Chapter Forty-Four: Dissenters
Nora closed the distance and slashed across the mewtwo's chest with a shadow claw, unable to dodge the lightning-quick reflexes of the larger psychic. She lurched forward as her body was sent flying towards the bleachers. The typhlosion barely managed to push herself up when a psychic blast caved the metal in. Her heart was pounding as she frantically scurried back onto her feet. "Holy shit!" she yelled.
"What the hell was that?!" Aaron asked. "We're training – not trying to kill one another!"
"Your enemies will not lighten their blows."
"…Uh, actually they have… the whole 'non-killing' thing is something they've stuck to pretty well, all things considered…"
"Then they are fools."
"Look, Mewtwo." Sofia caught herself. "We can call you that, right?"
"My model name is CEM-2A4," he replied.
"Huh?"
"Cybernetically Enhanced Mewtwo. I am the second variant of a third-generation prototype, permanently locked in mega evolution to increase lethality." The trainers exchanged a concerned glance.
"…What happened to the first one?" Sofia asked.
"He was designed primarily for offensive capabilities. Armor would have compensated where his defenses lacked, but the constant stress of mega evolution was too much for his body to handle. He was torn apart from the inside."
"Oh," Brooke said. "That's lovely…"
"My design focuses on rapidly healing any damage inflicted, both internal and external. It is why I am the first prototype to survive the augmentation process." Seeing as to how combat had stopped, Mewtwo lowered himself to the ground.
"Wait," Marcus interjected. "So you were the first to survive."
"Correct."
"But the program… we heard that it was only twelve years old."
"That is also correct."
"…You mean to tell us you're less than twelve?" Mewtwo gave a short nod.
"I am ten. Accelerated aging was worked into my genome up to a certain point. It is not until continuous mega evolution is triggered that the problems begin. The first few years were the most taxing. Following that, artificial musculature implants are needed to sustain the form, followed by complete replacements during the sixth year. I am now capable of both sustaining this form and living indefinitely."
"…You don't sound like you're ten," Brooke commented.
"My IQ is sixty points higher that of the average person." He glanced at Aaron and Sofia. "Perhaps even twice that of the typical human."
"Well humans managed to design you, so…" Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. Apparently he had not been designed with a sense of humor. Aaron decided that it was best to remain quiet.
"In any case, we are wasting our time with talk. If these opponents are as powerful as you claim, then your teams stand little chance. Perhaps I can contest the latias with my healing factor, but she greatly overpowers me from the few seconds of contact we had. I am not sure how; I was trained to kill them with ease in the simulations."
"Yeah, well Nathan's team seems to be full of exceptions," Sofia stated. "You worry about her. We'll try to figure something out for the other five."
"You don't even know what they are," Mewtwo retorted. "There is insufficient data to entertain optimism right now."
"Then I guess we'll just have to train our hardest and wing it."
The end of every training session was a long-awaited occurrence. The pokémon sighed in contentment, often collapsing on the ground before being returned to their balls. The issue of where Mewtwo would stay had been solved on his own accord. Though Sofia's house was more than sufficient to house another person, she admittedly wasn't fond of the idea of bringing Mewtwo around her family. He didn't seem to care for the idea of being around them any more than he had to, either, and decided to stay at the gym each night.
"That guy's an asshole," Brooke stated the moment they'd gotten into the car.
"Well we have to put up with him for now." Aaron started the ignition and drove off. Nora slouched against the seat and stared lifelessly out the window. "After all, we put up with you."
"Very funny." He looked in the rearview mirror and grinned as she crossed her arms. The floatzel elbowed Marcus. "Our trainer is an asshole, too."
"I'm aware."
With only six weeks to go before the final battles, there was still much to do. Nathan was confident in their ability to suppress the dissenters, but an unforeseen variable had been introduced: the last thing he had expected was to have to capture Elesa on a short notice or to facilitate the final development of the mewtwo clones. What on earth they were going to do with thirty-two of mankind's most diabolical creation – and living, breathing ones at that – he wasn't sure. Their VR training had been abruptly ended, though, and the procedures that had been done on the single functioning prototype would not be performed on them. They would not be made into weapons.
But as he walked through the brightened hallway, one that housed more dangerous prisoners, Nathan figured that he could tend to those matters later. For now, the mewtwos were safe. Or at least, as safe as those creatures could be…
He stopped in front of a lone door in a corner. The one guard on this particular floor nodded without standing up from his station. Nathan deactivated the lock and waited for the large mechanism to open, stepping out of his suit while it did so. There had once been a time he would not have done so; rather, he would have walked in there and ended her out of spite. And though that would have had a positive impact on the world, it would not be the right thing to do.
When he walked into the empty room, there were a few things Nathan noticed. The bed was neatly made and nothing seemed to have been moved – including the book of scripture on the table. The only indication that Elesa had even lived here for the past few days was the toothbrush positioned along the sink. The older woman stared at the barred window with her back turned. The polish on her nails had worn off and the edges had been chewed down. In all fairness, the prisoners weren't given much to do on the order of entertainment.
"Where are we?" she asked without moving. "The sun never rises here. Surely it is not Earth."
"Not even our own universe," Nathan replied. Her heels clicked on the floor as she turned to face him.
"You definitely aren't one of theirs. I assume you're one of the people from our world." Nathan motioned for her to take a seat, but she was hesitant.
"Had I wanted you dead, I'd have left you with the mewtwo." Elesa sat down. He set his PDA onto the table; unbeknownst to her, it was recording. "I have to say, I'm actually impressed."
"Is that so?" He nodded.
"You managed to keep that little operation a secret throughout the invasion. I mean, the Unovan government was smart in using a separate mainframe with no internet capabilities to store all information about the project, and you might have simply inherited it all once we collapsed the government, but keeping nearly sixty children quiet about the matter was no easy feat."
"Children? The youngest was nearly twenty…"
"And yet every one of them is little more than an entitled kid, shaking their fists at the world for not bending to their will." She rolled her eyes and huffed.
"Why are you here? And who the hell are you, anyways?" The former gym leader glanced at him with disinterest. All of a sudden, though, she stopped. Her eyes narrowed. "Wait… I've seen your face before. You were on one of our watchlists."
"Once upon a time."
"So that's just it, isn't it? Just another fucking Alpha prick. I don't know why I'm surprised. Fascism is right up your team's alley."
"You all seem to forget that fascism used to have a distinct meaning until people like yourself redefined it to mean anyone you disagreed with. We are authoritarian, not fascist, seeking to remove the human element from the top of the hierarchy altogether, and we have collapsed dictators from both extremes alike. Perhaps what is most hypocritical, though, is the fact that people such as yourself are much closer to that part of the political spectrum than those you call fascists," Nathan stated. "But I digress. While I may have been born from that organization, I despise them as much as I do yours. Both are good for little more than pointing fingers at one another, bickering and killing people they don't like."
"And yet here you are – locking everyone up like cattle because they oppose you."
"Poor choice of words," he continued. "Given what your team just did to those mewtwos." He looked away, biting his tongue before his temperament could rise. "Born only to kill those you hate, torn apart time after time and pumped full of VR training. You're nothing but hypocrites, but that is to be expected. When I was in Alpha, we had a saying: if it weren't for double standards, the left wouldn't have any standards at all. I can see that definitely applies to you."
"I've done what I had to," she retorted. "You think I was fond of what we did? I made the best I could out of a situation that predated our involvement."
"You had the option of releasing them all. Instead, you walked in the same footsteps as Unova. I have no doubt you would have nuked your own region if it meant securing control over it."
"Are we done here? Clearly all you want to do is argue over definitions and gloat. I'm in a mood to entertain neither of those things."
"Interesting. I thought after two days of no human contact, you'd have been eager for something to do. Clearly you haven't touched that," Nathan said, pointing to the book. "Your team has left us with a lot to clean up. If there has ever been anything more damaging to the world than a twenty-first century leftist, I have yet to see it. And yet… all of that can change. It doesn't have to be this way."
"Oh? So you're here to try and recruit me into your group now? Is that what this is?" Nathan shook his head.
"I've given up hope of either you or Clay coming to your senses any time soon. Perhaps on your deathbeds, you may each change your minds and repent of your wrongdoings, but until then I see nothing but pride and wrath in the both of you."
"Whatever."
"Or maybe not," he admitted. "But your soul will pay the price otherwise." He leaned back in the chair, his arms folding. "Anyways, as you have likely noticed, the battles will occur in a month and a half."
"Battles?" She asked before laughing. "Be honest – they'll be anything but battles. The best trainer in the world has no chance when their opponents can stack the odds against them."
"The three trainers representing our team are the best in the world. They were determined before we ever invaded. But I figured you would jump to such a conclusion – even if you yourself, just like most leftists, would cheat to win if the roles were reversed. So your opponent will be another electric-type expert. Given the recent opening on your team slot, it will be a five versus five battle within Nimbasa's arena."
"Is that so?" She seemed skeptical. Perhaps she had a right to be; doing everything one could to ensure their own victory was only natural.
"He is also another Unovan." Elesa looked down in contemplation. But it only took her a minute to figure out who he was referring to.
"Surge…"
"Yes. Neither you nor Clay will be fighting opponents with distinct advantages. It made sure that the playing field was fair in terms of type-matchups. Skill, though… that might be a different story. We'll just have to see if you were worthy of all the points that were given to you." Nathan stood up to leave, swiping his PDA in the process. He withdrew something from his suit and walked back into the room. Holding it with an outstretched hand, he offered it to her.
It was a small belt with five pokéballs.
"What—"
"Surge's team has been preparing for some time. Before now, I would hope you have been, too. It would be unfair to prevent your team from training, so you will have the remaining time from now until the battle to do what you need to do. You will be transported to the housing quarters and allowed to use one of our training facilities. I would not recommend running, though. Going outside without a suit will prove fatal very quickly."
A pair of buzzwoles approached the door as he stepped back into his suit. Elesa stood straight as he prepared to leave. "And what happens after that?"
"I'm not sure," Nathan admitted. "You consider yourself a champion of civil rights and an uplifter of the poor. The latter I can agree with to a very limited extent; the former I cannot. You are little more than an egotistical terrorist, seeking nothing but the destruction of those you hate and the elevation of your own selfish ambitions. Perhaps you faced the harsh truth in your former career, cast out once your body showed the first signs of aging, and could not accept a life outside of the spotlight. Or perhaps you are evil and deranged enough to fully believe in what you preach. Either way, you have spread entitlement and degeneracy everywhere you've gone. You and your associates are far too dangerous for the good of mortals to be released as you are."
"So you'll just hold us here forever?!"
"Be grateful that we are not Alpha. If we were, then your statement would be wrong – we would have instead thrown your corpses into the compost bins to grow our crops." That made her quiet down. "But neither did I say we would hold you forever. Should you change, acknowledging the errors of your ways and repent in true humility, then you and your associates will be able to walk Unova once again. But should your pride prevail, then the walls of this facility will be all you ever see for the rest of your days."
"And would you do the same for your former teammates?" she spat.
"I have yet to find Clay. Odds are he's hiding under a rock somewhere, scared to even catch a glimpse of sunlight. The remnants of Alpha have fallen silent. The team may even be dead for all I know; we arrested the most prominent members, minus Clay, months ago. I am satisfied so long as both groups are out of the way, never capable of plaguing this world with their godless ideologies again. Should he come out into the light, you will have an unwilling roommate." He motioned to the pokéball belt on the table. Elesa didn't break her stare but slowly picked it up. "I would recommend getting to work. There is not much time, and Surge is more than a match—"
"There you are!" a voice said from behind. The two ultra beasts hurriedly turned around to the source but were too slow as a pink blur zipped between them. Nathan closed his eyes in minor annoyance as the mew floated in front of him. It was hard to maintain an air of intimidation with her around. One of the buzzwoles said something under his breath and the other released an odd noise, probably laughing.
"Genesis," he said without removing his eyes from Elesa – though the mew was doing her best to encompass his vision. "We've talked about this…"
"Have we?" she asked. "I can't seem to remember…" He sighed as she grinned victoriously. Fortunately the interruption came when he was wrapping things up here. Nathan spoke to the buzzwoles.
"See to it that she's allowed access to the facility as needed." With that, he left with a mew clinging to his arm.
Marcus wiped the blood from his muzzle. Though the lucario was far too proud to admit it, the mewtwo terrified him. He wasn't alone in that sentiment. But there wasn't much that they could do; they needed his help. If either Aaron or Sofia was going to go against Nathan, they needed something as powerful as him to even stand a chance. That did nothing to change how they felt about the psychic, though.
It was late. Had it not been for the flickering lights overhead, darkness would have claimed the facility. The few overhead windows that were ground-level showed little more than the frost that had built up around the corners. Mewtwo relaxed his muscles and floated weightlessly. Aaron rubbed the back of his lucario's head as he stared at the massive feline. Yes, their time frame was short, but would it hurt him to lighten up some? Had he not known better, Aaron would have thought that Mewtwo was unleashing the hatred he had towards Delta onto them.
Against his better judgement, the trainer decided to walk towards him as the two teams were recovering. The psychic lazily opened a single eye. "What?" he asked. Aaron shook his head.
"Look, I know you said you weren't going to take it easy on us – and I appreciate that. But there's also no need to beat our pokémon senseless."
"Perhaps they should do better then."
"Dude, they don't have synthetic muscles or machines inside of them. Cut them some slack." Mewtwo growled, both irritated and reluctant.
"You said yourself that your friend regularly trains with legendaries. His team has likely been exposed to far stronger foes than me." Aaron nodded. "Then why speak against my methods? If we are to even attempt to account for years of training in less than two months, your weak teams will have to put forth far more effort."
"Alright, just… please try to lighten the blows a bit. Giving Marcus a concussion isn't helping him get stronger."
"Fine." Aaron gave a nod of appreciation before turning to leave. Before he could take a single step, though, Mewtwo spoke again. "Your typhlosion, however, might stand a chance. She is strong. With time, perhaps her psychic abilities may even be stronger than mine."
"Huh?"
"My design prioritizes durability and physical prowess. Though I may maintain my current strength indefinitely, it cannot increase."
"So you were made to be as strong as you will ever be."
"That is correct." Of course, static or not, the mewtwo was a greater threat than many tier-two legendaries. If only they had him on their side when the flygon attacked…
"Does it hurt?" he asked. Mewtwo looked at him questioningly. "We saw… some of the stuff that they had done to you. Your probably as much machine as you are pokémon."
"I have acclimated to the pain," Mewtwo stated. "But I have never forgotten it. When I get ahold of my torturers, I will be sure to make their suffering last as long as mine did."
"But… it wouldn't change what happened, would it?" Aaron asked.
"I do not care."
February marked the final month before the three main battles. Clay and the remnants of Alpha had gone into hiding, and with the capture of most of Delta's upper ranks from around the world, they had fallen silent too. For the first time in his life, Unova was at peace. People still walked along sidewalks that were slowly being claimed by weeds, mostly to collect their rations, but the world was quiet. No fires, no gunshots – nothing. It was scary because it was so out of place. Unnatural.
Aaron and Nora drank coffee on the porch while looking towards the distant city. According to Nathan, Castelia had forwarded many of the social evils in the world. True as that may have been, Aaron felt familiarity with those skyscrapers. There was much evil within the world, and should Omega win, the world would likely be better without all this. But they were fighting for that choice – for the choice to do good or evil rather than submission out of necessity. As good as Nathan may be, Aaron felt that he had overlooked that.
A text snapped him out of his musings.
Meet me at the Resort in half an hour. Right where we lost to the flygon.
He reread the message before showing it to Nora. She sighed. "I really don't want sand in my fur again…" Aaron texted her back.
Does it have to be in the Resort?
It was only a few seconds before she responded.
Yes.
"Well, looks like we're treading sand in thirty minutes." Nora growled in annoyance and set a half-empty mug on the step.
"You are really, really lucky I put up with you."
"Yeah, yeah."
The morning sun cast a golden glow over the rolling dunes. Fragments of asphalt were scarce where a road had once been. Aaron and his team had walked here, both due to the short distance and the fact that traveling here in a vehicle was no longer an easy endeavor. It didn't take long for them to find her. Sofia sat on the remnants of a concrete pillar; the rest of the bridge was concealed under thousands of tons of sand. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and a thin, white jacket with small frills in the back. A few of the local pokémon looked at the trainers with great curiosity.
"Sure hope that flygon doesn't intend on showing up," Aaron murmured.
"I asked them," Sofia quietly said while motioning to a pair of krokoroks. "They said the Storm has gone off to finish her mission. Whatever that means."
"Alright." For a moment, nobody said anything. Why she had not released her own team was beyond him. She stared almost lifelessly before speaking up.
"We never did get to have our battle…"
"Is that what this is about?" he asked. Sofia nodded.
"We've got little more than a month left. One of us is going to have to stand against Nathan. We originally agreed that you would transfer your points to me." Aaron was quiet, but he nodded. That had been the original agreement. "But… when Elesa had us trapped… she seemed to think that you would've had a better chance against Nathan." She stood up. "I've seen what your team is capable of – and you've seen what mine can do. I want to find out right here and now which one of us has the edge."
"Alright." But what he didn't expect were her next words.
"Aces only."
"You want a one-on-one match?" he asked. When she nodded, Aaron shook his head and shrugged. Odds were the strongest ace between the two teams – along with the mewtwo – would stand the greatest chance against Nathan; now, it was only a matter of finding out who that was. "Alright then…"
Aaron looked at his team. A silent nod was his only response; it was no secret as to who was his strongest. He returned everyone but Nora. Sofia's hand drifted to her side. Both of them had stared death in the face before, but somehow, the reality of what was about to happen here unnerved them both. Her usual confidence seemed only a façade as she withdrew the ball and released her pokémon.
He released a drawn-out sigh. A pair of black, beady eyes were apologetic. But Aaron was proud. Sofia's team was one of the greatest in the world, and for him to have gained the most prominent position within it was impressive. Maybe it was to be expected. After all, nothing had been easy the past year.
Both pokémon stood ready to face their former trainers.
"Uh… listen… no hard feelings… right?" Pierce asked. Aaron smiled.
"There will be if you don't give it everything you've got," he replied.
Nora's eyes scanned the surroundings. Perhaps Sofia had wanted Pierce in his element for the fight. That along with a dual type advantage certainly gave him some chance. But she clenched her fist. It wouldn't be enough.
Sofia was the first to issue a command. "Sandstorm!" Nora shielded her eyes as the ground began to swirl.
'Rock slide!' Aaron commanded. She got the idea. The grains formed into clusters of sandstone as she launched them back, effectively ending his visual cover. Pierce ducked under the projectiles and closed the distance between them. A sharp pain lanced across Nora's chest, claws coated in a dark aura that seeped into her being. She snarled out and lashed back with a focus blast. Pierce's eyes went wide as he rolled just in time. Sand kicked up near Sofia, but she didn't flinch.
"Earthquake!" Her voice was louder than it needed to be. "Then stone edge!" Pierce moved fast as lightning, stomping the earth and forming his projectiles from the debris. Nora didn't wait for him to aim and used a new trick in her arsenal – one that they had learned from Mewtwo. The psychic blades sliced at the krookodile's scales and made him immediately abandon the attack.
Pierce kicked her in the stomach, swinging his body around for an iron tail. Nora stumbled and shielded the brutal strike. That was her opening. 'Solar beam!' For her, it took just fractions of a second to charge and release. Sofia had no time to give an order. The beam of energy struck him center-mass and sent the ground-type rolling. He hissed in pain and rolled onto all fours, charging her while kicking massive waves of sand to obscure her view. 'Eyes closed!'
'No shit!' Nora launched a psychic wave in each direction before a swift jab connected with her back. She spun around and lashed out. Pierce ducked under her and struck under her arm. The typhlosion snarled and blasted everything in front of her, sending ripples through the earth and launching Pierce into the air.
"Dark pulse!" The black aura obscured Nora's vision as it collided with her. He wasted no time before the onslaught, using outrage on his own accord. Nora tried to regain her senses as one strike after another was landed. A swift punch to her jaw was intended to knock her out. Though it all but made her fold over, Nora had deemed it enough. A violet aura encased her fist as she thrust it into Pierce's stomach. The krookodile lurched forward as a loud smack echoed across the desert.
'Fire blast!' Nora kicked him in the same spot, and as he stumbled back, sent a wave of scorching energy towards him.
"MOVE!" Pierce didn't react in time and took the blunt of the attack. His body was sprawled out on the ground and he struggled to get back up. His claws dug into the sand. Thousands of tiny rocks clustered together and were hurled towards Nora. She formed the barrier but wasn't fast enough to protect herself from all of them, shrieking as the speeding projectiles barraged her skin. Pierce ran on all fours and launched himself into the air.
The sun was blotted out as he swiped downwards with a dragon claw attack. Nora formed psychic barriers in front of her wrists as they impacted. Pierce swept and slashed, strike after strike blocked by the invisible shields. He found his opening. Nora blocked a slice aimed at her chest when he pivoted around and slammed his tail into her ankles. The harsh ground was the next thing the typhlosion felt.
He pounced at the opportunity to end this. Pierce knew his strengths, and close quarters combat was among his greatest. The ground-type charged Nora before she could get up and kicked her in the side. "Nora!" Aaron called out as her body rolled over.
"Finish her with stone edge!" The typhlosion only barely registered the words as her ears rang and vision blurred. But she saw the sediment rising from all around her and knew that there was no time to strategize – no time to question. All she could do was act. She thrust her hands forward and seized control of the rocks, hurling them right back where they came from.
"…Shit," was all Pierce could say. The krookodile vanished from sight, launched into the concrete. He fell face-down and didn't budge. Sofia sighed and walked over towards him as Nora's senses returned. The trainer squatted beside him.
"Think you can continue?" she asked quietly. But she already knew the answer. Pierce tried with every fiber in his being, but his muscles no longer obeyed him. All he could manage was the faint twitching of a single claw. "…Yeah, that's what I thought." She sighed. The red beam recalled him to safety.
"Great job, Nora." She straightened herself up before looking over her shoulder. Aaron grinned, then glanced at Sofia. There was no initial response from the other trainer. Instead, she stood up, looking away from them and towards the city.
"…Dammit." Sofia folded her arms. The back of her coat swayed in the chilly wind. But then she laughed. "You know… all this happened because I traded you back then." Nora averted her gaze. "If only I'd known then what I do now. But… I guess I deserved that." She slowly withdrew the phone from her pocket. After a few seconds, Aaron's vibrated. He looked at it and went silent.
All the points that she had earned had been transferred to him.
"Sofia…"
"Whoever has the better chance against Nathan should be the one to face him," Sofia said. "I thought that would have been me. I was wrong."
"But…"
"Besides, you already have more experience fighting him than anyone. We'll help you prepare any way we can." Nora closed her eyes. Her former trainer had given up the single goal she had held since the beginning of this conquest. That said a lot about her, and in a way, proved Nathan right on one account. Anyone could change. But there was also a foreboding reality – a tremendous responsibility – that was now upon Aaron and his team.
They might not all survive that final battle.
If Nathan's team was the pinnacle of Omega's ideals, then they would do everything they could to spare everyone. But there was no telling what may happen in the heat of the moment during a fight that could dictate the fate of half the world.
They could deal with that when the time came, though. Nora practically rammed her head into Aaron's chest, less exhausted from the fight as she was sore. There was still a great deal that they needed to work on in the month and a half they had remaining.
Once their training session had ended for the day, Nora wobbled and clasped her stomach. Aaron tried to get her to relax before she sprinted outside the gym as quick as she could. The sounds of retching promptly followed. Mewtwo relaxed his stance, though his eyes were just as intense as they had been throughout the past few hours. "You were both late today."
"We had a battle of our own," Aaron replied. "And… well, it looks like my team will be the one you fight with." He gave little more than a huff at that statement.
"It was past noon when you arrived. I doubt your entire teams possess the stamina to last for hours in battle. You would both do well to treat this with more seriousness."
"We're doing what we can," Brooke retorted.
"No, you little rat, you aren't," Mewtwo stated. "There is less than a month to prepare for, according to your own words, what may be the most powerful team the planet has ever seen. And you would even think about wasting time while this far behind? Do not insult me by offering such a pitiful excuse."
"I'm sorry. It was my idea." The feline glared at Sofia.
"Well do not get any other similarly foolish ideas. Our odds of success are already low enough, and there still remain two undetermined variables at play."
When Nora finally managed to stumble back inside, everyone was preparing to leave for the night. One of the lights overhead flickered violently, somehow having survived a deflected thunderbolt. Mewtwo retreated into the corner of the room that he had made his own, a darkened portion with rations and chemicals that he had obtained with no mention of how he had gotten them. He floated in place.
But Aaron, perhaps against better judgement, went towards him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Look man… is everything alright?"
"All of my biomechanical systems are operating at full efficiency."
"That's… not what I meant." The mewtwo looked at the trainer skeptically. "Over the past couple of weeks, you've been really irate with everyone. Nobody here wants anything but the best for you…"
"You merely seek your weapon against Nathan. You will have just that, but I am not so easily deceived."
"That's just not true. It might be hard for you to believe, but there are people out there that aren't just out for themselves," Nora replied. She motioned over her shoulder. "I used to be Sofia's pokémon. Did you know that?" Mewtwo said nothing but offered the smallest shake of his head. "She traded me to Aaron because Pierce could fight and I couldn't."
"Then she is stupid."
"Well… I didn't know I had psychic powers then," Nora admitted. "I can't naturally make fire, so from her perspective, I was dead weight to the team. I had left my home, travelled across the world for her… and that was how I was treated. I… hated her for it." Nora smiled. "But in the end, a lot of good came from it – even if her heart wasn't in the right place at the time. Had it not been for the trade, I wouldn't have met Aaron. We might have all died several times – or maybe his team wouldn't have even fought Omega in the first place. I have forgiven her for what she did to me and now things are fine between us. Holding grudges does nothing but continue to hurt you." Mewtwo's feet touched the ground. With his arms folded, he walked towards the typhlosion, glaring down at the far smaller creature.
"You would dare compare your story to mine? Have you any idea what it is like to be immobilized while they tear your muscles from your bones? While they graft molten titanium to your skeleton? Or while they implant machinery into your body?"
"No, but—"
"Then do not insult me by even trying to compare our situations," Mewtwo stated. Nora closed her eyes and sighed. A brief nod was all she could manage.
"A-alright."
"I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you," Aaron said.
"I neither need nor want your pity. Only my revenge." There was a heavy silence between them. Mewtwo turned around and walked back to his darkened corner. "It would be both wise and beneficial for your health should you never speak of these things again." For the second time that day, they realized that Nathan had been right. Everyone could change.
But not everyone would.
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.