary smacked his fist into his palm.
"Good."
We were flying back within an hour, the night giving way to gray twilight. As we approached Cerulean, the sky started to blacken. Storm clouds surrounded us.
"That ain't ominous at all."
We circled down right outside the entrance to the cave. I fed my Pokédex into the machine again to open the steel doors. They slowly slid open, revealing the darkness inside. Behind us, thunder rolled overhead in the wake of a lightning bolt. The flash gave us a moment's glimpse of the expanse of the cave. I glanced at Gary. He glanced back at me.
"Any guesses what kind of Pokémon live in here aside from that Mewtwo thing?"
I shrugged.
"Only that they must be insanely strong. The restricted entry has to be for a reason."
Gary didn't say anything else. I took the first step inside. He followed close behind. The doors slammed shut behind us.
We'd been moving undeterred by wild Pokémon for hours. The extensive network of passageways, more often than not, led to dead ends. I wondered how we hadn't run into Blaine. Gary broke the silence.
"What exactly is the plan once we find this Mewtwo? There is a plan, isn't there?"
Before I could answer, a cry echoed from somewhere ahead of us. We ran deeper into the tunnels, sliding down ledges and leaping over crevices. We made it to a wide, open portion in the deepest level of the cave. Blaine was on the ground, whimpering. His team surrounded him, but they looked unharmed. We moved toward him, but he scurried away as we approached.
"No, no! I never wanted to do this much, I swear! I never meant, never had any idea how far he expected us to go!"
"What's he babbling about? Hey, Blaine! Snap out of it!"
Gary moved ahead of me toward him. For every step he advanced, Blaine retreated.
"I'm not innocent, but I'm not insane! You don't need to put me away! I've lived an honest life for years!"
"He can't hear us, Gary. He's having a breakdown."
Gary threw up one of his hands.
"I can see that. But he's obviously hearing something. What I wanna know is why he's crying when there ain't even-"
A voice came into my head. I recognized it as psychic communication. Gary stopped mid-sentence. I could tell he heard it too.
'Just a paranoid old man, that's all he is. I still don't know how he expected anything different.'
I craned my neck, looking around the cave. Across a large pool of water, poised in a sitting position while levitating in midair, I saw him.
'After all, no one knows better the extent of his dark past and criminal life than me, his own creation.'
I didn't say anything. I only looked. He was big, over six feet. A chill struck me, realizing he looked a lot like a person. His tail wove around his body. The voice laughed coldly.
'Blaine never had a chance of getting anywhere near battling me. His so-called team must be so confused. Don't you think so, Bruce?'
I clenched my hands into fists. Gary whispered to me, never taking his eyes off Mewtwo.
"We made it here, B. You got a plan? I don't like the idea of charging anything that can reduce a grown man to that without touching him."
'How amusing. So like you, Gary, to be cautious before taking action. Too bad your grandfather mistakes it for cowardice.'
Gary's face hardened, I could hear his knuckles cracking. He was barely able to restrain himself. I thought as hard as I could, remembering my battle with Sabrina. I shuddered at the idea of what an infinitely more powerful psychic could do. Through gritted teeth, I hissed at Gary.
"Listen. Take Blaine and run. Get him out of here, as quickly as you can."
His eye shifted onto me.
"Are you out of your mind? I'm not leaving you to deal with this thing alone!"
'It's pointless to whisper. You may refer to me as male for whatever time you have left, Gary. As for your feeble plan, Bruce, sacrificing yourself to save your friend and that old has-been is noble indeed. Unfortunately, it isn't really an option for you.'
Mewtwo waved his hand. The sounds of wild Pokémon sounded off all around us. They made a ring to surround us. The majority of them gathered into a physical wall to block the only exit. More species than I could count off the top of my head were present.
"Bruce, you got a plan B?"
Gary's hands drifted to his waist, ready for a battle at a moment's notice. I stood with my back to him, Blaine in between us.
"There is no plan B! This isn't going to work if there's more than one of us here! Think about Sabrina! He could easily confuse us and make us turn on-"
"ROCKET SCUM! YOU RUINED MY LIFE! DIE!"
I barely managed to sidestep Blaine as he charged at me. I caught him in the stomach with my arm and threw him back before her put himself in striking distance of the wild Pokémon.
'You talk too much for my liking. I have no use for a loose tongue.'
"Bruce, watch it!"
I turned my head just in time to see a Rhydon barreling toward me. Teixeira appeared, rushing to meet it.
"Mega Punch!"
The Rhydon was sent flying backward into the other Pokémon. Gary struck Blaine from behind and caught him as he fell unconscious. With his free hand, he called out the rest of his team.
"All right, B. I'm heading out! If you lose, I'm coming back here and kicking both your ass'!"
With that, Teixeira blasted through the wall of Pokémon that blocked the exit, Gary's team covering him as he escaped with Blaine's team in his wake, Blaine carried by his Charizard. The remaining wild Pokémon gave chase. Mewtwo's tone changed in my head, though he only sounded annoyed, not worried.
'It doesn't matter. Even if they escape, they won't be able to get back into the cave. But you already knew that, didn't you?'
I kept quiet, releasing my team from their Pokéballs one by one. I held my eyes on Mewtwo. As far as I could tell, we were alone. He lowered himself to the ground, but didn't approach.
'You're desperate to face me alone, aren't you? You think a confrontation with me will somehow afford your journey a greater sense of purpose?'
He scoffed. From where he stood, he was looking down at me.
'You know life isn't as simple as that.'
My Pokémon waited for a signal from me. But I couldn't move. There was a sort of pressure emanating from Mewtwo. Rather than fight it, I goaded him.
"You're scared of us, aren't you? You're scared of humans. Not just Blaine or even any one specific person. As a species, we terrify you."
He didn't respond. I kept pushing.
"You hide in here and make the Pokémon that live here your bodyguards. Then, once you think you've made yourself untouchable-"
'I warned you against talking too much.'
I took a step forward.
"Once you think you're untouchable, you sit there and mock anyone who gets this far. Blaine got too close for your comfort. You weren't so invulnerable when he showed up here, huh? So you tried to break him."
His aura of psychic energy grew, but he stayed where he was.
'They broke so easily. Blaine, and of course the boy he sent years ago to do his dirty work.'
I knew he was talking about Red. My fists shook, but I managed to make them steady again.
"Big deal, you scared a child. Or, did you? Maybe Red got even closer than Blaine. Maybe he wasn't afraid of you. Maybe you got so close to wetting yourself that you even begged him to-"
He laughed. I realized I had stretched it too far. He raised a hand and pointed it at me.
'You can guess for as long as you want, but you're doomed to lose this back and forth discussion we're having. Because that's all you can do- guess.'
The cave and Mewtwo slowly began to disappear. I looked behind me. My team was gone. Darkness enveloped me. I could still hear Mewtwo's voice.
'But I already know all about you. Now, you've had your chance to talk. Let's explore the dark corners of your psyche.'
Silence rang in my ears after that. I don't know for how long. My sense of time quickly abandoned me. It could have been days, or weeks, that I waited.
