6 Ivan's Arrival
Mewtwo's eyes slowly opened. At first, he felt confused by the sight of the ceiling of the infirmary at Shigure's home. He could hear the pump of the oxygen tank and felt the mask on his face, but he couldn't make any sense of it. Then, the cloudiness of his mind began to clear and his memories flooded him again. The farm, Team Rocket, the silo falling toward Benjamin; it all came back to him in an instant and he realized he had gone into a seizure.
His next thought was to worry about his friends. While he could remember the events leading to his attack, he couldn't recall if Benjamin had gotten out from under the silo, or anything after that. He tried to sit up, too quickly, and fell back into the bed.
Suddenly, he became aware of a hand on his own. He turned his head slowly. He saw Ash sitting at the side of the bed, his head laid against it, with Pikachu curled up in his lap. Both were soundly asleep.
Mewtwo smiled weakly and removed the oxygen mask from his face. He sat up again, slowly this time, and pulled the IV from his arm. Reaching out, he touched Ash lightly on the shoulder. The young boy mumbled groggily and lifted his head, groaning from the stiffness of his neck. Then his eyes popped open and he was instantly awake.
"You're okay?" he exclaimed with a mixture of joy and relief.
Mewtwo nodded. "Were you sitting there all night long?" he asked.
"I guess so," Ash said. "I was too worried to leave you alone."
"Thank you," Mewtwo replied, smiling. "Help me to stand."
Ash moved aside as Mewtwo leaned his legs over the side of the bed. He allowed Mewtwo to rest on his shoulder as he slid slowly out of the bed, and put his feet gently on the floor. For a moment, he used Ash to support himself, then at last stood upright.
"I'm hungry," Mewtwo stated.
"Me too," Ash agreed. "Let's go eat."
Shigure was kneeling before his family alter with his head bowed and his eyes closed. On the alter, there were two jars that contained the ashes of his parents bodies. Above the jars, a picture of each parent was hung. It was ornately decorated with gold and jade, a lasting tribute to them. Every morning, he would pray before the alter and pay his respects to his lost family.
So many memories were brought back every time he looked at it. In his life, he had always strived to do everything he could to honor them, but every morning, as he kneeled before it, it always made him feel as though it was not enough. Of course, he knew that he could never truly give his parents the honor they deserved; no amount of service could ever be done in a single person's lifetime for that. So, every morning as he finished his prayers, he left his parents with a promise that he would do more. That was all he could do and he hoped that when he joined them in the next life, they would be pleased with his efforts.
That morning, he was so deep in prayer that he didn't even notice Ash and Mewtwo when they came into the room from the infirmary. Mewtwo was once again leaning on Ash for support; his legs were not yet as strong as he was used to them being. They waited quietly for Shigure to finish, not wanting to be rude.
After a few minutes, Shigure opened his eyes and rose to his feet, then turned around. When he saw Mewtwo standing before him, he smiled. For a moment, there was only silence. No one could think of anything to say.
"I'm glad you're okay," Shigure said finally.
"I'm sorry I worried you," Mewtwo apologized.
Shigure shook his head. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault."
The moment passed as Brock and Misty came into the room, delighted to see that Mewtwo was alive. After the both of them finished explaining how afraid they had been and how relieved they were, they went into the dining room for breakfast.
Neither Ash nor his friends could ever recall a meal tasting as good as it did that morning. "Nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate life," Brock had said, a comment that everyone had unanimously agreed to. Breakfast was more like a celebration. They ate, talked and laughed together for hours. In the middle of it, the phone rang. It was Benjamin, calling in to ask how everyone was doing. He was glad to see that Mewtwo had survived, and Mewtwo was just as pleased to see the same about Benjamin and the other farmers.
The merriment didn't last, however, and was interrupted by an approaching sound.
"What is that?" Shigure asked, leaning his head toward it.
"It sounds like a helicopter," Misty said.
"Helicopter?" Shigure was confused. 'Helicopters never come here.'
"There's the house," Ivan said, pointing through the cockpit windshield.
He was quite impressed by the large home that was hidden away in the mountains. To have built any kind of structure, even just a small cabin, that high in the mountains had to be quite expensive, which meant he was dealing with a rich person. Nothing he couldn't handle. Even a saint would walk barefoot into hell for the right price. He actually was glad that he would be doing business with a wealthy person; they were always easier to buy out. By the end of the day, he would have everything he needed to begin his ultimate plans.
It bothered him that he didn't know much about who Mewtwo's owner was. Jessie and James had been in such a rush to inform him about Mewtwo that they hadn't taken time to find out much about who it was that owned the creature. He was lucky that they had even thought to make sure to learn where the pokemon was, but, with people like those two, you had to take whatever you could get.
"Set us down," he ordered, releasing a puff of smoke into the air.
"Yes, sir," the pilot replied.
Shigure, Ash and his friends came outside to meet the helicopter as it came in for a landing. Mewtwo, not wanting to risk being seen, stayed in the house, watching them from peephole on the front door.
Even though the helicopter landed a good distance away from the house, the gust created by the vehicle's propellers almost blew Ash's cap off. The side door on the helicopter opened. The group watched as the tall man, dressed in black, climbed from it. He tossed the stub of a cigarette onto the dirt trail and crushed it under his foot before he approached them.
Shigure bowed as the man reached him. "Welcome to my home," he said.
The man returned the bow. "Thank you," he replied. "I am Ivan Zokas and I represent Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket!" Ash blurted. "We don't want anything to do with you. Get out of here now!"
Ivan didn't appear to be offended by Ash's remark. He smiled politely as he turned toward him. He took a moment to look over him.
"Adolescent with dark hair and a red cap," he noted. "You must be Ash Ketchum. I am correct?"
Ash didn't say anything, but glowered at Ivan. Ivan's smile broadened.
Shigure cleared his throat. "What brings you to my home, Mr. Zokas?"
Ivan turned back to Shigure. "As I said, I am here representing Team Rocket. I was informed that two of our members were causing trouble for you just yesterday. As my organization's representative, I am here to offer any possible compensation"
Ivan reached into his inner coat pocket and removed his checkbook. Opening the book, he placed a pen to it and asked, "What damages were there?"
Shigure hesitated for a moment. "Well, they destroyed a grain silo."
Ivan began to write down on his check. After he had written the word "silo" on the check, he stopped.
"Excuse me," he said. "Did you say, 'grain silo'?"
Shigure nodded. Ivan's eye twitched. He began to mumble angrily in a language that none of them understood.
"How did they manage that?" he asked, sill angry. "As far as I know, they weren't authorized to have any weapons."
"They crashed their balloon into it," Shigure explained. "The explosion of the propane tanks knocked it over."
Ivan stuttered for a moment, then finished writing up the check. He showed it to Shigure. "Will that cover it?" he asked.
Shigure nodded. Ivan ripped the check out and handed it to him. Shigure felt uncomfortable. Why was this stranger giving him money for the damage? It certainly didn't seem to reflect his company's activities.
"Are you really giving me this?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," Ivan said, seemingly irritated. "I know that our group has been involved in, uh, unlawful activities in the past, but we are trying to change that. We are a legitimate business now. Those other two who were here just yesterday had not been informed on our new policy and they have been properly dealt with."
Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Team Rocket turning over a new leaf? It couldn't be true, not after all that he had gone through with them. A company couldn't simply change overnight. It had to be a lie.
Shigure was also a little skeptical. Have heard of Team Rocket himself, he found it hard to believe. "Is this the only reason you came here?" he asked.
Ivan chuckled. "I must confess," he admitted, "my purpose here is not entirely altruistic. There is something I was hoping to gain in this. It is, however, entirely coincidental that my personal business and my company's business is with the same person."
"I see," Shigure said, still doubtful. "Well, what is it that you want?"
"It was a complete stroke of luck that I even heard about this," Ivan explained. "When Jessie and James reported this incident to me, they noted that you have something that I have been searching for."
Shigure began to worry. He had a good idea of what he was getting at.
"They saw a rare pokemon," Ivan continued. "They said that they saw Mewtwo. Is this true? Do you really have Mewtwo with you?"
Inside the house, Mewtwo stepped back away from the door. 'How does he know?'
Shigure was shocked as well. He tried to think of something to say, but words wouldn't come to him. The hesitation took too long and Ivan smiled.
"It's true then," he said.
Shigure saw the hunger in his eyes. He wasn't hiding it now. Shigure drew back.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, feigning ignorance.
Ivan shook his head and chuckled. "It is too late to play dumb now," he said. "By your reaction, I already know the truth. I would like to purchase that pokemon. I will pay a generous amount of four million dollars. What do you say?"
Shigure hesitated, then laughed. "I'm sorry you came all this way," he said, "but I couldn't sell Mewtwo to you for four million dollars."
"I see," Ivan replied. "I guess I can't fool you. Alright then, I'll offer you what it is really worth then. If you include the cost of creating it and its level of power, two hundred million dollars should be an appropriate price. How does that sound?"
Shigure shook his head. "You don't understand," he tried to explain. "I couldn't sell him to you for four million dollars because I couldn't sell him to you at all. Mewtwo is not for sale."
Ivan nodded. "I understand. Having such a rare and powerful pokemon is quite an incredible thing to boast. But tell me, honestly, what are you going to do with it. Mewtwo can make its owner rich and powerful, but out here, there's no way you could possibly make use of its abilities. I, on the other hand, can and I would like to."
"No you don't understand," Shigure said.
If Ivan had heard him, he certainly did a good job of pretending he didn't and continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I'll pay you double what I offered. In fact, name your price. I'll pay up to thirty billion dollars and that's my budget. Think of that. All the things that you could use that money for."
That same idea did come to Shigure's mind. That could do so much for his cancer research funding, or it could build a great number of schools for children or shelters for homeless. The thought was tempting, even to him.
"Thirty billion dollars is a lot of money," Shigure said.
"Yes, it is," Ivan agreed as he began to write up the check. "So, that is what you'll take for it? Done."
He put the check in Shigure's hand. Shigure read the amount. For a moment, he couldn't speak. Ash, however, knew exactly what to say.
"You can't sell Mewtwo," he shouted. "He's not an animal you can just give away for any amount of money."
"Stop babbling," Ivan growled at him. "We adults are doing business right now. It does not concern you children."
Shigure looked at the check again, then sighed. With a smile, he gave it back. "I'm sorry," he said. "There certainly are a lot of things I could do with that money, but my friend is right. I'm not able to sell you Mewtwo."
"You're turning me down?" Ivan asked.
"I just did. Mewtwo is not like other pokemon. He is a highly intelligent and sentient being. He's more like a human than an animal. In fact, he's more human than some humans. I couldn't possibly sell him to you in good conscience, it would be like selling you a friend."
Ivan seemed baffled. He looked at the check in his hand, then offered it again. "Take it," he said. "Take it."
Shigure shook his head. Ivan waited another moment, then sighed. Removing the lighter from his pocket, he lit up the end of it. He held it until it burned up to the tips of his fingers, then released it. It turned to ashes and blew away before it even reached the ground. Ivan smiled.
"You're a very strange man, you know," he said. "For thirty billion dollars, most people would sell me their friends, but not you. You're a man of strong integrity, something very rare these days." Ivan smiled more broadly, but his apparent pleasantness was still marred by the ravenous look in his eyes. "If you're not interested in money, then perhaps it is the pokemon's feelings that matter to you?"
"I like to think so," Shigure said.
"What if Mewtwo wanted to come with me?" Ivan asked.
"If he wishes that," Shigure replied, "far be it from me to stop him; however, you'll have to ask him yourself."
Ivan chuckled. "I will." He turned to the door and called out, "I know that you've been eavesdropping on this whole conversation, Mewtwo. If you please, come out now and speak with me face to face."
Inside, Mewtwo hesitated. Should he go out? He decided that there was no point in hiding any more. Ivan wouldn't go away unless he told him to himself. He opened the door and went out to meet him.
Ivan couldn't conceal his elation at the sight of Mewtwo. So close to his goal, he was caught up in a sense of euphoria. His hands trembled slightly as Mewtwo came closer until he was standing directly before him.
"It is good to meet you," Ivan said. "I have been looking for you for a long time."
"How do you know about me?" he demanded, cutting off Ivan's flattery.
Ivan chuckled. "If you're referring to the incident between you and Giovanni, I was not a member then. I was just an observer who was not directly involved with the battle."
"I will not go back to work for Giovanni no matter what you say," Mewtwo said firmly. "That man could never possibly change. I know from experience that he is too caught up in his ambition."
Ivan nodded understandingly. "I can believe you when you say that," he agreed. "Giovanni was a very malicious character, but you will be happy to know that he is no more. He died just a few weeks ago and I have bought out his company. I am now the owner of Team Rocket."
The others were stunned. Giovanni, dead? They all wondered how and why, but none of them could think of how to ask.
"So," Ivan continued, "would you like to come and work for me? I would greatly enjoy your help. There is so much you could do for us. If what your friend says is true, then I would be happy to make you a full member of our group, paycheck and all. Not only that, but you would also get the same benefits as our human employees. What do you say? Will you please come with me?"
Mewtwo hesitated and looked Ivan in the eyes. Ivan seemed so different from Giovanni. Giovanni had been demanding and cruel, but this man seemed to be much more open-minded. Giovanni had never even offered for him to become a member of his group. He also remembered how Giovanni had seemed like a good man at first too, and that didn't turn out as well as he would have liked.
"I appreciate your kind offer," he said at last, "but I'm afraid that I'll have to turn you down. My friends are here. No, my family is here and this is where I belong. Even if you truly mean it when you say that you would hold as much respect for me as if I were human, it would never be like it is here. It never could be."
Ivan nodded again. "I can see that you would think that. Your friends seem very loyal to you. But, if you are an employee of my company, then there is no reason to believe that you can't come back and visit them whenever you would like to. And you would also bring back with you money for him. You would no longer be another person he has to feed because you can take care of yourself. It will much better for him as well as for you."
"It is an enticing offer," Mewtwo said, "but I'm not interested. I don't think that I'm ready to face the world yet and I'm certain that the world isn't ready to face me."
Ivan laughed. "They certainly aren't," he said. "But we can work on that. If you never go out, then the world will never be ready."
Mewtwo nodded. "Perhaps that's true," he agreed. "However, I don't think so. Maybe another time."
Ivan smiled. 'It's working,' he thought. 'He's beginning to move toward my ideas. Perhaps he just needs a little push.'
Ivan reached into his coat pocket and removed a pokeball. He opened it and released his Charizard. Walking over to it, he stroked its neck.
"Allow me to show you something," he said. He pointed at Mewtwo and commanded, "Flamethrower!"
The others gasped as the Charizard released a stream of flame directly at Mewtwo. Thinking quickly, Mewtwo held out his hand and created a shield by condensing the water in the air around him. The flames hit it and burst into steam. Mewtwo felt the force of the attack weaken him and he collapsed to his knees.
"What are you doing!?" Misty cried. "You could have hurt him."
Ivan shook his head. "I have been studying Mewtwo's records. I know exactly how much he could have improved in the time since he escaped from Team Rocket. I knew that he could stop that attack."
Mewtwo rose to his feet. "That was incredible," he said. "I've never seen a pokemon with that much power before."
Ivan smiled. "It's how I train them. My pokemon are the most powerful in the world. I could help you increase yours as well. Think about it, Mewtwo. There is power inside you that is yet dormant, waiting to be awakened. I can help you do that if you would only come with me."
Mewtwo remained quiet as he considered the offer. If Ivan could make a Charizard that strong, then Ivan could certainly make him more powerful than he had ever thought possible. He could imagine what he might be able to do if he went with Ivan.
With all the thoughts of greatness that wandered through his mind, he might have agreed to go with Ivan, if not for one thought that pierced through all of them. A memory of when he had first been born and first realized his power. With that memory also came the memory of Ash, lying dead on the ground, struck down by his own power. It was then that he realized that all that power had nothing to offer him. What was he going to use it for?
"No," he whispered.
"What?" Ivan asked.
"I said no," he repeated, louder this time.
"But. . ."
"NO!" Mewtwo practically shouted. "I had power once. I know what an exhilarating feeling it is to have it, but I also know the truth. Back when I tried to make use of my power, it never helped. It never gave me what I wanted, never made me happy." He looked to his friends. "Being here, with them, that makes me happy. I can see now that you have nothing to offer me. I don't want what you have."
"B-but," Ivan stuttered. He couldn't think of what to say. His dreams were crumbling to dust in his hands. He had been so close and now it was slipping away, though he tried as hard as he could to grasp it. He couldn't let it end like this. "You could have everything with me!"
"I already have everything," Mewtwo replied, his voice breaking from the memories that Ivan had revived. "Please, just go away. Leave me alone."
Ivan staggered backward as though Mewtwo's words had sent him a deathblow. Suddenly, his demeanor changed. His eyes turned fiery with rage and his expression became cold, hard steel. The pleasantness of his voice melted away, leaving only daggers coming forth from his tongue.
"You don't understand," he growled. "No one says no to Ivan Zokas. Charizard, Flamethrower! This time, don't hold anything back!"
With a furious roar, Ivan's Charizard spewed another blast of fire. Mewtwo threw up his water shield again, but the blast plowed through it, throwing him to the ground. Screaming, Misty ran up to Ivan.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
Ivan glowered at her through the corner of his eyes without turning his head away from Mewtwo. Snarling, he struck her in the side of the head with the back of his hand, knocking her down. Turning back to his real target, he stalked toward Mewtwo.
"As I told you," he hissed, "I have studied your ability to improve and know exactly how powerful you could have become. I can tell you that even if you had trained yourself every waking moment since you escaped from Team Rocket, my Charizard is still stronger. You will come with me, whether it is willingly, or if I have to forcefully take you and I promise you that the former will be much less painful."
Mewtwo tried stand up, but Ivan kicked him in the shoulder and pressed his foot down onto his chest.
"Give up now!" he haltingly snarled through his teeth.
"Not so fast!" Ash yelled. "You won't have Mewtwo."
He was about to call his Pikachu, but at that moment, one of the pokeballs on his vest opened and his own Charizard appeared. It roared angrily.
"You want to take this one?" Ash asked.
Charizard nodded.
"Okay then, go!"
Ivan stared at the two of them for a moment, then laughed. "Idiot child!" he said, stepping away from Mewtwo and walking toward him. "Why should I waste my time with you?"
Ash stood firm as Ivan stopped no more then two feet away from him. "You're not getting to Mewtwo unless you go through me!"
Ivan's eyes narrowed. "You?" He spit on the ground. "You're nothing! My pokemon have been trained to gain powers far beyond normal ones. Your Charizard could not possibly beat mine."
"Then why do you sound worried?" Ash challenged.
Ivan stuttered, his eye twitching in rage. "I don't have to prove anything to some boy!" he shouted. "What could I possibly gain from running a child into the dirt?"
Behind them, Mewtwo had risen to his feet. Exerting as much power as he dared, he channeled a psychic blast at Ivan's Charizard. Growling, the pokemon staggered backward a few steps and grabbed its head. Ivan saw and rushed to his Charizard.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
"I've restricted your pokemon's abilities," Mewtwo explained. "Now it and Ash's Charizard are on the same level of power and it comes down to which of you is the better trainer."
Ivan snorted. "Weren't you listening?" he shouted. "I won't fight him. If I won't get anything out of it, why should I?"
"That's where you're wrong," Mewtwo said. "If you win this battle, I'll go with you willingly."
Ash gasped. "Mewtwo, are you sure you want to do that?"
"I have faith in you Ash," Mewtwo replied. "I know you can win."
Ivan laughed triumphantly. "Is that so? If that is the way you want it, then I accept. This will be much better anyway. This way, I won't have to damage you anymore than I already have."
Ivan stepped out of the way as his Charizard approached. Ash instructed his Charizard to step up.
"Remember, Charizard," Ash warned, "His pokemon is stronger then we are. If we try to overpower him, we'll loose."
Ivan smiled. "It's smart of you to think that way, but it won't help you. Charizard, attack!"
Growling, Ivan's Charizard charged. Hearing its master's mental order, it lowered its head and prepared to strike its opponent.
"Charizard dodge it," Ash commanded. "Tail whip."
Ash's Charizard ducked to the side and then brought up its tail to slap its enemy, but the other pokemon was no longer there. It turned and felt Ivan's Charizard slash it along the gut. It drew back in pain.
Ivan laughed. "I forgot to mention," he jeered. "My headband allows me to communicate directly to my pokemon's brain, allowing them to react instantly to my commands. If you expect to win, you might want to move a little faster."
Ash clenched his teeth. "Fly!" he ordered.
'Fly,' Ivan thought.
Both pokemon took to the air and engaged each other in flight. Embers rained down from the sky as both Charizards took blow after blow. Ivan appeared to have the advantage. Ash couldn't seem to give his orders fast enough and for every attack he called, Ivan already had a defense ready by the time his Charizard got around to striking.
'Enough games,' Ivan commanded. 'Ground it!'
Ivan's Charizard wrapped its arms around Ash's, curled back its wings and plummeted to the ground. At the last moment, it released its victim and unfurled its wings, pulling away moments before it crashed to the ground.
'Tear its throat out!' Ivan ordered.
Ivan's Charizard landed next to Ash's. Placing one hand under its chin and the other on its chest, it pinned Ash's pokemon to the ground. Opening its mouth wide to showcase its incisors, it prepared to bite. Ash's Charizard struggled desperately and managed to spray its captor in the face with its flamethrower, holding off the final blow for a few moments.
Ash's mind raced urgently for a solution. He could tell that his opponent was going to make his finishing move and he doubted that his own pokemon would survive. He had to think of something. As Ivan's Charizard lowered its head, a idea struck him.
"Charizard, flex your wings," he commanded.
"Eh?" Ivan exclaimed, turning away for a moment.
Ash's Charizard did as it was told. As the muscles of its wings tightened, the fulcrum they created pushed its body upward, causing it to smack Ivan's Charizard in the face and forcing its mouth to clamp shut before it could get its jaws around its neck.
"Tail whip!"
Ivan watched in a stupor as Ash's pokemon rolled quickly to its feet and slapped his own across the face with its tail. It staggered back.
"Slash!"
'Dodge!' Ivan ordered, finally regaining his composure.
Ash's Charizard struck with its razor claws, but Ivan's pokemon was already out of the way. It flew back, distancing itself from its opponent. When Ivan gave another mental order, it began to rise into the air, shrinking in the distance until it was almost impossible to see.
"DIVE!" Ivan screamed.
The pokemon once again folded its wings together and hurled toward its opponent, gaining speed until it was moving faster than a bullet. Ash knew what he had to do to escape, but before he issued the command, he remembered Shigure's words from that first night. Timing is everything. He realized if he called too soon, Ivan would have time to react.
"Wait for it!" he ordered.
Charizard stood its ground as the other pokemon came hurtling down. The wind blowing away from its falling body created a high pitched whistle as it came closer.
'A little closer,' Ash thought to himself.
Ivan's Charizard was only three hundred feet away now. Then, only two hundred, then one hundred. At its speed, it would certainly win if it made contact. Only fifty feet away.
"Duck!" Ash shouted.
Charizard dropped to all fours. Ivan tried to order his pokemon to break off, but it was too late. It smashed into the ground, blasting dirt and grass into the air, and then bounced along the ground like a stone skipping across the surface of a lake. After the third bounce, it impacted with a large tree, snapping its trunk like a twig. Ivan's Charizard rolled along the ground for a few moments longer, then stopped and collapsed onto its stomach.
Ivan shrieked in rage. He ran over to his fallen pokemon and inspected it. He saw that it was still breathing and miraculously somehow conscious, but wasn't getting up.
"To your feet!" he commanded. "Kill that other Charizard."
The pokemon struggled to stand. It pushed with all its strength to rise, but couldn't manage to get to its feet. It was able to support itself with its forearms with agonizing effort, but could go no further. Angry, Ivan began to shout threats at it in Russian.
"It can't go on," Ash said as he recalled his Charizard. "After that crash, I'm surprised it's still alive. You should never have taken a risk like the one you just did. It probably won't be able to get up for weeks."
"Shut up!" Ivan roared. "I haven't lost yet."
Ivan took a leather whip from his coat and began to beat his Charizard ferociously. With every blow, the pokemon howled in anguish.
"Stop it!" Ash yelled.
Ivan ignored him and continued to lash at his already injured pokemon. One of the blows fell across its eye, drawing a bleeding scar. At that moment, something snapped inside the poor creature and it suddenly realized the terrible truth. Its master no longer cared for it. The person that it had lovingly served since it was a charmander did not love it back. Shock of the betrayal gave way to anger. With a furious roar, it lashed back for its own trainer. With a startled yelp, Ivan leaped aside as its lethal claws shredded part of his coat. The Charizard crawled forward and released a surge of flame from its throat. Ivan rolled away, but the tip of his coat caught on fire. He quickly detached the outer layer from his coat before the flames could spread to the rest of his body. He watched it burn. There was a sudden, loud pop and a burst of flames from his coat pocket as his lighter ruptured and the fuel combusted. His anger boiled over. Growling, he turned to his Charizard.
"You stupid beast!" he shouted. "You dare attack me? I am your master!"
The pokemon growled. Intimidated, Ivan took a step back.
"I'll show you!"
He pressed a button on the front of his headband. At once, the Charizard's headband began ejecting sparks from the part where it was plugged in. The creature roared in pain and tugged furiously at the headband. Then, with an agonized howl, it dropped to the ground. Horrified, Ash saw blood begin to drool from its mouth.
"You killed it!" he cried. "How could you do that to your own pokemon?"
Ivan spit and then kicked the motionless body once for good measure.
"That animal turned on me!" he growled. "I can't allow for such things. Besides, this is no great loss. Charizard are fairly easy to get a hold of. If it mattered at all, I could have ten more just as powerful sent to me by tomorrow morning. But that is my business and not yours. You only have to fight me."
Ivan retrieved another pokeball and released a Pincer. The beetle- like pokemon growled at Ash. Ash folded his arms and shook his head.
"I'm not going to continue this," he said. "Not after what you just did. Pokemon aren't to be treated that way. If beating you means that you kill your pokemon, I won't be a part of it."
Ivan's eye twitched. "We'll see if you still feel that way when you're being attacked."
Pincer charged for Ash's Pikachu, opening its huge claw. Pikachu hopped away, barely escaping as Pincer's claw snapped shut. Pincer struck again several more times, but Pikachu only dodged them. It refused to fight back no matter what its opponent did. Ivan quickly became irritated as he watched the fight. He let his eyes wander around as he tried to think. Then an idea struck him and he called for his pokemon to halt.
"So," he said with a sinister chuckle, "you won't fight? Even when you're defending yourself? What about if you were defending your friends?" He pointed at Brock and commanded, "Attack the human!"
Twirling around, Pincer charged at Brock. Caught by surprise, Brock stumbled and fell backward. Pincer pinned him to the ground.
"Guillotine attack!" Ivan ordered.
With a hiss, Pincer put its claw around Brocks neck. Desperately, he reached up and grabbed it. He fought with all his strength to keep the pincer from closing on his throat. Blood began to drip from his hands as the jagged edges cut into his palms.
"Pikachu, save Brock!" Ash shouted.
"You may want to rethink that," Ivan sneered. "If you use an electric attack, you will probably hurt your friend too. If you surrender Mewtwo to me, then I will spare him."
"Never!" Brock yelled. "I don't care what you do, we'll never let you have Mewtwo!"
"Fine then," Ivan laughed. "Die!"
Ash ran to Brock and grabbed a hold of one side of Pincer's claw and pulled on it with all his might, while Pikachu pulled on the other end of the claw. While the two of them tried to pry the pokemon away, Ivan ran over to Mewtwo.
"You will come with me," he declared.
He lashed out with his whip. Suddenly, Shigure jumped in between them and thrust out his hand, causing the whip to wrap around his arm. Ivan tugged at his end, trying to pull it away. Shigure calmly drew his sword.
"This weapon is a thing which you have used to hurt others," he said firmly. "You will never use it again!"
With a swift stroke, he brought his sword down on the whip, slicing it in half. Ivan lost his balance and fell to the ground. He crawled backward away from Shigure as he approached.
"Witness your defeat," Shigure said pointing to the others, "at the hands of those who are superior to you."
Ivan looked toward them. They were still struggling to get his Pincer off of Brock and they were weakening. In a few more moments, Pincer's claw would snap shut and break his neck. He almost laughed. Them? Superior trainers?
His confidence didn't even waver when he saw Misty remove a pokeball and release her Starmie. She told Ash to move and waited for him to shuffle out of the way. Once Ash was clear, she commanded her pokemon to attack. Starmie began to spin rapidly and then hurled itself at Pincer. It collided with the bug pokemon with enough force to knock it off of Brock. Only after he saw this, did the smile fade from Ivan's face.
"Stupid girl!" Ivan growled scornfully. "You should not have interfered in the affairs of others."
Misty snorted at him. "When you threaten my friends, it becomes my affair," she said.
Ivan smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way," he sneered. "It will make it so much more comforting for you when I kill you all!"
He turned to his Pincer. 'Vicegrip,' he commanded.
Hissing, Pincer charged for Starmie. At Misty's order, Starmie fired its water gun attack. Pincer dodged the first spray and effortlessly shook off the second one when it hit it. Misty gasped as Pincer leapt into air and caught her pokemon in its claw, dragging it to the ground.
"Break it in half!" Ivan shouted, clenching his fists.
Pincer began to squeeze its claw shut. Starmie writhed in pain as Pincer's grip tightened. Misty tired to think of what to do. Starmie had to escape from the attack or it would be killed. She racked her brain to find a solution. In horror, she saw the light from Starmie's jewel begin to fade as its life slipped away. Then, the answer hit her.
"Swift attack!" she ordered.
Immediately, Starmie began to shoot star-shaped disks from the jewel on its body. The first three struck Pincer directly in the head at point- blank range, causing it to loose its hold. As it staggered backward, one of the disks struck Pincer's headband, shattering the front end of it. The beetle collapsed backward.
Ivan screamed in rage and rushed to his Pincer. He lifted it up and carefully removed the broken headband. He inspected it and then angrily threw it to the ground.
"Idiot!" he shouted. "Do you know how expensive it is to make these things."
He recalled his pokemon and returned the pokeball to his pocket, but instead of retrieving another, his hand went for his upper-right pocket. When it reached it, he found something wrong; his pocket wasn't there. In desperation, he looked toward his hand and then remembered that he had dropped his outer coat layer when it caught fire. His cigarettes had been in his pocket.
His hands began to twitch from the nicotine withdrawal. He had always been a disciplined smoker, but under the stress, he was beginning to feel the cravings. He searched his coat desperately for another package. He had to have another one somewhere.
"We're waiting," Ash prompted.
Irritated, Ivan removed another pokeball. This time he released a Donphan. Ash's Pikachu stepped up to face it.
"Rollout attack," Ivan commanded absently as he continued to search his coat for a cigarette.
Donphan curled up and rolled toward Pikachu with incredible speed. Pikachu jumped away to avoid being run down by the armored, elephant-like creature. Throwing dust into the air, Donphan came to a screeching halt and then charged in for another attack.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
Electricity crackled around Pikachu's body as it powered up for the attack. As Donphan neared, Pikachu released its energy, knocking its opponent back. The pokemon uncurled and waited for its master to give the next order.
Ivan, however, wasn't paying any attention to the battle. He was busy rummaging through his coat for another package of cigarettes. His hands were shaking uncontrollably from the addiction. When Ash realized that Ivan wasn't going to attack, he decided to make the first move.
"Pikachu," he asked, "do you think you can remove the headband from Donphan?"
"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod.
"Do it then!"
Pikachu rushed its opponent. Having been trained not to move unless ordered, Donphan simply stood in place and remained almost motionless as Pikachu hopped up onto its head.
Ivan heard Ash's command, but was so preoccupied with his search that he ignored it. When it dawned on him what was going on, there was nothing he could do.
"Shake it off!" he shouted desperately, but too late.
Pikachu pressed the release switch on the front of Donphan's headband and then pulled it off. Reacting to its master's command, it jerked its head and threw Pikachu from it, but by then, it didn't matter. Pikachu had accomplished its task.
Ivan gave an enraged shriek. "It doesn't matter!" he yelled, his voice quivering from the need for nicotine. "I'll still win! Donphan, rollout attack!"
Donphan curled up and rolled again, but without the headband driving it, it had no conviction and its attack was half-hearted. Pikachu easily evaded it.
"Thunder!" Ash ordered.
"CHU!" Pikachu screamed.
A massive pillar of electricity exploded from Pikachu's body and hurtled toward Donphan. The force of the blast blew it off its feet and launched toward Ivan. The pokemon hit its master directly on the chest, throwing him to the ground and knocking the breath from his lungs.
For a moment, he laid on the ground, hacking and wheezing for oxygen. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he struggled to his knees.
"Donphan," he started to command.
He stopped with a gasp when he saw his pokemon laying stretched out on the ground, out cold. With hands that were quaking so badly he could barely hold his pokeball, he recalled it. He tried to focus, but his mind wouldn't stay on one thought. The more he tried to think, the more his mind kept going back to the same thought. He needed a cigarette.
Trembling and barely able to stand, he turned back to Ash. I can still win, he thought. He replaced the pokeball and reached for another one. Ash saw his eyes go wide with horror and disbelief. Ivan held open his coat to confirm what he had feared. He had no more Pokemon with him. He had never lost this many battles at one time before. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might have needed more than three. In his arrogance, he had come unprepared.
It was unthinkable! Ivan had lost. And to a boy. How could it be? He was unbeatable, and yet a small child had so soundly defeated him. He threw his hands up in rage and pulled madly at his hair, shouting incoherently, apparently to no one. Ash calmly approached him.
"Do you know why you lost?" he asked.
Ivan glared at him with unsteady, twitching eyes.
"You lost because you treat your pokemon like machines. You don't care for them at all. Once we removed the headbands you used to control them, they basically gave up. I've seen pokemon take much worse beatings for their trainers because they cared. You, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. Your pokemon didn't have the heart to fight for you."
"You also lost because you underestimated your opponents," Misty added. "You thought that just because we were kids, we weren't a threat. We certainly proved you wrong."
"But mostly," Brock threw in, "you weren't paying any attention to the fight. You were too busy looking through your coat. What could possibly have been so important?"
Shigure smiled. He walked over and stood beside Ash, but kept quiet. It seemed to him that he didn't really need to say anything at all.
"In any case," Ash concluded, "you lost. Now leave and never come back. Mewtwo will never go with you and what's more, he will never belong to you."
Ivan's eyes narrowed as his gaze focused on Ash. He was infuriated by the way that this boy was talking to him. What right did he have to speak to him like that? He was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Nobody could talk to him in such an impertinent manner.
"I am Ivan Zokas!" he hissed, his hand moving toward his coat. "I cannot be defeated. Not by some child!"
Shigure saw the weapon that Ivan was reaching for. Horrified, he realized that Ivan had gone mad with rage. He had to stop him. He gently pushed Ash aside and stepped in front of the maniac.
"Stop!" he shouted.
A harsh bang shook the air and everyone gasped in horror. Ivan's quivering hand clutched a smoking pistol.
Shigure gagged and staggered backward, clutching his left breast with both hands. With a tattered groan, he dropped to the ground, gasping violently for breath.
"NO!" Mewtwo cried, rushing to his fallen friend.
Ash knelt beside Shigure. Blood from the wound began to seep into the grass around where he had fallen. Groaning from the pain, Shigure struggled to look up at Ash. Tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes, blurring his sight.
"Ash," he forced himself to whisper. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay," Ash replied, a knot building in his throat. "I'm not hurt."
Shigure smiled, despite the pain. "I'm glad."
"Shigure!" Mewtwo cried, kneeling next to Ash.
"Mewtwo," Shigure whispered hoarsely.
His hand shot into the air. Mewtwo gently took hold of it.
"Mewtwo," he implored. "Please take care of the others. They need someone they can trust."
"No!" Mewtwo cried, unbridled tears flowing down his cheeks. "Don't talk like that! You're going to be all right. You're going to live."
"Tell them," he continued, his voice quickly diminishing in strength. "Tell them that I'm sorry I won't be there for them. Tell them that. And you. . ." He gasped sharply. His voice became halting as he struggled to speak his last request. "I don't want you to cry for me forever. Please be happy. Do that for me. I will always watch over you from heaven. Fare. . .well."
Shigure's grip began to weaken. Mewtwo held on tighter, unwilling to let it fall.
"Shigure," he desperately begged, sobbing uncontrollably. "Don't let go of my hand. You have to hold on!"
Shigure's eyes slowly closed. As his last, ragged breath gurgled from his throat he muttered his final words. "Mother, Father . . . I did my best."
Then, his hand slipped from Mewtwo's grasp and fell to the ground. His head drooped limply to the side and the pool of blood ceased to grow. Mewtwo shook him furiously. It couldn't be true. He refused to accept it.
"Shigure!" he cried. "Shigure! Shigure!"
Mewtwo leaned back, wavering from side to side, and covered his mouth with his hands, shaking his head in shock and grief.
"It can't be!"
Mewtwo threw his arms around Shigure's lifeless, yet still warm body and wept bitterly.
"My friend!" he wailed. "Don't leave me! You can't die!"
Ash put his hand on Mewtwo's shoulder, tears flowing down his own face. He tried to comfort him. He wanted to say something, but no words would come to him, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. Consumed by sorrow, Mewtwo wouldn't have heard them; he didn't even feel Ash's hand on his shoulder.
Standing over them, Ivan began to back away in confusion. In his mind, he couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Shigure had sacrificed himself to save a boy he barely knew.
"Why?" he muttered. "Why would he do it?"
At the sound of Ivan's voice, Mewtwo's eyes popped open. Ivan had done this! It was him! He felt anger building up inside of him. Hate flooded his heart until it felt as though it might burst in his chest. A powerful hate. A horrible, destructive hate that he had never before felt toward anyone else.
"You killed him!" he roared, rising to his feet so fast he nearly knocked Ash to the ground. His eyes glowed with a furious blue light. "YOU KILLED HIM!!!"
Then, his wrath exploded. With a vengeful scream, he charged for Ivan. There was a sickening crack as Mewtwo's fist connected with Ivan's face, crushing his nose. He gagged on the blood as it oozed down his face and into his mouth. He started to fall backward, but Mewtwo took a hold of his coat and pulled him back to his feet. Ivan held out his hands in fear, but Mewtwo ignored him. He threw another massive punch into Ivan's gut, then brought his other fist up into Ivan's jaw, shattering the two front teeth from the impact. Then, Mewtwo grabbed onto Ivan's suit collar and began to savagely pummel his face. When Ivan's face became almost unrecognizable, Mewtwo threw him to the ground and drove his foot into his stomach.
When he saw his boss in trouble, the helicopter's pilot took off and flew toward him. He activated the gattling gun on the front of it and prepared to fire on Mewtwo. Mewtwo pointed his open hand at the helicopter and launched black bolt of psychic energy, which struck the helicopter's engine. The pilot had a few seconds to scream before the flames of the tremendous explosion consumed him.
As pieces of the helicopter rained down from above, Mewtwo turned his attention back to Ivan. He pointed his hand at Ivan's head. Another ball of black energy appeared. Tears were still flowing down his face as he glared at the one who had killed his friend.
"Die!" he growled through his sobs.
"Don't do it!"
A hand grasped Mewtwo's arm. The flames of his fury were fanned by the interruption. Snarling, he punched the interloper with his other hand. With a painful cry, Ash fell to the ground. When he heard the cry, Mewtwo realized that he had just struck his friend.
"Please," Ash begged. "Don't kill him."
Mewtwo gasped. "Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, then, in a broken whisper, he said, "He killed Shigure."
Ash bowed his head. "I know that," he replied, sobbing. "I know what he did and there's nothing right about it, but if you kill Ivan in anger, you'll be no different. You'll be a murderer. Don't be like him, Mewtwo," he was begging now. "You're better than that. I know you are."
"But, Shigure," he whimpered.
Ash looked Mewtwo directly in the eyes. Mewtwo saw the light reflecting off the tears that moistened them. "If you kill Ivan," he asked, "will it bring Shigure back?"
Mewtwo took a step back. Shigure was dead, but did that really give him the right to kill Ivan? He looked down on Ivan. Ivan squinted back at him through his left eye, since his right eye was swollen shut.
"Pasha," he mumbled. "Pashalusta ne . . . ube vay mi nya."
Ivan was begging for his life. His mind was so racked from his beating that he had reverted back to speaking his first language. When Mewtwo realized it, it struck something inside him, grating against his heart like sandpaper. What was he doing? This wasn't the way he wanted to be. This wasn't the way that Shigure wanted him to be.
He took a deep breath and felt his hatred dwindle away. The energy ball melted with his rage. He had done enough. His anger was satisfied. Turning from Ivan, he walked dazedly toward Shigure's body. He stood over it momentarily, then curled up like a fetus, crouching down beside the lifeless corpse.
The hate was gone, but the pain of loss still remained. Shigure was gone, murdered before his very eyes. What was he supposed to do now? What reason did he have to go on?
Suddenly, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked.
Mewtwo couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. Shigure was gone. He had never felt so empty inside before. He turned to Misty and wrapped his arms around her like a toddler clinging to his mother. Misty returned the embrace, gently stroking his head.
"It's alright," she whispered softly, reassuringly. "You're not alone. We're here for you."
Ash and Brock sat down beside them. Together, they lamented for their lost loved one.
Pushing himself to overcome the pain, Ivan forced himself to sit up. He managed to open his right eye halfway as he observed the four of them in complete bewilderment. They were crying. Why? He couldn't understand it. He'd never seen anyone show such an emotional connection to another person. Could that one man really have meant that much to them? For a brief instant, the horror of his actions dawned on him.
'What have I done?' Ivan asked himself.
Reaching up with his left hand, he pushed his nose back into place, wincing at the pain, which caused his eyes to water reflexively. He looked down at his hand. It was soaked in blood; his blood. His suit was covered in it as well. At the sight of it, he felt his anger beginning to boil.
'What have I done?' he thought, retrieving his glasses. 'What have they done? What have they done to me!? They did this?'
Growling, he grabbed the pistol that had fallen beside him and aimed it at Mewtwo's head.
"It's not over yet!" he shouted.
Time slowed to a crawl for Mewtwo when he heard the gun cock. The bullet exploded from the chamber. Twirling around quickly, Mewtwo thrust out his hand and called upon his power. The bullet slowed, then stopped, inches from his hand. Swinging his hand sharply to the side, he tossed the bullet away.
Ivan's eyes widened in horror. He staggered to his feet and tried fire again. Mewtwo thrust out his hand once more and clenched it into a fist. The gun collapsed inward in Ivan's hand, crushed by Mewtwo's psychic power.
Ivan stumbled backward as he tried to run. Cords of pale blue energy shot from Mewtwo's palm and bound Ivan's arms and legs together. He dropped to the ground, immobilized.
"No!" he screamed. "I will never loose! Not to anyone!"
Mewtwo drew his finger across his throat. Ivan's throat suddenly constricted, halting his ability to speak.
"Shut up!" Mewtwo demanded. "I don't want to hear your voice anymore."
Mewtwo's eyes slowly opened. At first, he felt confused by the sight of the ceiling of the infirmary at Shigure's home. He could hear the pump of the oxygen tank and felt the mask on his face, but he couldn't make any sense of it. Then, the cloudiness of his mind began to clear and his memories flooded him again. The farm, Team Rocket, the silo falling toward Benjamin; it all came back to him in an instant and he realized he had gone into a seizure.
His next thought was to worry about his friends. While he could remember the events leading to his attack, he couldn't recall if Benjamin had gotten out from under the silo, or anything after that. He tried to sit up, too quickly, and fell back into the bed.
Suddenly, he became aware of a hand on his own. He turned his head slowly. He saw Ash sitting at the side of the bed, his head laid against it, with Pikachu curled up in his lap. Both were soundly asleep.
Mewtwo smiled weakly and removed the oxygen mask from his face. He sat up again, slowly this time, and pulled the IV from his arm. Reaching out, he touched Ash lightly on the shoulder. The young boy mumbled groggily and lifted his head, groaning from the stiffness of his neck. Then his eyes popped open and he was instantly awake.
"You're okay?" he exclaimed with a mixture of joy and relief.
Mewtwo nodded. "Were you sitting there all night long?" he asked.
"I guess so," Ash said. "I was too worried to leave you alone."
"Thank you," Mewtwo replied, smiling. "Help me to stand."
Ash moved aside as Mewtwo leaned his legs over the side of the bed. He allowed Mewtwo to rest on his shoulder as he slid slowly out of the bed, and put his feet gently on the floor. For a moment, he used Ash to support himself, then at last stood upright.
"I'm hungry," Mewtwo stated.
"Me too," Ash agreed. "Let's go eat."
Shigure was kneeling before his family alter with his head bowed and his eyes closed. On the alter, there were two jars that contained the ashes of his parents bodies. Above the jars, a picture of each parent was hung. It was ornately decorated with gold and jade, a lasting tribute to them. Every morning, he would pray before the alter and pay his respects to his lost family.
So many memories were brought back every time he looked at it. In his life, he had always strived to do everything he could to honor them, but every morning, as he kneeled before it, it always made him feel as though it was not enough. Of course, he knew that he could never truly give his parents the honor they deserved; no amount of service could ever be done in a single person's lifetime for that. So, every morning as he finished his prayers, he left his parents with a promise that he would do more. That was all he could do and he hoped that when he joined them in the next life, they would be pleased with his efforts.
That morning, he was so deep in prayer that he didn't even notice Ash and Mewtwo when they came into the room from the infirmary. Mewtwo was once again leaning on Ash for support; his legs were not yet as strong as he was used to them being. They waited quietly for Shigure to finish, not wanting to be rude.
After a few minutes, Shigure opened his eyes and rose to his feet, then turned around. When he saw Mewtwo standing before him, he smiled. For a moment, there was only silence. No one could think of anything to say.
"I'm glad you're okay," Shigure said finally.
"I'm sorry I worried you," Mewtwo apologized.
Shigure shook his head. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault."
The moment passed as Brock and Misty came into the room, delighted to see that Mewtwo was alive. After the both of them finished explaining how afraid they had been and how relieved they were, they went into the dining room for breakfast.
Neither Ash nor his friends could ever recall a meal tasting as good as it did that morning. "Nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate life," Brock had said, a comment that everyone had unanimously agreed to. Breakfast was more like a celebration. They ate, talked and laughed together for hours. In the middle of it, the phone rang. It was Benjamin, calling in to ask how everyone was doing. He was glad to see that Mewtwo had survived, and Mewtwo was just as pleased to see the same about Benjamin and the other farmers.
The merriment didn't last, however, and was interrupted by an approaching sound.
"What is that?" Shigure asked, leaning his head toward it.
"It sounds like a helicopter," Misty said.
"Helicopter?" Shigure was confused. 'Helicopters never come here.'
"There's the house," Ivan said, pointing through the cockpit windshield.
He was quite impressed by the large home that was hidden away in the mountains. To have built any kind of structure, even just a small cabin, that high in the mountains had to be quite expensive, which meant he was dealing with a rich person. Nothing he couldn't handle. Even a saint would walk barefoot into hell for the right price. He actually was glad that he would be doing business with a wealthy person; they were always easier to buy out. By the end of the day, he would have everything he needed to begin his ultimate plans.
It bothered him that he didn't know much about who Mewtwo's owner was. Jessie and James had been in such a rush to inform him about Mewtwo that they hadn't taken time to find out much about who it was that owned the creature. He was lucky that they had even thought to make sure to learn where the pokemon was, but, with people like those two, you had to take whatever you could get.
"Set us down," he ordered, releasing a puff of smoke into the air.
"Yes, sir," the pilot replied.
Shigure, Ash and his friends came outside to meet the helicopter as it came in for a landing. Mewtwo, not wanting to risk being seen, stayed in the house, watching them from peephole on the front door.
Even though the helicopter landed a good distance away from the house, the gust created by the vehicle's propellers almost blew Ash's cap off. The side door on the helicopter opened. The group watched as the tall man, dressed in black, climbed from it. He tossed the stub of a cigarette onto the dirt trail and crushed it under his foot before he approached them.
Shigure bowed as the man reached him. "Welcome to my home," he said.
The man returned the bow. "Thank you," he replied. "I am Ivan Zokas and I represent Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket!" Ash blurted. "We don't want anything to do with you. Get out of here now!"
Ivan didn't appear to be offended by Ash's remark. He smiled politely as he turned toward him. He took a moment to look over him.
"Adolescent with dark hair and a red cap," he noted. "You must be Ash Ketchum. I am correct?"
Ash didn't say anything, but glowered at Ivan. Ivan's smile broadened.
Shigure cleared his throat. "What brings you to my home, Mr. Zokas?"
Ivan turned back to Shigure. "As I said, I am here representing Team Rocket. I was informed that two of our members were causing trouble for you just yesterday. As my organization's representative, I am here to offer any possible compensation"
Ivan reached into his inner coat pocket and removed his checkbook. Opening the book, he placed a pen to it and asked, "What damages were there?"
Shigure hesitated for a moment. "Well, they destroyed a grain silo."
Ivan began to write down on his check. After he had written the word "silo" on the check, he stopped.
"Excuse me," he said. "Did you say, 'grain silo'?"
Shigure nodded. Ivan's eye twitched. He began to mumble angrily in a language that none of them understood.
"How did they manage that?" he asked, sill angry. "As far as I know, they weren't authorized to have any weapons."
"They crashed their balloon into it," Shigure explained. "The explosion of the propane tanks knocked it over."
Ivan stuttered for a moment, then finished writing up the check. He showed it to Shigure. "Will that cover it?" he asked.
Shigure nodded. Ivan ripped the check out and handed it to him. Shigure felt uncomfortable. Why was this stranger giving him money for the damage? It certainly didn't seem to reflect his company's activities.
"Are you really giving me this?" he asked.
"Yes, of course," Ivan said, seemingly irritated. "I know that our group has been involved in, uh, unlawful activities in the past, but we are trying to change that. We are a legitimate business now. Those other two who were here just yesterday had not been informed on our new policy and they have been properly dealt with."
Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Team Rocket turning over a new leaf? It couldn't be true, not after all that he had gone through with them. A company couldn't simply change overnight. It had to be a lie.
Shigure was also a little skeptical. Have heard of Team Rocket himself, he found it hard to believe. "Is this the only reason you came here?" he asked.
Ivan chuckled. "I must confess," he admitted, "my purpose here is not entirely altruistic. There is something I was hoping to gain in this. It is, however, entirely coincidental that my personal business and my company's business is with the same person."
"I see," Shigure said, still doubtful. "Well, what is it that you want?"
"It was a complete stroke of luck that I even heard about this," Ivan explained. "When Jessie and James reported this incident to me, they noted that you have something that I have been searching for."
Shigure began to worry. He had a good idea of what he was getting at.
"They saw a rare pokemon," Ivan continued. "They said that they saw Mewtwo. Is this true? Do you really have Mewtwo with you?"
Inside the house, Mewtwo stepped back away from the door. 'How does he know?'
Shigure was shocked as well. He tried to think of something to say, but words wouldn't come to him. The hesitation took too long and Ivan smiled.
"It's true then," he said.
Shigure saw the hunger in his eyes. He wasn't hiding it now. Shigure drew back.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, feigning ignorance.
Ivan shook his head and chuckled. "It is too late to play dumb now," he said. "By your reaction, I already know the truth. I would like to purchase that pokemon. I will pay a generous amount of four million dollars. What do you say?"
Shigure hesitated, then laughed. "I'm sorry you came all this way," he said, "but I couldn't sell Mewtwo to you for four million dollars."
"I see," Ivan replied. "I guess I can't fool you. Alright then, I'll offer you what it is really worth then. If you include the cost of creating it and its level of power, two hundred million dollars should be an appropriate price. How does that sound?"
Shigure shook his head. "You don't understand," he tried to explain. "I couldn't sell him to you for four million dollars because I couldn't sell him to you at all. Mewtwo is not for sale."
Ivan nodded. "I understand. Having such a rare and powerful pokemon is quite an incredible thing to boast. But tell me, honestly, what are you going to do with it. Mewtwo can make its owner rich and powerful, but out here, there's no way you could possibly make use of its abilities. I, on the other hand, can and I would like to."
"No you don't understand," Shigure said.
If Ivan had heard him, he certainly did a good job of pretending he didn't and continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I'll pay you double what I offered. In fact, name your price. I'll pay up to thirty billion dollars and that's my budget. Think of that. All the things that you could use that money for."
That same idea did come to Shigure's mind. That could do so much for his cancer research funding, or it could build a great number of schools for children or shelters for homeless. The thought was tempting, even to him.
"Thirty billion dollars is a lot of money," Shigure said.
"Yes, it is," Ivan agreed as he began to write up the check. "So, that is what you'll take for it? Done."
He put the check in Shigure's hand. Shigure read the amount. For a moment, he couldn't speak. Ash, however, knew exactly what to say.
"You can't sell Mewtwo," he shouted. "He's not an animal you can just give away for any amount of money."
"Stop babbling," Ivan growled at him. "We adults are doing business right now. It does not concern you children."
Shigure looked at the check again, then sighed. With a smile, he gave it back. "I'm sorry," he said. "There certainly are a lot of things I could do with that money, but my friend is right. I'm not able to sell you Mewtwo."
"You're turning me down?" Ivan asked.
"I just did. Mewtwo is not like other pokemon. He is a highly intelligent and sentient being. He's more like a human than an animal. In fact, he's more human than some humans. I couldn't possibly sell him to you in good conscience, it would be like selling you a friend."
Ivan seemed baffled. He looked at the check in his hand, then offered it again. "Take it," he said. "Take it."
Shigure shook his head. Ivan waited another moment, then sighed. Removing the lighter from his pocket, he lit up the end of it. He held it until it burned up to the tips of his fingers, then released it. It turned to ashes and blew away before it even reached the ground. Ivan smiled.
"You're a very strange man, you know," he said. "For thirty billion dollars, most people would sell me their friends, but not you. You're a man of strong integrity, something very rare these days." Ivan smiled more broadly, but his apparent pleasantness was still marred by the ravenous look in his eyes. "If you're not interested in money, then perhaps it is the pokemon's feelings that matter to you?"
"I like to think so," Shigure said.
"What if Mewtwo wanted to come with me?" Ivan asked.
"If he wishes that," Shigure replied, "far be it from me to stop him; however, you'll have to ask him yourself."
Ivan chuckled. "I will." He turned to the door and called out, "I know that you've been eavesdropping on this whole conversation, Mewtwo. If you please, come out now and speak with me face to face."
Inside, Mewtwo hesitated. Should he go out? He decided that there was no point in hiding any more. Ivan wouldn't go away unless he told him to himself. He opened the door and went out to meet him.
Ivan couldn't conceal his elation at the sight of Mewtwo. So close to his goal, he was caught up in a sense of euphoria. His hands trembled slightly as Mewtwo came closer until he was standing directly before him.
"It is good to meet you," Ivan said. "I have been looking for you for a long time."
"How do you know about me?" he demanded, cutting off Ivan's flattery.
Ivan chuckled. "If you're referring to the incident between you and Giovanni, I was not a member then. I was just an observer who was not directly involved with the battle."
"I will not go back to work for Giovanni no matter what you say," Mewtwo said firmly. "That man could never possibly change. I know from experience that he is too caught up in his ambition."
Ivan nodded understandingly. "I can believe you when you say that," he agreed. "Giovanni was a very malicious character, but you will be happy to know that he is no more. He died just a few weeks ago and I have bought out his company. I am now the owner of Team Rocket."
The others were stunned. Giovanni, dead? They all wondered how and why, but none of them could think of how to ask.
"So," Ivan continued, "would you like to come and work for me? I would greatly enjoy your help. There is so much you could do for us. If what your friend says is true, then I would be happy to make you a full member of our group, paycheck and all. Not only that, but you would also get the same benefits as our human employees. What do you say? Will you please come with me?"
Mewtwo hesitated and looked Ivan in the eyes. Ivan seemed so different from Giovanni. Giovanni had been demanding and cruel, but this man seemed to be much more open-minded. Giovanni had never even offered for him to become a member of his group. He also remembered how Giovanni had seemed like a good man at first too, and that didn't turn out as well as he would have liked.
"I appreciate your kind offer," he said at last, "but I'm afraid that I'll have to turn you down. My friends are here. No, my family is here and this is where I belong. Even if you truly mean it when you say that you would hold as much respect for me as if I were human, it would never be like it is here. It never could be."
Ivan nodded again. "I can see that you would think that. Your friends seem very loyal to you. But, if you are an employee of my company, then there is no reason to believe that you can't come back and visit them whenever you would like to. And you would also bring back with you money for him. You would no longer be another person he has to feed because you can take care of yourself. It will much better for him as well as for you."
"It is an enticing offer," Mewtwo said, "but I'm not interested. I don't think that I'm ready to face the world yet and I'm certain that the world isn't ready to face me."
Ivan laughed. "They certainly aren't," he said. "But we can work on that. If you never go out, then the world will never be ready."
Mewtwo nodded. "Perhaps that's true," he agreed. "However, I don't think so. Maybe another time."
Ivan smiled. 'It's working,' he thought. 'He's beginning to move toward my ideas. Perhaps he just needs a little push.'
Ivan reached into his coat pocket and removed a pokeball. He opened it and released his Charizard. Walking over to it, he stroked its neck.
"Allow me to show you something," he said. He pointed at Mewtwo and commanded, "Flamethrower!"
The others gasped as the Charizard released a stream of flame directly at Mewtwo. Thinking quickly, Mewtwo held out his hand and created a shield by condensing the water in the air around him. The flames hit it and burst into steam. Mewtwo felt the force of the attack weaken him and he collapsed to his knees.
"What are you doing!?" Misty cried. "You could have hurt him."
Ivan shook his head. "I have been studying Mewtwo's records. I know exactly how much he could have improved in the time since he escaped from Team Rocket. I knew that he could stop that attack."
Mewtwo rose to his feet. "That was incredible," he said. "I've never seen a pokemon with that much power before."
Ivan smiled. "It's how I train them. My pokemon are the most powerful in the world. I could help you increase yours as well. Think about it, Mewtwo. There is power inside you that is yet dormant, waiting to be awakened. I can help you do that if you would only come with me."
Mewtwo remained quiet as he considered the offer. If Ivan could make a Charizard that strong, then Ivan could certainly make him more powerful than he had ever thought possible. He could imagine what he might be able to do if he went with Ivan.
With all the thoughts of greatness that wandered through his mind, he might have agreed to go with Ivan, if not for one thought that pierced through all of them. A memory of when he had first been born and first realized his power. With that memory also came the memory of Ash, lying dead on the ground, struck down by his own power. It was then that he realized that all that power had nothing to offer him. What was he going to use it for?
"No," he whispered.
"What?" Ivan asked.
"I said no," he repeated, louder this time.
"But. . ."
"NO!" Mewtwo practically shouted. "I had power once. I know what an exhilarating feeling it is to have it, but I also know the truth. Back when I tried to make use of my power, it never helped. It never gave me what I wanted, never made me happy." He looked to his friends. "Being here, with them, that makes me happy. I can see now that you have nothing to offer me. I don't want what you have."
"B-but," Ivan stuttered. He couldn't think of what to say. His dreams were crumbling to dust in his hands. He had been so close and now it was slipping away, though he tried as hard as he could to grasp it. He couldn't let it end like this. "You could have everything with me!"
"I already have everything," Mewtwo replied, his voice breaking from the memories that Ivan had revived. "Please, just go away. Leave me alone."
Ivan staggered backward as though Mewtwo's words had sent him a deathblow. Suddenly, his demeanor changed. His eyes turned fiery with rage and his expression became cold, hard steel. The pleasantness of his voice melted away, leaving only daggers coming forth from his tongue.
"You don't understand," he growled. "No one says no to Ivan Zokas. Charizard, Flamethrower! This time, don't hold anything back!"
With a furious roar, Ivan's Charizard spewed another blast of fire. Mewtwo threw up his water shield again, but the blast plowed through it, throwing him to the ground. Screaming, Misty ran up to Ivan.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
Ivan glowered at her through the corner of his eyes without turning his head away from Mewtwo. Snarling, he struck her in the side of the head with the back of his hand, knocking her down. Turning back to his real target, he stalked toward Mewtwo.
"As I told you," he hissed, "I have studied your ability to improve and know exactly how powerful you could have become. I can tell you that even if you had trained yourself every waking moment since you escaped from Team Rocket, my Charizard is still stronger. You will come with me, whether it is willingly, or if I have to forcefully take you and I promise you that the former will be much less painful."
Mewtwo tried stand up, but Ivan kicked him in the shoulder and pressed his foot down onto his chest.
"Give up now!" he haltingly snarled through his teeth.
"Not so fast!" Ash yelled. "You won't have Mewtwo."
He was about to call his Pikachu, but at that moment, one of the pokeballs on his vest opened and his own Charizard appeared. It roared angrily.
"You want to take this one?" Ash asked.
Charizard nodded.
"Okay then, go!"
Ivan stared at the two of them for a moment, then laughed. "Idiot child!" he said, stepping away from Mewtwo and walking toward him. "Why should I waste my time with you?"
Ash stood firm as Ivan stopped no more then two feet away from him. "You're not getting to Mewtwo unless you go through me!"
Ivan's eyes narrowed. "You?" He spit on the ground. "You're nothing! My pokemon have been trained to gain powers far beyond normal ones. Your Charizard could not possibly beat mine."
"Then why do you sound worried?" Ash challenged.
Ivan stuttered, his eye twitching in rage. "I don't have to prove anything to some boy!" he shouted. "What could I possibly gain from running a child into the dirt?"
Behind them, Mewtwo had risen to his feet. Exerting as much power as he dared, he channeled a psychic blast at Ivan's Charizard. Growling, the pokemon staggered backward a few steps and grabbed its head. Ivan saw and rushed to his Charizard.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
"I've restricted your pokemon's abilities," Mewtwo explained. "Now it and Ash's Charizard are on the same level of power and it comes down to which of you is the better trainer."
Ivan snorted. "Weren't you listening?" he shouted. "I won't fight him. If I won't get anything out of it, why should I?"
"That's where you're wrong," Mewtwo said. "If you win this battle, I'll go with you willingly."
Ash gasped. "Mewtwo, are you sure you want to do that?"
"I have faith in you Ash," Mewtwo replied. "I know you can win."
Ivan laughed triumphantly. "Is that so? If that is the way you want it, then I accept. This will be much better anyway. This way, I won't have to damage you anymore than I already have."
Ivan stepped out of the way as his Charizard approached. Ash instructed his Charizard to step up.
"Remember, Charizard," Ash warned, "His pokemon is stronger then we are. If we try to overpower him, we'll loose."
Ivan smiled. "It's smart of you to think that way, but it won't help you. Charizard, attack!"
Growling, Ivan's Charizard charged. Hearing its master's mental order, it lowered its head and prepared to strike its opponent.
"Charizard dodge it," Ash commanded. "Tail whip."
Ash's Charizard ducked to the side and then brought up its tail to slap its enemy, but the other pokemon was no longer there. It turned and felt Ivan's Charizard slash it along the gut. It drew back in pain.
Ivan laughed. "I forgot to mention," he jeered. "My headband allows me to communicate directly to my pokemon's brain, allowing them to react instantly to my commands. If you expect to win, you might want to move a little faster."
Ash clenched his teeth. "Fly!" he ordered.
'Fly,' Ivan thought.
Both pokemon took to the air and engaged each other in flight. Embers rained down from the sky as both Charizards took blow after blow. Ivan appeared to have the advantage. Ash couldn't seem to give his orders fast enough and for every attack he called, Ivan already had a defense ready by the time his Charizard got around to striking.
'Enough games,' Ivan commanded. 'Ground it!'
Ivan's Charizard wrapped its arms around Ash's, curled back its wings and plummeted to the ground. At the last moment, it released its victim and unfurled its wings, pulling away moments before it crashed to the ground.
'Tear its throat out!' Ivan ordered.
Ivan's Charizard landed next to Ash's. Placing one hand under its chin and the other on its chest, it pinned Ash's pokemon to the ground. Opening its mouth wide to showcase its incisors, it prepared to bite. Ash's Charizard struggled desperately and managed to spray its captor in the face with its flamethrower, holding off the final blow for a few moments.
Ash's mind raced urgently for a solution. He could tell that his opponent was going to make his finishing move and he doubted that his own pokemon would survive. He had to think of something. As Ivan's Charizard lowered its head, a idea struck him.
"Charizard, flex your wings," he commanded.
"Eh?" Ivan exclaimed, turning away for a moment.
Ash's Charizard did as it was told. As the muscles of its wings tightened, the fulcrum they created pushed its body upward, causing it to smack Ivan's Charizard in the face and forcing its mouth to clamp shut before it could get its jaws around its neck.
"Tail whip!"
Ivan watched in a stupor as Ash's pokemon rolled quickly to its feet and slapped his own across the face with its tail. It staggered back.
"Slash!"
'Dodge!' Ivan ordered, finally regaining his composure.
Ash's Charizard struck with its razor claws, but Ivan's pokemon was already out of the way. It flew back, distancing itself from its opponent. When Ivan gave another mental order, it began to rise into the air, shrinking in the distance until it was almost impossible to see.
"DIVE!" Ivan screamed.
The pokemon once again folded its wings together and hurled toward its opponent, gaining speed until it was moving faster than a bullet. Ash knew what he had to do to escape, but before he issued the command, he remembered Shigure's words from that first night. Timing is everything. He realized if he called too soon, Ivan would have time to react.
"Wait for it!" he ordered.
Charizard stood its ground as the other pokemon came hurtling down. The wind blowing away from its falling body created a high pitched whistle as it came closer.
'A little closer,' Ash thought to himself.
Ivan's Charizard was only three hundred feet away now. Then, only two hundred, then one hundred. At its speed, it would certainly win if it made contact. Only fifty feet away.
"Duck!" Ash shouted.
Charizard dropped to all fours. Ivan tried to order his pokemon to break off, but it was too late. It smashed into the ground, blasting dirt and grass into the air, and then bounced along the ground like a stone skipping across the surface of a lake. After the third bounce, it impacted with a large tree, snapping its trunk like a twig. Ivan's Charizard rolled along the ground for a few moments longer, then stopped and collapsed onto its stomach.
Ivan shrieked in rage. He ran over to his fallen pokemon and inspected it. He saw that it was still breathing and miraculously somehow conscious, but wasn't getting up.
"To your feet!" he commanded. "Kill that other Charizard."
The pokemon struggled to stand. It pushed with all its strength to rise, but couldn't manage to get to its feet. It was able to support itself with its forearms with agonizing effort, but could go no further. Angry, Ivan began to shout threats at it in Russian.
"It can't go on," Ash said as he recalled his Charizard. "After that crash, I'm surprised it's still alive. You should never have taken a risk like the one you just did. It probably won't be able to get up for weeks."
"Shut up!" Ivan roared. "I haven't lost yet."
Ivan took a leather whip from his coat and began to beat his Charizard ferociously. With every blow, the pokemon howled in anguish.
"Stop it!" Ash yelled.
Ivan ignored him and continued to lash at his already injured pokemon. One of the blows fell across its eye, drawing a bleeding scar. At that moment, something snapped inside the poor creature and it suddenly realized the terrible truth. Its master no longer cared for it. The person that it had lovingly served since it was a charmander did not love it back. Shock of the betrayal gave way to anger. With a furious roar, it lashed back for its own trainer. With a startled yelp, Ivan leaped aside as its lethal claws shredded part of his coat. The Charizard crawled forward and released a surge of flame from its throat. Ivan rolled away, but the tip of his coat caught on fire. He quickly detached the outer layer from his coat before the flames could spread to the rest of his body. He watched it burn. There was a sudden, loud pop and a burst of flames from his coat pocket as his lighter ruptured and the fuel combusted. His anger boiled over. Growling, he turned to his Charizard.
"You stupid beast!" he shouted. "You dare attack me? I am your master!"
The pokemon growled. Intimidated, Ivan took a step back.
"I'll show you!"
He pressed a button on the front of his headband. At once, the Charizard's headband began ejecting sparks from the part where it was plugged in. The creature roared in pain and tugged furiously at the headband. Then, with an agonized howl, it dropped to the ground. Horrified, Ash saw blood begin to drool from its mouth.
"You killed it!" he cried. "How could you do that to your own pokemon?"
Ivan spit and then kicked the motionless body once for good measure.
"That animal turned on me!" he growled. "I can't allow for such things. Besides, this is no great loss. Charizard are fairly easy to get a hold of. If it mattered at all, I could have ten more just as powerful sent to me by tomorrow morning. But that is my business and not yours. You only have to fight me."
Ivan retrieved another pokeball and released a Pincer. The beetle- like pokemon growled at Ash. Ash folded his arms and shook his head.
"I'm not going to continue this," he said. "Not after what you just did. Pokemon aren't to be treated that way. If beating you means that you kill your pokemon, I won't be a part of it."
Ivan's eye twitched. "We'll see if you still feel that way when you're being attacked."
Pincer charged for Ash's Pikachu, opening its huge claw. Pikachu hopped away, barely escaping as Pincer's claw snapped shut. Pincer struck again several more times, but Pikachu only dodged them. It refused to fight back no matter what its opponent did. Ivan quickly became irritated as he watched the fight. He let his eyes wander around as he tried to think. Then an idea struck him and he called for his pokemon to halt.
"So," he said with a sinister chuckle, "you won't fight? Even when you're defending yourself? What about if you were defending your friends?" He pointed at Brock and commanded, "Attack the human!"
Twirling around, Pincer charged at Brock. Caught by surprise, Brock stumbled and fell backward. Pincer pinned him to the ground.
"Guillotine attack!" Ivan ordered.
With a hiss, Pincer put its claw around Brocks neck. Desperately, he reached up and grabbed it. He fought with all his strength to keep the pincer from closing on his throat. Blood began to drip from his hands as the jagged edges cut into his palms.
"Pikachu, save Brock!" Ash shouted.
"You may want to rethink that," Ivan sneered. "If you use an electric attack, you will probably hurt your friend too. If you surrender Mewtwo to me, then I will spare him."
"Never!" Brock yelled. "I don't care what you do, we'll never let you have Mewtwo!"
"Fine then," Ivan laughed. "Die!"
Ash ran to Brock and grabbed a hold of one side of Pincer's claw and pulled on it with all his might, while Pikachu pulled on the other end of the claw. While the two of them tried to pry the pokemon away, Ivan ran over to Mewtwo.
"You will come with me," he declared.
He lashed out with his whip. Suddenly, Shigure jumped in between them and thrust out his hand, causing the whip to wrap around his arm. Ivan tugged at his end, trying to pull it away. Shigure calmly drew his sword.
"This weapon is a thing which you have used to hurt others," he said firmly. "You will never use it again!"
With a swift stroke, he brought his sword down on the whip, slicing it in half. Ivan lost his balance and fell to the ground. He crawled backward away from Shigure as he approached.
"Witness your defeat," Shigure said pointing to the others, "at the hands of those who are superior to you."
Ivan looked toward them. They were still struggling to get his Pincer off of Brock and they were weakening. In a few more moments, Pincer's claw would snap shut and break his neck. He almost laughed. Them? Superior trainers?
His confidence didn't even waver when he saw Misty remove a pokeball and release her Starmie. She told Ash to move and waited for him to shuffle out of the way. Once Ash was clear, she commanded her pokemon to attack. Starmie began to spin rapidly and then hurled itself at Pincer. It collided with the bug pokemon with enough force to knock it off of Brock. Only after he saw this, did the smile fade from Ivan's face.
"Stupid girl!" Ivan growled scornfully. "You should not have interfered in the affairs of others."
Misty snorted at him. "When you threaten my friends, it becomes my affair," she said.
Ivan smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way," he sneered. "It will make it so much more comforting for you when I kill you all!"
He turned to his Pincer. 'Vicegrip,' he commanded.
Hissing, Pincer charged for Starmie. At Misty's order, Starmie fired its water gun attack. Pincer dodged the first spray and effortlessly shook off the second one when it hit it. Misty gasped as Pincer leapt into air and caught her pokemon in its claw, dragging it to the ground.
"Break it in half!" Ivan shouted, clenching his fists.
Pincer began to squeeze its claw shut. Starmie writhed in pain as Pincer's grip tightened. Misty tired to think of what to do. Starmie had to escape from the attack or it would be killed. She racked her brain to find a solution. In horror, she saw the light from Starmie's jewel begin to fade as its life slipped away. Then, the answer hit her.
"Swift attack!" she ordered.
Immediately, Starmie began to shoot star-shaped disks from the jewel on its body. The first three struck Pincer directly in the head at point- blank range, causing it to loose its hold. As it staggered backward, one of the disks struck Pincer's headband, shattering the front end of it. The beetle collapsed backward.
Ivan screamed in rage and rushed to his Pincer. He lifted it up and carefully removed the broken headband. He inspected it and then angrily threw it to the ground.
"Idiot!" he shouted. "Do you know how expensive it is to make these things."
He recalled his pokemon and returned the pokeball to his pocket, but instead of retrieving another, his hand went for his upper-right pocket. When it reached it, he found something wrong; his pocket wasn't there. In desperation, he looked toward his hand and then remembered that he had dropped his outer coat layer when it caught fire. His cigarettes had been in his pocket.
His hands began to twitch from the nicotine withdrawal. He had always been a disciplined smoker, but under the stress, he was beginning to feel the cravings. He searched his coat desperately for another package. He had to have another one somewhere.
"We're waiting," Ash prompted.
Irritated, Ivan removed another pokeball. This time he released a Donphan. Ash's Pikachu stepped up to face it.
"Rollout attack," Ivan commanded absently as he continued to search his coat for a cigarette.
Donphan curled up and rolled toward Pikachu with incredible speed. Pikachu jumped away to avoid being run down by the armored, elephant-like creature. Throwing dust into the air, Donphan came to a screeching halt and then charged in for another attack.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
Electricity crackled around Pikachu's body as it powered up for the attack. As Donphan neared, Pikachu released its energy, knocking its opponent back. The pokemon uncurled and waited for its master to give the next order.
Ivan, however, wasn't paying any attention to the battle. He was busy rummaging through his coat for another package of cigarettes. His hands were shaking uncontrollably from the addiction. When Ash realized that Ivan wasn't going to attack, he decided to make the first move.
"Pikachu," he asked, "do you think you can remove the headband from Donphan?"
"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod.
"Do it then!"
Pikachu rushed its opponent. Having been trained not to move unless ordered, Donphan simply stood in place and remained almost motionless as Pikachu hopped up onto its head.
Ivan heard Ash's command, but was so preoccupied with his search that he ignored it. When it dawned on him what was going on, there was nothing he could do.
"Shake it off!" he shouted desperately, but too late.
Pikachu pressed the release switch on the front of Donphan's headband and then pulled it off. Reacting to its master's command, it jerked its head and threw Pikachu from it, but by then, it didn't matter. Pikachu had accomplished its task.
Ivan gave an enraged shriek. "It doesn't matter!" he yelled, his voice quivering from the need for nicotine. "I'll still win! Donphan, rollout attack!"
Donphan curled up and rolled again, but without the headband driving it, it had no conviction and its attack was half-hearted. Pikachu easily evaded it.
"Thunder!" Ash ordered.
"CHU!" Pikachu screamed.
A massive pillar of electricity exploded from Pikachu's body and hurtled toward Donphan. The force of the blast blew it off its feet and launched toward Ivan. The pokemon hit its master directly on the chest, throwing him to the ground and knocking the breath from his lungs.
For a moment, he laid on the ground, hacking and wheezing for oxygen. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he struggled to his knees.
"Donphan," he started to command.
He stopped with a gasp when he saw his pokemon laying stretched out on the ground, out cold. With hands that were quaking so badly he could barely hold his pokeball, he recalled it. He tried to focus, but his mind wouldn't stay on one thought. The more he tried to think, the more his mind kept going back to the same thought. He needed a cigarette.
Trembling and barely able to stand, he turned back to Ash. I can still win, he thought. He replaced the pokeball and reached for another one. Ash saw his eyes go wide with horror and disbelief. Ivan held open his coat to confirm what he had feared. He had no more Pokemon with him. He had never lost this many battles at one time before. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might have needed more than three. In his arrogance, he had come unprepared.
It was unthinkable! Ivan had lost. And to a boy. How could it be? He was unbeatable, and yet a small child had so soundly defeated him. He threw his hands up in rage and pulled madly at his hair, shouting incoherently, apparently to no one. Ash calmly approached him.
"Do you know why you lost?" he asked.
Ivan glared at him with unsteady, twitching eyes.
"You lost because you treat your pokemon like machines. You don't care for them at all. Once we removed the headbands you used to control them, they basically gave up. I've seen pokemon take much worse beatings for their trainers because they cared. You, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. Your pokemon didn't have the heart to fight for you."
"You also lost because you underestimated your opponents," Misty added. "You thought that just because we were kids, we weren't a threat. We certainly proved you wrong."
"But mostly," Brock threw in, "you weren't paying any attention to the fight. You were too busy looking through your coat. What could possibly have been so important?"
Shigure smiled. He walked over and stood beside Ash, but kept quiet. It seemed to him that he didn't really need to say anything at all.
"In any case," Ash concluded, "you lost. Now leave and never come back. Mewtwo will never go with you and what's more, he will never belong to you."
Ivan's eyes narrowed as his gaze focused on Ash. He was infuriated by the way that this boy was talking to him. What right did he have to speak to him like that? He was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Nobody could talk to him in such an impertinent manner.
"I am Ivan Zokas!" he hissed, his hand moving toward his coat. "I cannot be defeated. Not by some child!"
Shigure saw the weapon that Ivan was reaching for. Horrified, he realized that Ivan had gone mad with rage. He had to stop him. He gently pushed Ash aside and stepped in front of the maniac.
"Stop!" he shouted.
A harsh bang shook the air and everyone gasped in horror. Ivan's quivering hand clutched a smoking pistol.
Shigure gagged and staggered backward, clutching his left breast with both hands. With a tattered groan, he dropped to the ground, gasping violently for breath.
"NO!" Mewtwo cried, rushing to his fallen friend.
Ash knelt beside Shigure. Blood from the wound began to seep into the grass around where he had fallen. Groaning from the pain, Shigure struggled to look up at Ash. Tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes, blurring his sight.
"Ash," he forced himself to whisper. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay," Ash replied, a knot building in his throat. "I'm not hurt."
Shigure smiled, despite the pain. "I'm glad."
"Shigure!" Mewtwo cried, kneeling next to Ash.
"Mewtwo," Shigure whispered hoarsely.
His hand shot into the air. Mewtwo gently took hold of it.
"Mewtwo," he implored. "Please take care of the others. They need someone they can trust."
"No!" Mewtwo cried, unbridled tears flowing down his cheeks. "Don't talk like that! You're going to be all right. You're going to live."
"Tell them," he continued, his voice quickly diminishing in strength. "Tell them that I'm sorry I won't be there for them. Tell them that. And you. . ." He gasped sharply. His voice became halting as he struggled to speak his last request. "I don't want you to cry for me forever. Please be happy. Do that for me. I will always watch over you from heaven. Fare. . .well."
Shigure's grip began to weaken. Mewtwo held on tighter, unwilling to let it fall.
"Shigure," he desperately begged, sobbing uncontrollably. "Don't let go of my hand. You have to hold on!"
Shigure's eyes slowly closed. As his last, ragged breath gurgled from his throat he muttered his final words. "Mother, Father . . . I did my best."
Then, his hand slipped from Mewtwo's grasp and fell to the ground. His head drooped limply to the side and the pool of blood ceased to grow. Mewtwo shook him furiously. It couldn't be true. He refused to accept it.
"Shigure!" he cried. "Shigure! Shigure!"
Mewtwo leaned back, wavering from side to side, and covered his mouth with his hands, shaking his head in shock and grief.
"It can't be!"
Mewtwo threw his arms around Shigure's lifeless, yet still warm body and wept bitterly.
"My friend!" he wailed. "Don't leave me! You can't die!"
Ash put his hand on Mewtwo's shoulder, tears flowing down his own face. He tried to comfort him. He wanted to say something, but no words would come to him, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. Consumed by sorrow, Mewtwo wouldn't have heard them; he didn't even feel Ash's hand on his shoulder.
Standing over them, Ivan began to back away in confusion. In his mind, he couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Shigure had sacrificed himself to save a boy he barely knew.
"Why?" he muttered. "Why would he do it?"
At the sound of Ivan's voice, Mewtwo's eyes popped open. Ivan had done this! It was him! He felt anger building up inside of him. Hate flooded his heart until it felt as though it might burst in his chest. A powerful hate. A horrible, destructive hate that he had never before felt toward anyone else.
"You killed him!" he roared, rising to his feet so fast he nearly knocked Ash to the ground. His eyes glowed with a furious blue light. "YOU KILLED HIM!!!"
Then, his wrath exploded. With a vengeful scream, he charged for Ivan. There was a sickening crack as Mewtwo's fist connected with Ivan's face, crushing his nose. He gagged on the blood as it oozed down his face and into his mouth. He started to fall backward, but Mewtwo took a hold of his coat and pulled him back to his feet. Ivan held out his hands in fear, but Mewtwo ignored him. He threw another massive punch into Ivan's gut, then brought his other fist up into Ivan's jaw, shattering the two front teeth from the impact. Then, Mewtwo grabbed onto Ivan's suit collar and began to savagely pummel his face. When Ivan's face became almost unrecognizable, Mewtwo threw him to the ground and drove his foot into his stomach.
When he saw his boss in trouble, the helicopter's pilot took off and flew toward him. He activated the gattling gun on the front of it and prepared to fire on Mewtwo. Mewtwo pointed his open hand at the helicopter and launched black bolt of psychic energy, which struck the helicopter's engine. The pilot had a few seconds to scream before the flames of the tremendous explosion consumed him.
As pieces of the helicopter rained down from above, Mewtwo turned his attention back to Ivan. He pointed his hand at Ivan's head. Another ball of black energy appeared. Tears were still flowing down his face as he glared at the one who had killed his friend.
"Die!" he growled through his sobs.
"Don't do it!"
A hand grasped Mewtwo's arm. The flames of his fury were fanned by the interruption. Snarling, he punched the interloper with his other hand. With a painful cry, Ash fell to the ground. When he heard the cry, Mewtwo realized that he had just struck his friend.
"Please," Ash begged. "Don't kill him."
Mewtwo gasped. "Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, then, in a broken whisper, he said, "He killed Shigure."
Ash bowed his head. "I know that," he replied, sobbing. "I know what he did and there's nothing right about it, but if you kill Ivan in anger, you'll be no different. You'll be a murderer. Don't be like him, Mewtwo," he was begging now. "You're better than that. I know you are."
"But, Shigure," he whimpered.
Ash looked Mewtwo directly in the eyes. Mewtwo saw the light reflecting off the tears that moistened them. "If you kill Ivan," he asked, "will it bring Shigure back?"
Mewtwo took a step back. Shigure was dead, but did that really give him the right to kill Ivan? He looked down on Ivan. Ivan squinted back at him through his left eye, since his right eye was swollen shut.
"Pasha," he mumbled. "Pashalusta ne . . . ube vay mi nya."
Ivan was begging for his life. His mind was so racked from his beating that he had reverted back to speaking his first language. When Mewtwo realized it, it struck something inside him, grating against his heart like sandpaper. What was he doing? This wasn't the way he wanted to be. This wasn't the way that Shigure wanted him to be.
He took a deep breath and felt his hatred dwindle away. The energy ball melted with his rage. He had done enough. His anger was satisfied. Turning from Ivan, he walked dazedly toward Shigure's body. He stood over it momentarily, then curled up like a fetus, crouching down beside the lifeless corpse.
The hate was gone, but the pain of loss still remained. Shigure was gone, murdered before his very eyes. What was he supposed to do now? What reason did he have to go on?
Suddenly, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Misty asked.
Mewtwo couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. Shigure was gone. He had never felt so empty inside before. He turned to Misty and wrapped his arms around her like a toddler clinging to his mother. Misty returned the embrace, gently stroking his head.
"It's alright," she whispered softly, reassuringly. "You're not alone. We're here for you."
Ash and Brock sat down beside them. Together, they lamented for their lost loved one.
Pushing himself to overcome the pain, Ivan forced himself to sit up. He managed to open his right eye halfway as he observed the four of them in complete bewilderment. They were crying. Why? He couldn't understand it. He'd never seen anyone show such an emotional connection to another person. Could that one man really have meant that much to them? For a brief instant, the horror of his actions dawned on him.
'What have I done?' Ivan asked himself.
Reaching up with his left hand, he pushed his nose back into place, wincing at the pain, which caused his eyes to water reflexively. He looked down at his hand. It was soaked in blood; his blood. His suit was covered in it as well. At the sight of it, he felt his anger beginning to boil.
'What have I done?' he thought, retrieving his glasses. 'What have they done? What have they done to me!? They did this?'
Growling, he grabbed the pistol that had fallen beside him and aimed it at Mewtwo's head.
"It's not over yet!" he shouted.
Time slowed to a crawl for Mewtwo when he heard the gun cock. The bullet exploded from the chamber. Twirling around quickly, Mewtwo thrust out his hand and called upon his power. The bullet slowed, then stopped, inches from his hand. Swinging his hand sharply to the side, he tossed the bullet away.
Ivan's eyes widened in horror. He staggered to his feet and tried fire again. Mewtwo thrust out his hand once more and clenched it into a fist. The gun collapsed inward in Ivan's hand, crushed by Mewtwo's psychic power.
Ivan stumbled backward as he tried to run. Cords of pale blue energy shot from Mewtwo's palm and bound Ivan's arms and legs together. He dropped to the ground, immobilized.
"No!" he screamed. "I will never loose! Not to anyone!"
Mewtwo drew his finger across his throat. Ivan's throat suddenly constricted, halting his ability to speak.
"Shut up!" Mewtwo demanded. "I don't want to hear your voice anymore."