Mewtwo Strikes Back
"Chansey, chance chance!"
"Huh, that's weird. Usually there's a Nurse Joy around that Brock tries and fails to flirt with." Chloe noted while shooting a quick look around the lobby of the Pokemon Center as if she expected to see the nurse.
"It's daytime so she should be here... but I don't sense her." Brock frowned.
"Huh?" Ash gave him a look before shrugging. Brock seemed to have a unique gift of being able to tell Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy apart so he wouldn't put it past him to have some sort of radar that picked up on the women's presence.
"That's because Nurse Joy went missing several days ago without a trace," Hearts quickly filled Brock's eyes as Officer Jenny stepped through the Pokemon Center doors. "We're currently looking into the matter but until then the Pokemon Center from the next island over is lending the Center an extra Chansey so this one can take breaks."
"Can we be of assistance?" Ash asked.
Officer Jenny was quick to shake her head. "No, you kids just-"
"Why hello there, my name's Brock and I must say of all the Officer Jenny I have seen you've got the prettiest eyes!" Brock dropped to a knee as he extended an arm to the officer. "How about once you finish the investigation, you, me and Nurse Joy all go out on a-Ugh!" Brock shouted and Ash let out a surprised gasp as Chloe grabbed onto Brock's ear to pull him away.
"We don't have time for that, we'll be late for our appointment at New Island if we keep this up!"
"Croa!" Croagunk croaked out from laughter as he watched Chloe drag his trainer away.
"New Island?" Officer Jenny raised her eyebrow at that before quickly shaking her head from disproval. "I'm afraid I have to advise against that, there's no way you kids are getting there anytime soon. A massive freak storm recently surrounded the island making it nearly impossible to reach, a few trainers already tried. Some haven't come back while others came back wet and injured, we even had to close down the harbor after some rowdy foreigner threatened to beat up all the captains who'd refused to take her there. Foolish girl decided to brave the storm on the back of a skinny lizard Pokemon I've never seen before, no doubt it didn't end well..."
"Hm?" Ash tilted his head as Officer Jenny's description sounded a lot like Gloria, especially once she described what sounded like her Inteleon! "So there's no boats heading out there?"
"I'm afraid not, I'd have to advise against heading out there on your own too. Not many Pokemon can last swimming or flying through a storm!"
"You don't have to worry, I don't have anything that can get us there." Ash let out a defeated sigh. Pidgeot wouldn't be able to carry the weight of him, Chloe and Brock on top of Pikachu, Eevee and Croagunk while Charizard's tail flame would be at risk and Ash certainly wasn't going to risk the life of his Pokemon! Kingler and Kabutops weren't fit to carry them either. Ash turned around and left to find his friends and once he was around the corner and out of sight of Officer Jenny, three figures dressed up in viking attire appeared before him.
"Hello there, I believe you're looking for passage to New Island?" James asked. Of course it was in their best interest to help Ash, the three were certain that the 'world's strongest trainer' had a lot of powerful and rare Pokemon that they could swipe and give to their boss and Ash was their ticket onto the island!
"Yes but the harbor's closed so I guess I won't be making i-"
"That's quitter talk, be like us! Us los-vikings never give up no matter what!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Yeah we're used to braving tough storms, we'll take you there if you want!" Jessie offered.
"Really? That's quite nice of you, thanks so much!"
"..." Chloe silently stared at the 'help' that Ash had received. What was clearly just the Team Rocket trio dressed up stood within a long ship with what appeared to be Wobbuffet strapped to the front, the blue blob wearing a dress and wig. 'What are you three up to this time?'
Ash excitedly leaped into the ship non the wiser with Brock and Pikachu climbing in after him. "Come on Chloe, let's go! I can't wait to meet this guy!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
Chloe let out a sigh before forcing a smile as she climbed into the boat. He was so excited about getting to meet the world's strongest Pokemon trainer that she just didn't have the heart to tell him that it was the Rocket trio. After all they were surely not stupid enough to try something in the storm, especially after they were all sent blasting off together the last time they were at sea!
"And we're off!"
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried out alongside his friends as the trio set sail and left port.
"Hey, get back here you reckless kids!" Officer Jenny raced down the dock and blew her whistle as the boat sailed away from the island and towards the distant storm!
Getting there certainly wasn't a cake walk though as the three twerps had to assist the Team Rocket trio with quickly patching up parts of the boat and sail as the storm get pulling it apart before James eventually had enough and summoned Gyarados.
"Forget this, Gyarados pull the ship to the harbor!" James ordered, Jessie gave him a look as she was worried he just blew their cover. "What? Gyarados is a perfect Pokemon for us vikings!" He nervously laughed.
"GYA!" Gyarados burst out and wrapped his tail around the body of the ship, helping his master traverse through the dangerous storm with relative ease! However they were greeted by a rather peculiar sight as once they approached the dock, the rain and wind simply stopped! Chloe glanced upwards before looking back towards where they'd came.
"What? That's not possible, that just isn't scientifically possible!" Chloe gasped while shooting a quick look around. Although the storm surrounded the island, the island itself was completely dry and untouched by the rain! Something strange was definitely going on here.
"Alright, thanks a lot you guys!" Ash eagerly leaped from the boat before racing up the fortress' steps!
"Don't worry about it Chloe, we're probably just in the eye of the storm!" Brock placed his hand on her shoulder before motioning towards the fortress. "Now let's get inside before we get wet!"
James returned Gyarados to his Pokeball and gave the storm a look of concern as he quickly realized Chloe was right, there was something about this that was unnatural and he didn't like it!
"M-Maybe we should call it quits and leave now? I've got a bad feeling about this..."
"Don't be such a coward James!" Jessie casually waved off James' concerns as she and Meowth cut Wobbuffet loose from the ship. "Now let's get up there and follow them inside!"
"Right!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Wobbuffet!" The four raced up the steps and tried to open the door only to find that it had been locked shut! They threw their bodies up against it in an attempt to break it down but to no avail as it didn't even budge!
"Well we tried, let's go home!" James turned around but Jessie was quick to grab his shoulder as she pointed towards an open window that sat far above them!
"That's our way in!" Meowth and James gave each other a look and gulped as they realized they'd have to do this the hard way.
Ash, Brock and Chloe stepped foot into the fortress only to leap up as the doors slammed shut and locked behind them! Chloe glanced back and didn't see anyone standing there! "I don't like this..."
Ash gazed around the large open room with wonder shining in his eyes before spotting Gloria off in the distance, the feisty brunette girl was in an argument with some purple haired trainer that he'd never seen before. Gloria could be heard ranting and raving while the boy gave her a look that seemed to say he couldn't care less about how she felt about him! "Hmp!" The boy turned his back to Gloria only for Gloria to race around him and start her ranting all over again!
"Don't you have better things to do than humiliate yourself in front of the world's strongest trainer?"
"You started it by calling me pathetic, nobody and I mean nobody gets away with that!" Gloria began rolling up the sleeves of her jacket.
Brock and Ash quickly raced forward and grabbed hold of Gloria's arms before she could slug the purple haired trainer!
"Gloria don't!"
Paul let out an amused chuckle before turning his back to them. "You're lucky your friends are here, you were about to make a mistake you'd regret!"
"Is that a threat?! Cause I can totally kick your arse any day of the week, I almost defeated a champion!"
"You did?!" Ash's brief moment of surprise allowed Gloria to break free from his grasp.
"That's it buster, you and I are about to-!" Gloria lunged at Paul who merely gave her a bored look as she approached. However a bright blue light surrounded Gloria and kept her levitating through the air, keeping her away from Paul.
"That's enough fighting,"
"Pika pi." Yellow and her Pikachu came into view with a strange giraffe Pokemon standing beside them, it's eyes glowed bright blue showcasing that it was the culprit.
"Why can't the two of you just get along? We were all invited by the same reasons, there's no need to fight amongst ourselves and tire each out. Save the fighting for the big guy!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Gloria's here?" Gary remarked as he entered the fortress alongside Leaf, a loud thud could be heard as something slammed against the door shortly after their entry.
"Oh brother..." Leaf facepalmed with one hand while the other remained firmly within Gary's grasp.
"Oi Oak, good ta see you again! Bet you're still sore about me beating ya the last time our paths crossed!" Gloria taunted as she continued levitating through the air.
Leaf couldn't help but giggle out as Gary's eye twitched. "Yeah well... guess who beat every single Gym within Kanto?! That's right, I did!" Gary boasted as he thumbed downs his chest. "You're looking at the next Indigo League champion!"
"Oh really? I'll believe it when I see it!"
Chloe was quick to notice Gary and Leaf were holding hands. "When did this happen?" She questioned Leaf who shot her a grateful look as she was thankful for a distraction.
"Well you see Gary and I spent a lot of time together when we were... Sabrina's toys. We had a lot of time to discuss our feelings for one another and upon realizing I liked him, Gary immediately asked me out! Now we're officially dating!"
Chloe's eye twitched. "I-It was that easy?!"
"Yep!" Leaf gave her a confirming nod as Chloe let out a pained groan.
"Why can't it be that easy for me?!"
Leaf smiled and placed her hand upon Chloe's shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry, I'm fairly certain that Ash feels the same way about you! I've known him since we were all in diapers, I'm pretty sure that I can tell who he's in love with!"
"Huh? Whose in love with who?" Ash turned as he couldn't help but overhear the last bit of the conversation.
Paul let out a laugh and flashed Ash a mocking smirk. "You seriously can't tell your girlfriend is head over heels for you? How pathetic!"
"What did you just say?!" Ash growled out as he turned to face Paul.
"You heard me, I think it's pathetic that you two don't just get together. You obviously love each other so why don't you just say it and get it over with rather than waste everyone's time?"
"Calling me pathetic is one thing but nobody insults my friends!" Ash growled out.
"Pika..." Pikachu snarled as electricity surged through his cheeks.
"Alright Ketchum is finally getting some sense, kick his arse for me!" Gloria eagerly shouted!
"No, nobody is kicking anyone's butt!" Yellow exclaimed as she and Brock were quick to put themselves between Ash and Paul before things got violent.
"Oh come on, you're a bunch of killjoys! It's fun kicking people's arses especially when they deserve it!" Gloria exclaimed. Her Inteleon facepalmed and silently shook his head as he couldn't believe his trainer was the complete opposite of him!
"Your attention please!" An familiar voice could be heard cause everyone to dart their attention towards a nearby staircase as a strange yet familiar looking woman descended the stairs.
"Ah, that's the missing Nurse Joy!" Brock was quick to exclaim. As soon as he said Chloe was able to piece together why she seemed familiar.
"Of course!" Though Chloe mentally facepalmed at the fact that Brock could somehow identify a disguised Nurse Joy while seemingly remaining oblivious to Team Rocket's rather obvious and lazy disguises!
"Huh? That's not Nurse Joy." Ash commented.
"Yeah, are you blind or something?" Paul disrespectfully remarked.
"You lot have Nurse Joy's here too?!" Gloria let out a surprised gasp.
"Whose Nurse Joy?" The attendant asked, her tone and facial structure unchanging as she dismissed the subject.
"Something's not right here, Nurse Joy would never abandon her duty!"
"I'm just a humble servant to my master, the world's strongest trainer! And now without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my master!" Everyone's gaze turned towards the upper stairs as they expected to see somebody walking down them. Yellow happened to glance upwards and was quick to make a remark.
"Hey, something's floating down towards us!"
"Blondie's right! What sort of Pokemon is that?!" Gloria exclaimed.
"I have a name you know, it's Yellow!" Yellow gave Gloria a light glare.
"It looks a lot like-" Ash began.
"Mew?!" Chloe exclaimed.
"So you really did see Mew?!" Gary asked with a jealous look.
"Fascinating!" Leaf remarked as she watched the muscular feline descend.
"Hello everyone, the name's Mewtwo and I am the strongest Pokemon in the world!"
"Wait a freaking moment here, the strongest trainer is a Pokemon?!" Gloria exclaimed.
"If I catch it then I'll be the strongest!" Paul remarked with a sly smirk. "Torterra stand by for battle!"
"Torterra!"
"Not if I catch him first, Inteleon use Snipe Shot!"
"Torterra use Leaf Storm!"
"Don't leave us out of this, Pikachu use-!" Ash stopped midsentence and silently watched on as Mewtwo merely deflected Inteleon and Torterra's attacks with a wave of his hand!
"What the heck?!" Gloria gasped.
"Impossible!" Paul stated with a shocked expression.
"N-Nobody should be that strong!" Gary gasped.
"I-Is he really a Mew then?" Leaf questioned.
"I'm not Mew, I am her superior and future ruler of the world. If you bow I may just keep you around as my servant!"
"I was already enslaved once and I'm not letting that happen again!" Gary shouted. "Blastoise use Hydro Pump!"
"Venusaur use Petal Blizzard!" Leaf shouted as the two released Blastoise and Venusaur from their Pokeballs.
"Toise!"
"Saur!"
"Torterra use Leaf Storm once more!" Paul swiftly ordered.
"Use Snipe Shot, he can't stop all of us at once!" Gloria eagerly shouted. However that was precisely what Mewtwo did, waving his hand to deflect the attacks though strangely he made no effort to hurt the Pokemon!
"You humans are all the same, you seek me out as a tool and nothing more!"
"Hey Gloria and Paul are the ones that tried to catch you, your talk of enslaving humans is what got me involved!" Gary shouted.
"Right, you're just becoming a hypocrite! We humans are as different as Pokemon, we're not all alike!" Leaf remarked.
"We'll just see about that..." Mewtwo waved his hand and a collective gasp could be heard as the entire group's Pokemon all came bursting out of their Pokeballs with dazed and confused looks.
"Char?"
"Gengar?"
"Oma?"
"Electi?"
"Bone?"
"Umbre?"
"Greetings my fellow Pokemon, I offer you a chance at salvation! I'm giving you a chance to leave the enslavement your trainer's forced upon you and in turn you'll be welcomed into my army, together we'll conquer the world and ensure that Pokemon reign supreme!"
"Char!" Charizard didn't even think about it for a single, wasting no time in firing off a flamethrower at Mewtwo!
"Intel!" Inteleon and the rest of Gloria's team swiftly shook their heads. Despite her rash and embarrassing behavior they still loved her!
"Ursaring!"
"Torterra!" Torterra, Ursaring and the rest of Paul's team crossed their arms and merely glared at Mewtwo, proving to be not so different from their trainer.
"Really? Of all Pokemon here I was sure that you all would be quick to join me!"
"Ursa!" Ursaring cried out as he informed Paul that despite Paul's rough attitude he still cared for Pokemon, he didn't abuse or release them somewhere where they'd die. He often gave the Pokemon away or left them in their natural habitat, it wasn't like he left Water types in the middle of a desert or stranded a Fire type up in the snowy mountains!
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Char!"
"Gengar!"
"Pupitar!"
"Sceptile!"
"Primeape!" Ash's Pokemon all refused simultaneously while Croagunk gave Mewtwo a silent defiant stare as the rest of Brock's Pokemon shook their heads.
"Eevoi!" Eevee cried out followed by the rest of Chloe's team.
Mewtwo shot a look around the room as it appeared not a single one of the Pokemon present seemed interested in joining him!
"So be it," He raised his hand as a swarm of creepy looking black and purple Pokeballs came flying down upon the gathered Pokemon, scooping them right up before taking them away!
"Ah!" Leaf screamed out as the ball that captured Venusaur flew off to some unknown part of the fortress!
"How is he-? Everyone return your Pokemon now!" Chloe shouted.
Everyone was quick to listen, even Paul and Gloria as they didn't have much of a choice. However despite their efforts at preserving their Pokemon, Mewtwo's strange Pokeballs merely absorbed the Pokeballs themselves before flying off!
"What the-?!" Gloria stomped her foot as she shouted out.
"Eevee!" Chloe cried out as Eevee was swiftly captured.
"Croagunk!" Brock cried out.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted as Pikachu got captured although he acted out and rather recklessly too as he leaped up and grabbed hold of the Pokeball resulting in him being carried away with the Pokeball swarm! Chloe let out a terrified gasp and tightly clutched her bag as Togepi was sleeping soundly inside, somehow sleeping through the entire ordeal! Mewtwo didn't notice or perhaps he didn't care as the Pokeballs soon disappeared. Mewtwo then released his telepathic hold over Nurse Joy as her usefulness had come to an end.
"Oh... w-where am I...?" Her hat fell off as she rubbed her head, revealing her identity!
"I knew it!" Brock gasped out.
"Aaah!" The Team Rocket trio fell shortly upon climbing through the window, landing safely atop some cardboard boxes that appeared right before they could hit solid ground! "Ooff!"
Mew tilted her head as she looked around the strange room that Ash's stalkers had found themselves in, strange machinery was presented within the room as Mewtwo's creepy Pokeballs moved along a conveyor belt. A large monitor lit up showcasing images of Eiscue, Toxtricity, Torterra, Ursaring, Umbreon, Blastoise, Venusaur and Charizard flashed across the screen and appeared to be in synch with the Pokeball's movements.
"Mew?" Mew went to investigate before quickly cloaking herself as she sensed the Rocket Trio waking up.
"Oh... where are we?" Meowth rubbed his head before taking note of the machine. "Hm..." Curiosity got the best of him and he went to investigate, pressing a button which brought up an old video feed showcasing a familiar looking scientist!
"It's Dr. Nincompoop!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Hm?" Jessie and James awoke and went to investigate Meowth's discover.
"It's Namba!" Dr. Namba waved his fist as if he knew whoever watching would get his name wrong! "Project Mewtwo is a complete success, we are now able to clone an entire Pokemon from just a singular strand of DNA! It took a lot of trial and error but now just think of all the possibilities! An army of fossil Pokemon fit to do our bidding..." The screen flickered as Namba possibly erased some footage. "We grew an entire new Pokemon from just a singular eyebrow, meet Mewtwo!" Namba adjusted the camera to showcase Mewtwo sleeping soundly within a large test tube.
The trio let out gasps of amazement while Mew looked terrified!
"Mew!" She gasped.
"Unfortunately I'm forbidden from cloning anymore but just think of what this Pokemon is capable of, all the evil that can be done!" Namba began laughing maniacally. The Team Rocket trio and Wobbuffet were so entranced by the footage that they didn't notice mechanical claws reaching out for Meowth and Wobbuffet!
"W-What?! Jessie, James help!"
"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet panicked as he and Meowth were hoisted onto the conveyor belt!
"Meowth!"
"Wobbuffet!" James and Jessie exclaimed, quickly leaving the computer to rescue their friends! The two grabbed hold of the mechanical arms and tried prying them loose but they appeared to be made from titanium as they wouldn't bend or even budge! Meowth and Wobbuffet cried out as they were scanned by the machine and a nearby test tube lit up to reveal a Meowth and Wobbuffet with strange looking markings! Meowth and Wobbuffet landed in the glass container that held Mewtwo's Pokeballs and let out a cry.
"Get me outta here, I hate confined spaces!"
"Wobbu!"
"Calm down you two, we'll get you out of there!" Jessie looked around for a tool that could help.
James glanced around before feeling something tap his shoulder, James turned and noticed a crowbar being held out to him. "Thanks," James grabbed hold of it and was about to use it before uttering out a terrified screech as he realized what just happened. "Eeee! This place is haunted, a ghost just gave me this crowbar!"
"A ghost?" Jessie shot a look around the room before shaking her head. "You're delusional James, give me that!" She yanked the crowbar from his hand and began prying the machine with it!
"Ahhh!"
Ash landed on the conveyor belt and let out an aggressive grunt as he played tug and war with the mechanical arm. "Give back Pikachu!" However as Pikachu was the last one, a free arm swung out and smacked Ash out of the way forcing him to release his grasp on Pikachu as the computer monitor lit up to showcase Pikachu's image.
"Whose that Pokemon? It's Pikachu!" The trio exclaimed.
"You three?!" Ash rubbed his head as he got back to his feet. "I don't have time for this!" Ash leaped up and grabbed the ball containing Pikachu before it could join the others. He tapped the release button, freeing Pikachu who immediately leaped onto his shoulder and gave him an affectionate nuzzle!
"Pikaaaa!"
"I was worried I'd never see you again!"
"Pikaaa!"
"Yeah yeah, touching moment and all but can you help us get Meowth and Wobbuffet loose so we can ditch this freak show?" Jessie asked. However Ash didn't have time to say anything as the various test tubes within the lab began to burst as the cloned Pokemon were set free!
"Ah!" Jessie and James threw their arms around each other while Meowth and Wobbuffet closed their eyes as they feared the worst.
Ash wrapped his arms protectively around Pikachu in an attempt to shield him from harm though the clone Pokemon walked right past him and Team Rocket, unaware of their presence as they walked off towards some unknown destination, no doubt to meet up with Mewtwo!
Shortly after the clones disappeared, Mew fired a Shadow Ball at the machine resulting in it exploding beyond repair while also freeing Meowth, Wobbuffet and the others as all of Mewtwo's Pokeballs burst open to reveal the rest of the Pokemon who looked scared and confused!
Mewtwo transported himself and the other humans to a large arena that sat in the middle of the fortress. Mewtwo then raised his hand to showcase the incoming army as the various clone Pokemon began pouring into the arena. "Allow me to introduce the superior versions of your 'beloved' Pokemon!"
"Eevee! Is that you?!" Chloe called out.
"Croagunk!"
"Inteleon!"
"Torterra?" Paul anxiously called out. The trainers and Nurse Joy looked on in shock as the Pokemon didn't response to them!
"What did you do to my Inteleon?!" Gloria shook her fist at Mewtwo in an intimidating fashion.
"It's not your Inteleon, this one is mine! An enhanced clone of the original! Your Pokemon are safe... for now. I'm just giving you a sneak peek at what's to come!" Mewtwo turned his gaze back towards the trainers. "Thanks to all of you I now have an army capable of bringing the world to it's knees and correcting it's course, people will respect and fear me as soon as I take out your beloved champions! Those who refuse to accept my reign will be swiftly and mercilessly dealt with, now that for I'm offering you one last chance to accept me as my master. Leave your Pokemon with me and leave, never to return!"
"Screw that, I ain't leaving without Inteleon!"
"And I'm not going without Torterra!" Paul growled.
"Blastoise and Umbreon stay with me!" Gary shouted.
"I never go anywhere without Pikachu and I'm not planning on starting now! We've been though a lot together!" Yellow exclaimed.
"We never leave our friends behind!" Brock and Chloe shouted.
Mewtwo narrowed his eyes and lifted his hand as he ordered his Pokemon to attack. "So be it, if you won't join me then I'll destroy you alongside your Pokemon!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Ash?!" Chloe turned around while Mewtwo glared as the lights lit up across the arena.
"Who dares?!"
Ash stepped out onto the arena's battlefield, followed by Charizard and the other Pokemon as they all came to their trainer's rescue! "We'll stop you, no matter what!" Ash recklessly charged at Mewtwo alongside Pikachu as the original Pokemon rushed towards their cloned counterparts, the clone Pikachu tackled Ash's out of the way resulting in them rolling across the battlefield!
"Hmp," Mewtwo watched Ash approach without a care.
"What on earth is that idiot doing?" Paul questioned.
"He's going to get himself killed!" Leaf screamed out.
"Alright Ketchum, kick Mewtwo's arse!" Gloria cheered Ash on.
Ash dove at Mewtwo but before he made contact, Mewtwo lifted his hand and blasted Ash off!
"Ash!" Chloe screamed out as Ash rocketed into the sky before falling headfirst back towards the ground!
"Char!" Charizard saw and tried to break away but his clone had a tight grip on him. Charizard let out a desperate cry as he tried to break free to help his trainer but wasn't strong enough to overpower his clone as they were evenly matched! Just as Ash was about to hit the ground a large pink bubble appeared and broke his fall! Ash grunted out as he slid off it, his friends all let out gasps of relief while Paul merely shook his head.
"Talk about luck,"
"Though who did that?" Yellow questioned as she pointed towards the bubble. "I've never seen a Pokemon that can do that!"
"...Mew?" Chloe narrowed her eyes as she recognized it as the same bubble that flew them to safety following the SS Anne sinking!
"Mew, of course!" Mewtwo growled out.
"Mew!" The pink feline revealed herself as she flew towards Mewtwo. "Mew mew mew!"
The Team Rocket trio were trying to sneak out of there when they spotted the mythical Pokemon.
"Meowth, what is she saying?" Jessie asked.
"Hm?" Meowth watched Mew speak. "She's trying to explain to convince Mewtwo that the two of them are the same and that Arceus created both people and Pokemon so we could coexist! Sure there are a few bad eggs that still enslave Pokemon and force them to fight against their will but for the most part, trainers take good care of their Pokemon and never bring them harm or treat them as if they're lesser than them!"
"You honestly believe we're the same? Ha!" Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball at Mew, blasting her away from him! "I'll show you that I'm your superior by destroying you!"
"Mew!" Mew fired off a pulse of dark energy in retaliation, seeing no answer but to fight back against Mewtwo!
"Wait so Mew actually was following us this whole time?" Chloe questioned.
"Well that would certainly explain some things." Brock stated.
Ash remained silent as his eyes flickered around the arena and watched on as Inteleon fought against Inteleon, Pikachu fought against Pikachu, Croagunk fought against Croagunk! Every Pokemon he saw appeared to be evenly matched! Neither were proving to be the superior version of the other as they were all equals, even Mew and Mewtwo seemed to be in a similar boat as they kept attacking each other without relenting, each attack the Pokemon used grew stronger and more powerful!
"Meowth!" Meowth's double lunged towards Meowth only for Meowth to casually step aside as his double had the traits of a regular Meowth.
"No need for us to fight, we're both Meowth!" Meowth turned his gaze towards the moon above. "We both share the same moon, breath the same air and have the same appearance so why can't we just get along and be friends?"
The clone Meowth turned his gaze towards the moon and went into a trance. "Meowth..."
"Yeah, the moon is beautiful..."
"Wobbuffet!"
"Wobbu!" The two Wobbuffets met but could only chant their name at the other in a repetitive manner!
Ash's eye twitched as he watched the Pokemon cry out. Both clones and original were starting to bleed and it quickly became clear that neither side was going to be the winner here, they were all going to kill each other even Mew and Mewtwo! Ash turned his gaze towards Mew and Mewtwo who were fighting in the midst of it all, if anyone could get the fighting to stop it was those two!
Mewtwo fired up a Shadow Ball while Mew fired up a Dark Pulse, both Pokemon took aim at each other and prepared to fire off their attacks! "Cut it out!" Ash dove right between the attacks causing Paul's eyes to grow wide as an impressed smirked flashed upon his face while the others let out horrified gasps as the two attacks proved to be too much for Ash, the boy collapsing on the spot as his body went motionless and his eyes lost their color.
"Ash!" Chloe screeched out before collapsing to her knees as tears filled her eyes. She couldn't believe it, Ash actually died before she could tell him how she felt!
"Ash, no way..." Brock silently spoke before hanging his head to hide his tears.
"Ash..." Gary muttered while Leaf buried her head against his shoulder.
Gloria's eyes twitched as she tried to hold back her tears, not wanting to seem weak but she eventually lost the battle as she too began to cry!
"The twerp..."
"Just..."
"Sacrificed himself!"
"Wobbuffet!" The trio and Wobbuffet all hugged one another as they began to cry.
"That boy... just sacrificed himself to stop the fighting..." Mewtwo stared at Ash's motionless body, his selfless sacrifice resulted in a change of heart as Mewtwo flickered his gaze about the arena, noticing all the blood and marks across both Pokemon and clones. "You were right Mew, I'm sorry for dragging you into this senseless fighting. It appears that we truly are equals, neither of us are better than the other... and maybe humans aren't so bad after all." There wasn't anything that could be done for Ash though.
"T-Torterra..." Torterra sniffled.
"How pathetic," Paul stated before struggling to hold back some tears of his own.
As the other Pokemon began to cry out, their tears began collectively forming upon the ground. The tears flowed across the ground before meeting up with Ash's body as Chloe knelt down over it, the rainbow wing shined brightly within her hair as she placed her hand atop of his. The tear puddle glowed the same color as the rainbow wing as a faint yellow outline surrounded Ash's body.
"Oh Ash, I'm so sorry I never got to tell you how I feel! If only I wasn't so afraid, it's all my fault... I never got to tell you that... I love you!" Chloe sniffled as she pressed her lips up against his. Ash's eyes had their color restored and his breath returned right at that moment! Ash's eyes widened from the sudden turn of events but he wasn't one to question it as he wrapped an arm around Chloe, returning the kiss with one of his own!
"W-What?!" Gloria did a doubletake as Ash came back!
"H-How?!" Paul asked.
"D-Did the kiss do that or was it the tears?" Brock questioned.
"A-Ash, I-I love you!"
"I-I love you too, Chloe!" The two gave each other a warm smile as their eyes stared into the other's.
"Awww!" Meowth gushed out.
"I like happy endings!" James smiled.
"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet chimed in agreement while Jessie flashed the twerps a silent smirk.
"About time..."
Mewtwo turned his attention towards Mew with a look full of regret. "I really hate to do this but it's best if nobody remembers what happened here today, these clones deserve to find their place in the world. Far away from prying eyes where they can remain free! Besides with everything that went down regarding my creation, probably best that word doesn't get out that I survived. If Giovanni finds out he won't stop hunting me or my creatio-friends down." Mewtwo corrected himself.
Mew gave Mewtwo a nod of approval, telling him to go ahead. Mewtwo closed his eyes and lifted up his hands, a blue glow surrounded everyone with the exception of the clones and Mew resulting in them all falling unconscious! Mewtwo waved his hand and the Pokemon all returned to their Pokeballs, Mewtwo then waved his hand for a final time and the remaining Pokemon were teleported away alongside their trainers!
"None of them will remember a thing that happened here today, I've sent them back to where they came from!" Mewtwo turned his gaze towards the clones before turning to face Mew. "Do you know an isolated place I can take them to?"
"Mew!" Mew gave a nod of confirmation.
"Excellent, then let's take them there together!"
"Mew!" A blue glow surrounded the clone Pokemon as Mewtwo and Mew flew off, taking the clones with them as they headed off for a remote location within the nearby region of Johto. Mew knew the risk that she was taking but with Masked Man retreating to Johto and Giovanni being allied with Ash she saw no reason to stay and protect him. Not when Mewtwo and his friends needed her. She just hoped that nothing turned up cause she wouldn't be there to help stop it!
Paul and Gloria were transported back to the Hoenn and Galar regions respectively while Ash and the others ended up at the Pokemon Center they were earlier that day. The group held their heads as they left the dorms Mewtwo dropped them into, resulting in everyone simply thinking that they overslept with the events of the day being a complete blur. Mewtwo even slightly adjusted the memories of the island's residents so nobody would know that Nurse Joy even disappeared, meaning Officer Jenny had no recollection of Ash and friends disobeying her!
"Oh no, we overslept!" Ash exclaimed as he shot awake and noticed the time on his Rotom Phone.
"Pi Pikachu?!" Pikachu and Brock leaped out of bed.
"Come on, we've got to get going to Pallet Town! We don't want to miss Chloe's next Contest!" Ash shouted, tossing the Rotom Phone aside as he changed out of his pajamas. Not noticing that a certain Pokemon appeared in the 'seen' category that shouldn't be there as he accidentally activated the Pokedex app! Ash pocketed the phone without even looking upon getting dressed as he and Brock raced off to meet with Chloe so they could continue their adventure!