It's finally here! Thanks for waiting!

REALLY QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. If you didn't see them yet, go on my profile page and check out the social media pages I set up for this fic! This is important because,
2. I have a fantastic art commission for this chapter coming soon that I know you all will appreciate, PLUS I'm starting to brush up (lol) my digital art skills and hope to be making little comics with our protags while we wait for the next fic!
3. Someone reminded me to post the playlist so I just put it in the profiie page! Go there if you want to read more about it.

Okay that's it from me, please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 39

…

Where are you?

…

Mewtwo?

My eyes flew open. I gasped, coughing on the air I inhaled too quickly.

Soon my breathing evened out, and I was still. I remember the feeling of disbelief that followed as I laid there, blinking in the bright sunlight that shone through the leaves. Most of my body was numb, but I slowly began to feel the ground below as sensation returned to my extremities. Soon I could feel my arms again, and the first thing I did was lift Lilly off of myself. I saw the opal necklace she wore glowing faintly, but the light continued to fade away with each passing moment. I gently laid her back down again and rested my arms by my side.

Wait . . .

My eyes opened wider at the realization. I can . . . move? I lifted one arm into the air, followed by the other, then dropped both to the ground. Then I reached to touch my leg where I was shot earlier, again I was surprised when I felt neither the bullet hole nor the bullet within my leg. Using my hands I quickly pushed myself up and leaned back against the nearest tree to look for the other wound in my side. There was nothing there, either. I was completely healed.

But even after all of that movement, Lilly still had not stirred. I felt panic begin to suffocate me again. What if Amber was wrong? How could she have been so sure? "Lilly? Are you . . . ?"

I was too afraid to finish that sentence. I hesitated before lightly pressing my hand to the side of her neck and waiting for a pulse. I was unaware that I was holding my own breath in anticipation, but I did not have to wait long. After a moment, I could feel the artery in her neck gently throb against my thumb.
"Li . . . Lilly . . ."

I was so weak with relief that I could hardly speak. I let out a sob as I pulled her closer to my face and held her tightly to me, feeling tears come to my eyes once again. Compose yourself, she can't see you like this when she wakes up. I tried to breathe deeply, inhaling the woods and sunlight and Lilly's dark hair.

Suddenly, I heard her cough. "Lilly?" I whispered hoarsely, taking my arms off of her.

She stretched her own arms before raising her head slightly, but not high enough to look at my face. "M-Mew . . . two . . ."

It felt as though something warm exploded in my chest when she uttered my name. I almost looked down to see if the opal was there again. She mumbled something else I could not quite make out, then closed her eyes and fell back against me. I was so grateful to hear her speak that I had to hear it again. "Lilly!" I said louder, hardly able to contain the excitement in my own voice that time.
When I shouted her name, her eyes flew open wide and she pressed herself up with her hands. Once she realized that she was on top of me, she gasped and scrambled off, falling back into the brush behind her.

"I . . . what the . . . ?" She looked around, visibly confused by the sight of dense woods instead of metal walls surrounding us. Then she began to examine herself, touching the dried blood on her hair, clothes, and skin. Next, she looked me up and down, my own skin covered in dried blood. There was so much I wanted to ask her, but I watched patiently, taking in her movements and expressions. I assumed she would come to her senses in time, but instead, her expression grew more bewildered by the moment.

Finally, she asked, "Mewtwo . . . did we . . ."

"What is it?"

After another moment, she looked me in the eyes and asked with barely a whisper, "are we . . . dead?"

Though her question was a reasonable one, it still caught me off guard. "Are we . . . what?" I asked, not sure if I had heard her correctly.

She looked around again. "We . . . have to be . . . there's no way . . ." Her eyes suddenly went wide and shot down to her knees. "We're really dead, aren't we?"

Lilly said those words very slowly, and I could tell she was mostly talking to herself. Since I had just gone through this same process with Amber, I thought I knew exactly what to say. "No, Lilly," I stated calmly, "we're—"

But when she looked back at me again her eyes were wet, and I was suddenly unable to finish my sentence. Her mouth opened, and she stammered for a moment before anything intelligible came out. "I . . . I've failed," she said to herself again, looking at the ground in front of her.

I was too busy trying to figure out how she arrived at that conclusion to come up with a proper response in a timely manner. "I couldn't . . . protect you!" she exclaimed finally, making me jump. She hid her face in her hands and began to sob. "I'm . . . I'm so sorry! This is my fault, I couldn't . . . I couldn't protect you even after I promised . . . I failed you."

Lilly let out another stifled cry and sank lower to the ground. I watched her for a moment, confused by the wide array of emotions that were suddenly hitting me as I listened to her blame herself. Then, all at once, I understood them.

"I did everything I could, and . . . this still—"

"Shut up."

I was still calm when I spoke, but my tone lost its warmth. Lilly froze and looked up, clearly not expecting that to be my response. I let her be confused for a few moments while I tried to find the right words to explain what I was feeling.

"Wh- . . . what?" she asked when I took too long.

"You . . . you did not fail me for that reason," I corrected her, slowly rising to my knees.

She started backward and hid her face behind her elbow when she saw me get up. I felt my gut clench, but at that moment, even the sight of her cowering in fear did not hold me back. "The sole reason I came to the hideout was to ensure your safe return home. I was so close to accomplishing that, but then you just . . . you threw your life away. I want an apology for that."

There was a moment before Lilly lowered her arm and stared at me. She tried to respond to my demand, "I . . . I don't—"

"What possessed you to do that, anyway?" I asked, raising my voice,

"Did you actually think that I would simply . . . continue to live?"

The feelings of helplessness suddenly manifested into the words I could not say to her before when I first picked her lifeless body up off the ground. My voice raw, they continued to come out before I could stop them. "I was . . . as good as dead after what they did to me! Even with your sacrifice, Team Rocket would have succeeded in recapturing me, and it would have all been for nothing! But even if I somehow escaped . . ."

I angled my head toward the ground so she could not see the tears leaving my eyes, then I cried out, "How would I have . . . I could not have lived with myself! So, apologize for not valuing your life enough! For not trusting me, and for . . ."

My voice broke, "for f-forcing me to watch you die!"

Several seconds of silence followed. When she did not respond, I looked up to see her just staring at me with wide eyes. It was difficult to tell if she was still afraid of my anger, confused by seeing me cry for the first time, or both. I let out a shaky sigh and closed my eyes. After all of that, my fear was quickly dissipating, like the dew off the leaves in this forest. "I'm not being fair," I said finally, opening my eyes and brushing the water away with my wrist, "Because . . . given the choice, I would have done it to save you."

I sat back on my heels and sighed again, lowering my eyes. "I know I was angry just now, but I'm not blaming you for what you did," I said earnestly, "Nothing that happened today was your fault, Lilly."

Without a word, I heard Lilly slowly get to her knees. I looked her way hoping that she would say something. But she still looked lost, and for a moment I did not know what else to say to help her understand.

Lilly gasped when I disappeared.

Then, I reappeared directly in front of her and pulled her into an embrace. To my surprise, she seemed to turn to stone in my grasp. I held her for a moment and hoped that she would relax, but it did not happen. "As mad as I want to be at you right now for your actions, I cannot," I said, my voice breaking again, "because by some miracle . . . they worked. I escaped, and you're alive."

I felt her move to look up at me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the ground past her head as I tried to stop crying. "This was all because I let them take you, I only have myself to blame. I . . . I never should have left you alone!" I choked out.

My attempts to remain composed were in vain, and I began to sob as hard as she was before. "Do you understand yet? My stubbornness was the reason Team Rocket succeeded in the end. This was all . . . if I hadn't been so rash . . . "

I buried my face in her hair and shuddered, unable to finish my sentence. I did not know where this outpouring of words was coming from, but it felt as though a floodgate inside of me had opened. I was overwhelmed by all the things I wanted to say, and I tried to make sense of what to say first. "Lilly, we . . . we're alive," I repeated. My own head still bent over her, I took hers and gently pressed it against myself with my hand. After a moment, I heard her gasp quietly. "Somehow you still . . . chose to s-save my life, even after I . . ."

I could not say any more for the moment. When I had gotten enough air back into my lungs, I raised my head slightly but did not move back from her shoulder. "I know that you're afraid of me right now. What Giovanni said . . . and what I said in your house was true. I have hurt countless people and Pokémon in the past. But . . . you . . . of all people, you know that isn't me anymore."

I almost became choked up again, but I was able to continue. "I was protecting myself back in Cerulean Cave because I did not know what you were, but I . . . I've never wanted to hurt you, not even when you said you were going to sell me back to Team Rocket." I began stroking her hair with one of my hands, the other still wrapped around her back. "I was devastated by the notion that you never cared about me at all. That moment . . . when I realized how much power I allowed you to have over me . . . that was why I got angry."

Her arms seemed to be trembling against me. "Even still, I know nothing I can say will excuse how I reacted. I should have never . . . ever said or done any of that. It was a step back for me, and I deeply regret all of it. I'm . . . so sorry."

At this, she inhaled deeply and finally began to relax. Without warning she got to her feet, wrapping her arms around my upper back and allowing my head to rest on her shoulder. I firmly pressed my hands into her back and cried into the hollow of her neck. "You . . ."

I was surprised to hear her finally speak, and I was reassured to know that she was hearing me. But I could hardly understand what she was saying as she continued, "I did . . . I didn't kn-ow it would . . . make you s-so—"

I gently pulled her away from me with my power, taking one look at her face before I realized why she could not say anything earlier. Lilly's eyes were on the ground, but I could see that she was still crying as hard as she was before. She had just managed to be quieter about it. I did not realize how much she was leaning on me; as soon as I pulled her away, she sank back to her knees.

"Lilly, of course I was upset!" I exclaimed, "But I was beside myself when I came back and saw that you were gone without your Pokémon, a-and the video you left—"

"But . . . why? You've never . . . I don't under—"

"Because, I love you, too!"

I realized in that moment that was what I had been trying to say all along, and the sense of relief that came over me was when I finally said it was beyond satisfying. She froze again, finally looking up at me.

"What?" she asked, her voice still barely above a whisper.

I looked her in the eyes and said it again, wiping a tear away with my finger before resting my hand on her shoulder. "With all of my heart. I love you. "

She stared at me for a moment longer, then brought her hand up to mine as her face began to crumble again. "Why—"

"I have for a long time," I interrupted, reading her mind, "but . . . I did not think I was good enough to be capable of something like love. But because we met . . . I know the truth now." Her mouth parted in surprise at those words. I nearly began to cry again as I continued, "I . . . I am good enough. I'm good enough to love, and . . . to be loved."

As I said that last phrase, her eyes lit up like the morning sun. She sobbed loudly before jumping into me, taking me by surprise. I certainly would have fallen backward were it not for my powers. Lilly was trying to say something, but she was crying too hard. "I . . . I—"

"Lilly, wait—"

"That . . . that's what I've been—"

"I wasn't done yet!" I protested. In spite of that, I could not help but hug her back.

Her grip did not slacken. "You can't just . . . s-s . . ." I heard her wipe her nose on her arm before trying again, "You can't just say all that . . . a-and expect me not to hug you."

I laughed apologetically and said, "I should have known." But after a moment, I gently pulled her away from me once more. Her face was a mess with tears and snot, but her eyes were still alight with happiness. I almost did not want to say the next thought that came to my mind, but I knew I had to.

"Lilly," I started again, "what you did today was brave, and I'm grateful that you were trying to protect me. But . . ." I closed my eyes for a moment, then put on the sternest face I could muster when I said, "It was also incredibly dangerous, and selfish, for you to think that you should handle a situation like that on your own. And I never want you to put yourself in harm's way or lie to protect me again. Do you understand?"

Her face fell. I did not expect her to become defensive, but she did when she replied, "Dangerous? You came to a Rocket hideout—"

"I wouldn't have needed to if you had not hidden the truth from me," I said firmly, though my voice was still hoarse with emotion, "But yes, I had to be the one to go."

"You keep saying you had to do it, but, so did I," she said quietly. "I . . . I've already lost—"

"We will discuss this in a safer location later, this is not the time nor place," I interjected, "But, I really think we could have figured it out together if you had allowed me to . . . if you had trusted me to do what was right." She looked away in frustration and did not respond that time, but I could tell that she was at least considering what I was saying. "Look, what happened back there, it can't . . ."

I had to stop speaking for a moment. "I just . . . I can't ever watch you die again." I took her hands in mine, adding, "Nothing will be worth that to me."

"I can't watch you die, either," she said, looking back up at me. "But I didn't mean to . . . I'm not really sure how that happened, to be honest," she admitted suddenly, "I just knew I had to stop Giovanni. I didn't mean to go that far, though. But the look on his face when he saw me . . . I don't think I'll ever forget it."

Perhaps I shouldn't tell her about the woman she burned in the process, I thought to myself warily. That would really upset her right now.

While I was thinking about that, she asked me, "Is this . . . will this be the last time I'll see you?"

I was lost in thought at the moment and assumed I had just heard her incorrectly. "What was that?"

Lilly's voice became small when she looked up and asked again, "Are you going to leave now?"

I was still no less bewildered by her question. I almost stammered when I replied, "Why would anything I said just now make you think that?"

"They know that you're with me," she said, looking down, "that means you can't stay, right? What if they try to . . . to take you again?"

Though she was saying this, I could see how badly she wanted to be wrong. I again thought about the woman who restrained her, how she would at the very least lose her fingers, maybe even her hands as well. Would they figure out it was Lilly? What sort of action would they take upon learning of her abilities?

Though I did not say that much, I was still truthful when I answered. "Right now, we do not know what they know. But no, I don't think they'll be coming for me anytime soon," I said, shaking my head, "not after the fight we gave them." The tension in her eyes faded at those words. "And besides," I continued, "I made you a promise, remember?"

"You . . . did?"

I nodded. "I had already decided I wasn't leaving when I made that promise to protect you and your Pokémon. It appears as though you're stuck with me for a little while longer, I hope that's alright," I added in jest.

She smiled back weakly as she asked, "Since that long ago?"

I nodded, brushing another tear off her face, and said, "Yes. You really had that power over me since all the way back then."

"Power . . ." She laughed again, then rested her forehead on my shoulder and allowed her arms dangle in front of her body. "Did . . . did you see me use my powers?" she asked, her head still lowered.

"I did," I said with a sigh, the exhaustion finally catching up to me when she uttered those words. "It seems like you used all kinds of powers in the last day or two."

"Looks like all that . . . training . . . finally . . ."

Lilly seemed to have fallen asleep before she could finish her sentence. I pulled her into me again and held her, also nearly dozing off where I knelt. All I wanted to do at that moment was fall to the ground and rest, but I knew I had to wait just a little longer. When I was ready, I stood up with her in my arms and teleported both of us back home.