A/N: This chapter…this is literally the first time I think I have genuinely loved a chapter I have written….and then let it get ripped to shreds in the editing process anyway. Though, it's probably a better chapter for it (Thank you aetheron)…oh also, just as a reminder, this chapter was supposed to be part of the previous one…so…pacing?

Prophecy Girl

Silence, as fragile as spun glass, fills the center the second that the pokedex quiets. Neither Misty nor Mewtwo move, eyes locked as they glare at one another. For several moments it's silent and still and frozen. Misty breathes out, slowly and, like breaking a spell, the crystalline quiet shatters with narrowing eyes and panic.

Misty tenses and dives for the door, rolling behind a turned over couch that's feet from the exit. Mewtwo's eyes narrow and he holds out a hand, temperature dropping with each inch it rises. Mist shivers and huddles into the couch, the upholstery blocking the worst of the cold. Down behind the couch as she is, she can't see Mewtwo without peering over or around it. Which is...good?

He can't see her either so…

She has to get out. Her back against the couch, Misty looks to the door. It's too far. She can't make it without passing directly in front of Mewtwo. Mewtwo who's standing right in the middle of the room. She can't make it further in either.

She's stuck.

She needs a plan….

"The couch won't protect you, Misty." Mewtwo says. His voice is toneless, dispassionate and yet...not. It sounds older...and...layered; filled with some dark undercurrent she can't quite place-riptide under a calm ocean. But...it's familiar too…It scratches some distant corner of Misty's mind that calls images of gym battles and dollhouses and not New Island and clones.

"Do I need protecting?" She asks.

He scoffs and suddenly, it clicks. Sabrina. He sounds like Sabrina, back when the whole of Saffron City was afraid of her. This is...worse than she thought. There was no reasoning with Sabrina, just playing her games. And losing.

Misty can't lose.

She's pretty sure that if she does it won't just be waiting as a doll until Ash can rescue her. No. She needs to win. Or at least...escape? Maybe, if she can reach Staryu….she can distract Mewtwo enough to get to the door. Or at least bring this fight out to the street.

"I will get you eventually," Mewtwo responds evenly. His voice echoes loosely around the room, an undertone of violence dragging menacingly along the cushions of the couch and playing with the skirts on the chairs across from her. Under different conditions, in a different time, this room would have been nice. Filled with plenty of spaces for trainers on their way to and from battles to meet up with friends and share stories and defeats and victories. It seems wrong what he's done to the space, filling it with anger and fear. And cold. So cold.

Misty shivers and leans against the couch, jumping back from it as it freezes against her back. It glows, a bright purple that Misty barely sees out of the corner of her eyes. Desperately, Misty flips around and slams her hands onto it as though she can hold it down. The couch is cold enough to burn and Misty tries to pull her hands away, but before she can the pain fades and the glow vanishes. "Why are you trying to get to me? I can just leave, pretend I never saw you."

Across the room, Misty can hear Mewtwo...sigh? "There was a time when such half measures as that might have worked." His voice is sadder now, a resigned tone colored by something that might be regret.

"It-"Misty swallows hard. "It can still work." She pleads.

"No," Mewtwo shakes his head and his whole body follows. His tail drags on the floor with his refusal, sharp sounds cutting against the polished stone of the center. "The machine has betrayed you."

"What do you even mean?" Misty practically cries. He's making no sense and even Sabrina at her most...at her most, had made sense. It was a twisted kind of sense but it had been there. But this, this is crazy and Misty knows you can't reason with crazy. She needs to pull this...whatever it is...outside. She'll have more room to run and even if someone sees, Misty is pretty sure they'll be more than a little concerned about the giant psychic pokémon. Mew, she might be able to slip away unnoticed even with the wanted posters.

"Your little...device knows what I am." Mewtwo offers in a tone so much like Misty;s own sisters explaining their reasoning for not doing some chore or another. Like Misty automatically understands that having just polished ones nails implies one can't do manual labor: it's an exasperated tone screaming that the explanation is obvious.

Misty doesn't get it. She shrugs behind the couch. "Of course it does. It scanned you at New Island. It's a pokedex, that's what they do." Misty blinks. "Why are you even here...didn't you have an army of cloned pokémon to protect?"

"I am protecting them." Mewtwo calls. His voice echoes angrily around the room, hitting Misty like a body slam. Misty shudders, she can almost feel his anger building, whatever he does next is going to hurt...if it works.

Wait…

Her Staryu can't beat Mewtwo in a one on one fight but...if Mewtwo doesn't think it through...It's like Ash when his opponents get him angry...he never thinks. He just does.

Maybe?

For the first time since the temperature fell, Misty smirks. "So where are they then? I don't exactly see them and you can't keep them safe if you're not with them." She widens her eyes, forcing a surprised gasp from her lips. "Unless they're invisible…"

A bolt of something glowing hits the wall behind her, denting it. Which…is interesting. Maybe Misty doesn't have to get to a door at all….Maybe, just maybe, she can make one where she needs it. She can't send Staryu against Mewtwo, but a well-placed rapid spin might be able to take down the wall.

"My pokémon are safe, away from all who might try and harm them."

"And yet," Misty calls back, ducking into as a low a ball as she can manage. Her voice is steady, unwavering, but her body trembles around the words. "You're here fighting with me. Not great leadership."

"I do what needs to be done to protect my people." Mewtwo screams back, voice bitter with fury. His tail lashes angrily against the floor.

"Right," She breathes in quickly, and coughs-the frigid air burning her lungs, before edging her hand towards Staryu's pokeball at her belt. Like gusts from Articunos wings, the air crashes into her skin in frigid waves. Out from under Ash's jacket, her skin burns. It hurts to move and she can barely feel her hand. Numbly, she pulls the pokeball from her belt and presses the button to enlarge it. It's too fast, she can't keep a grip and the pokeball rolls to the edge of the couch.

Misty takes a deep breath and waits, if Mewtwo saw the ball roll-but the pokémon says nothing, and Misty sighs in relief. Now so just has to reach Staryu...without Mewtwo seeing her. "Because I am such a threat." She taunts, creeping slowly towards the edge of the couch. She reaches out a hand, slowly.

A bolt of frozen purple light speeds past Misty's hand.

"Are all humans so painfully stupid, girl?" Mewtwo chuckles.

"If I'm so stupid, why are you so worried about me?" Misty snarls, clutching her hand to her chest. The knuckles are raw, spreading droplets of blood on Ash's jacket.

"You're a liability. One that, for the sake of the world, I cannot abide."

Misty scoffs, fear bleeding to annoyance. "You keep saying that I'll end the world, but, and this may have slipped your mind, I live here too. I don't want it to end."

Mewtwo stops moving, and the room falls to a quiet roar in the absence of his tail swishing against the floor. The cold breaks, like the first rainfall of summer, and Misty all but tips her head up to gulp in the brief warmth. Mewtwo sighs for a second time, sounding resigned even as his tail resumes it thrashing against the floor. "It no longer matters what you or I want," he hisses into the silence with a blast of frozen wind. "Team Rocket knows who you are now."

"Then make them forget. Aren't you psychic?"

"I can make the humans and pokémon forget." Mewtwo replies, trailing off like Brock does when he's trying to get Ash to come to his own decision.

Misty blinks. "Then, I don't see a problem. Why are we fighting?"

"Because the device remembers me." He says it quietly, softly enough that Misty has to strain her ears to hear him over the air.

He sounds sad and, for reasons she can't decipher, Misty shudders in fear "Why does that matter?"

"It's a computer." Mewtwo offers.

"Ok...so?"

"I was unable to erase its memory." His voice is still leading but what he's saying doesn't piece together in Misty's head. The pokedex had recognized Mewtwo, yes, but only after she had as well.

"But I remember you too." Misty responds, peeking her head above the couch. She ducks it back down as quickly as she can when another bolt of something large and glowing flies past her head to dent the wall. She hisses under her breath; she can't get distracted like this. She has to get out.

"Your memories returned when you touched me."

Misty breathes in deeply, ignoring the sharp pain of the frozen air in her lungs, and fights not to gasp. She'd been remembering Mewtwo long before she touched him. He'd been haunting her dreams like a half remembered bogeyman from children's tales. But...it still doesn't make sense. Her memories came back, so why didn't... "But not the pokedex's?"

"They were never erased."

Misty groans in frustration, shrugging her shoulders in defeat. "Will you just tell me what you're trying to get me to figure out?"

"Team Rocket has reports about you, on their computers." He sounds sad again, almost apologetic.

"So what?"

"I had wanted to take you to the pokémon village and erase all memories of you from the people you know. But that will no longer work."

"Why would you take me to your village?"

"To keep you safe from those that might seek to end it all."

Misty blinks and then laughs, she can't help it. His plan would never have worked, she'd never have cooperated. "That's a terrible plan." Misty huffs.

"No matter, it no longer applies."

"Well, I can't wait to hear what your next idea is."

"I kill you," He says it coldly, as though bored with the idea. "You need to die so that everything in the world else might live." But the words bind Misty to her spot. She dies. That's it, that's how it ends.

"Mewtwo," she says, needles of ice pricking black stars in her vision. "I'm sixteen. I don't want to die."

Her eyes sting, frozen knives carve down her cheeks. There has to be a way out of this. She wipes at her eyes and huddles back on herself to stop the...cold?

It's not cold.

Misty blinks, ice falling to the floor.

It's quiet. There's no tail lashing or snorting or...anything...just silence

What?

Where's Mewtwo? Is he still there? Closer? She breathes out. "Ok." She whispers, she can do this. Just a quick glance. She takes a deep breath and peeks around the edge of the couch.

Mewtwo is still there but he's pulled his hand in and is shaking his head as though...confused. Or maybe...flustered?

He gives his head a huge shake and, with growing horror, Misty watches his eyes refocus.

"Foolish child," he growls, holding his hand out again. The cold returns, a sheer frost that Misty can only duck from. "Fake tears won't work on me for long."

"Fake tears?" Misty questions.

In her pocket, the pokedex dings and reads out "Fake tears; a dark type move where the user feigns crying to make their foe feel flustered."

"Wait," Misty whispers, pulling the device from her pocket. "Flustered...that happened to the nurse too...and it's a dark type move?" Misty blinks and then shakes her head. She has to focus.

She just has to…

Wait…

Dark type?

Isn't that strong against psychic?

Maybe...there must be a dark type in the center and maybe...maybe it'll help…

If she could just distract Mewtwo….she could get away.

"Come now, Misty." Mewtwo sighs, tail dragging lazily back and forth against the floor. "One life weighed against all the world? Come out from behind the couch."

His tail sounds closer. Misty swallows convulsively and licks her lips. "Make me." She hisses, summoning the courage to peer over the top of the couch.

It's courage rewarded by a bolt of purple rocketing past her head and the knowledge that, yes, Mewtwo is closer. Misty slides down the couch as far as she can get, couch fluff raining in her hair, until something hard and round digs into her back.

"Ow." she winces, carefully pulling out the...pokeball that had dug into her back. "Lapras?" she whispers, turning the ball over in her hand. "Oh, Ash." Of course he had given her another pokémon, just in case. And…

Well…

With Lapras...and that dark pokémon….maybe Misty just needs to distract Mewtwo long enough to grab Staryu and ice beam and rapid spin through the wall….

And that can't take long...a few moments and then she's either on the street…

Or dead…

Misty swallows again.

Hard.

There's a table next to the couch-it's not big. An end table more than a space to eat or work on-but Misty can duck behind it.

If she can reach it…

She glances at the couch cushions and then chances a look back over the top of the couch, ducking down again as another bolt of something purple and frozen slams into the wall over her head, raining couch fluff.

Mewtwo's closer...but...he could be a lot closer….

Maybe…

Misty peers over the edge of the couch and ducks down quickly, breathing out when no bolt of purple accompanies her actions.

He looks like he's hunching over, favoring his stomach as though hurts.

Like...like exactly where Misty had hit him. So she can hurt him.

Misty shifts and a couch cushion falls on her head, she startles, swallowing a squeak, and picks the cushion up. Looking at it, she grimaces, "Oh this is an idea worthy of Ash." she whispers, tucking her legs under her for better purchase. But she can do this, definitely, just...dive out, throw the cushion, grab the pokeball and roll behind the table.

Right. "One," she whispers, swapping the cushion to one hand.

"Two," she takes a deep breath, tenses her legs and breathes out slowly.

She's going to get herself killed. "Three." She rocks forward on her free hand and dives for Staryu's pokeball. For one terrifying moment, she's out in the open staring down a shocked Mewtwo. Their eyes meet as she's pivoting, twisting her shoulders to throw the cushion. His eyes are open wide and his mouth is pulled in a snarl. He seems frozen, Misty takes the opportunity to hit him square in the face with the couch cushion as she finishes the roll to the table.

A bolt of purple fries fluff just behind her.

Misty flips the table and huddles behind it, a pokeball in either hand.

The temperature drops again and Misty pulls in a frozen breath, air like glass shards in her throat. "Staryu, Lapras." She screams, voice tearing out of her throat in a whisper.

"Fool, what can they do against me?" Mewtwo crows. Behind his voice, Misty can hear a faint crackle like Pikachu beginning to spark up.

"Now would be a great time for a powerful dark move." Misty bites out while the red energy of the pokeball slowly resolves into Staryu and Lapras resolve slowly behind the couch. "C'mon, faster," she whispers. She can almost see Staryu's gem, just a little longer.

"Not fast enough," Mewtwo laughs, and that energy like Pikachu's spark roars over his voice.

Like a second frozen in honey, Misty can see the bolt of purple scream past her and pummel the red that is not yet Staryu. Lapras howls and Staryu wines and behind it all she hear a loud keening scream.

From her.

It's coming from her.

She's screaming.

Behind her, around her, beneath her a laugh echoes cruelly. It smashes into her in waves, pushing her under and into the floor.

Pushing

And pushing.

And it's cold.

Her hands and legs and arms and brain is frozen.

And…

It's too much.

Misty clutches her head and screams.

Suddenly everything is searing hot, like the castoff from Zapdos's wings. It's not a constant heat but pulses in bursts of sparks leaving fractal burns.

One after another, the lights flicker and fail.

Like a tide of black pouring from Misty, the lights closest to her sputter and fail. The air ripples and glows, pulsing past her in a wave white hot purple.

Mewtwo's tail hits the ground and a heavier thud follows.

Misty peers around the table and squinting can just see Mewtwo sitting on the floor, a dazed expression on his face.

"Thank you." she whispers, before standing up and shouting, "Quickly, Ice beam! Rapid spin! On the wall."

The pokémon turn to the wall and it explodes out in a hail of plaster and grunts. Misty runs through it, recalling the pokémon as she dashes over the wreckage. It's brighter outside than Misty expects, but she swallows the surprise and slips down the street, dashing towards the tunnels and Victory Road. She's blocks away, sprinting as fast as she can away from the center when her foot hits a stone and she trips, skidding along the half paved street as her speed carries her forward.

A concerned kaa echoes in front of her.

Misty shakes her head and hauls herself to her knees, scrubbing her face with her hands. Later, she'll yell at Ash for coming after her. Now, now she's just thankful he's here.

A worried pikachupi calls towards her and Misty braces herself just in time for Pikachu to hit her squarely in the chest.

She falls backwards, Pikachu on her chest, and puts her hand in his fur...and...stops. Her hand had hit something..a mass of fur that's sticky and thick...like jam. She pulls her hand away and wipes it against her leg, leaving behind a streak of red, bright as a vulpix in the somehow bright night. Misty starts chattering, a long string of sounds that Misty can't follow. She shakes her head and, suppressing another shudder, runs her hands over his body.

"No injuries." she whispers, "so what's going on?"

Pikachu drops a pokeball in her hand and presses her fingers so that the ball enlarges and Togepi coos at her from the red burst.

"Togepi?" Misty asks, she sits back up, holding Pikachu to her chest as she moves, and holds him out so she can meet his eyes. "Where's Ash?" she asks.

Pikachu begins chattering but stops mid syllable when he meets her eyes. His eyes widen, glinting back the light of the stars. Slowly he reaches out and touches her face, a slight spark in his claw. Misty swipes his hand away and shakes her head. Pikachu pushes his nose against her and twitches his whiskers, widening his eyes comically.

Misty widens her eyes back, "Pikachu, we don't have time for this." She starts, but Pikachu doesn't let her finish the thought. He reaches a hand out and, with a quizzical look gracing his features, smacks her face.

Misty blinks, and suddenly the street seems much darker. "Arceus, Pikachu." she hisses. "What in the name of Palkia was that for?" Pikachu chatters back, a long string of syllables ending in a pika-pi which...wait. "What was that about Ash?"

Pikachu opens his mouth to reply but shakes his head and jumps off Misty's lap, running in the direction he'd come from. Misty sighs and, tucking Togepi into her bag, hauls herself to her feet to run after him, they have to get away from here anyway.

Limping, she chases after Pikachu, squinting to follow him in the dark. It had been so bright a few moments earlier, and warm. Misty shivers as she runs. Her legs hurt but she keeps running, shutting her eyes against the ache. She can barely see anyway,the night rapidly getting darker since Pikachu had slapped her. Something short smacks her leg and catches her foot. For the second time in the night, Misty sprawls forward onto ruined streets. She picks herself up, pulling herself to hands and knees and finds Pikachu standing before her ready to fight. She looks up, shivering, to find herself face to leg with Mewtwo.

A very angry looking Mewtwo.

"Fuck." Misty spits, rocking herself to her feet. She starts forward, catching herself a few steps closer to Mewtwo then she'd like to be.

"You didn't really think you could run from me, did you?" He glides backwards, just out of reach. Misty blinks. That's...interesting. She tests some weight on her leg, looking around as she does and nearly curses aloud again. They're in the middle of the street. There's no cover. Nowhere to run. And Staryu and Lapras aren't going to be much more help; when she'd recalled them Staryu's gem had been flickering worryingly. Lapras couldn't have been much better. Misty knows that she and Pikachu can't take Mewtwo alone. But Mewtwo is kidding himself if he thinks she's going down without a fight. She's Misty Waterflower, damn it. She cracks her neck and rolls her shoulder. From the corner of her eye she sees Pikachu tense beside her. Gaze never fully leaving Mewtwo, she flicks her eyes to Pikachu and wipes her jaw with her fist.

"And night daze?" Mewtwo sounds almost...insulted. He looks down at her, eyes narrowed as though considering a bug, and glares. He rolls one hand over the other, a ball of purple mist settling between them. "I mean, really? That was your plan?"

"Night daze?" Misty asks.

In her pocket, the pokedex blinks and, in a tinny voice, describes "Night daze: a dark-type move in which the user unleashes a pitch black wave at its opponent."

"Fine," Misty replies evenly, "how did you catch me?"

Mewtwo cocks his head to the side, twisting his lips on a taunting smirk. "You know, I thought you were smarter, but running from a teleporter? Tell me, does that little device do all the thinking for you?" He holds out a hand and blasts a purple ball at Misty almost lazily, forcing her to roll out of the way.

She hits the ground hard, hands coming out to take the impact like falling on a pool deck. She's on her feet again before she even considers what she's going to do. She's been forced back, Pikachu standing between her and Mewtwo, Misty leans against a broken storefront beside her, happy to take some of the weight off of her leg.

"Come on, Misty." Mewtwo huffs, hands moving to form another ball. "We both know how this will end."

"So I should make it easy?" Misty breathes out. "This is my life and I am not done living it," she sniffs and wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. "So if we're going to fight," she pushes off of the wall, unsteadily balancing on sore legs, "let's fight." She cracks her knuckles, nodding down at Pikachu. "Ready, Pikachu?"

Pikachu doesn't reply, instead barreling into Mewtwo with his fur sparking around him. He rebounds, bouncing back from the fallen pokémon with his fur sparking menacingly in the darkness.

Mewtwo doesn't get up. For three painful breaths he's quiet on the ground. "Thank Arceus." Misty breathes, turning to leave. She narrowly misses a frozen purple bolt flying just past her ear.

Misty flattens herself against the wall, glaring towards the large pokémon. Her head aches, a pounding throb beating behind her left eye.

He's going to win.

Pound.

He's going to kill her.

Pound.

She won't ever see Ash or Brock or her sisters ever again. We…maybe that's not all bad.

She swallows a panicked giggle.

The pain in her head arcs to an electric blue point and...

It's too much.

Much too much.

The temperature soars and the air ripples from her, an explosion the lights the night until she can see Mewtwo drop from his position hovering over the ground to land on his feet. He sways for a moment before his eyes glow, glinting dark in the bright night.

"Another night daze?" He drones sarcastically, rising once more to the air.

"What night daze?" Misty hisses back, "There's no dark-type pokémon nearby." Or at least, she thinks that there isn't. She won't take her eyes off of Mewtwo to look, he's too dangerous not to watch.

He's watching her too though, eyes never leaving her body even as he shakes his head and scoffs. "I had hoped you would understand before the end." It's an exasperated tone but tinged with something that might be guilt, or maybe sorrow. He seems genuinely upset that Misty can't seem to reach whatever lesson it is he's trying to impart. "I don't suppose you'd care to assist?" He flicks his tail towards Pikachu, almost dismissively.

Pikachu grits out an annoyed chuu and shocks Mewtwo once more. It's a halfhearted attack, a last ditch effort while Pikachu rebuilds charge. Mewtwo dodges the move effortlessly.

"Oh well," Mewtwo sighs, eyes glowing brightly. "No matter then, I suppose it makes little difference." A boulder, or perhaps part of a building, rises behind Mewtwo and hurtles towards Misty. She dives, hands protecting her face as she rolls behind a knee high remnant of wall. The boulder explodes millimeters from her footprints, shards of rock pelting her in the relative safe haven she's found.

Misty groans. She's missing something, something important enough that Mewtwo is willing to waste precious seconds when he could be pummeling her, just so that she can work it out.

But she can't.

Behind the knee high tower, Misty feels ready to throw her hands up and scream.

She doesn't.

The last rock falls and Misty reaches a hand to pull herself once more to her feet, to put her eyes back on Mewtwo. If she's learned nothing in this Arceus forsaken excuse for a region, it's not to take your eyes off your opponent.

And it's been too…ow.

Her hand grazes something sharp, eyes cast down she searches out whatever it her hand is hit. It's not much. A shard of mirrored glass, no doubt a remnant from some destroyed store or another, hardly larger than her palm. Misty breathes out angrily, and reaches to push the shard of glass out of the way. Her breath catches in her throat. In the glass, staring back at her from her face are eyes she doesn't recognize. They're dark; as black as the ocean at night.

The noise of the fight filters away leaving her head filled with static.

Nothing makes sense anymore.

She's losing, somehow. And she really thought that she had it, but here she is: losing the fight; losing herself; losing everything that matters.

And her eyes…in the glass…they're just…

She gasps, unbidden her hand raises to her mouth and recoils when a twinge of pain shoots through her palm. She shakes her head and picks up the glass, tossing it behind her. The glass shatters and suddenly, the world is filled with sound. Misty shivers.

Pikachu is chattering angrily, ear twitching in the direction of Victory road and Mewtwo is growling back, words absent in the fury of his hands rolling yet another ball of frozen purple fire. He has a lightning shaped singe mark on his fur.

Pikachu must have hit him while she was…

She can't get distracted like that again.

Even Mewtwo, though aiming another blast of energy at Pikachu, has an eye trained towards her.

Pikachu dodges his blast easily chattering out a harsh pikachupi, pika-pi in Misty's direction as he does.

Misty nods, mouth set in a grim line, and rolls to her feet. "We need to get Ash." She whispers it, sure that she says the name under her breath but Mewtwo blinks and a ball of purple dissipates into mist in his hands.

"What's that about the boy?" He asks. He sounds worried...no...more...alarmed.

Pikachu turns his tail to Mewtwo, a sarcastic chuu his only response.

"The boy?" Mewtwo drums, forcefully, purple energy building between his hands.

Pikachu glances at Misty before turning around and launching into a burst of chatter that ends with a repeated pika-pi

Under his breath, Mewtwo utters something that might be a curse. His eyes narrow and a purple glow surround him. All around him rocks levitate until his feet are surrounded by a halo of stones. The temperature drops enough that Misty is surprised that Pikachu's annoyed huff isn't accompanied by a puff of mist.

Misty's eyes widen. This must be bad, though why Mewtwo cares is not something Misty wants to consider. An eye towards Mewtwo, she turns as much of her attention towards Pikachu as she can. "What's going on with Ash?" She demands. She tries to say it calmly, a though she doesn't care. But the words pour out with heat and anger. The temperature seems to rise as she speaks, although that might just be an angry flush, and the night seems brighter. Without even squinting, she can see the bursts of static running through Pikachu's fur. Misty fights the urge to touch her eyes, sure they must have gone dark again.

"Team Rocket has him." Mewtwo responds, the rocks settling back to the ground. His eyes narrow and the night gets a little darker, a little colder.

"What about Brock?" Misty asks, squinting in the dark.

In the corner of her eye, Misty can see Pikachu nod and then look down, adding a sad ka-pika as he looks away.

"What. About. Brock?" Misty demands, and the space around them heats up and brightens again.

"He's fine, taken with Ash."Mewtwo lashes his tail against the floor, whipping it weakly against the street. A stone flies behind him, crashing down the hill just past his feet. They'd made it close to Victory Road. If Pikachu hadn't stopped her…

She'd probably have been taken with Team Rocket.

"And everyone else?" Misty asks. Pikachu nudges Misty's legs, she glances down at him and he shakes his head. Misty sniffs and turns her eyes back to Mewtwo. It's hardly a second her eyes aren't on him, but Mewtwo uses the time. When she looks back up, a purple blast is inches from her face. She ducks, hissing as she puts too much weight on her leg. "Fine, let's end this then. I'd like to get to Ash and Brock before Team Rocket does...whatever they're going to do."

"So eager?" Mewtwo asks, rolling his hands once more. "Quickly then, Team Rocket can't have his abilities."

"What, are you going to kill him too? Keep him out of Team Rocket's hands?" She taunts, pulling her hands into fists.

"No, his life is needed for the world to continue."

"Of course it is." She rolls her shoulders, cracking her back up the spine. At her side, Pikachu chuu's determinedly. They're going to do this. They're going to fight. And it's comforting, she guesses, to know that even if she loses...even if she...dies…someone at least will rescue Ash. Or, and a truly awful thought strikes her as sparks crawl over Pikachu's fur, at least someone will try to. "How exactly are you going to rescue him?"

"I'll take him back."

"How?"

Mewtwo shakes his head, "We don't have time for this, girl. I will enter the facility and remove him." His hands roll over one another, balling a burst of purple fire. "Now stop wasting what little time remains."

"Ok," Misty huffs, fists still up. "Let me get this straight. You're going to enter the facility and when they come at you with every dark-type pokémon that they have...then what? The world loses?"

"What would you have me do, human?" He asks, lobbing a lazy ball of energy towards Misty. She dodges it easily, letting break in icy shards harmlessly between herself and Pikachu.

"Take me." Misty retorts.

Pikachu kaa's beside her and launches a bolt of energy towards Mewtwo.

Mewtwo glides to the left just in time and the bolt screams just past his face. "Why would I do that?" He scoffs, eyes glowing blue.

Pikachu floats into the air, a purple glow surrounding him. He kaa's in alarm and moves his arms as though swimming. "Why go after him?" she wonders aloud. "Why not me?"

Mewtwo doesn't answer, maybe doesn't hear. Misty sighs, maybe she can get Pikachu down. Afterall, her touch had brought the couch down...and the glass. Eyes on Mewtwo, Misty rocks forward to tap Pikachu lightly with her fist.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid, girl? Or have you just given up? Why would I bring you?"

Misty's hand freezes as soon as she touches Pikachu, but he falls to the ground, landing on all fours in a fighting stance. Maybe...Maybe Mewtwo's powers don't work on her. He's never hit her with anything or lifted her or even tried too. All that happens when Mewtwo does anything is that it gets cold. Misty rubs her hand against her shirt at the thought, ridding it of the lingering chill. "You should bring me because Pikachu and I can handle the fights you can't."

"You?" Mewtwo hisses, disgust plain in his tone. His eyes glow again and a flurry of rocks raise into the air. "What can you do?"

Misty cracks her neck. Right, now is as good a time as any to test her theory. She glances, quickly towards Pikachu who unleashes a burst a blinding white light. Misty shuts her eyes as soon as she hears the static cackle just before his attack. Blindly, she runs through the light, avoiding the cold patches of rocks that are floating throughout.

So far, so good. Mewtwo hasn't hit her and she knows where his stone missiles are.

This is working.

Smirking, she squares herself in front of the last place she'd seen Mewtwo. Misty can almost imagine him, eyes squinted as he struggles to see through the blinding flash. "I can do this," she replies triumphantly, sucker punching Mewtwo with all of her force.

She hits his side, a glancing blow.

He'd turned, he must have seen her somewhere along the way.

Still, Mewtwo winces and his attention breaks. The temperature rises slightly and the rocks fall, raining down around them like hail. Mewtwo's eyes narrow, glowing blue. Something shoves at Misty but it's a gentle push, not enough to knock her down or even push her back. Mewtwo fights not to widen his eyes.

"So you were going to defeat me somehow." Misty looks Mewtwo up and down and smirks, sharing a glance with Pikachu. "I think you've failed." She drops her hands to her sides and palms the pokeballs she has with her. Sure, Lapras and Staryu are damaged but maybe, with the four of them against one, she can end this.

Mewtwo turns to her sharply, eyes glowing and the pokeballs she's palmed fly into the air. A thin piece of glass floats in front of her face. "Fool girl, did you think not being able to affect you would keep you safe? I can use anything as a weapon." His eyes glow and Pikachu is suddenly facing her, an angry gleam in his eyes.

"I had hoped, "Misty swallows and pokes a finger out to touch the glass shard. It falls but several more fly up in its place. The air chills and Mewtwo laughs. He thinks he's won. But Misty, Misty hasn't given up yet. She kneels down and inches closer to Pikachu, Mewtwo doesn't seem to notice as he arranges the glass shards to finish the fight. Cringing just under a ribbon of needle sharp glass, Misty taps Pikachu whose eyes clear. He looks around them, and looks up at Misty. She nods.

Pikachu unleashes an angry KaCHuu and thunder flies. The glass all falls, Misty grabs her pokeballs from the air and calls them out.

When the bright flash clears, Mewtwo is left blinking in field of fallen glass with three pokémon staring him back.

"Now really though," Misty snarls. "I am going to rescue him-them. I could use your help. But one way or another, I am going. "

"I won't help you, girl." Mewtwo intones angrily, tail lashing against the pavement.

"Fine." Misty replies calmly. "Staryu, Lapras, Pikachu." The pokémon respond enthusiastically, each powering up their attacks.

Mewtwo shrugs, "Very well." He lets his feet hit the ground, tail swishing behind him. "But we will finish this once the boy is safe."

"Of course." Misty agrees, recalling her pokémon.

Mewtwo glares at the bolt of red energy as though disgusted by the action. Misty sniffs. "Where are they?" She asks.

"The coast." Mewtwo replies.

Misty's shoves the pokeballs in her pocket and throws her hands up in defeat. Tears are pricking at the corner of her eyes, just when she'd finally thought she could save them. Hoarsely she questions," and just how will we get there? It took me and Ash and Brock forever to get this far."

Mewtwo quirks up his lip in what might be a smirk. "I know." He replies, holding out a hand. "But I can teleport."

Misty shakes her head and, scoffing, scoops Pikachu from the ground to her shoulder. She takes Mewtwo's hand and suddenly, like walking through a waterfall, the world is frozen and dark.

Her stomach lurches and drops through her feet into a pool of electricity that drags her whole body with it.

She's frozen, like stepping into the Cerulean Lagoon in a bitter winter. Everything aches and her head spins and then…

Then…

It's dark...

Purple energy flees Misty's eyes and she hunches over, retching in the...sand?

Looking up, silhouetted against a growing dawn, Misty sees what she can only describe as a castle sitting at the edge of a strip of dark sand.

"Arceus, where are we?" Misty breathes, Pikachu agreeing on her shoulder.

"The coast." Mewtwo replies, sounding exasperated by the obviousness of it. Behind him, a wave crashes against black sand.