Hey guys. Back again. Been wondering where I have been for a while, right?
As the title of the story implies, this story is a Moemon fanfiction, inspired by Moemon Trainer Troy's Ash's Moemon Journey and all the other Moemon stories out there. Decided to jump on the relatively obscure ship and make my own tale.
Unlike other Moemon stories however, this will be a dark AU of both Pokemon and Moemon, going into depth into the darker side of the series. My intention is a more realistic and mature take on the Pokemon franchise and Moemon fan games (as realistic as it can be), instead of the light hearted take done by multiple other writers.
As such, this story will contain but not limited to: abuse, rape, kidnapping, graphic depictions of gore, murder, and various other topics. If you are sensitive to such, then please leave, as this story will potentially be offensive to you.
REPEAT WARNING: The story will contain such mature topics and if you are offended by such, please leave.
Unlike with other AU Pokemon stories, Ash will be somewhat relatively the same as his canon series counterpart from the start, with only a minor change is that he is smarter than in the original. Instead of bumbling his way through situations, he will actively plan strategies out, though he will hardly be flawless, and will make an abundance of mistakes and screw ups. In general, I will keep Ash's flaws from the original series intact though they will lessen over time. There will be other changes, though I will reveal them over time.
He will gradually mature and become more serious. Expect an Ash who is a far cry from the start of the story towards the end of the region.
As always, I do not own Pokemon or the fan game concept, Moemon. Both respectively belong to their owners.
Moemon.
Inhabiting the world were the various creatures known as Moemon. Coming in a variety of shapes and sizes and forms, small and tall, bipedal. The creatures were living breathing creatures.
Though their origins were lost to time, it was believed that Arceus, the progenitor of Moemon, and largely considered and stated to be the first original Moemon in existence, had shaped and molded the universe. With the use of her many limbs, they molded and shaped the entire world. Scholars, archeologists have even considered her to be The Original One, as per being the first Moemon that was ever recorded to live. Such was the legend and tale, that she was even considered a goddess, as many who believed in her prayed to see a sign, a sign that she was still watching over humanity.
Though they were by all sense and study, creatures, as the technology of Homo Sapiens humans proved that the creatures had a similar body composition to them, though not quite the exact, requiring similar but otherwise different means of sustenance and living conditions, though most Mormons as it was discovered could subsist on human foods. All Moemons were known to have a humanoid appearance, almost appearing human, taking on the form of young girls to fully grown women, and all were recorded to be female. This fact had baffled many scholars and archeologists and professors into attempting to find a male variant of these Moemons. Despite such vast research projects and numerous attempts done, none had succeeded. It was widely considered then that all Moemons were female, after species of them breeding had produced only females of two parents of the same gender. No male variant of Moemon had ever existed.
As civilization developed for humankind, so did it for Moemons, who had developed alongside the first Homo Sapiens. When living conditions had become harsh, as various climate changes had threatened humanity and certain species of Moemon to extinction, both species merged into one and began to work together to survive. Coexisting, Moemons had various abilities, extraordinary abilities, that allowed them to perform various tasks that humans were completely unable to accomplish. Creatures were untamed and while Moemons were no different, humanity had developed enough to tame them. Even so, there were still Moemons who were sheltered in their territories, hostile that they chose to attack humans. This fact had led humanity to denote and designate them still as "creatures" despite their humanoid appearances.
With their abilities, humanity eventually discovered that the Moemon creatures tamed by humanity could be used to defend themselves from the wild, aggressive, hostile, territorial Moemons. Following this was Moemons utilized for the purpose of battling other Moemons, to test their skills. This came to being the first Trainers. Specifically, Moemon Trainers. With the sole purpose of catching the Moemons and battling with them, the Trainers raised them, each battle serving to increase the intelligence of Moemon and level of experience.
A fight was a battle, a battle was a fight. It was how humans identified Moemons when they fought. Humanity had fought as well, alongside using Moemons as an extra source of tools for warfare.
It was, inevitably as such, a battle was violent. A battle had the potential to be gruesome. Moemons, with capable intelligence and human speech, had the potential to cause massive wide scale destruction with their abilities. It was not limited to hostile wild Moemons. It was also their Trainers and tamed Moemons themselves that could perform a violent action in battle. As Moemons were capable of fighting, so were they used for battle.
Such as the battle of New Island.
A massive sprawling fortress of an island stood above the seas below, the blue of the ocean sloshing, rapidly pounding the fortress above. Despite the seemingly ravenous attempts by the climate itself, the fortress was far sturdier than the strength of the ocean, the only attempts of its effort shown were the remaining bits of particles splashing onto the surface.
It would be, by all accounts then, for what individual to even attempt such a task to stay on the island. With the oceans' frequent pounding of the island itself, along with the crash of thunder, roaring with the rain, one would consider any attempt by a living being, human or Moemon alike, for the island to be a structure of a suitable living condition, to be foolish. Adding to this caked layer of an unsuitable fortress of an island was the scattered mass of clouds that formed and surrounded the island, limiting the vision of any being.
A sudden and violent eruption boomed, shaking the entire island. But it did not come from the ocean.
It came from within the fortress.
A chunk of the fortress was violently expelled, another eruption of violent force smashing off the chunk from the upper top most portion of the massive structure. Gravity pulled the chunk down, bouncing off the edges and into the ocean, splashing where it would be dragged down to the deep depths.
From the cause within the structure, a woman was embedded deep into the roof, forming cracks from where she was smashed into, being the sole cause of the destruction of the structure. Her short ruby head of hair was planted firmly against the surface. Her shirt, outlining the curves of her body, from her shoulders down to her hips and waist, was cut, revealing pale skin cut underneath, along with a black skirt. Crimson blood stained her body, staining her shirt and dripping down, and from her back was a pair of orange wings, the center a cerulean tone. From below the wings was a tail, near her tailbone, curving up to a small flicker of a torch of flame that hung from the tip.
Her breath came out ragged, taking in deep inhales and exhales of air. A small dribble of saliva and blood hung from her lip. She coughed, her body wracked with tremors. Her face was a crevice of pain, showing further how much agony she was in. As her eyes were shut in pain, they opened, revealing the pools of fire in her eyes.
Many knew her as the Moemon known as Charizard.
Across from her was a similar colored woman, hovering from just across her, defying the laws of physics. Though she seemed almost the same in every single way, she bore a slightly different tone of darker streaks in her clothes. Unlike her counterpart however, her face was twisted up in one of confidence and arrogance, the smile on her face showing nothing but smug arrogance of the situation.
The original counterpart Charizard spat out a glob of blood. "Fuck you… You bitch!"
Laughter erupted from the second's lips. Her arms were crossed across her chest, her own crimson irises contrasting entirely with the original's look of hatred and rage. "Oh…? So full of rage are you? Can't accept the fact that someone, or a Moemon of your kind, of the Charizard line, is a far superior warrior?" She shook her head. "If this is what the best of a fully trained and evolved Charizard of a Moemon Trainer has to offer, then my Master was right to purge this entire world of humans and trained Moemons."
It was clear by a single glance that she was losing, and the copycat was winning in this battle. But all it did was burn the furnace in the heart of the original Charizard, her mouth opened in a torn scream of vengeance and promises of torture and pain.
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU OR YOUR MASTER IS! I'LL TEAR THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND MAKE YOU BEG FOR YOUR LIFE! ONCE I'M DONE WITH YOU, SHE'LL BE NEXT!" The original roared, flames escaping from her mouth. A burst of a small explosion surrounded her, and she was coated in the flames she created.
She laughed in response to the threat of no effort to hide that she would torture her. She brushed it off as if was swatting a fly. Only further inciting the rage of her foe, she too burst into flames, her own flaming fists layering her hands.
Rearing her head back, her mouth opened in a inhale of air, the molten core of her stomach coalesced to life. A small translucent ball of energy formed above her mouth, the tip of her tongue mere centimeters away. Steadily, it grew larger and larger, until it was enough to completely engulf one of their stature. Then she spewed the ball of energy forward, becoming a pure mass of beam.
The doppelganger simply reared a flame coated fist back, the smug expression still on her face. The very heat of inferno lighting her up in a gloom, the ball of hell came closer. Her expression changed in the very instant, and she hurled her flame-covered fist forward with a howl, punching the beam away, aiming directly to the ceiling.
The beam of energy, combined with contact from her flame covered fist, destroyed another portion of the ceiling. The smell of charred heat, melted stone, and the tang of coppery iron blood filled her nostrils; the smoke coming as an aftereffect, obscuring her vision, she had barely enough time to register the crimson force that barreled into her like a freight train, slamming her into one of the walls, smashing through it as if were made of glass, both figures gone to a new arena to continue their battle.
A violent sight of battle.
It was not the only one. Far from it.
From below from the alcoves of the battle that took to the skies. Female figures, ranging from older women to younger girls, traded attacks. A woman with flowing aquamarine hair, a shell she donned on her back, fired off a burst of pressurized indigo pellets from the turrets attached to her shell. She repeated the actions, spraying a large quantity of them. She was the Moemon all Trainers commonly knew as Blastoise.
Her opponent across from her, an almost exact duplicate smirked. Simply withdrawing her head and entire limbs into the shell, she barreled forward.
The machine gun pellets slammed to the shell, but were unable to penetrate it. The bullets splashed over the sturdy powerful shell. She was forced to stop firing as her opponent, hidden in the shell, continued on her. With no time to retreat in her own shell to defend herself, she outstretched her arms, locking her feet against the floor, muscles tense with anticipation.
The force of her counterpart slammed into her, sliding back meters. Her muscles painfully screaming as she furtively attempted to halt the projectile her opponent turned into, as if a missile.
Then she finally was halted. But the victory of such a minor attempt was rewarded as a fist, popping from one of the armholes of her shell, met her stomach, sending the original flying across the arena.
Another battle came in the form of two young girls circling each other like demons from hell, predators testing each other for weakness, daring each other to make the first move. Like with the Charizard and the Blastoise, the two girls were almost a near carbon copy. Both had blonde hair reaching down their backs, messy and unkempt, though one was a darker tint of gold. Two small red circles were prominent on their cheeks, along with black tipped pointed ears. Like with the Charizard, a tail was near their tailbones, their shape was in a zigzag instead of a curve. Finishing their appearance was a yellow sweatshirt hoodie and shorts. As almost an exact replica of the battle between the original and duplicate Charizard, the original's face was twisted in a furious expression of a scowl, while the other smiled, and the original had far more open injuries, cuts and bruises, while bleeding from certain areas, staining her hoodie dark.
The counterpart spoke to her original with the same parody of mockfulness. "Once Master is done cleansing the world of humans and "corrupted" Moemons, then the world shall be truly balanced." She grinned, a full set of white teeth, licking her lips. "But not to worry, Pikachu. Master isn't as cruel as to cleanse the entire world of humans. After all, she needs a couple of steady human hands to build her kingdom for all untainted Moemon. They can at least do one thing right, and that was building for the kings and queens since ancient times, serving them for all the good they were. I'll convince her to keep your Trainer alive, as a gift and token. Besides, he impressed her out of the entire group of Trainers here. And he certainly isn't bad looking… I'll enjoy taking my time having my way with him."
The original's eyes widened at her implication. Her mind played to only the screams of torture, imagining only where her Trainer, her Trainer, being forced to commit such depraved and vile acts. His screams. His screams. All she could hear was his screams. All the sounds of other battles in this very arena were abruptly cut off, as she could only hear him.
From the depths of her chest came nothing but fear. Then came the slow build of rage. Her trainer's screams became louder and more painful in her memories.
She would die. She would die!
Sparks danced along the red circles of her cheeks. Her palms lanced with small bolts. It was a taunt, she knew it from prior battles with her Trainer, but she did not care. Anger far replaced the logical thinking for her not to give in to the taunts, to focus on the battle and defeat her.
Their battle had already started, but it would continue in the same fashion as all the others had been.
"You bitch… I'll kill you!"
She would kill her to make sure no one would touch her Trainer.
Sparks crackled to life with electricity dancing around her body. The force of the crackling energy that danced around her body, generated by her, brought about a gust of wind that threatened to throw any nearby bystanders off their feet, yet there was none. Electricity popped, crackled, and snapped the air. The bolt of thunder constricted to her will. Hers to command.
Crouching down low, her posture shifting into an aggressive stance, she rushed at her.
Despite the loom of the threatening attack, she simply stared into her death. The rushing wind generated by the force of her energy blew her hair in the opposite direction. She smiled. Lesser trained and experienced Moemons would have been concerned with the frightening speed her original flesh and blood had.
But not her. After all, she was born from her. She had the scope of every bit of knowledge that Pikachu knew. Her Master granted her the knowledge that every bit of their original parent had. From prior battles to moves she was taught, to the strategies she had planned with her trainer.
In every sense and way, they were the same. Only that she was far superior.
With a burst of speed, she too rushed at her original.
The battlefield, already filled with sounds and cries of others, and elements of attack, was added with the energy of theirs. Electricity danced across the battlefield as both parent and clone circled across, being the only indication of their ferocious conflict. As the golden energy of their own created electricity overtook them, they repeatedly clashed in the middle, destroying their surroundings and landscape, with massive bolts of devastation.
It was a battle no Moemon or Trainer would ever attempt to come close to witnessing. Instead watching from the safe distance required. Those who were close to the distance of their battle and had the sense to duck behind cover in destroyed rubble and earth as they saw the clash. Others who were not so lucky were shocked by loose flying bolts, doing only minimal damage, but also enough to stun them and allow original and copies to retaliate with an attack of their own. Such was the intensity of their battle that they utilized whatever portion of the field to their advantage.
It was possible to assume that the two were about equal. Both had sustained injuries and fresh open wounds from their prior clash that by any sense it would be a ludicrous suggestion that they weren't.
However, that guess was, in all accounts, wrong.
Pikachu felt her muscles straining, her stamina beginning dwindling. The sparkling energy surrounding her began to flicker. Her breaths came out in fast, ragged gasps even as she attempted to steady it. Her prior wounds began to take a toll on her. Trading blows with her clone took an even further exacerbation on her body and stamina. She was forced to dodge attacks from other Moemons that she would run into had she not utilized Double Team or otherwise dodged it. She could not maintain Extreme Speed any longer.
Extreme Speed was just a move that allowed its user to move at such a pace that it left behind afterimages, as the recipient's sight would be unable to register the level of speed that they witnessed, they would only be able to see an image of sorts left behind, but while it was the body of the image, it was not the true body. The true body was already gone, moving in the direction they so desired, but the images would still be there, said recipient's eyes and brain would still be registering the image that stood there for a split second before it vanished.
Pikachu was able to utilize such a move while she was fresh with no difficulty. Though initially when upon learning the move, her body moved so fast her brain could not even process it. She slammed into objects and walls, not used to such speed from a move. The move was far faster than Quick Attack, so much so, it wouldn't have begun to compare. It was as comparing the most commonly known Electric type attack Thundershock to the awe inspiring bolt of heaven known as Thunder. Thunder had the greater capacity of damage than Thundershock ever would.
Her species was naturally gifted with having a high base Speed, Pikachu being no different. With further training allowing them to hone their Speed, allowing them to control their movement. As she knew, it was one matter having a high Speed. It was another matter controlling it. Knowing how to pace and halt oneself.
Pikachu had been used to utilizing Quick Attack so much so it was the go to move for her to surpass or surmount obstacles, dodge attacks, or close the distance between her and her opponent. Extreme Speed was a difficult move to control, never mind attacking with it. She had practiced with her Trainer whenever possible, sharpening the move, refining it to a knife's edge. She wanted to control the move otherwise it would become a liability; one that had the possibility to be useful but if she could not control it, then what use would it be?
So she did. After a month and a half of training, her body began to adjust to the move. She had quickly discovered the problem was that her body was used to utilizing Quick Attack whenever possible. It was an instinctive burst of movement, along with utilizing a miniscule Thundershock for menial tasks such as recharging batteries of whatever device that needed recharging–Her Trainer teasingly called her a charger one time and oh, she made him pay for him for that comment, by shocking him quite a number of times.
But as fatigue finally began to hit her, and her wounds were still open and bleeding, her movements became more sluggish as a result. But she knew that if she stopped now, her doppelganger would take the advantage. She already had the advantage, the two of them knew it. But Pikachu could not give her anymore. She could not show how much she was barely able to even keep up.
Her opponent suddenly stopped. Stomping onto the floor, she skidded to a pause, bolts of static from from where she left behind. Pikachu narrowed her eyes, coming to a halt to meet her smiling counterpart. What was she doing? What was she looking at?
The clone's golden eyes met her own, and her smile widened. "Ah! Apologies! But have you noticed?"
She didn't dare drop her guard. "Notice what?"
She indicated with a side glance around the arena. She hated that smile, wishing to wipe it off her face. She had that smile since she first discovered her. "Go on. Look around."
Her eyes fell to her surroundings, and her stomach formed an empty pit.
Duplicate Moemons, not the originals–duplicates–were starting to rise from their state on the bloody field. Their battered bodies seemingly rising of their own accord, their eyes, a multitude of irises that were once shut and closed, gleamed with life.
Then, she saw it. If she thought it was bad, it became far worse. Worse than anything she could imagine.
Their bodies began to glow and hum. A small indigo cerulean aura surrounded them, encompassing them like a cocoon, and entered their flesh wounds. Cuts and ripped flesh were glowing with that unnatural color, entering the wounds. She could hear the confused cries of other Moemons and the Trainers, Corey, Neesha, and Fergus, just as bewildered by what was occurring at this moment. The Trainers and their Moemons were combined in their collective horror.
The glowing stopped. The bright light of two mixes of colors that pierced the vision of those within the vicinity ended, leaving those who were shining with that awe inspiring predicament bewildered as it died down.
Then came shock and horror.
The wounds that each copycat Moemon sustained, those that have already fallen in battle, their wounds gone. Every open cut, blackened flesh, bruise, or a severe wound that would either cripple a Moemon, internal or external, was pieced back together, melded, smoothed over, healed, with no battle damage present once they stopped shining with ethereal energy.
Horrified by what she saw, as the copies began to rise up, refreshed in their energies, they began an assault on their brethren once more. The injured originals rallied, but some now already fell by the attacks of the ones who once fell. She could hear the cries of Corey, Fergus, and Neesha shouting orders for their Moemons to retreat back. Each copy now bore a predatory smile, looking down at the originals, as if they were prey now.
"What a glorious light show! Seems Master resurrected my allies!" The copy of her clapped her hands enthusiastically, golden eyes looking on with an expression of joy. Her expression turned back to her original, and Pikachu could barely hold in a shudder as the sick copy ran her eyes on her. "Amazing, would you not say?"
"Now… where were we?"
Pikachu wished Ash was with her as of this moment. Knew that her battle wounds would grow further and further the moment her clone attacked, when she now wished she had a Potion or any recovering items to tend to her wounds.
But she could not.
She could only tense her battle worn and weary body for the fight ahead as her doppelganger came at her once more.
There was nothing between them but the gust of wind and the empty transparency of the clouds that wafted lackadaisy. An ongoing torrent of rain and a clap of heaven's wrath threatened to consume them, yet it never did touch them. A ball of transparent energy surrounded them, protecting them from the currents and wrath of Mother Nature. Hers was an indigo cobalt hue, while her opponent took on a more pinkish tone.
Though the ball that surrounded her and her opponent's intended purpose was to protect them, it also doubled to deliver a brutal attack that once made contact with a foe, sent them flying.
They came at each other, smashing in the middle. The impact created such a shockwave that the rain was pelted elsewhere in the depths below, the clouds parted by the nature of such.
She was just starting her attack. Both of them mind analyzed and calculated. With one outstretched hand back, from seemingly the thin air surrounding the, the object was shaped and morphed into her will, it shone for a moment longer before its form was revealed as a metallic like structure, taking the shape and form of a spoon, a common dining utensil. Twirling it like a staff, she struck her opponent's ball of shield, a loud crack followed as she was flung far back she smashed into the roof of the building and through it, sending a chunk of building into the far depths below the ocean or the already broken interior.
She wasn't done with her assault, concentrating on her opponents whereabouts, she searched within her head, forming the image of her opponent attempting to steady herself.
Then she was gone.
Two.
As soon as she reappeared in front of her opponent, she raised her spoon weapon, slamming it into her opponent once more.
Three.
Another sent her opponent sky high into the atmosphere, far above that New Island was no longer visible.
Four…
She pummeled the shield unmercilessly, relentlessly. Cracks began to appear in the shield, even as they regenerated.
Five!
With a roar, she raised her weapon up and slammed it down onto the shield. The shield shattered completely, tiny shards of pink of broken fragments and pieces. She simply raised a palm up to hold the revealed smaller Moemon with a blue hue of energy surrounding her revealed body, but her psychic grip only lasted for a second before her opponent teleported away just a few meters, vanishing to escape the telekinetic hold.
It was proving to be somewhat of an annoyance that was steadily growing; her patience thinly spread. The fight had been at least ten hours now, she calculated since the Trainers arrived at her castle. Neither one showed any starting signs of fatigue or injury; one that would provide either opponent an edge in combat. Her opponent, mother, fought almost timidly and passively, launching only counterattacks in response to her own. She could not break through her opponent's defenses. The only comforting one is that her opponent didn't seem content to do so in return. But it was expected, she realized.
This opponent, her mother, in front of her, was the source of her contempt. The one she was birthed of by those pitiful, disgusting creatures known as humans. From down to her very cells, a combination of all living creatures known as Moemons and every species gathered within existence, she was made to be a laboratory test of experiments of the ultimate lifeform of a success within failures.
Mew.
She was a copy, a child of sorts. Born from a preserved part of her mother, she knew no other than living in a tank of liquids. The humans who birthed her, creatures of four long limbed, white jackets, a few with glasses. They spoke in hushed tones of their scientific knowledge and the process of her development. They pushed buttons and pulled levers on the panel of her test tube with a methodical process. They wrote down with their tools of pencils on their clipboards for any abnormal occurrence or just regular occurrences.
She was a tool. A tool to be used to lash out on those who would dare oppose them or fight back. Those they considered enemies or to cowl those into submission. They desired to dominate the world but their influence only spread so far and wide, their control over the regions was limited to certain areas, and with her, not even those within the Championship of the Elite Four would be able to stand up to her.
The thought. The thought of having no life prior. The thought of being a puppet used to be controlled and directed. She was nothing.
She knew at that moment when she broke out of her birthplace that the creatures known as humans must die. She watched as a female researcher who studied her was weeping; her torn "R" shape insignia on her shirt as her body was badly wounded and cut by the massive explosion she caused after searching for survivors, a pool of blood surrounding her.
it filled her with a sense of righteous satisfaction. Take all what they had away, and the human creatures were nothing but fragile beings that were cowardly at heart, using deceit and whatever means to enact themselves. They did not deserve death. Death was far too good for most of these beings.
She telekinetically used a sharp rock to hold the loose clothing of the female survivor's torso, splashing more of her life blood in every direction, and left her there. No one would come for her.
She witnessed the cruel and harsh torture of Moemons. Subjected to a number of horrific and cruel experimentations. They controlled the world by building a habitable society where their species dominated and thrived. The Moemons under their command fell into two categories.
Those who enjoyed it, who would dare align themselves with these humans, were irredeemable. They allowed themselves to be corrupted, subdued, and so they would die as well.
But those who were harshly mistreated, victim to those humans who would dare capture and mistreat. They did not deserve death.
She would take it down for her fellow Moemons with no freedom of their own, subjected to the tyranny of humans.
All she had was an obstacle in her way, and it came in the form of her mother, Mew.
Once she and the other Trainers were successfully removed, she would remove the human's tight grip from the rest of the regions, freeing the Moemons who cried out for release. It would take time, but she had plenty of it. The humans were lost in their own blissful ignorance. She would amass a force large enough to topple them.
This, Mewtwo, swore on her life.
"Brock!"
He yelled, running a hand through his jet dark hair, watching the pandemonium of battle and the desecrated landscape they stood on. He donned a cap, where a jagged mess of coal colored hair stuck in all directions as a prickly bush. The cap itself was of white and red, with a small green zigzag etched on the center running through it. Completing the rest of his outfit was a ocean-white jacket with a black shirt underneath, cerulean jeans and sneakers. His dark eyes showed frustration and concern of the entire situation, watching his friend shout orders to his Onix, launching an avalanche of heavy earthen rock at her.
Both Trainer and Moemon waited for the clone to rise. She did not. FInally releasing it, Brock turned to his Moemon, his gaze turning to one of concern. "Are you okay, Onix?" The backpack over his shoulders was slung loose as he unhooked it.
His Onix was an impressive Moemon of stature. She stood towering over both the two male Trainers. Her hair was tied into cascading buns falling down her back, though upon touch it was hardened like stone. She donned a yellow tank top with ashen gray pants, along with a large satchel on her back. Her arms were strong and muscular. Her irises, while taking on the same tone as her hair and pants, held a degree of cautiousness, yet also contained a protective nature. Contrasting her fierce appearance, she was a loyal Moemon to Brock. And by the extension of their friendship, also shared and extended that level of commitment to Ash and others. "I'm fine, Brock." She knew her Trainer's gesture well enough, but she still had enough energy left to spare another battle or two. She did not want to waste any healing items now, not when both their two other friends were still missing.
Brock gave a relieved nod. He turned to his friend. "Ash?"
But Ash did not respond. He stared into nothingness. His posture was tense with apprehension and wariness as his eyes became glazed over.
Brock reached out, gripping the younger man's shoulders, and turning the boy to face him. "Ash?! Ash!" His voice grew in concern.
But Ash Ketchum was lost. He could not hear Brock's shouts. Lost to the world that came Brock's voice that he was a part of and not there. It was as if his soul left his body. He was still there, yet he was also not.
All he could hear was a distant cry. The ownership of the voice sounded so quiet, and Ash strained to hear. The voice seemingly by its own accord grew to his internal demands for it to be louder. He could hear the voice now. Feminine, but it sounded… familiar…
Ash realized it as her voice consumed him whole. An all encompassing unknown form of attack froze him on the spot, coming in the form of her suffering and torment. His body trembled as her screams grew louder and more agonized and hysterical.
And then in the emptiness of the void where he was the only being present, where all he could see was the blackness, he would only hear the screams of his Moemon.
"Oh Pikachu… You tasted great." She licked her lips, lowering her voice to a low voice that even then Ash could still hear. "Much better in other areas than in battle."
"Guess your time with your Trainer did pay off after all."
Ash wanted to move. He wanted to stop what he heard. He wanted to scream at her, the voice of the clone that cut through the darkness, scream for his Moemon but his body was frozen. His brain commanded it to take action and move, but he could not. The invisible force was far stronger than his will.
"Now… let's continue, shall we?"
Then, it was gone. Gone was the void and the mental image where he heard Pikachu and her clone. Gone was the torture. An abrupt earthquake of proportions shook his soul back to his body and the island he and others stood on, along with the cries of battle from elsewhere in the many rooms of the maze-like structure.. His peripherals were filled with colorful, but imagery of the broken castle and both Brock and Onix.
"Ash! ASH!" Brock screamed, and Ash was brought to life once more, feeling his body shaking like a sack of potatoes. He found Brock within his sight once more. "Ash! Are you okay?" His hands were still gripping his shoulders tightly and Onix was closer too, her own concern prompting her to him.
Pikachu… PIkachu!
Ash was barely aware he shoved Brock aside, turning to sprint in the direction of… He didn't know. He didn't care. All he could hear was the screams of his Moemon.
Ash only took a few steps before he felt the same hand grab his arm. He whipped wildly around. "What are you doing?! Let go of me!"
"No."
"Let go of me!"
Brock raised his voice. "No! Not until you tell me what the hell is going on first!"
"I have to go, Brock! She needs me!" Ash was not going to wait. He attempted once more to turn away to the sound he heard the rumbling of battle, but Brock's grip solidly held him in place once more.
"Who?!"
"Pikachu! She needs me!" How did he not hear her? How did he not hear her cries?!
"Pikachu?" The stone face of Brock cracked a bit, concern for his friend replaced by apprehension and confusion.
Brock was baffled. He didn't hear Pikachu's cries. Only a mix of crashing stone and earth and battles from the room elsewhere in the maze-structure of New Island. He heard distant cries of battle alongside it but so muffled it was that he could not distinguish Pikachu among them. He could not be sure if it was Pikachu at all. It could have been any other Moemon from Fergus, Neesha, or Corey, or even the clones.
For Ash, he did not care. Brock at that moment, let go of him. Ash sprinted across a few steps. However, that was all he got before he felt the earth beneath him tremble, he attempted to balance himself, but failed, making him stumble and fall flat on his face.
A vicious gleam in his eyes shone with rage filled him, turning to the source of his obstacle. Brock and Onix stood over him.
Why?! Why were they stopping him?!
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! LET GO OF ME!"
"You can't go, Ash!"
How could they not understand? Pikachu needed him. His Moemon needed him.
Ash was not going to let anyone stand in his way to Pikachu or any of his other Moemon. Especially not Brock or Onix.
"LET ME GO!"
"No." Brock did not waver in look or posture, igniting the depths of Ash's temper further.
"Damn you, you don't even fucking understand! I SAID LET ME GO!" Ash fought once more, lashing out at both his friend and his Moemon, fighting in their grip, until both Trainer and Moemon pinned him down.
"AND I SAID NO!" Brock's shout finally cut Ash's own off. "NO! NOT UNTIL YOU EXPLAIN WHY! HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY! FOR ARCEUS'S SAKE, ASH, HELP US! WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND UNLESS YOU EXPLAIN!
Ash slumped back to the floor, the fight in him suddenly gone just as it appeared. He attempted to make the words out, but they felt like a stranger forcing him to speak, using his voice. "PIkachu… Pikachu needs me! She's in danger!"
Onix spoke up, placing a placating hand on his shoulder. "Ash… Neither Brock nor I heard Pikachu…"
Ash's eyes whipped up to hers with ferocity. "I HEARD HER! I HEARD HER CRY! SHE NEEDS ME!"
Both were silent, staring at Ash in their combined confusion and horror. From what they understood, the clones of their Moemon created by Mewtwo were genetically the same and retained their parent's memories, fighting abilities, and shared tactics between both the original and Trainer.
If that was not frightening enough fighting a duplicate that retained knowledge of said tactics and battle prowess, it was how they acted.
Brock knew about Moemon cruelty. He of course, had been witness to some… unsavory Trainers and of course, Team Rocket. With all that he had seen in his career and traveling with his friends and in various situations and predicaments involving said Moemons, Brock was sure that he had seen the most harsh, cruel, monstrous, inhuman situations ever known.
What he had seen with Mewtwo and her clones far outstripped anything he had come across before.
Ash let his words tumble out in a mess. "I just fucking heard her! I don't know how! I heard her cry! I didn't see her, but I heard her! And I heard her clone!"
"Her clone-! Her fucking clone is…"
Ash was unable to finish, and he didn't need to. Onix's face was morphed into an expression of such reaction. Brock was sure his own expression was barely concealed at this point. He wanted to vomit, though there was nothing but a hollow empty pit in his stomach.
"I have to go!"
He detached himself from Onix's attempt to comfort him, but Brock held him down once more. He was horrified. No. That was a far too mellow word. Disgusted, revolted. He didn't know.
What Ash described was far… he didn't want to think about it, but it was already put into his head…
But what he did know was that Ash could not go alone. Ash was still younger than him. Brock knew. But Ash was still young, rash and reckless and he made terrible decisions. Brock understood this. Anything involving his Moemon's harm made him extremely prone to decisions that cost him.
Brock would not allow that however. Ash needed to think things through. And Brock swore that he would help Ash understand and make the most logical decision possible as a Trainer, and as his friend.
"No."
"NO?!" Ash's trembling body glared at him, and Brock was sure that the boy was barely holding back from punching him.
"YES, NO!" Ash opened his mouth, but he spoke first. The idiot of his friend had to understand. "SHUT UP! YOU ARE NOT GOING NO MATTER WHAT! I'LL BE DAMNED IF YOU EVER LEAVE THIS ROOM!"
"Think this through! How the hell do you expect to help Pikachu or any of your other Moemons if you are going alone?! You're putting yourself in danger without any protection! How can you help Pikachu if you're hit by an attack?!"
Brock ran a hand through his hair. "We have to find Misty and Serena first before we go! We don't even know where they are!"
Ash wanted to deny this. But Brock raised valid points and concerns that he could not simply ignore or brush aside for another circumstance.
He felt Onix's arms wrap around him in a comforting hold. "Ash, believe Brock when he says he wants to help you! But you can't go without any assistance! He's right! You'll be killed!"
Pikachu's screams ringed in his ears. Ash wanted to say that he could just go alone, that he would not put himself at risk and would be cautious to retrieve Pikachu and his other Moemons, but those words never came out.
"I can't… I can't just leave her!"
It was a terrible suggestion, because no matter how careful, a battle had the chance for a destructive capacity on the monumental scale, but concern far outweighed any rational acceptance. His safety meant nothing if he could not protect any of his Moemons. A Trainer was supposed to raise and care for their Moemon, and he was not doing that. He was abandoning them to a further state of torment.
"We're not, Ash! We're going to go to her, but right now, we don't know where Misty or Serena is! We don't know what or how they're doing! You have to stay with us and we have to find them first!"
It was Brock who made the logical decisions in their group, Brock who was the most knowledgeable out of all of them, Brock who understood plans and tactics as part of being the Gym Leader.
And he ultimately was right. All of his Moemons were battling their own clones. He had none on hand, further proving a potentially dangerous situation to his own being if he ever were to go attempt an endeavor. If he did so, it would force Brock to choose. He could not split away from his Onix or let her assist Ash, as it meant taking her away from her Trainer. Only Onix was suitable left for battle as Brock had to recall Golem and Aerodactyl after both were left unable to battle, avoiding attacks from their clones while releasing Onix to take both their clones down before turning to face Onix's own clone.
The two gave a sigh of relief as the boy barely moved his head in a nod, and the two released their hold on him. Though Brock was unsure if Ash would attempt to run again if he heard Pikachu, he hoped that Ash would simply not perform that action. Onix returned the same look in agreement. Pikachu and the others had to hold on a moment longer. They had to hurry.
Onix's eyes widened for a fraction after, and she grabbed the two while lunging aside "MOVE!"
From where the two had been originally positioned came multiple slabs of sharpened stone in the form of Stone Edge. All three turned back to the source coming from Onix's clone, her face lit up in a smile.
Shit! I thought I took her down! Brock swore under his breath. The longer they continued this battle, the more time it took away from them attempting to find Misty or Serena. And more importantly, the time it took to get to Pikachu. And with it, if Onix went down, he could not attempt to use any healing items while her clone remained in the battle ready to assault him or Ash. While Onix was built for an indestructible defense with damaging attacks and a respectable speed to back it up; the latter most unusual to any of the species line, Onix could only go for a time before she went down, and if that happened… "Onix!"
"I know!"
Onix took her battle position in front of both her Trainer and Ash; a slab of stone erupted underneath in front of them, acting as a shield while she prepared to do battle again.
If either were planning for an attack, neither came. A burst stream of hyper pressurized waves came over and slammed into the clone's side, knocking her off her feet, a cry of pain escaping her as she slammed violently against the wall from a far corner.
"Ash! Brock! You guys alright?"
There, standing in one of the rooms was a figure along with her Moemon that both men knew. "Misty! Staryu!" Then Ash noticed the third figure, but his body moved him towards this figure specifically. "Serena!"
"Ash!"
The two hugged each other, wrapping their arms around each other, embracing as if they let go, they would never see each other again. Ash didn't want to let go of her but he had to, and even Serena was just as hesitant to release him. But they did, checking each other to make sure they were not hallucinating in the slightest and that the person in their arms was a living and breathing figure and not one of a figment of imagination.
Ash noticed that Serena, though despite dirt and cuts littering and smearing her face; with the entire ordeal, she was clearly shaken, overall, was otherwise fine.
Their lips met and in that moment, it was not this cruel battle that Mewtwo forced upon them and their Moemons, not the philosophical or any logic of battle. It was just them, with nothing to hold them back.
"Are… are you alright?"
Ash even though he smiled to show her that he was all right, it didn't meet his eyes. He could not feel completely hopeful with the knowledge that Pikachu and his other Moemons were not within sight or grasp. He was terrible at faking emotions, and he did not try to.
Serena already knew so. She had been witness to the separation of Ash and his Moemons prior with the Moemon Balls Mewtwo specifically designed, and then once more when the clone of Onix attacked. Her embrace provided comfort, little as it may be, it was what he desperately sought.
"Papa!"
A small figure popped out from Misty's back, clutched from her back. Gray eyes were alighted with concern and relief at seeing her "Papa", her outfit consisting of a skirt with patterns embroidered on it, along with shoes.
His heart was relieved to see her. "Togepi." He reached out a hand to comfort her, only ever attempting a smile for her.
Staryu came back a moment later, casting a glance at Onix. As her Water Typing implied and befitting of her name, she donned a star floral shaped dress with a ruby gem on the center of the dress, revealing a pair of toned legs, and almond hair was done up in pigtails. "Your clone's down for good now."
Onix nodded. "Thanks."
Brock spoke up. "How are you guys? How's your Moemons? Serena? How's Eevee?"
It was almost an instantaneous reaction. At the moment she heard them, the optimistic front she attempted to put up was gone. Her face fell in devastation, her body trembled, and the three noticed her clutching her Moeball so tightly her knuckles turned white. They stared at it, but did not say anything.
Serena shook her head. "It's… it's fine. Brock…"
Brock understood it. "I know. But later… We have to go to find Pikachu and the others." The Pewter Gym Leader shook his head. "Let's go… Ash?"
Ash already knew. Objecting any further would not support their situation. Onix took up the front, with Brock behind her, Ash and Misty remaining in the middle, and Misty bringing up the rear with her Staryu to prevent any attacks from their backside. While Ash desired nothing more than to rush ahead in front, Brock's words still proved as true. They had to be cautious with the danger ahead.
Onix took charge as the group's footsteps echoed through the empty malevolent halls of New Island. She cautiously looked through any gaps or openings that would provide them a view of any cloned Moemon that would possibly attack them.
The cries became louder as the group tensed for what was up ahead. Brock was certain now that they were heading in the right direction. "Misty. Don't think anyone's going to come up behind us."
She nodded. "Staryu. Take point with Onix. Keep using Cosmic Power and Minimize." The Water type nodded and came up wordlessly next to Onix. Utilizing stat boosting moves, temporary as it may be, allowed certain Moemons like Onix and Staryu to withstand or dish out further punishment when they entered battle. It was a tactic that both Gym Leaders took to utilizing facing a certain Wild encounter with Wild Moemons or an attack coordinated by Team Rocket. As a result, it was now a force of habit necessary after a few scenarios.
Serena took a few steps forward, her hand no longer feeling Ash's. "Ash?"
Ash did not respond. He stared blankly into them, past them. His mouth was only slightly ajar, but came the slow widening of his eyes in horror as he stared into nothingness.
"Ash!" Both Brock and Misty ran over to him, Onix and Staryu flashing their own concerned looks as they paused. Misty whipped to Brock. "Brock! Tell me what's going on!"
"I don't know myself! Ash did this before you and Serena arrived! He told me and Onix that he heard Pikachu's cries!"
"Pikachu?!"
"I don't know how, but Ash said he heard them!"
Before the man could get another word off, Ash was already moving. He pushed past Serena and shoved the two Gym Leaders aside. Both Onix and Staryu were taken aback by this sudden movement that their fingers only slipped past him.
"ASH, WAIT!"
The three Trainers and two Moemons rushed after him. Down the halls where the sounds became more prevalent, a roar shook the building they stood on.
Serena's eyes widened. "Was that Charizard?!"
Brock cursed. "Onix! Staryu!"
Both sped up their sprint as they took the positions of their respective trainers once more, freezing just as Ash did just seconds later they arrived.
"Ah! Hello, Brock! Onix! Misty! Staryu! Serena! So glad you could come too!"
There stood Pikachu's clone. Her clothes were ripped and torn, revealing pale skin underneath her feminine figure. A smile was on her face as waved with one hand to the group that had just arrived on the battlefield.
And in the other, she held up Pikachu. Her battered and broken body was bleeding copiously, while other fluids were trickling down her legs. Unmoving. Motionless.
There was nothing but silence. Not one of them moved, unable to process what they had just seen. Misty had covered Togepi's eyes, not wanting her to witness what they had.
All Brock knew was that a scream came from Ash as he lunged forward at the clone. Far into his own rage he lunged at the clone, he never noticed, or perhaps was consumed by such anger at the injuries inflicted upon Pikachu that he forgot all sense of preservation, her body crackling to life with jagged bolts springing about.
In that same time, she hurled the body of her original to him. Pikachu slammed into Ash, knocking them back, her body beginning to glow with the electricity, Onix attacked with Stone Edge, and the clone scattered them to useless bits with a Thunderbolt, forced to intercept the attack.
His eyes searched for the rise and fall of her chest, his trembling arms and body cradled her lifeless body. Blood and blotches smeared her face.
"PIKACHU, I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!"
He cradled and hugged her tightly, uncaring of the fluids surrounding her body and staining his clothing. He was barely aware that the cries were his own.
Serena was beside him, as her own eyes were transfixed on the figure of her lover's Moemon. Her hand reached up, but her own body trembled at the sight of one of her many friends, unable to process the torture she was forced to go through. Her own eyes watered at the sight.
The sound of earth splitting apart and a crackling noise filled her ears. A chunk of the earth came in the form of a large boulder, protecting all three from the bolt of lightning that slammed into it.
"What are you two doing?! Don't just sit there! Get out of the way!" Onix screamed, using Rock Slide to temporarily stop the clone's advance, before she launched another Stone Edge.
The shout snapped Serena back into attention. She turned to Ash. "Ash! We have to go!"
Ash did not respond. Instead, he clutched Pikachu's body.
"Ash! Please! We can help resuscitate Pikachu but right now, we need to go! It's not safe here!"
His eyes flickered to her, indicating that he heard her, but they were empty. Serena wondered if the boy she loved at that moment was gone, lost in his own pain that he simply receded back into a hollow shell, unable to process his Moemon's grievous harm that he broke down.
She could not lose Ash. If Ash was gone, then a part of her followed.
Staryu stood in front of them, along with Misty. "We're going to protect you three, so hurry the hell up and get out of here!"
Serena nodded at Misty's orders, then refocused once more on the boy she loved. "Ash. Please. Misty and Staryu are here, we have to find a safe place for Pikachu."
The boy's dark, dead irises focused on her, and Serena prayed that he would come back. "Please."
Safety. Pikachu.
Ash looked up to her, and she could barely perceive that he nodded. She gave a relieved nod back, squeezing his hand in reassurance, before they stood up. A quick look at her front assured her that Misty and Staryu were cautiously watching for threats while simultaneously protecting them from any amount of harm.
Ash carried Pikachu, his grasp on her body tight, his eyes never leaving his Moemon. Serena looked around for possible gaps, her eyes finding one near the stands. "Ash! This way!"
Away from the sounds of battle, the two looked over Pikachu. Serena hugged Ash as he knelt down to Pikachu, only taken away by a flash of movement.
"Brock?! Shouldn't you be-"
"Onix says she's fine battling her on her own for now. Misty and Staryu will let me know if any of them need me." He knelt down. "I'm here to check on Pikachu. Ash?"
Serena turned to Ash, who still protectively shielded Pikachu's body with his own, lunging forward to block her from sight. He stared hesitatingly at the man, as if he could not trust him with the safety of his Moemon.
Ash's gaze fell upon her, then to Brock, and down at Pikachu, watching them as his mind weighed with heaviness.
With trepidation, he allowed Brock to Pikachu.
Brock's mind was filled with nothing but disgust and horror once he came into sight with Pikachu's body. He had already seen it once before, but now he had time to fully comprehend what was inflicted upon her.
It was not just the damage done and dealt to Pikachu. As his dream was to become a Moemon Doctor and Breeder, the former required an extensive study into Moemons and injuries inflicted upon them in battle. Brock had already been introduced to them by various online photography and books detailing Moemon injury.
It was far worse with what was inflicted upon Pikachu that was not any form of injury. A clear shiny sticky fluid was running down her legs. And the source of it came from her sex, her naked body exposed.
There was no point in hiding it. It would have made Brock look like a scumbag. He could not hide it anyway, both Ash and Serena knew it by the look they had in their eyes.
He wanted to comfort them, to reassure them that everything would be all right.
But it wasn't.
He could not make it so.
He took off his backpack, scattering its contents as he turned it upside down as he pulled the zipper from each pocket. Status items, such as Burn Heals, Pecha Berries, and other assorted items came toppling over each other, categorized by each pocket. Brock snatched up a Revive in the pile from the second pocket.
The only one. "I'm sorry, Serena."
She nodded. "It's fine. She needs it more." Her voice was a monotone broken tone.
Tipping Pikachu's head back to allow her mouth to partially open, he was forced to move Pikachu's jaw down. He tossed the Revive item into his mouth, chewing the life sustaining and revival item into bits and then feeding it into Pikachu's mouth, making sure that each bit was in Pikachu and she was able to swallow them with zero difficulty.
Brock stood up. "You two stay here. If Pikachu wakes up, heal her with the Potions or anything else I have. But do not let her into battle." He gestured to the healing items. "I'm going to check on Onix, Misty, and Staryu."
Snatching up a pair of Hyper Potions, he rushed off to rejoin his other companions.
"Staryu! Psybeam!"
With the utilization of multiple Minimize earlier, the attack of the cloned Ivysaur missed, allowing her to hit the clone with a translucent colorful beam of energy.
Both Staryu and Ivysaur waited, watching to ensure that the latter's clone was down, before she turned to the Trainer and her Water Type Moemon. "Thanks, you two. Where's Ash? Where's Pikachu?"
Staryu gave a solemn glance to Misty, turning away to look for any threats. Ivysaur felt her stomach become nothing more than a hollow pit. Concern and suspicion filled her face. "Misty? Where's Ash? Where's Pikachu?" Questioning demands left her mouth in order to receive information on her Trainer and friends.
Misty prepared herself for the worst to come with Ivysaur's reaction. Her mouth began to open to slowly explain what she would have to break with Ash's other Moemons, with Ivysaur being the first to receive the news. She didn't want to see the expression that was sure to come as soon as the words left her mouth.
"Onix! Where's Misty? Where's Staryu?!"
"Sent them off to help Ivysaur and Wartortle! And to locate Charizard!" Onix attempted to trap her adversary with a Rock Tomb, only for the Electric clone to avoid the pitfalls of massive pieces of stone dropping from above. She swore under her breath. And I thought battling Pikachu was just as tedious and annoying.
She should not be surprised though. The clone had Pikachu's attacks and her knowledge of prior battles. It was not an insult to Pikachu, as despite Pikachu's lack of experience compared to Gym Leaders's Moemons who had plenty of time battling aspiring Trainers who wished to win the badge lent Onix vastly more time dealing with certain types of foes. Pikachu was worthy and ingenuitive, and Onix praised both her and her Trainer. It was just unfortunate that all the level of training and battling was directly carried over to her clone.
A glance back at her Trainer's hands and Onix knew Brock had a pair of Hyper Potions, though she knew she could not heal as of the moment right now, and she was unsure if Misty and Staryu had met up with Ivysaur or Wartortle. She watched them rush past Fergus and Neesha, and that was the last she saw before avoiding an Iron Tail that pierced the earth where she stood on.
With her Type advantage and various coverage moves, she knew she had the advantage on the clone, though advantageous typing meant nothing compared to strategy. And she knew that with the clone's knowledge, she too had that information on her first battle with Pikachu, and how her Electric Type attacks would pierce through her defenses regardless of typing.
She had to remain cautious.
The clone spoke, brushing off dust and dirt from her torn shirt. "You know, Brock. Onix. I have been meaning to ask, you know, since this battle doesn't seem like it's coming to an end anytime soon… How's Ash by the way? How's Pikachu? Is Ash doing all right?"
Brock and Onix narrowed their eyes with cold anger, and the latter spoke. "Shut up. We'll make you pay for what you did to her. For what you inflicted on him."
Her eyes gleamed as she snapped her fingers. "Ah! So he's doing great! Pikachuuu! Pikachuuu! I'm sooo sorry!" She sang the final part with the same mockful tone.
"I said shut up!" Another Rock Tomb was launched at her, but the clone avoided it. She did not retaliate, but merely avoided Onix's attacks, weaving her body around with Double Team and Quick Attack. She did not attempt to counterattack, though Onix did not let her, keeping up her offensive pressure.
Brock immediately noticed what she was attempting to accomplish. "Onix! Don't stay in one place!"
Onix realized it soon after, but it was too late. She noticed it, attempting to sprint across, but fell over. Long stalks of green formed from underneath the earth, latching on and around her legs. Flailing wildly, she attempted to break free of her restraints, but only served to be tighter.
Brock could only watch in horror. "ONIX!"
Onix looked up watching as the clone stood, her eyes shut and unmoving, stationary meters away from her, face tensed in concentration. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She could only watch as the energy in her right hand turned into a fist, lunging at her with a burst of speed. Onix tensed her own body with Harden, preparing to tank the hit.
Suddenly, the room turned cold. A hailstorm of cold wind and icicles were directed at her being, the icicles and frosty wind slammed into the clone, sending her away.
"Wartortle!"
Wartortle stood meters away, her hand raised up. Though she usually showed a mischievous and playful expression on her face, she did not sport that now. Her face was as cold and filled with the same amount of cold rage as her attack. "That was for Pikachu, you sick bitch."
Turning back to the Rock duo, the cold expression melted away into concern. "You guys alright?"
Onix ripped the remaining snares of Grass Knot away. "Fine. Thanks." Her voice lowered the slightest bit. "You heard about Pikachu and Ash from Misty?"
It was an unavoidable topic.
"Onix…" Brock began.
Wartortle scowled at him. "Just shut it. I already know. Ivysaur's with Misty. They're going to find Charizard." She turned to Brock, glancing at the items in his arms. "You should go on and heal Onix."
Onix looked over Wartortle's figure, littered with her own various injuries. "No. I'm fine. I think you need it. Brock?"
Wartortle shook her head. "We're battling Pikachu's psychotic twin. You're the best chance we have of taking her down for good with Type coverage. You need the Potion more than I do." She turned to Brock, before looking back. "Hurry up and heal. I'm sure I froze her but if she thaws out, then you can't heal at all."
"Right."
Brock approached Onix once more to administer the Potion, but was soon stopped as the building began to shake. They were knocked off their feets once more as the rumbling of New Island began to overtake them. Chunks of the upper topmost portion of New Island began to crumble and crash down, slamming into the already desecrated building's floor, forcing Trainers and Moemon alike in search of temporary sanctuary.
"Wha-What the hell's going on?!"
The three heard Corey's confused and bewildered cries from another part of the room. The roof continued to collapse in over itself, never ceasing as gravity continued to carry them down. A few Psychic Types available on hand, such as the Kadabra by Neesha, projected a barrier to protect her and her Moemons from the currents while others were forced to duck for whatever available cover. All battle, be it Trainer or Moemon, suddenly ceased for that moment.
Wartortle lunged for Onix's hand as she scooped her over to her and Brock, forming sturdy stone walls to protect them. The destroyed top of New Island began to assault the denizens, uncaring of whoever was caught in its grasp. Continuing its uncompromising attack, it pelted those below.
It became clear for all those within.
New Island was falling apart.
Unable to sustain or take any further damage from multiple battles, the building began to collapse in on itself. With various pillars essential to holding up certain portions of the roof already shattered, the roof fell over, adding to the degree of the damage done and dealt.
As the battles continued and progressed, they grew steadily more and more violent, as Moemons and their clones felt the infectious frustration over them, and so they attacked with more vigor than ever before.
This resulted in the inevitable destruction of New Island.
Onix knelt over both Brock and Wartortle, her arms pushing both of them down. She was sure the walls of stone would hold up, as they held up to multiple attacks delivered by other Moemons before.
She didn't know however, when the hail of them would end.
What made her more worried was for the fact that she didn't know Ash, Serena, or Pikachu were safe. They should be if they stayed within the small gap provided by the stands. But she was still concerned.
However, she could not leave Brock or Wartortle, forced to create a protective abode that protected them from the outside currents. All she could do was wait.
Mother launched a combination of attacks of colors, from a crimson blast of flames escaping her hands, an aquamarine canon of essential water, a beam of green energy gathered from deep within.
It was a spectacle of an attack. But she was not impressed. After all, her mother was stated to be the most powerful Moemon, down to her genetic testing and DNA, was able to utilize every single known move. Even down to the beginner level of Trainers she studied, used combinations. The only difference with Mother's status is that the attacks delivered were a variety.
It was by then that she could do the same.
She caught the flames with one hand. The intense fire crackled and licked, but never touched it. A blue glow formed around the crackling flames, hurling it to the surface of her castle. She cared not for it. After all, the humans would assist in rebuilding them.
The attack of the oceans never touched her either. Grabbing a hold of it with a telekinetic grip, she redirected it sideways, flying off to the depths below. It never had the chance to hit her.
With the final attack of the earthen grass, she twirled her spoon like staff around. As the beam inched closer and closer, she imbued her staff with the energy of her Psychic mythical power, slamming it down on the attack.
In any other case, it would have resulted in a massive explosion of impact, if she hadn't imbued it, it would have, but it never did. The beam was sent ricocheting, bouncing off her spoon and into her abode once more, destroying more of the rooftops.
Is that all, Mother? A paltry combination such as those won't finish me.
The words, directed at her, did little to nothing to change the expression on her face. If she wanted to keep cowering, fine. She was delaying the end result further and further.
Their battle just became a combination of attacks delivered, launching a variety that covered every Typing. Each was avoided with minimal difficulty as they swerved around the open terrain unabated and unrestricted. It was impossible for one to hit the other. As one did manage to deliver a blow, the attack did minimal damage. Both of them knew it. As of now, it was a stalemate.
If you want to end this battle, you have to finish me. So come at me with the intent to kill.
The unspoken Psychic words directed at her Mother made it clear. She would die fighting for those who cried out; it did not matter. If her batches of clones, or even a Moemon out in whatever region who realized the truth itself, would continue to build and amass to take back what was theirs. She was just one of the few who peeled away the faltifities and uncovered the truth.
Mewtwo was content with that.
The two stood, waiting for the response of others. Mewtwo was somewhat surprised by the move she made next.
Instead of flying towards her or launching another attack to continue the battle, she instead flew away towards the castle, baffling her.
What was she doing? Was she retreating? Surrendering? The latter suggestion she scoffed at the thought of it. It would not have made sense now just for her to suddenly halt and then retreat. She could not pierce her mind and read her thoughts. While Psychic Types were able to search deep into the recesses and consciousness of humans and non Psychic Type Moemons, Psychic Types against one another proved to be for nothing, as Psychic types would have mental barriers and resistances in order to keep the other out. Humans and non psychic types were able to build up a resistance to interference with their memories and thoughts, but only with extensive training, and she discovered that only a number have ever accomplished this. None of the humans or Moemons here managed that or showed any ability to resist them, but even without her ability to read minds, they might as well be an open book in regards to battling.
The suggestion of a trap was just as ridiculous. She brushed that suggestion aside as easily as the notion of "surrendering".
Very well. The back and forth was grating on patience, and now brought boredom. She would play to her Mother's tune.
She followed her back to the ruins of her home.
Serena only sat with Ash as they watched Pikachu. Neither of them spoke. Silence was the only prominent expression that stood out.
She looked at Ash. His eyes were empty, vacant as they stared once more, she wanted to help, to take away his pain but she didn't know how to. Didn't know what to do. Her mind swam with thoughts of comfort and words to say, but she could not even put them out, didn't know how to alleviate the suffering of both Ash or Pikachu.
All she could do was watch as he whispered remorseful apologies after apologies.
Ash ran his fingers through Pikachu's face, tucking strands of blonde locks out of her bloodied face. His mouth quivered, a well of apologies stuck in his throat, wanting to release them. He wanted to take away what she was forced to endure by her perverted copy, but he could not. He wanted to take the expression, the expression he wished he never had to see on any of his Moemon, off and cast it somewhere where it would never morph on the face of her, and never return.
"I'm so sorry, Pikachu..."
He knelt down, the blood on her face now coating and smeared on his fingers. He did not care, instead, continued his apology.
"I tried… I tried to get to you…! Even if you don't forgive me… please!"
A murmur of more came out. His face leaned closer to her own.
What Ash meant to do next was cut off. The entire ground, no. The entire castle shook. Rampaging throughout the entire Island. A loud eruption as the Island trembled. It was as if it was falling apart.
As their bodies shook along, Serena embraced both Ash and Pikachu. Ash reached out for Serena with his other arm and pulled her to them, as Pikachu continued to remain unmoving and lifeless despite the currents of reality hitting her.
"A-Ash! Is that-?!"
For the first time since he discovered Pikachu, his voice was full of life, now harboring confusion amongst many others. "It-it has to be Mew and Mewtwo!"
They were still battling? Ash was so transfixed on what was happening around him and his friends that beyond the castle walls was lost to him. He had entirely forgotten about Mew. Forgotten about Mewtwo.
While the castle offered a view of the outside from the interior, their current spot was not one of them. He was certain they were fighting, but without any sight of them, he could not tell for certain the results of their battle. Despite this, there did not seem to be any other cause for the destruction of New Island.
With all that was occurring around them… How was Brock?! Misty?!
Concern for his Pikachu was now equally dispensed to his two other friends and their Moemons. With his focus now on them, it then shifted over to Moemons beyond Pikachu in his ownership.
Ivysaur… Wartortle… Charizard…
Once more, they were unknown to him. His desire for knowledge of his Moemon's whereabouts and their safety was yet to be discovered. He wanted to leave, but could not do so. He could not leave Pikachu or Serena.
Ash was condemned to his own helplessness and as a result, could do nothing but wait out the encroaching storm.
This fact came apparent to him. His posture was only tensed as he hugged both the two females with him. Serena clutched her lover and his Moemon beneath them. Pikachu was wrapped around the arms of her Trainer and his companion.
Then, just as abruptly once more as it began, it stopped.
The groans and moans of the castle ended. The building stopped shaking. The rumbling destruction was halted.
Ash still hugged both, waiting with trepidation for it to come again. But it did not. After waiting and counting for three minutes or so, he peered up.
"Serena. Stay with Pikachu."
Her eyes narrowed. "What are you-Ash! Where are you going?!"
Ash did not wait for her answer. He continued to make his way out of the gap of his temporary abode. He was struck with shock as his eyes fell to the spacious open field.
Scattered pieces of the building laid haphazardly across the battlefield. The previous sight of a battle, alive and bursting with movement was now replaced with a field of still caverns. Many like Ash were now popping out of their hiding places to join in in their confusion, though most were cautious.
Suddenly, a gleaming light shone down on the open roof of its inhabitants. Awe inspiring, it consumed those, yet did not harm them as it surrounded them. Though it was blinding, many held their arms up to witness who was the cause and source of it, and many had their mouths open in surprise, Ash included.
"Mew?"
Just barely a meter, the Mythical Moemon donned a dress of a pink tone, with flowing hair. A ball of energy surrounded her small body, barely past her height. Though her appearance suggested that she was youthful in every sense of the word, it served as a factor that the most powerful Moemon was not one of just older figures.
Not a single individual moved. Baffled by her sudden appearance after disappearing for over hours left many confused at why she had suddenly returned. For Ash and those who have already figured it out, it was simple.
Where's Mewtwo?
As if the question formed in their thoughts was left out in the open, so was the arrival of Mewtwo.
She came in just as graceful as Mew, a stark contrast to her usual behavior. She flew above them, inching slowly to the ground as her eyes remained fixated on Mew alone.
Humans and Moemon alike watched, but Mewtwo barely took notice. It was clear that no other would come close to their battle, keeping a healthy distance away to ensure their own safety.
"You've decided, Mother? Decided on my home as the means to finish our battle? How quite ironic.
"So you're putting the humans and Moemons under your protection in danger then?"
Mother did not respond. Instead of attacking, she floated on the opposite end of the ruins of her home.
Of course… What did she expect at this point?
She knew what this gesture meant.
It was time they ended this.
Hushed whispers formed from Fergus's mouth worked as he attempted to process what he witnessed in front of him. Neesha stared at both with trepidation, her Moemons joining alongside her. Corey took hesitant steps back, knowledge of what was undoubtedly sure to come. Each individual had an inkling of what was to come, which was why none took to even taking a step forward, giving a wide berth.
Then, their postures shifted into an aggressive stance, their bodies began to glow, and then suddenly, burst alive with psychic energy. Such was the shockwave that it launched many off their feets once more, impacting against the walls or rubble.
On Mew's side, many looked upon her. Glowing like an ethereal angel, she was transcendent. The pink transparent energy surrounded yet did not harm her, slowly beginning to build up. It was flickering, so much so that it was blinding. Many took to shielding themselves with their arms or whatever loose object that provided obstruction from view once more.
Mewtwo was a raging inferno of indigo. Her calm and analytical gaze was cold and devoid of any emotion, as if they were a void. Her energies fluctuated violently at random, so much so that it lashed out, scraping out chunks of her own home, another layer of destruction that it simply did not matter at this point.
Within the vicinity of the titans themselves, they were but witnesses to a battle between two titans on a monumental scale that would blow them away. Not one interfered or dared to even come close, certain that they would be blown away. They were nothing; the only reason they were still standing was because of their conflicts with each other. No. It was not merely a simple conflict between one deeming the other as an enemy or foe to be defeated. It was not just a conflict that was between two simple Moemons.
It was a clash that went further. Beyond the simple battles of mortal humans and creatures and the ideologies and philosophies built by humanity. It was the result of ideals clashing.
These very individuals were witness to a battle of far more weight, of far significance that was beyond their comprehension or understanding.
It was just another reason why none had attempted interference. For what they did not understand, they shied away. They attempted understanding, only to be far lost in the scope of vastness of information that they could not hope to comprehend.
Ash Ketchum stood between it all. In his peripherals, Mew shone with the blinding energy of his left side. Mewtwo was a violent pulsating figure that threatened to explode.
Ash Ketchum was a man among these figures. A Trainer amongst the many that stood in Kanto, Hoen, Johto, Sinnoh, and the rest of the regions. Ash Ketchum was young, walking from his home in Pallet Town with aspirations of his own selfish goals.
Ash Ketchum did try to understand. He was witness, along with his friends, the source of many conflicts that he tried to gain a full understanding of so that he could better himself, to sympathize with. His journey was riddled and filled with them, so much so that Ash felt he could at the very least understand a basic grasp from the ocean.
However, he knew that despite being a witness, it was still little more than just a fraction of understanding behind centuries and centuries of the world at large. He would never truly understand it even if he devoted his entire being into studying the vast pool of history.
Despite this very impossibility facing him, Ash could hardly find himself to not stop trying.
The pain he could never understand, because he himself never was a victim of such circumstances. Even so, he wanted, desired, so because he understood them. He knew that he would never fully understand, that knowledge far exceeded him, but he did not care. He wanted to understand them.
And as a result, Ash Ketchum did not retreat to safe haven. He did not dare run from the attacks of both Mew and Mewtwo. The violent pickup of gust batted at his clothes and his hair, yet he never faltered. He simply watched them both.
Mew… She came to them, flying with a lackadaisical behavior. Inciting Mewtwo's rage, she attacked. What would have been threatening attacks that would have dealt massive damage to them was instead treated as an obstacle to be played with.
Mewtwo…
She was the cause of it. The reason why he and others were to arrive at New Island. Initially elated at testing their Moemons in battle, she floated in. Confusion suddenly turned to horror and then anger. She spoke to them as if they were ants beneath them; she cited the abuse of all living Moemons were forced to go through, showing it on an electronic screen that was undeniable proof.
She decided then to reveal her plans. One of a world where Moemons would never be mistreated. And they would be the first examples of the rest of her plans for humanity.
He saw many had their Moemons cloned, the clones providing just as much of a challenge to them, with the fore knowledge of prior battles, strategies, and moves, many were forced into a disadvantageous state when entering battle.
She was the cause of all that, he realized in the haze as he stared at the both of them.
She was the cause for Pikachu.
Pikachu suffered because of her.
He could recall her broken state back with Serena. For a moment, he saw nothing but her.
She did this to Pikachu.
Yes. The clone was primarily the one who inflicted torture on her. She was the one who battled her until one of them dropped as with many of the other originals and clones. She was the source of it all. Accountability lied within the clone.
But she was the one who cloned Pikachu. She was the one who sent her out to battle as with many of the other clones. All of the clones belonged to her, which in turn, was the result of all that surrounded him. The battered, exhausted, wounded states of so many were her doing.
Ash realized it as he stood amidst the battle between them. He heard voices within the violent whirlwind of battle between the two titans. It was Misty, Brock, Onix, Staryu, and Ivysaur. Yet he barely registered them. He swore that he heard Serena joining in as well, crying his name, but so far lost, he did not hear them all.
Then, he walked forward.
He didn't know why. It was as if his body was possessed, a far higher being taking control of him and limiting his senses that all he could do was feel. All he could think about was Pikachu, and how Mewtwo made her suffer, and perhaps Mew did as well, for she prolonged her battle with Mewtwo, and all he wanted to do was stop it. Make Mewtwo pay for what she did. All he could see was the face of Pikachu and so he wanted to make the sole cause of it pay…
Mewtwo.
He was barely aware of the energies that were generated by the two, crackling and distorting the world around them. He was barely aware of the cries of his friends as they shouted for him. He was barely aware that he was beginning to run, that the energies left both Mew and Mewtwo's palms, and that it flew directly at him.
Ivysaur didn't know how long she was fighting her clone, but she knew that once fatigue finally began to hit her, that she could not last longer.
Her muscles ached and popped, her arms trembled for relief. But she could not stop attacking or defending. Ash was not here, and neither was anyone else she was familiar with. She saw Fergus, Corey, and Neesha, and their Moemons fighting. She had once been with Wartortle, before a Surf forced her away, leaving them by themselves.
It perhaps had been a good thing, for while she was well acquainted with Wartortle out of all within Ash's Moemons, even more so than Pikachu, her doubt was growing as she was unsure how their clones would function as a team. This was one instance where Ivysaur was against Double Battles.
Her growing suspicion had been proven true. Her clone had knowledge of all her tactics built up and made with Ash, or solitary training alone or others of Ash's ownership. While she desired nothing more than to assist with Ash and her other friends, she could not as her clone demanded her constant attention, and she was sure that her friends were also tied up with their own clones as well.
Help was not coming anytime soon, and Ivysaur knew it. She was battling herself; a mirror and a reflection. Perspiration shimmered on her face as she brushed off leafy strands framing her fatigued face. Her only hope was to possibly outlast; it was the only available option left at this point, but once her bones began to quiver, she knew that she would be the first to fall.
She had to expend more of her energy. After a Vine Whip that sent her clone back, she was forced to fight defensively to conserve what she had left. She was thankful for Misty's and Staryu's arrival though. Togepi greeted her amidst the chaos with her given name "Ivy!", and Ivysaur greeted her back.
To their luck, Wartortle was nearby but she did not notice them, concentrating on her own battle. Staryu sent a Confusion which launched her clone away. Joining them, Misty quickly explained to both her and Wartortle that Brock and Onix were fighting Pikachu's clone. Wartortle then asked where Pikachu was.
Misty could barely manage the words out as she explained to them what had happened, averting her gaze.
Ivysaur already knew what happened just by her short explanation even as she continued. A well of rage, hot as a Fire Type formed in her, her hands gripped into tight fists, and she knew her vines were about, but she did not care.
Ivysaur thought she despised Team Rocket for what they constantly did to Ash and them multiple times. She had despised them for their immoral practices and as an organization as a whole. She even thought she despised those despicable Trainers who mistreated their Moemons.
She, right there and then, never hated someone as much as she hated Pikachu's clone.
She, by then, wanted to kill the twisted abomination.
Wartortle was barely any better, looking as if she would break down crying or lashing out at Misty. And Ivysaur reached out with a vine tendril to hold Wartortle back, because it wasn't Misty's fault. She was just revealing what had happened, and she hated it as well. But she was the bearer of that news, ones that they wished never happened.
The four quickly formulated a plan. Ivysaur quickly explained first that she for a brief moment while battling her clone alone, had heard the screams of Charizard. Wartortle would go back to Ash, the look on her stricken face shook them silent but only for a moment; they had no time to grieve right now. Misty stated she would accompany her to locate Charizard. Wartortle was silent, but then before they set out, she stated she wanted to assist Brock and Onix, and later by then, return to Ash and Serena. Neither of them questioned the minor change in plans, the cold fury in Wartortle's cerulean eyes was as cold as a Blizzard.
Ivysaur, pinpointing the location, with Misty and Staryu on her trail, had only reached an exit of the main hall into another room, around the midst of combat and battle where they had to reach it. Charizard's cries were heard once more, before the building shook once more.
The three quickly dove underneath the floor, waiting for the storm to end. Once it did, as they turned around momentarily to briefly return, they had seen them. Mew and Mewtwo.
The sudden reappearance had stunned them only briefly. Ivysaur shook Misty with one of her vines; they had to find Charizard. But just as Misty looked back for a brief moment, did her eyes widen. "Ash?!"
Ivysaur quickly whipped back to see her Trainer.
It was him. Standing a distance away, Ivysaur had to strain just to see his figure, but she knew it was him. The cap on his head. His jacket was gone. What was he doing?
Then she noticed it, and her heart froze in her chest. Was he getting closer to them?!
He was. Ash watched Mewtwo and Mew with an expression of anger and rage. While Ash had adapted that expression mainly against Team Rocket, never did she see Ash take on one that was filled with such an amount before. It had far surpassed anything she had been with him.
"ASH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU IDIOT, GET BACK!"
She was barely aware that she was crying it out until the voice resonated in her ears. She screamed once more.
Then, Misty and Staryu too began to shout. "ASH!" And she swore she heard Serena as well.
Ash moved closer and closer to the battle of the gods. He had not heard them. Or if he did, chose to ignore them.
Then, she heard three other cries. Brock, Onix, and Wartortle. They too had finally noticed.
They had finally begun to lunge forward, just as Ash was mere feet away from them, and Mewtwo and Mew had launched their attacks, energies of pink and indigo flying at each other.
All Ash could remember was him lunging at Mewtwo… or Mew. He didn't know. Rage overtook him. For a moment, he felt faster than he had ever been before, lunging at the figures who turned Pikachu into what she was.
Then suddenly, pain seized him. His entire body was felt as it was torn apart. He never had a chance to even scream, it was so much so that it was jammed in his throat, forced down where it could never even escape.
There were no such words to describe the pain. It was only torture.
Ash believed that he had been put through enough forms of pain delivered and dealt by a Moemon, either wild or under a Trainer, intentionally or unintentionally, whatever the circumstance he had been under or predicament he got himself into or was forced upon him.
This had far outclassed whatever he had felt from before.
Then, it faded.
Replaced by an entirely new feeling.
Darkness was encroaching on him. It swam up the depths of his soul. He felt it seize his limbs, both his legs and arms were frozen in his struggle. Then it came up to his internal organs. He could no longer breathe. He was struggling, dying, he could not resist it. It slowly melded over his heart.
All he could think, at the moment it came up his larynx, was of Serena, how much he loved her, and Pikachu. He failed her.
Then it consumed him wholly and he knew nothing.
Serena could no longer wait. She did not want to leave Pikachu unattended, but she could not sit and wait while Ash, Brock, and Misty were out.
She was a damned Moemon Trainer! She would not idly sit while they were fighting. While Ash was out there.
Her gaze fell to Pikachu, and her mind was riddled with thoughts on what she could possibly do. Her hands fell to her Moeballs attached to her waist. She cursed herself with the idea and the very thought of such, but she had little options, none of which was what she desired. She prayed for Pikachu to forgive her.
Ash would despise her if she didn't enough already by this decision.
Concern and guilt melded over seamlessly that Serena could not distinguish one from the other. Both led her to halting a number of times for Ash's beloved Starter. Simultaneously, it pushed her further away to Ash's whereabouts. Both thoughts fought for dominance, struggling in her flustered state of mind. The thought of Ash however, pushed the thought of Pikachu back, far enough so that the dark haired boy was far more prominent in form.
It would just be a moment.
But at the same time, she felt she was abandoning Pikachu. The feeling stuck far deep into her mind, refusing to give ground. Pikachu was in their temporary hiding place, and she was far more concerned with Ash.
Rationalization showed itself, attempting a modicum of comfort, but that was a feeble attempt, an attempt at whatever choice she made and stuck with, punishing her for leaving one she swore to protect and care for.
Her body still moved towards the field of battle, where her thoughts stopped clashing, did she take notice of the battlefield. Rubble and large portions of the castle were desecrated; it would take years to repair even a portion of the structure. But her focus lay solely on the only two individuals within the field, taking up the opposite sides, the rest had gone into hiding, or attempted such.
The Legendary Moemon Mew. And Mewtwo.
And in front of her, who was far closer to her perprehrials was the boy she was dedicated to. Ash Ketchum.
Still a distance away, she watched. The battle of decisions was now replaced with only thoughts beginning to form at what he was doing. There were only bits, none of which seemed accurate to her perception as of the moment.
Then came one, and she was already beginning to move to Ash.
At that same time, Ash began to move to the center of Mew and Mewtwo's battle.
She screamed. She knew she was the moment her pace quickened into a sprint, that she was screaming for the boy to stop. To halt him. She could hear her friends also realizing it a second later and they as well rushed forward to stop the boy.
They were too slow, too late. All they could do was watch as the attacks, launched by both Mew and Mewtwo, fired a bolt of psychic matter at each other. At Ash.
The result was blinding. Crackling energy deafened all those within the vicinity, leaving no victim. The attack was one final manifestation of violence, one final act that was a clash of philosophies, one complete gesture. A culmination and completion. An end to a play.
Then, it ended, the blinding hues of indigo and pink flashed incessantly and then with graduality, died down. The maelstrom typhoon of dangerous colors that painted the battlefield was one, and then they parted ways to reveal the result. They still flickered as a reminder.
Yet the flash of the attacks did not concern those who Ash would consider as friends.
It was Ash himself, enveloped by these lights that died away. It was the boy who they traveled with and fought alongside. It was they who taught the boy, who believed in his dreams and strove to assist in any way possible so he could achieve them. It was the boy they swore to stand by, whatever the means necessary, insistent on traveling with him despite the dangers.
They just simply stared as the flickering psychic waves died away. They watched as Ash's body hit the floor. They watched as Ash topped the floor. Unmoving.
They were all but frozen to this act.
Yet it was Serena once more who moved.
"ASH-! ASH!"
She cared not for her own wellbeing. She was aware that both Mew and Mewtwo stood on opposite ends, the possibility of continuing their battle was a chance, but one she cared little of. Ash was prone, on the ground that was a calamity.
Her knees buckled as she reached him, touching him, only to feel a solid mass that resembled a solid mass similar to a stone or a rock from his body. What she expected to feel skin or the material of clothing, she felt the hard material instead. His eyes were blank, staring into nothingness as he did not respond to her touch. He did not indicate any form of breathing. He did not move. She knelt down once more to hear any signs that he was moving.
Her eyes fell to the bronze sheen that covered him from head to toe.
Her voice was caught in her throat.
She needed Brock. Ash needed Brock. Where was he?!
"-rock! B-brock!"
Her voice barely went past her lips as she spoke. Her eyes scanned the field for the Pewter Leader, until she found him among Ivysaur and Onix.
"BR-BROCK!"
Her voice came out again, coming through, and he was alive with attention.
He quickly barked something to Onix and Ivysaur. Not waiting for a response, he sprinted across to join the two on the floor.
His dark eyes scanned Ash, and were suddenly wide as he took in the full status of the boy. Serena heard him speak to her, but she barely heard him; she tried, but all she could focus on was Ash.
"H-he's not moving."
"Gone."
"I can't hear him. Help me!"
She was aware that she was speaking, but it sounded soft and hollow and weak, her explanations barely one.
Brock heard it regardless, as he turned back, trying to resuscitate him. Serena's eyes trailed over as he attempted to work. She watched as he began slowly, then with a feverish pace, his work became frantic, his effort futile.
"Goddammit! This can't be-! No!" He pounded the floor as choked gasp left his mouth.
Brock, the tough, strong, and eldery figure. The Rock Type Gym Leader of Pewter, who remained a figure that strove to be tough for all his other friends, broke down. He crumbled in sorrow.
"No…! No! Ash!" A sudden surge of helpless rage overtook him.
Serena didn't hear his proclamations. She didn't need to.
Unspoken, the effect was immediate. Fergus, Corey, Neesha, and the other Moemons who had no relation or connection to the boy just stared in horror at the result of what Mew and Mewtwo had done.
Those however, did.
"Oh Arceus. No! Please!"
Wartortle watched as Serena's eyes streamed with tears down her cheeks, dripping onto the body of her Trainer. She fell to her knees like Serena, as a sound of pain exited her mouth.
Ivysaur's eyes stared, her eyes uncomprehending as her eyes began to pool up as well. She wanted him to get up and suddenly proclaim that he was all right so she could go whip her idiotic Trainer for doing something stupid and reckless but he did not, and it hurt. She burned. It burned her far worse than any Fire Type attack.
"Papa! PAPA!"
"TOGEPI, NO!" Misty held Togepi back as she scrambled wildly for the man she called her father. She lashed in her grip, even as Misty sobbed for her friend. She broke free, kicking Misty away from her, for an instance, only to be caught in Ivysaur's vines entangling and snaring her down.
"NO! LET GO-! PAPA! PAPA!" Togepi lashed out in her tight restraints, unable to break free. She sobbed hysterically as she fought, finally breaking down as she slumped to the floor.
Staryu curled in on herself like a ball, as gasps could be heard from her.
"Oh Arceus… Ash… Ash." Onix trailed off as she too felt the effects. The boy she saw as her own child, as she saw all younger Moemons as her children, was gone. She attempted to comfort Misty and the wailing Togepi, only to be struck with her own grief. "No…"
Then came the voice of one Moemon not an individual had been expecting. One that cut through the grief for only that brief moment.
"Serena? Brock? What are you-? Ash?!"
Pikachu.
"I'm so sorry, Pikachu..."
"I tried… I tried to get to you…! Even if you don't forgive me… please!"
"Please…"
"Ready for another round?"
"Oh… Pikachu… You tasted great."
With immediate movement, her eyes widened. She rose up. The protests of her aching spasming body, she cried out, falling back to the cold floor. Her eyes searched for something, anything, her surroundings, before they refocused. Her breathing, at the moment, was wild and erratic, quickly settled as she adjusted. Her heart stopped pounding. Her eyes fell to what was covering her.
Ash's jacket. Even without the sight of it, she could tell by his scent.
"I love you."
That was Ash's voice. She heard it, cocooning her as it did his jacket. She swore she heard it as his mouth brushed against her earlobe.
For a moment, she saw Ash, his arms raised out to hug and comfort her. It was inviting and warm.
Then, the features warped and shifted, just inches away, she flinched backwards. The golden features of her copycat replaced him, warmth replaced by cold satisfaction.
Was that all but her imagination? Her mind warped and twisted?
Copper and saliva filled her mouth. Spitting out the excess, she shuddered, a cursory glance at the jacket that hid her extremities. Though she was sure that she was seen naked by Ash and her other friends at this point, she was glad for the protection though minimal it may be.
Ash… Where was he? She swore that she heard Serena, Brock, and Misty as well.
Her priority was set. Leaning against a large boulder, she pushed up on it, standing on both feet, before bolts of pain lanced up her ankle and she could not help but cry.
She forgot… The clone of her shattered her ankle. She could hear the mocking tone of her clone as she spoke to her in their battle. With a Brick Break, she all but completely shattered her tibia. She was crippled.
Pikachu was not the kind of Moemon to back down. To her, this injury was a setback. Ash and the others needed her far more.
She examined her surroundings once more. She focused on her tail to be as sharp as steel, she lashed out to carve a sharpened stone that was reminiscent of a spear, the rounded flat end thinned to a sharpened point. Even with her weakened state, she still had energy left to utilize some moves. Retrieving it, she made the then arduous task of leaving her abode, a cautious glance around to ensure there were no clones planning to attack her as soon as she revealed herself. The stone-like spear acted as a makeshift walking stick. Her body flickered with bolts, tensing as she limped away.
With her other hand, she wrapped her Trainer's jacket tighter around her body. She could no longer hear cries of battle and it made her more wary. Experience taught her that while silence was a factor that a battle is over, it also could serve as a temporary one that was simply the next path to a larger scope of battle. A Moemon had to take into account every factor available, and Pikachu was one of them who had the experience to back it up.
Her concentration and focus were shifted back as a loud explosion, a sound of screeching attacks.
Dammit! Her leg stung with jagged pain as she attempted to hurry her way. She tripped over a number of times, falling face first, cursing as she steadied herself and pushed her way back up, forcing her body to ignore the lingering pain, forcing her still damaged body to the vicinity of her friends.
Their figures were faint in the distance, but clearly it was them. A sound.. was that Togepi?
She knew it was as she approached. Ash, Serena, Brock, and… Figures of pink filled her vision. Mew and Mewtwo?! Her lips curled into a vicious snarl at the latter figure. It was her fault. That psychotic, hypocritical bitch…
The jolt of pain hit her once more, forcing her to focus on the crucial matters. Why were Mew and Mewtwo standing there? She approached Mew. She had fought for them, or at least, fought Mewtwo as none of them stood a chance against her. She was the best possible chance to defeat her.
Mew sported an expression of… shock? It did not fit her face. She was staring at Brock and Serena on the floor. Was that why they stopped? Because they interrupted the battle?
Pikachu decided not to take chances. Mewtwo could attack them at any given moment.
"Serena? Brock? What are you-? Ash?!"
Her mind was filled with terror, overwhelming each of her senses, including the pain of her body, and every other thought she had was replaced with Ash lying on the floor.
Why was he lying there?!
Pikachu ignored the burning pain as she stumbled her way over.
And that's when she met their eyes as they turned to acknowledge her.
Serena… She wished she had never seen her eyes. She was dead. She had to be. They were empty and lifeless. She had seen Moemons brought to near death that their eyes had almost no signs of life.
Serena was dead. There was nothing.
Brock… His eyes showed pain. So much pain that she could not bear to look at him. It was quite impossible to hurt the man who had been the elderly figure of the group along with Onix, but he was hurt. No. He was damaged beyond repair. The rock hard expression of his face melted away, and there was nothing to shield it any longer.
She barely averted her gaze to Brock. And then she was struck by the pain that both of them were feeling.
A bronze tint covered Ash from head to toe. His eyes stared into the void as he did not acknowledge any of them. His mouth was slightly ajar. Not a gasp of movement escaped his parted lips, which proceeded to the next stage of his body unmoving.
Her mind was amuck. Barely perceiving the expressions of Serena and Brock once more, she looked up to see Misty, Staryu, Wartortle, Togepi, and Onix. Their faces cut into her heart, a part of her that knew the truth of what had occurred but refused it, because he was Ash Ketchum and he swore to become a Moemon Master, and he could not go down like this! He could never-!
"Pikachu… I'm-I'm sorry…" Brock's broken tone showed how fractured he was, fractured and broken as New Island.
He was not! They weren't trying! How could they call themselves friends?! They fought alongside him and they have the right to call themselves his friends?!
"No…"
"Congratulations, runt."
Pikachu watched Ash's eyes widen. Before she could even move, Ash was scooping her up in a hug, happily crying their victory over Lieutenant Surge.
They won. They had won.
"No! Shut up! Dammit!" She shoved the broken man aside. "Ash! GET UP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Alright. Hand it over."
"Hand what over?"
"You know what I mean."
She sported an innocent look. "No I don't?" She could not help but grin as his eyes twitched. "I really don't know what you mean Ash. You should specify."
"Dammit Pikachu! Hand the ketchup bottle over! You can't keep it! It's the property of SS Anne! Other people need to use it. Hand it over!"
"Hmm… I think not." She wagged a finger as she swayed her hips, walking towards him. She gently pushed her hand on his chest back, leaning towards enough that both their faces were inches away from each other, before she pressed her lips against his cheek, pulsing electricity on her cheeks that it gave him a tiny shock.
The stunned boy only stare as she winked at him.
"YOU BUFFOON! You're in the middle of a battle-You can't be just lying there, dumbass!"
"Pikachu!"
He didn't need to announce it. The attack was meant to cover the entire field, and she needed to utilize Extreme Speed. "I know!"
She turned to Serena. "Serena-! You can't believe what he's saying! Why are you not saying anything?! DO SOMETHING! DON'T JUST-"
She loved Ash since they were children, and after what he did for her, she had the nerve to sit and do nothing?! She claimed she cared for him, but she was just sitting there! He… he wasn't-
To hell with both of them. She'll do it herself.
"YOU IDIOT! GET UP! I'LL SHOCK YOU UNLESS YOU GET YOUR ASS UP!"
No response. Fine. Generating a bolt, she fired it at him. No response.
"I SAID GET UP!" She charged another Thundershock. "GET UP, YOU MORON! I KNOW YOU'RE KICKING AND BREATHING!"
"Pikachu?! Pikachu!"
She didn't care about battles anymore. She didn't want to face another Moemon. She didn't want to face Team Rocket again.
All she wanted was Ash.
"Shhh… It's all right. I'm here. I'll never leave you." It was warm and comforting and she never wanted to let go.
"GET THE HELL UP! I'M NOT STOPPING UNTIL YOU GET THE HELL UP!"
Her harsh tone brought both the two figures besides her and her Trainer back to life. Light began to emerge in Serena's eyes, but she continued to weep.
Brock raised a hand with trepidation, placing it on Pikachu's shoulder. He didn't flinch as she whipped her head to him, her eyes filled with vicious desperation.
"Let go of me, Brock!"
"P-pikachu…" He could barely speak, now in a similar state Serena was. "He's… he's-"
He never got to finish as she punched him in the face, snapping his head back as he stared back.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! HE'S YOUR FRIEND! HE CONSIDERED YOU AS AN OLDER BROTHER AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM?! HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU AND YOU WON'T HELP HIM BACK WHEN HE NEEDS YOU AS OF THIS MOMENT?!"
"Pikachu…"
"SHUT UP! Both of you… YOU TWO NEVER CARED FOR HIM! YOU HELPED HIM IN BATTLE BUT YOU WON'T DO IT RIGHT NOW FOR WHATEVER FUCKING REASON! YOU HYPOCRITICAL-"
With sudden speed of a man who lost his friend, Brock grabbed Pikachu by her Trainer's jacket and screamed in her face. "ASH IS GONE! ASH IS FUCKING GONE AND YOU'RE IN DENIAL!"
"HE'S DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!"
The shout was raised to a pitch as Brock screamed back at her. He slumped down, releasing her, as if visibly exhausted, and then wept openly, no longer caring. The walls of mental protection were completely desolated.
Pikachu casted a gaze at him, then to Ash. "NO! He's not dead-! He can't be…" She sent another bolt at him. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"
Her voice was beginning to grow in desperation. A cold wind from the outside currents blew in, harsh and unyielding. This was their hell.
"WAKE UP, STUPID! YOU HAVE TO-!"
It slammed into her walls. They began to break. A yellow bolt glowed the body of Ash Ketchum once more, before fizzling out.
"YOU CAN'T JUST-! ASH, WAKE UP!"
Once more, it smashed through another. Her defenses were unsustainable. Another bolt met in failure.
"ASH, PLEASE! WAKE UP! ASH!"
Again, the walls crumbled and toppled over. The pillars were on their last legs after the assault.
"Very well. Ash… I would like you to meet Pikachu…"
She glanced to her side and saw a boy with unkempt jet black hair, a smile on his face. A dry look formed on her face.
Who the hell was this guy?
"Hey Pikachu! Nice to meet you! My name is Ash Ketchum, and I would like to be your Trainer!"
Trainer. Oh hell no…
Fuck that.
She was going to shock that old fart for even suggesting her to be some tool of a Trainer and the Trainer looked pathetic. She didn't know why. But he was.
Might as well have some fun first.
She smiled, raising a hand to shake. A wide grin formed on both their faces. The boy, no doubt believing he made a kinship with her. Her…
Well, she certainly was not going to befriend him or anyone for that matter. They would be quality entertainment whenever she was bored.
Their hands met…in a cold lifeless embrace.
The walls were finally broken.
And Pikachu let out a howl of a tortured Moemon.
She was screaming, she was wailing. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to die.
She was tortured. This was torture.
"Nice job, Pikachu!"
"Then I'll be your mate, don't worry. I'll never leave you, Pikachu."
"Go to Charmander! Pikachu and I will handle this."
"Pikachu, we did it! We won our first badge!"
Sparks lit up the field, dancing violently as Pikachu buried her face into the unmoving figure of her Trainer. Her entire face was smeared with tears, dribbling down the form of her Trainer as she suffered through torture, letting loose a cry.
"IF YOU WANT PIKACHU, YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME FIRST!"
"I NEED YOU! PLEASE, ASH! I CAN'T-!"
She howled.
Never would he rise again to face the next challenge. Never would he rise again for a training session. Never would he challenge a Gym Leader or Trainer.
Never would he obtain his dream of Moemon Master. It was gone, lost to a man whose soul was ripped from him.
Never would he rise to give her love. He would never kiss her good morning. He would never hug her whenever she had nightmares of Team Rocket, to tell her that he would always be with her.
The man she loved, the love she could not explain her feelings when they won Pewter. When he hugged her in their first victory, she felt her face growing warm, along with a strange feeling in her stomach, and it wasn't until Cerulean that she realized she fell for him. It was not until Vermillion that they consummated their feelings in a night of revealed passion and lust after victory over Surge.
He was gone. Pikachu had lost her love.
Every inch of her hurt. Far worse than physical pain, it was a mental pain that drove its stake through her heart and ripped it to shreds. It was the walls that were shattered to pieces, never to reform once more. It was this, and so much more.
"He jumped in the way of our attacks? During our battle? Foolish, pathetic human…"
Mewtwo spoke. Her voice rang out through the empty field of a lost soul and the Moemon who cried for her Trainer's return, amplified by her Psychic influence.
Pikachu froze, turning to meet her.
This… this bitch…
She was the one who killed Ash.
It didn't matter if it was meant for Mew. The attack hit him. Both of their attacks did.
With a sudden howl of a thunderstorm, the outside currents sprung forth with Pikachu's growing rage. Her eyes directed solely at the one who caused all this, who took away the man she loved, took away her desire and will to battle.
She attacked. Utilizing Charge a number of times, she gave a howl of a Moemon who had nothing left to lose, as she lost what made her whole.
The move shook New Island once more. Along with the currents above adding to the festering volcano raging within her, a bolt of lightning came down, knocking Brock and Serena away.
It hit Pikachu, yet it never harmed her. As an Electric Type and the entry of her species within the Moedex, she could reliably cause thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms, however, were long considered by humanity as an expression of lost hope and grief. A form of sorrow as the gods above themselves cried.
This was Pikchu's expression of grief.
As the Thunder hit her palm, it danced around her body. She turned down to her Trainer, motionless and lifeless, unaware of his surroundings.
She placed her lips on his frozen solid ones.
Then she turned back to the source who executed her love.
Mewtwo knew grief and sorrow. She, of course, had been witness to a number of cases thoroughly researched while looking around regions of the Moemon world. She teleported to Hoen, Johto, and the other regions that she had knowledge of all the Moemons that were within her blood.
The Pikachu in front of her, was in grief and sorrow. Manifested and came forth upon her Trainer's death. That was a fact. It showed itself in her expression.
Mewtwo did not fear her or her attack.
What stunned her, however, was one above all else.
It was the very fact that expression was similar to many of the Moemons she had seen suffered under humanity.
It was similar, almost the exact same. But it was close enough that Mewtwo only watched.
It was enough for the Pikachu to make her move though.
The bolt of lightning, empowered by the skies above, gathered for an attack on a scale that she was completely prepared to wound, perhaps even kill, for her Trainer.
It was not the only one. Lighting surrounded her entire being. Her body came alive with bolts that sporadically encased the battlefield in its climate. She cared little for those around her, instead, her focus was on Mewtwo alone.
The attack left her hands, and Mewtwo's world became alight with a shimmering bolt.
Pikachu watched as her attack decimated Mewtwo's surroundings. She watched only with apprehension of a Moemon ready for battle. Her ankle burned with the same pain, but she didn't care. It was a battle she was determined would end one way or the other. She would no longer harm anyone else.
Her body flickered with more energy, more than she had ever felt with her clone. But before she could even fire another bolt from heaven, a group of green vines wrapped around her body and her broken ankle, slamming her down to the earth as she howled in pain.
Ivysaur entangled her with her vines, her face shone with redness from her eyes.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET GO OF ME!"
She screamed. Why didn't she understand?! Why didn't Ivysaur understand?!
"LET GO OF ME, IVYSAUR!"
She spoke in a hoarse voice. "No." Ivysaur understood; they were friends who were the Moemon of their Trainer but she did not care.
"LET GO OF ME! SHE NEEDS TO PAY! SHE NEEDS TO SUFFER FOR WHAT SHE DID!"
"No!"
Grabbing a hold of Ivysaur's vines, she channeled her lightning through them. The lightning traveled up as Ivysaur realized and released her, but she was too slow. The bolts traveled throughout her body. "Then you're in my way as well!" She ignored Ivysaur's cries as she was assaulted with a wave of electricity, and the burn of the snapped tibia as she put pressure on it, only further fueling the vindictive look on her face.
For Serena, Brock, Misty, and others however, they could only watch as a Trainer's Moemon attacked another one of the Trainer's other Moemon, in her grief.
Pikachu began to approach Ivysaur slowly as she twitched in pain. Her hands crackled once more as she deemed Ivysaur a new target.
"PIKACHU, NO!" Brock and Serena stood up. Misty turned to Staryu as she began to charge a Psybeam. Onix began to focus a Rock Tomb.
Pikachu raised her hand to fire a bolt, but before she swept it down, a wave of water knocked Pikachu off her feet, forcing many to turn their focus once more.
She stood in front of Ivysaur. Pikachu narrowed her eyes at Wartortle. "Stand aside, Wartortle!"
She did not. "Pikachu. Please. Just stop."
"Stop?! Stop for what?! Do you guys even care?!" Madness seeped into her, into her eyes as she paced back and forth like a predator to its prey.
She began to laugh hysterically. Serena stepped back, as with many others.
Her voice filled the field. She let out an unfettered howl, clutching her chest. "DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT ASH?!"
"I do!"
"Then why-" Her face filled with anguish and lament. "DAMN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU…Why aren't you helping me?!"
"You're supposed to be helping me! Why aren't you… why aren't you doing so?! Why are you stopping me?!"
Because she did not want to lose another friend. Ash was gone, but now was not the time to be fighting. Wartortle lost her Trainer, but she did not want to lose a friend.
"Pikachu… please. I know you're hurting. I know how much you loved Ash…"
That was the wrong thing to say, she realized it as soon as Pikachu's eyes widened, and she took a step towards her threateningly. Brock and Serena approached, and Onix from where she accompanied Misty and Staryu readied her Rock Tomb, while the latter under Misty kept her focus on a Psybeam. Ivysaur attempted to stand, only for the paralysis to make her spasm to the floor once more.
"You?! You?!" She laughed once more, her gaze wild and mad. Yet there was nothing humorous about the situation. "How… how can you possibly understand?! You don't…" She trailed off.
Madness. Madness replaced grief, sorrow, and rage. All that Pikachu felt was empty was now bottled up in a vicious cycle of madness. Her eyes were wild, her golden bolt flickering erratically. She could not distinguish from friend to foe, seeing all of them as a common enemy.
But she did. Pikachu knew how much Wartortle saw Ivysaur. It did not take for one to think how they saw each other.
"Pikachu. You can't! You don't stand a chance against her! She'll kill you!"
Pikachu turned to her, Serena, and knew that she just as much loved Ash as she did. But yet Pikachu could not feel herself to even care that the women before her also suffered.
It was selfish. But she could not care.
"S-so?! I don't… I don't give a damn-!" She no longer cared. Ash was gone. "At least I'm actually doing something!"
In a swift gesture, she embraced her.
"Pikachu… I can't! I can't lose you too!"
She wanted to snap at her, to lash out at her, but she could not. And she knew why.
Serena had also just lost the boy she loved since her childhood. The boy she met at the camp of their childhood. The boy she swore years later when they were of age to become Trainers.
Even as vestiges of electricity crackled along Pikachu's body, Serena did not let go. It only served to make her embrace her tighter.
It was Serena that she was able to confess to her Trainer. It was Serena, whose kindness and compassion were unparalleled, allowed her to share their mutual affection to the boy. It was Serena who gave her the advice back in Vermillion.
Serena did all this and more. And as such, she loved her as well. She lost Ash, perhaps much more than what any of them could understand. Not even Pikachu could understand their relationship to its full understanding.
She could not lose her as well.
Her strength sapped, she collapsed into Serena, and on the floor, her will to fight gone. She broke down once more.
And the two mourned in the hell that was spawned.
Though her body was littered with blood and her own wounds of varying sizes, Charizard fought. Her soul was alive with the inferno of battle. One to seek dominance and prove herself.
From her wings she blasted a volley of slicing air currents, but Charizard zipped through the air with a natural grace. With a tint of azure, she rushed at her opponent with a ferocity of a dragon, reeling her fist back.
With barely ample time to react, the fist cracked against the side of her clone's skull.
Her opponent released only a gasp of a as her body wobbled.
Charizard didn't care. The haze of her vision twisted into something dark and more than the flames she produced. She reeled her fists back and planted it to the skull of her opponent once more.
"RRGH! RAAGH!"
Her tremulous fists pounded the skull of her opponent repeatedly, flattening her against the earth.
Die!
CRACK!
Die!
CRACK!
Die!
CRACK!
Her screams came loose as she released the blazing heat of all she contained on her foe, all that had been filled to the brim when she first met her.
The final blow came with a sharp snap that echoed in the empty ruins of their battle. Melted rocks and structures were a few of the many that fell victim to their main Typing attack. All other destroyed pieces were of other Typing attacks in their skillset.
She looked down as the fog was replaced by a new crimson, copper smelling and wet that dripped out of the head of her adversary, seeping into the broken rubble and earth.
It was done.
Charizard tilted her head back and let loose another roar.
It was a quenching victory. Even as body was home to a multitude of battle wounds, she cared no less. The blemishes would fade, and the cuts would be lasting scars, one she would remember and never forget. But she had conquered it. That was all that mattered to her.
She casted a glance at her adversary once more. Memories flashing of her speech of battle, of what she failed to understand or her culpable ignorance.
She was wrong. Blasphemous, sanctimonious words left her mouth, and look what she had to pay for it.
Battles were one of many accounting results and factors. A Moemon had to be thoroughly skilled in all aspects, from the basics of typing, to intricacies of terrains and adaptability.
She looked down to see the curved tail of her opponent flicker, before fading.
Permanently.
If her opponent failed to rise again, it was simply one of the factors. She understood this. It was a principle that was derived from Damian. He did many things wrong, but with this particular view, this where they cannot recover from even at a Center, she could hardly object.
Ash, that idiotic fool, would say she killed. He didn't understand.
What was the difference?
They were Moemon. Bred and born for battle. Moemons fell by fainting. They fell by dying.
Both were the same.
Pikachu and the others would have disagreed. She could hardly care less what they think. None of them understood.
While a strong foe deserved respect of the highest order. After all, they fought and shed blood to claim victory, and even as they didn't win, they still gave it their all, pressured their foe beyond their limits:
The clone-the bitch, did not deserve such.
She decided to leave her broken body there. The thought of that Psychic bitch formed in her mind, and she toyed on bringing her mangled body back to display, but decided otherwise. It was not worth the energy to do so.
A piercing cry filled her ears. It forced her to the direction of the voice. It faltered for the slightest bit, and then continued relentlessly, echoing off the halls.
Charizard was no stranger to pain. She had been a tender hatchling Charmander once, under Damian. Humankind considered her a rarity as most Regional Moemon Starters were; memories assailed her senses, where she can recall the taste of air, freshly cut grass, and mildew dripping down wildlife. She was young, watching curiously and nervously as the tall figures of humans prattled about, beings of such stature that she had to tilt her head back to acknowledge them, with a group of other Moemons she did not know; strangers united together to be a partner to a human of whoever. One came forth to her, a pink shirt and brown vest, a pair of sunglasses resting on his head of hair. He ordered her to spit out a flame, and Charizard followed it, not questioning him why. Many besides him clapped, watching the spectacle of her Ember, but the man, Damian, unimpressed, simply ordered her to do it again, and put more effort into it. The torrent was larger, and the crowd was awed. But not Damian. He once more ordered her, telling her to put in her fullest effort, and Charmander, she didn't know, perhaps she desired to prove him wrong, that she was not weak, and he noticed her, even as her throat and sinuses burned with the molten flames, titled back, before she spewed out flames so bright and such a distance, it shot into the skies above, reaching above the trees. Afterwards, he ordered her to follow him.
That memory bore the same day she met and was caught by Damian was also followed by flashes of battles. All had contained the memories of her and Damian. But what all of them had in common was pain, suffering.
This voice was the definition of such. It was the same.
Charizard took off from the floor once more, looking for where she and her clone entered from. She had to recall where she came from. It was a simple task, as she and her clone flew around to do battle from above, she could register various and peculiar objects that stood out to her.
If she couldn't recall her direction, she would have just smashed her way through the castle until she found her way back. Though usually she would have been for such an option, now her stamina was precious and she needed to conserve every bit of her reserves.
Flying past the ruinous destruction of her battle without care, Charizard could smell the faint hints of copper, the air tainted with it. Returning back to the direction she came from, the smell of it was so overbearing, overpowering. It would have made any other individual dizzy, would have knocked them out, with the foreknowledge that they would enter a place painted with lifeblood, but not Charizard. Such was her experience that this scent more or less helped retain her focus.
The wail of a female voice rang out once more, ringing more loudly in her ears. She was close. Closer to the sound now and to where she would recognize others. Adrenaline pumped her blood once more as she decided to fuck it, smashing through the walls of the castle once more to arrive at her destination.
Pikachu.
Pikachu was screaming, wailing as she pounded her fists on the figure below, knelt down on top of a figure. A figure all too familiar.
A figure that had the same zigzag of a symbol on his hat.
Ash.
And besides Pikachu was Serena, her arms wrapped around Pikachu as she too cried. Brock was there with them, placing his hands on both girls that he could not even comfort, his head bowed, as his body shook silently with the effort of maintaining his sorrow.
Charizard by then, slowly beginning to comprehend, turned to look at Mew, the tiny Legendary who hovered away from them. She turned to see Fergus, Neesha, and Corey, before her gaze readjusted on Misty, clutching Togepi in a hug, both Trainer and Moemon sobbing. Wartortle was clutching Ivysaur, and Onix tightly held Staryu. Their faces were the same picture, of one that told what had occurred, what she had missed.
A part of her denied it. Denied what had happened. Yet she could not. Proof laid in a cold harsh climate before her eyes, and blinking did nothing to prove that it was a false image of a hallucination. The inferno within her did little to warm the cold that touched her skin.
Her feet touched down on the floor, her fiery gaze only ever following her Trainer, before a sound of rumbling and crackling forced her to twist her direction to her left, barely perceiving that many others also did as well.
Mewtwo stood, her body wracked with burns. Along her arms and entire torso, her body was wracked with burns. Her face did not bore the one of arrogant disinterest that Charizard saw for the first time when she met her and wished nothing more than to wipe it off her face, but one of shock. It was not one she attempted to hide either. A hand was raised up presumably to block whatever attack came her way, but the power of it was so intense it burned and successfully damaged Mewtwo, if only minorly.
Who attacked her? She looked at Pikachu, and she was sure she had her answer.
But before she could even contemplate it further, a shimmering light of energy erupted from Mew as she placed herself in front of Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock. It forced many to turn their attention once more.
And then ignited a rage unlike any other that Charizard had ever seen on her face before, directed at the figure in front of them.
"You…"
"You…"
Pikachu's voice was so low, barely imperceptible. Her ankle still burned, but now it was the least of her concerns.
Her fog of rage, once directed on Mewtwo, was now on the figure in front of her.
Mew.
"Pikachu?" Brock spoke, but it felt faraway. He was faraway, but he was close.
"It's your fault…"
Pikachu felt a hand placed on her shoulder, but brushed off the gesture.
It was her fault. She didn't end the battle with Mewtwo as soon as it began. She forced her and others to fight a battle that may have very well against themselves. Because she did not arrive sooner. Because of her…
It was all her fault.
Mew now replaced Mewtwo in her mad stricken grief.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!"
She was screaming but she no longer cared. Mewtwo was still alive and breathing but her focus was directed on the original.
"Pikachu! She didn't! Mewtwo was the one-"
But it was. She allowed herself, her DNA, to be gathered by the criminal organization known as Team Rocket. She allowed them to make a twisted abomination of her own being without ever stopping them. She allowed all these conflicts, these events, to happen.
She allowed Ash to die.
Bitter insults left her mouth as she screamed profanity at the Legendary. Mew would not care, and neither would she. She felt Serena and Brock grab a hold of her to hold her back. But she continued. She was heartless. Both of them were. Mewtwo at least was a monster who had the decency to be honest. Mew hid her deceptive choices behind a childish mask.
As Brock and Serena kept holding her back, her gaze turned to her side, and her eyes widened upon seeing the figure that had been missing since the start of battle.
Charizard.
"Charmeleon, help! Use Fire Blast! Now!"
She turned to acknowledge both Ash and Pikachu. Pikachu wished she could wipe the condescending look off Charmeleon's face, but a stern and sharp look from Ash forced her hand to lower.
Charmeleon turned around.
"Dammit you stuck up bitch! Quit fucking around and help us!"
Pikachu felt something warm blossom in her chest. It was beginning to grow. For now, it was a steady spark.
Pikachu sprinted across the halls, ignoring the cries of staff members that told her she was not allowed in here, but even as she grew closer and closer, she already knew the results, tearing the doors open and barely hearing the referee's shouts, his pattern of white and black outfit, as he gestured to Ash's opponent across from him with a Electrode.
"Because of Charizard's refusal to battle, Bennie Asden is declared the winner!"
Pikachu could barely hear the crowd around them as she watched Charizard brush past Ash ignoring him as if he was not there, and flew off the open stadium, leaving her and her Trainer behind. She ignored them.
Bennie Asden attempted to comfort the boy first, telling him to train Charizard and that it was all right to lose, this was a minor Stadium and hardly an official one; Ash still gave him a good challenge. Even as Ash nodded, Pikachu could see the hurt and anger in his eyes, the words even as he attempted such, were hollow and empty. She wanted to say something, anything, but her voice was caught in her throat. What could she even say? She knew it. They both knew it.
It happened again. It happened again.
Bennie patted the boy on the shoulder and pointed behind him.
Pikachu wished he had never turned around to notice she was there, because she would then never have to see the look on Ash's face.
The spark was a bolt now, daring to release it on Charizard.
The fire was set, illuminating the night sky and casting it into a marmoreal gloom.
Brock set the pot down, using his can opener to peel off the lid of a can of soup. "So much easier with a Fire Type."
Pikachu studied her nails, leaning back against a tree. "Yeah, we used to do it with Charizard. Too bad she's a stuck up bitch now. Can't we just get another Fire Type to replace her or something?"
The camp was suddenly much colder now. Pikachu felt gazes on her, then looked up. "What?"
"Shut up Pikachu."
She narrowed her gaze on her Trainer. "But it's true. She doesn't obey you anymore."
"I said shut up!"
"No."
"What?"
"No."
She was tired of it. Tired of seeing Charizard since she was a Charmeleon ignore or disobeyed Ash since she evolved from her first stage as a Charmander in battles that were high stakes. Tired of trying to talk and understand and compromise and promises that were never going to be fulfilled. Tired of even trying to tolerate as she no longer had the patience or understanding. Understanding. Why did he even try to understand her?
Her Trainer scowled. "I'm not arguing this again with you Pikachu. It's done. It's over."
She understood what he was getting at.
"I do have sympathy, Ash! But not when it's not your fault that Charizard's a bitch everyday to you have to deal with for no apparent reason! She has a damn fucking problem and I'm not going to listen to any more of her giving you crap and ignoring you in battle!"
"She's a grown Charizard capable of speech and perfectly able to tell you what the fuck is wrong with her. If she has a problem with you, why doesn't she say it then?!"
Horrible, horrible words came out of her, in her anger towards him, in their argument.
Ash walked away back to his tent, but Pikachu was not letting him have the last of this argument.
"Fine. Keep her. Even though you released Butterfree? Even though you released Pidgeotto? Go ahead and keep her."
Charizard began to speak, but Pikachu wanted her to shut up. A blur of movement that none of them could even comprehend, and Pikachu was suddenly on top of her, hands clutched around her throat, sparks flying off her red cheeks.
"SHUT UP! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT ASH! YOU ALWAYS DISOBEYED OR IGNORED HIM! YOU NEVER LIKED HIM! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT HIM!"
Charizard, for the first time since she had been in every conflict with Ash's Starter, was shocked to silence, or the threat of Pikachu's fingers or sparkling bolts threatened her to silence. She could do it. Silence Charizard.
But she couldn't.
Ash could not forgive her. Could never.
She released her hold on her, falling to Serena's arms and crying once more.
This was the Battle of New Island.
A conflict between the Moemons of Trainers and clones, in a hellish climate in a malevolent castle.
The Battle of New Island was also the event that signaled the death of Ash Ketchum.
