Chapter 7 – Facing One's Shadow
As Sarah and her companions travel through eastern Arcceonn, they face greater and greater trials of their strength, skill and resolve, but so far have managed regardless of the inherent hardships. However, the greatest obstacles lay not in the present, but rather in their memories; this is most true in the case of Mewtwo, but from his past he might learn a valuable lesson: If one turns to face their own shadow, their true nature will be revealed.
Mewtwo found himself in a void, completely empty and dark. No matter what he did, he could only see himself, and nothing else in this oblivion. He could tell he was dreaming, but something about it felt too strange, too real. Sure enough, Mewtwo was eventually able to expand his field of view until he could sense his surroundings; it was late at night, in the courtyard of the old fortress in Arcceonn City, which in his early life had been his home along with that of the elite Order of Arcceonn Knights. He was alone, the entire area devoid of life save himself…or was he? Suddenly, he heard soft footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around only to come face to face with a figure he still saw in his nightmares. It was Lord Axxon, the persona Aranam K'Tal took on while serving Saul Dragmire I, the revived Emperor of Wyvernia. He was standing still a distance away from Mewtwo, clad in his trademark armor and tattered cloak, the blades of Exomere glowing scarlet in the darkness.
"Hello Mewtwo…" Axxon said, his voice still sending chills up Mewtwo's spine even after all these years, "I trust you're in good health?" "Why do you care? I killed you over fifteen years ago" Mewtwo replied, wary of any sudden moves Axxon might make. The Lucario smirked slightly, clearly amused at Mewtwo's remark. "Not completely…" Axxon said, "You see Aranam K'Tal and I are in fact two separate beings." Mewtwo was slightly puzzled by this, but he wasn't too surprised; he had suspected something along those lines. "Elaborate on that" Mewtwo said. "When Aranam lost his parents as a child, he was corrupted by Shadow Energy" Axxon said, "But he wasn't corrupted completely, and so two separate personalities formed: Aranam, and myself." Axxon cleared his throat before continuing, "When Aranam regained control, he pushed me out of his mind, but his shadows entered another…" "Who is this other you refer to?" Mewtwo asked, now somewhat suspicious as to what Axxon could mean. "That other is you" Axxon replied, "I am a part of you, so I suggest you keep your mind strong, because if you don't, I might take over…" Mewtwo took several steps back in horror; he knew that Axxon was pure shadow, a manifestation of Evil itself; he couldn't allow himself to fall victim to Axxon, for both his sake and that of his friends. "No!" Mewtwo shouted furiously, "I will not submit to you!" Axxon's expression changed from a smile to a scowl in response as he entered a fighting stance. "You truly think you can resist me?" Axxon replied, "Show me your strength!"
Axxon and Mewtwo each leapt high into the air and lunged at each other, Axxon using Exomere in its twin sword form while Mewtwo used Psychic-generated ethereal blades to fight back. Mewtwo broke through Axxon's defenses and struck him with his full fury, sending him flying back into the roof of one of the buildings surrounding the fortress. Unfazed, Axxon leapt back into the air and struck back, this time with Mewtwo taking the fall, landing near the edge of the courtyard. Axxon landed on the ground just as Mewtwo recovered, flourishing Exomere in wide arcs in a show of skill and power. "I know you can do better than that Mewtwo!" Axxon taunted. Mewtwo just looked at Axxon, clearly tempted to attack him outright, but Mewtwo knew better than to attack directly. "If you think you're that much better, why don't you attack me?" Mewtwo shot back. "With pleasure!" Axxon replied as he rushed at Mewtwo. The genetic pokemon had anticipated this move perfectly and had already planned a counter. Just as Axxon was about to strike, Mewtwo unleashed Focus Punch, smashing through the shaft of Exomere and knocking Axxon back, one half of Exomere flying off to the side. Mewtwo called this half to him and used his own Aura to regenerate it, the blades glowing violet from his own energy in stark contrast to Axxon's half. "Impossible…" Axxon muttered as he regenerated his half and attacked Mewtwo again. Mewtwo deflected with his own spear before knocking Axxon back, the Lucario landing on his feet but obviously injured. Mewtwo leapt high into the air and attacked Axxon again with his full fury, blowing him back. Axxon tried to get back up, but Mewtwo's rage had powered up Mewtwo to the point of near invincibility. "You leave me no choice!" Axxon shouted as he became engulfed in shadows, emerging in a form that looked nearly identical to him, but with glowing red eyes. "Face your Shadow, Mewtwo. Show me your true power!" the Axxon shouted as he wielded his spear again and attacked Mewtwo with equal power to what Mewtwo had used on him just moments ago. Mewtwo blocked the attacks, but one got through and sent him fighting. "Drown in the ever-growing shadows!" Axxon exclaimed as he fired a blast of shadow energy, seemingly finishing off Mewtwo. When Axxon looked into the crater however, he couldn't have been more wrong. Mewtwo was very much alive, and seemingly even stronger than before. "What the…" Axxon began when Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball at him. Axxon was hit directly by the attack and was launched to the top of the high spire. Mewtwo pursued, landing right in front of him. He grabbed him by the neck and started flying straight up, higher and higher until the ground was no longer visible. "I have faced my Shadow…and I have won!" Mewtwo shouted as he fired the strongest blast of energy he could, launching Axxon straight into the ground, destroying him on impact…
"Mewtwo, wake up!" Sarah shouted as she nudged Mewtwo's shoulder slightly; he had been tossing and turning all night, clear evidence of a terrible nightmare. Suddenly, Mewtwo's eyes shot open, he jumped up and punched the ground, creating a massive indentation where it had impacted. He was in a cold sweat and breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating. "What the…where did he go? Where's Axxon!" he shouted frantically. "Relax Mewtwo, it was just a nightmare!" Sarah exclaimed as he grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to calm him, "You're okay…nothing happened Mewtwo…" Cade and Darman exchanged worried glances at each other, knowing that the Axxon Mewtwo referred to was the one that had been Aranam K'Tal, dead for over fifteen years. "Axxon's shadow may not have died with Aranam…" Cade whispered. "I'm starting to suspect that Axxon's shadows are affecting Mewtwo as well…" Darman replied in a hushed tone, "Mewtwo has a much stronger but also more vulnerable mind compared to Aranam, as he is less stable both physically and mentally." Darman glanced at Mewtwo then back at Cade before continuing, "Mewtwo can feel both fear and anger, both of which can lead to him absorbing more and more of the shadows if he doesn't learn to control them."