Sylvia walks ahead, ready to confront Mewtwo! But what dangers await her in Cerulean Cave? Will her team of Ghost type pokemon be able to overcome Mewtwo and his devastating psychic powers, or will she be swatted like a gnat?
KedharS: It certainly was. And it's going to be even more of a something.
JoshGamerV: Nah. No Mega Stones. I think you may be overthinking this when it comes to a stone that boosts the power of Psychic type pokemon. Where have we heard of that before?
Just a Bad Writer for Fun: It should be interesting, I hope you like it. You were pretty close, but I don't think you ever landed on quite the right sequence of ideas.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 853
Cerulean Cave was quite beautiful. The teal-colored crystals that erupted from the ground and throbbed in veins within the dark walls gave the cavernous structure a feeling of beauty as one walked through it, glowing like an entirely alien world.
But Sylvia wasn't here to appreciate the beauty. She was here on the hunt for Mewtwo, a legendary pokemon, and aesthetics wouldn't help her meet that end. So she decided to focus her attention towards finding her way through the labyrinth, looking for tunnels and passageways that would lead her down.
The crystals were certainly disorienting; as a girl with an advanced sixth sense, she should be feeling SOMEthing coming from the psychic pokemon that certainly dwelled within, but she couldn't feel anything. It was like having gauze wrapped around your eyes, she knew that there was something here, but she couldn't get a solid enough grasp of what it was.
"You can turn back any time you wish," Ryoko said. "I have no qualms with teleporting you to back to the exit."
Sylvia rolled her eyes. For someone who was supposed to be a passive observer of the timeline, Ryoko was really making a big deal out of this, trying to convince her to go back the way she came. Didn't she get that something like that just wasn't going to happen?
"I'm sorry to break it to you, Ryoko," Sylvia said, in no way sorry, "but you're just going to have to resign yourself to this, okay? I'm not heading back until I look Mewtwo right in the eyes and I get what I want from him. So you can either get onboard with that now and help me find him, or you can keep your mouth shut."
Ryoko kept her mouth shut.
Of course, Sylvia wasn't so inclined. "I'm surprised that there are so many wild pokemon around," she mused, looking at the pokemon skittering out of her way. "You would think that with a pokemon as strong as Mewtwo here, no other pokemon would choose to make its nest in this area, right?"
Ryoko did not respond to the attempts of Sylvia to bait her into conversation. She had nothing to say to the girl besides asking her to leave.
"You know, it makes me wonder… this place, the pokemon here should be able to feel the ominous chill that I'm feeling right now, right?" Sylvia asked, glancing back towards Ryoko. "And I'm sure that someone connected to Celebi like you can feel the same thing. You can't locate the source, but it's definitely there."
Ryoko did feel the presence of Mewtwo; anyone would, in this situation, even one without as heightened of senses as Sylvia. But she still did not want to let Sylvia know that. Perhaps it was petty of her, but Sylvia being the way she was, the slightest of hints could lead her to a road of thought that would not be for the best.
"Maybe for pokemon, something like this is tranquil," Sylvia mused. "Telling them that as long as they keep in their lane, as long as they don't head in a certain direction, then their dens will be safe from intruders, guarded by the powerful Mewtwo. Like Venomoths, gathering around a lit candle, they find themselves drawn to that strength because it will repel others. What do you make of that, Ryoko? Any thoughts? Hmm?"
Sylvia was just playing with her at this point. She admired Ryoko's willingness to keep her mouth shut, even if it did lead to a boring conversation, but at the moment what was most important for her was finding a way towards Mewtwo. And maybe Ryoko could give something away even without saying a word…
…But no. Ryoko was a master.
"You should play poker, you know that?" Sylvia suggested. "Your face doesn't give away anything right now! Not a blink, not a drop of sweat, nothing. I'm almost impressed."
Of course, Sylvia didn't need Ryoko's validation to come to a decision of her own. She could go ahead with her thoughts anyway.
"So what I was thinking was that we could do a fun experiment," Sylvia explained. "Like this. You stay there and do nothing, and I'll go on a little bit of a hunt for wild pokemon! See what I can discover in these caves, sound good?"
Even as she said that, she knew Ryoko would be following after her.
Sylvia had a theory. If the wild pokemon who weren't scared off by Mewtwo's aura WERE gathered around in Cerulean Cave, then even if they couldn't sense where Mewtwo's psychic powers were emanating from, as wild pokemon they would know what areas to stay far away from out of fear that Mewtwo would hurt them.
Sylvia didn't want to waste her pokemon before she could even get to Mewtwo. She had a strategy that might get her through the fight, but she didn't want to spoil things before then. These pokemon were strong, after all. The less energy she exhausted against them, the better.
So all Sylvia had to do to find Mewtwo was follow the wild pokemon, and find where they weren't. Or, more specifically, get her pokemon to do that.
She took out four of her pokeballs.
"Specter, Dusk, Runja, Magia, I'll need your help with this," Sylvia called, sending out her ghost pokemon.
The ghosts all looked curiously at her.
"I'm trying to find a very strong pokemon," Sylvia sweetly explained. "And the wild pokemon in this area will be giving that pokemon a wide berth. So do be a bunch of dears and head through the caves, finding me a path where the wild pokemon don't dare tread, will you?"
Her pokemon called out in agreement, separating in different directions. They flew through the walls and quickly vanished, while Sylvia kept pressing forward, seeking to carve her own path through the caverns.
She kept back Higurashi and Letty. Due to Letty's unique composition they weren't able to pass through walls, and Higurashi could be knocked out immediately by any stray wild pokemon. It was very important to keep them close by, and only use them with Sylvia's immediate supervision. It would be a waste otherwise, after all. She trusted the rest of her pokemon would be able to handle themselves, even against the beasts in this cave.
It took a while, and Sylvia began wondering what was keeping them. She didn't think that her pokemon could actually be knocked out, they were far too cautious and clever for that- she had raised them herself, after all! Perhaps this cave was a lot bigger than she'd expected.
"Shuppet!" Specter came back first. The Shuppet's face was shining with excitement, which told Sylvia all she needed to know.
"Did you find your way through?" Sylvia asked.
"Shuppet!" Specter nodded.
Sylvia grinned. That was all she needed.
"The others will catch up soon," she decided. "Lead the way, Specter!"
"Shuppet!" With a nod, Specter led her through the labyrinth of Cerulean Cave, navigating around the nests of wild pokemon with ease. Sylvia's other Ghost types returned to her, and she recalled them to their pokeballs for rest.
She didn't expect that she'd need them for the battle against Mewtwo, but she could never be too careful.
Finally, Specter led them to a long tunnel, hovering cautiously in front of it.
"This is as far as you went?" Sylvia asked, looking back at her Shuppet.
"Shup…" Specter nodded, shivering.
Sylvia smiled. That was good enough, then. She recalled Specter and turned her attention towards the tunnel.
She stared down the long path. It was just high enough for her to walk through. There was a dull glow in the distance, but she couldn't see anything clearly. She wondered what would lie on the other side, and felt a shiver run down her spine.
So this is it… Mewtwo. Valon's little "surprise" for me, Sylvia thought, licking her lips. I suppose it's only fair, given the surprise that I gave him.
Before the Phantom had gone to the Orre Region, Sylvia had brought his attention to a certain place that would be of interest to him. It was home to a surprise of her own. Whether or not he would appreciate it as much as she appreciated her surprise, well…
She supposed she would find out when they returned to the Pokemon Academy.
"This is the last chance for you to go back," Ryoko warned her. "Mewtwo will tear through your pokemon and then destroy you."
"My ghosts can handle a Psychic type no matter how tough it is," Sylvia snorted, rolling her eyes derisively. She knew that Mewtwo was powerful, but it was much more amusing to bait Ryoko like this by not acknowledging it.
And it wasn't like she had no plan.
"No matter how strong they might be, Mewtwo's psychic attacks will decimate them," Ryoko warned. "And even if you had brought a Dark type pokemon, his miracle eye would allow it to strike even then. There is nothing you can do."
Sylvia rolled her eyes. There it was again, Ryoko's favorite saying. "There is nothing you can do." She hated those words more than anything.
She was Sylvia Driscoll. There was always something she could do.
"I don't think you'd just let me die," Sylvia said, shaking her head. She smirked at Ryoko. "You've overplayed your hand. You need me, after all. That's why you gave me that flute. If it came down to my death, you would save me, wouldn't you?"
Sylvia didn't actually think that was the case. Even knowing that she made it out of this alive, she suspected that Ryoko would remain true to her word and not use her powers to save her. Which begged a very interesting question…
"This is me saving you," Ryoko said simply. "By taking you from this place before you can challenge Mewtwo and die."
Sylvia blinked. "Then do it."
Ryoko, for once, looked confused.
Sylvia shrugged. "Do it. You can time travel, can't you? So take me back in time, before Mewtwo was here, if you want to drag me away so badly."
"…I am not allowed to do something like that," Ryoko said, and for a second Sylvia thought she saw a wave of irritation flash across her face. She smirked.
"So what you're telling me is that if I went in there and fought Mewtwo, even if I would die, you wouldn't step in and stop it?"
"That is correct. In this situation, the limits on what I can do to interfere are ironclad. I am not able to prevent Mewtwo from killing you, any more than I can prevent you from going forward. This is how I may act, by convincing you to return with me," Ryoko explained. She extended her hand to Sylvia. "Now that you know that, let us be gone. This is not the place for you to die."
"…So you know I won't die, but you can't step in to save me…" Sylvia mused. She sighed in resignation. "Well, I guess there's no choice…"
She extended her hand towards Ryoko, and for a second the time traveler believed she had actually gotten through to the girl.
Then she saw Sylvia's smirk.
"Then I guess that means I really do find a way of overcoming Mewtwo!" Sylvia cackled, swatting Ryoko's hand away. She turned and dashed down the tunnel, disappearing before Ryoko could tell her to stop.
"Sylvia!" Ryoko called after her. For the first time in what felt like an eternity she had been caught off-guard. She knew that she and Sylvia would leave this place together, but she could not imagine the sequence that would get them there.
All she could do was let her curiosity take hold, and chase after Sylvia.
The two of them emerged in the center of a large chamber filled with colorful shining crystals. And in the center of the chamber, suspended in an orb of psionic energy, was a pokemon.
It was tall and vaguely feline, almost like a fetus. Its long purple tail hovered behind it, one of the few parts of its lavender-colored body not covered in silver armor. In the center of the pokemon's chest was a stone roughly the size of a fist, glowing bright pink in color to match the aura of the pokemon's psychic energy.
Sylvia gasped in awe. She could feel the power radiating from the pokemon now, it was almost overwhelming.
So this was Mewtwo.
"So you've come, humans."
Sylvia's eyes widened. She could hear the pokemon's voice in her head. There were rumors that certain Psychic type pokemon were capable of communicating with humans directly through telepathy, but this was the first one she'd encountered.
"Are you Mewtwo?" She called.
"My creators named me 'Adam'," was Mewtwo's reply. "I was created in Mew's image. A copy. A clone. That is what I am. 'Mewtwo'. I am not even myself? Just an extension of someone else? With a name that you humans chose to give me?"
Sylvia shrugged. "I think that's all humans, named by someone else," she admitted. "But it doesn't have to be that way!" She slapped her chest. "You happen to be staring at a woman who picked her name and life for herself!"
"I know," Mewtwo rumbled, narrowing his eyes behind his visor. "I can see your thoughts, as clearly as my own. They're so loud, overwhelming…"
He turned his attention towards Ryoko. "But her… her thoughts are hidden from me. What… what are you? What force could be more powerful than my own, that keeps your thoughts from me?"
Sylvia was curious. He sounded almost desperate. Hopeful, even. Like he wanted to know how it was possible for Ryoko to shield her thoughts from him.
"That… is a complicated question," was the only answer Ryoko could give.
Mewtwo shook his head. "No matter. You are humans. So I must eliminate you. Perhaps then… I can rest again."
Sylvia smirked. She was right.
"So that's what this is. Why you hid yourself here," she said, shaking her head. "In a place where no humans could come. Where they couldn't find you. You're hiding, aren't you, Mewtwo?"
"I hide from no one!" Mewtwo roared, the psychic energy surging around him flaring up.
"No, no, you are hiding. You're hiding from this!" Sylvia said, tapping the side of her head. Her voice softened. "There are a lot of humans out there, aren't there, Mewtwo?"
"BILLIONS of them!" Mewtwo shouted.
"And hearing all those thoughts… it must be maddening," Sylvia sighed. "You can't control your psychic powers, can you? You can't stop the thoughts from overwhelming you, so you escaped here."
"The pokemon… I can't hear their thoughts. It is… peaceful here." The voice in Sylvia's head was almost wistful.
"…Not anymore though, huh?" Sylvia smirked.
"You… taint my sanctuary with your thoughts," Mewtwo growled, his voice aching with agony. "I must… eliminate you. As I must all humans who trespass in my sanctuary."
Sylvia turned to Ryoko and smiled. She had started to look frightened at this point.
"Tell me, Ryoko, in all the eras you jump through, did you ever take the… heh, 'time' to watch any movies? I know a few that you might find enjoyable, they're all about time and stuff!" She cackled, turning back to Mewtwo.
"What are you planning?" Ryoko asked.
"I'm just gonna talk with him," Sylvia smirked. "Mewtwo! There's no need for violence here. I came to bargain with you!"
"Bargain?" She could hear the sneer in his voice, even if she couldn't see his face. "This is the only bargain you'll get from me, human!" He roared, raising his hands and gathering a massive blast of psychic energy into a ball. He flung it at Sylvia who rolled her eyes.
Ryoko winced as the orb crashed down on Sylvia… and dispersed.
"What… what?" She gasped.
"What is this?!" Mewtwo roared, outraged that his attack had no effect, that the thoughts of Sylvia continued to flood into his mind without end.
Sylvia smirked. The dust cleared, revealing the pokemon hovering in front of her.
"Shedinja…" Higurashi murmured.
"What is this insect that seeks to impede me?!" Mewtwo demanded, conjuring another blast of psychic energy. He flung it at Higurashi, but like the last, it had no effect.
"Mewtwo, I've come to bargain," Sylvia simply replied. "I'm not going to fight you."
Ryoko was stunned. Mewtwo's psychic attacks were having no effect on Sylvia's Shedinja, they were all absorbed by its Wonder Guard!
"I will… erase you…" Mewtwo rasped, sending more blasts of psychic energy. But they continued to have no effect.
"No, you won't, sorry," Sylvia smirked. "I told you, I came to bargain. You may have incredible psychic powers, but that won't matter against Higurashi! So let's settle down, and talk like adults, shall we?"
"NEVER!"
Sylvia shrugged and sat down on a low crystal, pulling a soda out of her purse and cracking it open. "Fine, fine, then we can just sit here forever, then."
"No, this… this cannot be!" Mewtwo roared, increasing his psychic powers even further. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overcome the Wonder Guard.
"'Fraid so! You can't hurt me, not as long as I have Higurashi here protecting me from your psychic assault, and meanwhile… I can just stay here. Forever. Just think. Aaaaaaallllll those thoughts, my whole brain, flooding into you for the rest of existence."
Sylvia winced.
"Not… a very pleasant picture, I must say. My brain's not a fun place to be."
"NO… I WILL NOT REMAIN… TRAPPED IN THIS HELL FOR AN ETERNITY!"
Sylvia clicked her tongue. "No, see, you don't really have a choice. These crystals containing your psychic power? They're also preventing you from teleporting out of here, aren't they? So you're going to stay right here, with me and my thoughts, For. Ev. Er."
"NOOOO! ALL THIS… ALL THESE IDEAS, MEMORIES, THOUGHTS, POLLUTING ME, DISTRACTING ME, DRIVING ME TO MADNESS… YOU CAN'T! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS!" Mewtwo roared.
"I know. I told you, remember? I've come to bargain. Agree to my terms, and we'll go, simple as that," Sylvia replied.
Mewtwo's only response was a roar of frustration, and the strongest blast of psychic power he had mustered yet.
Sylvia feigned interest.
"END THIS!" Mewtwo roared.
She smirked. "There's a good boy."
"WHAT IS IT YOU WANT, HUMAN?! WHAT WILL SET ME FREE OF YOU?!"
"That stone on your chest," Sylvia replied. "Give it to me, and I'll be off."
"This… THIS STONE… IT'S POWER, I WILL NOT JUST…"
Sylvia shrugged.
"FINE!"
Mewtwo descended down to Sylvia. Up close, he was shorter than she thought, though taller than her. She reached out to touch the psychic pokemon's chest, and with a tug, she ripped the stone free.
The effect was instantaneous. The armor covering Mewtwo fell away to reveal the pokemon trapped within.
Mewtwo was shocked. He stumbled back, the aura around him dissipating.
"What… what have you done to me?!" He demanded. "I… I can no longer… hear the voices… what sorcery is this?!"
"Just as I thought," Sylvia said, tossing the stone a few times. It was surprisingly light. "This stone… whatever it is, it amplified your psychic powers… and kept you from controlling them. You couldn't stop reading the minds of others. It was the perfect leash, to keep you bound… As long as you were trapped in that armor, you couldn't hope to tread near humans, lest you become overwhelmed by their thoughts. Your captor must have been counting on that to drive you here and keep you docile, how amusing."
She couldn't help but smirk. "All that psychic power… and you couldn't set one foot out of this cave."
"But now… now I am free…" Mewtwo breathed, and for the first time Sylvia could see the hint of a smile creeping up his face. "I was drawn in by its allure, how it made me feel… when all along it was keeping me prisoner."
"Power does that," Sylvia shrugged. "Personally, I've never gotten the appeal. I'm the sort of gal who hates being bound by anything, you see."
"I owe you my thanks, human, for freeing me from my shackles," Mewtwo hissed. "Now go! You're your bargain and begone! I wish to see you no longer!"
"Sounds like a deal," Sylvia said, slipping the stone into her purse and recalling Higurashi. She turned to a shocked Ryoko.
"You see?" She said, bowing with a flourish. "I told you things would work out, didn't I?"
Ryoko could not find the words to answer her.
So Sylvia had a plan after all, one so "strange" that it even left Ryoko speechless! Having retrieved this psychic stone, what will happen next, I wonder?