Author's Note: As we draw closer to the finale I just gotta say thank you to everyone for the support on this series! These upcoming chapters are some of my favorites that I have ever written (in terms of wrapping up the story and the battles.) Plus, it is so hard for me to wrap my head around that this series is about to come to a close!
-Kid Arceus
Hope you guys enjoy:
The Final Battle: The Ultimate Weapon (Part 7)
The Mewtwo ball sealed itself, levitating back up into Giovanni's free hand. Cracking a grin, the black shadowy Aura which exploded from the ball came together, giving shape to Ash's former partner, now turned enemy. The black skin of the Pokemon made it stand out on the Golden Battlefield which they fought, as the tip of its tail and the orange crystal protruding from its shoulder gave off an intense glow. Glaring daggers in the direction of Alexa and a battered Ash, shivers were sent down the spines of the two Aura Guardians, feeling the despair that this Pokemon emanated. It truly was a Being of Darkness, and the reason they were fighting on the Immortal Battlegrounds. Placed between the Shadow Mewtwo and the Ketchums was a damaged Ash-Greninja, who kneeled with its blue katana still driven into the ground, having not moved since being caught in Golem's blast.
Pulling out her next Pokeball to throw out onto the field, Ash stuck his free hand outwards, keeping his sister from tossing out the ball. "Alexa, I don't want you facing that thing. Greninja can still fight. So we're going to take it on."
Turning its head towards the trainers, Greninja nodded, as it slowly rose back up to two feet. Bringing its blade up from the ground, the Kalos starter held its blade outwards. 'As long as I still have breath in my breast, I shall stand and fight against your villainy!' The noble Pokemon said, gazing into the menacing eyes of Giovanni's Shadow Mewtwo.
'So be it,' Giovanni and his Mewtwo said in unison.
Taking on a purple hue, Giovanni's Shadow Mewtwo took off across the field in the blink of an eye, driving its right fist into the face of Ash's Greninja. As if it were flying back in slow motion, the Mewtwo teleported above the Pokemon, interlocking its fingers and driving its two hands into Greninja's abdomen. Teleporting once more, appearing before the head of the Greninja, Mewtwo threw its right hand down, squeezing its fingers around the head of the damaged Pokemon. Hanging limp in the air, being held by its face, Greninja made no movements. Making a purple explosion from its hand, Greninja's head was left smoking as Mewtwo dropped the Pokemon back to the ground. Landing on its knees, Greninja remained slumped over, dropping the blue Liquidation-katana from its webbed fingers. Feeling his Pokemon's pain, Ash fell onto his knees as well, placing a hand on his head as he felt the severe pain of a migraine set in.
Sticking its hand out to the side, the Shadow Mewtwo manifested a long black scythe from its hand, grabbing the weapon by its handle and twirling it in place. Holding the weapon with two hands, Mewtwo drew the weapon back, ready to strike Greninja down for good. Before it could, however, a black tornado of dark energy crashed into the left side of the Pokemon. Bashing the Pokemon off the battlefield and into one of the pillars off to the side. The swirling energy dissipated, revealing Alexa's Incineroar standing in its place with a menacing grimace on its face. The Alolan Starter threw its head back and let out a roar at the Shadow Pokemon who slowly began to rise.
Looking to his left side, up at his sister, Ash saw Alexa holding the ball to her Pokemon outwards. With a tear rolling down her cheek, she couldn't just stand there watching Greninja getting brutalized. "C'mon Incineroar!" The teen shouted.
Letting out a snarl, Incineroar lunged forwards forcing the weight of its body into Giovanni's Ultimate Weapon. Driving the evil Pokemon into one of the arena's columns, Incineroar held up its fists delivering a left hook to the Shadow Mewtwo while its back was up against the column. Before it could bring its right fist forwards, a purple glint went off in the pitch-black Mewtwo's eye, causing it to Teleport away from the attack. Driving its right fist into the beam, a small crater formed where Incineroar had made contact. From behind the Alolan Starter, Mewtwo reappeared, squeezing the head of Incineroar between its fingers. Bringing them forwards, Incineroar's body went along as it was brought down, and slammed back-first into the ground before the Mewtwo.
Forming a Shadow Claw with pointed fingers in its right hand, Mewtwo swung its hand down towards the grounded opponent. Reacting quick enough, however, Incineroar swung its two arms up, catching the Shadow Pokemon by its wrist. Glaring at the Pokemon below, Mewtwo drove its clawed hand downwards, closer and closer to Incineroar's eye. As Incineroar's arms began to tremble under the force of the Pokemon, a flurry of blue Water Shurikens flew across the field, striking the Mewtwo and breaking its focus. Standing above Incineroar, looking in the direction of the attack, the Shadow Mewtwo locked eyes with the worn out Ash-Greninja back up on its feet.
Seeing its opportunity, Incineroar gripped tightly onto the wrist of the Shadow Mewtwo extending it outwards. Throwing its legs up and around the back of the Mewtwo's neck, Incineroar pulled, locking the Pokemon into a triangle choke. With its head being pinned up against the orange crystal embedded in its shoulder, Mewtwo used its free arm to squeeze the leg of the Pokemon wrapped around its head in an attempt to be set free. The Heel Pokemon continued to wrench at the arm even more, letting out a roar as it performed the submission maneuver.
Breaking into a sprint, grabbing its blue katana along the way, Greninja rushed in towards Incineroar and the Shadow Mewtwo. Holding the blade with two hands, Greninja appeared before the two Pokemon just as Incineroar released its hold. "LIQUIDATION!" With the Shadow Pokemon's arm outwards, Greninja swung its blade upwards, slicing through the black flesh of the Pokemon. The black arm fell to the ground as Incineroar rolled through, looking up at the one armed Legendary. The severed limb went up in a black cloud of smoke, making the two combatants certain that things had been made easier for themselves. The Shadow Mewtwo, however, did not even flinch throughout the entire ordeal.
Jutting the only hand it had outwards, the Shadow Mewtwo forced the Greninja and Incineroar to levitate into the air, throwing the two back into the direction of their trainers. Both landing back first onto the ground, the pair skidded to a halt at the feet of Ash and Alexa, both noticeably drained of their energy.
"An impressive attempt to out muscle my Pokemon," Giovanni said in his calm, but cold tone of voice. "However, you shall come to find that my beast has a few tricks of its own." Snapping his fingers, a green glow came over the body of the Shadow Mewtwo as it began to use Recover. Forming out of the stump of its right arm, a new three fingered hand appeared, first appearing as bone, before becoming wrapped with tendons and muscles. Finally getting covered with its black dermis, Mewtwo flexed its newly formed fingers. The eyes of Giovanni's Mewtwo glowed purple once again as it darted across the field towards its opponents.
Having sat up first, witnessing the attacker coming towards it, Incineroar popped back up to its feet making a run towards the incoming Mewtwo with a Sucker Punch. Just as it made contact with its target, Mewtwo flipped backwards, manifesting a long black scythe in its hands once more. Touching back down on the ground, using the shaft of its weapon to trip Alexa's Incineroar, the Alolan Pokemon gazed up as Mewtwo raised the long blade above its head.
Appearing between the two, driving a massive Water Shuriken into the ground to block the bladed weapon, Greninja with what little strength it had left managed to save Incineroar. The feline rolled to the side, lunging forwards at Mewtwo once again, performing a shoulder tackle to the Shadow Pokemon's midsection. Dragging its feet across the ground, the Shadow Pokemon utilized its psychic powers to prevent it from leaving its feet, giving off an expressionless face. With Incineroar pushing against its torso trying to make it budge, the Shadow Mewtwo looked up to see Greninja jumping towards it with its blade drawn.
In a rapid motion, the Shadow Mewtwo locked Incineroar's head in place, spinning it around before throwing it back-first into one of the pillars to the Immortal Battlegrounds. As it turned back towards the airborne Greninja, the Shadow Pokemon levitated its scythe back into its and twirled it in place. Slicing in an upwards motion, Greninja was slashed diagonally across its chest, landing on the ground beside the Shadow Pokemon with a thud. In what felt like a blink of an eye, Greninja was struck out of the air and facedown on the ground unconscious. As Greninja reverted back to its original form, Ash fell forwards grabbing at his chest, as he too felt the painful attack that Greninja experienced. Taking deep breaths while on his hands and knees, he pulled Greninja's ball off his belt and returned the fainted Pokemon.
"Ash!" Alexa said, running to her brother's side, trying to help him back to his feet. Supporting his weight, Alexa glared across the field at Mewtwo and Giovanni. "Why are you hurting him! He's your friend, Mewtwo!"
"Oh, I am certain that he can not hear you," Giovanni said to the teen. "His innermost thoughts and memories of you two have been replaced by the tormented screams of the Distortion World. This is what fuels my menace's bloodlust."
"Lex…" Ash panted, supporting himself up on two, shaky legs once more. "I'm alright… but we have to do whatever it takes to put a stop to Mewtwo… If we don't, it'll come for Arceus." Pulling the next ball off his belt, Ash lobbed the orb forwards sending out his Heracross once more. Throwing its head back and raising its arms, Heracross let out a cry. Leaping up into the air and letting its wings carry it, Heracross rushed in with a glowing Megahorn. Sticking its two hands outwards, the Shadow Mewtwo let out an orange flash of light to slow down the Pokemon's momentum before it could be hit.
"You will try. Yet you will come to find that it will not be so easy." However, just as Giovanni finished the sentence, Alexa's Incineroar plowed into the side of the Shadow Pokemon, freeing Heracross from the energy field. Tackling the Shadow Pokemon to the ground, positioned on top of it, Incineroar used its claws to repeatedly slash at the face of the Pokemon. Giovanni looked on unworried, watching the ferocity of Alexa's Pokemon at work. Grinning, the Rocket Leader snapped his fingers once more. While facing up at the black and red tiger-like Pokemon attacking it, an orange glint appeared in the eye of the grounded Shadow Pokemon, sending waves of energy up into its attacker. Throwing the Pokemon high into the air, Incineroar was slammed up against the ceiling as waves of Unown began to pile over the Pokemon. Incineroar clenched its teeth, before letting out a pained cry, feeling itself growing weaker and weaker the longer it remained inside of the swarming Unowns. Slowly shutting its eyes while hearing its trainer cry out its name, Incineroar was finished off by the Shadow Mewtwo, who swung its arm downwards, ripping the Pokemon away from the Unown, and sending it crashing to the ground below.
"Incineroar!" Alexa exclaimed, looking at her Pokemon which lay sprawled out in the center of the battlefield. With a shaky hand, she pulled out her Pokeball and recalled it. It had put in a great effort throughout the entire battle, but succumbed to a much superior foe. 'Normally Dark Types are immune to Psychics! But that thing is different! I have two choices now… Electivire and Lucario… but Lucario is blind… I can't send him out to face that thing.' Pulling out her Electivire's Pokeball, Alexa tossed the massive Pokemon out onto the field. Bashing its fists together, and pulling them apart, electricity surged between the knuckles of the Sinnoh Pokemon as it let out a battlecry.
"The physicality of your Electivire is impressive," Giovanni said, staring down the Electric type. "Allow me to show you the foe that will dominate it." As he uttered those words, a black Aura manifested around Giovanni's Mewtwo, encasing it in a black, rock-like substance. Seeing her brother do this before, Alexa knew that Mewtwo was undergoing some type of Mega Evolution into one of two forms.
"MEGAHORN!" Ash exclaimed, throwing his hand outwards. Speeding in towards the enemy in a flash, with its horn glowing green, Ash's Heracross smashed through the protective casing before Mewtwo had developed all the way through. Using its powerful horn attack to break through the substance, Heracross used its two hands to rip away at the rock surrounding it. With the Shadow Mewtwo exposed, not in its Mega form, the Johto Pokemon pushed the Shadow Mewtwo along with its horn, driving it into a pillar. Upon hitting the structure, Heracross continued on piercing the flesh of the Shadow Pokemon's torso. Grabbing onto the Bug/Fighting type's pointed horn with two hands, however, the Shadow Mewtwo managed to out muscle the Pokemon, pulling its pointed horn out of its body. Now holding Heracross by the horn with one hand, the Shadow Mewtwo swung its other arm forwards delivering a blast of dark Aura into the Pokemon's exposed torso.
"Electivire, use Discharge!" Alexa exclaimed, seeing that Heracross was now out of the blast zone.
"Psychic, Mewtwo," Giovanni said.
Electivire threw its two bulky fists forwards, sending a massive pulse of electrical energy across the field. Mewtwo, however, looked at its attacker with glowing purple eyes. Freezing Electivire's attack in mid air, the Shadow Mewtwo stuck out its arm sending the crackling wave of electricity right back at Electivire. Getting struck in the chest, Electivire was blown backwards off the golden battlefield. "Electivire, no!" Alexa exclaimed, turning towards her Pokemon, who laid face up with its chest smoking.
With its two enemies grounded, Mewtwo raised its arms as the fragments of black rock began to swirl around its body. Reforming its Mega Evolution casing, Mewtwo was now able to carry out its further evolution. Emerging from its orb, Giovanni's Shadow Mewtwo now stood even taller, with thick trunks for its legs. Growing an additional orange crystal from its once exposed shoulder, the crystals, along with the tips of the Mega Shadow Pokemon's ears and tail gave off an orange glow. Looking at its two attackers, it saw that Electivire and Heracross were up on their feet once more.
'There is no mercy for you now,' The Mega Pokemon said, raising its two fists. 'Come and meet your doom!'
Now back on the field, Electivire shared a glance with its much smaller partner. While each had been battered from their previous encounters, they were both still ready to stand and fight.
"Use Thunderbolt!"
"Brick Break!"
Placing its hands on the ground, Electivire hunched its body forwards, driving its two probes into the ground. Releasing the energy stored within, large lightning bolts tore their way across the battlefield, striking the enemy Mewtwo, causing it to go up in an explosion. Having crossed its arms to shield its face, the Mega Shadow Pokemon burst through the clouds of smoke.
Meeting the Shadow Pokemon halfway across the battlefield, Heracross delivered a chop across the chest of Giovanni's Pokemon. Hitting its mark, Heracross flew off past the corrupted Legendary Pokemon, catching its attention. Then, from above, Alexa's Electric type came down with two clubbing fists, bashing the Mega Pokemon atop its head. Now in the center of the battlefield, Electivire performed an onslaught of kicks, Thunder Punches and Ice Punches in an attempt to take out the enemy Pokemon. The large Pokemon then pulled back its right fist, focusing its power into a glowing Super Power. Just as it went to swing, the Shadow Mewtwo stuck out its right hand, catching the fist of the Electivire. While Electivire tried to push on for a moment, it raised its two probes from its back, pointing them at the eyes of the enemy. From its tips came a bright flash of light, which caused the Shadow Pokemon to stumble backwards, covering its eyes.
"Now Heracross! Close Combat!" Ash exclaimed, thrusting his hand forwards. Heracross swooped into the battle once more, bashing the blinded Pokemon under its jaw with the mighty horn atop its head. With its head forced upwards, its body was open for an assault of rapid punches. Driving its right hand into the Pokemon's left shoulder, an orange piece of crystal shattered off of the Pokemon. Heracross's attack, however, would be short lived.
Throwing its head back down, the Mega Mewtwo locked onto the Pokemon with its eyes glowing purple. Jutting its left arm out, Heracross was sent flying across the battlefield, dragging its two feet across the ground to slow its momentum. From behind the Mega Shadow Pokemon came Electivire, with a fist cloaked in electricity. Sensing its presence, however, Mewtwo turned its body and targeted Electivire with its free right hand. Taking on a purple hue similar to Heracross, Electivire was also pushed backwards across the battlefield in the direction of Giovanni.
'ON YOUR KNEES!' The Shadow Mewtwo shouted, contorting its arms and pushing the Ketchum Pokemon down with its psychic powers. As a result, both Heracross and Electivire were forcefully pushed to the ground onto their knees, each letting out a pained cry as they felt the effects of the Pokemon. Mewtwo then leapt high into the air, raising its arms before crossing them in a downward swing. Because of this, Heracross and Electivire were sent skidding across the field by their knees, crashing into each other in the center of the field. The two Pokemon gazed up at the Shadow Pokemon and Unown levitating high above them. Raising its hands over its head, Mewtwo created a large Shadow Ball in its two hands. Throwing it down at its dazed opponents, the pair were both caught inside the massive attack.
"Electivire!" Alexa cried out with worry in her voice, watching the two battlers go up in a purple explosion. Both resting in the large crater made by Mewtwo were the Ketchum's Pokemon, both unconscious and unable to battle. "No…"
Glancing out onto the field, Ash watched as his sister returned her powerhouse of a Pokemon. 'This is bad! Her only Pokemon left is Lucario. I'm sure he won't need his eyesight to read Mewtwo's Aura, but I'm not sure he'll be able to match up with its physicality… And if Lucario goes down… then she'll meet the same fate as Tobias. I've got to keep her safe at all costs.'
"Return Heracross!" Ash said, recalling his fainted Johto Ace. Clasping the ball to his belt, Ash readied his next Pokemon for battle. "Go Lycanroc!" Once again, the orange wolf-like Pokemon emerged from its ball. Landing on all fours it let out a snarl as its green eyes met the Mega Shadow Mewtwo X's purple ones.
Alexa Ketchum held Lucario's pokeball in her trembling hand. She watched as Ash's Lycanroc rushed into battle head on at the enemy Mewtwo. Standing at her right was Ash, who while battered, still had a look of determination on his face knowing that he had to pull through in this battle.
Retreating into her mind, she heard the voice of her Lucario speaking to her through the Aura, even though it was within its ball. 'What is preventing you from engaging in this battle?' Her partner questioned.
'I'm afraid, Lucario…' The teen responded. 'This battle is nothing like any of the ones I've had at home. Normally it's all in good fun, but here… well here everyone on the team has taken a hit. It's brutal and it makes me sick! And you probably got it the worst… I just don't think I can bring myself to letting you get hurt again. I just feel like that girl who was scared of the Rockets all those years ago...'
'I understand...' Lucario responded to its trainer. '...However, like Giovanni said... "sacrifices must be made to ensure victory.'" It was destiny that brought us here on this day to stand and fight in order to save all of the other innocent lives across the cosmos. Who are we to let their freedom be snuffed out?'
'We all knew the risks coming into this battle, Alexa. We all knew that we would probably be coming out the other end different from when we went in. But none of this is your fault. It is time we fight for a noble cause so that we may bring hope to the beings of the Multiverse!'
Taking a deep breath, Alexa took in Lucario's words. As she processed them, her hand began to stop its trembling as she clutched Lucario's ball tightly. Holding the pokeball up to her mouth, Alexa closed her eyes and planted a kiss on it. 'Thanks Lucario. It's time to stand and fight.' Upon opening her eyes, they were shown to be radiating blue with her spiritual energy. Winding up for the pitch, Alexa threw out her final Pokemon, who burst from its ball in a blue eruption of Aura.