Matthew wasn't quite sure what he was witnessing right before his eyes. Was this truly real? Was Addison this powerful, or was this because of the strong bond between her and her Gardevoir? She moved with such efficiency that he was downright jealous that of the two of them to get this power, it was naturally her. Her grace was unparalleled. Her power awe-inspiring to say the least. She had certainly lived up to whatever expectations were given to one who donned the mantle of a White Mage.
But at the same time, was what Ryan had become real? He was moving in and out of time, as if one with the very shadows that now covered the island. As if the very elements were at his command, he continued to match Addison blow for blow, perhaps even being able to best her if he got one lucky shot in. He seemed to be popping in and out of existence, hammering at Addison's defenses with such hate that it bewildered him that this could even possibly be his brother.
But in his heart, he knew the truth. This was Ryan. The emotion with which every attack was made, the precision, the timing, the sheer amount of power. This was without a doubt his brother. The bond he shared with his Pokemon was the difference between their power as trainers and now it was the reason he was deemed a more useful pawn to Mewtwo than Matthew had ever been. Who would Addison be more afraid to face, him or Ryan? It was almost a natural answer to him that their union, the feelings they had for one another, all trumped anything Matthew could have ever imparted onto them. This was a true brawl between people who loved each other to the ends of the earth. And Mewtwo was going to make them suffer just for loving each other. It finally dawned on him just how evil Mewtwo was. And how equally determined he was to make sure Addison defeated him. No one deserved this, least of all people who loved before hating. People like Addison...Ryan...Jocelyn...
"This is insane!" Holly cried, cowering in Jeremy's arms. "Why are they fighting?"
"Mewtwo is making them do this" Jeremy replied sadly. "That way, no matter who ends up on top, Addy loses."
"We'll see about that" Annette declared, grabbing a Poke Ball off her belt to join in on Addy's behalf. She was caught off guard and downright livid when Matthew seized her wrist and lowered her arm. "What are you doing?"
Matthew shook his head at her. "No matter how much we want to, we can't interfere."
"Why not?!" the red head demanded, near tears at the sight of two of her dearest friends trying to kill one another.
"You don't want to give him an excuse to use us as collateral damage" he warned sadly. "We're not strong enough to prevent him from taking us out."
Annette tried to fight his grip, but she simply lowered her arms in defeat. "Then...what can we do?"
"Be there to support her" Matthew confirmed gently. "Even if it's just emotionally."
"Matt's right" Jeremy told Annette as he cradled Holly. "We're more useful to Addy as support than getting in her way."
Annette lowered her head. "This isn't fair."
"No one said it was. But it's the only choice we have."
Annette lowered the Poke Ball in her hand back to her belt and stared down in sorrow. Matthew, realizing they both needed to keep reminding each other this, let his grip on her wrist slide down to her hand. To his surprise, she took his and held it. Neither looked at each other or acknowledged, even if in the back of his head, Matthew was ecstatic. The two stood, hand in hand, watching as the strongest and most caring relationship either of them had seen fell apart at the whim of a genocidal maniac.
Holly and Jeremy seemed to get the message as well and stood together, hand in hand as well. The quartet watched on in horror as The White Mage and the Black Knight clashed, the fate of the world in the balance.
{}
The cavern shook violently every few seconds or so, prompting the group to have to stop once they finally made it into the base. Michael and Chris did their best to hold the roof of the cavern open while the others hurried inside before they leaped out of the way. The roof of the cave collapsed in on itself, resulting in the group being trapped inside the Syndicate Base.
"There goes our way out" Lucas chuckled nervously.
"We can fly out" Michael proclaimed as he tried to survey the situation. "Okay, where do we have to go now?"
Helen Wong looked at the room in which the cavern had spat them all into. "We're on the lower levels of the Base. That means we need to split up from here."
"Split up?" Julia gulped. "Haven't we done enough of that?"
Professor Wong gave the Queen a nervous smile. "Unfortunately, Your Grace, we need to accomplish two things to make sure Mewtwo can never operate his cloning scheme ever again." She pointed up towards the higher levels of the cave. "Some of us need to go up to the Throne Room and knock out the power to the base. The rest of us have to find our way down to the lab Mewtwo made me work in and destroy the clones before they come to life. We need to do both, or else he'll just start over again."
"Unless Addison finishes him off" Dawn pointed out.
"How are we going to split?" Giselle asked.
"You five are going to go with Professor Wong and destroy the clones" the King declared. "Piper, Chris and I will sabotage the power to the base on the higher levels." When he saw Julia about to protest, he took his wife into his arms. "Honey, I need you to help put a stop to the clones. You, Lucas and Professor Wong are the smartest people here. If I can trust anyone to accomplish this, you three would be my choices."
Julia sighed. "Just promise me you'll be careful."
"We'll be right back" Chris assured the Queen. "We've got some generators to shut down."
"The power generator comes from Mewtwo's Throne" Wong explained. "It's the source of power around the entire base. It's been that way since Elezar Aced stole the power crystal for the Dream Harvester Machine."
"Then we're agreed" Piper exclaimed cheerfully.
Michael eyed Dawn. "Dawn. I'm putting the Queen's safety in your hands. As well as Professor Wong and Lucas. I know you won't let me down."
"Not after you trained me" she saluted proudly. "I'll be sure to protect them!"
He then eyed Giselle. "And you have Dawn's back, right?"
His former flame turned enemy turned friend again only folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "As His Majesty commands."
"We shouldn't take too long if Mewtwo flushed out the remnants of the Syndicate Forces they had on the island" Michael assured those present. "Let's get underway already." The groups nodded in unison before taking off. Professor Wong led the others down the corridors she hopefully knew well enough to lead back to her base, while Michael and the others bolted up the nearest staircase to make it to Mewtwo's Throne Room. Within a few minutes, the trio had gone up several flights of stairs based solely on the memory of navigating the base as they had several months before.
"This is it!" Piper exclaimed to the two. Michael and Chris skidded to a stop as they came across a hallway with two pathways, one leading down and another up. "The right path is what leads to the Throne Room. Where Chris fought Courtney."
Chris nodded, clenching his fists. "I remember this too well."
"Let's make sure the results are different this time" Michael told them jokingly. But immediately, his senses picked up something. "Wait. Something's not right."
"What?" Piper demanded. "This is the right way."
Michael felt his head rush with tremendous power. He grabbed a hold of his skull to try and will the pain out of it, but to no avail. In his mind's eye, he saw three figures lurking in the shadows. Three all too familiar figures to those who had been on Mirage Island during the World Tournament. He heard the voice of Celebi calling to him through their connection.
It's a trap!
Michael spun around and growled. Sure enough, one of the former servants of Ghetsis, the Shadow Triad, now blocked their way back. Decked out like a ninja, save for the thick mass of white hair behind them, these foes had proven their mettle many times before on Mewtwo's behalf. And now, one of them stood to at least buy Mewtwo more time. Equally frustrated sounds from Chris and Piper indicated that the entire trio had certainly reunited and would be an obstacle in their way of shutting down the power. He prepared to make his move, but the Triad member in front of him vanished and reappeared in front of the other two. Michael whirled around and jumped to the front of the group.
"You?!"
"Naturally" the Leader of the Triad smirked. "Your friends were not the only ones reawakened after falling on Mirage Island."
"We were also brought back to serve our Master" the second grinned coldly.
"And we are determined to do his bidding!" the third concluded.
"Ghetsis forgets you exist and now so does Mewtwo, yet you serve him all the same?" Michael demands.
"We have our duties to those who are stronger than us" the first continued. "The Master shall reward us the same as Mistress Courtney would have."
"Some delusions of grandeur you have" Chris fired back.
"Nonsense" the second hissed. "We have more than enough reasons to continue to serve him. He shall claim victory."
"And we shall achieve our objectives" the third once more ended.
"And what would that be?" Piper asked.
"Surrender to us now" the triad spoke as one. "There is no way you can win."
Michael reached onto his belt for a Poke Ball. Anyone would do at this point. He felt the surging pride of his Blastoise and grinned. "I have a better idea. How about we clean you guys out, once and for all?"
The Leader of the Triad sighed. "Foolish mistake. As our prisoners, you would have been treated amicably. But now we must face off." All three reached for Poke Balls on their belts.
Chris and Piper were at Michael's side in an instant, their own Pokemon emerging for the fight. Michael's Blastoise was soon joined by Chris's Blazekin and Piper's Tsareena. They would be opposed by a Honchkrow, an Excadrill and a Durant. Michael and Chris locked eyes for a moment and nodded to one another.
"No hesitation" Chris grinned.
"Nothing held back."
Both men reached onto their wrists and activated the Key Stones, which immediately reacted to the small stones their Pokemon held onto. Within seconds, Mega Blastoise and Mega Blazekin stood in front of their trainers. Piper was in awe, but remained focused on her own target. All six Pokemon moved at once, but the contest was completed in only a few seconds. The Durant attempted to attack Piper's Tsareena, but the Blazekin intercepted the attack and with one Blaze Kick, knocked the Bug Pokemon out. The Blastoise and Honckhrow stared each other down before the Flying Pokemon prepared to assault the Water Type with it's sharp beak. Koopa expected this and spat out an Ice Beam, freezing the Honchkrow in place before it fell to the ground and received a Blaze Kick courtesy of Chocobo. As for the Excadrill, it was on the unfortunate receiving end of a deadly Trop Kick from Piper's Pokemon.
"NO!" the Leader roared.
"Now get out of our way!" Michael demanded. His Blastoise aimed it's new hyper cannon on the back at the Triad, blasting them away with one ruthless Hydro Pump that sent them crashing into the wall, knocking them out. Without waiting to see if they would recover, the heroes rushed past the Triad and into the Throne Room. With the only thing of note in the chamber that they could see thanks to the dim torches on the wall being the throne itself, Michael determined that would be where they began their search. While Michael hoped to find a secret compartment or button, Piper and Chris tried to examine whether or not the generator was on the throne itself.
"Do you think it could be the throne itself?" Piper asked.
"I'm open to suggestions" the King declared.
"We need some more light in here" Chris answered. His Blazekin unleashed a Fire Blast into the air to illuminate all of the torches, lighting up the room so they could actually see what they were looking at.
"Good work" Michael commended. "Now we just need to-"
"MICHAEL!" Piper cried out.
Michael spun around and gasped. To the side of the chamber, underneath one of the torches, were two statues. He raced over to them. They were unmistakably familiar to him just by looking at them. "Jocelyn...Elezar..."
"Did he just...fossilize them?" Piper shrieked.
"Just like Danny and Warren." Michael did not feel much remorse for Elezar, but Jocelyn was a true friend who had not only saved Ryan and Matthew's lives, but his own. He touched her frozen form, which was still bound in the chains she had been placed in upon her capture, but she was as cold as ice. He cursed himself for losing another friend this way, especially one who had been so vital to their family for such a time.
"Guys" Chris called over. "I think it's the throne itself." When he caught his wife and cousin's attention, he pointed at a crystal embedded into the back of the throne. "This crystal was what Elezar had with him when I woke up here. If this is as powerful as I think it might be, we need to vaporize it." He leaped backwards and sent his Blazekin forward. The Blaze Kick struck the throne hard, but the source of power remained unharmed and in place. "Huh?"
Michael glanced towards his Blastoise, who fired a fully loaded Hydro Pump at the Throne, but the crystal did not dislodge.
"How about all at once?" Piper asked. Her Tsareena began to charge up a Solarbeam.
"Together til the end, right?" Chris teased as his Blazekin prepared a deadly Fire Blast.
"Like always" Michael declared. His Blastoise prepared a Hydro Pump.
Once all three Pokemon had charged up enough energy, they unleashed their attacks. The Throne began to glow from the blows it was receiving. The Pokemon kept pumping more and more power into their moves until finally, the steel throne exploded. The rush of wind wiped out the flames on some of the torches, with large chunks of metal flying everywhere. Michael shielded his eyes enough to prevent himself from being blinded, but heard the unmistakable sound of something shattering only a few feet away. He peeked one eye out and saw the crystal had been destroyed. With that, the trio heard a series of loud whirring noises finally come down to a halt.
"I think we did it" Piper remarked. The trio, in their success, recalled their Pokemon to let them rest for what may lie ahead.
"Hopefully the others can-" Michael began, but he stopped himself when he saw a familiar and dark look come over Chris. It did not take him long to realize what Chris was staring at with complete contempt. Nestled in the shadows, relatively close to the statues of Elezar and Jocelyn, lay the body of someone he was certain had been destroyed in the flames of battle. And yet, here she was, as if the flames had done little but bathe her. "Courtney?!"
"I thought you said you defeated her" Piper asked.
"I did. But how in the world did she-" He lunged for Chris, who made a rush for the woman's strangely motionless form. He missed, unfortunately allowing Chris to grab Courtney by her throat and strangle her up against the wall. Or at least, he would be, if she made any motion to indicate she had been distressed.
"Oh...I am going to enjoy this!" he snarled. He raised his hand, which balled into a fist.
Piper raced for his side and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"
"Avenging my sister!"
"Against what?" Michael replied angrily.
The trio took a moment to look Courtney over. Her skin was pale, her eyes equally so. She seemed to be involuntarily breathing, one of the few mechanisms of life she still held within her. Apart from that, there appeared to be nothing of her that held even the slightest bit of life. She didn't speak, move her eyes or even acknowledge their existence. It was almost as if she couldn't. Chris was shaking angrily as he held Courtney in place, but began to lower her as Piper soothed him.
"Her mind has been blanked" Michael informed them. "This is the thing that Mewtwo believes is worse than death, I guess."
"I still want to-"
"What is attacking her going to accomplish?" his wife pleaded.
"Cameron-"
"Do you really think she would be proud of you striking someone completely defenseless?"
Chris lowered his head. "But..."
"I know how much she means to you" the King consoled. "But there's nothing we can do about it now. We need to get out of here and make sure we can stop Mewtwo once and for all. And we need to find the others." He glanced over towards Jocelyn's statue. "But first, we need to get this one out of here." He tried to pick it up himself, but found it difficult to hold. "Jocelyn deserves better than this. She's basically one of us at this point." He continued to try and lift her on his own, until his actions were noticed by his cousin, who shook himself out of his grief and came along over to help, taking up her lower half while Michael grabbed the top.
Chris did not even attempt to argue with Michael's assertion of Jocelyn's role in their lives. "Of course she is."
"And Matt made a promise to her" the King added. "We can at least help him keep it."
"Then let's get the others out of here as well" Piper added. With Piper leading the way and getting every door, Chris and Michael slowly carried the fossilized form of their friend to what they could only hope would be her freedom.
{}
"Don't you get tired of all this floundering, Lionel?" Giovanni mocked as his Rhydon and Nidoking drove back Mark's Pikachu and Lizzie's Umbreon. The Rocket Boss's treachery had been all but revealed to them, as he had split them off from Addison and the others ruthlessly and now was toying with them in a Pokemon Battle. But he naturally now had to kick Mark while he was down as his Pokemon were being pushed back to their very limits by this mighty trainer. And Giovanni loved every single minute of it.
"Don't you get tired of being an evil monster?" Lizzie countered as she tried to counterattack, but the Nidoking's Megahorns made her overly cautious.
"I'm not evil, my dear" the Rocket Boss declared. "I am simply a business man. And this is strictly my business."
"You're the reason Mewtwo has tried to wipe out mankind!" Mark declared as his Pikachu finally managed to land an Iron Tail on the Rhydon, who barely felt hurt by the blow. The Rhydon countered by using a brutal Rock Blast that knocked Mark's trusted Pokemon out of the competition. Before Mark could recover his Pikachu, he himself was slammed in the gut by the Rhydon.
"Believe whatever you will, but I have far more important things to do than engage in this folly." Giovanni nodded to his Pokemon, who stood firmly in his way as Giovanni took off down into the thickening woods and towards the Temple of Dreams.
While Lizzie knew Mark wanted nothing more than to go after him, they needed to knock these two guards out of the way. Lizzie called out her Salamence to protect her and take the two on. Her Salamence spat out a Dragonbreath that Paralyzed the Nidoking, allowing her Umbreon to finally get an attack off and use Dark Pulse to wipe out the deadly Poisonous Pokemon once and for all. The Rhydon attempted to counter by using a Rock Blast, but the Salamence intervened with another Dragonbreath. Before the Rhydon could recover, another Dark Pulse finished off the opponents. She too, wanted to pursue Giovanni and make sure he didn't cause any more trouble, but her friend took precedence. She hurried over to Mark and helped him back to his feet. He was winded from the blow, but still content to keep fighting.
"We can't...let him...ugh...get away" Mark insisted.
"We won't" Lizzie promised him. "We can catch up to him. But you need to stop trying to do everything yourself." She whistled to her Salamence, who landed just beside them. She quickly took Mark's arm up around hers and gently brought him onto the back of Crush. She then mounted her dragon and gestured towards the Temple of Dreams, far in the distance. "Let's head him off, Crush!"
The Salamence roared in approval and took off into the air like a comet.
{}
Despite her lack of immediate danger, Julia did feel good knowing that Dawn was taking her protection so seriously to make sure she would inspect an area of danger before any traps could be set off. Even if her interaction with Cynthia's young protege had been for the most part muted, she appreciated just how much she had taken up after her husband in the nearly eight months they'd known one another. So when their group reached the lowest levels of the base where Professor Wong was being kept, she was not surprised, nor did she object, to Dawn requesting she stay behind while she and Giselle investigated the situation. Lucas was eager to go as well, but Dawn only patted him on the head, kissed him on the cheek and left the dumbfounded boy behind with her and Helen Wong while she and Giselle went on ahead.
"One of these days, she's going to run right into danger" Lucas shuddered.
"And will you be the one who goes in after her?" Julia giggled.
"Of course. But I don't-I mean-I'm nowhere near the trainer she is."
"Anyone who trained under both Cynthia and Michael Kingston cannot be a trainer without many peers" Wong observed. "She's an exceptional talent."
"Hopefully she'll be ready to carry the load for a while" Julia remarked sadly. "I think our generation was worn out considerably by our struggles with the Syndicate and Mewtwo."
"Do you think the King will retire for good?" Lucas asked.
Julia shrugged. "Who can say. Michael wants to be a family man. A father. He also has to be a leader for all of Arcana. But battling is who he is. It's in his blood. It has always been, even when we were kids."
"You guys may want to come and check this out" Giselle warned from the other side.
"Yeah" Dawn echoed. "Like, really check this out."
The trio made it around the corner and Julia almost cried out. Lucas was in awe. Wong looked downright petrified. The two pods she had been using to clone the DNA of Mew on Mewtwo's behalf were gone. Replacing them was a dozen or so pods, each with a clump of DNA in them taking on the form of yet more clones of Mew. Dawn and Giselle backed away from them as they realized Mewtwo indeed wished to unleash an entire army of himself.
"Holy Moly" Lucas gasped. "How many was he planning?"
Giselle gestured towards a corner of the room, where even more pods were empty and ready for gestating. "Do you really want the answer to that, kid?"
"Okay, we're down here" Julia exclaimed. "Now how do we destroy these clones?"
Helen thought for a moment. "The only way to kill a clone that hasn't been fully formed yet would be to put some kind of negative nutrient into it's body. It will dismember the DNA from within and kill it in seconds."
"Can't we just blow them up?" Dawn asked.
"Sure and get extremely toxic goop on us in the process."
Dawn immediately recanted. "Never mind."
"What is the negative nutrient solvent?" Julia asked.
"Anything with chemical poisons or artificial ingredients will do. I know Mewtwo had a bunch of random chemicals around this lab somewhere." She proceeded to look throughout her former living quarters, until she finally came across a handful of chemicals she could use. Some were common household cleaning ingredients. Others were such things that were labeled with highly flammable and toxic. Wong began to dole each of them one thing to pour into the cloning pods. But as she did, she began to hesitate. "Has Mewtwo corrupted these beings, yet?"
"I'd rather not take that risk" Giselle insisted.
"But we'll be killing something with a chance to live" the Professor worried. "It goes against what-"
"Helen" Julia pleaded. "Your son and husband are not going to be spared in Mewtwo's world if he wins."
"I know, but-"
"Mewtwo is the result of everything that cloning warned us against" Lucas pointed out to her. "Changing the laws of nature for our own pleasures." Julia noticed Lucas looked extremely nervous by even bringing this up, but he kept his intentions. "Sometimes, we have no choice. But this is one where we do. We know what he wants and how he intends to do it. He's already taken hundreds of lives. Thousands more are at risk. If I could make sure this would mean that my family back home gets to keep living, I would do it. Same with Dawn, Cynthia and all of my friends here." He walked over to Wong's side. "And this might be the only chance you can make sure the world will be safe for your family. Professor, please!"
Wong sighed. "You're right. I guess a part of me figured Mewtwo would still have some bit of my father in him."
"Anything inside him is corrupted by his hatred of man" Julia said coldly.
"You said it, Queenie!" Giselle declared. She ripped one of the pods open and dumped a bottle of bleach into the goo. Though the pod initially began to overflow, the DNA form simply began to shudder and shake in the goop before dissolving in the concoction Arcana's former tyrant put into it. "Come on, we don't have all day."
Dawn did her pod second, pouring a large amount of detergent into the mixture. Her clone sputtered and hissed in the mixture before ceasing all movement.
Lucas, Julia and Professor Wong each poured their own acidic mixtures into pods, causing the liquid inside to glow a strange reddish color. Realizing what mistake she had made, Helen herded everyone towards the door and they hid around the corner of the lab.
BOOM!
A loud explosion ripped through the other room. No one dared to look inside, save for the bespectacled Wong. When she did and saw the burning acidic mess they had left behind, she sighed. "Okay. We're done."
"Assuming those are the only clones Mewtwo had?" Julia asked.
Wong shook her head. "We were too late. The two I had raised are gone."
"Where are they?" Dawn worried.
Wong gulped and looked up towards the ceiling above. "With Mewtwo."
"Oh goodie" Giselle grumbled.
"Let's find the others" Julia argued. "We can worry about the rest of this later."
"And I can help you" a voice called from the shadows.
Julia spun around and saw a girl roughly Ryan and Addison's age approach them. She was dressed in rags and looked as pale as a ghost, but wore a look of determination to do some kind of good for the world. "Who-"
"Avery?!" Dawn and Lucas simultaneously gasped out.
"Mewtwo's biggest flunky?" Giselle hissed.
"She's definitely not aligned with Mewtwo" Wong assured the group. "Avery is the reason we all managed to make it to Arcana in time to help ward off the Clones."
"I know a lot of you may not be happy seeing me right now" Avery continued, clutching at her arm guiltily. "But I'm here to help you now. Mewtwo is on top of the Temple of Dreams trying to breathe life into those clones of his. If he succeeds, they'll have power at least comparable to his own. You need to find the King and the others, reunite with the others in your group and stop Mewtwo before it's too late."
"What about Ryan?" Dawn asked. "Where is he?"
Avery sighed. "It's too late for him. He's gone to fight Addison."
"Then what can we do?" Julia pleaded.
Avery gestured towards the group. "We might be able to overpower Ryan if we help Addison. So come on. Follow me and I'll take you back to the King and the others! We don't have time! Hurry!" Taking her lead, the others followed the Queen of Arcana as she made a desperate run to reunite with her husband and hopefully be there for Addison's confrontation with Mewtwo over the fate of the entire world.
{}
Though there was a storm brewing just above them, Addison felt she was in the middle of a series of well-timed, inexplicably deadly and downright turbulent storms of her own. With every swing of the Knight's tonfa down on her scepter, to every pulse of energy she sent his way, it felt as if part of her entire universe was erupting in flames or being whipped ceaselessly by hurricane winds. She was cutting loose, showing off as much of her power as she deemed necessary. With every series of punches and blows he would try to leave on her, she would lash back with Fairy Winds for distance or a ruthless Dazzling Gleam to strike the critical blows. If he was not going to restrain himself during this, why should she?
And yet...she was.
She couldn't help herself.
This was far different from her first encounter with the Knight, when he was a simple face of evil for Mewtwo's ambitions to wipe out mankind. She knew the truth. Everyone did. And the only person on Mirage Island who knew the truth about what was unfolding was Lucas and he has since sworn himself never to mention it. The monstrosity she was fighting was Mewtwo's latest manipulated victim, his mind and heart torn ruthlessly apart and exploited for the gain of only one being. Mewtwo didn't care if this latest minion of his failed. As long as Addison was ruined by it, he was all fine with it. Addison would ordinarily have to commend Mewtwo for being as devious as he was, showing no regard for humanity or the like.
But this was entirely different. This was Ryan.
The reason why Addison was as determined to stop Mewtwo now as she had been when first being taken under the tutelage of Countess Rosemary. The reason she still found hope in the world. The reason she still smiled. Her best friend in all of this world. The boy she had given her undying love to. The boy she had promised her soul to. The other half of who she was. Or, should she say quarter, considering how much Galatea and Achilles had impacted their lives since meeting them outside of Kingston Castle almost three years earlier. Regardless, she knew the boy behind this mask was not doing this of his own accord and he would be little more than an afterthought in the regime of this ruthless monster he served. He was a tool, meant to do supreme harm in one movement and be cast aside in another.
And he was succeeding in that end. Addison's reluctance to finish him was putting a mental strain on her that was exhausting her faster than she was used to. She was trying to garner the energy to deliver the blow to end the battle, but every time she did, memories would flood into her head. Memories of a little boy ripping a part of his shirt off to wrap around a cut she suffered at the park. Of a friend she celebrated countless hugs with in victories at Arcana's gyms. Of a boy who promised to help shoulder her sorrows over losing an idol while he lost a brother figure. Of the same boy promising to keep her safe. That same boy cradling her in his arms in the Syndicate Fortress on Mt. Heatmor and telling her she was safe. The same young man bending down on a knee and asking her to give herself to him as he would her.
Those memories were too painful for her to endure and would result in the Knight getting a cheap shot in on her and forcing her back on the defensive. While her friends desperately cheered for her to win, she was doing everything she could not to. Ryan was still in there. And she could not bear to lose him again.
"You seem to be struggling, Miss Tenton" the Knight responded in his cold, almost robotic sounding voice.
She sighed. "Because I'm having a hard time with you."
"Addy!" Holly cheered. "You can win!"
"Don't give up, Addy!" Matthew added.
"Do tell" the Knight responded confidently. "How difficult am I to defeat?"
"Defeating you is an easy task" Addison replied, trying to regain her breath after their latest clash. "I could have a multitude of times since we started."
"Then why haven't you?"
"Because there's someone in this fight that will be collateral damage if I do" she insisted, raising her scepter to the defense. "You let him go and this fight ends quickly. If you don't..."
The Knight shook his head. "I don't think you have it in you to finish the job." He raised his tonfas in the air and snarled. "That's because you're weak!" He lunged forward, Addison barely able to parry his blow and push him back.
"Having love for someone isn't weak" she insisted.
"Love makes you weak!"
"No it doesn't!" Holly chirped from the sidelines. "The Ryan I know would never believe that. Love was a part of who he was!"
"And the Ryan you know is dead, Miss Queensbury" the Knight raged. "Accept it and move on!"
"Ryan is not dead!" Annette insisted. "And he's stronger than he ever was for needing to fend you off."
The Knight threw his head back and laughed. "Fend me off? He lost! And the last thing he will ever see is when I finish his beloved Addison right before his eyes!" He lunged forward, thrusting and punching with as many Poison Jabs as she had ever seen. Addison dodged all of them before sending a Fairy Wind at him. He managed to get one final Poison Jab in, punching her right in the gut and forcing her to a knee as the Winds launched him out of sight for a moment.
As she felt the blow rip inside of her, Addison tried desperately to contact Galatea. "What can we do? We need to save them!"
Galatea was silent.
"Please! We need a plan to-"
I...I...I don't think there is one.
"What do you mean?!" Addison shrieked. "There has to be one!" She worriedly saw the Knight making his way back to his feet.
I highly doubt we'll be able to breakthrough to them the same way we did before. And if he's true in saying that Ryan cannot be saved, perhaps we need to...
"NEVER!" Addison snarled. "I will never let him go!"
This battle will only drain us for the true confrontation with Mewtwo. My friend, we may not have a choice.
"There needs to be another way" Addison desperately wailed, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
Sometimes, there is no other way.
Addison rose back to her feet as the Knight did. She took a deep breath and began to meditate. As she felt all of the cosmic energies swirling around her and allowing her mind to clear, the Knight tried once more to make his way towards her. She would flick her finger and send Fairy Winds to brush him backwards and draw more time for her to regain her power. The power continued to flow towards her. Even her friends had silenced themselves to allow her to concentrate.
The Knight rose to his feet and lunged forward. Addison was ready. With one swift movement of her hands, she launched him against the rock wall, slamming him hard into it and forcing her friends to move away from it to see the rest of the fight. The Knight recovered and used a Shadow Claw to harm her, but she deflected it with her staff before slamming him hard into the rock again with another Psychic attack. Finally, she gathered her remaining energy and sent a tremendous Moonblast towards the rockface. The entire area exploded around them. Addison used her scepter to ward off the rocks that had been scattered by the blow, with her friends coming behind her to be protected from the blow.
When the light had faded from the attack, Addison stared at where the Knight had been. He was still there, but his arms and legs were trapped by several rocks that had fallen in place, crushing his limbs and preventing him from attacking her. He grunted and snarled, trying desperately to free himself.
"I-UGH! I WILL END YOU!"
Addison placed her scepter's gem up to his head. "No! I will end you, Mewtwo! BREAK HIS CONTROL!" This would be her only chance. She needed to use all of her power the same way Achilles and Galatea had to free Michael Kingston from the Singularity. If this failed...she might have lost Ryan. This time, for all time.
A sonic boom ripped through the area, prompting all but Addison and the Knight to shield their ears. The rock face began to collapse more around them, creating a small wall that blocked Addison from the rest of her friends. Addison lowered her scepter and ripped the Knight's helmet and mask off of him. Ryan's face was deathly pale. He was breathing heavily. She had certainly won this encounter, but had she won the true battle in the end?
She put her hands on his cheeks and made him look at her. "Ryan! Ryan, look at me! I'm here! I'm here for you!"
Ryan's eyes opened. They were just as pale as they had been when she encountered the Knight in her vision. He did not say a word to her, but his heavy breathing soon forced his mouth to twist down into a face of pain and anguish. His eyes flared for a moment the same emerald she had always loved, before permanently losing their sheen. He growled at her.
"LET ME GO!"
She lowered her head. "I...I failed."
He continued to struggle to free himself, but was not strong enough to do so. He cursed her for beating him. For hurting him. For breaking him.
Addison could say no more. She was broken. Completely. Her resolve to do right by the boy she loved was evaporating. Ryan, the boy who had won her heart by being who he always had been, was gone forever.
She let the scepter fall from her hands as she stood in front of him. "Ryan is dead, then."
Ryan looked away angrily.
Addison held her hand up to her opponent's line of vision. Her focus fell on the ring on her ring finger. "Do you know what this is? This is a ring. More than that. It's a promise ring. A ring someone gives to someone else when they're not sure what the future holds, but they want that person with them forever and ever. I was given this ring by a boy who meant literally everything to me. Who still does. It was my dream, even when I was only holding just the slightest crush on him, that he and I got to spend the rest of our lives together, even if it was just as friends. But he meant so much more to me than that. Ryan Kingston was my soul. Everything that made me who I am today. He made me smile, he took care of me when I was feeling down and he never thought of anyone for him besides me. I was everything to him and he was the same to me."
"He spent more money than he had ever earned for anything" Addison went on, "just for me. Because he wanted to see me every single day and I him. It was for Ryan that I toiled away, learning under Countess Rosemary. Learning how to be a Contest Queen from Lady Erin and Piper. How to be a Pokemon Trainer from Professor Julia and Michael. Everything we did, we did for each other." She sighed as the ring's gemstone shined via the light from her scepter below her. "And now...as much as it pains me to say it, because I never wished for anything like this, that boy is gone. What I see before me is a twisted amalgamation of hatred, suffering and pain, twisting the form of the boy I loved into something completely unrecognizable."
She could feel Galatea's sorrow inside of her. Neither of them wanted this. No one ever did. But it needed to be done.
"I made him a promise" Addison recalled. "In a moment of emotional weakness for the both of us, when our minds and hearts drifted apart, and he told me he was scared of losing me, I made a promise to Ryan. A promise that I would dive into the deepest pit of darkness and shower him with all of the loving light I can muster." She squeezed her eyes shut as she finally let herself cry. "I guess I didn't plunge deep enough. But I will." She returned her full attention to the Knight. "I am going to destroy your master. And when I'm done, I will plunge into that abyss of a heart you have and drag him out, kicking and screaming if it need be. Because I am completely, emphatically in love with you, Ryan. And I will not exist in this world if you aren't here with me!" She took the Knight's face in her hands once more and planted another kiss on him. When they came apart, she grabbed his helmet and his mask and angrily tossed them aside.
While the Knight wailed and snarled behind her, Addison picked up her scepter and moved the rocks aside for her friends to reunite with her. It was when she saw all of their endearing and loving faces that she finally broke down. She raced for Matthew's welcoming embrace and clung to him, crying into his shirt as he patted her back as lovingly as she knew he was capable of. Holly, Jeremy and Annette soon joined their group embrace, each either shushing her or whispering to her that she wasn't alone.
"Thank you" she whispered. "All of you."
"What for?" Holly asked.
"Just for being here" she replied. "If you weren't...I don't think I would have had the strength to do this."
"Then that makes us indispensable" Jeremy laughed.
"More than you will ever know" she replied.
"You gonna be okay, Addy?" Annette inquired.
Addison nodded. "I hope so."
"Me too" Matt told her soothingly. "Because this was only the appetizer."
She looked back towards the cliff, where Giovanni, Mark and Lizzie had continued their battle. "I know." Her hand closed tightly around her scepter as she let her anger flow inside of her. "Mewtwo!"
