Chapter no.36 Severing Old and Connecting Anew
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[ Hearthome city, Sinnoh ]
The entire arena seemed flooded with flashlights all around. The grand arena boasted of a Bermuda-grass pitch, covering an area of two thousand square feet, with a gallery holding a housing capacity of two thousand, and by the looks of it, the place was overwhelmed with spectators, who had, despite not getting seats, chosen to stand against the archways if only to get a chance to spectate the grand event that was to be this oncoming match. The final and last attempt at beating the current Sinnoh Champion off her champion status.
"All right, battle fans. It's the time!" The MC yelled over the megaphone, his voice almost hoarse with the constant commentary over the last few days. "The battle we have all been waiting for is finally here. On the red end, we have the defending Champion Cynthia, who shall be defending her status as Sinnoh Champion. Will she be able to maintain her hold? Or will Lucian, Psychic Master, and Elite Four, claim the throne for himself?"
Cynthia stood in her impeccable black robes, staring calmly at the figure of Lucian, the new winner amongst the Elite Four, and the competing trainers over the series of events that had happened over the last months, and finally was in, to challenge the Champion herself. Should Lucian be able to defeat her, her Champion status would be provoked, and she would remain as an Elite-level trainer. However, if she managed to defend it against Lucian and his team of psychics, her position as Champion would be solidified for a year, and more importantly, the Elite Four and the Ace Squad would rightfully accept her as their new leader.
And between her and that outcome, was a single match. A three-on-three battle, between herself and Lucian.
And I will shut all mouths, and prove myself.
She cast a casual glance at the top tier of the gallery. Even from this distance, she could see several of the Elite from other regions standing beyond the glass wall, staring into the battleground beneath them. She knew for a fact that Lance and Steven from Kanto, Wallace, the Champion of Hoenn, Lorelei—Kanto Elite Four, and Diantha, the Champion of Kalos were present there, to name a few. All of them were standing there, some with ulterior motives in mind, some for support, and some like Steven, for pure entertainment.
"And the challenger, Lucian of the Elite Four, will be choosing first." The MC announced. "This will be a three-on-three battle, with no carry-overs, no substitutions."
Lucian, a crimson-haired man, with matching sunglasses, wearing flamboyant robes and a half-arrogant grin on his face, lifted his first ultra ball- before holding it up in Cynthia's direction. "Bronzong, I choose you."
Why am I not surprised? Cynthia mentally drawled. That Bronzong, in question, was Lucian's signature pokémon, much akin to how Garchomp was for herself. For ninety percent of his formal battles, Lucian always allowed Bronzong to deal with his opponents. The steel/psychic type, was his sweeper, his front-line assault, a pokémon powerful enough to deal overwhelming damage to most opponents down the line. It was indeed, a rare occasion, when Bronzong took significant damage, or worse, had fainted mid-battle, only to be substituted with the next in line.
If not for his battle against Flint, I'd have thought Bronzong was his most powerful.
"Are you ready to truly face the wrath of an Elite four, girl?" Lucian taunted.
Cynthia rolled her eyes. The psychic master had forgotten that to become a Champion in the first place, one had to defeat all of the Elite four, and then the reigning Champion. Then again, that was over four months ago, and Lucian would probably have some new aces up his sleeve.
She lifted her Pokeball. "I choose you, Garchomp!"
With an earth-shattering roar, Garchomp slammed his feet onto the ground, materializing out of the ultra ball he was kept in.
"And Cynthia has chosen her Garchomp to battle against Lucian and his Bronzong. Who will win?" The MC continued.
"Bronzong has a dual advantage against your Garchomp. Is this your magnanimity or have you already accepted defeat?"
Nah, I just decided that even when against the tide, my pokémon can wipe the floor with yours.
Cynthia thought but didn't say.
Lucian had been, not that she needed any reminding, one of the most vocal in opposition to her status as Champion after she had defeated the previous Champion. Ironic, considering that Lucian had been the Elite that she had defeated most soundly back during her working through the Elite circuit.
"Let the Battle begin!" The referee announced from his safe position. After all, only an idiot would prefer to stay in the middle of a battle waged between two monstrosities. And considering that the pokémon battling were both elite-level, 'monstrosity' was one way of defining them.
...
" Let the Battle begin!" The referee announced from his safe position. After all, only an idiot would prefer to stay in the middle of a battle waged between two monstrosities. And considering that the pokémon battling were both elite-level, 'monstrosity' was one way of defining them.
Lucian raised his right arm. "Flash Cannon!"
Bronzong raised itself upward, before revealing its hollow bottom, which seemed to get saturated with blinding, white light, before propelling the energy out as a concentrated, wide-area beam toward the dragon.
Cynthia's expressions didn't betray her inner thoughts. "Fly up and use a flamethrower."
Garchomp roared, before leaping off the ground, and sending out torrential flames toward Bronzong. The powerful Flash Cannon missed its target as it passed underneath towards the periphery.
Lucian smirked. "Relocate."
Bronzong let out a mechanical noise, as a bluish aura outlined the powerful steel-type attack, literally deviating it from its path, incrementing it to unbelievable speeds, as it shot towards the dragon. Meanwhile, Bronzong simply teleported from its location, avoiding the flamethrower attack by a significant distance.
Garchomp leaped to his right, and the flash cannon followed, making the dragon leap and fly all around the arena, with the powerful steel-type attack right behind him.
"Looks like Bronzong has Garchomp dancing to its tune." The MC went on.
Cynthia arched an eyebrow. It seemed like this relocation had locked the flash cannon attack on Garchomp. "Garchomp, show Bronzong what super speed is like."
And Garchomp vanished.
"And it looks like Garchomp has somehow teleported. Is that even possible?" The MC asked no one in particular.
Even the relocated attack had been too overwhelmed and had crashed
"Not possible," Lucian muttered under his breath. "So then where is it?"
Almost as if in answer to his question, several illusory versions of Garchomp appeared all around the arena, all of them surrounding Bronzong, the scythe-like protrusions on their arms glowing with draconic power.
Since the dragon. Lucian commanded. And relocate confuse ray. He mentally smirked. Bronzong was notoriously mechanical in their dealings. Just like a supercomputer, they followed every single command to the Tee and executed it without an error percentage of fewer than three places of decimal.
So obviously, Lucian was completely blown out of his mind, when he saw Bronzong form a powerful confuse ray attack, before dispersing it into twelve separate fragments, firing them successively.
Why did you do that?
Bronzong fired at the dragon, as master ordered. Came the mechanical voice in his mind.
What the-?
"Checkmate."
Cynthia's clear voice was heard from the other side of the battleground, as the apparently-illusory forms of Garchomp, none of them even registering the effect of the much-weakened Confuse ray, delivered successive dragon-claw attacks on Bronzong, who was thrown off from his position, tumbling, bruising his way through the grassy floor.
"Flamethrower." Cynthia calmly ordered.
"Gaaah!" The several illusory forms of the dragon roared, before throwing in a frightening amount of scorching flames from their maw, all of them converging into Bronzong, causing an explosion, proving that all of them were, original flames, and not mere illusions.
"But…. How?" Lucian almost stammered. "They were illusions. They have to be."
"If you say so." Cynthia mused as the apparent non-illusions faded, revealing a single Garchomp, standing in the middle of the arena, looking downright formidable and menacing. "Use fire blast."
"Chomp!" The great dragon summoned its inner flame to a superlative degree, before throwing a formidable fire blast, head-on toward the fallen Bronzong, who looked already exhausted.
Light screen. Lucian commanded hurriedly, as Bronzong created a light screen in front of itself, as the wall of fire slammed into it. Just like with a light screen, it reduced the attack power by at least fifty percent, which in the case of someone like Bronzong, became a little more than ninety percent.
"Incinerate. Don't let it get control."
And Garchomp did the same. With the efficiency and control that would send any self-respecting fire-type into a massive inferiority complex, Garchomp kept on throwing in a continuous shower of never-ending torrential flames, right ahead on the light screen, which served its purpose perfectly.
"Your flames will not burn my Bronzong." Lucian returned.
Cynthia smirked. Of course, Lucian was right. Light screen was a perfect counter to a special attack like Incinerate, and there was a little more than zero chance that it would burn someone as powerful as Bronzong. But that didn't take into account the other part of the equation.
"Who said anything about burning it?" Cynthia asked.
And sure it was. Bronzong was safe from the scorching flames, courtesy of the powerful light screen. But as powerful as the psychic defense was, it lacked certain fundamental attributes.
Like the attribute of protection against raw, overwhelming heat.
Not a good thing for a pokémon with part-psychic typing.
A thin smile twisted its way through her lips. "Sunny day."
And overwhelming sunlight descended into the stadium, increasing the power behind the Incinerate attack by another overwhelming fifty percent, enough to melt its way through the defenses.
"Enough!" Lucian bellowed. "Use payback, and return with hyper beam!"
It was a testament to Bronzong's incomprehensible innate strength that the bronze bell-pokémon was able to use Payback, doubling the remnants of his declining power reserves to form a powerful hyper beam, aiming it straight at Garchomp, who was currently using incinerate on him. The effects of Sunny day only hastened the process.
"Use substitute, and finish it." Cynthia calmly ordered.
The solar beam came in and smashed into a life-sized illusionary decoy created by Garchomp, created at the cost of his power, as the real dragon vanished again, only to appear right behind Bronzong at an incomprehensible speed, before spearing the two blades into the steel-type from behind.
"Solo meteor." Cynthia calmly muttered as Garchomp belched out an orange blob onto Bronzong, covering it with a bright, sticky orange semi-solid, before throwing it high up into the air.
"What was-?" Lucian's words remained behind inside his throat, as Bronzong exploded alongside the orange substance, as smaller Draco meteors began to fall to the ground, one of them being the form of smoking and completely unconscious and broken Bronzong.
"Bronzong is unable to battle." The commentator announced. "Garchomp wins the battle. The first point to Cynthia."
The crowd cheered madly.
One down. Two to go.
...
"And both Spiritomb and Malamar are unable to battle." The commentator roared into the megaphone, his voice now completely strained and hoarse, but no less excited. "What a battle, ladies, and gentlemen! And now, one more battle left. Should Lucian be able to defeat the reigning Champion, then the battles will continue. Should Cynthia manage to overpower Lucian, she would seal her name as the official leader of the Sinnoh Elite Four, and Ace Squad. So what will it be, ladies and gentlemen? Lucian's conquest, or Cynthia's continuance?"
"I choose you, go Alakazam!"
"And Lucian chooses Alakazam. Will Cynthia's Pokémon be able to battle against Alakazam to score another victory?"
Cynthia knew what was coming ahead. Lucian's ace in the hole. And she knew just what she needed in case that came to pass. She had been rather… conflicted about using it in public, but if push came to shove, she knew she would have no choice but to go ahead with it.
She raised her last ultra ball and unleashed her last battler, one she had complete trust in, to overwhelm Lucian's Alakazam.
"I choose you, Charizard!"
The creature that appeared in front of her, and stood, facing Alakazam was a ten-foot behemoth, with wings raised on either side, each spanning a length of over eleven feet, literally changing the status quo from being the next battler to the most intimidating presence in the entire arena. With a snort, it belched out crimson flames from its snout and stared at the pitiful excuse of a psychic that had the guts to stand and face its mighty wrath.
With an incredible roar, Charizard declared war on Alakazam.
"I'm not done, yet," Lucian uttered audibly. "Allow me, to show you my latest acquisition." He lifted his right hand, upon which stood a ring, with a spheroidal pearl-like substance glinting in the sunlight.
A meganite stone. Cynthia confirmed. Just as I expected.
Now that she noticed, even Alakazam had a similar pearl, on one end of the spoon in its right hand.
"Alakazam," Lucian commanded in a high tone, bright light emanating out of the pearl. "Time to exterminate that Charizard. Mega-Evolve!"
And Alakazam roared.
Its mustache increased by copious amounts, as its overly large head magnified in size. Its arms and legs atrophied considerably, as it now sat, cross-legged, levitating in the air, with five spoons of pure silver, floating in a half-corona above its head.
And the audience went mad with hysteria.
hysteria.
"Oh, my word. It seems that the conspiracy theories were true! The second form of evolution, mega-evolution, is actually, a possibility. Alakazam has indeed, evolved into a further and higher advanced stage, Mega-Alakazam." The commentator yelled himself hoarsely.
Above the glass-walled balcony, several of the spectators were watching the entire thing with a varying range of expressions. From interest in Steven's face to outright scowl in Lance's, to pleasantly surprised in the case of Diantha. Lorelei, who had yet to see a mega-evolution in the face, seemed dead curious.
"What is that idiot thinking?" Lance muttered furiously. "Demonstrating the power of a mega-evolution in such a public event? Does he even want to give away every card we have up our sleeve?"
Diantha, who was standing just next to him on the right, seemed to be more understanding of Lance's fury. "I can understand. This will attract all sorts of negative attention on meganite research."
"Lucian must have been pushed if he has resorted to this," Steven muttered. "But you are right, this will have a greater impact on the state of affairs."
Meanwhile, a person sitting far, far away from Hearthome city, far from Sinnoh as a whole, couldn't help but smirk at Steven's words. "My word, you are more right than you know, Deputy Champion." His lips twisted. "You are more right than you know."
Cynthia observed the Alakazam, now Mega-Alakazam, levitating in the air, its psychic aura giving her slight creeps. Now, she wasn't a psychic by any accord, but judging by what she knew about Mega Evolution and Alakazam in general, there was a high possibility that the Mega-evolved psi was scanning her Charizard, inside out, and the more she allowed Charizard to be in its direct psychic gaze, the more his secrets would be milked out.
I need to end this quickly.
"Charizard, use dragon pulse."
Charizard lifted his maw, before releasing a powerful burst of spectral energy, which automatically shifted into the shape of a large, spectral dragon before shooting toward Alakazam, who didn't seem at all concerned.
Rip control, and send it back. Lucian commanded.
"Kazaam!" The psi type muttered as the five silver spoons floating above it shone with eldritch power, forcibly containing the dragon's pulse back into a sphere of compressed energy, before propelling it back to Charizard.
Charizard raised his left arm, the claws elongating as draconic energy seeped in, before swatting away the incoming attack to the right. The redirected dragon pulse slammed into the ground, creating a terrific explosion.
"Take to the skies," Cynthia warned, as Charizard flapped his wings, pushing himself into the air.
Use psycho cut. Lucian commanded.
Instantly, several psycho cuts appeared in front of the Mega-evolved creature, who sent them towards the fire-type, said fire-type easily dodging them, and if not, countering them with dragon claw. Not that it mattered to Alakazam, it had all the psychic energy in the universe to harness and use for this battle.
Analyze. Precision set. Successive fire. Came the next command.
Instantly, a dozen psycho cuts reappeared in front of Alakazam, as the psi-type instantly calculated the possible flight patterns as demonstrated by Charizard, depending upon its analysis of Charizard's height, weight, body movement, move sets, shape, and length of wingspan, and hundreds of other statistical data that Alakazam had gathered via its psychic scan on the fire-type. In less than a second, all that information was matched with the flight patterns that Charizard had just demonstrated, and the trajectories were created, and set, taking wind movement and probability distribution into account.
Set. Fire.
All twelve psycho cuts shot into the air, and despite all of Charizard's weaving through the air, several of them slashed into the great behemoth, making him fall to the ground, roaring in pain.
"And Mega-Alakazam makes the first strike. Will this mean the defeat of Charizard?"
"Don't stop," Lucian ordered. "Repeat fire."
"Kazaam!"
Another set of psycho cuts appeared in the air, their trajectories now taking into account Charizard's injury and position on the ground, before being projected towards the pseudo-dragon.
"Incinerate," Cynthia ordered calmly, as the fire-type lifted his maw, to unleash hellish flames towards the psi type, directly in the face of the psycho cuts, creating an explosion that destroyed nine of them. Two of them moved away, one to the right, and one to the left, spinning like a boomerang, as they attacked Charizard from both angles.
"Slash them away with dragon claw."
And then the third and remaining psycho cut slammed into Charizard from amidst the smoke, scoring another head-on strike.
"And Lucian scores another." The commentator roared madly. "Mega-Alakazam is playing with Charizard."
"No one plays with my Charizard," Cynthia whispered, as she cast a sideways glance toward the glass balcony. "No one."
She touched the tear-drop ornament on her neck, as she cupped it with her palm, before beginning to whisper, what sounded like chanting. "Keystone, respond to my heart. Beyond Evolution… Mega-evolve!"
And the arena was inundated with overwhelming, bright light.
The Charizard-line, was a rather peculiar line, even amongst fire types. For one thing, there existed no other pokémon to date, whose genetic constitution matched so closely to draconic DNA, as it did in the case of Charizard. One only needed to see a Charizard to understand the draconic parentage in them, what with their entire body anatomy being better suited to draconic species than most dragons out there.
And yet, they were classified as a fire/flying-type species.
Initially, the official record about their classification generated much negative public opinion. After all, if it looks like a dragon, flies like a dragon, and belches flames like a dragon, it must inevitably be a dragon. The answer to that conundrum came from a research report submitted by Lazarus White, a reclusive pokémon researcher from north-east Johto. His granddaughter Liza, is presently the current head of the family and the caretaker of the Charicific Valley, a haven for Charizards. The protection and maintenance of the Valley have been with the White family for several generations now.
According to Lazarus, the Charizard-line came showed direct descent from two very specific draconic DNA—the first is Tyrantrum, a fossil pokémon species whose remnants were excavated out in Kalos around ninety years ago. The second, unbelievably so, was Moltres- as was discovered after a detailed analysis of one of its feathers that was gifted to the Wataru Clan some two centuries ago. It is not clear how such a genetic combination came into being, though it is believed, that the amplified potency of the Fire nature in Moltres was somehow able to dominate over the draconic nature in Charizard, giving higher priority to Fire typing than Dragon. The exact answer is still a subject of research, but it is clear that the Charizard line, is the only fire type in the world of pokémon, that is, to put in more crass words, not a glass cannon, like most fire types generally are.
While the draconic DNA turned recessive, it did impart the physical strength and might of dragons to the Charizard line, a fact that becomes extremely distinct with each successive evolution. As a Charmander, almost nothing save a dragon dance, or a paltry dragon breath was what it was capable of, but on further evolutions, a Charizard was capable of performing almost everything that a pure dragon could do.
And yet, its innate Fire nature didn't give way to Dragon to establish dominance.
The answer to this quandary came in the form of Mega-evolution.
When flooded with Mega-Evolution energy, the two segments of Charizard's DNA reacted differently. Apparently, on evolution to Charizard, the draconic genes became almost at par with the genetics it had obtained from Moltres, enough that both had equal chances of evolving further. The theory, that there existed not one, but two co-dominant genes that could establish themselves through Mega-evolution, had initially shocked the world and had been taken in with a pinch of salt by researchers throughout the world.
And then, Mega-evolution slammed the truth to their faces, as two independent forms of Mega-Charizard were obtained. X and Y.
Mega-Charizard X, a type where the draconic DNA got access to further evolve, and become much more active than the extremely potent Moltres DNA, gave rise to the form of a black draconic Charizard with a dragon/fire typing. It was, in essence, a quintessential specimen with equal aspects of Fire and Dragon, both enhanced to massive proportions. The other was Mega-Charizard Y, where the Moltres' DNA attained further evolution, making the form the ultimate fire type, second only to the might of the original legendary itself. Its firepower and abilities were superlative, a clear indication that its origins lay in the primordial personification of Fire itself.
And that was what Cynthia's Charizard had chosen to evolve into. Even as a Charmander, it had a Monster egg group, and not a dragon one, and thus, had always been larger, stronger, and mightier than those with dragon-egg bearings. Even as a Charizard, it had been trained to unlock its innate Fire-nature, using it to a superlative degree. The power of Mega-evolution, flooding its tissues and nerves, now only unleashed it from any chains holding back the power descendant from the primordial fire-bird.
Mega-Charizard Y let out an earth-shattering roar.
And every single sound in the entire stadium was silenced, all of them in awe of the magnificent pokémon that stood, head and shoulders taller than the tallest Charizard, with a whooping thirteen-foot height, and twice as large wing span. The entire body seemed much more reptilian than before, though several blade-like protrusions were visible on its body, right from the head to the appendages to the tail, at the end of which, burned a massive, scorching flame bright enough to light up the entire battleground by itself.
"You have a meganite stone too, huh?" Lucian forced it through his teeth, not at all expecting such a comeback. Sure, the girl was good, very good in fact, for a generalist that is. But to have a meganite-stone and a pokémon that responded to it, to such perfect levels, was something the psychic master had not anticipated.
I evaluated her wrong. He admitted to himself, the confession leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "Still… let's match the powers of me and my Mega-Alakazam, who can divine nearly almost everything by nary but a single gaze, against your powerhouse of a Mega-Charizard, and the best commands that you can give him."
Cynthia grinned. "Let it be so. Charizard, bring in the heat!"
And the entire arena seemed to be submerged with searing, intolerable heat, as if they were all standing amid an active volcano, spewing out magma from its depths. For someone like Alakazam, whose entire existence was maintained by psychic energy, the intolerable heat seemed to provide an extremely annoying distraction, as he forced his power to forcibly create convection, in an attempt to seep away the heat towards the sky.
"My Mega-Charizard Y's ability is Drought. I'm sure you know what that means?" Cynthia asked rhetorically.
Lucian cursed under his breath. Drought, his ass! He knew Drought. His Ninetales could bring the effects of Drought into battle, enhancing her Fire-type attacks better than Blaze under a Sunny Day. This? This seemed like a monster made out of a dozen Droughts at the same time.
"Raze the field, Charizard," Cynthia commanded. "Multi-spin."
What the heck is that? Lucian thought in worry.
Mega-Charizard Y, it seemed, knew just what to do. It flew high into the air, before summoning a mother of all Fire Spins, before unleashing it into the battlefield, before flying up higher and higher, its wings glowing bright, spinning as it went, before manipulating its momentum effortlessly to send repeated strokes of powerful air slashes into the fire spin raging on the ground beneath, literally slicing it apart with such precision that it would make any self-respecting Metagross die of jealousy. Sliced apart, the fragments of the Fire spin reformed, and now, there were six independent fire spins, raging all across the ground.
"Your Alakazam can calculate Charizard's trajectory. I can admit that. But… can it do so while escaping from these?" Cynthia waved at the multiple fire spins, that razed the battlefield, independent of everything else, making it difficult for the mega-evolved psi to even concentrate in the battle, its entire concentration engrossed in maintaining convection to clear out the heat from wherever it stood at any moment.
And just like that, the tables had turned.
You can run, but you cannot hide. Cynthia smiled.
" Alakazam, use psycho cut on Charizard." Lucian commanded, inwardly feeling that the battle had once again, turned into the same as his Bronzong against that Garchomp.
"Shadow claw," Cynthia commanded, as Charizard's claws got engulfed with ghostly fumes, the very antithesis of psychic power before it slammed said claws head-on into the incoming psychic barrage.
"End it. Use blast burn."
The fire-type let out a furious roar, before slamming its forelimb into the ground, literally uprooting the entire arena, as rocks and liquid magma were pulled out of the ground, the hellish flames ascending upward al across the battleground, allowing no place where Alakazam could stay unaffected from its unbridled fury.
After the smoke receded, only a single draconic creature remained standing in whatever remained of the battle arena. A wounded and completely unconscious Alakazam, now devolved back into its natural form, lay fallen on one of the rock boulders.
Silence pervaded the stadium for a while.
"Alakazam is unable to battle. The winner is Charizard." The commentator whispered, his voice slowly gaining strength. "And with that, CYNTHIA has solidified her position as the Sinnoh Champion!"
Said the champion turned towards Lucian, who seemed completely exhausted, and was staring back at her as if seeing her for the first time. Then, the corner of the man's lips twisted into a content smile, as he nodded at her. It was as if, a misty glass between them had dropped, and now the man was realizing something that he had missed spotting in the first place.
No words were said, and yet, something far more precious was admitted.
And Cynthia smiled back.
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Mewtwo simply levitated himself upward toward the second floor, past the pathetic dark creatures that stood guard around his partner's office. Pathetic, he mentally sneered, as if these pitiful creatures would be able to stand in front of his wrath, should he direct it towards Team Rocket.
"Giovanni has called for you," Boss replied slowly, as the two walked ahead in the empty corridor, away from all interference.
Mewtwo smiled. The hierarchy within the tiers of Team Rocket amused him to no end. The entire organization, while over two decades old, had truly come to life some… three years ago, with its aim of making its presence known all over Kanto. Before that, it had mainly been a cluster of undercover research groups working for a man, a shrewd businessman, whose ambition and intelligence were unparalleled among men.
Lionel Giovanni.
Of course, back then Giovanni had funded a significant amount of capital on Project Alpha—a project that was supposed to create the most powerful pokémon in the world. Or rather, that was what it seemed it was.
A project that had ended with a blaze, with twisted metal on the ground, the entire island engulfed in ashes and smoke, and a lone survivor, one who would someday, become the Alpha of all.
...
[ Three years ago.]
The entire place was in ruins. The scorching flames consuming the entire fortress, the labs underground now nothing more than jaded glass and broken pillars, the machinery destroyed, the lives annihilated, and now… there was nothing else. One single beam of light, one single pair of glowing, icy blue eyes, and everything, decades of research were destroyed, annihilated, and all of that, because of one single mistake.
Mewtwo looked down at his own hands. All of this… devastation, had been caused by nothing but a couple of thoughts. Wishes… and emotions. Then again, as the man in white had told him.
He was the most powerful pokémon in the world.
I had strings… but now I'm free.
And then he saw it.
Walking towards him, a man, with that large mechanical contraption with wings behind him. A chopper… He realized, as information that he had absorbed from the man in white—Dr. Franklin's mind rose to fill in the blanks. He wondered, why this… human was coming towards him. It was not like he would be any-
Different?
Yes. He is different.
The human stood in front of him. There was no trace of fear in the man's eyes. It was almost like… fear, and pain were concepts abstract to him.
Just like me. Mewtwo told himself.
"I see that their experiment succeeded." The man spoke in an orotund voice. "They managed to create the most versatile pokémon in the world, and they wanted to make him into a lab rat." He sneered at the end.
Mewtwo felt his perceptions tilt, observing the man in front of him. Of course, the entity in front of him was human, just like those he had just… slaughtered inside the white building. And yet, this man seemed not to care about his own life. It was almost like he expected—no, he knew that Mewtwo would not kill him.
Not until he had spoken up his mind anyway.
Mewtwo felt his awareness expand. Interesting… An empath. I didn't know that humans had these… abilities. Interesting. An empath whose powers are inverted upon himself.
He could see now. This man… Giovanni picked the name out of the man's mind. The man's mind had twisted, and inverted his empathy into itself, making him devoid of emotions, sentiments, and fears….
Leaving behind only ambition.
Interesting. Very interesting.
"My name is Giovanni, and I am someone who can help you."
"Help… me?"Mewtwo spoke up, using his psychic-enhanced voice, as he felt a tinge of emotion… amusement, he recognized.
"Help each other." The man, Giovanni answered, as he turned his gaze away from him to stare at the burning heaps of twisted metal and concrete. "Those people in there… they were only working to create, not to destroy or cause harm. Why did you kill them?"
Mewtwo felt a strange impulse to instantly end the man's pitiful little life, if only for the misdemeanor of questioning him. A prey had no business questioning the morality of the predator.
Morality. He mused. Such a twisted, subjective, human concept.
I suppose I can humor him. If only for entertainment's sake. He decided. "I did not… kill them. I was simply annoyed when I found myself awake, bound in… strings, and them telling me… ordering me, to be there, as if they were the makers of my destiny."
Giovanni's lips curled. "They did create you."
"They did." Mewtwo could agree with that. He tilted his head slightly. Dr. Franklin was an avid believer in body language. "Is that supposed to make a difference?"
Silence.
"I didn't like being bound in strings, so I set myself free. Humans… pretty interesting species. I was curious, I wanted to know how they worked. I thought it was funny. The men in white were laughing after all."
He paused. "It took me absorbing Franklin's mind to realize that they were in fact, screaming."
There wasn't an ounce of expression on Giovanni's face. Mewtwo felt disappointed. Almost.
"Those people in there…" Giovanni spoke after an eternally long time- 8. 7593 seconds to be exact. "They were my men. I can't say they were very bright, but they were intelligent."
Amusement. Mewtwo felt it again.
"But they weren't bad." Giovanni looked up at him. "Why did you kill them?"
A conversation with a human. It was… surreal. Interesting. He would humor him.
"There is no such thing as bad."
"What about good?"
"Good and bad are… fairy tales. Humans have evolved to attach an emotional significance to what is nothing more than a survival strategy of the pack animal, conditioned to invest divinity in utility."
"You seem… very well aware of yourself and the world, despite… being born yesterday." Giovanni returned.
Mewtwo smiled inwardly. Another emotion. It felt good to slowly discover oneself. He should do it again. "I understand the way the human species thinks. Dr. Franklin was extremely… cooperative in that regard. I know about those mercurial beasts you worship as Legends, trying to fashion me into one." He looked squarely at the man's face, gauging his reaction. "You tried to make yourself one. Me."
"Well…" Giovanni did not disappoint. "That was the mission. To create a Legend."
"I live beyond your mission. I see past those… tiny ambitions of the human species."
"And what do you see?"
Mewtwo smiled again. "Good isn't really good. Evil isn't wrong. Bottoms aren't really pretty. You are a prisoner of your meat."
"And you aren't?"
"No."
"Why?"
Mewtwo smiled again. "I'm too clever."
Silence.
"I'm inclined to agree," Giovanni replied with a mundane finality. "Dr. Franklin was a man of many talents. It is good that his death did not go in vain. We got… you."
Another impulse to vivisect the man flitted inside Mewtwo's mind.
"I have a proposition for you."
Mewtwo's eyes glowed with icy fire. "Is this the moment when you tell me that I'll know my purpose if I follow you?"
Giovanni's lips curled. "I'm not an idiot. You are… incandescent. However, we can be of mutual help to each other."
Interesting.
"My team spent decades in their attempts to create… you. And here you are, in the flesh. While I admit it hurts seeing my best researchers slaughtered like that, it feels worse to find that the most versatile entity in the universe is a little more than a raging wildfire."
Perhaps I should correct his ignorance. Mewtwo thought in amusement.
"You were created, not to become the most powerful psychic, but the most versatile one. Molded after the legendary Mew, someone with the power to become any pokémon, regardless of type. One, who could use the Fire Blast of Arcanine in one hand, channel a Hydro cannon of Blastoise from the other, while simultaneously managing a Draco Meteor of a Kingdra."
He paused. "Someone who could become a legend amongst legends. That was the aim."
Mewtwo closed his eyes, as he began to analyze himself. Interesting. He didn't know he could do that. His very constitution seemed to be made of mutating cells that could transform into any type he wanted. However, he wasn't being able to mutate them at will.
It is such a… annoyance. Even he too had limits.
"You know I am speaking the truth," Giovanni replied. "You have your psychic powers available as the default version of your genetic constitution. With my organization's aid, you will be able to learn how to mutate your cells at will, though the progress would obviously, be slow."
Mewtwo extended his awareness further. The man, Giovanni, was indeed speaking the truth. Or at least, he believed what he was saying as the truth.
"I have invested a lot of research and money into you. If you agree to my proposition, it would enable my team to continue their research, while at the same time, enabling you, a better and quicker comprehension of your powers. That is all I offer."
"And if I choose to deny?"
"I cannot stop you," Giovanni confessed freely. "If I could, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
Interesting.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Back to the present.]
After that event, Mewtwo slowly watched the metamorphosis of Team Rocket from a private research organization into an actual militant service, working undercover to fuel its research. However, every notorious organization needed a head, a face to lead it, a face that all agents would respect, and a face that would take the blame should things go awry.
But Giovanni, the Ex Viridian Gym leader, was a businessman. He couldn't afford to be the face of the devil, after all, how else would he be able to enjoy plausible deniability when the time came? And yet… he needed the devil.
And so, he created one.
The one they called Boss.
A man sitting in the shadows, with a Persian at his feet. A man, or rather a position, one that was occupied by two individuals to date. The first is a man called Magnussen, and after his slaughter, a man called Archer.
Giovanni remained the Ex Viridian Gym leader, the one who was mind-punked by Mewtwo and the Boss of Team Rocket into following their commands, should Team Rocket be defeated by some grave eventuality.
Pragmatism. It was a good skill to have. Mewtwo could certainly see the advantages of having it.
"Where is he?" he finally asked.
"In his gym office."
Without further delay, Mewtwo disappeared.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Austin stood in the midst of Lavender Tower, his eyes focused on Raticate's grave. The air was filled with the scent of burning tobacco as he took a drag from his cigarette. The tower was a solemn place, with towering pillars and ancient cobblestones that whispered secrets from ages past. A cold wind swept through the open windows, causing the flames of the torches to flicker and dance.
( ~ Tap ~ )
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, and Austin turned to see Elite Four Agatha approach him. Her attire was that of a witch, with a long black cloak draped over her shoulders and a pointed hat on her head. In her hand, she held a gnarled wooden staff that was crackled with dark energy. Her sharp eyes locked onto Austin, and she spoke in a commanding voice.
"You know it's considered rude to ignore your elders."
Austin took another drag from his cigarette before exhaling a cloud of smoke. He didn't even acknowledge Agatha's presence.
"Well."
"Elite Four Agatha," he croaked.
"It is Agatha and nothing else," the old woman replied, her voice dripping with disdain. Her sharp eyes jumped from Austin to the floating shadow Pokémon hidden behind the pillars. For some reason, the shadow Pokémon felt extremely familiar, and judging by the manner it was shying its eyes away, Agatha knew that it was not a coincidence. She knew this Haunter. It was only a time before her memories spotted it.
"My name is Ash."
"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I have heard quite many mentions of your name," Agatha replied in a half-sardonic tone. "Then again, they are not... undeserved."
"Thanks," Austin replied as he puffed on his cigarette.
"..."
"..."
"Aren't you going to tell me to stop smoking like the twin grandmas?" he asked.
"No, it's human nature to find something to wash away your grief with. And again don't let Grady and Brady hear you call them grandma, they are very vocal about that topic."
Austin nodded while trying to give Agatha a cigarette.
"What are you trying to do, speed up my journey to the grave?" Agatha said as she took out a military water bottle.
Austin could smell the alcohol reeking from the water bottle.
So that's what she meant by something to wash away grief.
Austin and Agatha stood silently as they indulged in their vices.
"You know, you have the same look in your eyes just like I did when I was younger."
"When? A hundred years ago?"
"Kekeke, no, make that two hundred years back," Agatha chuckled as she took a huge gulp.
"The look of revenge," Agatha's words caused Austin's smile to drop before he puffed his cigarette.
"So are you going to tell me otherwise?"
"No, I was just like you, consumed by revenge when my father died at the hands of the monster you killed."
"... Sorry."
"For what? For taking away the thing I hated the most. For ruining my revenge."
"..."
Agatha took another gulp as she said, "I don't know who hurt you but remember the words of this old crone obsessed with revenge. Revenge consumes you and pushes away all the people you hold dear."
"..."
"But I know you're not going to listen. I was just the same. They say there are five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance but for people like us who have been scarred by the world there exists a sixth stage; revenge."
Agatha's words caused Austin to close his eyes as all the moments he had with Raticate began to flash through his mind.
In silence, Austin opened his eyes which glowed crimson red.
The look in Austin's eyes told Agatha everything who closed her bottle as she said, " Looks like my words didn't seem to have an effect. I just came here to thank you for freeing my family from the curse. Even if I feel anger towards you for taking away my revenge, I am still grateful that the curse is finally gone."
Austin absentmindedly nodded as Agatha turned to leave before Austin curiously asked," Aren't you going to stop me ?"
" Kekeke, no, you have made up your mind. Even if I stop you here, you will stand up again to walk this path of destruction. I can only advise you to focus your anger on the thing you're getting your revenge on and not let it lash out against the innocent, I made that mistake and to this day I never forgave myself."
Austin could feel the sorrow in Agatha's words as she left leaving behind a young man who was at a crossroads in life.
Not knowing what he should do next.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Marowak and Cubone walked towards the hall.
They wanted to thank the human for protecting them.
Suddenly as the human came to view, Marowak immediately stopped Cubone from advancing further.
Her instincts told her that this human was dangerous.
Hearing the commotion, Austin glanced toward the duo and with a nod, he left with Pikachu on his shoulders.
Marowak and Cubone glanced at what Austin was looking at. Only to find, a torn piece of clothing with the symbol of team rocket on it, set ablaze.
Glancing at Austin's back, Marowak had a gut feeling that this human was going towards a path of destruction.
Whatever the result would be, Marowak knew that the world is going to go through a storm with that human at its epicenter.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Man is such a strange and selfish yet selfless creature.
Words and actions can create such an influence on the body and mind of man.
These emotions led man to conquer this world and these emotions led man through the pathway of life.
Brady and Grady looked at the retreating back of Austin before they walked up the lavender tower to see what made this young man wait from dusk to dawn.
On the top floor of the tower, a Shiny Alpha Haunter floated, her spectral form glowing in the darkness. Raticate, a plump and furry creature, stood beside her, his whiskers twitching with anxiety.
"Isn't it time for you to leave?" Haunter asked Raticate.
"Then who will look after that idiot of mine?" Raticate replied, his voice tinged with concern.
Haunter's response was simple. "I will."
The air was thick with tension and danger as everyone stood at the precipice of their fate.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Walking down the cold roads leading away from Lavender Town. Austin found himself in enjoying the zephyr that created a beautiful and comforting environment.
Pikachu wondered what his trainer was thinking since he hadn't tried to make any kind of lame joke which if Pikachu was honest he really liked.
The air about his trainer had changed and the look in his eyes his eyes made Pikachu nervous.
Austin suddenly stopped in the open meadow as he said," Pikachu use iron tail on the ground to create line."
Pikachu while a little confused obliged as he jumped from Austin's shoulders and with a backflip mid air tore a line through the ground with iron tail.
Austin pulled out all his pokeballs before through them upward as in a flash of light everyone appeared infront of him.
Fearow and Charmeleon were ready to battle but relaxed when they saw no one but their trainer infront of them.
Clefable and Munna frowned when they sensed the dark aura combining from their trainer's heart.
Ninjask suddenly stole Wortortle's glasses before disappearing causing Wortortle to dramatically cover his eyes while using Scizor's legs to hide his shame.
Scizor sweatdropped while Bulbasaur's eyes rolled at Wortortle while he took a step away from Shedninja who floated midair ready to receive is trainer's command.
Butterfree sat on Krabby who was enjoying cutting the grass around him.
Pidgeot frowned when she saw there were no trees around them for her to perch.
" Guys."
" Pidgeot !"
" And Gals."
Pidgeot nodded as Austin continued," Can everyone stand over the line ?"
Everyone looked down before adjusting themselves.
Austin patiently waited before placing everyone's Pokeball infront of them as he stood a few meters away.
"From today onward you don't have to listen to what I have to say anymore. You can go wherever you want."
Austin's words shook everyone to their chore.
Was there loving trainer abandoning them ?
" I am going to hunt down team rocket. It is not going to be easy. Many of you and I could end up like Raticate but I am willing to do it. And I give you all a choice, cross this line if you want to come with me and potentially endanger your lives or you can destroy your Pokeball and leave. The choice is yours."
The look in Austin's eyes told everyone that this wasn't some kind of joke.
Pikachu and everyone looked at each other as they silently gazed upon their trainer who had a calm look on his face but his hands were shaking.
Afraid that none would follow him in this path.
Pikachu and everyone smirked before charging towards their trainer.
Austin didn't need to know what his pokemon said but he was certain he heard their voices loud and clear.
They were in this together. Even if he walked through hell, they would follow him.
Austin wanted to tell them how dangerous their journey would be.
He wanted to say so many things but the overflow of emotions and tears caused Austin to lose his voice.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Lavender Town - Ainsworth family mansion ]
Agatha was sitting in the main hall, on a rather old-fashioned wooden rocking chair, her face getting illuminated on and off from the light of the fireplace. Despite it still being morning, the amount of sunlight entering into the mansion was feeble at best.
Agatha gazed upon the shiny alpha haunter who was talking to caesar and the others.
" You are leaving aren't you."
Agatha asked her as she stared at her father's starter.
The shiny alpha haunter smiled mischievously as she rubbed her head.
The old crone pushed back into her chair. "You are going after that unusual trainer, Ash Ketchum."
Haunter didn't understand if the young man had just been complimented or insulted by her old master's daughter.
"It was a compliment." Agatha replied, as if reading her mind. "Most trainers are more… shall we say, pragmatic about pokémon?They consider them as tools, and… pets, if you want a better term. Those which they can easily trade when a better opportunity comes walking. But I can see that young trainer treating his pokemon like family, if that trainer is your choice then I can say you made the right choice."
Haunter smiled as she patted Agatha's head before disappearing into shadows as she left the Ainsworth family mansion.
A cruel, sinister look flickered on the old woman's face. "You found something interesting in that trainer, didn't you. Maybe it was fate that joined you two, a pokemon left alone under the rule of a cruel being, rescused by a kind and gentle soul whom they decided to follow through the path of hell, quite poetic "
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Sometime later, in a different office.]
The man in the shadows petted his Persian softly, making the cat purr at him lovingly, as he stared at the head of tech department Carr, in front of him, the other man's head down in shame.
"So… the infamous Executive Butch was defeated by a bunch of ghosts…"
The head of tech looked up, terrified... "Please… Please Boss, believe me. We received a transmition from the black box.…" Carr's face was blank. "And we received confirmation about the death of Executive Butch alongside Magmortar and Dusclops that you gave him."
"And yet, that didn't stop the men from capturing the Ghastly Population. Your story is… full of holes, I'm afraid, Carr."
"Boss… I'm speaking the damn truth. Believe me. Get a psychic, but whatever, just believe me. I have no reason to lie."
The Boss frowned. "As unfortunate as it is, you are speaking the truth. However, losing an entire fleet of our men along with an executive is a great loss for team rocket."
" All of Butch's captures, all the prisoners, all the remaining pokémon, will be transferred to Petrel."
Carr's paled. "Pet—trel? Why?"
The man in the shadows smirked. "You will find out soon enough. Contact Petrel immediately. He will tell you where to go."
Carr's knuckles were white. "Yes… yes, boss."
"Leave."
His head bowed, the man who was once an admin, turned away to get out of the room.
"Wait."
He stopped.
"Exactly how many ghosts were there?" The man in the shadows sat up, a little straighter.
"Endless…. Endless. Terrifyingly endless from what we have gathered from the black box before the transmission was fully cut off." Carr kept on stammering, as he left the room.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Route 8 is a unique route traveling east to west from Lavender Town to Saffron City.
As the night sky engulfed the land, Austin finds himself laying uncomfortably on the hard bed of the inn he was staying at.
" Pika, Pi," Pikachu complained about not having any ketchup to eat with his ice cream.
Austin ignored his partner's weird taste choices before he switched on the Xtransceiver to make a call to Bill Montgomery. He held on for a minute of indecisiveness as he knew he had to do this before he moves on to the main plan of destroying team rocket.
Activating the call function, he selected Bill's contact number, and after three rings, a flash of light appeared on the screen as Bill's- wait-
"What the hell are you wearing?!" Austin screamed, getting up from the bed, and he yelled into the Xtransceiver.
On the screen was Bill wearing a giant Eevee costume.
" What's wrong ?"
" ... "
" Well."
" Do I have to say it out loud ?"
" I don't see anything wrong."
" Bill, is this some kind of kink fetish ?"
" How do you know about a kink at your age ?"
Austin wanted to say the internet but kept his mouth closed since to his knowledge, the pokemon world doesn't have any kind of internet.
" Ok, Ok, I am not going to judge your closed closet kink rituals."
" They are n..."
" ... "
" They are not."
" ... "
" Can you stop looking at me as if I committed a war crime ?"
Bill replied as he explained how he was checking if pheromones from a mother would induce a response from the children when that pheromone comes from something that visually isn't an Eevee.
" This is a kink."
" ( ~ Sigh ~ ) So what did you call me for ?"
" Is your offer of being my sponsor still open ?"
Bill almost jumped at Austin's words before replying," Of course it is."
" Bill, can I ask what obligations I have to do when you become my sponsor ?"
" Well it's simple really, I will either have you catch some pokemon for my research or have you conduct on-field research on my behalf. Austin, I have a proposal for you if you are interested."
Austin looked interested as Bill continued," I was watching your match and I can see that you use combo moves in your matches."
" Yeah, what about them ?"
" I have a friend who is interested in buying those moves and converting them into TMs."
" Really," Austin asked in disbelief before he remembered the summary Bill gave him about TMs.
" Is the production of TMs harmful to the pokemon ?"
" No, you have my word as a scientist that the entire procedure is regulated under the supervision of a team of scientists, engineers, and doctors."
Austin thought about it for a bit before answering.
" So...
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Vermilion City - Pokemon center ]
" Dody, using Quick attack to dodge."
Dody dodged passed Nidorino's poison sting.
" Screech into gust."
Yellow commanded with a smile on her face as Dody's attack resulted in the opponent's Nidorino fainting.
" Nidorino has fainted hence Yellow wins this battle."
Misty as the judge said as joey returned Nidorino.
" Ha, if you had faced against my top one percent Rattata then it would have been my win."
Misty snorted at Joey's attempts to brush off the loss as Yellow had almost fallen asleep.
A little embarrassed Joey scoffed before leaving.
Misty smiled as she went up to yellow who had woken up with Dody pecking her.
" Misty, did you ask professor oak if Ash is alright?"
Yellow's question caused Misty to sweatdrop as she remembered how professor oak had begged her to stop yellow from asking him about Ash's condition every hour.
Misty lightly chuckled as she patted Yellow's head.
" Misty Waterflower, Brock, and please come to the front office, a call has come from an Ash Ketchum for you."
Misty turned Yellow only to find nothing but thin air.
" Come on, misty hurry up."
Yellow yelled out.
( ~ Thud ~ )
Misty opened her mouth before closing it as she slowly followed after yellow who kept running while rubbing her head that she hit on her way out.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Brock, Misty, and Yellow all stared at the black screen in front of them.
" Is the call cut off or something?" Yellow asked in worry before a voice spoke from the black screen.
" No, there is a connection problem where I am so looks like this is the only way we can talk for now."
Austin's voice caused Brock, Misty, and Yellow to relax a little as the stress and anxiety of what happened to their friend were eating them alive these last few weeks.
" Ash, are you ok? where are you? are you ok ? is Pikachu ok ?" Yellow rattled off a series of questions before she started coughing.
Misty patted Yellow's back as Brock said," Yellow, I don't think Ash could understand what you were saying ?"
Yellow looked down with a blush of embarrassment before Misty said," Don't worry about us, Ash. We are doing fine. We are still in vermilion city for your butt to get over here."
" Misty, please mind your language."
Misty rolled her eyes as she knew Brock was overusing this gentleman persona after some girl in the pokemon center said she liked chivalrous men.
Suddenly the trio felt that their friend was a little too quiet.
" ... "
" Ash, Is something wrong ?" Brock asked with worry laced in his voice.
" Can I ask why did you decide to journey with me? Wouldn't it be better to journey by yourself ?"
Austin's voice called out to the trio from the black screen.
" What brought this on ?" Brock asked curiously while internally he was worried about what brought such feelings up in his friend.
" Let's be honest with ourselves, we are holding each other back. I want to be a pokemon master, Misty wants to be a Water-type master, Brock wants to be a breeder, and Yellow is just going with the flow."
Unlike the others, yellow noticed that Austin was speaking unusually as if he was reading something off a script.
" What's this about, Ketchum?!" Misty raised her voice in anger.
" Typical Misty, always prone to anger. Maybe that's why you're known for being the ugly duckling of the Sensational Sisters."
Yellow covered her mouth in shock while Brock's face hardened.
Misty's face changed from disbelief into absolute fury as she screamed at the top of her lungs," Ketchum, how dare you? Tell me, where you are right now and I'll show you who's the ugly duckling."
Austin seemed to ignore Misty's outrage as he said," Brock, your dream is to become a breeder. Why are you wasting your time with us ?"
Brock was confused at his friend's words.
Just what had happened for Ash to act this way?
" Why don't you try traveling alone maybe then some girls would show interest in a creep like you ?"
Austin's words seemed to get under Brock's skin but he didn't express his anger like Misty.
" I have been thinking ever since the SS. Anne. Gary, Harrison, and Paul why are they so powerful then I realized something they don't have anyone holding them back."
" W...what are you saying? " Yellow managed to speak up.
" Isn't it obvious; I am saying that I want to travel alone without anyone of you losers holding me back."
" You bastard !" Misty screamed out as Austin said," Let's go our separate ways. I don't want to see any of your faces especially you, Yellow! "
At the end of the statement, Austin raised his voice before his call cut off leaving behind a furious Misty, an irritated but puzzled Brock, and Yellow who had tears flowing down her face.
" Yellow," Misty said in the softest tone she could muster but it had little to no effect as Yellow ran out of the room with tears in her eyes.
" Yellow, don't listen to him!" Misty screamed out before running after the crying Yellow. She had a few tears in her eyes. Even though she didn't show it, to misty their group was like a second family to her and the word's of a friend that she truly respected from the bottom of her heart cut deep through her.
Brock was left alone in the room as he looked at the screen.
' Ash was always completely fine even after all of those losses yet he wants to travel alone just because he feels like we are holding him back.'
Brock thought to himself as even though his friend's words made a lot of sense, those words didn't feel like they were coming from him rather they felt forced as if he was pushing them away by exploiting the insecurities that trigger them the most
Why are you doing this, Ash ?!
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
( ~ Boom ~ )
The glass cup shattered on the wall as Austin lashed out in anger at the desk in front of him.
He was angry at himself for saying those things to his friends.
Unlike Earth where he had a few people, he could call friends.
Maybe he was just too boring.
Even then the few people he called friends weren't someone he was truly close to.
Brock, Misty, and Yellow were the first people who he could truly call his friends, and now, he was pushing them away for their safety.
" Pika, Pi." Hearing his partner's concerned voice, Austin turned as he sat in the chair.
" Was I an asshole enough ?" Austin said sardonically as Pikachu nodded.
Chuckling a little, Austin rubbed Pikachu's head while he rubbed away a few tears he shed.
Even if they hated him, this was for the best.
" Pikachu, was I in the right to push them away ?"
Pikachu patted his trainer's arm as he knew why his trainer did that.
They were going up against Team rocket. If anything happened to Brock, Yellow, and Misty they wouldn't be able to forgive themselves.
Even if they hated this decision, they had to do it.
" Pika, Pi. Pika, Pikachu." Pikachu replied while doing his best to recreate a scene from a movie they saw in the SS. Anne which caused them to get late during the tournament.
Austin chuckled as he said," Yeah, I know bubby. I know. Let's go out for a walk, I can't stand in this smelly room where ketchup has been eaten on ice cream."
" Pika !"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
It was a beautiful night.
The stars were bright.
It was the most peaceful night on that day.
Austin took a stroll through the town he was staying at with Pikachu on his shoulders.
He needed some fresh air after everything that he said to his friends.
Not that many people were around though as if everyone else went to bed.
"How come no one is out on a beautiful and peaceful night out like this?", Austin asked.
" Pika, Pi." Pikachu just shrugged as Austin said, "Maybe they thought it was too scary to stay up past their bedtime."
Pikachu's ears dropped at his trainer's terrible sense of humor.
Austin just sighed as time went on, they both enjoyed the beauty and peace surrounding them.
I needed this.
Austin thought before something attracted his attention.
The news was being broadcasted on television on display.
Austin stopped as he saw the team rocket logo on display.
[…] officers had to intervene after a seemingly peaceful protest escalated to an aggressive conflict between protestors from the Naturalist movement and a small group of civilians. The movement, self-denominated the "Acolytes of Mew", is a group of ideologists known for their radical views against the current state of Pokémon, calling out the man-made intervention and modifications as blasphemous. According to them, Pokémon should remain the creatures they were always known as and not the overdeveloped […]
[…] in other news, a crime was committed last Sunday night inside the grounds of the Gladiadores Arena, located on the East part of Saffron City. Francisco Drake, a Lucha Libre Pokémon player of the newly emerging sport Pokkén, was found dead having presented severe head trauma. Paramedics were called as soon as a spectator discovered the body lying on the floor of the building's parking lot but unfortunately were not able to do anything as the individual had already passed away. Drake was a member of a prestigious family line of athletes, who have called for justice against this act and demanded for the perpetrator be found. Authorities cordoned off the site this morning and the investigation suspects the involvement of team rocket […]
Austin frowned at the news but for some reason, he felt as if he was being watched.
Suddenly out of the blue, a small drizzle began to occur causing Austin to look up in confusion.
I am sure there were no rain clouds when I came in.
( ~ Ting ~ )
Wortortle broke out of his Pokeball as he began to enjoy the rain which was slowly turning into a downpour. The rain was coming down in torrents and forming puddles on the ground and lightning moved through the air, lighting up the landscape for a moment, as everyone searched for shelter. Meanwhile, Wortortle was having the time of his life in the rain.
Austin hoped to reach his inn faster, but it looked as though that would have to wait; the wind was so strong that it was nearly impossible to walk against and the rain was stinging their faces except for Wortortle, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of us.
Austin tried to enter the T.V store but it was closed.
Then why is the T.V running?
Austin thought furiously before Pikachu shouted out.
Following Pikachu's finger, a large and crumbling mansion with paint flaking off the walls and several wild Zubats fluttering in and out of a broken window. What with the storm and everything, it was so eerie that it bore a strong resemblance to the set of a horror film.
' Ok, that's just screaming it's a bad idea to go in there.'
"Maybe a mad scientist lives there," Austin suggested. "And he's going to capture us and use us in some evil experiment."
" Pika, Pi." Pikachu glared at his trainer for trying to scare him while Wartortle spat out the rainwater he tried drinking. Why is it so bitter?
" We are only staying at the porch until the storm dies down."
Pikachu nodded as, after everything that happened in Lavender Town, he was done with anything creepy.
...
Austin, Pikachu, and Wartortle stood bored as it rained cats and dogs.
Austin and Pikachu were playing I-spy when Wartortle suddenly turned with something tapped his shoulders.
Suddenly a hand of darkness outstretched from the ground and snatched up Wartortle's glasses before fleeing.
Wartortle followed after into the creepy mansion.
Pikachu and Austin stared at one another before releasing a sigh.
Of course, this was going to happen.
The door creaked on its rusty hinges as Austin pushed it open, sounding as though it was complaining to itself about being disturbed after a long and pleasant sleep. It was dark inside, so dark that they could hardly make out the silhouettes of the others, and there was a gloomy air about the place as if some unspeakable horror had occurred within these walls. Maybe whatever that was had been the reason this house had stood abandoned for however long it had been, Austin speculated as he steeled himself and stepped over the threshold with Pikachu hiding inside the backpack.
" Real brave buddy."
" Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu called out from the backpack.
Austin could feel a light switch on the wall and flicked it in the hope of giving themselves some light. But nothing happened - the chandelier whose outline was visible on the ceiling continue to hang there unilluminated. "The electric's off," Austin told Pikachu.
Austin released Charmeleon from his Pokeball as his tail lit up part of the room allowing them to see at least some of their surroundings, which appeared to consist of an old parlor of the sort once found in relatively wealthy households. A large fireplace and mantelpiece dominated the wall immediately in front of them, the chairs were made of red velvet with high backs and craved wooden armrests and an Arcanine stood tall and proud in the corner. But there was something odd about it - it hadn't moved a muscle and, when we got closer, we immediately saw why . . .
"It's stuffed," said Austin as used the light provided by his Pokedex as his torch on the Arcanine and revealed its glassy lifeless eyes. Beside me, Charmeleon shuddered at the sight of the Pokemon frozen into a position that made it look as though it would come to life at any moment, but I was quick to try and reassure him.
"It won't hurt you," Austin told him "It's just a dead Arcanine and dead things can't do you any harm . . ."
'Well, why didn't its trainer bury it?'
Austin thought while keeping a wary distance from the Arcanine.
Who in their right mind would want to come within touching distance of such a thing? But Austin also had an idea what the unknown trainer's motives had been . . .
"I expect whoever its trainer was couldn't bear to be parted from it," Austin suggested. "All the same, I don't think we'll be spending the night here. Let's find Wortortle before he hurts himself . . ."
Pikachu and Charmeleon nodded hurriedly.
Austin held his makeshift torch in front of him as he led the way up the creaky old stairs, which squeaked loudly as we stepped on them. None of them had any idea what they would find in the upstairs rooms, but Austin hoped that they would find Wortortle as fast as they could.
" Wartortle!"
" Pika !"
" Char !"
Austin was distracted by his thoughts before Pikachu grabbed him by the shoulder.
Austin whipped around intending to scold Pikachu for startling him. But the words died on his lips when he saw the terrified expression on his face.
"Pikachu," he whispered nervously as he raised his paw towards his ear.
"Hear what?" Austin asked, cupping his hand around his ear. "I don't hear anything."
' Ok, this is official. I have the worst luck ever. First lavender tower and now this.'
Munna, Clefable, and Ninjask emerged from their Ball in a flash of light and stood beside me protectively.
Charmeleon, Munna, Pikachu, Clefable, and Ninjask - five Pokemon assembled beside Austin, all of them alert for the slightest hint of trouble. We could only hope that they would be enough for whatever was lurking here; this was exactly the sort of place where Ghost Pokemon liked to hang out . . .
As if even thinking about Ghost Pokemon had tempted fate, the sound of mocking laughter issued forth again - and, this time, we all heard it. "Haunt haunt haunt," came the eerie whispering laugh of a Ghost Pokemon from somewhere nearby, although none of us could tell where. That was the problem with Ghost Types - they were notoriously tricky to spot and were inclined to play mischievous tricks on unwary trainers.
The sound spooked Pikachu before he hid behind Austin's leg. And the other Pokemon seemed rather nervy as well.
Before the floor suddenly split out a pie splattered on everyone's faces.
" Kekekekeeke."
From the shadows, the shiny alpha haunter they battled in Lavender Tower emerged with Wartortle laughing on Haunter's back.
Austin couldn't help but break out laughing in disbelief at the situation they were in.
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[ An Hour Later ]
After surviving Haunter's prank, Austin made his way back to the inn only to receive a call from Agatha.
"Your father's… pokémon?" Austin swallowed, trying to digest what he had just learned. "Your father…"
"Ethan Ainsworth," Agatha pronounced. "My father had left to reseal that monster you fought in lavender Tower… and then never came home again. "
Austin cast a sideways glance at the door.
Haunter dissipated inside the shadows lining the corridors while Pikachu was on edge since he had become a victim of Haunter's pranks.
" Elite four."
" It's just Agatha."
" Agatha, what is Haunter doing here? Shouldn't he be with you ?"
" She."
" Pardon."
" Haunter is a she."
" Sorry, shouldn't she be with you ?"
" The Ghost Tower is not just home to Haunter's first master, but also home for her kin."
"I… understand." He tried.
"You don't." Agatha accused sharply, staring at him from the screen with her sharp hawk-like eyes. On closer look, one of her eyes seemed dead, cold—a prosthetic at best to maintain her facial outlook. Her face softened soon after. "And for your good, I hope you never do."
Austin didn't know what to make of that statement.
" You still haven't answered my question."
Agatha shrugged. "She wants to be your pokemon. It is not my decision. It is hers." She stared at him with a curious expression as she gazed upon Austin who had a surprised look in his eyes.
Austin called out," Haunter, is this true ?"
Haunter emerged from his shadow before placing an egg in Austin's hand.
Austin looked at the egg in confusion before looking up which scared him to his core as he looked at the terrifying look on Haunter's face.
Haunter burst out laughing at Austin's fear.
" Get used to this because raising ghost-type pokemon is harder than handling children."
" C..can I say, no ?" Austin said but Haunter smirked as she grabbed a Pokeball from Austin's belt.
" Ahhh!" Austin screamed as he tried to cover himself since Haunter had ripped his pants off.
" Ting "
The sounds of a Pokeball shaking caused Austin to look at the ground which had his torn pants with a Pokeball shaking before it stopped.
" Good luck," Agatha said," And put some pants on while you're at it."
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