-Chapter Four-
This chapter was a lot of fun to write. As always, thanks to Night Foliage for the beta reading. Check out my playlist (especially the song Three on Three) for the battle near the end. Should add some ambience. Enjoy!
"What took you guys so long?" a trainer demanded as they approached the table. He was scratching his Pidgeot's head.
"Uh...how'd you get here?" Ash asked, perplexed.
"I decided to fly over," he answered. "It was easy: hurricane winds are a breeze for Pidgeot here." He motioned to a group of Pokémon nearby. "Hey, guys. Say hello!"
A Sandslash, Venausaur, Scyther, Hitmonlee and Rhyhorn grumbled as ways of greeting.
"I'm Corey," he added, stretching out into the chair.
Before Ash could reply, he suddenly heard a loud roar, and looked over to see a Gyarados resting in a fountain. A Vaporeon, Tentacruel, Golduck and Nidoqueen surrounded it.
"I'm Fergus, and those are my Pokémon," another trainer called out. "It was no problem getting through that storm. I just rode over on Gyarados' back!"
"Wow," Ash said, "I heard it takes a lot of skill to train a Gyarados!"
"Yeah," he smirked, "but once you train it, it's the most dependable Pokémon there is."
"You haven't met my Pokémon," a female trainer giggled. "Over there!"
Her Pokémon, consisting of a Wigglytuff, Dewgong, Rapidash, Vileplume and Blastoise were far more animated than Corey's: they all shuffled about and cried out their welcomes.
"And I'm Neesha, by the way." She smiled and cocked her head to the side.
"I'm Ash, and my friends are Misty and Brock," Ash said, nodding at her Pokémon appreciatively.
Misty was admiring Fergus' Water-type Pokémon, while Brock was watching Neesha with considerable interest.
"Better late than never, eh Ash?" Gary was sitting at the end of the table, his legs propped up on another chair. His Eevee was on his lap, and Arcanine, Nidoking, Blastoise, Fearow and Alakazam were all clustered around him.
"You two know each other?" Neesha asked.
Gary gave Ash a sly grin. "You could say that."
Ash felt himself go red, and he was about to reply when the lights dimmed. They watched as a beam of blue light descended from the ceiling, eyes wide in surprise.
"You are about to meet my master," the woman suddenly spoke. "The time has come for your encounter with the greatest Pokémon master on earth."
Gyarados let out a low, feral growl, and all of the Pokémon began to hiss and spit. Pikachu crawled up onto Ash's shoulder, and Togepi ran to Misty's side. They all watched the beam of light warily.
A body was beginning to travel down the blue path, and they knew at once that it was not a human figure. That could only mean...
***
As Team Rocket crept through the sewer, illuminating the walls with a small flashlight, each member had the uncanny sensation that they were being followed.
Meowth in particular was unnerved by this. He constantly swivelled his head around, hoping to catch sight of whatever was watching him.
After a few moments of these fruitless attempts, he closed his eyes and tried to remind himself that they were in the middle of a dark, stinky sewer. Surely nothing would bother living there. Despite his self-coaching, he was deeply relieved when James shined the flashlight onto a ladder leading out of the sewer. The three of them gazed up at it, wondering if they had finally reached the exit.
***
"Yes," the woman said, "the world's greatest Pokémon master is also the most powerful Pokémon on earth. This is the ruler of New Island, and soon the whole world…Mewtwo."
The beam of light disappeared, and the lights turned on, revealing an almost humanoid Pokémon before them. Its skin was pasty white, its thick legs were vaguely cat-like, and it was taller than any of the trainers in the room.
"Mewtwo," Ash muttered, staring at the bizarre sight.
"A Pokémon can't be a Pokémon master!" Fergus shouted, leaping up out of his chair. "No way!"
"Quiet, human," the woman said. This time, her voice was accompanied by another, though this one was deeper and definitely male. "From now on, I am the one who makes the rules."
"How's it talking?" Misty demanded.
"It's psychic!" Brock replied.
Mewtwo lifted a hand, and within seconds, Fergus' entire body was enveloped in a blue aura. He winced and groaned in pain as he was levitated off of the floor. Mewtwo chuckled to himself and casually flicked his wrist, throwing Fergus into the fountain as though he was a ragdoll.
He hit the water with a loud splash, not far from his Gyarados. He surfaced and swam to the fountain's edge, face red with anger. "Ugh...we'll show you! Let's go, Gyarados!"
Sensing its trainer's fury, Gyarados unleashed a cry and slithered out of the fountain. Ash was shocked by its berth, and the width of its sharp fangs.
"Gyarados," Fergus roared, standing up in the water, "Hyper Beam Attack!"
A bubble of light formed in Gyarados' large mouth, and a blinding charge burst forth towards Mewtwo. The latter raised his hand and blocked the attack by surrounding his body with another blue aura. The powerful blast of energy instantly rebounded back onto Gyarados, who roared and fell into the water.
The trainers all gave shouts of alarm. How could Mewtwo be protected from an attack that powerful?
"Gyarados..." Fergus whimpered, swimming to its side.
"Child's play," Mewtwo smirked. He then turned to the woman and lifted his fingers. "Your service has ended."
His servant gave a sharp gasp. As her eyes fluttered shut and she sank to the floor, Brock raced forward and caught her. He groaned as her hat fell off.
"Nurse Joy!" He recognized her bright red locks immediately.
"Where am I?" she demanded, looking around the room. "And how in the world did I get here?"
"You have been under my control," Mewtwo explained. "I transported you here from a Pokémon Center. Your knowledge of Pokémon physiology proved useful for my plan, and now I have cleansed your tiny human brain of memories from the past few weeks."
"Who are you?" Brock shouted, tightening his grasp on Nurse Joy.
"I am the new ruler of this world," Mewtwo said sharply. "The master of humans and Pokémon alike."
"You're just a bully!" Misty cried.
"Pika!" Pikachu's electric pouches sparked as he rose up higher on Ash's shoulder.
***
Team Rocket walked through the twisting and turning halls of the lab, trying to make sense of where they were. It was very quiet, and they heard no voices or music from the party that was supposed to be taking place.
They entered an enormous room, where complicated machinery lined the walls. There were several strange tubes filled with water, and each of them contained an unconscious Pokémon.
"Look at these," Meowth muttered, approaching a Venusaur kept in one of the green tubes. "Hm...They're Pokémon."
"Are they real?" James asked, crossing his arms.
Jessie sighed and walked away, looking around the room in evident boredom. "I was hoping there'd be a party." She sat down on one of the machines, watching as Meowth and James examined the Pokémon. She leapt up as something behind her made a loud, rumbling noise, and Meowth and James approached as one of the screens came to life.
On it were various lists and charts. A cool, female voice said, "This is the Pokémon Replication System. System activated. Pokémon based on genetic analysis. Pokémon data sampling sequence now in progress."
Before he knew what was happening, a large metal claw came and grabbed Meowth by the waist.
"Hey!" he shrieked as he was carried off to another machine. "Put me down—hey—whaddya—"
He was dropped onto a thick conveyer belt, and it immediately began carrying him into the depths of an enormous piece of machinery. James grabbed his hands and tried to pull him to safety, but it was no use: he was sucked into a dark, small area and James had no way of dragging him out of it. Another metal claw plucked several hairs from his tail, and the band of metal stopped moving, allowing him and James to promptly fall off.
"I made it!" Meowth grabbed his tail in shock. "But just by a hair!"
"Look, there's your hair," Jessie said, pointing to a screen up above. Three strands were dancing about on it, and they quickly morphed into the shape of a Pokémon.
"Analysing Pokémon vital materials sample," the same voice said. "Analysis complete. Pokémon identified. Begin replication sequence."
"Who's that Pokémon?" James asked, staring up at the black outline.
"It's Meowth!" Jessie answered.
They suddenly heard a strange, bubbling noise, and watched as a Meowth burst from out of the cloning machine and into one of the tubes they had been examining earlier. The clone was curled up into a ball, a peaceful look on its face, and it floated to the bottom of the tube.
"Meowth!" they gasped, running towards it.
"But...I'm Meowth!" He brought his claws up to his horrified face.
"So is the one in the tank," James said.
"That's your clone," Jessie added, leaning in for a closer look.
Another voice, this one male, suddenly rang out in the room. It was coming from the screen Jessie had activated earlier, though now no images were being displayed. There was nothing but static.
"I haven't got much time," the voice was saying above the shouts and screams recorded in the background. "I pray this record of our experiments shall survive. A year ago we discovered a fossil that proved to be the remains of the ancient Pokémon, Mew." A brown tablet came onto the screen, though it was slightly fuzzy. A cat-like creature was carved onto it. "There was sufficient genetic material to replicate Mew, but Giovanni, who funded our project, insisted we try to design super clones, more powerful than any living Pokémon..." He began to speak faster as several explosions could be heard. "Many attempts failed, but finally our experiments proved successful. We produced a living Pokémon. We called it Mewtwo." An outline of a Pokémon now appeared. "But for some reason, the creature's anger is out of control. With its psychic powers, it is destroying our laboratory. We dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokémon...and we succeeded."
The screen then went blank, and an eerie silence echoed throughout the room.
"Sounds like a real Pokéstein," Jessie muttered.
"Sure does," James agreed.
They turned around and surveyed their surroundings.
"So this must be the lab," James said.
"But if Mewtwo destroyed it..."
"Somebody rebuilt it."
"Yes, but who?" she asked.
***
"Humans are a dangerous species," Mewtwo said angrily. "You brought me into a world with no purpose but to be your slave." He allowed himself a smile. "But now I have my own purpose. My storm will create my own world, by destroying yours."
"So, you hate all humans," Brock snarled, "and you're going to destroy us to save Pokémon."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Your Pokémon will not be spared. They have disgraced themselves by serving humans. Those Pokémon are nothing but slaves."
"Pika!" Pikachu leapt to the ground and raised its tail threateningly. "Pi, pika pika!"
"So...you say I am wrong?" Mewtwo asked, his voice soft. "That you are not this human's servant? You are as pathetic as the rest. Humans and Pokémon can never be friends."
He leisurely twisted his hand, causing Pikachu to be surrounded by a blue orb. He floated in the air for a few minutes, and then was tossed into the corner. The electric mouse cried out in pain, and Ash rushed to his side.
"Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on Pikachu's heaving side. "Don't pick on Pikachu!" he yelled at Mewtwo furiously.
"If you are a Pokémon," Corey said, "there's no reason I can't capture you. Go, Rhyhorn!"
The heavy Pokémon pawed the ground and then charged towards Mewtwo, its gallops causing the floor to rumble. Mewtwo sneered and brought up his hand. Rhyhorn froze, an expression of fear flitting across its face, and then it was forced into the air and thrown across one of the tables.
"No, Rhyhorn!"
"Fools," he spat. "Your Pokémon attacks cannot weaken me. My powers are too great. No trainer can conquer me."
"Then you won't mind proving it in a real match," Ash said, fists clenched tightly.
Mewtwo turned to face Ash, and said in a soft voice, "Is that a challenge?"
"You bet it is!"
Mewtwo's eyes turned blue, and a smile stretched his lips.
***
Jessie, James and Meowth turned their attention away from the cloned Meowth in order to examine the other Pokémon. They soon realised that the latter were actually emerging from their respective tubes. A Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise all clambered out noisily, stretching their limbs and yawning.
As the Pokémon filed out of the room, Jessie and James shook in each other's arms, fearful that they would be spotted. Their horror only increased as a small, pink creature floated through the air after the three Pokémon.
"I'm scared!" James moaned.
"Me too!"
"Meowth!"
***
"Like most Pokémon trainers, I too began with Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur." Mewtwo`s eyes glowed as sections of the floor disappeared, only to reveal a Blastoise, Charizard, and Venusaur. They were identical to the original Pokémon, except for the strange markings that ran along their legs and skulls. "But for their evolved forms, I used their genetic material to clone copies."
"Copies," Neesha repeated.
"They're clones." Gary eyed them warily, seeming to size them up.
Their studying of the competition was suddenly interrupted by a low, rumbling sound, and one of the walls disappeared entirely. An enormous stadium was revealed. Lights flashed on, illuminating the field, and they realised that this was where they were going to be battling.
"A stadium!" Brock exclaimed. "Mewtwo planned this all along."
"We'll blow away that Blastoise, won't we?" Gary swung his head towards his own Blastoise, who nodded fiercely.
"Your fake Venusaur can't beat my real one!" Corey yelled. "Right, Brute Root?"
"Saur!"
"He might not have a nickname, but I do have..." Ash reached towards his belt, and plucked off of one the Poké Balls. "Charizard. I choose you!"
The ball bounced off the floor, and out came Charizard, eyes glinting in the light. He surveyed Mewtwo for a few moments, and then opened his mouth wide and let loose a torrent of flames.
"Charizard!" Ash yelped. "I didn't say start!"
Mewtwo lifted his entire arm, causing the water from the fountain to come up and extinguish Charizard's flames. As the water descended, he smirked. "Your Charizard is poorly trained."
Charizard snorted, releasing a small ball of fire. Ash glared, wishing more than anything that he could prove the contrary.
They made their way into the stadium, with Mewtwo at one side, and the other trainers grouped around the other.
"Which of you will oppose me first?" he asked quietly.
"I underestimated you last time," Corey said, "but that won't happen again!"
His Venusaur ambled out into the field. Mewtwo nodded at his own Grass-type Pokémon, and the two of them began to make their way to the middle of the stadium.
"Go, Brute Root!" Corey cried. "Razor Leaf!"
"Saur!" A flurry of sharp leaves pelted themselves out of Brute Root's back.
"Vine Whip."
The cloned Venusaur pulled out two thick vines from its own bulb, which slashed away at the leaves as though they were made of paper. The vines then proceeded to lift up its opponent, bringing him high into the air before throwing him into the wall furthest from where they stood. The ground shook as the wall crumbled onto Venusaur due to the impact.
"Brute Root!" Corey abandoned the battle and ran towards his injured Pokémon.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Gary snarled, motioning to his Blastoise. "You beat us last time, Mewtwo, but that won't happen again."
The two Blastoise were quick to reach the center of the field.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Gary cried out.
Mewtwo's clone used its Rapid Spin attack, flying up into the air and spinning at an incredibly fast speed. It protected itself against the water projected its way, and then went to smash into Gary's Blastoise, who went to join Venausaur against the wall.
"Blastoise, no!" Gary ran towards it and crouched by its side. The determined expression on his face was replaced by one of concern.
"You'd better forfeit, Ash," Misty advised, watching the fallen Pokémon. "Those clones are too powerful!"
"I'm not giving up," he replied firmly. He turned to Charizard. "Use your speed, not your power, and you'll win!"
Charizard gave a roar of consent, eyes wild and wings spread open.
"Okay, go!"
The two Charizard took off into the air, flames coming from both of their mouths. They circled higher and higher, crashing into one another and slashing with their sharp claws. Ash watched in horror as the clone repeatedly bit his Charizard's neck, and carefully avoided any of the Flamethrower attacks sent its way.
"Can't Charizard move any quicker?" Misty asked desperately, watching as the clone sank its teeth into Ash's Pokémon's neck once again.
"The clone is too fast," Brock answered.
They were now flying well above New Island, seeming to dance through the sky in a flurry of fire and fangs. The clone suddenly grabbed hold of Charizard and sped towards the ground.
"Charizard's in trouble!" Ash cried.
"Ash, call it back," Gary said, moving to his side. "That clone is just too strong."
"No," he said through gritted teeth. "We won't give up."
"Ash," Gary urged, groaning as the clone bit Charizard's neck.
"Finish it."
Charizard was shoved brutally into the ground, and the clone sped off for a victory lap around the island. Charizard rose and gave a cry, before shutting its eyes and falling down again.
"Oh, Charizard, no!" Ash ran forward and flung his arms around the Fire-type's neck. "Are you okay?"
"As the victor," Mewtwo said, ignoring Ash's distress, "I now claim my prize." He raised his hands above his head, and three purple Poké Balls appeared. "Your Pokémon."
"Hey, wait!" Ash shouted as one of the Poké Balls pulled Charizard into its confines. He heard Corey and Gary yell in protest as their Pokémon suffered a similar fate.
"What're you going to do with those Pokémon?" Misty demanded.
"I will extract their DNA to make clones for myself. They will remain safe on this island with me, while my storm destroys the planet."
He raised his arms, and several dozen of the same Poké Balls materialized.
"You can't do this!" Brock yelled.
"Yeah, Mewtwo, we won't let you!" Ash raced forward furiously.
"Do not attempt to defy me." His voice was bordering on anger, and his eyes turned blue as Ash was lifted off the ground and thrown several feet back.
"This is my world now," he said before thrusting his arms in the direction of the trainers. The Poké Balls began to swarm in that direction.
"Uh oh," Brock said, helping Ash to his feet.
They began to run as fast as they could, but it seemed to be hopeless: the Poké Balls quickly caught Gyarados, Vaporeon, and Wigglytuff. Ash watched as Gary went to protect his own Pokémon, hitting the balls with his fists.
"Hey, I know," Ash exclaimed. "Mewtwo can't catch them if they're already inside their Poké Balls." He returned Bulbasaur and Squirtle to their Poké Balls and smirked.
"It is no use," Mewtwo said softly.
His purple Poké Balls swooped down upon Ash, and sure enough, they swallowed up the Poké Balls in their entirety and flew away.
"It is futile to try and escape my power." Mewtwo watched Ash chase after his stolen Pokémon, clearly amused.
"Never mind the Poké Balls," Brock said, scooping up Vulpix into his arms. "Carry them away!"
Misty, Brock and Nurse Joy began to run towards the doors, hoping to make it outside before Mewtwo noticed. They had barely taken a few steps forward, however, when Psyduck was captured as well.
"Give back my Psyduck!" she screamed, clinging tightly onto the bag that held Togepi.
"Vulpix!" Brock yelped, as a beam of red light snatched Vulpix out of his arms. He watched the offending Poké Ball fly away.
Pikachu was darting around the room, panting as it avoided the many Poké Balls.
"Run, Pikachu!" Ash flung himself in front of his Pokémon and blocked the balls with his back. As they pummelled into him, he shooed Pikachu away, watching as the latter climbed up a staircase that rose high above the ground.
As the electric mouse began to use his Thunderbolt attack to temporarily drive away the Poké Balls, Ash jumped up onto the staircase as well, chasing after the bizarre party. "Keep running, Pikachu!"
Gary tried in vain to shield his Arcanine, but it was no use: his last Pokémon was quickly captured. He heard Ash's yells, and looked up to see him on the staircase. "Ash! What're you doing? You're going to get yourself killed!"
Ash ignored Gary, concentrating on getting to Pikachu as quickly as possible. He was nearly there when his foot gave out beneath him, and his stomach lurched as he felt himself slip over the side. He heard Gary shouting below him, but he refused to answer, hauling himself back up and continuing to run the moment he was back on his feet. He heard Pikachu screech, and looking up, he saw a small, yellow body plummeting down.
"Pikachu!" Before he could fully process what he was doing, Ash leapt off the side, trying to grab hold of him. But it was too late. One of the Poké Balls got there before he did, and Pikachu was finally captured.
Ash crashed into the water, and though the breath was knocked right out of him, he refused to take the time to rest. He surfaced and saw the Poké Ball floating lazily away. He jumped out of the fountain and chased after it, pushing away Gary's hand as he attempted to grab hold of Ash's arm. The Poké Ball was floating down into a hole in the ground, and Ash slid down with it, dimly aware of someone sliding with him. It was dark in the tunnel, and he wondered if he was going to get out of this alive.