Addison angled her scepter onto the defensive and stood her ground against Mewtwo. She had just watched him completely obliterate Giovanni from existence, so she knew precisely what he was capable of. She would not allow him to do the same to her. But judging from the look on his face, the mighty genetically enhanced Pokemon did not seem to have that on his mind. At least at the moment. He seemed to be focusing intently on her. He did not move from the spot he had been in since erasing his financier from the equation, but would be muttering to himself every now and then about the moment that was about to come to pass.

"Now that we've gotten our one agreement out of the way" Addison replied, "I think it's time we settled things, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo glanced behind her and grinned. Ah. Good. I was hoping for the audience to arrive.

Addison spun around. As if by the grace of Arceus, her friends had finally arrived. Julia, Piper, Mark, Lizzie, Giselle, Holly, Jeremy, Dawn, Lucas, Annette, Professor Wong, Michael, Chris and of course Matthew all stood behind her. Beside Matthew was a statue of some kind. Addison stared at it for a moment before recognizing the features. "Jocelyn?"

So you found her? Mewtwo inquired. Excellent. Everything has proceeded as I envisioned it.

"So you predicted she would beat the Black Knight?" Michael demanded to know.

There have been many times that I expected events to unfold that they have not come to pass. This was not one of those moments. While the Mage has exceeded many of my loftiest expectations, not to mention the rest of you, I knew she would do exactly as her heart bid her. She defeated my Champion and has made it to Mirage Island for our fateful confrontation. And yet, she did not destroy the Knight. Ergo, I shall ensure he witnesses your final and complete defeat, Miss Tenton!

"This all needs to end, Mewtwo!" Julia pleaded. "Nobody else needs to be hurt! Please!"

Mewtwo shook his head. You could not begin to imagine the suffering I've endured in my lifetime. This indeed needs to end. Humans and Pokemon were never meant to coexist. To live among one another. One shall always use the other for some kind of advantage. Weak Pokemon will cling to humans for protection. Strong Pokemon are forced to battle for sheer sport and entertainment. We are completely incompatible and this coexistence must come to an end. He lowered his head in contemplation. I do admit that there are some humans who do care for their Pokemon above other things. Some of you in this group right now count towards this. But we cannot unite in our causes, as we see two separate endgames. And I must not allow you to impede upon my work again.

Addison could feel him drawing more power to him. More bolts of lightning rained from the skies in response to his dramatic power increases. She simply prepared to bat it away from her friends if needs arose.

"Don't you see how many people have suffered from these constant battles?" Wong pleaded.

Mewtwo's face twisted in anger at her presence. Perhaps Courtney was correct in asserting you did betray us.

Wong frowned. "I need to protect my son."

And in doing so, betrayed your brother. There is nothing left between us, Professor. You have chosen your fate. As have all of you. Save for one. Mewtwo's eyes fell upon Addison. Mage. I speak to you now, having seen your prowess in person. You have outwitted me. I still do not understand how you ruined my master plan, but I will see myself soon enough. You have proven yourself worthy of being considered a danger yet also a potential ally to my cause. I will give you this one opportunity as Giovanni did. Join me. You shall rule humans and I shall rule Pokemon.

Addison shook her head. "I've seen what becomes of your allies, Mewtwo. Not a very good reputation for longevity."

Mewtwo grinned at this. This will be far more interesting than I could have ever imagined. He took in a long and deep breath. The storm clouds, which had been rumbling and roaring in the distance, suddenly grew silent. He raised his hands in unison with the world grinding to a halt. Everyone in Addison's support group fell silent, realizing they were about to become the only witnesses to this colossal battle. This universe begins the same for every being. We are born into darkness and awaken to a world of light. While some are beckoned to the light, others thrive in the dark, lurking in the shadows and waiting for their time to strike. Will the Champion of Light rise to the occasion once more and bring unnatural suffering to Pokemon around the world? Or will the Pokemon born and cast into darkness succeed in saving the world from the plague of mankind? We shall see soon enough. That is...if you survive that long!

Two more lightning bolts ripped through the heavens and landed just beside Mewtwo. Through the smoke and flames of it's impact, emerged two new beings. Addison recoiled back in shock. Both looked very similar to Mewtwo, but different in their own, terrifyingly unique ways. The first to emerge was far bulkier than Mewtwo, his forearms, legs and abdomen being far thicker and bulkier than the original's was. His skull was seemingly shaped like a Tauros's skull, seemingly incapable of taking immediate or direct damage. From his body emitted an aura of extreme physical power. He landed on the ground, the entire roof of the Temple of Dreams quaking with his every step. The second appeared and while smaller in stature than both Mewtwo and the other clone, this one possessed a massive head, with it's tail serving as an extra layer of protection on the back of it's head for what Addison could only assume was it's enormous brain capable of immeasurable Psychic power.

Mewtwo floated a few feet behind his new clones and showed them off. My brothers. My true family. Beings of unsurpassed power, having joined forces with the most powerful being to ever exist! Now, serving as the ultimate test of the White Mage's resolve. Let us see if she is truly capable of standing against the might of my superior intellect! X, the being of pure strength. And Y, the being of pure intellect. ATTACK!

Both clones lunged at Addison immediately. While the second floated around her, gathering immense telekinetic power to unleash a ruthlessly strong attack, the first unleashed a barrage of immeasurably strong and lightning fast punches and blows that Addison was only barely able to block with her scepter. Seeing that X's head was beginning to glow with tremendous power, Addison knew she needed to make a move. She teleported away from him, just as his Zen Headbutt smashed into the ground, leaving a sizable indent in the ground. She did not have a moment to recover though, as soon Y unleashed a devastating Shadow Ball, that Addison was only barely able to bat away with her scepter. The Shadow Ball flew into the air before exploding in darkness. The skies grew darker all around the Mirage Island as now nothing but night and storm clouds flew over head.

Addison concentrated on her first move. X was incredibly strong and fast, but he had to be some kind of Fighting Type hybrid of Mewtwo. If he was, she only had to grow power and wipe out her opponent with a Moonblast. Y would prove to be far more challenging, as he floated about the entire roof, drawing in more and more power. She realized that all the power she gained through meditation would mean nothing if Y was able to gain it faster.

"Come on Addy!" Matthew cheered. "You've got this!"

"Wipe them out!" Annette added.

"Don't let them trick you!" Holly warned.

"Remember their weaknesses, Addy" Jeremy coached.

Addison raised her scepter and called upon Galatea's power. "Alright, let's try a Calm Mind!" She began to meditate once more, drawing in the forces of the cosmic universe around her to gain some power for her next move.

X moved faster than before and nearly landed a brutal Mega Kick on her, but she warped out of the way and used a Fairy Wind attack to push him back. The newly created clone fell backwards, but shook himself off and stomped his feet on the ground angrily. Y continued to fly about the battlefield like a pinball in the air, gathering more and more power while Addison could only watch. She knew she needed to finish this quickly, at least before the other clone had enough power to assault her with another Shadow Ball. Y snickered to himself and gathered the energy for it's next powerful Ghost Attack.

Addison caught everyone by surprise and leaped out of the way, rolling away from the Shadow Ball as it left a crater sized impact on the roof of the Temple. Once she had recovered she sent a Moonblast directly at Y. The Cloned Pokemon moved effortlessly out of the way of the blast, but the impact of it's explosion nearby forced him out of the air. Addison took the moment to strike, leaping high over the head of the clone and smashing her scepter into it's head. The Pokemon snarled in pain, but Addison could not enjoy her next move.

X was all over her. He even managed to land a Blaze Kick that she was only barely able to avoid a headshot for, instead taking it in the chest. She was flung backwards, landing hard on her rear end before falling over. The scepter rolled out of her hands and Addison was forced to fight without it for a moment. But this was to be expected. She had her strategy now.

While Y charged another Shadow Ball that would surely devastate her, Addison waited for just the right moment for X to reenter the battle. He did so, sprinting at her and leaping high in the air to perform as High Jump Kick. Addison knew this was coming. Rosemary's teachings were paying off in dividends. She raised her hand and moved it slightly. X was caught in her telekinetic grasp and was flung towards Y. Y's Shadow Ball struck it in the torso and slammed it hard into the ground right in front of him. X was dazed, but not out of the battle yet.

Y was getting angry, unleashing a deadly Tri Attack at her. Three peculiar beams soared directly at Addison, who barely tuck and rolled out of the way of the Red and Yellow beams and had just enough time to pick up her scepter and spin it in a shield technique to repel the third, but not without her fingers becoming freezing cold from the Ice attack this blow caused. She stopped spinning, only to be set upon again by the X, who landed a High Jump Kick to her stomach that forced her to the ground again. She leaped back to her feet, now visibly annoyed by how these two were battling. And how they were doing everything they could to do their job.

And what was their job? Simple. Stall.

She was not blind. She could see Mewtwo himself using the opportunity that his Clones were giving him to power himself up. Even if these clones only succeeded in wearing her down, they were doing their jobs. But what did he hope this would accomplish? Did he forget that Addison also has the Crimson Fury inside of her? Or was this precisely what he was counting on?

Either way, Addison was beginning to grow downright furious over how this battle was going. She gripped her scepter with anger, her memory flashing visions of the stone statues that surrounded her when she failed her friends once before. She vowed to herself that would never happen again. And she was determined to do whatever it took to make sure that was the truth.

"As Matt says" Addison recalled sadly, "even if it kills me."

{}

Everyone watching the battle erupt in front of them was doing everything they could to not intervene on her behalf. Mewtwo's clones had not only been created, but they were proving to be immeasurably powerful. Perhaps even enough of a match for Addison. Michael himself was beginning to show his own inner fury wells drying up. He was not afraid to lose control and rush to assist her if needed, but the fear of being annihilated by Mewtwo wasn't what kept him back now.

It was retaliation.

He could not fight Mewtwo and protect Julia at the same time. Nor could he protect anyone else who wouldn't be taking part in the fighting. He simply had to stand, shaking in anger as Addison was struggling to combat even one of these hyper powered clones Mewtwo and Professor Wong had created.

"Remind me again why we can't help here?" Annette asked angrily.

"Because I want to jump in right now and help her" Jeremy added.

"We're only going to end up being collateral damage if we get involved" Michael lamented. "No matter how much we may want to, we can't do much but cheer her on and wish her the best."

"These clones" Wong noted. "They are full of the same hatred Mewtwo is."

"Well, he did have a hand in their ultimate creation, right?" Julia inquired. "It shouldn't surprise us."

Wong shook her head. "It's not what I mean. They're dominating the fight because they are allowing themselves to remain in control. Addison needs to take that control from them." She gestured towards Y, who remained the most irritated of the two. "That one looks ready to crack, but the other one is relentless. Addison is going to have to wear them both down at once, or completely take out X."

"X looks like a Fighting Type" Chris pointed out. "Why isn't she just hammering away with Moonblasts."

"That bond she and her Gardevoir have is strong" the King explained. "but a Gardevoir isn't invincible. Not to mention she already had to take down Ryan before, which drained her." He clenched his fists. "Sitting here on the sidelines is absolutely infuriating!"

His wife saw his frustrations and took his hand. "I know you're upset, honey. But there's nothing we can do about this, right now. We can't get in the way, or else Mewtwo will use us to weaken Addison further than she already has been." She gave his hand a squeeze and rested her head on his shoulder. "Hang in there, my love."

"I'm trying" he assured her.

Matthew, who seemed to be just as angry as him, echoed his movements. "We need to do something! She can't do this alone!"

"I think she has to" Lizzie warned.

"Only Addison remembers what that Prophecy Countess Rosemary had said" Mark added. "We can't do anything reckless."

Matthew was doing everything he could to hold himself back, looking to the statue of Jocelyn for support. Michael could only look to his cousin and shake his head. Matthew gave in and lowered his head. But Michael knew that one of them was going to break soon. He just couldn't be sure which of them it would be.

{}

Knowing she did not have a nearly limitless amount of stamina to continue this ridiculous farce of a battle she was forced to engage, Addison knew that she needed to turn the tide immediately. If she was going to be able to last against Mewtwo, she needed to either put these clones on ice or flat out destroy them. But it might take a bit of ingenuity from her to accomplish this. This made her wince, as her memories of mentoring and encouraging Ryan to do the same during his Gym Battles burned inside of her memory. But that was the past. The future and present were what mattered now.

With all of her concentration on whether or not she could overcome her foes, Addison realized that she did have a secret weapon she could use. It would be dangerous to use, but if she could wield it properly, it might allow her to waste the clones while not completely draining herself of energy. After all, once she was out of energy, regardless of if Mewtwo was destroyed or not, the battle would come to an end. But if she could dip into her reservoir of inner strength while also unleashing a potentially more dangerous and destructive force from deep within, the endgame could perhaps come sooner rather than later.

I sense you have a plan, Galatea spoke in her mind. For our sakes, I hope it's a good one.

"We need to get angry" Addison mentioned casually. "Not just angry. We need to let the Fury out."

You mean for us to delve into the Crimson Fury again?! Galatea sounded petrified of the idea. We lose complete control of ourselves. We may not be able to discern friend from foe. I do not think this is a good idea...

"This genetic freak is the only reason you and I are even here right now" Addison replied. "Don't forget how much they took from us. My father, Achilles, Ryan, all of his Pokemon. It's not like they don't deserve to be ground to a pulp!" She clenched at her own heart, hoping to invigorate it with some kind of kinetic energy of her own. But this was not going to be the case. She simply decided that the Fury would come of it's own and took the battle for every moment.

Which was a good thing, considering the Clones began another combined attack against her. While X continued to rain blows against her defenses, Y was preparing another Shadow Ball to break her with. Addison prepared to defend herself from both, but paused when she noticed Y look back in the direction where Mewtwo was. The clone of a clone began to snicker. He then gathered the remaining energy of the Shadow Ball. Once he had charged up, his attack shot out. But if it was being aimed at Addison, it was a far miss. But this only fueled Addison's fears of where it might be going. She turned around and saw the Shadow Ball narrowly miss her group of friends. She glanced back at Mewtwo, who was going to command another.

She dashed forward to engage Y, but was struck hard in the head by X and forced to the ground. While X prepared his next move, Addison raised her Scepter to ward off Y's newest attack. Realizing she could not defend herself from the blows from X as well as prevent Y from hurting her friends, she spun around and sent a Fairy Wind right into X's face and sprung back to her feet. But the Shadow Ball went off like a rocket. This time, aimed directly at the group.

Many in the group bowed out of the way to avoid being hit. But Annette was like a Sawsbuck in headlights.

"ANNETTE" she shrieked. She had just gotten her friend back. She couldn't lose her now.

Evidently, someone else agreed with her. As she was too paralyzed by her fear to move, someone else bolted in the way and threw her out of the way. To Addison's horror, it was Matthew. She screamed as Matthew was struck by the blow and crumpled to the ground. Annette was shaking only a few feet away, while the others gathered around Matthew's body. Addison used a Moonblast to knock both X and Y away for a moment to rush over and check on her friend.

Julia and Professor Wong were by the boy's side immediately. "Matt! Sweetie!"

Matthew's eyes were squeezed shut as he grunted in intense pain. "I...I can't...I can't feel my arm!"

Helen Wong took the boy's arm and pinched it. No response. "Oh no."

"MATT!" Addison cried out, sliding right by Julia's side. "What happened?"

"Nerve damage?" Julia inquired.

Wong could only nod sadly. "And it's bad by the feel of it."

Matthew looked down at his limp left arm, seemingly doing everything he could to move it, but to no avail. "What's gonna...WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO MY ARM?!"

Addison glanced over towards Annette, who was looking from her to Matthew, her eyes bright and wild. Annette shook herself out of her stupor and hurried over to her new friend's side, Addison beginning to see not only the fires of deep concern inside of her, but also perhaps to even somewhat slightly reciprocating the feelings he had for her? She did not want to overstep. She had a new reason to fight. Matthew's bedraggled state finally allowed both Addison and Galatea to discard the chains that bound their Fury deep within them.

No mercy, Galatea answered coldly. It was the first time outside of regarding her child, that Galatea had shown any not thought out emotions.

She stood in front of her friends while the clones of Mewtwo snickered at her misfortune. And she lost it. Everything in front of her became red. She noticed her arm rising on it's own. She snared X in a telekinetic grasp and began to slam him repeatedly into the roof of the Temple of Dreams. Y hurriedly attempted to gather energy for another Shadow Ball, but Addison didn't care. She knew which target would be hit next. She proceeded to slam X into the ground and shower him with Fairy Winds, before spinning him around and launching him at the newly created Shadow Ball. X took the wicked blow and cried out in intense pain. With X nearly beaten, Addison sent a Moonblast from her scepter to end the battle. In a flash of celestial light, all that remained of Mewtwo's first clone was a pile of genetic goop.

Mewtwo was floored by this. What the-

Y, sensing the sudden turn in the tide, attempted to prepare for a counterattack of some kind, but Addison would not give him the opportunity. She teleported right in front of him and using her and Galatea's shared powers, launched Y into the skies. To finish the job, she concentrated on all of the energy that remained from the last Shadow Ball and sent it hurtling towards Y. As with his counterpart, Y dissolved into goo almost immediately and left Mewtwo as the final opponent for her to face. And Addison was determined to ride the Fury as long as it would take her.

The mighty genetically enhanced Pokemon called upon his own power and prepared to rain a volley of Sludge Bombs down on the battlefield, but Galatea's psychic powers easily tossed them aside. When the Sludge attacks failed, Mewtwo then sent a Signal Beam hurtling towards Addison, who was barely able to deflect it in time with her scepter. But this left her open to a Flash Cannon, which launched her backwards. She recovered quickly, only coming to the realization she should have earlier. Mewtwo was far and away the most powerful thing she had ever encountered.

And yet, for all his bluster and banter, Mewtwo was not speaking now. He was focusing everything he could on destroying her and she needed to do the same.

He sent forth a Sludge Wave to devour Addison, but she sent a Psychic Attack that ripped right through the poisonous mass, scattering it to opposite sides of the roof. She countered by sending a Moonblast towards him, but he caused a tremendous Thunderstorm to block out the power of the moon. Thunder rained from the skies above, but none of the blasts hit Addison. When one came down too close, Addison redirected it's energy back at Mewtwo, who absorbed it and then sent a wave of scalding hot water at her. Addison leaped out of the way and landed just beyond the heated water, only to be blasted backwards by an Aurora Beam. Addison tumbled backwards, with Galatea's interference being the only reason she was able to recover quickly. But now, she needed answers.

"Hang on a sec" she demanded. "Thunder, Scald, Aurora Beam on top of all of those other moves? How is this possible?"

You seem surprised. Why? I told you I have far exceeded the previously believed limits of my power. I know every single battle move in existence, child. I have a multitude of methods at my disposal to defeat you.

"And yet here I stand" Addison defiantly replied.

Give it a bit, he hissed coldly. You are not as gifted as I am, Miss Tenton.

"More than you thought, though. Right? I just annihilated your previous X and Y."

You have exceeded my expectations of you. But I do not want you to get any delusions into your head that you can actually defeat me. You've no idea the depths of my power. Perhaps this will enlighten you! Mewtwo raised his arms and seemed to be calling on the very universe itself to aid him, but he paused when he saw something behind her. Hmm? Well, this is an unexpected surprise.

Addison turned around and to her shock, saw the Black Knight limping past the others. He staggered almost drunkenly, falling to his knees in between both Mewtwo and her. She tried to feel as if any part of the boy she loved might still be in there, but all she could sense was a torrential storm of power and wayward thought cascading into a nightmarish hellscape that he called his inner mind.

"Ryan..." Addison whispered.

I warned you not to defy me, Knight. And yet the Mage is here. Are you prepared to suffer the consequences of your failure?

"I...failed...you...Master."

Mewtwo chuckled at this. It would seem failure runs rampant in Arcana. I could have sworn that Addison here had salvaged that part of your heart I locked deep inside of you.

The Knight fell onto all fours. "My...Master...I...I ask only...forgiveness."

Addison looked away. "So you really are gone..."

Perhaps I shall have use for you, Knight. But let me show you how to eliminate someone properly. Ensure that our spectators don't get any ideas about intervening, Knight.

The Knight stumbled to his feet and walked slowly, as if limping, behind Addison. Addison rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "Ryan?"

"I told you, Addy" he replied, almost sympathetically. "It's too late for me." He then pulled his arm away and stood in between their friends and Addison.

"You can't keep us out!" Lizzie hissed. She prepared to rush forward, but was bounced back several feet by an energy field that sprouted up in front of the group. The others banged helplessly on the field as the battle seemed primed to gear up the intensity again.

"Keep fighting, Addy!" Jeremy cheered.

"Don't hold back!" Chris warned.

"Keep faith in yourself" Michael added.

The rest of Addison's friends were incoherently shouting things to keep her in the fight, but she didn't need them. She made one last pity glance backwards towards the boy she loved and his twin brother she also cared strongly for. The Knight paid her look no notice, while Matthew was lying weakly in Julia's arms, while Professor Wong scrambled for a way to fix the nerve damage and Annette doted. There was nothing she could do for her friend now, except defeat Mewtwo.

The time of man is over, Miss Tenton. Perhaps it's time you allowed me to end it's suffering! Mewtwo's hands began to irradiate electrical energy, before he fired two Thunderbolts in her direction. Addison and Galatea joined their minds once more and warped out of the way, before sending Fairy Wind his way. But her opponent created a mighty Hurricane wind storm to blow her attack aside. He then let his eyes glow their sapphire color as he began to levitate high in the air.

"What is he doing?" Addison asked herself.

He's drawing in power, Galatea warned. Ugh. And it's pull is impeccable.

Addison grunted and raised her scepter as a massive ball of blue flames appeared in the skies above her. "Draco Meteor?"

Be careful. Just because I cannot be harmed by Dragon Moves, does not mean that carried over into this form.

She simply prepared to block the blow with all of her power. She could feel her own body being pulled into the gravitational force of this mighty attack, but she dug her heels into the ground and refused to move. Galatea also used some of her own power to anchor them to the ground.

ALL SHALL BE EXTINCT! Mewtwo roared. The Draco Meteor fell from the heavens, while Addison and Galatea together chanted a Psychic command that would allow them to shield themselves from the blast. Addison's scepter was the first to feel the might of the Draco Meteor. She nearly crumpled immediately, as it felt as though an entire building was being dropped on her. She stood firmly and allowed Galatea to draw in more and more energy.

"We got this?" she asked as her arms began to feel the strain of keeping this blow from striking.

She could feel Galatea also struggling to assert herself. I do. Counterattack!

Addison pushed her scepter forward, which caused the Meteor to rip up from the indent it had created around her and shot straight towards where Mewtwo had fled. He warped out of the way as the Meteor exploded in the skies above them. Addison pressed the attack, showering the entire field in Fairy Winds. Mewtwo seemed unfazed by the attacks and simply shook his head.

Your Fairy powers are not going to be enough to stop me, Miss Tenton!

Addison sighed. He was right about that. She needed more firepower. But unlike him, she did not have limitless access to all of the moves in the universe to use. "Galatea, do you think we should get rid of some of these moves?" When her inner voice did not immediately answer, Addison began to ponder all that it took just for a Pokemon to learn certain types of moves. Including moves she might have known before or those she could never learn again.

All of the moves I know are inside of me, she explained. But accessing them will take time. And I doubt Mewtwo will allow us the time.

Addison pondered how to go about this situation, when she recalled a lesson she learned from her Queen of Arcana instructor what felt like a life time ago:

"If you believe the Daughter's Curse is real, Addison, then you must be spontaneous and unpredictable. That way, no one will ever compare you to your mother again."

"Spontaneous and unpredictable?" Addison repeated. "Wait a minute. Metronome!"

You mean like the one we used to learn our Contest Steps?

"No. The move. The one that can be any move imaginable! Can you learn it?"

Galatea thought for a moment. Not naturally, but I sense one of our friends nearby has it. Perhaps we can use their Technical Machine? But wouldn't that be dishonorable?

"When has this freak ever been honorable?" Addison snapped back.

Fair enough. Galatea concentrated all of her might on locating the Technical Machine somewhere nearby. Addison could feel Mewtwo drawing in more energy for an attack and worriedly looked to Galatea in her mind for help. I...I don't understand. How is this move not compatible with me?

"MAKE IT WORK!" Addison pleaded.

I'm afraid that's not how my biology works.

"This is the Realm of Dreams, right?" Addison replied with vigor. "You can just do what you want here, right? So why do we have to be handicapped by the rules, but he can't? Come on! I'll help you!" She concentrated as hard as she could alongside Galatea. She could not tell if they had succeeded, but she didn't care. They were running out of time. "Let's go!" She stepped forward and wagged her finger, almost as if she were scolding Mewtwo.

Mewtwo cocked his head in confusion. Is this some kind of joke?

"Maybe" Addison replied. "After all, it is random!" She closed her eyes. Her pointing finger suddenly showered the entire playing area with a powdery snow. Mewtwo tried to wash it away, but he was forced to give the high ground away by the intensifying chill in the air. "Okay. Powder Snow. Not what I wanted, but it's a start."

The genetically enhanced Pokemon clenched his hand into a fist and sent a powerful Fire Blast her way, which began to melt the snows almost immediately. Thinking quickly, Addison wiggled her finger again. A geyser of molten energy ripped through the fire blast and the roof of the Temple of Dreams. The mage fell backwards as her Earth Power attack continued to strike until it struck Mewtwo in the head. He was forced to give ground for the first time, but he recovered just as quickly and cast a Dark Pulse in her direction.

"Why fix what's not broken?" she laughed and wiggled her finger as she and Galatea warped out of the way. She reappeared in front of Mewtwo and shocked herself and everyone present by shooting a Signal Beam directly into Mewtwo's eyes. He recoiled and snarled in anger, having been momentarily blinded by the blow. With Mewtwo staggering, Addison tried to gather the energy for a powerful Moonblast, but she could feel her inner energy reserves depleting.

I don't think we have much more energy in us, Addison.

"Do you think this Moonblast would take it out of us?" Addison wondered.

Unless we have a way of ensuring it hits, I don't think we can risk it.

Addison spun around and saw Ryan clutching at his heart and on his knees. She raced over to his side. "Ryan! You have to listen to me! Please!" He raised his head, but did not acknowledge her directly. "I haven't given up on you. I never gave up on you. There is something inside of you, helping you fight, right? Use all of your strength. I need you!" She glanced backwards as Mewtwo continued to stagger and nearly trip over himself, but knew this wouldn't last much longer. "I don't care about what Mewtwo or Courtney said to make you think we're enemies." She knelt down in front of him and picked up his helmet and mask in her hands. "I love you. And if this is the end, I won't go to the Realm of Arceus until we go together!"

He grunted as if he was fighting off a massive migraine and fell to the ground in front of her, holding his head and jerking his body violently. Addison turned around and glared at Mewtwo, who had not only recovered, but was now tormenting him.

Surely you realized I would anticipate this move of yours, child. He moved his hand about playfully, slamming Ryan repeatedly into the ground. He is not the boy you once knew, my dear. He succumbed to the fate that all wretches of mankind deserve. To become my malleable servant. Many of you could have had this glory, but are too prideful for your own good!

"LET HIM GO!" Addison demanded.

Mewtwo scoffed at this. Why? His will belongs to me, his body belongs to me, his very existence belongs to me. Your precious Ryan is now my ultimate play thing!

Addison felt the anger brimming inside of her. Galatea could feel it as well, which meant they knew they would only have a few more shots to end this fight before they were worn out. "If you don't...let him go...I am...going...to make you...pay!" She wagged her finger again to draw in another attack randomly. She felt herself wiggle her rear end almost flirtatiously and immediately blushed. "What in the-" But as soon as her strange dance ended, she felt her power immediately surge. "Tail glow?" She decided not to take another chance and charged up enough of that energy for a Moonblast.

Mewtwo attempted to strike first with a Sucker Punch, but was horrified by the sheer power of her attack and instead rushed to avert it's damaging blow. He could not accomplish this and was slammed hard into the roof of the Temple of Dreams by the sheer force of the moon. Addison could feel the Temple roof crumbling beneath her. She turned back towards the others.

"You need to leave! The entire roof is going to fall through!"

"There's no way we're leaving you behind!" Holly insisted.

"We've been through far worse than a collapsing roof!" Dawn boasted.

"Not exactly, but-" Mark tried to coerce.

Addison was about to plead again, but a roar from Mewtwo made her realize it was all too late. Why leave when this world bows to me?! Mewtwo began to glow with a tremendous burst of energy. Addison hid behind her scepter and tried to safeguard her friends, but the light showered all over them. She did her best to stand her ground, but felt her legs weakening underneath her. Even that extra power from the Tail Glow would do little but prolong her energy drop.

The Realm of Dreams has a new master. It is not Darkrai, nor Cresselia. It is I...MEWTWO!

When Addison's sight returned to her, she looked down and gasped. They were no longer atop the roof of the Temple. The ruins of Mirage Island were now hundreds of meters below them, as their new arena had become a series of clouds. Addison did all that she could to keep her feet beneath her, but she could not tell if where she stood was sturdy or not. It took Galatea mentioning to her this was Mewtwo's nightmare for her to realize she could actually stand. She glanced behind her, where the others remained, now forced to be spectators to a fight that would determine the fate of the entire world. Everyone did their best to help keep the others standing, or in Matthew's case, from being flung out of sight.

Mewtwo emerged from the clouds, his eyes blazing with hate. He flung the worn and depleted body of the Black Knight to the side of the cloud area and glared unflinchingly at his opponent. SINK INTO DARKNESS! He raised his hand and sent a horrifically powerful Thunderbolt her way. Addison used her scepter to absorb the attack. But rather than stopping his attack, she could feel he intended on keeping it going as long as he thought Addison could resist it. She knew she could handle as much energy as he could muster, but had no idea if Rosemary's scepter would do the same. She could see it shining brightly, but Addison kept it as a super-conductor until she had the mental energy to redirect it. But the electrical currents continued to surge towards her. She saw her arm shaking violently as the currents began to overload into her. She and Galatea took a moment to collect their combined mental prowess before she pushed her scepter forward.

A blinding and thoroughly intense bolt of lightning went directly at Mewtwo, who teleported out of the way as the bolt went along into the heavens behind him. Using this slim chance she might have, Addison wiggled her finger and triggered the Metronome attack. She sent another electrical charge his way, but she felt her own power increase because of it. "Charge Beam?" The bolt hit its target, but Mewtwo knocked it aside as he prepared another attack of his own.

She prepared for it, until she realized Mewtwo was now coating the entire clouded battlefield with spores. She began to feel drowsy as her senses took in the gentle aroma of the spores surrounding her. She let out a loud yawn before falling onto her rear end. "Maybe...if I...take a bit...yawn...a bit of a nap...I...might..."

"WAKE UP!" Holly screamed near her.

Addison shook her head to try and wake her up from her stupor. "Huh? What? Who?"

"THIS IS NO TIME TO TAKE A NAP, ADDY!" she scolded.

"I concur with Holly, Addy" Julia cried. "Please!"

Addison staggered to her feet, only to realize Mewtwo was using her nap to draw in energy for his next attack. She glanced above as clouds parted to reveal an intensifying sun. "Oh...oh dear. Solarbeam. Galatea, you still with me?"

That Spore did a number on me. I feel so lifeless.

"Come on, snap out of it! We have to make our move, now! Quickly, any idea how to counter a Solarbeam?"

Hmm...to counteract the power of the sun...we'd need a storm of some kind.

"Do you think we can make Metronome give us Rain Dance?"

Highly doubtful.

She worriedly peeked over towards Mewtwo, who's arms came together with his palms open. He then crouched and began to draw in more and more energy, laughing wickedly as he did. Hehehehehehehehe! Ah hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Finally, when his Solarbeam was ready, he sent his hands forward. The very energy of the sun shot towards Addison like a freight train. With no recourse to absorb or deflect the blow, Addison teleported out of the way as another stream of incredible energy shot into the distance.

Realizing she could not waste time on recovery, she wiggled her finger and hoped for anything to come from Metronome. Her hand suddenly shot forward and she unleashed a Tri Attack, a series of red, blue and yellow prisms that struck Mewtwo head on. He tried to shield himself from the blow, but was unexpectedly engulfed in a block of ice. With her opponent frozen solid, Addison took a moment to rest. She was breathing heavily. Her fatigue setting in. She was leaning heavily on her scepter. Not only was Mewtwo exceptionally strong, he also had great vitality. Perhaps that stemmed from him being an artificially created and enhanced Pokemon and nothing like the others she had encountered over the years.

Galatea seemed to be echoing her own thoughts. I have...I don't think...we have much more left...

"Then I think we need to finish this before anything else happens" she affirmed. "But how?"

Metronome has been working, but we cannot rely on one move to win a match. I suggest we engage him in a battle of telekinesis.

"I can assure you we'll lose that."

Perhaps not if we weaken him first. We do not know how long he will be frozen like this. We've already done significant damage to him. There was no conviction behind her words. Galatea knew as little about what was about to happen as she did.

Addison took a deep breath and nodded. "We'll let Metronome do some more damage and see what Psychic can do for us." She wiggled her finger again. But now was when the down side of Metronome began to rear it's ugly head. The first move she used was String Shot, which shot silky webs at the frozen form of Mewtwo. The second random move initiated was Bulk Up, which while making her physically stronger, did nothing else for the battle. She could see Mewtwo's eyes beginning to open and his energy beginning to melt the ice wall he was trapped in. She desperately wiggled her finger a third time. To her horror, she felt her leg reach backwards and kick sand at the statue.

"Uh, Addy?" Chris called her. "Anytime you feel like finishing this would be really appreciated."

"I'm working on it!" she cried back, her face paling as she realized Mewtwo was only seconds away from breaking free. She wiggled her finger one last time. She suddenly felt her body heat blazing inside of her. She was thrust into the air above her opponent. And in a shriek that sounded reminiscent of one of the Legendary Bird Pokemon she'd read about, she unleashed a wickedly brutal Fire attack on her opponent. Flames erupted all around the frozen form of Mewtwo, undoubtedly freeing him, but also scorching him as well. The Sacred Fire attack did it's damage and Addison lowered back to the ground. Now, she felt lightheaded. She had exerted all of her energy. And she had no idea if she had succeeded in winning this bout.

When the smoke and flames cleared, Mewtwo was also on his knees, breathing heavily. He glanced up at her and tried to draw in energy for an attack, but fell backward.

Addison could feel her senses dulling as she sat back down. If her friends were cheering her on, she could no longer hear them. If she had any feeling inside of her besides exhaustion, she was past the point of feeling it. She looked over towards Mewtwo. To her amazement, he seemed to be laughing. Not a wicked chuckle. Not even a hateful one. One of...delight?

I must admit...you are an equal to me in power.

Addison sighed. "Just an equal?"

I did not think a human could have such power inside of them. Not even one who is as in tune with their Pokemon as you are. And yet, I have thrown almost everything I can at you and you either avoid it or send it back towards me. You truly do have incredible power inside of you. Not just your Gardevoir that you have bonded so strongly with, though she is stronger than I could have ever imagined her being as well. But you yourself, Miss Tenton. You exceeded my expectations. All of that training you've done since departing from your home in Parlor Town has paid off.

"My training?"

Indeed. Everything and everyone you've met on your journey has contributed in some way to the woman you have become. Erin Kingston and her nonsensical pageantry, Piper Pines and her ingenuity, Michael Kingston and his wife's imparting of knowledge to you and lastly, your training with Countess Rosemary. All of them have made you into the intriguing specimen I see before me. One that has worn me down and drained me of much of my power. To be honest, if we went on like this, I highly doubt either of us would win outright.

"This needs to end."

Too much is at stake for one of us to surrender. Therefore, I shall put it to you one last time, Miss Tenton. Join me. Together, you and I would be unstoppable. And with The Knight serving me, he will no longer wish to destroy you. You two will be together. Now and forever. No one would dare to stand against us. We would be gods compared to these other fools. What say you?

Addison defiantly shook her head. "Never. I will not let you hurt the people of Arcana or the Pokemon of the world ever again!" She pointed all around them. "No one wins if we fight. Not a single soul. Not even you." She let her scepter roll out of her fingers. "This needs to end, Mewtwo. We need to stop this fighting. These people who stand behind me don't hate Pokemon. No one does, except for those who aligned themselves with you. The rest? We all love Pokemon. They are a part of our hearts. A part of who we are as a species. And yet, you think we don't need one another. That's where you're wrong. I couldn't have learned half of what I did without my Pokemon. Ariel, Galatea, Buzz and all the others. And the same can be said for everyone behind me. Surely, you can see the love they have for their Pokemon inside of them."

Mewtwo nodded. So I can. And it radiates strength back to the Pokemon. Some, in a way, only achieved the levels they have because of the conviction of their trainers to "be the best". You all have showed me that there are people in this world who do care for Pokemon...but not enough to spare it from it's intended fate.

Addison frowned. "So, to the death, then? Winner take all?"

Now, Mewtwo chuckled evilly. My dear, this battle is already over. You are my equal in power and in conviction. You are far and away an equal in many of the facets that matter. You will fight to your last breath for what you believe in. Something that I am proud to say I can relate to. But here is where we defer, Miss Tenton. You are bound by the limitations of your present form. You let these attachments restrict you from reaching your ultimate goal. Had you joined me, I would have shown you the means to achieve and hold power endlessly. But you remain bound to defend the people and Pokemon of this wretched world. So be it.

Addison slowly bent over and picked up the scepter, angling it to the defense. "Let's finish this."

Very well. I shall!

"Huh?"

Mewtwo's arms rose until they were linear to his core. He took in a deep breath and was surrounded by a veil of mysterious energy. Addison could suddenly feel that vacuum of power surrounding the battlefield once more. She realized what he was doing. Apparently, so did the others.

"Oh no" Michael uttered.

"It can't be" Lizzie gasped.

"This is not possible!" Jeremy cried.

"I'm still sleeping" Annette shrieked. "This is just a nightmare! A bad dream!"

Addison looked inside for Galatea. "Galatea?! I need help!"

There's...we can't stop him. It's over...

"What kind of talk is that?" Addison demanded, but she began to feel lightheaded once more.

The correct talk, Mewtwo interjected as he lowered his arms once more. More than just the light radiated from him now. Power. Pure, unadulterated power, now ebbed from him. I told you, I have access to every single Pokemon's move and technique. Surely you'd realize I would use Recover soon enough, yes?

The scepter shook violently in her arm as she simply dropped it. Addison was stunned. It truly was over.