A/N: And here is the final part of the Mewtwo arc! Please enjoy it, R&R, and all that other stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.


Chapter 51: Mewtwo Strikes Back Part Three

He was sliding.

That was the first thought that hit Ash once he entered through the trapdoor. As soon as he made it in, there was a sharp turn downward. In order to keep from crashing into the side of the narrow passageway, Ash had to let go of the dark pokeball that contained Pikachu. As soon as he let go, he dropped a short distance and began sliding down the passageway quickly. Just because he let go of the black pokeball, though, didn't mean he let it leave his sight. Ash kept his eyes on it the whole time on the way down.

Ash slid out of the narrow tunnel and landed on his back with a thud. It wasn't painful so he was able to quickly recover. Ash saw the dark pokeball soar over his head and over to a very large machine. It rivaled even the resurrection machine Ash had seen on Cinnabar Island. Ash leaped to his feet and sprang after the pokeball as several mechanical hands came out of the machine and grabbed it.

Ash made another dive and managed to grab hold of the pokeball as the hands were trying to pull it away. It then became a tugging battle between Ash and the hands as they tried to fight over the pokeball which held Pikachu.

"You're not…taking…Pikachu," Ash said through clenched teeth.

Ash heard a skidding noise behind him as someone else apparently made it into the room, as well. He then heard an audible gasp that he knew all too well to be Serena's. He turned around and saw her running towards him as fast as she could. No words needed to be said as she grabbed onto Ash's back and began to pull along with him to get back Pikachu. In reaction to this, the machine let loose even more mechanical hands to grab the pokeball, but Ash and Serena held fast. They didn't even notice an image that had appeared on giant computer screen next to them that looked like DNA strands.

After what could have been a couple of minutes of tugging and pulling, the wires connected to the mechanical hands started sparking, and their pulls became clumsier. Ash and Serena's eyes lit up when they realized they were starting to win. The interruption of the machine's natural functions must be causing it to short circuit! The wires began to spark more and more as Ash and Serena tugged even harder. Ash gave a loud scream of defiance before the pokeball was finally ripped from the mechanical arms' grasps. He and Serena toppled backwards onto the floor and let out a painful groan from the impact. The dark pokeball rolled to a stop next to them. Once it did, it opened up to finally reveal Pikachu.

The yellow rodent was shivering once it came out of the pokeball. The last time it was in one was before it met Ash, and thought it would never have to be in one again. Truth be told, it was quite a frightening experience.

"Pikachu!" Ash spoke up.

Upon hearing its trainer's voice, Pikachu gave a quick shake before turning to Ash. Upon seeing Pikachu was released, Ash put an overjoyed expression on his face. He quickly sat up and opened up his arms for the Pikachu to jump into. The rodent Pokemon complied and happily leaped into Ash's arms, and they embraced.

"Pikachu! I'm so glad you're okay!" Ash exclaimed as he hugged the rodent.

"Pika Pi!" the rodent replied happily.

Serena watched the two with a smile on her face until she took a good look at their surroundings. She and Ash had been so caught up in trying to free Pikachu that they didn't even notice what was around them or where they were. It was a very large room with very few lights on to illuminate it, making it rather dark. There were several empty glass tubes filled with liquid, too. The main feature, however, was the extremely large machine that had tried to take Pikachu. She noticed many of the other dark pokeballs entering to the machine. She wanted to rescue her Pokemon and the others but they were completely unreachable. It was then she noticed a large computer and raised her eyebrows at the DNA symbol.

"Ash, what's going on over there?" she asked while pointing to the computer.

Ash stopped hugging Pikachu and looked up to where Serena was pointing. He also gave a confused look at the DNA strands. They continued to stare until the DNA symbol began to transform into a silhouette of a Pokemon. Then another DNA strand appeared until it took on the shape of a Pokemon, also. Then the process repeated itself.

"I don't know, but…" Ash replied with a bewildered expression.

He was cut off by Serena letting out a loud cry of surprise. He quickly turned in her direction and saw her pointing in the direction of the glass tubes. He quickly followed her gaze and let out a gasp of surprise himself at what was happening.

Several different types of beings were shooting out of the machine and into the glass tubes that connected them. As Serena and Ash took a closer look, they could see they were Pokemon! More and more Pokemon continued to pour from the machine. They looked just like a lot of the Pokemon that were taken. Wait. Were their Pokemon all taken just to be put in glass tubes? This was really strange.

"Cubone!" Serena cried as she saw the lonely Pokemon come out of the machine and slide down the glass tube.

Serena ran over to it and placed her hands on the glass. Cubone appeared to be unconscious as it wasn't responding at all to the distressed calls of Serena. As Ash continued to look around, he saw all of his other Pokemon in glass tubes, too: Pidgeotto, Dratini, Wartortle, and Bulbasaur were all were unconscious as they continued to float lifelessly. There had to be a way to free them!

"I don't get it," Ash muttered. "What was Mewtwo's purpose for capturing our Pokemon like this?"

"Ash! Look up there!" Serena shouted as she pointed.

Ash looked to the machine again, and his eyes widened. Coming down one of the glass tubes this time appeared to be none other than a Pikachu! How was that possible?! He had rescued Pikachu before the machine to get it! Ash ran over with Pikachu by his side as they stared at the Pikachu in the glass tubes. It did look sort of like his Pikachu, but appeared a little rougher in some spots. No one else in the group had a Pikachu except him. He then turned around and stared at all of the Pokemon across the room, and his eyes lit up in understanding.

"Serena, I think I know what's going on," he uttered.

"What?" Serena asked as she turned away from the glass tube Cubone was in.

"They're clones," Ash stated.

"Clones?" Serena echoed.

"That's right," Ash confirmed. "Mewtwo must have captured our Pokemon so he could make clones out of them. It's just like he did with that Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise. No one else in our group has a Pikachu. If these really were our Pokemon, a Pikachu shouldn't be in the glass tubes, also. It all fits."

"Chuuuuu," Pikachu mumbled as it looked at its clone in the tube.

Serena turned back and looked at the Cubone in the glass tube. It looked so much like the one she was used to, down to the last detail. Was Pikachu's clone different because it wasn't able to fully scan it because of them pulling it away in time?

"But why would Mewtwo want to create an army of cloned Pokemon?" Serena asked as she backed away from the clone Cubone.

"That one I don't know. What exactly is Mewtwo trying to do?" Ash wondered aloud.

His eyes then lingered around the room until he noticed a small computer in one of the corners of the room. Deciding if he could find any answers on that, Ash made his way over to it with Serena and Pikachu following him.

Behind them, they didn't notice Mew had entered the room through a small opening in the ceiling. Its eyes scanned the room, and it looked in wonder at the machine as it continued to spark and the clones in the glass tubes. It then spotted the raven-haired boy and honey blonde-haired girl. It followed them over to the computer and hid behind one of the tubes so it wouldn't be seen. It would wait a few moments before revealing itself.

"Pi?" Pikachu questioned as it turned around. It thought it heard a noise.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked it.

"Piiiiiiika,"Pikachu replied in confusion as it scratched its head. It really thought something or someone was behind it. Maybe it was just its imagination.

"Well, if you think you hear something, let us know. We can never be too careful right now," Ash told it.

"Chu," Pikachu nodded its head in response as it and the others turned their attention back to the small home computer.

"Is there a way to turn this on?" Ash asked more to himself as he looked around for some sort of "on" button. He finally looked at the back of the monitor and spotted a button before pressing it. That sure as an odd place to put a button.

The computer screen began to flicker after Ash pressed the button. However, nothing appeared to be coming up. All there was were a bunch of messed up colors and what appeared to be static on the screen. There was no picture at all whatsoever!

"Mmm, no good," Ash mumbled as he went to turn it back off until a voice came from the computer which made him stop. It was filled with static, but still very understandable.

"Our day has finally come," the voice on the computer said. "In just a few short hours, our attempt at cloning a Pokemon from the Pokemon, Mew's, DNA will finally be completed! We have had many failed experiments in the past, but our constant funding of the project by Giovanni has allowed us to keep going."

Ash and Serena narrowed their eyes at this as the voice cut off and went back to static. So this project was conducted by Team Rocket all along. It now made perfect sense how Giovanni was so informed of the project back in the Silph Company. Their thoughts were interrupted by the same voice as before speaking again.

"This is it! The clone of Mew has finally awoken! This is the most success we've had in ages. It appears confused as it why it's here, but it will know its purpose soon enough. We shall call this new Pokemon 'Mewtwo'!" the voice continued.

"So Mewtwo wasn't lying when it said it was going to be used as nothing but an experiment. It must have felt terrible," Serena commented with a hint of sadness in her voice. The voice then spoke once more. Ash and Serena's eyes widened when they heard how panicked the voice sounded this time.

"This isn't happening! Mewtwo's anger is too immense! It is extremely unstable and destroying everything around it! It's already ruthlessly killed some of our workers in its rampage! I won't be last much longer myself! This power Mewtwo holds is too great for anyone to be able to try to control! We were fools to do this project without realizing the consequences! We wanted to create the world's strongest Pokemon, and we succeeded…,"

With that, the voice stopped again, and the computer screen shut off. That must have been the last recording before the lab had been destroyed. So this whole time, Mewtwo wanted revenge on humans for not treating it like a living thing, only as a disposable experiment like all the failed ones before it. Ash and Serena suddenly felt sympathy for Mewtwo at the hard life it must have endured after being trying to be used by the scientists and Giovanni. Still, that didn't excuse Mewtwo for wanting to destroy all of mankind.

"So is this the original lab Mewtwo was created in since this is this is where the recording is at?" Serena asked curiously as she looked around.

"It would make sense, but Mewtwo destroyed it," Ash answered as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

"I think Mewtwo was the one who created this castle," Serena said. "It destroyed the lab, then must have built this castle from the ground up using the rubble."

"That's sounds right," Ash agreed. "This whole thing was planned all along by Mewtwo. Because of Team Rocket's mistreatment of it, all people and Pokemon are having to pay the price. Team Rocket may be gone, but the aftermath of them is still here."

"So what are we going to do?" Serena asked worriedly.

"What else?" Ash asked as he turned his hat backwards. "We're going to stop Mewtwo!"

"But how are going to do that?! Mewtwo is too powerful!" Serena cried.

Before Ash could come up with a response, a noise once again interrupted them that seemed to be coming from the glass tubes. The group turned and rose their eyebrows in alarm at what was taking place. The liquid in the tubes appeared to be draining out and onto the floor below. The clone Pokemon themselves were quickly lowered, also. Before long, a small opening appeared in the tubes and the clone Pokemon emerged from the tubes, one by one. High above them, Mew was watching the proceedings with a curious look on its face.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as it leaped on top of Ash's shoulder in case they attacked.

That wasn't the case, however. The Pokemon that were in the tubes stood in place for only a second before turning and walking deliberately towards the exit. It was like they knew exactly where to go despite just being born and not being told anything. It was really strange.

"Where are they going?" Ash muttered rhetorically as they watched the Pokemon.

The Pokemon continued to pass by the trio without even acknowledging they were in the room. As Serena saw the Cubone clone and the rest of her Pokemon pass by, she instinctively wanted to reach out and grab them but restrained herself. She had to keep letting herself know that these weren't her true Pokemon. The nearby exit slid up to reveal a long hallway. The Pokemon all entered the room before they were out of sight, and the door slid shut.

Before the two humans and Pokemon could contemplate the matter further, there was a loud noise that was coming from the machine. They had completely forgotten about how they short circuited it in all the confusion of discovering the clones and Mewtwo's backstory. By the way the machine was starting to smoke, things didn't look good.

"Watch out! It's going to blow up!" Ash cried as he threw himself in front of Serena and tackled her to the ground in order to shield her. Serena let out a gasp of pain once she hit the ground but didn't complain due to Ash trying to help her. Pikachu hit the floor, also. Mew continued to peer in curiosity from behind the glass tube.

The machine sparked one last time before shaking violently and exploding, creating a loud noise as the room shook from the force. Bits of debris pelted Ash as he continued to shield Serena from the blast. He didn't care if he was hurt, but he had to protect her! Black pokeballs flew in every direction because of the blast and landed on the ground. Despite this, the explosion was surprisingly small for such a big machine. It didn't take out the whole room and the people and Pokemon in it.

Ash slowly lifted his head after the explosion took place and carefully looked around the room. The clone machine was no nothing more than a pile of rubble while the black pokeballs were unharmed and scattered across the room. All of the pokeballs then began to open up to reveal all of the group's Pokemon.

All of the Pokemon looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing they were finally out of the dark pokeballs. Ash and Serena's Pokemon's eyes then landed on their trainers, and they immediately ran to them. The rest walked towards them, also. The Pokemon didn't know why, but they felt drawn to the two humans in the room. Mew continued to watch.

"Everyone!" Ash exclaimed happily as all of his Pokemon collided with him in joy, Serena's doing the same.

The all shared a group hug at being reunited once more. Serena had to be careful as the larger Charla came in for the hug, too. Cubone was practically choking Serena due to clinging her so tightly. It had never been captured in a pokeball before, and to be captured in one against its will like that had made it very afraid. The only one who wasn't joining in the hug was Ash's Charizard. It just stood off to the side and watched the proceedings. As Ash looked up at Charizard, the fire lizard gave a smile and thumbs up to Ash to which he returned. Even if Charizard wasn't exactly into the "hug" thing, it still showed it was happy to see Ash again. Once the reunions were out of the way, Ash decided it was time to take action. He then noticed that even the Pokemon that weren't his had surrounded him and Serena.

"Everyone, it's great to see you all again. I don't know if you're aware of this, but you all were captured by those dark pokeballs so clones could be created from you," Ash revealed.

At this, many of the Pokemon exchanged confused glances with each other while a few looked to become quite angry and unsettled. What was the meaning of this?!

"I'm not sure what exactly it is that the clones are planning to do, but it can't be good. Most likely, they are going to be used by Mewtwo. We have to band together to stop them!" Ash continued.

"How are we going to stop Mewtwo, though? It's so powerful," Serena pointed out.

"That doesn't matter anymore," Ash replied. "What matters is that we have all overcome impossible odds in the past, and this time is no different. I'm not going to let Mewtwo's confusion about people destroy the world. Who's with me?!"

All the Pokemon in the room gave a roar or a cry of acknowledgement towards Ash. They were going to help stop Mewtwo and save the world. It didn't matter if their clones were stronger in special abilities or not. They had a stronger will and wouldn't falter.

"Then let's go!" Ash declared as he stood up from the ground and made his way to the exit. Pikachu, Serena, and Cubone were just behind him, followed by their Pokemon and then the other's Pokemon.

It was then Mew finally decided to make itself known to the group. It flew out of its hiding space and flew down to where Ash and the others were. The legendary bird trio wasn't lying when they told it telepathically about these humans. Pokemon just seemed naturally drawn to them. It was quite interesting.

Ash and Serena both widened their eyes at the new species Pokemon flying in front of them. Was this even possible? Could the mythical Pokemon Mew actually have come down and flew up to them so willingly?! People had searched their entire lives for any trace of this Pokemon but never found anything. How long had it been here? Did it just arrive or was secretly was watching them for a while? Mew stared at Ash and Serena for a moment before doing playful flips in the air.

"Mew," it said in its high-pitched voice.

"Is-is that really Mew?" Serena breathed.

"I don't know. Why is it here?" Ash wondered in equal amazement.

Mew stopped playfully twirling and fixed Ash and Serena with a stare of its own. It then closed its eyes and Ash and Serena suddenly felt their minds filled with a powerful presence. It was unlike anything they had ever experienced before and almost made them a little dizzy from the sudden appearance of it. They then heard a voice in their heads. It was very squeaky, but at the same time seemed to hold authority. It was hard to describe.

"I'm here to help," the voice said before the presence in their mind was shut off.

Ash and Serena jolted from the shock before looking at Mew. It must have just communicated to them through their mind. It must have been able to do that because of Ash's aura and Serena's psychic abilities. It was a shock enough for Mew to appear before them, but now it just communicated with them on top of that!

"So you're aware of the situation with Mewtwo, and you know that it was cloned from your DNA?" Ash asked.

"Mew," it replied while nodding its head before it put its thoughts in Ash and Serena's heads again. "I'm going to fly ahead of you and talk to Mewtwo."

"Thank you," Ash responded. "We're going to need all the help we can get. If anyone can get Mewtwo to listen, it would be you."

Mew gave a light giggle before summoning a small bubble. Ash watched curiously as Mew brought the bubble over to Ash's face before popping it on his nose. It then let out another giggle while Ash gave it a questioning look.

"What was that for?" Ash asked.

Mew didn't respond. It instead did another midair flip before flying off into the same passageway it used to enter the room.

"It seems Mew is a pretty playful Pokemon," Serena commented.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "Playful or not, it's still going to help us stop Mewtwo."


Back in the main room of the castle, Gary, Leaf, Brock, Misty, Paul, and Nurse Joy continued to eye Mewtwo warily. The clone Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise were still by its side. Ever since Ash and Serena had disappeared and their Pokemon were taken, Mewtwo hadn't said a word. It was almost as if he was waiting for something to happen. The group didn't have much to say either of the situation. They were either in too much of a shock at what had happened or at a complete loss at what to do.

Mewtwo closed its eyes for a moment as if it was concentrating. The first sign of movement from the cloned Pokemon caused the others to snap their attention back to it. Mewtwo then opened its eyes and fixed the humans with a gaze of its own before speaking.

"The Pokemon clones are now complete," Mewtwo stated.

"What do you mean? There are more clones?" Brock asked.

"They were copied from your own Pokemon. That is why I captured them," Mewtwo explained.

The group let out a collective gasp upon hearing that.

"Now that it has been complete, you humans and your Pokemon have served their purpose," Mewtwo continued.

"So what are you going to do with us?" Gary spat.

"I will spare your lives…for now," Mewtwo answered as it opened its arms once more.

Several walls opened up to reveal the outside. The storm was still brewing all around them and looked even more menacing than it did when they first got there, if even possible. The clouds were completely black and frequent lightning flashed across the sky.

"But you cannot escape your fate. The hour of my vengeance draws near," Mewtwo finished.

"You're actually going to send us back out into that storm?!" Misty shrieked in horror.

"I am. You served your purpose and may go," Mewtwo confirmed.

"But we'll be walking straight into a death trap if we go back out there. You're essentially killing us!" Leaf argued.

"I already told you. I plan to destroy all of humanity for betraying me. That includes you. We cannot live together in this world peacefully. Go and enjoy your final moments before the storm takes you," Mewtwo replied.

"If you are going to do that, you might as well kill us now!" Gary snarled. "It'll save us the swim back to land! There's no way I'm going through that again!"

"Do not pretend to understand meee, human," Mewtwo uttered dangerously. "None of you will ever know what I went through."

A couple of doors then opened up from behind the group, drawing their attention to them. Several Pokemon emerged from the doors in a single file line. Their movements were deliberate almost as if they were all destined to come to this room. The group initially thought it was their own Pokemon coming into the room until Mewtwo spoke its next sentence.

"Behold. These are the clones of your Pokemon. A new age shall rise up where we shall rule this world. We will not be persecuted by you humans or your servant Pokemon anymore. Clones will inherit the world," it said.

"You can't," a voice spoke up.

Everyone looked around in wonder at who could have said that. It was then the trap door where Ash and Serena vanished to opened once more. Ash was the first to step out of the trapdoor, followed by Pikachu, Cubone, and Serena. Their Pokemon were after them, and finally the other group's Pokemon.

"It's Ash and Serena!" Leaf stated happily while the others looked on with a smile. Paul merely grunted in acknowledgement.

"We aren't going to let you get away with this," Ash spoke again as they continued to walk forward.

"Oh? What are you going to do about it, human?" Mewtwo asked with disdain. "Your Pokemon are hopeless against my clones. You cannot win."

"You have to listen to us, Mewtwo!" Ash pleaded as he came to a stop. "Humans aren't your enemies! It was Team Rocket that used you and betrayed you! They were bad humans to begin with, but they're gone now. You don't have to worry about being betrayed anymore!"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"You're right. I won't have to worry because I am destroying humanity," Mewtwo replied.

"I don't mean it like that!" Ash said while shaking his head. "There are good people in this world, too! Let us help you!"

"Fool! I do not need help from anyone! Least of all from you humans!" Mewtwo said with growing anger.

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue once more, and Ash found himself lifted off the ground. He then began causing Ash physical pain just like before. Ash realized this is what Pikachu must have felt like inside of Kadabra's Confusion attack. Ash felt his limbs outstretched as far as they would go, and he began to scream in pain. Mewtwo then jerked its head, and Ash was flung backwards.

"Ash!" Serena screamed as she saw him being thrown out through the open sky above them.

As Ash continued to soar through the air, he saw the floor and everyone below getting further away. With as far away as he was being flung, he didn't know if he would fall on the ground or the ocean when he eventually stopped. Either way, Ash knew he wouldn't survive. Humanity was going to fall due to Mewtwo's horrible misunderstanding, and there was nothing he could do about it. Ash shut his eyes for what felt like the end, but something stopped him. It was something quite soft.

Ash opened his eyes and looked around in confusion until he noticed he was in a pink bubble. He then looked to the side and saw Mew staring at him with a slight smile on its face. Mew then began to gently guide Ash back to the ground while it followed him.

"Thanks a lot, Mew. You saved me," Ash said gratefully.

"Mew," it squeaked in reply.

Everyone on the floor below immediately got a surprised expression on their face, especially the ones who hadn't seen Mew yet. One of the rarest Pokemon in the world just appeared inside of the castle in front of their eyes and saved Ash from certain death! They almost couldn't believe their eyes. Out of everyone, however, no one was more surprised than Mewtwo.

"Can it be?" Mewtwo asked in wonder as it saw Mew approaching the ground with Ash.

"What's Mew doing here?" Gary asked in amazement.

"It's going to help us stop Mewtwo," Serena answered as she watched.

"You mean you actually spoke to it!?" Leaf exclaimed.

"Yes. In the basement when we went to chase after our Pokemon," Serena replied.

"That's amazing," Misty mumbled as they once more turned their attention back to Mew.

Once Ash and Mew reached a suitable distance, Ash was carefully set on the ground while the bubble around him disappeared. Serena immediately went over to Ash and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, which he returned. Ash really had scared Serena when he was sent flying. He was really fortunate to have Mew there.

Mew then went to float over to Mewtwo, but it was immediately attacked. Mewtwo didn't give Mew any leeway before charging up a Shadow Ball and launching it towards the new species Pokemon. It spun out of the way but didn't have long to recover as Mewtwo charged up another Shadow Ball and shot it towards Mew.

However, Mew gracefully dodged each Shadow Ball that Mewtwo threw at it. It was even giggling while dodging the attacks, almost as if it thought the whole proceedings were a game. Naturally, Mewtwo wasn't exactly pleased by this and narrowed its eyes at Mew as the new species Pokemon came closer. Once Mew stopped a short distance away from it, Mewtwo spoke.

"Mew. So finally we meet," Mewtwo uttered.

"Mew," it replied.

"That doesn't matter. I may have been cloned from your DNA, but I am going to prove to you that Mewtwo is better than the original and superior to Mew," Mewtwo continued

"Mew Meeew?" it questioned.

"This world isn't big enough for two of us!" Mewtwo declared as it rose off of the ground and launched another Shadow Ball at Mew.

The New Species Pokemon twirled out of the way and turned around to fly off and get the fight away from the others. Taking the bait, Mewtwo flew after it, launching Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball but missing each time. It was beginning to grow slightly frustrated.

"Why are you fleeing from me?" Mewtwo asked. "Are you afraid to find out which of us is greater?"

"Mew Mew," it said.

"You say that I'm letting my emotions get the best of me? That my anger is misdirected?" Mewtwo echoed.

"Mew," it confirmed.

"What would you know about my anger? You were not there when I was betrayed!" Mewtwo hollered before sending another Shadow Ball at Mew.

Mewtwo had made sure to put extra force and speed behind this Shadow Ball. It actually took Mew by surprise as it collided with Mew and sent it spiraling off into the sky and out of sight. Everyone stood in amazement at what had just happened. Mew was among the rarest and most powerful Pokemon in the world. Was it really taken out by only one attack by Mewtwo? What would happen now?

"Hmm hmm," Mewtwo chuckled before turning back to everyone below it. "Do you see? This proves that the original is nothing compared to copies. Not even Mew can take down its clone."

No sooner had Mewtwo said this that it felt a powerful force coming behind it, and very quickly at that. It turned around just in time to see a Shadow Ball right in its face before smashing into it. Mewtwo gasped in pain as it was sent sailing backwards and crashed into one of the walls, creating a cloud of dust from the impact. Impossible! Its Shadow Ball had been directed back at it?! Mewtwo quickly recovered from the strike and glared as the culprit revealed itself to be Mew, looking no worse for the wear. It flew down rather casually as if it never redirected a powerful attack back at its adversary.

The people and Pokemon below couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this. For such a powerful and rare Pokemon. Mew sure was playful and rather carefree sometimes. Mewtwo noticed this too and grew angry.

"So you do have fight in you, but I have no time for your games. Destiny is at hand!" it said angrily.

Mew continued to float back down until it was once again in front of Mewtwo. It tilted its head in wonder at Mewtwo, almost with child-like curiosity.

"We are left with no choice and must fight each other to end this debate," Mewtwo stated. "Who will rule? My super Pokemon, or your pathetic group of spineless, inferior Pokemon?"

"Mew Mew Mew," Mew said.

"No. We are stronger. We were made with abilities far greater than the originals," Mewtwo replied.

"Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew Mew!" Mew stated. It looked like it was having a serious discussion with Mewtwo at the moment. Mewtwo glared at Mew before closing its eyes and allowing Mew to communicate with it telepathically. The group stood and watched the proceedings with interest. They were wondering what Mew was saying to its clone. They hoped it would be able to reach Mewtwo with its own words in private.

After a moment, Mewtwo opened its eyes and forcefully blew Mew back from breaking the connection. Despite Mew attempting to try again, Mewtwo blew it back a second time. Despite the playful nature of Mew, it seemed to almost give a sad look at the clone Pokemon.

"So you say that being enhanced with better abilities means nothing? Real strength comes from the heart? What a pathetic thing to say," Mewtwo uttered darkly. "You act as though you understand me just because I am your copy, but though we share the same DNA, you will never know how I feel!"

Mewtwo then angrily shot a Shadow Ball at Mew who spun out of the way. Mew then looked at Ash and Serena with no hint of playfulness or childishness on its face. It looked completely serious. It closed its eyes and Ash and Serena could hear Mew speaking to them once more, and it wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"I have failed to persuade Mewtwo. It seems inevitable. A fight is fixing to break out. You and your friends need to leave while you can to avoid being hurt," the voice squeaked.

Both Ash and Serena tensed up at those words. So not even Mew could stop Mewtwo's rampage? Would nothing be able to convince Mewtwo that it was wrong?

Sensing the urgency of the situation and Ash and Serena's alarmed looks, Brock went over to them.

"What did Mew say?" he asked with growing dread.

"It said that it wasn't able to convince Mewtwo and that we need to get out of here to save ourselves before it's too late," Serena answered seriously.

Everyone gasped at those words. It seemed that it had finally boiled down to what the group wanted to do the least. It appeared that Mewtwo was going to try to be taken down by force, and it wasn't going to be a good sight. They felt great pity for the hostile Pokemon. It had done such terrible things to them, but it truly was lonely and felt as though no one cared about it. It feelings were damaged too badly.

Paul was the first to speak up after that. He turned and addressed his Pokemon."Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here before we're caught in it!"

His Pokemon nodded and began to make their way over to their trainer, but a Shadow Ball exploded in front of them to keep them from going any further. Paul and his Pokemon turned upward in anger to find the culprit was none other than Mewtwo.

"I'm afraid I can't let you and your Pokemon leave now," Mewtwo said. "We are forced into an ultimatum. Your Pokemon shall fight their clones. This is the only way to prove who is stronger."

Paul gritted his teeth and glared at Mewtwo but said nothing else. He had seen Mewtwo's powers enough on his Pokemon and Ash to know that it wasn't a good idea to give a nasty retort to the Pokemon.

"Mew Mew Mew!" Mew said.

"My clones don't need their special powers to prove their worth," Mewtwo replied. "I will block all of the Pokemons' special abilities with my psychic powers. Now we shall see who triumphs!"

"Our Pokemon aren't going to get caught up in a fight against your clones! They don't need to fight to know they matter!" Ash shouted.

As Ash turned to his Pokemon for support, he saw they all had their heads down, ready to charge at the Pokemon who cloned them, except Dratini and Pikachu. They didn't exactly seem to want to go the peaceful route. Sadly, it didn't look they had the same views as Ash.

"Um, guys?" Ash stuttered.

Without warning, every other Pokemon in the room gave a battle cry and charged headfirst at each other. They crashed into each other full force and began to grapple with the other. Because they had their special abilities blocked, they were resorting to whatever they could to harm their opponent: from biting, head butting, body slamming, or just punching the other across the face.

Meanwhile, Mew and Mewtwo had formed a protective psychic barrier around each other, Mew's pink and Mewtwo's blue, and began to duel each other. They rose high into the air as they blasted various attacks at each other. A few attacks would manage to hit the barrier, but most of them ended in a draw.

The group could do nothing but watch the brutality of all the attacks. Every attack by one Pokemon would result in a true cry of anguish from the opposing Pokemon. Ash saw the clone Charizard bite down on the neck of his own Charizard and couldn't help but gasp. To make matters worse, his own Charizard grabbed its clone around the neck in a choke hold before forcing it to the ground. He saw his Bulbasaur constantly butting heads with the clone Bulbasaur. They were getting massive bruises and bumps on their heads but didn't seem to care. The two Wartortle had each other in a headlock while the Pidgeotto were continuously stabbing each other with their beaks. It was a truly horrific sight.

"Pokemon aren't meant to fight like this," Nurse Joy muttered sadly. "What could ever come out of this?"

"Nothing….but pain," Leaf answered gravely.

Paul was used to being harsh with his training, but even he wouldn't have gone this far. His training was solely used to toughen his Pokemon up, but even he could see that this was a hopeless situation. The Pokemon were evenly matched and would only wind up destroying the other before long.

"Hey! Listen to me! I order you to stop fighting!" Paul shouted at his Pokemon, but it only fell on deaf ears.

Brock went over to Paul in an attempt to console him, but Paul rudely shrugged him off and continued to yell in vain for his Pokemon to quit fighting.

Cubone was clinging to Serena's leg the entire time in fear of meeting its clone. It didn't need to wait long, however. The clone Cubone had sneaked up behind it and whacked it on the head with its bone. Cubone's eyes welled up with tears at the painful blow while Serena glared down at the clone Cubone to tell it to stop. Before she could utter any words, Cubone had leaped at its clone in anger and tackled it to the ground. It then began mercilessly beating its clone with its bone until it was pushed off by the clone, and the process repeated itself.

"Stop, Cubone!" Serena yelled as she ran forward to get it, but was held back by Misty.

"Don't, Serena! You could get seriously hurt trying to stop a battle like that!" Misty warned.

Serena pulled out of Misty's grasp and ran forward anyway, but that was until Gary grabbed her. She struggled as much as he could in his grasp, but he held firm. Serena finally slumped over in his arms before realizing he and Misty were right. She then cast a glance over at Ash from Gary's arms and saw him staring at her with a firm look. She was helpless to do anything to aid Cubone at the moment now that its mind was made up to fight, too.

Dratini had leaped into Ash's arms in an attempt to shield itself away from the fighting, but that was until its clone showed up. Dratini peered over Ash's arms fearfully while Ash glared at the clone.

"Dratini doesn't want to fight! Leave it alone!" Ash told it harshly.

To his great surprise, the clone Dratini shook its head. It then motioned for Ash to set Dratini down. Ash gave it an inquisitive look and obeyed before waiting to see what would happen. Dratini shrunk away from its clone and darted behind Ash's leg before the clone shook its head once more and looked at the moon showing in the clear sky. The storm clouds were still swirling around it, but the sight itself was still beautiful.

Dratini cautiously looked around Ash's leg and searched its clone's eyes for any sign of hostility, but found none. Dratini slowly slid out from behind Ash before looking up at the moon, as well, and nodded at its clone. The two then continued to watch the moon together despite all the violence that was happening around them.

Ash smiled sadly at his Dratini and the other watching the moon together. Why couldn't all the other Pokemon get along this well? It was like all they knew was to fight and that would solve everything, but it was quite the opposite. Ash then looked around for any sign of Pikachu and saw it staring straight ahead with a surprised look on its face. Ash followed its gaze and gasped when he saw Pikachu's clone, too. The clone had its cheeks sparking and looked ready to fight, but Pikachu just shook its head.

Angered by this, the Pikachu clone ran forward and slapped Pikachu across the face. It then looked at Pikachu for some sort of retaliation, but Pikachu just shook its head once more and ran off with the clone following it. Pikachu was refusing to fight.

"Pikachu!" Ash called but felt a hand on his shoulder.

Ash turned and saw Serena staring at him with a heartbroken look on her face. Her eyes welled up with tears as she watched all of the horrible fighting going on. She looked completely helpless after seeing all of her Pokemon fight.

"Ash, what do we do?" she asked, hoping he had at least some sort of idea.

"I-I don't know," Ash admitted. He was always able to come up with some sort of solution, but now…

"I can't believe this," Gary mumbled as he came up beside Ash. "No Pokemon should have to go through this. At this rate, they aren't going to stop until they or their opponent is dead."

"Dead?" Serena asked, horrified at thought.

Gary nodded grimly and pointed his index finger back to the fighting. As Ash and Serena looked again, they could see all of the Pokemon were clearly tiring out. All of them were panting constantly before throwing themselves at each other once more. Seeing that they weren't doing enough damage to their opponent, they were all becoming more lethal with their attacks.

Charla, Charizard, and their clones had taken to raking their claws across their opponents' throats in an effort to suffocate the other. Blood poured from their wounds as they did whatever it took to win. Gary's Blastoise and its clone had taken to slamming their hard shells on the soft parts of their bodies. What disturbed the group the most was a sickening squelch every time the shells connected. The two Gyarados both had their teeth around each other's necks, violently thrashing back and forth. If that kept up, the group wouldn't be surprised if one of the Gyarados's heads were torn completely off of its body. This wasn't just a fight anymore. It had turned into a death match.

Ash cast his eyes upward to see Mew and Mewtwo continue battling each other. Despite having great powers, it was clear they were tiring, as well. Just like the real Pokemon and their clones, Mew and Mewtwo were too evenly matched to gain any progress. They were getting nowhere.

"This is so horrible," Serena gasped as she felt tears come to her eyes. She felt Misty come up and rub her back in a consoling manner, but the truth was Misty was crying, too.

Pikachu, meanwhile, had been backed into a corner and had nowhere else to go. The clone stood in front of Pikachu before glaring and slapping Pikachu across the face again. Pikachu looked back in pity at its clone and shook its head. The clone Pikachu then shouted at Pikachu to fight back, but the yellow rodent shook its head each time. It knew that this fighting was pointless and would only lead to more suffering. It refused to fight.

The clone Pikachu got a little more aggressive in its attacks and began trying anything to get Pikachu to attack. It would tackle, bite, slap, choke, but nothing was working. It was soon wearing itself to exhaustion as Pikachu simply took any attack that was thrown at it. Pikachu couldn't give in to this.

"Why can't Mewtwo see that all of this fighting is wrong? How could its heart be so twisted to think that everything would be solved by this?" Misty asked, teary eyed.

"It's Team Rocket's fault," Ash mumbled in a dark tone. "They are the ones who betrayed and used Mewtwo as nothing more than an experiment. Now everyone else is having to suffer for their crimes."

Ash then cast another glance at the two Dratini who were simply staring at the moon together. This was proof that the real Pokemon and the clones could get along if they would stop fighting and seeing the other as inferior. He then looked at Pikachu once more. It looked pretty tired, but even then it refused to fight back. Its clone was working itself ragged and screaming at Pikachu to attack, also, but the yellow rodent sadly shook its head each time. Finally, unable to take it anymore, the clone fell over in Pikachu's arms in complete fatigue.

Ash sighed in pity at this and looked back towards the other Pokemon. They seemed to be at their last bit of strength. They were weakly throwing light punches at the other in a desperate attempt to make the other fall first. Some of the rivalries had already ended in a draw. Both of them were just collapsed on the floor, too tired to go on. It wouldn't be long until every Pokemon would faint. Even Mew and Mewtwo were clearly getting exhausted. Their attacks were becoming more desperate, yet less accurate. This had to stop.

"No more," Ash muttered in a low tone.

The group cast a look at Ash in confusion. Some of them didn't quite know what he meant by that while others simply hadn't heard him.

"No more of this," Ash said again.

"What are talking about, Ash?" Gary asked him.

"No more of this fighting. It has to stop. Someone has to take a stand and refuse to fight. Just like Dratini and Pikachu," Ash stated and motioned towards the dragon and his yellow rodent partner who was still rubbing its fatigued clone's back comfortingly.

"But what can we do?!" Serena cried frantically. She didn't like seeing any of her Pokemon, particularly Cubone, fighting to the death like this, but until Mewtwo sees reason, it would continue.

"I know Mewtwo went through a lot since it was involved with Team Rocket, but that doesn't excuse any of this. Someone has to prove to it that this isn't the answer. I'm not going to let this go on any longer!" Ash declared as he clenched his hands into fists.

He looked up and saw Mew and Mewtwo descending closer to the ground. They both had exhausted looks on their faces. They then gave the other a look of determination and began summoning the largest amount of psychic energy anyone in the room had ever seen. The two Pokemon were clearly putting all of their energy into one attack. It looked like they were completely serious now.

Ash narrowed his eyes as he saw the Pokemon began charging up. He knew what he had to do, and he was fearless to do it. He swore when he started this Pokemon journey that he would protect his friends and Pokemon no matter what, and he meant it. No matter what.

Brock and Misty noticed the look in Ash's eyes and gave him a worried expression. They have seen that look before. It was when he was about to face Giovanni. His eyes had shown nothing but solid determination, and no matter what it took, he would do what needed to be done.

"Ash…," Brock began, but Ash put up his hand to stop him.

"Don't Brock. I'll do what it takes to stop this fighting. I'm not letting Mewtwo destroy all humans because of what Team Rocket did," Ash said.

Gary and Leaf caught on next to what Ash was doing after he said that, and they stared fearfully at him.

"What are you saying, Ash?" Leaf mumbled with wide eyes.

Ash didn't answer as he turned his hat backwards once again. He knew all of his friends were watching him and becoming suspicious of what he was doing. He knew that if he told them, they would object to it, but there really was no other way. He never gave up until the end, and that included going extreme, also. There was no other way.

Ash was going to sacrifice himself.

He then stole a glance at the person he cared about most in his life, Serena. Her eyes were shining with tears as she looked back at him. Ash hadn't outright said what he was going to do, but by the way Serena was looking at him, she must have had a pretty good idea. She had such a pleading look in her eyes that Ash almost changed his mind, but this was going to be for humans worldwide. As long as all of the Pokemon, his friends, and Serena stayed safe, it was all the resolve he needed to follow through with it.

"Ash."

Ash made an inward grimace at his name being called in no more than a whisper. It was more of a whimper, actually, and he didn't need to turn around to know who it was: Serena. He felt all the eyes of his friends boring holes into him with their gazes. Despite all this, that wasn't going to stop Ash.

"Ash, no!" he heard Serena scream.

Ash didn't listen, though. He took off at a full sprint towards Mew and Mewtwo. The two Pokemon didn't even seem to notice Ash coming. They were too worn out and busy charging up their attacks for another strike. Ash began hearing the desperate pleas and cries of his friends among all of the chaos around him. He heard Pikachu calling out to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his other exhausted Pokemon weakly raise their heads with a pleading look. He even heard Paul screaming at him to stop.

Out of all the voices though, he heard Serena the most. Her voice had always been like music to his ears, but now, all he could hear was pain. His time of being together with her had been entirely too short. He would have liked nothing more than to be spending time with her. They could be training together, or even going on a…date, but they never got to enjoy each other, and Ash was full of regret for doing this. Even still, this ensured she and everyone else would make it through this. If only he would be able to see them live on.

"Stooooooooooooop!" Ash screamed at the top of his lungs.

Ash charged in the middle of Mew and Mewtwo as soon as they unleased their attacks. He briefly saw the two Pokemon widen their eyes in surprise at the sudden appearance of Ash. They tried to redirect their attacks but to no avail. Ash saw the psychic energy coming towards him and braced himself. This was it. The attacks collided right into each other, causing a large explosion, and Ash was in the center of it.

Everyone watched in horror as they waited for the smoke to clear and the dust to settle. It was taking far too long for anyone's liking. Serena couldn't bear it anymore with what just happened. She rushed forward herself to check on Ash, but Gary held her back once more. He hated doing this, but he couldn't let her rush into danger like that.

"Let me go, Gary!" Serena screamed as she thrashed around wildly.

"It's too dangerous!" Gary argued. "We can't lose you, too!"

The smoke finally began to thin out, and the people and Pokemon could see a vague outline starting to take form in the cloud. Further thinning revealed the form to be Ash. He was hovering in midair and surrounded by a blue glow. One who had experienced it would think it was his aura activating once more, but this was a different glow. While Ash's aura glowed brightly and beautifully, this glow had a dark, dim, and depressing feel to it, like a candle that had just been blown out. Ash was suddenly lowered back to the floor and set down on his stomach. Ash gave a small twitch, and moved no more.

"Fool," Mewtwo said, sounding very surprised. "Why would you try to stop our battle?"

Unable to bear it anymore, Serena tore herself out of Gary's grip and sprinted straight towards Ash. Gary did nothing to stop her this time as he couldn't believe it himself. This wasn't really happening, was it? Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw Pikachu tearing across the room as fast as it could, as well. They both didn't stop running until they reached Ash and knelt down next to him.

"Ash, wake up," Serena whimpered as she shook him, but got no response.

Growing more alarmed, Serena checked his pulse, and she gave an audible gasp when she didn't feel anything. It was completely still, and not to mention, Ash wasn't breathing, either. Serena's frantic look sent the message across the room, confirming what everyone feared.

"Please no," Misty whispered as she cupped her hand over her mouth.

"Pika Pi. Pikachu," Pikachu said as it shook Ash, as well.

Starting to seriously worry, Pikachu took matters into its own hands and began shocking Ash with a Thundershock to jumpstart his organs, but still got no response. Not one to give up so easily, Pikachu tried shocking Ash again, and again, and again. Each time bore no results, however.

"Ash, come on! Please don't do this! You can't leave me like this!" Serena cried desperately.

No matter how many screams Serena did or how many Thundershocks Pikachu used, it soon became quite clear that Ash wasn't coming back. He really did stop the fighting as all the Pokemon had quit as soon as Ash stepped in. All eyes were now on him. They were in complete shock at his ultimate sacrifice. He paid with his life.

Ash Ketchum was now dead.

Serena's breathing became very rapid upon realizing this. She couldn't believe it. They boy whom she always loved was now gone. They had only just now become a couple and had absolutely no time to spend together. They had made a promise to stay together forever at the start of the journey and always be there when the other needed help, and now he was gone. How was she supposed to go on without Ash?

"Ash," Serena sobbed leaned over his body and tears began to spill from her eyes, splashing onto the floor or on Ash.

Pikachu watched in utter helplessness. All the good times it and Ash had spent together held true in its head. Ash was the one who showed it how to trust humans again. It had been Ash who showed it the way and allowed it reach its maximum potential. They had done everything together since they met. They ate together, battled together as a team, connected with each other through aura, and slept together. Now their adventures had come to an end just like that.

"Pika Pi," Pikachu mumbled as it began to cry, as well, over its fallen trainer.

Gary, Leaf, Brock, and Misty watched from afar. It wasn't long before they joined Serena and Pikachu in crying as well, each with their own fond memories of Ash. Gary remembered how he and Ash fought so many times when they were younger over who was better, but they finally began to understand and respect each other. Ash was one of the few people, along with the other Pallet Town natives, who liked him for who he was. Leaf remembered all of the fun adventures she and Ash had when they were younger and how they were as close as any sibling most of the time. Brock recalled how it was Ash who caused his father to come out of hiding and reveal himself, allowing Brock to follow his dream of being a Pokemon Breeder. Ash was his little buddy and just like a little brother. Misty remembered how she and Ash had really gotten off on the wrong foot when he stole and destroyed her bike. Overtime, however, she and Ash had become good friends even though they would fight a lot. They really did like each other, and now…

Paul was watching the situation in complete shock. He couldn't believe that moron had rushed into two psychic Pokemons' attacks like that! What was he thinking?! Paul looked around at all of the Pokemon and people staring at Ash, and growled in annoyance when he felt his eyes water a little bit.

"Idiot," Paul mumbled before turning away from everyone so they wouldn't see him like this.

It wasn't long before Ash's Pokemon began joining in the crying, also. Even the tough Charizard was crying for its fallen trainer. After that, all of the Pokemon began to have tears of sorrow go down their faces because of Ash's sacrifice, even the clones. Every Pokemon and person in the room was now crying to some extent, except Mew and Mewtwo, who looked around in wonder at what was taking place.

"These Pokemon are…crying for this human's sacrifice," Mewtwo thought to itself. "Why would this human do something like that? Are there actually good humans in this world? Did I make a mistake?"

"It's true there are bad people in the world, and you seem to have experienced among the worst," Mewtwo heard Mew say. "But as this boy Ash has shown, humans can also be a species who really does care about the wellbeing of others."

"I…see," Mewtwo muttered as it watched. Maybe its time getting to know this boy was too short, but now, it may never know.

Serena was now crying fiercely over Ash's body. She didn't think she would ever get over this. Ash was not only her best friend, but also the only boy she ever loved. Why did something like this have to happen? She remembered his raven hair, his dark brown eyes, his comforting words, his determination, his caring nature. Serena loved everything about Ash, even his flaws such as his eating habits. She'd never get to experience those things ever again. What was she supposed to do now? Serena was so caught up in her sorrow and misery that she didn't notice all the tears from the Pokemon beginning to sparkle.

Indeed, all the tears were shining as all the Pokemon cried. What was even stranger is that they seemed to begin to float on their own accord. The tears then started to flow towards Ash and went from shining to glowing. Pikachu and the other humans took notice of these events and looked around in confusion as they watched the odd, yet strangely beautiful occurrence.

"What's going on?" Leaf wondered as she watched the display.

"The tears of a Pokemon's sorrow," Brock trailed. "I think I remember the harbor manager mentioning something like this."

The others gasped upon hearing that as they turned back to all of the Pokemon and Ash. Sure enough, they weren't normal tears like they were used to seeing. They continued to flow and wrap themselves around Ash in a misty blanket. It wasn't until long that Ash began to glow himself.

With Ash's glowing, the dark storm clouds surrounding New Island began to dissipate. Sunlight was beginning to show once more all around them. It wasn't long until the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning quit. All that was left were the beautiful sun's rays as it bathed the castle in a warm embrace. The terrible storm Mewtwo created was finally gone.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked hopefully as it saw what might be happening. It then let another lone tear fall on its eyes and onto Ash, and Ash stopped glowing.

Serena was the only one who hadn't noticed what was taking place as she was too busy crying over Ash's body. She had her head resting on his body while she cried into his chest. Her movements came to a halt though when she felt a small twitch in Ash's body. She gasped when she could've sworn what she felt like breathing and…a heartbeat?!

"What?" Serena mumbled as her tear-stained face looked up to see Ash was actually breathing.

"Pikachu?!" Pikachu exclaimed as Ash let out a groan.

Everyone else in the room put on shocked expressions, but they all turned to pure joy when they actually saw Ash open his eyes. He was okay! He was alive!

"Ash?" Serena breathed as Ash looked around until finally his eyes met hers.

For a while, neither of them said anything. They were too stunned beyond words to speak. It was almost as if what was happening wasn't even real. Ash could have sworn he would be killed by that psychic attack, and Serena knew that Ash really had died just a moment ago. It wasn't until Ash spoke that finally broke everyone out of their trance.

"Heheheheh. Hey, Serena," Ash grinned as he sat up.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed as she crashed into him with a massive hug. She threw her arms around him with incredible force which effectively knocked him back onto the ground.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried as it leaped on top of Ash also and began hugging him as hard as its tiny arms could.

"Pikachu!" Ash smiled as he gave the rodent a hug, as well.

"Ash! I thought…I thought…," Serena stuttered, but found herself unable to finish. She was crying again, but this time through tears of joy.

"I don't quite get it, either," Ash replied as he continued to hug Serena and Pikachu.

"I don't know what I would have done if you didn't come back!" Serena continued to cry.

"I made a promise, didn't I?" Ash asked, causing Serena to look at him. "We're staying together forever!"

Serena's lip quivered in when Ash said those words. He had never broken a promise yet to her. She thought this would have been his first one, but even that came through in the end. They would never be apart, and Ash promised her this. They would always be together forever, and nothing was going to change that.

"That's right. Together forever," Serena said contently as she leaned her head against Ash's chest.

"Chaaaaa," Pikachu cooed it was snuggled into Ash's chest, too.

It wasn't long before Ash felt a being slam into him with the force of a hurricane. Ash let out a grunt of surprise as he turned to see the force was Leaf. She had her arms wrapped around Ash's neck so tightly that he was almost choking him, but she didn't seem to care.

"Leaf…I can't breathe," Ash half-choked, half-laughed.

"Shut up, you jerk," Leaf mumbled playfully as she released him.

Ash then looked to see all of his other friends and Pokemon approaching him, also. His Pokemon all tackled him to the floor, almost completely smothering him in affection. Ash laughed at all of his Pokemon's delight of him being okay. There was no other Pokemon he would rather have, and likewise when it came to his Pokemon and a trainer.

Brock wasn't too far behind as he knelt down and gave his little buddy a noogie on the head, which Ash tried to unsuccessfully get away from due to his Pokemon still being on top of him. Misty also came by and gave Ash a hug before whacking him on the head for being so reckless. Ash rubbed his sore head, but then gave Misty a cheesy grin because he knew that she was just worried about him.

The only ones not joining in the hug were Gary, Paul, and Nurse Joy. Nurse Joy had a small smile on her face at Ash's bravery while Gary and Paul merely watched the proceedings from the side before turning to look at each other and frowned. It wasn't long until the frown turned into a smirk, and they looked away from each other to continue watching the joyful reunion. It seemed even Paul and Gary could put away their mutual dislike for each other due to the circumstances.

Everyone was so caught up with being together with Ash again that they didn't notice Mewtwo and Mew approaching them. Pikachu was the first to notice and prepared to spark its cheeks but relaxed when it saw no hostility coming from Mewtwo. This exchange drew the others' attention away from Ash as they also stared at Mewtwo. Upon realizing that Mewtwo was looking at him specifically, Ash stood up from the ground and locked eyes with the genetic Pokemon.

"Ash Ketchum, you selflessly sacrificed yourself to save the Pokemon. I was the one who pitted them against each other. That was wrong," Mewtwo told him.

"Mewtwo…," Ash trailed.

"It wasn't until I set aside their differences did I see the power they all shared deep inside. You have my thanks," Mewtwo continued.

"Mew!" Mew added while flying around Ash playfully in a circle.

"Heheheheh. You're welcome," Ash replied embarrassedly after receiving such praise from powerful Pokemon.

"I see now that the origins of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are," Mewtwo said.

"So what are you going to do now?" Ash asked it.

"Ash Ketchum, I now sense that you have a power unlike anything I have experienced before. It intrigues me. I sense that you will be a very important concept in making this land right again," Mewtwo told him.

"Me?" Ash questioned. There someone goes again by saying how important or special he is. Mewtwo must be talking about his aura.

"Yes. This hatred I had for humanity only bred more hatred and almost destroyed the planet. I cannot let that happen again and would like to atone for the mistakes I've made," Mewtwo said.

"How are you going to do that?" Ash asked.

"I would like to aide you in your quest, Ash. Should you ever have need of me, all you have to do is call me. I will be with you and provide you with any assistance necessary," Mewtwo offered.

"You really want to help me?" Ash asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. I have set up a link between us. You may communicate with me anytime during your quest by using the special gift you possess. You have done much for me by showing me the error of my ways. This is the least I can do," Mewtwo said.

"Oh. Wow. Thanks," Ash muttered in surprise.

"Mew!" Mew added as it went over to Ash before smiling and closing its eyes to communicate.

"I'll help, too. If you need of assistance, please call on us," rang the squeaky voice of Mew in Ash's head.

"Thank you. I will," Ash replied gratefully, still a bit amazed that two powerful Pokemon were willing to stay in touch with him.

Mew gave a playful giggle before flying around Ash once more and joining Mewtwo by its side.

"Heh. Ashy boy making friends with two of the world's most powerful Pokemon. Who knew?" Gary smirked to himself as he watched the proceedings.

Suddenly, Mew and Mewtwo began to rise into the air away from the group. Everyone then noticed that the clone Pokemon were soon surrounded by a blue aura and began to rise into the air, too. Higher and higher they rose until they all began to fly away from the group. They all watched with a look of contentment on their face now they knew the threat from Mewtwo was finally over. Pikachu and Dratini waved goodbye to their clones while the others waved back.

"So where are you all going?" Ash shouted up at Mew and Mewtwo.

"Somewhere where we can all live in peace, away from humanity. Though you and your friends understand us, not all humans do yet. We shall never forget any of you. We only ask that you not forget about us, as well. Remember who we are and that we exist in this world, too," Mewtwo answered.

"Goodbye…Mew and Mewtwo," Ash thought.

"And farewell to you as well, Ash Ketchum," Ash heard Mewtwo echo in his thoughts. Initially startled by this, Ash soon smiled to himself. It seemed his aura had activated for the briefest of moments with Mewtwo's psychic abilites. The link between them had worked, after all.

Just then, a bright light began to flash around everyone and their Pokemon, Everyone looked around in curiosity at what could be happening. The room they were in seemed to melt away into the light as it got brighter and brighter. Soon, there was nothing but white, and Ash had to bring his arm up to shield himself…


Ash then felt a jolt as he landed on something hard. The next thing he noticed was the sound of ocean waves. He brought his arm down from over his eyes and saw he was staring at an ocean. Closer inspection revealed he was back at the wharf they left off of to get to New Island. Ash then looked around and saw Serena and everyone were back with him, even the Nurse Joy that was missing. They were at the mainland again.

"Chuuuu," Pikachu commented as it looked around.

"Are we back?" Misty asked as she looked around.

"We are. Do you think it was Mewtwo who brought us back here?" Brock inquired.

"It had to be," Gary mumbled an answer. He then looked down and saw all of his pokeballs were back on his belt. "It seems like Mewtwo transported our Pokemon back to our pokeballs, too."

"Hey, guys," Ash spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "I think it's best if we don't tell our parents or anyone else about what took place just a while ago. Something like this is just best kept a secret."

Everyone nodded in agreement. If their parents knew what had happened, they would probably ground their kids for life for doing something so dangerous. If anyone else knew, the media would undoubtedly be all over the place trying to search for Mewtwo and the clones. If they ever found them, it would be a total disaster.

"Ketchum" one voice called out.

The group turned and saw the voice belong to none other than Paul. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at Ash straight in the eye with an unreadable expression. Ash stared back in astonishment that Paul was actually the one to talk to him first in quite a while. They continued staring until Paul finally spoke again, and what he said next genuinely surprised the group.

"That wasn't bad. I'll see you at the Pokemon League," he muttered before turning around and started to walk away.

The group stared after Paul with a dumbfounded expression. Did Paul actually almost compliment Ash?! That was probably the closest thing to something nice Paul ever said to Ash, no, to anyone in all honesty. Maybe after seeing these events at Mewtwo's castle take place, even Paul couldn't remain stone cold forever. There might be hope for even him, after all.

"Thanks, Paul! I'll see you there, too!" Ash hollered after him.

Paul didn't answer but just kept walking away. He didn't need to acknowledge Ash for the group to know he heard what was said. Nothing more needed to be exchanged between the two at the moment. Paul showed the slightest bit of respect for Ash right there, and their actions would do the rest of the talking at the Pokemon League. They would just have to wait until then. The group stared after Paul until he rounded a corner and was soon out of sight.

"So what now?" Leaf asked the group.

"Well…I don't know about you all, but I've got some training to do for the Pokemon League!" Ash answered as he pumped his fist into the air.

"I'm right there with you, Ash! I don't know how long I'll be in Pallet Town, but we better be having plenty of battles when I stop by," Gary said.

"Count on it, Gary!" Ash replied as he gave Gary a thumbs up, until he remembered Serena, who had been oddly quiet since the mention about what to do next. He turned to her and gave her a smile. "And we can't forget you, either, Serena! You have a Battle Chateau to conquer! You're going to beat those Chatelaines for sure!"

"Sounds great, Ash!" Serena answered with a forced smile.

Nobody but Ash and Leaf seemed to pick up on this as Ash gave Serena a serious expression. It was then Serena knew that he would be wanting to talk to her later on. Serena nodded her head at Ash to signify she got the message before turning away. The Pokemon League was approaching soon and Ash would be wanting to go to a new region after this. Would he really be willing to wait for her in Kanto while she finished the Battle Chateau? Serena mentally kicked herself as of course he would wait, but at what cost?

"In the meantime, I say we head back to Pallet Town. We've all got a lot of training to do," Brock smiled.

"Yeah. Let's go for real this time," Ash agreed. He mightbe staying at Serena's and not in his house at the moment, but he had no doubt he would be tasting some of his mom's home cooking once he got back. It was calling his name.

The group then turned to depart for Pallet Town with their adventure at New Island behind them. Everyone had their own thoughts about the experience and had learned a lot from the encounter. With Mewtwo,s words, they believed they might be fortunate enough to see Mew and Mewtwo again. It was certainly unforgettable part of all of their journeys, but for now, the return to Pallet Town was at hand. Ash had the Pokemon League approaching in a month, and Serena had the Battle Chateau to conquer, it would be a busy time for everybody. No matter what, though, they were determined to overcome the obstacles. It was part of the road to becoming a Pokemon Master.

As Ash walked along, he thought her saw a flash of movement along the corner of his eye. It almost looked like a pink bubble with a small being in it. He and Pikachu stopped and quickly jerked their head towards the sky to see if it was possible, but it was already gone.

"Ash?" Serena questioned as she turned around once noticing he wasn't beside her anymore

"Heh, it's nothing, Serena. Let's go," Ash smiled to himself as he continued on. He cast one more glance of at the sky as he walked before facing Pikachu and nodding to it, which the rodent nodded back to. Maybe it was just Ash's imagination, but then again, maybe it wasn't. Time would tell.


Okay, everyone. It's all downhill from here. There are only about ten chapters left in this arc to post, and I only have about three left to write. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be done with this arc in about a month…or less if we're lucky. I'm writing the Pokemon League chapters right now, and I must say, they are turning out quite nicely with what I have to work with. Be prepared for some unexpected surprises to happen there, both good and bad. And what about Serena and the Battle Chateau?! You all will know soon enough!

The next chapter will be up next Tuesday, and I will see you all then. Thanks for all the reviews, support, and PMs you guys send to me. I know I say this all the time, and it must be tiring, but I really do appreciate them all. Thank you.

Chapter 52: Cubone and Togepi

Answering the Questions:

Will Mewtwo regain his memories about Amber?

No, it won't.

Does Ash's Aura only come out at "random" points because he hasn't he training to "will" it out? or does it come out only when it "feels" like the small amount can help?

A little bit of both since Ash can't control when it comes out. The only time he was able to will it out so far was his battle with Giovanni, and even then, he couldn't use it to his fullest extent.

Do you intend to handle mega evolutions like in the game or the anime?

More like the anime. Ash has a whole slew of Pokemon that can mega evolve, and it wouldn't be fair if all of them could at any time.

You're not going to have Ash and Serena always charge into danger together are you?

No. I won't. Ash charged straight into Mew and Mewtwo's attacks by himself after all.

You mentioned that ash will get lapras, snorlax, and 1 other pokemon in the orange islands. Which pokemon is it? Or is it a surprise?

It's nothing super awesome, but I don't wish to reveal any of Ash's non canon Pokemon until he catches them.

Will misty just get poliwag or a couple more?

Misty will still get Poliwag.

Will Serena catch any in the orange islands?

Serena will catch either one or two new Pokemon in the Orange Islands. One I know for certain, the other I'm going back and forth. Sometimes I want it and other times I don't want it.

Can you reveal any Pokemon Ash, Serena, and the rest of the gang will get in the next arc?

Ash will catch Lapras, Snorlax, and another Pokemon. Misty will get Poliwag, Tracy will get Scyther, and Serena will get one or two new Pokemon. Yeah I know I gave a wise guy answer by only revealing the canon Pokemon. I just don't like to reveal noncanon Pokemon. Sorry.

Is the "saving the world" the Pokemon Movie Power of One?

No. It's something completely different. Don't worry. There will be more foreshadowing later on in the Kanto arc.

Do you plain to do the harthome city tag battle ?

I don't know. It's too far off for me to plan yet.

Why there any other trainers who made it to the island? Were these the only ones to take the risk of getting there?

Yep. Just like in the canon movie, only a few trainers braved the waves. Only here, I switched the CoDs for Leaf, Paul, Serena, and Gary. I always wondered why Gary wasn't at the island in canon….

Will N make an appearance in the future? If he does which region?

Yes. N will definitely be in this story, and so will the rest of Team Plasma, but I won't reveal how, why, or what region they appear in. Team Flare will be in the series too, but like Team Plasma and N, I won't reveal anything about them.

Will you have the pokemon league be like the anime?

So far, the chapters I've written for the Pokemon League have diverged quite a good deal from canon. I'm rather proud of myself as I was worried it would be pretty similar.

Will Paul start to develop some respect for Ash and his friends after everything that happens involving Mewtwo?

As this chapter has shown, Paul has a very small shred of respect, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Will ash and serena will have any fights (serious or notsoserious) and will they affect any plot elements

Yeah. There's one huge fight I actually have planned between them ,and I know what it will be about, but it won't be in the Kanto or Orange Island arcs. Any smaller ones that appear in the story will just come and go.

How many chapters will each of the arcs have?

I think I've already answered this a couple of times but….

Kanto: Either 60 or 61

Orange Islands: 15-20

Johto: 50-60

Hoenn and Battle Frontier: around 60 (possibly 65-70 depending on how long the Battle Frontier part is)

Sinnoh: around 60

Final story: around 30

How similar to the anime storyline will the Orange Islands arc be?

I'm not exactly sure as Orange Islands was the toughest for me to plan out on being different so we'll just have to see as I go along.

Will Ash and Serena ever catch any legendary Pokemon?

I don't plan on Ash or Serena catching any legendary Pokemon, but they will befriend them all.

Will Charla wear some sort of accessory to recognize herself?

When Serena starts to do Pokemon Performances, it will.

Since Team Rocket will be going to the Johto region, I'm assuming that means they won't appear in the Orange Islands?

You assume correctly! There will be no villains in the Orange Islands arc (except Lawrence III)

What made you decide not to include Paul in the Orange islands, johto or hoenn?

So I don't beat a dead horse. It would be boring if Paul was Ash's rival every region. When I reintroduce Paul in Sinnoh, he and Ash can start their rivalry afresh since they will be older and can apply different things they learned in the years they didn't see each other.

When do you intend for the heroes to gain Mega Evolution?

I've already revealed it to be Sinnoh.