Chapter 3 – Flicker of Hope
It has been over a week now since Sarah, Cade and Darman left Arcceonn City in search of Mewtwo, and despite interference from Neo-Cyclone, all is so far going according to plan. Now that the trio is on the Eastern Half of the region, the real challenge begins: locating their target, who doesn't want to be found. However, it may not be long before they receive a bit of guidance to light the way, but will they find it in time, or will Neo-Cyclone catch them first? Should they choose to follow this sign, however, the danger would increase exponentially, as the true danger lies not in Neo-Cyclone, but in the one they most fear.
"Face it Sarah, we're lost!" Cade shouted in frustration. "We are not lost" Sarah replied, "there's only one way the path can go, and that's forward; the last thing it would do is loop back onto itself." "You don't know that!" Cade shot back. "You don't know that it does!" Sarah replied angrily as the two began to argue just before Darman kicked them both back, one of his blades to each of their throats. "Stop this bickering amongst yourselves!" Darman shouted angrily, "we need to work together if we're ever going to succeed on our mission!" "Yeah, but which way do we go?" Cade asked when he noticed Sarah staring off in the distance, "Sarah, what is it?" "Cade, can you take me up in the air? I need to get a better look" Sarah asked in response. "Okay, but what is it we're looking for?" he replied as he walked over to her and carefully wrapped his arms around hers to hold on to her as he opened his wings and took off. Once they were clear of the treeline, Sarah pointed at a massive mountain range directly ahead. "That's where he is" Sarah said before Cade nodded and brought her back down. "Okay, so explain to me why you think Mewtwo's just ahead?" Cade asked, curious as to her reasoning although not fully doubting her judgment. "It's just a feeling I get when I'm sure I'm right…" Sarah replied, "you called it a 'hunch' during your days as commandos, right?" "Correct" Darman replied, "And if there's anything I learned from being in Cyclone, it's that one should rely on instincts and feelings on the battlefield, as there's no time to think about what to do next." Cade nodded in agreement before adding, "Well, it's as good a place as any to start looking, so…let's go!"
Although, in theory, exploring the mountains was a good place to start, that didn't change the fact that it was still a lot easier said than done; the mountains were extremely steep, the rocks were sharp, and the passes were extremely narrow, which, in Cade and Darman's opinions, was an accident waiting to happen. "Be on guard" Cade said, scanning above and to either side of them, "this is the perfect location for an ambush." "Don't say that Cade, you'll jinx us!" Darman exclaimed angrily, "you remember what happened the last time you said anywhere was the perfect place for an ambush?" Cade nodded in agreement as if his life depended on it, which probably meant it must've been pretty bad. Suddenly there was a low rumble, followed by a violent tremor. "Everyone get down!" Cade shouted as he, Darman and Sarah ducked down to the ground to wait out the tremors. However, it didn't help them much when it came to what was causing the tremors. Suddenly, a massive Steelix emerged from the ground, then a pair of Aggron. "Damn, this isn't good…" Darman muttered as the trio slowly stood back up, "we're on their territory, and knowing their natures, they weren't going to let them go. "You dare to trespass on our land!" the Steelix shouted in a metallic voice, "I won't allow you to desecrate our homes!" He turned to the two Aggron and nodded before adding, "c'mon boys, let's show them a bit of local hospitality!" The Aggron nodded as the three steel types prepared to attack. "Here they come!" Sarah exclaimed, not noticing that Cade and Darman each had a strange half-smile on their face. The reason for this was that Cade and Darman were reminded of their glory days as commandos in Cyclone's elite Delta Force Four; they hadn't been in a situation to be in such an intense battle since those days so long ago. "We can take them Sarah!" Darman shouted, the adrenaline surging through him being obvious in his excitement, "let's take them down!"
Immediately, the three of them on either side split up into individual battles, with Cade and Darman each taking on an Aggron, and Sarah taking on the Steelix, who was by far the strongest and the fastest of the trio's opponents. Sarah barely managed to teleport out of the way to avoid the Steelix's Double-Edge attack, only for her opponent to attack again with Aqua Tail. The attack was too quick to evade this time, and so Sarah was flung into, and through, a rock and into the wall by the intense attack. Sarah slowly rose back to her feet despite the damage she took from the attack, much to the surprise of the Steelix. "So the kid's got some fight in her, huh?" he said with a grin, "now things get interesting!" The Steelix reared his head back and lunged again with another Double-Edge attack, which Sarah dodged again; however, when the Steelix attempted to follow up with Aqua Tail, this time Sarah was ready, and she leapt over the Steelix's tail and attacked using Fire Punch. Her foe roared in protest, enraged by Sarah's defiance. "Oh, so you think that's funny!" the Steelix roared, "You won't think this is funny!" The Steelix reared its head back and fired Hyper Beam; Sarah, being unable to dodge the attack, did the only thing she could do, which was counterattack. Using as much energy as she could, she launched a Focus Blast directly into the Hyper Beam, which was pushed back until she shot her hands out in front of her, catching it using her Psychic. The Steelix, astonished that Sarah was holding on, forced more and more power into his attack, hoping to overwhelm her with brute force.
Cade and Darman, despite the fact that they too were fighting, took note of Sarah's plight and were mortified by the sight. "She's done for…" Cade muttered with a tone of finality, "Oh my Arceus, what will I tell her Father…" However, what they couldn't see was what was going on inside of Sarah's mind; in her mind, Sarah stood before her long-dead grandfather, Aranam K'Tal. "He's too powerful! I can't hold on!" Sarah shouted to him. "Sarah, listen to me, you are my granddaughter, you can hold on, and you will!" Aranam shouted back in response. "But I don't have the energy, I-I'm fading away!" Sarah shot back in despair, about to give up when she noticed that even now, Aranam stood resolute. "Sarah…you are descended of the K'Tal royal dynasty" Aranam said, "You have the same ability that your Father and I both have. Just remember, the Aura is with you!"
Sarah snapped out of her daze with a greater determination than she thought she had. She focused and pushed, forcing her willpower into a manifestation of energy, forcing her own Aura into the attack. Her Focus Blast began growing in size, and changed color from bright orange to deep blue, and, little by little, she started pushing the foe's Hyper Beam back. "What the…what is she doing!" Cade exclaimed in a mix of awe and disbelief as the Hyper Beam was being pushed back at an ever increasing rate, in turn placing a lot of strain on the Steelix. "The Aura is with me!" Sarah shouted at the top of her lungs as she pushed harder, her foe's eyes widening in horror as he was completely overwhelmed. Sarah's attack launched him high into the air, sending him crashing to the ground several hundred feet away. Cade, Darman and the two Aggron looked on in total disbelief, the two steel types immediately fleeing to avoid a similar fate. The Steelix, although badly injured, was not knocked out, but had decided he had had enough, and so burrowed underground to escape the fight. Sarah, exhausted by her efforts, collapsed from sheer exhaustion and passed out, Cade and Darman each running to her side to provide aid.
When Sarah finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring up at Cade and Darman. "Huh? Guys, what happened?" Sarah asked, feeling as if she had woken up from a nightmare. "I have no clue" Cade replied, "but what I do know is that you launched a Steelix over three hundred feet into the air!" Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief and she immediately sat straight up; "I…did that!" she exclaimed, "but…how!" "I don't know Sarah" Darman replied, "but based on my own observations, your attack changed color from bright orange to deep blue, and you overwhelmed him…so I would have to say it was your Aura." "My…Aura?" Sarah asked, not sure what he meant. "It's pretty much your life force, transformed into energy by sheer will" Darman replied, "manipulating one's Aura is a trait that runs in your family, but typically can only be found in certain species of pokemon, so your case is most unusual…and no, that doesn't make you a freak by any means." Suddenly, over twenty Sandslash appeared on all sides of them; they had been ambushed again! "Dammit, why now!" Cade exclaimed when another Pokemon, a Drapion, entered into view. "You have fought gallantly, and you have proven your strength" the Drapion said in a sly voice, "but alas, Neo-Cyclone cannot allow interference in its plans. No matter whom it may be." Cade and Darman looked around on all sides and realized, to their dismay, that they were completely surrounded. "They got us Sarah, we're finished…" Cade said in a tone of finality when Sarah said something completely unexpected. "Wait a second, if I can manipulate my own Aura, I can sense that of others as well, right?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, of course you can" Darman replied when it suddenly occurred to him that there might be a reason for her to ask, "Why?" "Because I sense another presence…" Sarah replied, "But its Aura is overflowing with hostility and anger…and its close!"
Suddenly, as if on cue, the sky began to grow dark, and the winds immediately began to pick up, eventually becoming so dark that the only light visible was the occasional lightning bolt. "Sarah. Look!" Cade exclaimed, pointing to a ledge high above them. There was somebody standing there, watching what was happening, but for what reason. The Drapion had also noticed him, and shouted, "Identify yourself now! Show yourself!" "I do not answer to the likes of you, nor do I answer to anyone!" replied a deep voice that everyone there could hear. Everyone looked around, trying to identify the source when they realized it was the one on the ledge. "I was manipulated once before, it won't happen again!" the voice shouted angrily as a pair of glowing blue eyes became visible on the face of the stranger. It raised its arms to either side, tearing several boulders lose from the side of the mountain with its telekinesis, then threw them at the Sandslash below, knocking away all but two. It suddenly leapt skywards and came down a few seconds later not too far behind Drapion, its features finally in view of those there. Most failed to recognize him, but Cade and Darman nearly panicked at the sight of an old face that was one they frequently saw in nightmares. "It's Mewtwo! We found him!" Cade exclaimed. "XM-2, I knew we would come across you sooner or later" the Drapion said with a grin, "and I've heard your power is great." Mewtwo suddenly stuck out his hand and made a pushing motion, launching both the Sandslash and Drapion backwards using a Psychic attack. "I don't appreciate flattery" Mewtwo said coldly, "And the only reason why you would want to find me…is to try and take control of my power…well, that's the last mistake you'll ever make…" The three pokemon's eyes widened in fear, realizing that Mewtwo had no intention on letting them leave alive.