I've got a question for you guys at the end of this chapter! Be sure to check that out. Anyway, apologies for the slow update (again). Lack of motivation is really killing me. As such, I couldn't help but to split up this big chapter into two. Otherwise, you guys have to wait for another month, and I don't want that. So, enjoy this first half of the battle against Giovanni! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon! If I did, Meloetta would be stronger in the games than she is right now.

~DragonClawFromQ: I think Ash would win due to plot armor, but this time, Mewtwo has real armor, can't wait for the next chap, bye.
Also will this story continue through other regions?

I will only cover the Kanto arc, unfortunately.

''Meloetta'' Speech

'Meloetta' Thoughts

For the first time since Ash Ketchum had started to thwart his plans, Team Rocket boss Giovanni felt in complete control. It was a feeling of exhilaration, power, but above all, satisfaction. It was what Giovanni couldn't get enough of; it was simply addicting, and he wanted more.

''So, Ash Ketchum, will you accept my challenge?'' Giovanni asked calmly. He knew he would; there was no way he was going to endanger his precious pokemon, and as the Hero kid of Kanto, he was almost obliged. Even without these factors, Ash would've accepted, only to save Mewtwo.

Giovanni patiently waited for Ash's answer. He was right when he noticed how similar Ash's personality was compared to him when he was younger. He couldn't stand injustice either, so, the only way to eliminate that was to rule the world, right? That way, Giovanni would decide what was right and what was wrong.

Of course, he was using injustice now to accomplish his goal, but that was a small price to pay to realize his ambitions. Looking at the raven haired trainer with a growing smirk, he thought about what he was going to do once he had defeated Meloetta.

'It'd be a waste to dispose of a kid with so much potential, especially since he reminds me so much of myself. I'll let doctor Konga make a couple of more of those armors and make Ash and his team my second in command—completely under my control, of course. Not only will it give me the opportunity to rebuild Team Rocket and take over Kanto, but it will also strike fear into all who oppose me.' Giovanni could taste victory already, but before he was going to make Ash and Meloetta his loyal servants, he was going to humiliate them in battle—much like how they had humiliated him by destroying his organization.

Finally, Ash looked up from the small circle he had created with his Meloetta and Pikachu; all three had determined looks on their faces, something Giovanni could appreciate. For a kid who was severely in the disadvantage—even with a legendary at his side—he didn't show any fear. ''I accept your challenge, Giovanni,'' Ash replied finally, his underlying rage not lost by the Team Rocket boss.

''Excellent! Let's battle straight away then!'' Giovanni suggested. He snapped his fingers, which triggered an automatic system that began to descend the floor they were standing on like a giant platform. Giovanni had expected Ash to react startled to the sudden noise and movement, but he didn't move an inch, and neither did his Meloetta and Pikachu. They all kept their ice-cold glares on him as they were lowered to the basement of the gym.

'This is going to be even more fun than expected,' Giovanni thought, the child in him getting excited for a battle that would be hard-fought, but in the end, inevitably was going to end with him as the victor.

''I figured we'll use my special battlefield for this occasion,'' Giovanni explained, ''That way, we won't destroy the entire gym. Besides, there's someone I'd like you to meet. She will be our special spectator today.''

Once the platform had lowered entirely, Ash, Meloetta and Pikachu could see who Giovanni was talking about. Just outside the custom battlefield—which was protected at all sides by an invisible force-field—a small feline pokemon was being held hostage. She was trapped in a glass cage—one that looked much like the one Meloetta had been caught in.

The cage was hooked to a big machine with lots of power cords. Occasionally, the machine would buzz to life and zap the small, pink pokemon with lots of electricity, making her cry out in pain. Once the machine was done zapping her, she weakly opened her eyes and stared at the newcomers. She mewled, her baby-blue eyes full of tears as she begged to be saved while her dainty paws were pressed against the glass.

''Behold,'' Giovanni said spectacularly, ''the legendary pokemon Mew! Capturing her was easier than expected, but then again, we tracked the weakest of the bunch, seeing as your Meloetta has met multiple Mew as well.'' Giovanni paused to gauge Ash's reaction, whose dark scowl would put a Zoroark's to shame. Equally, both Pikachu and Meloetta were ready to explode on the spot.

''She is our power source,'' Giovanni explained further, ignoring their murderous gazes, '' It makes sure Mewtwo here,'' he patted the hypnotized legendary on the back, who didn't react at all, ''stays obedient and unable to break free from the armor containing him. So, what do you think?''

''I think you're a monster,'' Ash snarled, ''and I'll make sure you'll pay for this, Giovanni.'' The raven haired trainer had his fists balled and his muscles tensed. ''Once I've freed Mew and Mewtwo, they'll be the judge of your fate. I'm not going to hand you over to the police like I've done to all the other Team Rocket members, and believe me, they'll think up a worse punishment than any human can come up with.''

Giovanni began to laugh at Ash's empty threat. ''Has Meloetta been telling your stories about Mewtwo just now? He can be pretty scary, yes, but there's one problem with your plan here; you have to defeat him first to even free him. Think you can do that?'' he challenged Ash.

''I can,'' Ash responded resolutely. ''You won't defeat me.'' He crossed his arms. ''So, are we going to battle or not?''

A feeling Giovanni thought he had lost returned inside his body; it was the feeling of pure excitement and thrill. This was the moment that mattered, his ticket to ultimate world domination. The climactic battle he had dreamed about for so long was about to start—a battle that would end in him being crowned king and the strongest being in the entire world.

''Of course, Ash. Let us begin the final showdown.'' Giovanni didn't say anything else. With a finger snap, Mewtwo floated forwards, taking his place on the battlefield. The Team Rocket boss put his hands back in his pockets, idly waiting for Ash to send out his Meloetta.

None of the cheer of battle was present in Ash's body. He didn't even point his finger, nor did he do his usual cry as he called his Meloetta to the battlefield. Instead, he kept entirely silent, opting for the idle treatment instead. Meloetta had her eyes closed as she took her spot, completely focused as if her mind was linked directly to Ash's.

'Interesting,' Giovanni thought, 'this may even prove a challenge for Mewtwo.' With a gesture of his hand, he gave Ash the first turn. He didn't have to wait long before Meloetta started to move; Ash's command was loud and clear. ''Use Hyper Voice!''

Giovanni's eyes sharpened; he'd heard Meloetta was fast, and apparently, his admins and grunts weren't kidding. She moved gracefully like the wind, yet at the same time rapidly and deadly as a hurricane. She opened her mouth and held nothing back, her high-pitched, shrill cry deafening as a destructive sound wave came forth and approached Mewtwo fast. It had so much strength that it would've destroyed the gym entirely, as well as the surrounding buildings if they hadn't used the special battlefield.

Nonetheless, the earth shook, and Giovanni's inner ears would've popped if Mewtwo hadn't protected them. He couldn't help but let out a small gasp in shock; Meloetta was even more impressive than he had anticipated. Still, she was no match for his Mewtwo.

''Block that Hyper Voice and then retaliate with Ice Beam,'' Giovanni countered quickly. It was a shame Shadow Ball had no effect on Meloetta, but it mattered little. In a heartbeat, Mewtwo's psychic flared to life. He stretched his hand forwards and channeled his energy. Immediately, the destructive sound waves stopped in their tracks and were repelled harmlessly.

Giovanni saw Ash grit his teeth and widen his eyes, which pleased him. The raven haired trainer had little time to reflect on how easily Mewtwo had stopped Meloetta's offense when a potent, teal colored beam was shot her way.

''Meloetta, dodge, quickly!'' Ash shouted in alarm.

Miraculously, she dodged the attack, the freezing beam so close she could feel the cold seeping into her body like tiny needles. What she didn't expect, however, was Mewtwo exerting his psychic prowess onto her, effectively catching her off guard and slamming her into the ground repeatedly.

''Good, keep up the barrage, Mewtwo,'' Giovanni said, very much enjoying how he was playing with the legendary pokemon like a rag-doll. Loud thuds echoed through the battlefield every time Meloetta hit the ground harshly, the constant upwards and downwards motions heavily disorienting her.

''Break free, Meloetta, quickly!'' Giovanni could hear the rising panic in Ash's voice. So far, he had been entirely outmatched. Finally, Meloetta was able to break free, her own psychic powers struggling against Mewtwo's, which had her so painfully bound. She had multiple bruises already when she freed herself, yet her willpower hadn't faltered in the slightest. Her eyes shone with a rage for justice and a passion for her trainer that kept her going like nothing had happened.

'Impressive. Maybe this will take longer than expected,' Giovanni thought with a small frown. As much as he wanted to defeat Ash and Meloetta quickly, he knew he had to be patient here. 'Oh well, what are a few extra minutes?'

As it turned out, a few extra minutes translated to roughly forty minutes, and both parties were still going at it. The whole battlefield had been destroyed in the process; it wasn't even remotely recognizable anymore. Mewtwo had been hit a couple of times, but remained relatively unharmed. Meloetta, however, seemed like she was reaching her end. She was breathing erratically, her wounds pretty major. Her right leg was floating uselessly underneath her body, her face had gotten a pretty big gash across the forehead and she was clutching her left shoulder.

Giovanni knew Ash was in a pinch here. The raven haired trainer had to do something drastic to catch him off guard, and it seemed that was exactly what he was going to do. ''Meloetta, use Relic Song!''

It was an attack she hadn't shown yet, so Giovanni was extra cautious. Once again, Meloetta opened her mouth, but instead of the blood piercing scream she had uttered more than a dozen times, her soft, soothing singing voice flowed out of her mouth. It was an almost peaceful moment, the calm before the storm, if you will. Giovanni would've appreciated it weren't it for the highly explosive music notes that filled the area.

''Mewtwo, destroy those notes with your psychic!'' Giovanni countered. It was an easy feat for Mewtwo, the notes popping like overblown balloons and exploding with the force of hand grenades. However, they had failed to notice yet that Meloetta was transforming. It was the distraction Ash and Meloetta needed. Once her transformation was complete, the raven haired trainer wasted no time. ''Meloetta, use Close Combat!''

''What?'' Giovanni hissed. This was the first time Meloetta was going to use a physical move instead of a special one. Moreover, her new appearance baffled the Team Rocket boss tremendously. Neither any of his grunts, nor the info they got out of Meloetta herself showed she could do this. 'But why a fighting move? Could it be this is the only physical attack she knows?' Giovanni pondered.

This made him worry a little less. It really was a risky move, because he knew Ash was willing to lower Meloetta's defences for an all out frontal assault. One good hit and she was done for. ''All right Mewtwo, stop Meloetta with your Ice Beam!''

Just like before, the powerful legendary obeyed and shot the beam at Meloetta with ridiculous speed. However, it was then that Giovanni's eyes widened like saucers, and for the first time since this battle started, he felt like he lost some of his dominance. Meloetta wasn't just fast anymore; she was like the speed of sound in her new form.

In a blink of an eye she was gone, seemingly reappearing in front of Mewtwo. With her left leg and a big snarl on her face, she performed a potent roundhouse kick, hitting Mewtwo straight in his gut. Nevertheless of the armor, it sent Giovanni's legendary flying backwards a good few yards, and before either could've had the time to react, Meloetta was already behind Mewtwo again. Using the momentum she created, she delivered a scary chop to the back of his neck.

The sound and speed she hit with was insane. Giovanni actually flinched a little at what he was witnessing, and Meloetta was only getting started. Mewtwo tried to balance himself with his psychic after that chop, since the momentum shift caused his body to topple over, but it seemed Meloetta was one step ahead of him.

Appearing at his side with the speed of what seemed like a Quick Attack, her left foot found his cheek with a volley kick that had Mewtwo grunting in pain despite the helmet he was wearing. This gave the petite legendary perfect access to his tail, which followed the opposite direction of where Mewtwo's upper body was heading at the moment. Grabbing it, she threw him over her head while keeping a firm grip on his tail, slamming him into the ground with the brute force of a Snorlax using Body Slam, much like he had done to her at the beginning of the battle.

She repeated the process by throwing him over her head into the opposite direction with even more force, the painful sounds of Mewtwo hitting the hard ground pretty mind numbing. ''Mewtwo, do something, escape that barrage!'' Giovanni roared, his face showing cracks of worry through his calm facade.

However, Mewtwo was simply overwhelmed. He hadn't expected such a significant speed boost from his opponent. Meloetta began to spin him in the air from his tail, building up speed significantly before using the same slamming down motion, only this time, her knee met his face. Mewtwo cried out, his helmet cracking as Meloetta's knee made contact. Like he was a yoyo, he bounced back up again, which prompted Meloetta to uppercut him, resulting into another loud crack coming from his helmet and sending Mewtwo flying upwards into the sky.

At this moment, Giovanni was cursing, his eyes twitching and his nervousness building. Mewtwo almost looked helpless. Meloetta shot up after her opponent, catching up in no time. She flew past him and raised her left leg as high as she could. When Mewtwo reached her height, she brought it down with all the strength she could muster; her foot connected and kicked Mewtwo back to the earth below like a falling meteor, where he crashed violently to the ground. Dust flew everywhere and Giovanni gasped. He couldn't believe what just had happened.

After her attack, Meloetta transformed back into her Aria form, her teeth gritting as she almost cancelled her float out of fatigue. Giovanni wasn't able to see in which state his Mewtwo was in, and that worried him more than he would've liked to admit.

Ash didn't seem to give Giovanni time to recover from that onslaught either; he knew after this next attack that Meloetta wouldn't be able to battle anymore. So, he was going to use his trump card, right here and right now.

''Ready for the finale, Meloetta?'' Ash yelled.

''Melo mel!'' She replied in return.

''Then let's do this!''

So, how would you guys like to see this end? I have two possible outcomes: Meloetta wins or Meloetta loses. Let me know in a review, and the best answer is the one I'll be going for! Did you guys like it, love it, hate it? Review please! Next chapter the end of the battle against Giovanni. Until next time! ^^

~Syrup-Waffle