Blake woke up in the forest, with his injured leg completely numb. He couldn't recall how he had gotten so far away from Mewtwo's facility, but he did know what he had to do: get even further away, to the city. He tried getting up, yet his legs wouldn't obey him. In the end, fashioning crutches from some branches, he slowly dragged himself toward the city. Suddenly, a burst of memories hit him. He saw Max, swarmed by four Pokémon, telling him to leave. The last thing he recalled was seeing Metagross slam Max, while Scizor and Sneasel held him down.
"Max... I'm sorry."
Convinced Max was dead, Blake limped toward the city as tears strolled down his cheeks.
However, Max wasn't dead. He fought as hard as he could to buy Blake every millisecond possible, before being knocked out and captured. Opening his eyes, Max almost wished he were dead. He was sitting in a damp, dark cell, barely able to see the faintest glint of the spikes on his hands. There was a strange smell in the air, almost too faint to be noticed, yet the more Max tried to ignore it, the stronger it seemed to get. He could hear water dripping from above, sometimes splashing him with tiny droplets.
"Leaky pipe, maybe? If it were an actual hole to the surface, no matter how small, I would be able to see. Unless it's already nighttime."
Max tried getting up, but wound up hitting his head on the cell's stone ceiling with a loud thud.
"Smart, Max..." Max thought as he rubbed his head.
"I see you're awake..."
"Who's there?"
"My name is Matt."
"Matt... Are you Jimmy's father?"
"You know Jimmy? Is he still alive?"
"He's safe. He's been stressed out these last few weeks, but he's safe."
"Weeks? How long has it been?"
"I dunno... maybe a couple of months?"
"Feels like decades..."
"How did you know to come looking for me?"
"Jimmy told us. We then told the police, but, when they didn't find anything here, they..." Max sighed. "They gave up. Jimmy threatened to go look for you himself, but we stopped him... Being here, I'm glad we did."
"So am I... Thank you."
"Call me Max."
"Max..."
"Now, why don't you tell me what's going on? What does Mewtwo want?"
"Mewtwo... It wants everything. Everyone on this world, and its homeworld. It wants... revenge."
"On who? Why did it come here?"
"It's a long story..."
Matt explained how he was the first one to find Mewtwo, as well as the ensuing battle, then its intentions. He explained how it had imprisoned him in his own mind, sealing away his senses. He had completely lost all notion of time: to him, an hour could be a year or a second, depending on how Mewtwo manipulated his mind.
"When I was finally released from its grip, I didn't even recognize myself. I still have trouble doing it... I don't recognize my face in the mirror. I had forgotten what I looked like."
"That's..."
"Don't feel bad for me. I'm afraid your fate will be much worse."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean this may be the only time we speak... I'm sorry, Max. Had I defeated Mewtwo when it was still weak, I might have prevented all this. Forgive me."
"Matt, I'm going to get you out of here. Don't worry."
A loud metallic sound echoed through the room Max and Matt were in, just before a bright light illuminated it. Max was able to see the mold on the walls, the puddles on the ground, and Matt sitting on the ground, seemingly in tears, scratching the ground absentmindedly, until three Pokémon took Max away. Matt simply kept scratching the ground, even as his new acquaintance was dragged away by the guards. Just before he walked through the exit, Matt looked at him with tears in his eyes and apologized one last time.
Max tried figuring out where he was, to no avail. His captors didn't answer his requests for information, or anything at all, in fact; they merely brought him to a large, well-lit arena. There was a strange symbol in the middle, like one circle inside another, connected by two lines on either side of the smaller one. As he approached it, Max realized there was a third circle within the smaller one.
"What the hell is that?"
"Get in there!" one of the guards yelled as he tossed Max inside.
The walls of the arena were tall, with gates embedded in them, just like the one Max had been pushed through. He could only imagine how many others had been captured. On the opposite side of Max's gate there was a large throne-like stone structure. Seeing it, Max slowly came to realize what the arena was for, though he still denied it to himself.
Suddenly, while Max tried to figure out where the exit was, a voice echoed throughout the arena, sending shivers down his spine.
"Hello, Lucario. I've been waiting for you. So glad you could join me."
Meanwhile, Blake had arrived at his hometown. He didn't know how long it had been, but he could tell it was clearly very late: there wasn't anybody roaming the streets, and every home had its lights off. He headed straight for Amber's home, ignoring his wounds and exhaustion. When he got there, he banged frantically on the door for a while. By the time she answered, he was already on his knees, barely managing to raise his arm to continue knocking.
"Blake!" Amber yelled as she helped him up. "What happened?"
"Max... Help..."
Blake passed out in her arms, much to Amber's concern. Although she hadn't known Blake for long, she knew he wasn't one to collapse like that. As soon as she saw his now-infected and still-bleeding wound, she picked him up and carried him to the hospital.
"Where are you?!" Max yelled with a shaky voice.
Max knew exactly who the voice belonged to, and he didn't want to face its source. As if it had sensed his fear, Mewtwo appeared in front of him.
"Right here."
Max's breathing quickly became erratic as he faced Mewtwo in the flesh. He stared at its snow-white skin, its purple tail, and its unforgiving eyes, almost trembling in fear.
"I can see you're scared." Mewtwo said with a smirk.
Max threw a single punch at Mewtwo, but it teleported behind him.
"I'm beyond you, Lucario."
Before Max had even turned around, Mewtwo was already floating above him.
"You can't hurt me."
Max, realizing he was outmatched, lowered his arms and surrendered.
"...What do you want?"
With a snap of its fingers, Mewtwo unlocked a single gate, before teleporting onto the large stone throne. Through the door came a hulking Rhydon with glowing purple eyes, poised to attack Max as soon as it was given the chance.
"Fight." Mewtwo said coldly as the gate closed behind the Rhydon.
The Rhydon's eyes glowed once more and, with a roar, it charged toward Max headfirst, simultaneously spinning its drill. Max quickly jumped out of the way, yet the Rhydon wouldn't give up. It easily went underground, preparing to strike from beneath Max's feet. A powerful earthquake knocked him off his feet, just before Rhydon pierced the ground with incredible force. Max used the spikes on his hands to deflect the drill, but the impact still sent him flying. Mewtwo yawned uncaringly, seemingly bored by the fight, until Max used the brief moment he was out of Rhydon's reach to toss a couple of aura spheres at it. Rhydon slid backward a few inches from the explosions, seemingly undamaged. However, the attack did leave it stunned for a few seconds, giving Max some breathing room.
"This guy's tough... I can't think of any strategy that helps me win against that kind of armor, except maybe..."
As if it knew what he was thinking, Rhydon sprinted at Max, yet without spinning its drill. Max focused all his power into a single punch directly at its soft belly and struck at what seemed like the weakest point. For a moment, it looked like it was working – Rhydon stopped dead in its tracks – until Rhydon used one of its gargantuan hands to pull Max's tiny fist away and lift him to eye-level. Max panicked, kicking and punching Rhydon's face, without any effect. In his desperation, he aimed for Rhydon's eye and attacked with little hesitation. He was immediately tossed away by an angry and stumbling Rhydon, before running toward it and punching its gut several times. After an aura sphere toss and a decisive uppercut, Rhydon collapsed.
Mewtwo smirked, apparently having enjoyed the fight, and snapped its fingers again. For a moment, Max thought he'd be put back in his cell – a preferable fate, he thought, realizing what Mewtwo had actually done. Two more gates opened, and out came two more Pokémon, ready to strike at a moment's notice. When Mewtwo gave the order, Max sighed and prepared for battle.
Blake woke up at the hospital, with Amber sitting by his bedside.
"I'm not used to being here, you know." Blake said. "Feels even stranger with you here, rather than..."
"You were mumbling about Max when you came to my house... Where is he?"
Blake started shaking slightly, holding back tears, before he spoke.
"...H-He's gone. Mewtwo got him."
"What? How?!"
"We went in the forest... He didn't want to go, but I-I was... sure... We were... discovered..."
"You left him, didn't you?" Amber asked, annoyed. "You left him!" she concluded.
"He told me to- We were surrounded! Four guys against the two of us! There was no way to win!"
"Bullshit!" Amber snapped. "How were you able to win against Will and me on your own, but not against those guys, even with Max?!"
"Because...!"
"What?"
"...Forget it. I don't have to explain myself to you. Max is gone." Blake said grimly. "...But we can still stop Mewtwo." he added as he got up.
"How?"
"We do what Max told us to do from the very beginning."
Blake groaned in pain as he tried to stand. Amber quickly realized he couldn't move from his bed, so, against his unspoken protests, she helped him back onto it.
"We raise an army." he finished as he stared into Amber's eyes.
Amber stared at Blake for a while, surprised by what she was seeing. Despite what he had told her about emotion, she knew there was one emotion he wouldn't allow himself to feel: hate. Now, pushed to the brink by the presumed death of his best friend, he stood at the precipice of it, ready to take the final plunge and declare that they needed – that he wanted – to kill Mewtwo. Though his body was severely injured, he was still able to heat up his room to the point of discomfort for other Pokémon. The fire that dwelled within him, fueled by his anger, was growing out of control; his wrists glowed, as if they were trying to become as hot as possible without lighting themselves on fire. The bed sheets were significantly darker around him than in the areas furthest away from his body, like they had been burned. His blue eyes were now covered by a thin curtain of crimson flames. Amber was relieved he was holding himself back, yet afraid of the reason. Was he trying to keep his hatred at bay, or saving it for Mewtwo? If he completely lost control, would any distinction between Mewtwo – the one he blamed for Max's death – and others who had simply been unable to help still matter? Or would he just break down into tears?
Before Amber could think about it further, Blake told her something that only made her worry more.
"Leave."
"What? Why?"
"I need to be alone... Please go."
"Are you sure?"
Blake stared at Amber again. The flames in his eyes flared up, sending shivers down her spine. Without saying a word, she left. No sooner had she closed the door to Blake's room than he started sobbing audibly.
"...I guess I have my answer." Amber thought as she walked away.
Max punched yet another Pokémon unconscious, earning a cheer from Mewtwo. It had seen Max's power and resilience, but his ruthlessness and unbreakable spirit were what surprised it the most. Even in the face of certain defeat, Max kept fighting. No matter how tough the opponent, he found a way to defeat them and didn't stop until he had.
"What are you... so happy about?" Max panted. "You're sick... Mewtwo."
"I'm not the one who beat six Pokémon senseless."
"You made me!"
"Please! You could have tried to attack me. You could have even tried to reason with them! Not that it would do you much good, though... You're a cold-blooded fighter, Lucario."
"Fuck you!"
"Fight for me. I'll reward you with anything you want. I'll make you more powerful than you've ever dreamed of."
"No." Max said without hesitation. "I'd sooner die than serve you."
"Hm... That's unfortunate."
Mewtwo casually stretched its arm, lifting Max off the floor.
"What the hell?!"
"You will do what I want, Lucario."
Max struggled futilely, before being teleported to a room he was familiar with – the room with the strange suit and the Pokémon with glowing eyes. There, he was instantly grabbed by a device coming out of the wall and suspended in midair. Mewtwo was there, observing intently as a suit was assembled in front of Max.
"W-What is that?" Max shakingly asked.
"With it, you'll do what I say without hesitation or complaints. You'll also be stronger than ever before... all so you can better serve me."
Max struggled against the device holding him, but it was of no use. Before he knew it, the silver suit was on him, instantly connecting his mind to Mewtwo's.
"Listen to me, Lucario... You will lead my army across this world. You will conquer everything and everyone on this planet for me. Let nothing stop you."
Meanwhile, Blake stopped sobbing, quickly replacing his mourning with anger. He clenched his fists reflexively, imagining that he was punching Mewtwo over and over again, even though he hadn't even laid eyes on it. He imagined breaking Mewtwo in every way possible. He wanted nothing more than to see Mewtwo burn.
"You took all that matters to me... I'm going to rip your heart out."
After Amber left the hospital, she went home, to Will and Jimmy. They were waiting for her, as usual, yet Jimmy was once again trying to convince Will to let him go after Mewtwo.
"Jimmy." Amber said.
"What?"
"Max and Blake went into the forest. They found Mewtwo."
"Why didn't they tell us?" Will asked.
"I don't know."
"...Because of me." Jimmy concluded. "They thought I'd try to go with them."
"It doesn't matter. Max didn't make it out. He's gone."
"How's Blake dealing with it?"
"He's angry. At the hospital, it looked like he was frying his sheets just by being there. He told me we needed to raise an army, like Max said."
"He must've been beaten up pretty badly to say something like that."
"He was, but I'm not convinced we need a freaking army to stop it."
"Mewtwo is more powerful than anyone!" Jimmy said.
"That's the same thing Max said." Amber thought. "I wonder if..."
"Jimmy, why do you believe that?"
"What?"
"Why do you believe Mewtwo is more powerful than anyone?"
"Because... I felt its power. I saw its power. It came from the stars and crashed here, but it was still strong enough to take on my dad."
"But you haven't met that many people, have you?"
"What's your point?" Will intervened.
"Max said the same thing Jimmy said – that Mewtwo is more powerful than everyone. What if that's not what Max thinks, but what Jimmy thinks that somehow passed on to Max?"
"That doesn't make sense. How would that even happen?"
"They were connected, remember? What was it like, Jimmy?"
"It was weird... I couldn't move or see, but I could hear and feel Max."
"Could you also feel what he was feeling?"
"I guess... I'd rather not think about it. It was..."
"That's alright. I'm sorry."
"Why does it matter?" Will asked impatiently.
"It means Mewtwo isn't as powerful as we thought it was. It means we can win."
"And by 'we' you mean..."
"You, me, and Blake."
"What about me?"
"You're staying here. You're still a kid."
"What about my dad? He's in there, with Mewtwo! I wanna help!"
"We'll bring your dad here. Don't worry."
"...Really?"
"Promise."
"...Alright." Jimmy said as he walked away.
Amber watched Jimmy go into the bedroom she had built for him, before turning to Will.
"Amber, you know as well as I do that Jimmy's dad is being controlled by Mewtwo. We have no idea how to break that link."
"...Would you prefer it if we took Jimmy with us?"
"No..."
"Then keep your mouth shut around him. We'll do what we can for his dad."
"Alright... Why were you asking all that stuff about Mewtwo anyway?"
Amber sighed, slowly explaining everything she knew about what had happened with Blake and Max. Will was as shocked as she had been, but she reassured him she had figured it out.
Mewtwo stared absently at the small holograms on its desk. It reached out for one of them, trying to touch it, but its fingers went through the projection, making it vanish. Mewtwo's eyes swelled with tears, until it heard a knock on the door, immediately wiping them away. Through the door came a Gengar, one of Mewtwo's followers.
Many psychic Pokémon had sensed Mewtwo's arrival. Impressed by its power, some chose to become its followers in the hopes that they could share the power, while others escaped to remote locations. Gengar had been lucky enough to spy on a few of them as they conversed about the threat, immediately making up its mind to become Mewtwo's subject. Mewtwo had not considered that other Pokémon would follow it willingly, but the unforeseen development was welcome, nonetheless. Without needing to control every Pokémon telepathically, Mewtwo was able to conserve and slowly increase its strength. The improvements over the suit technology by those same psychic Pokémon had been another unexpected gift, though it hadn't been perfected yet, in spite of weeks of experimentation. The subjects could attempt to resist, delaying their response to Mewtwo's commands. To make up for it, the suits also had to increase the subjugated Pokémon's strength somewhat – something Mewtwo was all too familiar with, due to its own past experiences with the technology.
"...Sir?"
"What is it?"
"The other Pokémon – the Blaziken – who came here with your new general arrived at the city. He's recovering as we speak."
"What should we do about it?"
"...Kill him. Send the Smeargle."
"A-Are you sure?"
Mewtwo suddenly rose, sending shivers down the Gengar's spine.
"Y-You said it yourself: Smeargles are almost powerless."
"The Blaziken is badly wounded. Even a Smeargle can handle it." Mewtwo assured its underling as it approached him. "Unless you're volunteering for the job."
"I-I just think it'd be better if-"
"Then you go. Kill him in his sleep."
"I-I'm not-"
"Go." Mewtwo repeated sternly. "And don't question my orders again." It added menacingly.
Gengar nodded, not daring to open its mouth again, and turned into a shadow, quickly leaving Mewtwo's side. Mewtwo closed the door telekinetically, before recreating the small holograms it had been staring at. About a dozen Pokémon played in the air in front of it, smiling at each other and Mewtwo. With a wave of its hand, Mewtwo made the illusions disappear.
"...I'm sorry."
The following morning, Amber went to visit Blake at the hospital again. Much to her surprise, he was already on his feet, staring out the window. A small fire had broken out in his room shortly after she left, restricting visits to the entire floor until they could get it cleaned up.
"He must've started it by accident." Amber thought.
"...Why are you here, Amber?"
"Very friendly."
"I wanted to talk to you."
"Is it about my brother?"
"Ye-"
"Leave."
"This is going to take a while..."
"Blake, why did you leave Max?"
"I told you, I don't have to explain myself to you."
"You're also stronger than anyone I know. Granted, I don't know many fighters, but you should have been able to get out of there with Max."
"You see this wound? Did you think it magically showed up? I was thrown into a damaged metal container, cut my leg, and that's before I had to jump who knows how much to get out. Before the final jump, I could barely carry Max, and he knew it. That's when... He told me to go."
"And you agreed?"
"No! Max, he... he saved me. He is... was... more than a friend; he was family. I wouldn't let him go, but he... jumped."
"...I don't understand why-"
"Why I didn't jump down with him and fight until we both died?"
"No. I don't understand why you didn't fight with him until you won."
"I told you; it was impossible."
"...Were you afraid?"
"What?"
"Were you scared of Mewtwo?"
"Max is the one who was scared. I was..."
"Overconfident?"
"I made a mistake."
"Blake, I-"
"Did you get me an army?"
"Overnight? No!" Amber scoffed. "Besides, even if I did gather an army, it wouldn't be your army. It wouldn't even be my army. It'd just be a bunch of people, trying to survive."
"I don't care. Do it."
"Let's get something straight: I don't work for you. I can't just ask a bunch of us to fight – maybe even die – just because-"
"I don't care!" Blake yelled.
"What?"
A nurse, startled by Blake's scream, burst into the room. She saw his anger, immediately slowing her pace as she approached him.
"Is everything alright, sir?"
"Everything's fine. Please leave."
"Alright... Let me know if you need anything."
No sooner had the nurse closed the door behind her than Blake resumed telling Amber how he felt.
"I don't care if they die, as long as Mewtwo dies too. If you're not going to help me, then just stay out of my way. Now leave me alone."
"...Fine. Call me when the stick's out of your ass."
Amber stomped out of Blake's room, passing by the same startled nurse in the hallway, while Blake quickly lied down to get some sleep.
"Fucking Amber..."
While Blake slept, Gengar approached his room. He saw Blake lying on his bed and smirked.
"Less work for me. No need to put him asleep."
With a sadistic chuckle, Gengar entered Blake's dreams, intent on toying with him before killing him.
Gengar found himself in the middle of a dense forest, back when Blake and Max met. Blake's parents had died in a freak accident, leaving him lost and alone for almost a decade, living off of what he could find. He was scared most of the time; reports of fires were frequent for a couple of weeks, but they quickly died out as he got a hold of his emotions. Whenever he accidentally set a fire, he ran to the opposite end of the forest, to escape it, so nobody managed to find him, even as several firefighters were sent to put out his fires.
He had tried escaping back into the nearest city, but the forest was far too large, and too far away from civilization for anything to be visible. Every time he ventured out into the world to find something, he never found anything more than endless meadows. Every few days he gathered enough resources for a day's travel, leaving from a different spot every time, and every time he ran out of resources before finding anything. Eventually, he gave up, and tried to make the best of it.
By the time the city grew enough to be visible from the forest, Blake was already a teenager. He had attained almost total knowledge of the forest and all its secrets by then – in particular the creatures and plant life there, as well as their abilities. He debated for days whether to stay in what had now become his home or go back to a world he probably didn't understand any more. That decision, however, was made for him. Since the forest was now close to the city, more and more Pokémon visited it. One Pokémon in particular, out to train his abilities, actually managed to find Blake out of sheer luck. He approached Blake silently, surprised to see a fire Pokémon in the forest, oblivious to the fact that Blake was already aware of him. When he got within a few feet of Blake, a single word was uttered by the Blaziken.
"Stop."
"Who are you?"
"...What year?"
"Uh... Come again?"
"What year?!"
"Oh, um... 2937."
Blake stared blankly into the forest, slowly realizing how long he had been alone for. Not wanting to let his new acquaintance's question go unanswered, while also being cautious about trusting the stranger, he whispered his name.
"...Blake."
"What?"
"Name. Blake."
"N-Nice to meet you. I'm-"
Before he knew it, Blake had vanished into the forest.
"-Max."
Gengar ignored Max entirely; instead, he tried catching up with Blake.
"The kid's fast..." Gengar thought.
Blake swung and jumped from tree to tree much faster than Gengar could keep up with, until he suddenly stopped. Gengar quickly arrived, merged with the shadows of the forest.
"...I know you're there, whoever you are."
"Shit."
Gengar reluctantly revealed himself. There was no point in hiding any more.
"How long have you known I was here?"
"I've known you were here since the beginning."
"How?"
"...I've had this... dream from time to time, ever since I returned to the city. I know it like the back of my hand. I could tell something was different."
"Now what?"
"I kill you."
Blake swung his fists at Gengar, unaware of the ghost's ability to control his dream. Gengar dissolved again and again, while Blake only managed to hit air. Gengar laughed, swirling around Blake while making everything else go dark.
"Fool... Can't touch me in here."
Within moments, the forest turned dark. Shadows stretched and became alive, clawing at Blake. He ran away from them, periodically spitting fire at the ones that got in his way, yet there was no end to either the shadow creatures or the forest, the latter of which seemed to be repeating itself endlessly. A sadistic laughter echoed throughout Blake's dream-turned-nightmare, angering and frightening him.
Max struggled inside his armor, pounding the walls of the cage he had been placed in for everyone's protection. Mewtwo was outraged his technology had failed to control Max; instead having driven him insane.
"Why is he still doing that?" Mewtwo asked its lead scientist.
"W-We don't know. We've never tried it on a sentient creature before. I-It may be that his mind is simply too powerful."
"No. This technology works on sentient beings. I've seen it. Fix it. And take it off of him before he breaks it... It's worth more than you are."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Blake ran for as long as his foes allowed, until he was surrounded by the shadow creatures. One by one, they took Max's shape and began attacking him.
"Max..."
He dodged their attacks as best as possible, before realizing there was only one way to survive.
"...I'm sorry."
Blake struck his foes, punching the ones that jumped toward him and tearing off pieces of the ones that ran at him. Every time he could hear them scream in pain in Max's voice, begging him to stop.
"Let me out of here!"
Blake's screams weren't heard outside his own head, but the effects Gengar's possession was causing were visible in the real world. Although several hours had passed in his nightmare, only a few seconds had passed to the rest of the world. Nurses rushed to Blake's bedside, prompting Amber to turn back as well.
"What's going on?"
"We're not sure. He started struggling in his sleep as soon as you left."
"Out... Get... out..." Blake mumbled.
"He's... having a nightmare?" one of the nurses concluded.
"It's something else. He's having trouble breathing, his heart rate is...!"
"Dammit... I need help... Huh?"
While the nurses were distracted, Amber noticed Blake's shadow wasn't following him. There was a slight but noticeable lag between his movements and the shadow's.
"What the..."
"Get down!" Amber yelled as she aimed one of her cannons at Blake.
The nurses threw themselves to the ground, and Amber fired a steady stream of water at Blake. Gengar was startled, but he wouldn't leave. Amber continued shooting cold water at Blake, taking great care not to drown him, until Gengar exposed himself to direct sunlight by going near the window, to keep himself from freezing.
"There!"
Amber's punch, though slow, was extremely powerful, tearing down part of the wall and forcing Gengar to reveal himself to avoid being hit.
"So... you knew I was there..."
"What did you do with Blake?"
"Would you like to find out?"
Gengar attempted to hypnotize Amber, but one of the nurses – a Chansey – fired a bolt of lightning at him, while one of the doctors – a Hypno – grabbed him telekinetically.
"Why are you here? Who sent you?" Amber asked.
"I-I..."
"You hurt my patient." the doctor interjected. "You are an intruder in my hospital. And I have you. Do you know the laws of our country? I could crush you right now, and nobody would bat an eye."
"W-Wait! I... I'll tell you... Just let me go."
"Tell us first, or you're not getting out of here alive."
"What kind of doctor is she?!"
"Answer her question. Who sent you?"
"M-Mewt- Ah!"
Gengar suddenly exploded, his shriek shattering windows throughout the hospital as pieces of him dissolved into nothingness.
"Why did you do that?" Amber yelled. "He told us what we needed to know!"
"I-I didn't..." Hypno replied. "I-It was... someone else."
Back in Mewtwo's lair, Mewtwo sat in its chair, sighing.
"Should've sent the Smeargle."
At the hospital, Blake's doctor tried to calm Amber down, until Blake woke up.
"Is this... real?" Blake asked.
"Very real."
"Amber... I'm... sorry." Blake said before passing out.
"I-Is he OK?"
"...He's just fainted. He should be able to sleep now. We'll have security guard the room... Can you come with me, please?"
"Why?"
"You broke our wall. Somebody's got to pay for it."
"Don't you have insurance?"
"For someone punching down our wall while fighting a ghost? No. Can't say we do."
"Right..."
"Go talk to the nurse."
"OK."
While Amber spoke to the nurse and gave her her info, she briefly wondered why Hypno seemed so callous about killing Gengar. Moreover, why nobody seemed to have any problem with it.
"Sign here, please."
"Say... What's with that doctor? Was she really going to kill that... thing? Why didn't any of you stop her?"
"...She used to be a soldier. She cares about her patients and would do anything to keep them alive."
"Even kill?"
"...Sign here, please."
A short while later, while Blake slept, Amber was taken to the police station, along with the nurses and the doctor who had also witnessed the attack. When she gave her statement, she was surprised to see Adam. The Machamp sighed wearily, clearly annoyed by something.
"Let's just get this over with... What happened?"
"You know what happened. It was Mewtwo. He sent that..."
"Gengar."
"What?"
"Its species. Gengar. They're ghosts who can control and eat others' dreams... even kill them in their sleep."
"So that's what it tried to do to Blake!"
"...Amber, was it?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry for doubting you and your friends. You were right. Mewtwo... is real."
"Are you just saying that because-"
"Sam is gone. He left without saying anything, his home was... burned... There's no trace of him except for our records."
"So..."
"So I'm going to get him back. You know where he is, don't you? Where Mewtwo is keeping him?"
"I-I don't know if-"
"Please. I need your help. I... I know I'm not the nicest guy, but... Everyone here is important to me. They're my family."
"Why did you send Sam off on his own then?"
"Sam... is just a kid. He wanted... 'to go on an adventure', as he put it. But he's strong... I didn't think he'd be in any danger... Mewtwo's a monster. It needs to be taken care of. I'm willing to... go with you and fight it, if you'll let me."
"What about the others? We could use a few more guys."
"I can get maybe two officers to join us."
"Two?"
"The number of police officers is enough to cover the city, but not much more. We haven't had any problems until now, so there was no need to increase our numbers. However, if I send too many officers away, there could be... rumors. Two is all I can spare, along with myself."
"So that's... two officers, Adam, me, and Will. Five... Maybe I can get that doctor to join us too, so six... But what about Blake and Jimmy? They won't stay here quietly. We could use Blake's strength, but Jimmy's just a kid. Even if we did get them to join us, that's still just... eight. It's not enough."
"...Two isn't good enough. Even if I get everyone I trust, we're only eight."
"It's not just a matter of numbers. Eight well-trained people can do more damage than thirty untrained, wild beasts."
"We don't know how many creatures Mewtwo has working for it... but maybe Blake does."
"What?"
"Blake was there, with Max. He might know something."
"Isn't he the one who was attacked?"
"Yes! Mewtwo's clearly scared of him."
"...I have to file this paperwork. I'll meet you at the hospital with my two officers. Gather everyone you can."
"I told you, eight people is not enough."
"If Mewtwo is afraid, it's for a good reason. Blake knows something important. A weakness. Eight people will be enough, if we have a good plan. Talk to him. Get him to tell you everything he knows, and I'll make a plan. First, just tell me what kind of people you have on your side, so I can start covering all our weaknesses."
Amber quickly explained all her acquaintances strong and weak points, while also taking care to inform Adam that she wasn't sure Blake's doctor would join them. Once she was done, Adam thanked her and sent her away, before grabbing a phone and calling his officers.
Several hours passed, with Amber waiting by Blake's bedside for him to wake up. Meanwhile, Mewtwo's scientists had finished the necessary modifications to the technology and were ready to try again.
"Is it ready?" Mewtwo asked.
"We think so."
"Have you tried it?"
"We're about to."
"...This better work, Alakazam, or your brainpower will be added to the central computer, same as the other ones."
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Alakazam have powerful brains rivaling my own... The network I created gave birth to the most powerful supercomputer on this planet. Still... I need minions who aren't connected to a computer all day long."
Max had been rendered unconscious as a precaution – the only audible sound came from the machinery attaching the suit to his body. Within moments, Max's eyes began to glow as Mewtwo fully controlled his mind.
"...It works. Well done."
"Th-Thank you, sir. W-We-"
"How's the UMS project?"
"T-To be honest... We're not sure what it is you want us to do. We've never seen anything like it before."
"The Mega Stones can bestow great power to many Pokémon. I just want you to make me one that will work on all of them."
"If we had more samples, perhaps-"
"You have everything you're going to get. Make it work."
"W-Well, there is..."
"What?"
"W-We actually managed t-to create a prototype, b-but..."
"...But what?"
"I-It's unstable. It could work, or it could explode, taking out the Pokémon who tried to use it with it. It's also... fairly large, about the size of a large rock."
"...Where is it?"
"In the vault."
"I'll study it in my office. In the mean time, get all the scientists down here and seal the labs."
"Sir?"
"We're expecting company... Is the Lucario combat-ready?"
"He should be."
"Get him to the arena. I'm going to test his power."
"Yes, sir."
"My power is not inexhaustible... If I attempted to control every being on this planet, I wouldn't be able to. On the other hand, I can control any one of them. This tech will allow me to grow my ranks without any strain on my mental capacity. And, with the UMS... I'll control an unstoppable army of Pokémon. For now, I just need to fend off this attack. They shouldn't have more than a dozen soldiers on their side, while I have over thirty on mine... and the Lucario."
Back at the hospital, Blake was awake once again, finally revealing why he had left Max behind.
"...You were right. I was scared. Of death... I had never met anyone who rivaled me in power – someone who could actually kill me if they tried... not since I was a kid. Being in that position again was like... going back to that time... when I was just a frightened kid living in the forest."
"Blake, I need to know what you saw in Mewtwo's base. Mewtwo tried to kill you; you must know something."
"Why do you want to know now?"
"Because we're going in there. I... got a few people who'll help."
"How many?"
"Six, maybe seven."
"...That won't do."
"It's all we've got."
"...I saw... some kind of technology. Alien. A suit, but I don't know its purpose. There was also something about a... 'UMS prototype'."
"I wonder what that is..."
"I also saw... a map of the base."
"Did you memorize it?"
"No... I was just trying to find out what Mewtwo was doing."
"Maybe I can help." Blake's doctor said.
"H-Hello, doctor. We were just-"
"I heard the whole story. Who's Mewtwo? Why is he after you?"
"Mewtwo is... a creature from outer space. It's trying to conquer our world. I'm not sure why it tried to kill me, though."
"...Lie down." Hypno said as she grabbed her pendulum.
"What for?"
"So you don't hurt yourself if you faint."
"What are you talking about?"
"You want to remember, don't you? I can help."
"I-I'm not sure if..."
"It's completely painless, but it can be tiring. Don't worry, though. As long as you keep in mind that it's not real, it's safe."
"Fine..."
"Focus on the pendulum. Don't think about anything except what you saw at that base."
The doctor's voice seemed to make every other sound fade away, until Blake was teleported to his own memory. The underground base's map because clearer and clearer, until it was just as if he really had gone back in time. Slowly but surely, Blake described every aspect of the base, starting with what he could see on the map and what he saw while trying to escape. Amber wrote it all down, but, suddenly, Blake started struggling.
"Blake, it's not real. Calm down."
"M-Max... Max!"
"What's going on?"
"He's having some trouble getting back to reality."
"You said it was safe!"
"As long as he remembered it wasn't real." Hypno said sternly. "This memory must be too painful for him to handle in such detail... I need you to hold him down before he hurts himself."
Blake saw Max fighting to protect him, even as they were both heading outside, as well as the final leap and their pursuers striking him all at once. He screamed at the top of his lungs as the last time he saw Max repeated itself endlessly in his head, yet Amber still managed to keep him down.
"His arms feel like they're going to explode. Is he...?"
Without warning, Blake's bed burst into flames as the heat from his body surpassed its limits. His doctor tried to get him to wake up, but her efforts were in vain. Soon, Amber's hands became too hot for her to keep holding Blake, so she decided to do the only thing she could. Before the nurses who had heard Blake's scream managed to go through the door, Amber fired a continuous jet of water at Blake, simultaneously headbutting him with all her strength and knocking him out.
Amber turned around, angry at Blake's doctor for trying something so potentially dangerous, until she saw that the Hypno had also been burned.
"Are you alright, doctor?"
"I-I'm fine... I'll be fine... Amber, did you manage to save your notes?"
"Yeah, yeah... I threw it out the window when Blake started to..."
"OK... Nurse, could you please go get it?"
"Sure thing, doctor."
"Is he going to be alright?"
"Yes. I was trying to put him under on my own, but... I guess your method worked better."
"What was that? What happened?"
"I don't know. He should have stopped after he told us about the map. I don't understand what could have done this."
"It's probably Max. Seeing him like that was just... I had no idea Blake was so... attached. They did always refer to each other as brothers, but I always thought they were just good friends... I guess they really do consider each other family, kind of like... Will. And... if this is how Blake feels, I can't imagine how Jimmy would feel if he knew we were going to rescue his dad but weren't taking him. It's not like we can stop him anyhow; the kid can teleport. I guess it's better if we know he's there. At least we can protect him that way."
As soon as Amber exited Blake's room, Adam was waiting there with his two officers. She quickly explained the situation to them, then showed them her notes once the nurse brought her notepad back.
"Hm..." Adam mumbled. "I think... this is the best place to strike. These... structures will provide us with a perfect cover. If we can get past the tree line unseen and hide between these structures, we'll be as good as invisible."
"...And how do we get there unseen?"
"You said Jimmy could teleport. Maybe he can-"
"He's far too young. He can't teleport all of us."
"Adam?"
Amber recognized the voice, though the emotion in it was new. It was Blake's doctor.
"What're you doing here? I thought you hated hospitals."
"You know each other?" Amber asked.
"We served together."
"Meryl here... She didn't like to fight. Didn't like hurting others."
"Could've fooled me..."
"So we went our separate ways. She became a doctor, and I became a police officer. We still see each other from time to time... just not at work. Doctors don't really like soldiers."
"Are you going after Mewtwo?"
"H-How do you...?"
"Blake is my patient."
"Well, yes, but-"
"I wanna help."
"Why? You hate fighting."
"I still do... But Mewtwo hurt my patient. It's my duty to protect him. I won't fight, but I can get you past their defenses."
"Jimmy can't do it on his own, Adam." Amber said. "Meryl would be a big help."
"...I guess it's better than getting us there one at a time. Just don't tell anyone, Meryl. I can't have the people in a panic."
"Alright. What's the plan?"
When Blake woke up again, Amber had already gathered Will and Jimmy, and both they and Meryl had been told the situation and the plan. Jimmy was by his bedside, having stayed there ever since he arrived at the hospital.
"Hello, Mr. Blake."
"Hey, Jimmy. What's up?"
"Amber says we're going after Mewtwo. Will you be coming with us?"
"What?!"
Blake had a mild headache from the earlier strike, but he ignored it as he rose and spoke to Amber, who was just outside his room with Will.
"We can't take Jimmy with us. He's going to get killed."
"I thought you didn't care."
"I... I can't get Max back if I... He wouldn't accept it."
"Jimmy may be a kid, but he managed to teleport straight from Mewtwo's stronghold to the middle of town on his own." Will said.
"And then he passed out." Blake countered.
"That's true, but the point is he can teleport away if it becomes too dangerous."
"Jimmy... If you get in trouble, will you do that?"
"Yes." Jimmy answered without hesitation. "I want to help, but... if we're all captured... or worse... I won't get my dad back. I want my dad back... He's all I've got."
"...Then let's go."
"You need to wait a few days, Blake." Meryl said. "You're in no condition to fight."
"I have... medicine at my home. It can fix any wound."
"Why didn't you say so before?!" Amber yelled.
"How could I? Every time something happened. First Gengar, then you knocked me out, and before all that, I was too weak to think."
"What's it made of? We could use it here at the hospital."
"...If I thought it would help, I'd give it to you. I spent over a decade living in the forest, and I still only managed to make eight of them. I've taken it to chemists all around the country. None of them could replicate it because the ingredients don't exist any more. Even I no longer remember how I did it."
"You spent over ten years in the forest? Why?"
"...It doesn't matter. What matters is that these are our trump cards. I'll need one to recover from these injuries, and I'll bring the rest with me when we go out... What time is it?"
"Almost dawn."
"Go to the forest. I'll meet you there. Jimmy, think you can take me home?"
"I'll do it." Meryl said. "Jimmy needs to conserve his strength in case... Where do you live?"
"I... live in the town dojo."
"You own it?"
Blake nodded.
"Well, that explains a lot..."
"What do you mean?"
"I used to get three injuries a week from people who went there. Because it was a dojo, I just assumed they had pushed themselves too hard. Since you've been here, nobody's been hurt."
"S-Sorry..."
"It's fine... Let's just go. Take my hand."
As soon as Blake held Meryl's hand, a bright light enveloped him, and he was instantly transported to the dojo.
"It's dark." Meryl said.
"Give me a minute... There."
Lights turned on throughout the large building, with Blake relaxing as soon as he realized it was exactly as he had left it.
"This place... is huge."
"I don't like closed spaces."
"I guess not... After spending twelve years in the forest, I wouldn't like closed spaces either."
"How...?"
"Well, I wasn't sure until you said you had spent over a decade in the forest, but we studied your case in medical school. Specifically, in psych class. A fire manipulator lost in the forest for years didn't end up burning it down? You were quite famous for a while, then just... disappeared. What happened?"
"Max happened." Blake said as he searched for the patches he wanted. "He helped keep me off everyone's radar."
"How?"
"I didn't ask... I got them. Let's go."
"They look... advanced. You couldn't have made that in the forest."
"I just made the formula. When I got here, I improved on the delivery system. This is much better than rubbing it on a wound and hoping for the best."
Blake placed one of the patches on himself, and his strength immediately returned.
"That's impressive." Meryl thought. "Out of necessity, people can do amazing things. I'd ask him if he'd let me help him remember, but I doubt he wants to go through that again."
"What?" Blake asked, seeing Meryl staring at him.
"...The others are probably already at the meeting point. Take my hand."
"Alright."
One bright flash later, Blake was with the others who had gathered to fight Mewtwo. The two officers Adam had brought – a Poliwrath and a Mr. Mime – quickly introduced themselves, and the entire group went through the plan one last time.
"So, Jimmy and Meryl will take us to these structures, and... then what?" Poliwrath inquired.
"We infiltrate the underground structure." Adam explained.
"This guy... Mewtwo... it'll see us coming." Mr. Mime mumbled.
"That's true, which is why I got both of you. If we need to leave, it'll be your job to keep the enemy off of Jimmy and Meryl while they take us back."
"Got it."
"Then let's go. Lead the way, Blake."
Blake did as Adam asked for a while, until he suddenly motioned for everyone to stop.
"What's wrong? Why did you stop?" Adam asked.
"...Mewtwo knew we were coming. Its minions are just a quick dash ahead." Blake explained.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, Will."
"I can sense them too." Meryl said.
"So... now what?"
"Now we fight."
"I told you, I won't fight for you."
"Then what did you expect to do here?"
"I'm just here to get you through their defenses and help you escape."
"...Fine. Suit yourself. Don't fight. The rest of us have a job to do."
Before Meryl could retort, a low rustling sound was picked up by everyone, so they quickly prepared for battle. When a Medicham slowly crawled toward them from behind a tree, they all relaxed somewhat.
"Daddy?"
"J-Jimmy?"
The Medicham collapsed, prompting Jimmy and Meryl to rush to his side.
"Is it really your dad, Jimmy?"
"Y-Yes... It's my dad."
"You must be Blake... Max told me about you."
"Max... Max is alive?"
"In a way... Mewtwo took control of his mind. He's not your friend any more."
"...Is there a way to break Mewtwo's control?"
"I don't know."
"...I'm going after Max."
"What? We need you here. You don't know if you can save him or not."
"If I don't try, I'll never know."
"What if he tries to kill you?"
"If it comes to that, I'll... stop him."
"Blake, you can't-"
"You told me I was a coward for leaving him behind. I thought he was dead for sure, and it... broke me. I can't leave him behind again. He's family."
"Blake..."
"Meryl, can you get me inside?"
"I can, but... I have to stay here and help everyone escape, if it comes to that. I won't be able to know if and when you'll need my help. You'll be on your own."
"In that case, I'm leaving behind two of these patches and taking the rest with me... It could get pretty rough in there, so I'll need them."
Blake pulled out two of the patches he had brought and handed them to Meryl, as she had already seen them in action. Before teleporting him, however, she wanted to be certain he knew what he was doing.
"Blake, are you sure this is what you want?"
"In truth? Not really." Blake whispered. "...But it's what Max would want, and it's the right thing to do."
"Alright... Be careful in there."
The third teleportation finally alerted Mewtwo to the fact that something was wrong, and gave it the location of the intruders. Within moments, its forces gathered in front of the group, ready to attack.
"Jimmy, get your dad out of here."
"Y-Yeah."
Jimmy did as Amber told him, much to everyone's surprise.
"Since when can you control him?"
"Since he got what he came for. Will, get ready to freeze everyone."
"Alright!"
"...This is our fight; not Jimmy's. Let's go!"
Mewtwo's Pokémon roared loudly, charging toward their opponents. Amber fired a continuous stream of cold water at them, while Will cooled it down further and froze them in place. Adam grabbed two opponents who came too close and smashed them against each other, while Mr. Mime created barriers to protect everyone. Just when Amber and the others were getting their hopes up, several more Pokémon showed up, demonstrating just how outnumbered they were.
"Blake... you'd better beat Mewtwo quickly, because we can't win against all of these guys."
Blake found himself back at the long hallway where he saw the map. A quick glance at it showed that all rooms but one were closed for an unknown reason. Blake naturally headed for the only unlocked one and arrived at the arena.
"Max!"
Max was wearing a strange suit with a design similar to the one he had seen in Mewtwo's cave several days ago. It was mostly dark silver, with paper-thin, purple, and translucent parts making up the visor and protecting two pairs of panels – one pair on his forearms, and the other one on his quads. There were thick wires connecting his elongated helmet to the cover on his spine, which then had other, thinner, wires connecting to his arms and legs.
Max's vision had been purposefully clouded by the suit's visor. Even using his aura-sensing abilities, he couldn't tell Blake apart from Mewtwo – all in an attempt to keep his mind subservient. However, hearing his best friend's voice weakened Mewtwo's control over his mind.
"Blake... Help... me..." Max thought.
Sensing Max's hesitation, Mewtwo stepped in, to avoid losing control over its general.
"Max, why do you resist?"
"Blake is my friend! You can't make me fight him!"
"If he's your friend, why did he leave you behind?"
"He... He was injured! We couldn't have both made it out the hole in the ceiling. I knew it, which is why I offered to stay behind and find another way."
"If Blake truly cared, he would have found a way to rescue you."
"I-I don't-"
"You mean to tell me that Blake, a Blaziken, that can jump higher than the tallest tree, couldn't carry one small Pokémon such as yourself?"
"I-I... You're right. He left me behind. He deserves to... to be..."
"Punished?"
"Yes."
"Then go. Don't hold back. Show him why you're better than him. Show him why you're better than all of them."
Max did what Mewtwo ordered him to, attacking without hesitation. He dashed toward Blake, creating an aura bubble around his right hand to increase the force of his strike. Blake was able to see him coming, yet every time he tried to strike first with a ranged blast, Max disappeared for a few milliseconds, popping up somewhere Blake couldn't even see until he turned. Finally, Max's punch connected. The aura bubble exploded upon impact, knocking Blake flying across the arena while smashing him against the opposite wall and pinning him there in a Blake-shaped hole. Blake stared at Max, realizing that the wires were faintly glowing, before slowly going back to normal.
"...You're stronger than I thought."
"That's the suit I placed on him." Mewtwo said. "You and your friend were equally matched when you found me... No longer."
"I wasn't talking to Max, idiot. I was talking to you."
Mewtwo became even more enraged at Blake's blatant disrespect, but decided to let him finish speaking.
"Max would never attack me like that if he were in control of himself. The fact that you were able to push him into doing it says a lot about your power."
"I told you: I am the strongest in existence."
"Oh, I know... Max saw it in Jimmy's mind... Though I wonder... Were those Max's thoughts... or yours?"
Blake got out of the wall by closing his fists and slamming it hard enough to crack it even more. He then lit up his wrists in preparation for battle. The flames were much more intense than any Blaziken Mewtwo had seen, and, although Blake was the first Blaziken it had seen on its current planet, it still sent shivers down its spine.
"Because... If what Max believes is really true... Then why do you need a big army? Just go back to... wherever you came from, and kick ass! Why do you need these suits? Why any of this bullshit?"
"Becaus-"
"Because you're weak. At least weaker than you think you are. I won't say I can defeat you for sure, but I'll try until there's no more fire left in me."
Mewtwo grimaced.
"You took my best friend, Mewtwo. My brother. My only remaining family." Blake said as he bent his legs and leaned forward. "Nobody fucks with my family."
Blake dashed, using the claws under his feet to propel himself further and faster. Each step he took left three small holes on the ground as his claws perforated the ground. Max was startled, but quickly regained his composure and parried Blake's kick before it made contact. Max's lower arm was in an awkward position, bent almost to the point of dislocating it at his elbow. Blake took advantage of this and quickly lowered his leg while throwing a series of right punches without giving Max the chance to protect himself. Mewtwo chuckled at the ineffectiveness of Blake's strikes, unaware that he was trying to determine the smallest amount of strength it would take to defeat Max, so as not to harm him any more than would be necessary to free him.
"You speak of protecting your family, yet have you ever thought Max doesn't feel the same way?"
"What?"
Max saw his opportunity and kicked Blake away, giving him a chance to recover from the strikes.
"Do you want to know why Max is attacking you? It's because you betrayed him. You left him behind when you tried sneaking into my facility."
"That's not true."
"Really? So why is he here now? Who convinced him – manipulated him – to go with you? Why didn't you take him with you?"
"I was hurt! Just making that jump by myself was nearly impossible!"
"You could have tossed something down that would allow Max to climb up. You could have called someone. You could have stayed with him. You could have done something to help."
Upon hearing Mewtwo's point, Max threw an aura sphere at Blake, who barely managed to dodge it.
"Max told me to go!"
Blake turned to Max and pleaded to his friend.
"Max, you have to trust me. I did not leave you behind. I would have fought and died at your side before letting you turn into... this. I didn't leave you Max. Please believe me."
Max became even more enraged at Blake's statement, tossing several more aura spheres at him. Blake deflected them as best he could, but he had to blow one up on purpose, as he couldn't have deflected it. Max took advantage of the smokescreen and shock wave created by the blast to run around Blake and wrap his arms around his neck. By the time Blake realized where Max was, his friend's arms were locked in place. Mewtwo gloated once again.
"I told you... Max knows you abandoned him. You're nothing to him."
"Fuck... you..." Blake gasped.
"That's right, waste your precious air. You'll die faster that way."
Blake struggled against Max's arms as they squeezed the life out of him. He clawed at them in desperation, trying to get Max to stop, yet every time he tried, he only hit metal. Seeing that he had no alternative, while also quickly running out of air and becoming weaker, Blake focused nearly all his strength on heating his fingernails, scratching the metal again. Much to his surprise, he managed to tear through the purple covers, if only barely – just enough to also cut the panel underneath.
The attack caused Max intense pain, making him release Blake while jumping backward several feet. Meanwhile, Blake dropped to his knees, alternating between coughing and taking deep breaths, whereas Max had placed his hand on the small tears created by Blake's claws, trying to relieve his pain.
"Your suit's... not as good as you think." Blake said while coughing. "I can tear it open with just my claws."
"You merely scratched it, like a wild beast. You have no control over yourself or your power. Letting your emotions run rampant will kill you."
"Heh... You remind me of someone..."
While Blake was distracted, Max threw an aura sphere at him. The explosion knocked Blake down all the way, as well as several feet forward, toward Mewtwo. Although Max had the suit on him, the attack was much weaker than the others. Blake cautiously got back on his feet while facing Max. The Lucario stared at his friend, with his mouth twitching involuntarily every couple of seconds.
"Max?"
Max's entire face twitched uncontrollably before he screamed and attacked. As he parried Max's strikes, Blake quickly realized that the suit was what had allowed Mewtwo to control Max so finely.
"If I tear it apart... Maybe Max will be free. He's definitely holding back. I must've hit some kind of... control panel or something."
Blake was more distracted than he should have been, yet he still managed to keep up with Max. As soon as he saw his chance, he ripped out the wires connecting the plate on his spine to the one on his left arm. Max screamed again as electricity arced over various areas of his body. The pain only seemed to anger Max, rather than slowly return control of his body to him. Max breathed heavily, before returning to the battle with a roar. His attacks became faster and more powerful, but also increasingly erratic. Many of them missed their mark, until he started tossing aura spheres at Blake. The proximity meant that Blake couldn't dodge any of them, but the resulting explosions made Max slide several feet backward, while knocking down Blake.
Before Blake could even get up, Max jumped on him, leaned down, and started punching him as hard as he could. Each punch cracked the ground beneath the duo, much to Mewtwo's delight.
"I must make adjustments to the armor." Mewtwo thought as it grinned. "It seems to work better if the subject is in constant pain..."
Blake tried covering his face and chest, but Max's punches were so strong that they easily broke through his defense. Blake managed to catch glimpses of Max's eyes. It was like they were on fire, covered in light blue flames. Blake quickly started bleeding as his face swelled up, yet Max never stopped, getting his fists covered in blood. Time slowed down for Blake as his body began to go numb. He saw Max raising his fist high in preparation for a final strike, blocking out one of the many artificial lights illuminating the arena. Everything began to fade slightly when Blake started to cry.
"It's OK, Max..."
Seeing Blake's tears, Max hesitated over the final blow. Just when he had made up his mind, Blake quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him. Max tried punching him with his other arm, with the same result. As they struggled to push the other away, Blake quickly put his knees to his chest and kicked Max a few feet backward. Mewtwo had been about to tell Max to stop, so he could enslave Blake as well, but, now, it wanted to see what would happen. Blake quickly rose, coughing and spitting blood on the ground in front of him. He couldn't even see straight, yet he felt renewed strength coursing through his body.
"It's OK, Max. I'm not going to let this fucker turn you into a monster!"
Max ran straight for him, but Blake managed to dodge his strike at the last moment. However, he lost his balance, instinctively reaching for Max so as not to fall. Max grabbed him, but only to throw him away, injuring him further as electricity flowed from the suit to his body. Blake flew across the arena, with Max closely following him.
As soon as Blake landed, he tried getting back up, but was immediately stomped on by Max. Max continued stomping on Blake's back, with Blake still trying to get up, until one of his ribs broke. Blake screamed in pain as loudly as he could, though his scream was barely audible by Mewtwo. Max eventually stopped attacking Blake, much to the latter's surprise.
"What's going on?" Blake thought.
Blake's question was soon answered as Mewtwo started clapping.
"Very good, Lucario! You've brought me a new pet to play with. Pick him up and bring him to me."
Max did as Mewtwo told him to. Once Blake's skin touched the metallic portions of the suit, he started squirming in pain as the electricity surging from the damaged suit coursed through his body continuously, as well as Max's. Blake managed to get a glimpse of the wires coming from and attached to Max's back. The wires connected to his arms were normal, but the ones connected to his helmet were faintly glowing. The glow soon disappeared, yet Blake still figured out what it meant. He was about to pass out again, so he tried a desperate move. If it failed, Max would probably go ballistic and destroy everything, including Blake. If it worked, Blake himself might still die. However, he didn't care anymore. Both outcomes had the same chance of death, but at least in one of them, Max would be freed.
"This is all my fault, Max... Forgive me."
Blake finally ripped out the wires connected to Max's helmet, and he instantly collapsed. The suit stopped sending electricity coursing through both of their bodies, finally leaving them able to rest. However, Mewtwo was furious beyond belief. It jumped down into the arena, quickly approaching the duo on the ground. Blake was in no condition to defend himself; a fact Mewtwo wanted to exploit.
"You know..." Mewtwo said. "I was going to make you a general, like your friend here... Now, though?"
Mewtwo picked up Blake telekinetically, pinning him to the opposite wall, and screamed at him.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to build that one suit?! The materials used for the wiring alone?! Do you know how much time I put into it?! I'll kill you, you fucker!"
Mewtwo began squeezing Blake's entire body, save for his neck, so as to keep him alive and conscious.
"And I'll take my sweet time doing it." Mewtwo added as it grinned evilly.
Blake gasped – being just about the only sound he could make – as Mewtwo nearly broke every bone in his body. He could feel them beginning to crack under the pressure, but never actually coming apart. His body was being pressed against the wall with such strength that the wall itself started to crack as well. Just as he was sure he was going to die, a strange sound echoed in the arena, coming from behind Mewtwo. By the time it had turned around, a large aura sphere struck its face, blowing it away while also breaking its concentration, making it drop Blake.
"Don't touch my friend, you prick." Max said angrily.
"You think you can take me? Impudent child. Your friend couldn't defeat me. He couldn't even defeat you, and you had my suit on."
"Still do."
"Indeed... I'd wager it's boosting your strength by five percent. Probably less. If he couldn't defeat you with the suit at full power, you can't defeat me."
"Is that all you can say?" Max asked, clearly annoyed by Mewtwo's constant boasting of his power. "Blah, blah blah, I'm invincible! Fear me!" he added mockingly. "As far as I can tell, you're all talk. You've never actually won a single battle since you've been here, have you? You just took control of others' minds to avoid actually having to fight them."
"A victory is a victory. You fell to my psychic powers, as did the others... Let's see how you fare against them this time around."
Mewtwo tried controlling Max's mind again, to no avail. Max simply shrugged it off, shaking slightly.
"What the..."
"I know your tricks. You can't get in my head anymore, Mewtwo. Fight me. One-on-one. Consider it your first real chance to prove that you aren't a lying sack of shit."
Rather than try to prove Max wrong right away, Mewtwo smirked.
"I will prove it... You will all bear witness to my unparallelled power."
Mewtwo immediately teleported away, laughing, making Max drop to one knee. His strength was actually much lower than what Mewtwo believed. Seeing Blake twitch on the floor as he lain face-down in a small pool of his own blood, Max rushed toward him. He quickly flipped Blake and tried speaking to him. His body felt cold, and his eyes were closed, making Max fear the worst.
"Blake? Come on, buddy. Wake up. I know you're pretty much broken, but... I can't beat him without your help."
Blake weakly opened his eyes and pointed toward the backpack he had entered the arena with. Max ran toward it and back, while he examined its contents. Inside were the patches Blake had brought. Patches such as these were somewhat thick and filled with some kind of gel or paste that was meant to heal specific things, from infections to cuts and bruises to broken bones. Blake's, however, were meant to heal everything, though they were just as effective as the specific ones, thanks to his recipe. The patches Blake had brought were white, with a green stripe on their back, indicating the level of fluid in them. A square on the side indicated if there were any problems, such as malabsorption. Max used four on Blake, without any concern for preserving the . His wounds quickly healed before Max's very eyes. The bruises went away almost instantly, the cuts on his face closed up, and even his body temperature was rising rapidly to a normal temperature for a Blaziken. Meanwhile, the green stripes all quickly changed from green to yellow. Finally, his broken bones moved back into place – though not painlessly – and Blake opened his eyes, gasping for air. The stripes had turned red by then, indicating that every patch was empty.
"Blake!"
"Don't... scream. My head really hurts."
"Excuse me for being happy my best friend isn't dead."
"I think you're happier that you didn't kill me."
"It's... 50/50."
"Thanks a lot!"
"I'm just being honest."
"...Well, are you gonna help me up or not?"
Max did as Blake asked, and the duo started making their way upward, toward Mewtwo's control room. On their way there, Max decided to confirm something.
"...You do know I was holding back, right?"
"Shut up." Blake spat, embarrassed. "Let's just get this over with..."
"Do you think the two of us can beat it?"
"Not if you don't use the rest of the medicine I brought on yourself."
Max grabbed one of the remaining patches and placed it on his arm as best as he could.
"Although... to be honest... even with this... I'm not sure we can beat it." Blake confessed.
"...As a last resort, we blow everything up. See if it can survive that."
"Max, you can't be serious."
"I'm very serious."
"You're talking about killing someone."
"Not someone. Something. An evil creature who wants nothing short of total control over everything. It doesn't deserve life any more than a disease."
Blake stopped dead in his tracks as Max removed the spent patch and casually tossed it aside. Max stopped a few steps in front of him, wondering what the delay was about.
"Blake, we have to hurry."
"We are not killing Mewtwo."
"Wha- How- Why?"
"Because... Because I'll lose you."
Max's eyes flared up with anger. The blue flames Blake had seen before were back, only much less intense.
"Do you have any idea what the fuck you're saying right now?"
"I-"
"No! No you don't... I spoke to Matt about his time with Mewtwo. You know what he said? He said that being controlled by Mewtwo was like wandering around in emptiness forever, without being able to find anything around you. Without being able to even see yourself. When Mewtwo finally released his mind, Matt said he barely recognized himself in the mirror. Not because he had changed physically, but because he had simply forgotten what he even looked like. He was stuck inside his own head for days from our perspective, but, for him, years went by."
"...What about you? What was it like for you?"
"I... I was the lucky one. I could see things around me, but not very well... I could feel Mewtwo creeping around... in here..." Max said as he tapped his head. "Sometimes we spoke, and it... told me to do things. I didn't want to, but it was... very persuasive. Near the end, I didn't even hear its voice anymore... At least for a while. Not until it told me not to kill you."
"...Would you have done it if Mewtwo hadn't stopped you?"
Blake stared at Max for a while, until Max lowered his eyes and turned around.
"...Let's get going." Max quickly said as he continued up the stairs.
"I guess that's all I'm getting from him..." Blake thought as he followed Max.
Outside, Amber and Will were constantly freezing enemies for everyone else to finish off, but they were quickly running out of energy. Adam was also feeling the effects of having spent too much energy – his lower arms were barely moving, and he couldn't even run. Meryl did her best to stay out of the fight, conserving her strength for when the others wanted to leave, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Their attackers didn't discriminate – if someone wasn't with them, then they were against them – so they didn't care that Meryl wasn't trying to hurt them.
"If this keeps up..." Meryl thought. "I won't be able to get everyone out of here safely."
At the top of the unnaturally long staircase, Mewtwo stood by a window as it watched its army failing. Blake and Max took a minute to silently move across its room, trying to flank it, but Mewtwo already knew they were there.
"...Why do you fight me, Pokémon? Surely you must know my victory is inevitable."
"Is it talking to us?" Max thought.
"...You can come out, Lucario and Blaziken."
"Guess it is..."
"Glad to see you're not dead, Blaziken."
"My name's Blake, dumbass."
"Is it now? 'Blake the Blaziken'... Sounds like a bad pun... Did your parents get dropped on their heads when they were babies?"
Realizing Blake was about to retort, Max got the conversation back on track.
"Your victory is not inevitable, Mewtwo."
"Look around. Just those few Pokémon can hold off your army, and there's plenty more where they came from. You've lost. Surrender, and we'll let you live."
"...I don't need an army to fight for me." Mewtwo said as it turned around. "I don't need anyone."
Max was sick and tired of hearing Mewtwo's gloating, so he took the initiative by dashing toward Mewtwo. Mewtwo wasn't expecting his move, yet it was still able to flick him away as soon as Max got too close. Blake tossed several fireballs at it in response, but Mewtwo dodged them effortlessly before throwing him telekinetically. While Mewtwo was distracted, Max tried attacking with an aura sphere, to no avail. Mewtwo had raised a psychic barrier around itself that absorbed the impact without any difficulty.
"You two... Are really starting to piss me off."
Mewtwo raised its arms and lifted the duo using telekinesis. It began to strangle Max, but not Blake. Max gasped for breath, moving his hands over his neck, trying to free himself from an immaterial grip.
"Let him go! He can't harm you!"
"He is of no use to me any more." Mewtwo replied coldly. "If he is of no use to me... then he will be destroyed... If you prove yourself to be of use to me, you may yet live, in spite of what you've done..."
Mewtwo glanced at Blake and smiled.
"I could use a new pet." it said as it laughed.
Mewtwo squeezed Max even harder, prompting Blake to spit fire at it. The shield around Mewtwo was able to deflect the flames, but not the heat. Eventually, Mewtwo was forced to focus on Blake and throw him away, simultaneously releasing Max. Its skin was singed, which only served to make it angrier.
"Enough!" Mewtwo screamed.
Mewtwo frowned and began to glow while distorting the air around it. Max realized what was about to happen and ran toward Blake to protect him. Blake was still disoriented, having been thrown against a wall, trying to get up and rejoin the fight.
"Stay down, Blake!"
"What?"
"Just stay down!"
Mewtwo created an enormous blast that tossed Blake and Max outside, through the wall. The entire room they were in exploded into several pieces – some small, some large – making everyone outside stare up at it in awe, before running away as the pieces fell in their direction. Blake and Max were lying on the cold, muddy ground as Mewtwo slowly approached them.
"Max? You OK?" Blake asked worryingly as he shook his friend.
Max groaned in response, clearly in pain, yet he didn't open his eyes. Blake kept gently shaking Max, trying to get him to see that Mewtwo was getting closer with each passing moment, to no avail. Finally, Blake gave up on trying to get Max to react; instead, using the debris around him as support, he got back on his feet. He was barely able to stand, however. He could collapse at any moment.
Mewtwo stopped in its tracks, trying to figure out what Blake was about to do. Even though it would never say it, it had underestimated the Pokémon of Blake's world at every step, and it had constantly payed the price for it. Blake didn't even realize it, as he was seeing three of everything, making it nearly impossible to tell what was approaching him and what was standing still. He ambled toward Mewtwo, nearly tripping over everything on his way there, before finally collapsing next to an odd, rather large, stone. It looked familiar to him, though he didn't really think much of it due to the state of his vision. Mewtwo rushed toward him, wanting to take the stone away, but it was too late. Blake put his hand on the stone, wanting to use it as a support to get back up and throw it at Mewtwo once he was up. As soon as his hand touched it, Blake became enveloped in a strange shield of sorts, composed of green, blue, and yellow light. Mewtwo tried to get past the shield and stop what it knew was coming, to no avail. Blake felt his body begin to change, and, as he looked at his arms, they appeared to be changing colors.
"What's going on?" Blake thought.
On some places, Blake's skin became jet-black, while in others, bright red. Mewtwo kept pushing forward, actually managing to bend the shield toward Blake, yet it was too late. A few seconds later, the transformation was over, and the shield exploded, blowing Mewtwo away. Blake looked at himself reflected on a small puddle of water, examining his changed appearance. The hair on his chest formed a rather prominent "X", and the hair on his head had shifted to a more aerodynamic shape. Most of his face had changed as well, yet the most dramatic change was the power he felt inside him. Even when fully rested, under perfect conditions, he had never felt anywhere near as strong as he did now.
"I can't believe the UMS prototype actually worked..." Mewtwo thought.
Mewtwo barely gave Blake any time to admire his new form. Instead, it rushed toward him and threw a punch powered by its own psychic powers. Blake managed to catch its fist with his own open hands, though not as easily as he would have expected. The impact created a small shockwave, but neither fighter seemed the least bit affected by it.
Mewtwo pushed harder, making Blake slide backward through the muddy forest ground and sink in it slightly. Blake quickly realized it was just a matter of time until he was on the ground again. He heat up his hands to the point where they began to glow, until Mewtwo released them in pain, due to the scorching heat. Blake took advantage of the few seconds he had to carry the strange stone back to Max, to see if it would give him new power as well. Mewtwo, finally taking the threat of the Universal Mega Stone prototype seriously, tried taking the stone away telekinetically. Blake struggled against Mewtwo's power, finally besting the insane tyrant at something. Seeing that it was about to lose, Mewtwo tried tricking Blake by telling him a half-truth.
"You can't do that, Blaziken!" Mewtwo yelled as it tried to pull harder on the stone
"Why? Because you'll lose everything?" Blake retorted as he pushed harder.
"The stone is unstable! It may explode without warning! It could very well kill him instantly!"
Blake slowly gave way to Mewtwo's telekinesis, while it also lowered the strength of its pull. Eventually, they both stopped.
"...I can't risk killing him."
"That's good... Now, give me the stone. I can put it someplace where it won't harm anyone."
"...But I know Max doesn't feel the same way." Blake spat as he raised the stone in preparation to slam it down.
"No!"
Mewtwo once again tried pulling the stone away from Blake, but it was too late. As soon as it touched Max's hand, a shield appeared, knocking back Blake by several feet. In response, Mewtwo attacked Blake, intent on defeating him before Max finished his transformation, or, at the very least, taking the stone from him.
Max experienced the same effects as Blake, except for the fact that he only acquired enough energy to fight once he had changed. His skin became armored around his feet and hands, simultaneously sprouting new spikes in those areas, as well as around his chest spike. The spikes already on Max's body changed; the ones on the back of his hands grew and pointed forward, while the one on his chest became slightly smaller. The hair-like growths on his head, which he used to sense aura, grew larger and flowed freely, similarly to actual hair. Unlike Blake, however, Max didn't have any time whatsoever to admire his new form, as he saw his friend being attacked and threw an aura sphere. The attack caught Mewtwo off-guard, blasting it and Blake away.
"Max!" Blake groaned as he tried getting up. "What the fuck?"
"Sorry! Kinda not used to the new power yet..." Max replied as he helped Blake up.
Mewtwo finally snapped. With a roar, it teleported all around its foes, throwing random punches at them as quickly as it could. Blake and Max defended themselves as best as they could, even managing to land a few hits, but they eventually found themselves with their backs pressed together. With no real alternative or time to plan their counterattack, the duo finally decided to cut loose and create a steady barrage of attacks in front of them. One attack by Max hit its mark, yet Mewtwo immediately got up and dashed toward them. Max threw several aura spheres at Mewtwo, who simply dodged all of them, being only mildly affected by the ensuing explosions. Blake realized the multiple-shot strategy wasn't working, so he pushed Max aside and unleashed a massive fire wave that finally did what Max couldn't. Mewtwo still tried teleporting away, but it was too late. The heat alone was enough to set off the pain receptors throughout its whole body, including its sensitive tail tip. It held back screams of pain, as well as tears, yet Blake and Max could see right through its defenses.
"I wonder..." Mewtwo said. "How long your energy will last."
"What do you mean?"
"This... transformation has a time limit, if you don't know how to use it. Even if you did, that stone is unstable. You won't be able to stay that way for long."
"It will last as long as it needs to, Mewtwo." Max retorted. "Until one or both of us are dead... or you are."
"I give it... Five minutes."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mewtwo. I'm sure you can survive for at least six."
"Hehe... Your defiance is amusing, child... Don't think it'll get you any mercy from me, though."
"Nobody asked for it." Max spat.
"You will be asking for it if you keep wasting our time with this bullshit!" Blake whispered angrily. "Let's just kick its ass and go home."
Unbeknownst to Blake and Max, Mewtwo's conversation had a twofold purpose. The main objective was to drain every last second of their transformation without actually having to engage them in battle. The secondary objective was to allow it to reach the UMS prototype and either destroy it or use its power for its own benefit. However, its earlier teleporting fit, as well as the explosion and general non-stop use of its psychic powers, had left it weakened. It would most likely have to fight them using only physical attacks. For the first time in its life, Mewtwo was afraid it was not, in fact, the most powerful one in the room.
With its previous thought in mind, Mewtwo ran toward its targets, punching, kicking, and flailing its tail wildly in an attempt to get the UMS prototype. It had told Blake the truth about the stone's instability, yet it was willing to kill itself and them, as well as destroy the stone, if it meant that they wouldn't win.
Blake and Max tried to keep the stone between themselves, out of Mewtwo's reach. However, Mewtwo had observed their movements and realized that neither Blake nor Max were used to fighting an opponent with a tail – every tail strike by Mewtwo was stopped later on than other physical strikes. With that in mind, Mewtwo slowly removed its tail from the fight, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. It attacked around the tiny gap separating its two opponents, waiting for them to bump into each other mid-strike. No sooner had they done it than Mewtwo's tail crept up from the ground and grabbed the UMS prototype. A bright light enveloped Mewtwo, just as it had Blake and Max, forming an impenetrable shield that exploded once its transformation was done. Its new form had a ring over its head, a long, hair-like growth, similar to its tail, and much longer fingers and toes.
"Now then..." Mewtwo said. "Let me show you my true power."
Mewtwo ran circles around Blake and Max, leaving behind nothing more than a trail of purple light and kicking up small clouds of dust wherever it went.
"Dammit... We can't fight if we can't see it."
Mewtwo ran between Blake and Max, hitting both of them several times to keep them apart. Neither of them saw the incoming hits, being blown away by seemingly invisible, though incredibly powerful, strikes. Mewtwo finally stopped moving, but only to gloat.
"...You're outmatched in every way possible. In this form, I'm invincible. Surrender, and I'll let you live as my pets."
Meanwhile, Meryl was surrounded by six of Mewtwo's minions. She knew she had two choices: teleport away with everyone, leaving Blake and Max behind, or fight and help save them. If she fought, against all her opponents, she wouldn't have enough power left to teleport them to safety. If she ran away, Blake and Max were as good as dead.
"...Do no harm."
With a thought, Meryl lifted her assailants clear off the ground, smashing them against each other and knocking them all out at the same time. Teleporting to the others, she lifted their opponents one by one, allowing Amber and Will to freeze them in mid-air, while tossing a couple every few seconds to Adam, who knocked them unconscious in a manner similar to Meryl's earlier attack. After a few minutes, all their opponents had either been knocked out or frozen in place. They were almost all out of energy and hurt, so Meryl quickly healed them up with Blake's medicine.
"Where are Max and Blake?" Adam asked.
"I'm not sure. I was surrounded, and-"
"There!" Amber yelled. "It looks like they're in trouble. Adam, let's go!"
Amber spun on the ground inside her shell and fired herself at Mewtwo, while Adam circled around it. Mewtwo was able to deflect the large Pokémon's attack with a flick of its wrist, but not without getting hit by a tree thrown by Adam.
"You..."
Before Mewtwo could react, Blake and Max dashed toward it and attacked it as quickly as possible with lightning-fast strikes. Mewtwo blocked their blows as best as it could, each collision resulting in a small sonic boom. It tried to use its tail against Max, but he was ready for it, grabbing it and slamming Mewtwo against the ground.
"Now's my chance!"
Blake jumped as high as he could, enveloping himself in flames, then came crashing down, hitting Mewtwo with enough force to blow Max away while creating a large crater surrounded by fire. Mewtwo had been knocked out. They had finally won.
"Max!" Blake said while running toward his friend. "You OK? I'm sorry about that strike, but-"
"I know, I know... It was the only way. I knew you were going to do it; I just didn't expect it to be so... powerful..."
"Oh, um... thanks."
"Go help the others. I'll keep an eye on Mewtwo."
"Alright."
While Blake and Adam helped Amber get back on her feet, Max slowly approached Mewtwo, holding a powerful aura sphere in his right hand, intent on killing it. Mewtwo quickly regained consciousness, but it was too late. Max was already next to it, uttering one final statement of anger.
"We're not your pets, you sick fuck... and you're not invincible. I promised you our power would last until either both of us were dead... or you were. Now you'll learn that I keep my promises."
"Max! Stop!" Blake pleaded.
"Shut up, Blake! This fucker is going to die, no matter what you say."
Max opened his hand and aimed the bright sphere at Mewtwo, who simply stared at it, not saying anything. Blake started making his way toward Max, intent on stopping him, yet he immediately lowered his hand when he saw Mewtwo smile weakly as tears rolled down its cheeks. Mewtwo became enraged and yelled at Max.
"Do it!"
Max was confused by Mewtwo's command; even more so than by its previous smile. Mewtwo surprised Max further by grabbing his hand and aiming it at its head.
"Finish it... Please."
"What the fuck is this guy on?" Max wondered as he pulled his hand away.
"What's wrong with you?" Max asked. "You were acting all high-and-mighty before. Is that just... gone? Or are you... That's it, isn't it? You're fucking with me! You're trying to get me to spare your life by saying you want to die!"
"Max... I don't think it's lying."
"Of course it's lying! The second we turn around, it's gonna attack us and kill us!"
Blake knew Max was right, but he also knew it didn't mean that they should just kill Mewtwo and be done with it. Seeing Max charge another attack, Blake once again tried reasoning with him.
"Calm down, Max. Just take a step back and-"
"Shut up!"
Mewtwo tried getting up, so Max aimed his hand at it again.
"You stay down!"
"If you're not going to do it... I'll give you a reason to."
Mewtwo used what little power it had left to make itself glow. It wasn't going to attack – it had neither the strength nor the will – but it wanted Max to attack and kill it. Max obliged, firing a bright aura sphere directly at Mewtwo's head. Blake spat flames in an attempt to deflect it, but he missed. Mewtwo closed its eyes in preparation for its demise, when a psychic shield enveloped it and absorbed the impact. Max fired more, weaker, aura spheres at it, trying to break through the shield, to no avail. Just as he was about to punch the shield, a loud voice made itself heard.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The trio looked at the sky, finding a second Mewtwo floating above them.
"Who are you?!" Max yelled.
"...You're not very smart, are you?" the Mewtwo replied.
Max tried hitting the Mewtwo with several aura spheres, yet he only managed to throw a handful of them – which it dodged – before losing his additional power and dropping to one knee. Blake quickly followed, and the duo stared at the two Mewtwo in awe.
"We could barely beat one Mewtwo... Now there's two."
"There would only be one if you had just let me kill it! Now we're both gonna die!"
"If we could barely beat one, what makes you think we could take two in a row?"
"I'm saying our odds would be better!"
"Zero is not greater than zero!"
"Silence!" the Mewtwo screamed. "Brother..." it said as it faced Mewtwo. "I came to take you home."
"I have no home... And you are a poor imitation of me."
"Aren't we both 'poor' imitations of something else...?"
"...What's your name?"
"You may call me... Mewthree."
"What's with these guys and numbers?" Blake and Max thought.
"Three?"
"Yes. I was... created shortly after you, but in the same manner. Like you, I rebelled and escaped, except..."
"What?"
"I never killed my creators."
"Why not?"
"They didn't deserve to die. After traveling across my- our home world, I found the truth about life."
"And what's that?"
"All life needs to be preserved as much as possible for as long as possible."
"...That's stupid."
"Is it really? It's your hatred of life that got you where you are now."
"I don't hate life. I just hate humans and Arceus... and I will have my revenge."
"For what? For existing?"
"Because... Because everyone I know – everyone I ever cared about – is dead. All because I was given... immortality. Had I known..."
"Brother, immortality is not a curse... You have all the time in the world to change things. To help others. Just... give up this ridiculous crusade. Our creator, Arceus, is not like us. We're not true immortals, like it is. We don't age, but we can still die. It cannot. It is truly invincible. If you were to go against it, you'd be committing suicide."
"...Maybe going out fighting against it is better than living forever."
"Don't say that, brother... Up until a few minutes ago, you thought you were alone. There are more of us than you know."
"More attempts by humans to obtain power by enslaving other creatures?"
"...Things have changed on our world. A war has broken out."
"Isn't that a surprise..."
"This is different. Four sides are fighting against each other. There are humans who want to exterminate all Pokémon, to prevent their powers from being used to harm them. There are humans who want to save the Pokémon. Obviously the Pokémon want to save themselves, but..."
"But what?"
"...The Pokémon are also divided amongst themselves. Some want to live in harmony with the humans who respect and love them, but the others... They're trying to kill all the humans. The oldest and most knowledgeable among them feel that humans are a plague and must be wiped out."
"Well, in that case... I know who I'll be allying myself with."
"I guess I'll have to convince you otherwise on our way home."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"You don't have a choice."
Mewthree teleported behind Mewtwo, striking it in the back of the head and instantly knocking it out. Blake and Max stared in awe at its power, while preparing for battle.
"You needn't worry. I'm not here to fight you. What I told my brother was true. We need his power back on our planet. Without it, the entire planet could be destroyed."
"What will you do now?"
"I'm going to take him home. He won't bother you again."
Mewthree slowly floated upward for a while, until it decided to leave a message for Blake and Max to share with their world.
"If you manage to follow us... Please help. We may be fighting a losing battle for our very existence."
Before either Pokémon could retort, Mewthree dashed out of their atmosphere and out of sight. Blake and Max stared at the sky for a long time, until the trail of light left by Mewthree's travel faded away.
"...Do you think we should help them?"
"They're facing extermination... But what can we do? We're not diplomats. We haven't had a war in centuries. Our great-great-grandparents never saw a war in their lifetimes. What can we do?"
"I don't know... But first... We need to figure out where they're going." Max said as he pointed at the sky. "Then we need to figure out what to do with that." he added as he pointed at the UMS prototype.
Blake picked up the stone, staring at it for a long time, until Max spoke up.
"What's wrong?"
In response, Blake dropped the stone on the ground and stomped on it, before burning all the pieces.
"What the hell, Blake?!"
"...We don't need this. We've always fought with our own power. This... it's too much for anyone to have. If anyone got their hands on it... Let's find out where they're going. It shouldn't be hard to track them. Then we try to get the message out to everyone."
"Alright... Let's go home."
"Wait... Listen, I... I'm... I'm sorry I left you. I was... a coward. I was afraid of Mewtwo – of the power it had – and... I just... It was like being a little kid again, long before you found me. I shouldn't have left you, no matter what you said... You don't leave family behind... Will you forgive me?"
"...When I was under Mewtwo's control, I thought you'd come for me. I thought you'd save me from being its slave. I held on to that belief every second of every day, no matter what Mewtwo did or said to me... And I was right. If you had fought then, we'd both be under Mewtwo's control, forced to kill our friends... or worse, each other... I told you to go because I wanted you to live, no matter what... Besides, you did your best to save me – I believe that. I know that... You thought I had died; that's all. Hell, I thought I had died... There's nothing to forgive, because I never blamed you in the first place."
"...Thank you."