Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 43: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Part 2
We lost sight of the other Trainers who had taken the courage to get to New Island with their Pokémon. Gary used a compass and the map on the holograph projector to lead the way to the mysterious island. Dragonair was still flying with us while controlling the weather, but I could tell she was getting tired after we had been out in the ocean for a while now.
The clouds got darker and didn't budge to let some light shine upon us, which meant we were getting closer to the epicenter of the storm. Wanda and Blastoise stopped swimming when we suddenly faced a weird wall made out of clouds that appeared to swirl around something.
"What's this wall of clouds?" Ash asked out loud.
"We might be by the epicenter of the storm!" Gary shouted. "It's too dangerous to swim through those clouds!"
"Blastooise."
"Shall we turn around?" I asked.
"Ghyaah!"
"Pika?"
"Dragonair looks too weak to control the weather any longer!" Ash said after checking his Pokémon.
"Kyruuu…", Dragonair whimpered tiredly as the aura enveloping her was getting weaker.
"Then we've got no choice!" Gary replied. "We've got to pass through the clouds!"
Lightning cracked within the wall of clouds. I shivered in fear when I saw the clouds light up by a bolt. This was going to be dangerous. We could end up getting electrocuted and die in the cold ocean that could become our grave.
"Dragonair! Can you make a tunnel so we can swim through the clouds?" Ash asked.
"Kyruuuh…", Dragonair nodded weakly.
She flew toward the clouds and entered them without hesitation. As soon as she stuck her head into the wall, the clouds opened up and made a tunnel large enough for Wanda and Blastoise to swim through.
"Go!" Ash yelled.
Wanda and Blastoise roared before they swam into the tunnel and followed Dragonair. I looked over my shoulder and saw the entrance closed up as soon as we were inside and the clouds kept coming closer while lightning struck around us. The water Pokémon swam after Dragonair as fast as they could as the thundering wind behind chased after us. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around Ash while fearing we were going to get swallowed by the storm. At one point, I thought I heard human voices yelling in the middle of the noise, but I must have imagined things.
When I no longer heard the monstrous noise around me, I opened my eyes and felt them widen in shock and awe. We were in the eye of the storm. The clouds swirled around a large island that looked like one of those ominous castles I read in my fairytale books in the past. There were several large rotor blades on top of the few towers of the castle, which probably provided the castle with nature energy. When I looked up at the sky, I realized it was already evening. How long did it take for us to reach New Island?
Wanda and Blastoise swam closer to the island that was oddly quiet. Ash called back Dragonair and gave her lots of praises for enduring this ordeal. I also gave her my thanks by kissing her Poké Ball before Ash strapped it onto his belt.
Our Pokémon swam to a small dock where the woman from the holographic invitation stood with a lantern in her hand. There was no one else with her, so we were either first to arrive or some Trainers had successfully made it to New Island before us.
Ash and I got off Wanda while Gary jumped up from Blastoise's shell before we thanked our Pokémon and returned them to their Poké Balls. I was very relieved that we survived the storm. The tension in my body disappeared and made me feel a little tired so I held onto Ash for support.
"Master welcomes you to New Island", the woman spoke in a monotonous voice. "Would you please present your invitation?"
Ash and Gary immediately picked up the devices from their pockets and held it out to the woman. "Here you are, miss", my brother called.
The devices were activated as the holograph of the same woman appeared above the projectors. "The bearers of this invitation may be admitted to New Island", the holograms spoke simultaneously before they faded away.
Now that I saw the servant of this mysterious Pokémon Master up close, I noticed some facial traits that were similar to Nurse Joy who was missing. "Umm… Ma'am… Are you related to Nurse Joy?" I asked nervously.
"Excuse me?" the servant spoke emotionlessly.
"Nurse Joy from Vermilion City has been missing for a month and you kind of resemble her…", my voice got quiet as I figured I made a stupid mistake and hid my embarrassed face against my brother's shoulder.
"I fear you are mistaken", the servant replied. "I have always dwelled on this island and served my master."
The response made me blush even harder in embarrassment. I kind of expected Gary to make fun of me for the stupid assumption, like he always did in the past, but he remained silent. Pikachu rubbed his cheek against the top of my head, making me giggle softly by his affection.
"Please follow me", the servant said before she turned around and walked toward some stairs. "Master awaits your arrival."
We followed the woman up the stairs that seemed to be endless until we made it to a flat floor. She led us to an enormous door that opened as soon as we stood in front of us. We entered the large room that looked nothing like I have ever seen. It was one big room with a table in the middle where three Trainers sat and waited to meet the greatest Pokémon Trainer.
"We have arrived", the servant told us after she switched off the lantern. "The Trainers worthy of an audience with my master are present."
"But there's only three Trainers here", Ash pointed out.
"Aren't we going to wait for the others?" I asked.
"Only the Trainers capable of braving the storm have proven themselves worthy in my master's eyes", the servant replied while she was still talking with the same monotone voice.
"So the storm was some kind of a trial?" Gary asked. "Was your master behind of it?"
This situation felt weirder for each minute. I couldn't recall any Pokémon capable of creating this kind of storm. Maybe the Legendary Pokémon Kyogre, but I hadn't heard of someone catching it yet. Did this mysterious master order several Pokémon to use their powers to create that terrible storm?
"Please release your Pokémon from their Poké Balls and take a seat", the servant said. "My master's intensions shall soon be clear."
Ash, Gary, and I jumped in surprise when we heard the giant doors close behind us. I sighed in relief that it was nothing else, but still… I felt really weird about this situation.
The servant walked ahead while my brother and our rival called out a couple of their Pokémon. Ivysaur and Wartortle joined Pikachu as they greeted Gary's Nidoking and Arcanine. The two fully evolved Pokémon kindly greeted my brother's Pokémon in return. I didn't feel any hostility from them, so it was a good thing Gary was raising them properly. Feeling a little calmer, I called out Luna, Chanchan, and Volt before we walked over to the table where the other Trainers were sitting.
One of the male Trainers was grooming his Pidgeot when he noticed us. "It took some time for you guys", he called out.
I remembered him. He was one of the Trainers at the front crowd back at the harbor. "You are the Trainer who left Vermilion City on a Pidgeot, right?" Ash asked.
"That's right", the Trainer nodded as he patted his Pidgeot's head. "Pidgeot can fly through hurricanes with its strong wings. My name's Corey and those are my Pokémon. Say hi to the newcomers, guys!"
Corey pointed at a group of five Pokémon that stood a few meters from the table. Besides Pidgeot, he had a Venusaur, a Sandslash, a Hitmonlee, a Rhyhorn, and a Scyther. The Pokémon cried out their greetings while our Pokémon responded to them. I gently waved my hand at them with a small smile. I always felt better with Pokémon around me.
A Gyarados' screech snapped our attention to another part of the huge room. There was a big pool with a pouring fountain where many water-type Pokémon had gathered around. Including Gyarados, there was a Golduck, a Tentacruel, a Vaporeon, a Seadra, and a Nidoqueen that stood outside of the pool.
"Those are my Pokémon", the second male Trainer spoke up. "The name's Fergus. I'm a water-type specialist, so swimming through the ocean was easy for my Gyarados."
"You must've trained your Gyarados well, Fergus", I called out as I stared at his Pokémon.
"Thanks! I'm striving to become a better water-type Trainer than any water-type Gym Leaders", Fergus replied.
The third and last Trainer was a girl around the same age as the two other Trainers. She was cuddling with a Wigglytuff when she stopped to introduce herself. "My name is Neesha and my Pokémon are over there", she said.
Wigglytuff ran over to the last group of Pokémon to show who were its friends. That group consisted of a Blastoise, a Ninetales, a Vileplume, a Rapidash, and a Dewgong that was splashing around in another pool.
"You all got some strong Pokémon", Gary commented. "I can tell by the way they look that they're well treated."
"Of course they are", Corey grinned. "We wouldn't call us Trainers if we didn't take proper care of our Pokémon."
All of the sudden, the lights turned down and made the entire room dark. No one had forewarned about it, so we were getting a little cautious.
A blue light began shining from the center of some futuristic spiral stairs that went around the beam of light. The servant stood in front of it and turned to us. "My master is about to arrive", she called. "It is time for you to encounter the greatest Pokémon Master on Earth."
Everyone was silent, including the Pokémon, as we waited for the greatest Pokémon Master to see us. Pikachu got scared and climbed onto Ash to settle down on his shoulders. Luna didn't feel comfortable either, so I picked her up in my arms after she tugged on my pants. As soon as I straightened up, a silhouette levitated from the ceiling and went down the blue light. I was far away from the light, but I could tell there was something odd with the shape of the being. Wasn't the Pokémon Master supposed to be human? Why did it look like he had a tail?
"That silhouette…", Gary mumbled quietly next to me. I noticed he was staring at the silhouette with narrowed eyes. Had he seen that being before?
The silhouette landed on the ground on its feet with ease. At this point, everyone must have noticed something was off with the Pokémon Master since they were gaping at him with big eyes.
"Yes", the servant spoke up. "The world's greatest Pokémon Master is also the most powerful Pokémon on Earth. This is the ruler of New Island and soon the whole world… Mewtwo."
The lights returned and the blue light disappeared to reveal the creature's true form. Its appearance was far from being a human. It looked like a purple alien that had come from space, but at the same time… Some traits resembled the few blurry pictures I saw of the Mythical Pokémon Mew.
Wait.
Did the servant say its name is Mewtwo?
Mew… Two…?
Is this a second Mew?
"A Pokémon can't be a Pokémon Master!" Fergus yelled irritably at the revelation. "Such thing doesn't exist!"
"Silence, human", a deep voice echoed in my head, which made me shriek softly in surprise, and it spoke simultaneously with the servant. "From now on, I'm the one who makes the rules."
"Did it just speak in our heads?" Ash asked as he rubbed the side of his head.
"That was telepathy!" Gary exclaimed. "It is theorized that psychic Pokémon can communicate with humans through telepathy with the help of their power."
Mewtwo must have been agitated by Fergus' statement and used its psychic powers to lift him up in the air. Fergus screeched in pain as he was enveloped by the psychic attack. When Mewtwo had finished "punishing" him, he threw the Trainer into the pool where his Pokémon had gathered.
Fergus swam to the edge of the pool, now angry that he got hurt. "You'll pay for that! Go, Gyarados!" he yelled.
"Ghyaaaah!" Gyarados roared as it crawled out of the pool, spreading water across the floor.
"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!" Fergus shouted.
Gyarados raised its head before firing an orange beam from its wide mouth. The beam headed toward Mewtwo when the psychic Pokémon raised its left arm. The Hyper Beam collided with Mewtwo's hand, but it was sent back at Gyarados and struck it by its chest. Gyarados screeched in pain as it fell backwards into the pool. We all gasped in horror when we saw the Pokémon's horrible condition. Hyper Beam is one of the most powerful normal-type moves, so if a strong Pokémon used it its strength would become enormous.
Mewtwo must've used Mirror Coat to reflect the Hyper Beam back and doubled the attack's strength. Couldn't he have used another protection move, like Protect, instead of harming the Pokémon?!
"Child's play", Mewtwo and the servant said simultaneously again, which was a little creepy.
Then, without warning, Mewtwo raised his right hand and used his powers again, but this time at the servant. He didn't hurt her, but he must have done something to her mind. "You are no longer useful to me."
The servant gasped as her body trembled by what Mewtwo did to her. She took a few steps forward before her legs gave in and collapsed on the floor. Corey was fast enough to predict what was going to happen, so he ran and caught the servant before she could hit her head on the floor. Her headpiece fell off and revealed a familiar pink hair, which we all recognized immediately.
"Nurse Joy!" Corey exclaimed in surprise.
"She must be the nurse who's missing in Vermilion City!" Neesha pointed out.
"W-Where am I…?" Nurse Joy asked in a very disarray voice. "How did I end up here…?"
"You were under my control", Mewtwo answered. "I transported you here from the Pokémon Center because I needed your knowledge of Pokémon physiology. It proved very useful for my plan, and now I have cleansed your human brain of memories from the past few weeks."
"Who exactly are you, and what do you mean you have a plan?!" Corey demanded.
"I am the new ruler of this world!" Mewtwo declared. "The master of humans and Pokémon alike!"
"Wait! Now I recognize you!" Gary exclaimed as he pointed at Mewtwo. "You were the mysterious Pokémon I saw in the Viridian Gym, but you were wearing a strange armor that made me unable to identify you!"
"That's the Pokémon that defeated your Pokémon and hurt you and your fangirls, Gary?" Ash asked.
"I remember you", Mewtwo responded as he eyed Gary. "Your Pokémon were quite weak against me."
"Then… Are you…Team Rocket leader's Pokémon…?" I asked nervously.
"He never once was my partner!" Mewtwo replied in an irritating voice while his hands clenched into fists. I got frightened and thought he was going to harm me with his psychic power too, so I hid behind Ash and held Luna tight. Thankfully, nothing happened as Mewtwo calmed down and didn't attempt to hurt me.
"You humans are a dangerous species", Mewtwo claimed, which surprised all of us. "You brought me into this world with the only purpose of being your slave, but now I have my own purpose. My storm will create my own world…by destroying yours."
"No way…", Gary gasped in shock. "Y-You were…created…by humans?"
"Is that even possible…?" I asked my childhood rival.
"We can revive Pokémon from fossils, so… I guess?" he replied hesitantly.
"You want to destroy our world because of some sort of personal resentment?!" Corey asked Mewtwo in anger. "Even us to 'save' our Pokémon?!"
"No", Mewtwo shook his head. "Your Pokémon will not be spared. They have already sinned by serving humans. They are nothing but slaves."
Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and ran a few meters forward before stopping so he could talk. "Pika! Pika pikachu pi pika pi!"
"What did you say?" Mewtwo responded in a frustrated voice. "You claim I'm wrong? That the humans you serve are your friends?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"You are pathetic."
Mewtwo's eyes glowed in blue as he used his psychic powers to lift Pikachu up in the air. Pikachu struggled while levitating before he got thrown back. Ash quickly jumped in and caught Pikachu before they crashed onto the floor together. Thankfully, Pikachu was safe since my brother took the fall.
"Humans and Pokémon can never be friends!" Mewtwo stated.
"Ash!" Gary called as he and I ran over to my brother.
"Are you and Pikachu okay?" I asked while our Pokémon gathered around us to act like a shield to prevent Mewtwo from harming us.
"We're fine", Ash nodded as he raised up on his feet.
Corey had safely escorted Nurse Joy to the table and put her in Neesha's care before he turned back to Mewtwo. "If you're a Pokémon, then I should be able to catch you!" he called. "Rhyhorn, go! Use Megahorn!"
"Rhyyyy!" Rhyhorn screeched before it ran toward Mewtwo.
I watched how the Pokémon ran fast with its horn glowing in a dark lime green color. Megahorn was a bug-type move and if Mewtwo was a psychic-type Pokémon, it could make big damage.
Just as Rhyhorn was about to strike Mewtwo, the mysterious Pokémon raised its hand and caught Rhyhorn with his psychic powers. The tip of the horn barely touched the palm of Mewtwo's hand. Rhyhorn struggled in the air to get out of the psychic power's grip, but it was in no vain. Mewtwo used Psychic to throw back Rhyhorn so it slid across the table, knocking the dishes, fruit bowls and candles down, before it crashed by the other end of the table.
"Rhyhorn!" Corey yelled worriedly and ran to his fallen partner.
"Fools", Mewtwo snorted unamusingly. "Your Pokémon's attacks cannot weaken me. My powers are too great, and no Trainer can conquer me."
"Conquer…?" I mumbled to myself.
For some reason, I couldn't stay mad at Mewtwo. He spoke like all humans were evil, but that wasn't true. I've met so many nice Trainers who took great care of their Pokémon with friendship and love. What had he endured during his time with Team Rocket? Were Team Rocket truly as cruel as I had witnessed on those few times we stopped them from achieving their plans? Did they never show their appreciation or love to their Pokémon?
"Why don't you prove that in a real Pokémon match?!" Ash suggested in his serious voice.
"Is that a challenge?" Mewtwo asked, his lips suddenly twitching into a weird smile.
"You bet it is!" Ash nodded.
"Then allow me to call for my allies", Mewtwo said before his eyes glowed again, however this time he didn't attack someone. He must have sent some kind of mental message to his allies, which could be other Pokémon.
It didn't take a minute when the floor in front of Mewtwo opened up and three platforms elevated three Pokémon to the surface. Those were Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise, but the difference was they all had marks on their bodies.
"Like the Trainers in the Kanto region, I too began with Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle", Mewtwo said. "But for their evolved forms, I used their genetic material to clone even more powerful copies."
"Copies…?" Neesha repeated.
"They're clones!" Gary realized.
Clones… That's it! I think I solved it!
Mewtwo must be a clone too and he was cloned from Mew! But… If that was the case, then how did Team Rocket obtain Mew or even a sample of its DNA? Mew was known to be the mirage Pokémon since only a few has ever seen it and there were barely any pictures of it.
A loud noise suddenly erupted around us. The noise was bombarding, so I had to cover my ears until it was over. Everyone looked around to see what was happening. The windows far behind Mewtwo opened up and revealed a giant stadium that located at the other side of New Island!
"A stadium?" Fergus asked after he got out of the pool after he had healed up his Gyarados with a Full Restore. "Mewtwo must've predicted this would happen!"
"Your fake Venusaur can't defeat my real one!" Corey yelled at Mewtwo before turning to his Pokémon. "Right, Bruteroot?!"
"Sauur!" Bruteroot the Venusaur roared in reply.
"We can take down that Blastoise, can't we, Shellshocker?!" Neesha shouted.
"Blaaa!" Shellshocker the Blastoise rumbled to answer his Trainer's call.
"My Charizard may not have a nickname, but he's a strong partner!" Ash called as he grabbed Charizard's Poké Ball.
"Ash…", I called softly.
My brother tuned to me with an assuring smile. "Charizard will battle Mewtwo's Charizard, sis", he told me. "I know Firered is strong too, but I was the one who asked for the challenge."
I was hesitant at first, since I thought I should let Firered battle Charizardtwo because Corey and Neesha's Pokémon had nicknames too, but Ash convinced me after he said he was the one who suggested the battle.
"Okay…", I nodded as I held Luna in my arms.
I started to cold sweat without noticing it. If Mewtwo was as strong as he had showed us, then how strong were his Pokémon? Was it really worth it to put our Pokémon in danger? Mewtwo showed no mercy on Gyarados and Rhyhorn, so how brutal would this be?
I snapped out of my trance when I felt a cloth against my sweating cheek. I looked to my left and saw Gary was dabbing his handkerchief against me to get rid of the sweat. "G-Gary…?" I mumbled in a shaky voice.
Said Trainer gave me a small smile as he gently stroked the handkerchief against my forehead, wiping the sweat off. "It's going to be okay… I hope", he tried to comfort me.
I couldn't help but snort softly at the gentle touches and words Gary had just spoken, but it did ease my heart a little bit. "Thank you, Gary…", I replied.
I prayed nothing bad would happen to us and our Pokémon.
XXXXXXXXXX
Everything became so chaotic after the battle that I didn't know what happened until it was over. Mewtwo's clone Pokémon defeated Corey, Neesha and Ash's Pokémon with a single attack each and that had triggered a chain reaction. Mewtwo summoned thousands of weird black Poké Balls that caught our Pokémon, even though they were already captured, and sent them away so Mewtwo could use their DNA to make powerful clones of them. My brain worked overtime as the chaos occurred around me. Everyone was yelling and screaming and the Pokémon used their moves to destroy the black Poké Balls until they got captured. Even though the situation was overwhelming and tears ran down my cheeks, I tried my best shielding Luna, Volt and Chanchan with my body, but they still ended up getting captured and taken away from me. I didn't understand why Mewtwo had to do this. I couldn't comprehend why this was happening. It was like I was in the middle of a horror movie with loud sound effects erupting around me. At one point, I tripped on my feet and crashed onto my stomach on the floor and I stayed there while covering my ears, trying to escape reality and imagine this was just a terrible dream.
When the chaos calmed down, Gary helped me stand up on my feet while my face was streaked by tears. I screamed in horror as I saw Ash vanish when he jumped down into a tunnel on the ground where the Poké Balls with the captured Pokémon had flown into. I thought I had lost my brother and three of my Pokémon forever. Gary held me close as Venusaurtwo, Charizardtwo and Blastoisetwo forced us and the others out to the stadium where Mewtwo was waiting.
Every Pokémon we had called out had been caught and none of us dared to call out the other Pokémon. They would just get captured by Mewtwo and get sent away to get cloned.
We were forced to a corner of the stadium as the Starter clones watched us with eyes of a Staraptor. None of us knew what Mewtwo was going to do to us. He did mention he planned to destroy us, so was this it for us? Were we going to die young without fulfilling our dreams and grow old with maybe a partner or children?
"Humans… You have served my purpose", Mewtwo said. "Therefore, I will spare your lives…for the moment." He used his psychic powers to open a couple of doors by the corners of the stadium, revealing the storm outside where thunder crackled every other second. "However, you cannot escape your fate. The hour of my vengeance draws near."
All of the sudden, an explosion erupted by the spiral staircase where I had seen Ash run after Pikachu to protect him minutes ago. Smoke engulfed that part of the huge room before Pokémon ran out of it and hurried to the stadium. At first, I thought it was our Pokémon who somehow had managed to get free from Mewtwo's Poké Balls, but it turned out they were the clones because they gathered around Mewtwo and didn't run to us.
"With Pokémon and humans eliminated, the clones shall inherit the world", Mewtwo stated.
"I won't let that happen!" my brother's voice echoed from the smoke that was slowly clearing up.
The next thing I knew, Ash walked out of the smoke with his determined and serious expression. My heart leaped in joy and relief to see he was still alive. The joy grew huge when I saw our Pokémon follow my brother, all of them looking safe and sound.
"Luna! Volt! Chanchan!" I shouted in relief as I wiped a tear off my eyelid.
"Arcanine! Nidoking!" Gary called in joy.
Ash walked until he was meters away from Mewtwo and stopped in his tracks. The other Pokémon stopped at the same time as the clones watched them closely, but they didn't attack them yet.
"It is useless to attempt challenging me", Mewtwo told my brother.
"It's not going to end like this, Mewtwo! We won't let it!" Ash called.
He turned his hat around before he ran toward Mewtwo with a drawn fist. He tried punching Mewtwo, but the psychic Pokémon pushed him back with his powers so my brother fell to the ground. Ash recovered fast and tried punching Mewtwo again, but it didn't work again. However, Mewtwo had enough and lifted him up with psychic powers and threw him toward a large statue. None of the Pokémon that could fly could make it in time to save him, so I thought I was going to lose my brother for the second time.
Before anything happened, a large pink bubble appeared out of nowhere and Ash flew right onto it. I could barely see what was happening, but since I didn't hear a crash I knew Ash didn't get hurt as I first thought. I spotted a pink creature flying next to my brother, but I couldn't see its true shape. Mewtwo appeared to be confused first, but then became aggressive and threw Shadow Balls at the new Pokémon. The mysterious Pokémon dodged each one of them so the Shadow Balls hit parts of the stadium and the main building instead.
When the Pokémon flew closer to the stadium, I gasped in shock. It was the mirage Pokémon, said to contain the DNA of every Pokémon species!
"Mew", Mewtwo called. "So we finally meet."
"Meew."
"I can't believe it…", Gary gaped in awe. "The Pokémon that Gramps's been looking for is actually here."
"I may have been cloned from your DNA, but now I will prove that I, Mewtwo, am superior to you."
I knew it! Mewtwo was a clone of Mew! But how in the world did Team Rocket come across Mew or its DNA?
A Meowth-and-Rattata chase began as the two psychic Pokémon flew around in the air above the stadium. Mewtwo once managed to hit Mew with a Shadow Ball, but the mirage Pokémon sent the move back at Mewtwo with double its power. Mewtwo crashed into the empty stands right behind me and the others, but he used Recover to heal himself before he had enough.
"Enough of this!" Mewtwo called. "It is time for destiny to choose which are superior; my super Pokémon or your spineless inferior Pokémon! We were created with power far stronger than the originals!"
Mew began talking, but none of us had any idea what it was telling Mewtwo. I wish I knew Pokémon language or had at least a psychic Pokémon; perhaps it could've told me and the others what Mew said to Mewtwo. Whatever it was, it made Mewtwo even angrier.
"My clones don't need their powers to prove their worth!" Mewtwo shouted. "I will block all the Pokémon's special abilities using my psychic powers! Now we shall see who will triumph! ATTACK!"
With the single-word command, every Pokémon in the stadium charged forward to battle their other selves. None of them were able to use their moves, so the only way they could battle was by melee. They slashed, scratched, bit, headbutted, pounded, stomped, punched and kicked each other with all their might and even shoved the other back. Neesha's Blastoise and Blastoisetwo were pushing each other toward the wall that surrounded the stadium. Gary grabbed my hand and pulled me out of danger's way before the two Pokémon could hurt us.
We made it to a safe corner of the stadium and watched the battle. It didn't take long before both the real Pokémon and the clones collapsed in exhaustion, but they kept straining themselves to fight until the other could no longer stand. Pikachu and Luna were the only ones who didn't want to battle, but their clones tried agitating them to attack. Even so, they didn't lift a finger. Mewtwo and Mew had enveloped themselves in large energy spheres and bounced at each other back and forth far up in the air.
My eyes grew moist again as I watched the scene unfold. It was clear both kinds were suffering from pain from this meaningless battle. Who cared how you were born? You were still a living being who could sense your own feelings. You could still feel pain, joy, sadness, anger, and more. What was important was to live your life in the best way you could. Why couldn't Mewtwo understand that? He didn't have to destroy the world to prove he had a place to belong. He already had one when he was created. He had a free will and could do whatever he wanted, but his anger clouded his mind and this was the price both our Pokémon and his clones had to pay.
I may be autistic and was still young to understand some things, but I understood feelings. I felt like I was sensing the same pain the Pokémon felt. Fresh tears ran down my cheeks as silent sobs rumbled in my throat.
"Pokémon aren't meant to fight like this", Nurse Joy said in a clear upset voice. "What good will come out of it?"
"Nothing…but pain", Neesha shook her head.
"Why doesn't Mewtwo understand it's wrong to force Pokémon to battle like this?" Fergus growled irritably.
"T-They are all…living beings…", my voice shook. "T-They can still feel pain…just as we can… Just as our Pokémon can…" I could no longer hold back my sobs, so I covered my mouth to try holding it back a little longer. "It hurts to see Pokémon, both real and clones, to hurt each other like this…! Why must the different people always be treated like outcasts?!"
Gary brought me into a hug and pushed my head so it rested against the nape of his neck. I cried on his shirt and tried calming down. I wanted this nightmare to be over.
"OW!"
I jumped when I heard Ash's yelp of pain. I looked over my rival's shoulder and spotted my brother lying on the ground. I ripped myself out of Gary's arms and ran to Ash to see if he was okay. Nurse Joy and the other Trainers ran to his aid.
"Ash!" I called tiredly and in relief when I saw he was still alive.
"You okay, Ash?" Gary asked as Ash pushed himself up on all four.
My brother had some bruises visible on his skin. He must have climbed on the walls after he got thrown away by Mewtwo and hurt himself. "We must end this battle!" Ash growled.
"How can we do that?" Corey asked as he pointed up at the sky. "Mewtwo won't listen. All he cares about is to prove his clones are stronger than the real Pokémon."
"I'd rather go out to the storm than watch this battle and see the Pokémon hurt each other", Nurse Joy said. "I wish there was something we could do to stop this. I may be a certified nurse, but I don't know what to do."
"They might never stop fighting", Gary shook his head with sad eyes. "I can tell by their eyes they are ready to battle to the very end."
"That's a fight…that nobody will win", Neesha said sadly.
"Someone must stand up and say no", Ash said as he eyed the battle, or more specifically, his Pikachu and its clone. "Someone must refuse to fight…like Pikachu and Luna."
Before any of us could register, Mewtwo and Mew forced each other down to the ground and threw up dirt around us. They released their power that sent shockwaves across the island and cut the electricity out, putting the stadium in darkness. Even we and the Pokémon were forced down to the ground by the shockwave.
I pushed myself onto my hands and knees and looked around me. The Pokémon were lying on the ground looking extremely exhausted. They were shaking as they tried to get up and keep fighting, but their bodies were against them. My heart almost ripped itself out of my chest by the sight. It was clear they were tired. They didn't want to fight anymore, but they had to because of Mewtwo.
Mewtwo and Mew floated on one side of the stadium with their bodies glowing in pink and blue, ready to unleash one of their final attacks. None of them saw how the other Pokémon were doing. They had this tunnel vision I sometimes had whenever I was deeply concentrating on something.
I couldn't take it anymore!
My body acted on its own before my brain could tell me not to do it!
I ran toward the middle of the stadium while Ash and everyone's voices fell deaf in my ears. I just wanted this battle to end! I didn't want anyone to suffer anymore!
"STOOOP!" I screeched as the two psychic Pokémon fired their attacks.
The next thing I felt was my body got caught on fire and then immense pain. My scream faded away as everything became black.
XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV
"ASHLEY!" I screamed as I watched my twin sister run toward the center of the stadium. What is she doing?!
My eyes widened in fear when Mewtwo and Mew fired their attacks and they went right at Ashley who got in the way. She got struck by the attacks and the light engulfed her as her scream was caught within it.
"Ashley, no!" Gary yelled in fear.
I gaped in horror. Don't tell me I just saw my twin sister die right in front of my eyes?!
The light faded away and revealed Ashley's body that was still intact. She kept glowing as she fell down onto her stomach on the ground. Mewtwo and Mew had stopped glowing and just watched in surprise that my sister had intercepted their attacks.
"Fool!" Mewtwo commented. "Why did she stop our battle?!"
"Meeew?" Mew chirped.
"Ashley!" I shouted as I ran to her as fast as I could.
Pikachu and Luna used their final strength to hurry to my sister who remained on the ground. I reached her just in time to see her body had turned into stone. I tried shaking her body, but it was no use. Even her clothes had been petrified and didn't have their soft texture.
"Ashley…? Ashley, wake up!" I called in fear. "Y-You can't die! We promised we were going to travel together until we achieve our dreams!"
I received no response. The other Pokémon had woken up from their brief rest, but no one started to fight. I couldn't focus on them right now. My priority was my sister. I needed to bring her back to life. I couldn't lose her!
I got an idea and I hated myself for thinking about it, but I had no other choice. "Pikachu… Use Thunderbolt on Ashley! Try freeing her with your power!"
"P-Pika…!" Pikachu nodded before his cheeks sparkled, which was a sign he could use his abilities again. "Pika…CHUUU!"
The lightning bolt struck Ashley, but she didn't respond to it. Her stone body remained the same.
"Again!" I called.
"Pi…pika?" Pikachu hesitated, clearly not wanting to hurt my sister by accident.
"Do it!" I demanded, sensing how my eyes started to burn by tears.
"Pika…CHUUU!" Pikachu used his Thunderbolt again, but it was the same result as the first time.
"Again!"
"CHUUU!"
"Again!"
"CHUUU…!"
"AGAIN!"
"CHUuu…!"
It was useless. None of the attacks worked on Ashley. She was still petrified and there was no crack on the surface that I could pick on and shed off to free my sister.
My shoulders shook as hope faded away in my heart. My sister… The one who I had shared everything with since we were born was gone. My little sister, who was special in so many ways, had sacrificed herself to end the battle so the Pokémon wouldn't have to fight anymore. Her love for Pokémon was stronger than mine, but she had to pay the price with her life.
"Ashley…", I sobbed as tears ran down my cheeks. "Ashley… Please… Come back…"
"Pikapi…", Pikachu mumbled as he started crying.
"Cl-Clefairy…", Luna cried as her tears dropped down to the ground.
I noticed something shiny around us, so I looked up with my watery eyes and saw streaks of drops floating from the Pokémon around us, except for Mewtwo and Mew. I reached out to touch the drops and found out they were tears.
Tears… The harbor manager back in Vermilion City mentioned the storm from the past and how the survived Pokémon had used their tears to revive the lives lost to the natural catastrophe. Are these…the very same tears? Could they…revive my sister?
The tears floated to Ashley as they were absorbed into her petrified body. It slowly started shining the more tears that were collected. Hope returned to me as I prayed my sister was going to wake up and return to normal.
"Ashley…", I sobbed in a whisper as my last tears splashed onto her. "Come back…"
A bright light shone from Ashley and created a pillar while the concrete on her was shed away like scales. Her body returned to its normal form with soft skin and clothes. Her eyes were close, but she slowly opened them as she pushed herself up with her elbows. She looked a bit disoriented at first, but she blinked her eyes until they were clear.
"Luna…? Pikachu…? Ash…?" Ashley said as she looked at us with a tired smile.
"Ashley!" I cried out in relief and joy before I brought her into a big hug. "You're alive!"
I couldn't help but shed a couple more tears, but this time they were tears of joy. My sister was back alive!
Pikachu and Luna tugged our arms, wanting to give hugs to Ashley as well, so I pulled back so she could hug them. I wrapped my arms around her again so I wasn't squeezing them. I won't let go of my little sister for a long time. There's no way I will put her in danger ever again!
Gary and the others ran to us as we stood up from the ground while Ashley kept holding Luna and Pikachu in her arms. Our rival didn't hesitate to give her a hug. It surprised her so much she lost the grip on our Pokémon, so they jumped down before Gary embraced my sister.
"Thank Arceus you're alive!" Gary cried. "I thought we lost you…!"
Ashley raised her right hand and patted his back. "I wanted to save the Pokémon…", she replied tiredly. "I didn't want to watch them suffer anymore."
All of the sudden, we noticed the Pokémon were levitating as they flew up to Mewtwo and Mew who were flying far above us. Those Pokémon turned out to be the clones. Did Mewtwo realize his mistake? Did he finally understand that no matter how you were born or how different you were from the others you were still a living being?
"Mewtwo!" I called. "Where will you go?"
"Somewhere my heart can learn what yours know so well", Mewtwo replied. "What transpired here I will always remember. But perhaps for you, these events are best forgotten."
The next thing I knew, we were engulfed by a white light before I lost consciousness.
XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV
Ash and I were in the waiting room after we exited the ferry and hurried to take cover because of a sudden storm. We met up with Gary who had taken shelter from the storm as well. There were also many other Trainers in the waiting room who wanted to know whether the ferries were able to leave the harbor or not. Officer Jenny and the harbor manager had just showed up to give them an update about the canceled schedule.
"The ferries have been canceled, so you must take shelter for the night until the storm is over", the harbor manager informed the crowd.
"Excuse me!" Nurse Joy called from the other side. "The Pokémon Treatment Center in this building will be open as a shelter. Follow me and I'll show you the way."
A large amount of Trainers followed her as they were relieved to know they could have a roof over their heads for the night.
"I had no idea there was a small Pokémon Center here", Gary spoke up.
"Hey, am I the only one who thinks I've forgotten something important?" Ash suddenly asked.
"Piika?" Pikachu tilted his head to the side with a confused expression.
"You feel so too, Ash?" I replied in surprise.
For some reason, my body felt exhausted like I had a meltdown, but I couldn't remember when it happened. It must have been recent because I still felt the signs of the aftermath within me.
"You two must be imagining stuff", Gary snorted before he got a pondering expression. "Although, I admit I don't remember why I ended up here in Vermilion City. I can't go to the Sevii Islands now that the Conference is just a month away."
Ash rubbed his chin while thinking hard before he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Let's grab something to eat."
"Hey, everyone!" someone called. "The storm is calming down!"
The four of us, Pikachu included, looked up and noticed the rain had stopped and the sky was slowly clearing up. We ran outside to take a closer look. The waves were small and barely splashed against the dock as the light of the sunset shone among the grey clouds.
"How can a violent storm calm down so quickly?" Ash wondered.
"No idea, but I'm glad it's over", Gary said.
I suddenly noticed something shiny among the clouds. I squinted to see whether I could get a clearer view or not. It looked like a Pokémon that flew between the clouds, but I couldn't identify it.
"Guys… Do you see that Pokémon?" I asked as I pointed at the clouds.
"Where?" Ash said as he looked around, but the Pokémon was now gone. "I don't see anything."
"Except the sky", Gary replied sarcastically.
"I'm sure I saw a rare Pokémon…", I mumbled before I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe it was a mirage."
"That reminds me of the day we left on our journey. We saw a rare Pokémon", Ash said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Maybe what you saw was another rare Pokémon."
"You mean you two saw a Legendary Pokémon on the very same day we became Trainers?" Gary asked before he snorted loudly. "I find that hard to believe. It must've been an imagination."
"No, I clearly remember that!" Ash argued before he stared at the ocean. "Maybe… It was a sign for something. Like a good luck charm."
"Well, in that case, you're gonna need all the luck if you want to win the Conference", Gary said before he turned around to leave. "I'll meet up with you guys by the Indigo Plateau. Smell ya later, Ash, Ashley!"
We watched our rival walk away as he held his hand in the air as a bye sign. Ash and I looked at each other before we smiled and leaned our heads against each other's shoulders. Pikachu was on top of my brother's shoulders, so he nuzzled his cheeks between us.
"Let's go to the Pokémon Center for the night before we head back home, Ashley", Ash suggested.
"Good idea", I nodded. "My body is screaming to get some sleep."
We headed toward the center of the city as I glanced over my shoulder. I still couldn't get this feeling out of my chest that something had happened, but I had forgotten about it. I hoped whatever that was wasn't important.
But for now… I wanted to go home and get some rest before my first Pokémon League ever.
XXXXXXXXXX
I looked up if Mewtwo can actually learn Mirror Coat and found out it cannot. I know back in Generation 1, there were no physical or special move categories, but let's say Mewtwo's powers are so strong he can use Counter to reflect special moves back.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's party:
Firered the Charizard (male)
Luna the Clefairy (female)
Sunny the Rapidash (female)
Chanchan the Hitmonchan (male)
Volt the Jolteon (male)
Wanda the Gyarados (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ashley's Pokémon at the Lab:
Kobra the Arbok (male)
Hunter the Aerodactyl (male)
Oliver the Vileplume (male)
Queendra the Seadra (female)
Rina the Nidoqueen (female)
Kabo the Kabutops (male)
Aria the Lapras (female)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's party:
Charizard (male)
Wartortle (male)
Pikachu (male)
Dragonair (female)
Ivysaur (male)
Beedrill (male)
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Squirtle x4 (males)
Krabby (male)
Muk (male)
Tauros (male)
Gengar (male)
Pidgeotto (male)
Hitmonlee (male)
Mimey the Mr. Mime (male)
Omastar (male)
Rhyhorn (male)
Poliwrath (male)
Snorlax (male)
Exeggutor (male)
Nidoking (male)
