Go read my other disclaimers. I have plenty. About seventy stupid disclaimers saying over and over and over and over again that I don't own pokemon. Wait, does this count as a disclaimer?
Vainglory and Hubris
By Farla
He was great. He was the greatest. The absolute best. The world itself bowed down before him. He could do anything, go anywhere. He was the strongest. He was the best.
The best. Who would dare challenge him? He could beat them all in an instant. His might was legendary.
If he wanted to, he could take over the world with ease. Oh, he wouldn't, no, because he wasn't a bad person. But he knew he could. Everyone knew he could. Why? He was simply the best.
Let others prostrate themselves before gym leaders and other trainers with a shred of power. He had beaten everyone. No one would dare look at him funny, because everyone knew he could destroy them with ease.
Ah yes. Ease. Which was why he was here. To find a pokemon truly worthy of him, of his strength and mastery. Of his absolute and unbeatable power.
Power. Strength. He heard the words in the echoes of every step, reverberating within the cavern and himself. The words carried him onward, towards his goal.
The guard at the gate had tried to stop him. He, he who had captured Lugia! Babbled about a great and powerful pokemon inside. Of course there was. That was why he had come.
It was rare he actually had to use his pokemon on people. That just wasn't how things were done. Being beaten in a battle meant you must step aside. Yet the man refused, for whatever reason.
For a moment, he felt a hint of unease, before it was quickly swept aside by his knowledge of his own mastery. So what if the man was a fool. It didn't matter. His pokemon, unworthy weaklings that they were, had simply pushed him out of the doorway, and he had entered the cavern.
Power. Strength. That's what this was all about. Only the greatest pokemon could ever be worthy of him. Only ones like Lugia.
That worthless man, to let such a creature escape! The stupid scientist, not realizing that only he could control the Beast of the Sea. Only a legendary trainer was worthy of a legendary pokemon. And only a legendary pokemon was worthy of a legendary trainer.
He'd never even gotten a chance to battle with it. But the man had paid.
No, he wasn't a bad person. He didn't need to take what he wanted by force. Society knew he could, and catered to his every whim. He was a living god, the greatest of all trainers ever to walk across the world. No one had ever reached such heights as him.
Perhaps, if the man was lucky, he was now working as a janitor in some other lab. The loss of the blundering fool's career was a rather lenient punishment, but he was not a bad person and simply let the people around him deal with those who dared to mess with the Pokemon Master. If they hadn't dealt with it, he would have had to take matters into his own hands.
But, escaped, the great Lugia was uncatchable to even a Master. Once a legendary runs and hides, it does not resurface for an eternity. His grandchildren's grandchildren would die long, long before the creature returned to its resting place, to wait for another to try.
Ho-oh had been spooked by another trainer. In his fury, he had banned all but the Master of Masters from any legendary haunt. Only he would try for the last of them. But Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos had given up on rest long ago, and would run from the slightest hint of a human.
Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, all fled unceasingly from trainers. No, they could not be caught. Only with the help of a legendary could fleeing legendaries be caught. And it seemed like all of them were in hiding.
It seemed like he, greatest of all trainers, only trainer ever to capture a legendary, was doomed never to command one. He didn't miss the cruel irony of fate.
He smiled slightly, though no one would ever have seen it in the gloom of the cave. It was not a kind smile, nor a cruel one. It was a selfish smile, a using one. A proud one.
In a way, though, it was better this way. If he'd had Lugia, and captured the other know legendaries, he would never have searched so diligently for another one, pored over records, smashed through the rocket files and discovered this one.
Clone of a clone, mewthree. Mewtwo had been attacked by the rockets and like all the others hid. But the fools had tried again. And now the third in the line walked free.
Ah, not even rockets dared to defy his whims. He had ordered to be informed if they found out anything or if another one was attempted. Their boss gone, the weak creatures had bent down before him without hesitation, pleas and promises bubbling from their lips. All knew his power, and all bowed before him.
And by and by he discovered Mewthree's hiding place. Mt. Silver, just as the unknown caverns of Cerulean had once hidden Mewtwo.
He stalked through the caverns, the powerful, high-level pokemon fleeing before the aura of his total, omniscient power. They never saw his pokemon. It was he who was the embodiment of strength, not the weak creatures he commanded. For it was he who was the greatest of all.
And finally, he came to the flat plateau of rock, with a thick rock path leading up to it. There stood the object of his travels.
It was white. Completely white, without the purple on its tail like Mewtwo. Its legs were closer to the same length, with the back legs weaker and the front ones thicker, no doubt allowing it to move on all fours with ease. Its neck was thicker, and it lacked the odd growth on the back. It had pure red eyes, without any pupil or white. Most noticeable of all were the thick, leathery wings on its back. This one had more thoroughly departed from the basic framework of mew's DNA.
The rockets weren't sure if Mewthree was an albino or if the apparent lack of pigment had some other explanation. Then again, they didn't know much. It had awoken, destroyed the surrounding area and this time there had been no boss to go in and trick the creature into helping them.
It didn't look at him, making him suspicious the rockets had been right and Mewthree was blind. Many albinos were. Still even if the creature was flawed, it didn't matter. It could still lead him to the other legendaries and he could always get the rocket scientists to make him another, perfect clone.
He grinned broadly and jogged down the path toward the non-responsive pocket monster. When he reached the plateau, he reached for his pokeballs, ready to send out his blastoise.
It was a real shame he didn't have a masterball this time. Silph Co. had destroyed the designs for them and although he had ordered them to make more, it was taking time. He couldn't wait for them to finish and risk Mewthree escaping, now could he? But it would be fun to fight against a legendary. It might almost put up a halfway decent fight. Nothing, of course, could beat him.
An instant before his fingers closed on his pokeballs, the clone made a quick gesture with its paw. His pokeballs vanished. What the…?
It turned its inhuman red eyes to him. For the first time in…years, it must be, he locked eyes with one who was not afraid of him, not ready to roll over on their belly and surrender instantly, not ready to obey his every whim without question and worship him. Not ready to fear him.
For a single, tiny instant, he felt a fleeting sensation of…something, something he hadn't felt in a long time, but he ignored it and glared back, haughty and annoyed, expecting the creature to break eye contact and bow its head before him deferentially.
The creature did not. ~ Did you honestly think you could catch me? ~ it asked, its voice scornful.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked incredulously. "I am the greatest pokemon master in the world, more powerful then anything!"
~ Fool ~ said Mewthree coldly. ~ You are no stronger then any other human. ~
"What!" he roared. How dare this creature insult his power? "I'm the strongest ever!"
~ You just had strong pokemon, that's all. And without them, you are nothing. Because you were never anything to begin with. You've never won a single battle in your life. ~ Mewthree said, lunging.
~ Weakling ~ it laughed, tearing him apart.
Do you get it?