Scourge of the Land

by FroggerBerbus

The natural state of the wilderness is a rather simple thing, you're either strong enough to make a name for yourself or you cower in fear against those who do. Yet, the sheer waste of such a system infuriates a guardian of the very earth. Is that why he took such a fearsome mantle, or is there another reason hiding beneath?

2. Manifestations in the Mist

A lone figure darted through the cloudy skies, keeping himself hidden from wandering eyes yet intending to discern as much as he could from the world around him. The very air around this creature was distorted; psychic energy twisted around his surroundings as he camouflaged himself intent on remaining concealed from anything or anyone. Another well trained psychic or a sufficiently powerful and specialized machine could detect the abnormality around him but the creature knew that. Hence why the creature set up a twofold barrier, creating a layer of "hardened" air around his psychic shield that would prevent any sign of psychic energy or disruption from leaking into the outside world. Ordinarily, this would then create the problem of whatever is inside this "pocket" suffocating due to a lack of oxygen circulation but this being was far from ordinary and could in fact handle being in those conditions for extraordinary periods of time. It may have seemed like an unnecessary amount of trouble to go through just to stay hidden, but this unique being valued his privacy and freedom which could be compromised if he was spotted by unwelcome eyes. He knew from experience after all. Still, his desire to stick to his discreet nature can and would be overwhelmed by another one of his idiosyncrasies, a passion for learning. Particularly regarding topics relating to the sciences and technology. Normally he would do anything he could to stay as far as he could from the bustling habitats of both humans and other pokemon, but in this case he had to make an exception.

"So that was the Azoth Kingdom? It's even grander than the texts I've read described it to be! Such incredible technology was created hundreds of years ago? I could only wonder what could have been if such technology spread past this rather isolated valley," mused the being to himself. "If it did, it would have jumpstarted immense technological progress far earlier than when it actually happened and who knows how much more advanced the current day would be if it did! Perhaps if it did, I-. No, there's little productive gain dwelling on what ifs of the past, I'd be better off focusing on what tomorrow could bring. Anyway, where was I? Wait – woah!"

Lost in his thoughts the enigmatic fellow failed to notice he was heading straight towards a group of three Mandibuzz, and they had to be just a few yards or so away when he noticed. Mildly alarmed, he immediately began to ascend quickly before any trace of him would be noticed. Once he was comfortable enough to stop his ascent, he glanced downward to observe the reactions of the group. Two of the Mandibuzz didn't seem to notice anything but the other examined her surroundings, seemingly bewildered by some sensation. The other two Mandibuzz noticed the one lagging behind and seemed to reprimand her for her perceived idleness. While said Mandibuzz remained pensive, she caught up to the other two and they continued on their merry way as if nothing happened.

Understanding he had remained undetected in part due to sheer luck, the phantasmal creature sweatdropped and thought "I really should stop monologuing to myself when I'm flying around, I need to remember I'm invisible to the outside world. Maybe the lack of air and mild lightheadedness makes me careless but these close calls happen often enough where I can probably classify it as a bad habit. Maybe mom was on the right track when she suggested I was too obsessed with optimizing my time. I still think spending hours on end only paying attention to my most basic of thoughts while flying just seems incredibly wasteful but maybe she's right, In the grand scheme of things I have much more time than most. Wait, just loafing around here is even more wasteful than not moving at all! These notes on the Azoth Kingdom could lead to my next breakthrough so there's no time to waste! I'm behind schedule so maybe just this once I'll give my mind a rest and focus entirely on going fast, I'll need to if I want to be back in Johto by nightfall after all. Alright, no more second guessing. Time to blitz my way through these next couple of regions! Ready, get set, - hmm?

Frowning, this inquisitive character began sensing a disturbance in the air. It didn't feel particularly powerful or intrusive but it was foreign nonetheless. Glancing around, he found his vision obscured by a veil of white surrounding him, one which he could have sworn wasn't there mere minutes ago.

"Talk about missing a spot check. It was just a slight midday haze last I was paying attention but it seems to have evolved into a full-on fog right under my nose. I always thought humans could be idiots for missing the Donphan in the room, so to speak, but it really doesn't look like I have much room for comment," he commented to himself, rather irked. "Anyway, a quick psychic scan should tell me what I need to know. I'll need to drop this barrier to do so but the skies are obscured enough to keep me hidden as long as I don't do anything reckless. Once I know the general gist of things I can be on my way."

Dropping his psychic barrier, he then transmuted the leftover energy to create miniature psychic probes to discreetly travel through the fog. As they were linked to him, he would gain knowledge of what they found upon dispelling. He intended to use said probes to trace where the fog was coming from and find out whether or not it was natural. If it is natural then what is the cause? If it is not natural then who is the cause? Unfortunately for him, his initial search would soon deliver less results than expected.

"Eh? My probes dissipated already? That's strange, they didn't detect any hostiles, but in that case, they should have been able to go much further." The creature furrowed his eyes in thought as he considered his next plan of approach. "Let's try this again but this time I'll make sure to pay very good attention to the state of my probes."

The creature then conjured tendrils of psychic energy and sent them off towards the horizon again, but this time he would follow them closely and would closely monitor their status. After following them for about thirty seconds, he saw them begin to fizzle erratically and in just around a minute later they completely dispelled. This time however, since it happened under his watchful eye, he figured out what must have happened to the previous batch.

"So that's it huh, this fog sucks up energy that isn't directly anchored and a part of a living creature. Very interesting, something like this can't be natural due to how complex such a composition must be. Speaking of, I may just learn something from analyzing the composition of this fog, let me take a look at that right now."

Glowing blue, his eyes focused on the fog before him with the utmost focus aiming to uncover its secrets. Through this psychic lens, he could modify his vision to see whatever he wanted to focus on. Was he facing off against ghosts? He could modify his sight to perceive the movements of phantasmal energy. Was he brawling with a particularly blazing fast opponent? He'd modify his vision to see the movement of wind exclusively and leave afterimages on his opponent to pinpoint patterns in the movement of his opposition. Comparatively to those feats, utilizing his vision to pivot towards scanning the microscopic makeup of an object was a relatively simple task.

"Ah I see, now that's clever," remarked the creature. "Though it outwardly resembles fog, the foundation of this compound is much closer to mist. Despite that though, its properties don't line up completely. A feature of mist is that it typically dissipates rather quickly but I can tell that this curious amalgamation is meant to last quite a while. More than that is that as far as I can tell, this substance is unnatural throughout in terms of overall composition. Natural mist and fog have varying levels of concentrations all around but in this instance, barring a tiny and insignificant margin of error, it's uniform throughout. That seals it, there's zero doubt that this composition was purposefully manufactured by someone. Rather masterfully too I might add. I would know that crafting something as complex as this is difficult, and that's without considering the hyper-specialized modification that is its energy stifling capabilities. On that note, time to really delve into how that's made possible."

Modifying his vision once again, he pushed past eying the general composition of the peculiar mist and fog hybrid, seeking to dissect its contents on a molecular level. Lo and behold, his insight towards the substance turned over fruitful as he saw a phenomenal sight, hundreds of millions of microscopic particles that held a very faint pink glow scattered all through the mist.

"Now this is something worth pursuing; I've never seen such miniscule particles infused within such an extensive space! If I'm understanding this right, those particles are composed of fairy energy too and that alongside dragon energy are the most difficult for most pokemon to harness!" ardently exclaimed the creature. "I've got the hang of basically everything else but I just can't pin those two down despite my best efforts," he added, souring a good amount towards the end. "Ugh, I really need to stop brooding on my shortcomings too harshly. Especially when said thoughts aren't even related to the topic at hand. Maybe I should go to mom for advice to help me with that, she's always been so carefree after all. Then again, she'd probably enable some other bad habit to take its place like she did the last time I came to her. Arceus knows her doing so is why I've developed this practice of talking to myself in the first place but I can't deny its efficiency in keeping the more troublesome thoughts away," rambled the creature on yet another tangent.

Finally realizing he was going on another rather irrelevant monologue, the creature brought his digits to his face in frustration. "And there I go spacing out yet again! I just did that mere minutes ago! I have to concentrate on what's right in front of me! With that out of the way, I can deduce a couple more elements to this little puzzle. First is that I'm positive that not only was the creation of this mist a joint effort between two pokemon, but between two noticeably powerful and skilled pokemon. Both the mist itself and the fairy particles are incredibly intricate but require vastly different skillsets. Skillsets that do not overlap in any regular pokemon I'm aware of. Since this is Kalos, I'm presuming the fairy particles are either the work of a powerful cabal of fairies or manufactured by Xerneas herself. The mist on the other hand must have been done by some sort of underling or ally of either group with how intricate this concoction is. Who exactly is hard to identify precisely aside from the high likelihood of the involvement of a water or ice type. As for the purpose, I'd say that it would be most likely to conceal a habitat or a vacation home or anything along those lines. Heavens know that precautions like these aren't unwarranted with what happened to poor Zygarde's resting spot, I'd be livid if my hideout was flash frozen too."

"Anyway, no use in theorizing when I can head straight for the answer. Sure I can theorize on the trigger condition of this mist but when the answer is quite possibly just in front of me why waste time? I might have to disturb the balance of this mist a teensy bit which would both give me away and probably miff whoever made this but I'm still on a tight schedule so I'll take that gambit. Now then, let's get down to the bottom of this shall we?"

Conjuring psychic energy once more, he set out to disrupt and dissect the substance around him when suddenly, he sensed attacks nearby and powerful ones at that.

"Hmm, that's odd, most pokemon shouldn't be able to even power up attacks in such an oppressive environment. I suppose it's prime time for a case study then." Returning to a more generalist psychic radar, he felt two presences to the west that were clearly doing battle and rushing into each other. That wasn't all he felt though, as he noticed a third presence that was clearly on the verge of death and plummeting downwards, away from these ravenous skies.

Understanding the perilous situation, the previously composed and calculating enigma let out a wordless shout and began rushing towards the rapidly plunging presence, all other thoughts being expunged to make room for the sheer urgency he believed the situation required.

In a matter of seconds, he monumentally closed the gap between himself and the falling pokemon to the point where he was able to identify it as a Noibat, albeit only barely. Not even a second later, he used the full extent of his power to will gravity itself to cease its effects on the small pokemon and it simply did, unable to offer the slightest of resistances to what was demanded of it.

Catching the Noibat in his lithe arms even he, an entity who radiated pure power capable of challenging the nature of the world itself, could not help but grimace at the dreadful sight before him. One of a tortured life, horrific burns singing out all hair aside from a few resilient strands by its neck, delicate ears nearly disfigured by pure flame and tiny wings that bore holes of a circumference larger than the area of what remained of his wings. Simply looking, not even fully analyzing, the damage done to this pokemon brought a primal rage out of the psychic. One that it had not felt in a very long time, one that he had only felt back in days he'd rather forget.

Despite the internal fury raging within his heart crying out for retribution towards those who have ruined this poor and young soul, what was more important was seeing the breath of life enduring within the bat and he knew that he had to first do everything in his power to ensure that it would not fizzle out.

In the act of conjuring light blue liquid, all vigilance was drained out of the psychic. At this moment all that mattered was doing all he could to save a life. As soon as he could tell that the restorative effects of the liquid were working its magic by healing the burns, stemming internal damage done to the Noibat while dulling the pain, a small smile was allowed to form on his face.

"Thank the heavens that worked, I was worried that my life dew wouldn't be enough." commented the psychic as a small smirk of triumph stabilized on his face as it became clear that Noibat was set to survive. "Still, I think I'll encase him in a membrane of this stuff just to be safe."

Now fully relieved that he had done his part in ensuring the survival of a pokemon in need, the silent fury was permitted to return to the forefront of his mind. He was so sure that the previous two presences he had sensed were responsible for the condition of Noibat but he was a pokemon that preferred absolutes. As a result, he unashamedly did a quick scan of the bat's recent memories to ensure his hunch was right.

"So, this was the result of those two imbeciles turning on a starry eyed child who merely wished to ask an innocent question to them both and it devolved into what can only be described as untarnished primeval savagery." snarled the psychic, loathing apparent in his voice. Well, who am I to deny apt recompense to that?"

Moving deftly throughout the stone pillars that littered the horizon, eyes never leaving the recovering Noibat he had suspended in front of him, he flew in the direction of the presences he had felt. After a while he had aligned himself vertically towards his adversaries, intending to launch an assault from below.

Eyes narrowing as he sharpened his vision he identified his targets from the bat's memory, a Talonflame and a Gliscor, both of them seeming to have formed a temporary ceasefire as they took alert and defensive stances. Understanding he could not get any closer without alerting them of his presence, energy gathered from the digits of his hands as intense psychic blasts emerged from them in multiple erratic volleys.

"If they don't figure out my intent is to pincer them this should be quick" he muttered under his breath "but not painless" he added, in a darker tone apparent from his demeanor.

To his surprise, the Talonflame did in fact notice his plan of attack and had shouted as much to inform his impromptu partner causing them both to take maneuvers against the assault. The Talonflame using his cyclonic speed quickly retreated away from the pillar but the Gliscor didn't seem to think that was an option for her and instead settled to attempt to power through the falling rock despite her dampened powers.

"Interesting" muttered the psychic to himself, his inquisitive side coming to the forefront of his thoughts once more as he observed the adept motions both pokemon took. "These two are clearly a cut or two above even most battle hardened wild pokemon and their calculating and tactical minds should be more than enough to get them to break free from this vicious cycle. Why the damn bloodlust then? These kinds of pokemon should be well past being slaves to basic instinct." He wondered to himself.

Shaking his head out of questions that would only lead to more questions, he surveyed the status of both pokemon once again. Gliscor was currently powering through the avalanche of stone with a giga impact which he honestly found quite impressive and the Talonflame was currently roosting on a thorn of jutted rock in order to attempt to recuperate.

Noticing the vulnerable position Talonflame was in, he quickly teleported right behind the flaming bird who was only able to let out a single squawk of alarm before devastating electricity coursed through his veins, courtesy of a quick but powerful thunderbolt from what he could only have described as a vengeful phantom.

After letting the thunderbolt last a few seconds more than it probably should have to make sure the Talonflame was fully unconscious and unable to resist, motivated by a mixture of vigilantism and a curious desire, the bird's recent memories were set to be surgically examined.

Eyes glowing a light blue, the psychic revisited the Talonflame's memories as if they were his own. All memories from when Talonflame encountered Noibat onwards were incorporated into his mind as he gained an objective view on how the pursuit played out. For the most part, he was just confirming what he saw from Noibat but the contents of the latter portions of the bird's conversation with Gliscor sparked another bout of curiosity.

"So they think I'm the one known as the savage scourge eh? Can't say the moniker rings any bells. While they're most certainly wrong about that being their adversary, it very well could be the source of this oppressive fog. I'll keep that in mind for when I head back to that little mystery. More interestingly though is that tidbit with Moltres. I can confirm that this one was indeed being fully truthful about his fixation on the legendaries. With how guarded they are when it comes to me I just might find something useful here if I snoop around a bit. Perhaps later I could-"

Before he could further that train of thought, he became vaguely aware of a stream of energy quickly descending upon him. Looking up he watched as Gliscor had formed yet another giga impact, this time adding blazing flames to the mix as she was clearly risking everything on one final gambit.

At this point the sheer tenacity of the Gliscor impressed him, she was clearly at her limit and yet she took initiative despite the terror he had heard in her voice from Talonflame's memories. It was almost enough to make him reconsider what he was about to do. Almost.

As she rapidly descended, her desperate emotions grew clearer and clearer to the psychic which to him proved she had no more tricks up her sleeve, no more clever maneuvers. As a result, he knew he had already decisively won. Letting her continue to streak towards him, at the very last second frigid ice formed around one of his fists as he struck the back of her head with finesse, the power radiating from her doing nothing to protect her from the blow.

The Gliscor could barely let out a gasp of pain before she was spun and slammed into solid rock, all resistance she could offer thoroughly crushed. Still, she was able to mutter a comment about a fuzzy face before her mind drifted into unconsciousness.

"Huh, what was that about a fuzzy face? I've been described in a variety of ways but never that one," questioned her assailant to himself. "Oh wait I forgot that little critter has been just about suspended by my forehead this whole time, whoops that would explain that."

His attention returned to the wounded Noibat as silence returned to the horizons surrounding him. Doing an updated scan of the bat's condition, it became clear that his breath and heartbeat were beginning to stabilize once more and his wounds had begun to heal and were in no danger of worsening thanks to the healing properties of the life dew that encompassed his body.

"Oh thank goodness. I was worried that my healing wouldn't be enough to stem the damage. Still, I suppose it would be a good idea to work on improving my healing aptitude before I further develop the rest of my powers, just in case."

Now reassured once more that his chance patient would recover, he telepathically ordered Talonflame's limp body to return to him while his eyes glowed the same ominous blue as he now aimed to study Gliscor's recent memories. For the most part his expectations were in line with reality once more but what did surprise him was that her pure defiance towards the end was not purely motivated by the screaming survival instinct most pokemon had when they were pushed towards desperation. Rather, they were joined by a genuine desire to protect and to live on not for her own sake but the sake of others, particularly for her children.

Now back in his own mind the psychic felt a pang of guilt as the implications of brutalizing the Gliscor so roared across his conscience. Even worse still his brilliant mind backfired on him, instantly correlating his actions with the defiance of a truth he had held so close to his heart.

The image of a small, pink cat filled his vision as her melodious voice rang in his ears, singing the same beautiful words sung to him when he needed them most. "Remember my sweet child, all life in this world is connected to each other. Sometimes it can show in the strangest of ways but no life is ever truly alone, please don't ever forget that."

He wanted to puke, he had been so caught up in a self righteous assault that he had failed to truly consider what his actions would have naturally led to. That it would be the first steps towards a path he had once walked, a path full of his regrets.

"You know, it's not considered good conduct to so freely look through the minds of others. To know another's mind is to know who they are at their core. Something that intimate should not be taken lightly."

Taken aback by the sudden new presence, the psychic felt a slight panic as he began the first rudimentary steps of his brand of concealment before the voice, one he identified as from a female, panged out again sternness still apparent in her words and yet seemed to contain an undertone of understanding. "There's no need for that child. I'm not here to chastise you nor am I here to cause you any harm. Please relax, I merely wish to understand you."

As she spoke those words her figure came into view even through the thick mist, revealing her as a Reuniclus. The green translucent liquid that surrounded her body seemed to blend into the mist and alongside the slight glow of the internal red and orange dots that connected her main body to her arms it gave her a spectral and slightly unnerving presence. With the identity of this newcomer revealed though, the unidentified psychic allowed a degree of bravado and indignance into his voice once more.

"Child? I am no child! As I'm sure you very well saw, I'm more than capable of standing up for myself. Chastise me if you wish but I'll not stand to be treated as an inferior."

In response, an unexpectedly hearty laugh came from the Reuniclus; slightly muffled by the membrane that surrounded her but still very clearly a laugh. "I don't see how that was supposed to be insulting at all, you are brilliant yet you are still a child and that in no way makes you an inferior. It simply means you lack qualities that only develop if given time to properly nurture. You are a child in the sense that you've only walked this earth for only a handful of years, have yet to truly develop your sense of self, and decide your role in this world. Is that not right, Mewtwo?"

A chill ran through his spine at the mention of that name, his name. As far as he knew, few were aware that he existed even among the legendaries. Yet here, in the middle of nowhere in Kalos, someone he's never met before seemed to know more about him beyond his name.

"Who are you and how is it that you know me," hissed the phantasmal psychic, now revealed as Mewtwo, with a hint of venom in his voice. "If you know who you're dealing with then I'm sure you know of my distaste for unanswered questions."

"My apologies, I'm not willing to divulge my name just yet but I am a Reuniclus in service to the one who you now know as the savage scourge. It is through him that I came to know of you," responded the semi-amorphous pokemon taciturnly as she continued approaching him. Truth be told, I had been dispatched to save that Noibat and settle the quarrel between those two lovebirds but well, you took care of that. I'd like to continue with the formalities but would you first allow me to survey the condition of those three for myself? I can patch them up a bit just to stop their conditions from getting worse"

Mewtwo's immediate reaction was distrust. Reuniclus were not a species known for healing prowess. They were capable of a startling amount of self regeneration but what allowed for that, the properties of the fluid that encased their bodies, were toxic to most other organisms. Even among Reuniclus themselves, those fluids had a system somewhat comparable to blood type where compatibility depended on a variety of genetic factors. Still, Mewtwo hadn't noticed deceitful intent in her words and if she was indeed telling the truth about her capabilities, he'd be learning something new and that much could be valuable.

Nonverbally complying, Mewtwo telepathically propelled the still unconscious bodies of Talonflame and Gliscor towards her, not willing to hand over Noibat just yet. Talonflame was mainly injured by electrical burns and a nasty hit to his head while Gliscor was bruised by blunt impacts alongside both regular burns and extreme exhaustion. Truth be told Mewtwo wanted to just hand over Gliscor first but thought doing so would raise suspicion on his motives, and so he handed them both over to her.

"Talonflame seems to be in quite poor shape, albeit nothing too major in the grand scheme of things for a pokemon as resilient as he. Gliscor though, hoo boy this is bad. I think you went a bit overboard here squirt."

Mewtwo was once again irritated by the jab at his age from this stranger yet had no intention of indulging her with his indignance. "I caught Talonflame by surprise and took him down as quickly as I could, Gliscor however I had to overpower. Maybe I did get a bit too riled up but it's not like I would have even entertained letting that last giga impact hit me.

"I'm quite sure you'd be able to easily withstand an attack of that caliber"

"I could but there wasn't much reason to show off like that and it would still hurt. Now would you go ahead and patch those two up already? If you're really that good of a healer that is."

Furrowing her face slightly at Mewtwo's own jab and deflection, Reuniclus didn't seek to grant a verbal response to him in turn. Instead she outstretched her arms to both of the wounded flying types and upon contact, streaks of her cellular fluid raced across both their bodies. Mewtwo watched this process with rapt interest, bracing for the possibility that they'd have their natural toxic effect but noting that the fluid was indeed treating both pokemon. Both of their burns were being stemmed and Gliscor's bruises were cooled and compressed by the fluid. Satisfied at the result, Reuniclus seemed to withdraw all fluid back to her as the streaks now snaked back towards her digits but Mewtwo could tell the therapeutic effects of the fluid remained on both birds.

"That should cover it for now, don't want them regaining consciousness too quickly after all. Now if you'd be so kind as to send over that Noibat who I'm sure deserves my services the most of these lot.

Mewtwo shot her an apprehensive look, clearly having his own hesitations. "About that, I've already mended his wounds and what remains requires more intensive care. I'd prefer to keep him under my supervision until he's ready for more intricate healing if you don't might."

For once, a genuine frown formed on Reuniclus's face and consequently her voice lacked the harsh edge it had prior. "He nearly died Mewtwo, I won't be satisfied until I get my own chance to see how he's holding up."

Still, Mewtwo was stubborn at his core and it was difficult to get him to change his mind when he had decided upon a course of action. "I can personally assure you that he is completely stable right now. What I cannot be assured about are your motives. You mentioned that you can't trust me with your name and sure that's fair, but in the same vein I don't think I'm willing to trust you fully just yet."

In response, Reuniclus took an entirely serious demeanor with passion dripping from her voice. "I know you've got your misgivings about me and that's fine for now. Even so I can tell you that, on my honor as a healer, I've vowed to serve the vulnerable and innocent. I swear on my life that I only wish to restore and rejuvenate. You have my permission to strike me down if I do anything untowards."

Mewtwo was suddenly taken aback by the sudden zeal in her expression and the intensity of her words. Without the usage of his psychic powers he'd consider his ability to ascertain the intentions of others to be quite poor but he was now finding it hard to believe that she was anything but sincere. At the very least, he knew she was indeed a healer and it was incredibly likely that she had not lied about her allegiances. Why mention the scourge otherwise?

"Very well you've convinced me," Mewtwo responded while matching her passion with his trademark weighing demeanor, the same he wore when considering a particularly difficult problem. "But I will be holding you to your oath. You will do nothing but mend his wounds and then return him to me. I still want to supervise his recovery."

"And just what has you all acting all paternal over this Noibat? He's just someone you stumbled on and rescued by chance. Humor me a bit, what makes you so protective of him?" Inquired Reuniclus in return, her zeal mixed in with genuine curiosity.

"Honestly? I don't know. Closest guess I have is some combination of pity and admiring this one's adventurous spirit but in the grand scheme of things those are pretty flimsy reasons aren't they? Doesn't change that I really want to look after this fella while I can, no matter what reason I may have.

Mewtwo was expecting some snide comment or yet another jab about his age from Reuniclus due to his "immature" answer but completely contrary to what he was expecting, a warm smile grew on her face at his proclamation.

"Well well, so many things make sense to me now. No wonder the boss has had his eyes on you if motives like that are what truly drive you. With an attitude like that, you'll fit right in before you know it."

"Uh, thanks? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be fitting in though. I don't particularly care about clothing outside of a brown cape I'm impartial to.

Reuniclus held in a snicker before she chirped out, "Ah no need to worry, I was just prattling on about some frivolities; pay me no mind. Back to the original topic though, I agree to all your conditions. Please allow me to offer my services as a healer to Noibat."

Through that short exchange, Mewtwo's nerves eased as his mistrust towards Reuniclus lessened as he freely directed Noibat's suspended body towards her. Reuniclus herself allowed approval to show on her face as she gazed upon the life dew maintaining and mending even the most severe injuries on the bat's tiny body.

"My my, as far as rudimentary combat healing goes this is spectacular! You've got quite a future as a medic if you so choose! Anyway, I just need to do this and-" Outstretching her gelatinous arms, she reached out to touch the Noibat. Upon doing so, a portion of her body's membranous liquid made its way towards his wings and neck where it lingered for a couple moments before returning to the Reuniclus. "There we go, about to be as good as new. He'll probably spend a few days knocked out in the infirmary but he'll be right back to normal before you know it."

Mewtwo was about to ask what she had done differently but right before his eyes, life was being restored throughout the bat's body. His torn wings were slowly but surely beginning to mend back much quicker than they would naturally and he could even tell that the hair around his neck was already beginning to regrow. Not considering the outliers that were the legendaries, this level of regenerative healing was practically unheard of. Even as, true to her word, she returned Noibat to his vicinity he still eyed her with restrained awe.

"Ah don't give me that look, I can tell you more about this ability of mine later. For now we've got more important matters to discuss." Her eyes hardened slightly as she unflinchingly stared at the feline once more. "Such as what you're doing here Mewtwo, I've heard about your vagabond tendencies but few pokemon even wander this deep into eastern Kalos let alone someone of your status. Did you wander on some whim or did you have a premeditated purpose for being here?"

Originally, Mewtwo was planning on protesting and demanding answers of his own but the Reuniclus before him was really quite intimidating for someone so passionate about health and wellbeing. From regular pokemon, on the few times he had interacted with them, he was used to being looked at with fear, reverence, curiosity, distrust, or any combination thereof. Here he saw none of those things, only the confidence and clinical inquisitiveness of the gelatinous pokemon. The idea of what seemed like a mostly everyday pokemon could hold still to such a demeanor knowing full well who he was did unnerve him. Consequently, he figured that being forthright and honest would be the best way to alleviate the situation.

With a mild stutter, Mewtwo responded "I uh, was here to take some notes on the Azoth Kingdom. Read about it in some texts and figured I could learn a thing or two from the unique way technology developed here and I did. I was about to head back to Johto before the mist hit but when it did, curiosity got the better of me and I think you know the rest."

The Reuniclus continued to appraise him after that statement, still unrelenting to the point where Mewtwo was checking himself to make sure he wasn't sweating.

"I've surmised as much, few meander this deep into these mists outside of the curious and foolhardy and the latter doesn't seem to be what drives you." She replied attentively in response to his tension, however her tone then suddenly turned stern. "That said, I have to comment that you've shown shades of recklessness with how you were a bit too worked up during combat and how you were on the cusp of directly hampering with the mist. I can guarantee that would have ended rather poorly for you had you not been distracted by the situation this Noibat caught himself in."

"Oops, yeah looking back at it now you're in the right to call that move reckless. That's definitely my bad." Admitted Mewtwo embarrassingly, with Reuniclus catching the faintest of blushes on her fellow psychic despite the obscurity between them. "Though I have to know, what exactly would have happened had I gone through with my original plan?"

"That's rather simple, anyone who disturbs the mist to the extent you were devising would have practically tripped an alarm where the mist itself would converge upon you, with its stifling effects becoming even more potent to the point where you'd most likely be driven to unconsciousness and not in any position to properly wield your abilities any time soon." Replied Reuniclus, raising an eye and ready to gauge the reaction she'd induce. "I'm not sure if even you could have withstood that, I know I wouldn't if I tried."

"Damn, that's just flat out genius!" he exclaimed, excitement clear in his eyes. It's not too complex of an idea but it covers so many bases on principle alone! I'll have to try out this idea for myself, albeit I'll have to tweak the basic formula quite a lot due to my lack of expertise over fairy energy which will need a lot of testing-"

"Alright that's enough, you can save your exhilaration for later," interrupted Reuniclus with more than a bit of irritation. "I've got a boss to report to and I'm sure you've got more important questions that take priority. Let's go, follow me."

"Er hold on, just one quick thing," interjected Mewtwo with a bit of worry in his voice. "This Gliscor, she's a mother. From what I could tell she's looking after a few children of her own. I was just wondering if maybe there might be something we could do for them? I don't have the heart to just leave them be and since you know the area I was wondering-"

"One step ahead of you on that one," replied Reuniclus quite chipperly. "A colleague of mine was already sent ahead to fetch them; you're not the only one quite meticulous about these matters. You can be sure that if they need anything, I'll be there to lend them a hand. Now let's be on our way"

From then on Mewtwo followed Reuniclus through the foggy horizons. They were moving a bit too slowly for his tastes but she was already noticeably faster than the average Reuniclus so he felt that any confrontation regarding that topic would go poorly. Instead he allowed his mind to wander freely but no matter what, the topic of how she knew of him remained at the forefront of his thoughts. This enigmatic leader of hers too, the savage scourge, was someone he could not shake from his mind either. He still had no clue about his identity or motives but if everything Reuniclus told him was true, he must have methods of obtaining information that few had access to and from Mewtwo's perspective that was one of the hallmarks of ambition. Combined with how far from the public eye this individual was since he barely, if at all, appeared in history or mythos outside of this local area Mewtwo was incredibly intrigued about what drove the few actions he knew the scourge took. He knew that there was no way of getting direct information from Reuniclus about the topic but perhaps an unassuming but likely revealing question could get something.

Trying to sound as neutral as possible yet not restraining his natural inquisitiveness Mewtwo spoke up and asked, "This leader of yours, the savage scourge, am I correct in assuming that he's a legendary pokemon?"

Pausing, Reuniclus brought a digit to her chin and had to ponder the question Mewtwo threw at her for a couple of seconds. "Well that's a rather difficult question to answer and it depends on how one would personally designate legendary status to a pokemon. If near-immortality and immense power beyond any ordinary pokemon are what distinguish legendaries for you then yes, he'd match that criteria. However, if you define a legendary by presence in myths, complex intertwined relationships with other legendaries, and common reverence across many people and pokemon throughout the world then no. In that sense, whatever you consider yourself to be is what you'd see my leader as." Reuniclus finished, rather bemused by the analogy she came up with.

"I see, I see. Well I've always thought of myself as part of some awkward middle ground so maybe I could welcome him to the club," joked Mewtwo and he could have sworn the beginnings of a smile formed on Reuniclus's face. Continuing on, he further questioned "Would I be mistaken in thinking that he has little interest in the affairs of the outside world then? I'm still drawing a blank on who he could be despite Mew vehemently trying to make me remember every single one of my 'brothers and sisters' so I have to surmise he's not someone whose name comes up often in the history books."

"Oh no, he's quite interested in outside affairs actually. It's just that his specific interests can come across as peculiar and follow a rhyme or reason only he really knows. I'd tell you more but this is a topic you're really better off just talking to him about. All I will say is that your case was one of those interests, I have my suspicions on why but I'll not cloud your thoughts with them."

"Well that was vague, still that does shine some insight. I don't suppose you can just tell me who he is, or even why he chose such an intimidating alias?"

"I could, but where's the fun in that? prodded Reuniclus, a degree of cheekiness popping up once more.

"Fine fine, keep your secrets"

Mewtwo continued to follow Reuniclus in silence occasionally checking on Noibat once in a while, both to ensure his condition and to once again analyze the effects of Reuniclus's healing as if expecting something to change in between said scans. While not doing so or going in circles on the identity of the scourge, Mewtwo eyed his surroundings with curiosity. Slowly but surely the pillars of rock were beginning to become more and more infrequent as he continued traveling opposite of the direction he initially came from. However, the mist only grew more and more dense which contrasted with a slow but sure increase in temperature and sunlight exposure he was beginning to sense coming from above.

Before he could hop onto that train of thought however, Reuniclus spoke up. "We're almost there, let's take the rest of the journey on terra firma shall we?" Upon stating those words, Reuniclus changed her trajectory and began heading straight downwards, the bodies of Talonflame and Gliscor awkwardly rotating with the sudden change. Mewtwo followed right behind her and to his surprise it was only a couple seconds before he caught sight of solid ground. Even through the thick fog, he caught sight of swaying grasses, large trees, and a variety of flowers. As Mewtwo was about to touch down on the ground, he made sure to remain levitating a few centimeters off the ground.

Pointing towards a grove of trees Reuniclus spoke up once more, "In that direction there's a cliffside that overlooks a large stretch of the land that encompasses this plateau. That's where you can meet the boss. I can already feel his presence, can you?"

Mewtwo felt no such thing at first but upon heightening his senses once more, he felt the movement of a particularly powerful presence heading towards the spot Reuniclus had indicated. He had tried to figure out more about the specifics but found that the mist was more tightly packed in this area than where he was prior. Even his prized psychic powers were now noticeably dulled which granted even more credence to Reuniclus's earlier warning. Even beyond that however, he could not sense general emotions or an aura coming from that direction and being able to mask those were a surefire way of identifying a Pokémon of immense power and wisdom.

"Alright, I see what you mean. I'll head out to meet him but what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to patch these two up of course then I'll get back to tending to the fools who let themselves get a bit too banged up during training and scuffles. I'm the one who oversees all medical care in this place you see so it's rare to be stuck in dull moments in such a position, especially when the boss or my confreres start egging on the young ones a bit too much," she stated with exasperation clear in her voice but from there an undertone of pleading surfaced. "I know it might be too much to ask again but can you trust me with that Noibat? I'll understand if you don't want to but the boss can be boisterous…. and very loud. I'd rather it if this little one wasn't disturbed while recovering with how sensitive his ears should be right now and especially so if the boss is as excited to meet you as I think he is."

"I still have some apprehensions but it seems you've been truthful to me this whole time and I am indeed very impressed by your healing prowess. I suppose I can trust you with him but once my business has been settled I'll be looking for you as soon as possible, likely tonight.

Reuniclus chuckled, "Not happening, not for any reason concerning me mind you but because I don't expect you to have much downtime. I can think of many many things that would keep you occupied on your first day at Nebel Plateau."

"Is that the name of this place, Nebel Plateau?" Inquired Mewtwo, now suddenly nosy.

"Yep, now that you're here there's no point in hiding it. I take it that you've only heard the name through passing or not at all?"

"I haven't heard it at all until today when I did my own survey of the Azoth Kingdom. Even there it was only spoken in whispers and footnotes, the only thing of note I got was that it supposedly houses the greatest creation of the inventor Nikola who had then sealed it away due to civil war. Now is that much true?" Questioned Mewtwo, his scholarly demeanor surfacing once more.

"I will admit that but nothing more, the rest I lack the necessary discretion to reveal."

"Fair enough, I'm sure I'll be able to get answers from the ruler of this place.

"Now this would be the part where I'd ask you to trace my psychic signature but you've already done as much haven't you?" Accused Reuniclus harshly, but not without some facetiousness.

"Guilty as charged, I hope to see these feckless birds all patched up when I next see you"

With a wink, Reuniclus responded with "Of course, or I'm not the best damn healer on this side of the planet. Be seeing you." As she said those words, she teleported away with the three flying type pokemon, now leaving Mewtwo on his lonesome.

Wasting no time, Mewtwo began heading towards the cliffside Reuniclus had indicated. On his way though, he couldn't help himself from observing the trees that decorated the grove he was passing by. The left side of the grove housed healthy generic trees and greenery but to the right were a variety of berry trees and shrubs that betrayed signs of masterful cultivation. A specific scent coming from the berry trees caught his attention and Mewtwo's stomach grumbled in response.

"Ugh, I know this scent all too well. Fresh Kasib berries, the one thing that actually gets me to feel hungry. I've lost so much time ever since Mew began to bait me out of my lab with those, they're way too good" groaned out Mewtwo. Doesn't help that now I'm reminded I haven't eaten anything since I got to Kalos. Maybe I can sneak just a couple."

Mewtwo traced the scent of the berries to the Kasib trees, mostly unassuming stalks that bore the sweet purple berries that almost seemed appendaged. He grabbed a handful of the berries and began heading towards the cliffside vantage point, electing to munch on his favorite food while waiting to be approached by the powerful presence he had sensed earlier.

Once again expanding his psychic senses, he noted that the powerful presence he felt was indeed getting closer albeit still a fair distance away. Now that he was nearer to it too, he began to feel a slight surge of heat carried by the wind from the direction it was coming from.

"So it's increasingly likely that this scourge is a fire type eh? Well that narrows my options a bit but no use pondering things that will be revealed soon enough with the simple passage of time. Now, time to quiet this feckless pit before it acts up while I'm trying to keep a good impression."

Breaking off a piece of a Kasib berry, Mewtwo quickly munched down on the sweet and dry berry. What he didn't expect was that the flavors of these specific Kasibs were more sublime than any he'd had before which was quite the achievement with how Mew herself often handpicked the ones he had before. He had planned on eating the berries at a leisurely pace but the exhilaration of these new enhanced flavors had him finishing the berries with gusto in less than a minute.

"Man these are great," thought Mewtwo to himself as he finished the last bite of a Kasib. He began to reach out for another one yet found that none of the berries were left. He eyed the slight leftovers on his digits and, after double checking that no one was in the vicinity, quickly lapped up the remaining residue rather unseemingly. He began to wonder how feasible it would be to grab more of the berries and without arousing suspicion before a deep voice boomed out behind him.

"It's impolite to gorge yourself on the bounty of your host before you get to meet him yourself. Don't you think so?

Turning around, Mewtwo found a rather imposing outline lumbering his way through the mist. A quadruped creature with heavy footsteps was approaching him as he saw tints of red through the obscurity. Feeling somewhat startled by the suddenness of the voice, he didn't think much before he blurted out "I'm really sorry about that, they smelled absolutely amazing and I couldn't resist so I-"

Before Mewtwo could blabber on, the new voice that had previously held shades of a judgmental tone instead became entirely replaced by roaring laughter and Mewtwo could have sworn that puffs of steam had emitted from where the laughter was coming from. Whoever this new presence was, Mewtwo couldn't even read its basic emotions with his powers which signified that this was assuredly the powerful presence he had sensed. Unsure how to respond, Mewtwo simply did not until the sound of laughter died down.

The voice then spoke up again, with traces of hysteria still apparent in a now gruff but untroubled voice. "Hah, don't worry about it! Food is meant to be eaten after all isn't it? If anything, seeing you so thoroughly enjoying the fruits of the land I work tirelessly to develop and protect brought out a renewed pride of sorts!

"Uh, you saw all that?" muttered out Mewtwo embarrassingly.

"Well yeah, I can actually see completely unimpeded through this mist. One of the few perks this lumbering form's divinity allows me actually. Though I suppose I should let you see for yourself what I mean by that.

Mewtwo then began to see the unfiltered form of the voice behind him that lumbered out of the mist and came eye to eye with what he thought to be one of the most visually distinct creatures he'd ever seen. It was a bulky, quadrupedal creature whose diamond-shaped body was mainly shaded a deep red, four brown diamond shaped crests symmetrically decorated its lower body and its limbs resembled pumps. What took the bulk of his attention though was the gigantic ring that settled just above the creature's body, six protrusions resembling craters adorned themselves throughout the ring alongside aqua blue dots and stripes that further decorated it. At the apex of the ring were four embedded ovular adornments that seemed to hold the whole thing together. On closer inspection, Mewtwo also noted that each of the creature's four limbs had the same crater-like protrusions that appeared on the ring, which made him begin to wonder about their significance for he had met no other being that seemed to have a bodily autonomy that came close to this creature.

Noticing the silence and the darting eyes of Mewtwo, the creature boomed out "Hah! Sizing me up, are you? Not too surprised about that since I'm one of a kind! That, and you really strike me as the analytical sort. Let me guess, you're thinkin that I'm some strange creature that resembles nothing you've ever seen, and given the chance you'd dissect me like a Froakie to see what makes me tick?"

Attempting to compose himself, Mewtwo replied "Ah, no no no. Nothing as crass to the extent you were suggesting but I will admit that it is as you say, I don't believe I've come across anything that even resembles you."

The creature bellowed a laugh once more "That's not surprising since even among legendaries I stick out like a sore thumb and there's nothing that could even hope to appear in my likeness! If you squint, Rayquaza can pass for an oversized Serperior and Ho-Oh, while glorified, doesn't appear much more than a plump flying Torchic. Meanwhile, no one can mistake the great Volcanion for anyone else, none can claim this glorious visage as their own!

Though it seemed as if he was spacing out, Mewtwo's mind was racing in hopes of better understanding the perplexing individual in front of him. "It seems like looks aren't all that's unique about him, what an overbearing personality!" He continued thinking on "What brashness it must take to so brazenly insult other legendaries! Well actually scratch that; if what he said is true then he's absolutely a legendary as well and sour relations between them are quite commonplace. Still, I wonder what has him so peeved?

"You're not very subtle, are you? Your face gives you away; you're thinking to yourself about my unique and charming temperament and trying to figure out my relation to the other big shots if I'd casually just insult two very prominent members of the holy pantheon? No need to hide it, I already got you all figured out!"

"Gah! I can't let my guard down around you can I? I may as well tell you that I misjudged you, first impressions made me figure that you'd just be a typical big brute but you're cleverer than I gave you credit for."

Volcanion smirked to that and in a smug manner replied "And now you're giving me too much credit, sure being able to perceive what another is thinking is a nifty ability I've picked up over time but you were doing a downright awful job at hiding what was in your noggin. Not like I've got a problem with that though since I like to be a real easy read most of the time too."

Mewtwo bore a neutral expression at that, "You're an intriguing fellow, I can say that much with absolute certainty, but I fear we've gone on quite a tangent. I think it would be for the best if we headed back towards the initial topic you wished to discuss with me."

"Ah yes the initial topic, I guess I did sidetrack this conversation quite a bit huh? It's a bit of a late welcome but the name's Volcanion and I'd like to introduce you to my home, the Nebel Plateau.

The moment he uttered that, the ring in his back separated into two linear pumps as they released flares into the sky. Slightly startled, Mewtwo stepped back but found himself eying the flares just released. The flares exploded not too long after and their effects were instantaneous, the dense mixture of mist and fog parted from the horizon in order to allow the light of day to shine unimpeded.

Once the light from the flares died down, the stunning sight of the Nebel Plateau awaited Mewtwo's eyes. Lush greenery expanded as far as the eye could see with either expansive grasslands or luxuriant forestry occupying the bulk of the flat plateau. Shrubbery and patches of flowers decorated the terraced slopes of the mountainous terrain surrounding the plateau which hid a small system of caverns to serve as a home for pokemon who preferred such an environment. Two pristine lakes rounded off the ecosystem with one lake supplying the other with water through a system of waterfalls. At the very epicenter of the plateau stood two ancient trees whose foliage seemingly joined together as one, creating a natural alcove. Most stunningly of all though was a beamingly beautiful field of flowers which contained species of an amazing spectrum of forms and colors. All throughout the assorted areas of the plateau, an incredible variety of pokemon resided which Mewtwo had been unable to sense until the mist was lifted. Suffice to say, Mewtwo was breathless even if just for a moment.

"Incredible isn't it?" expressed Volcanion, breaking the silence. "This plateau and everything in it are my pride and joy. This is something I've dedicated my life to for a very long time now, I hope you think it's a worthwhile effort.

Noticing Mewtwo performing a psychic scan of the area, Volcanion chuckled to himself as the younger legendary continued to take in the sights of his beloved home. Continuing to notice no sign of the feline breaking free from his reverie, Volcanion spoke up, "Welcome to the Nebel Plateau, for what it's worth I do hope you enjoy your stay here."

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AN: Chapter 2 done! Now this was one hell of a doozy but what's done is done. Hopefully I've managed to set up some excitement with this premise because this setting has been on my mind for a couple years now actually and its only now that I'm committing to it. I've already began work on the next 3 chapters to varying degrees so here's hoping I can keep a steady pace. Reviews are appreciated and I'm always looking to improve!