Chapter 14 – Mewtwo's Finest Hour
Despite arriving at the peak before Neo-Cyclone had expected them along with defeating Dialga, Palkia, Giratina and Dallon, the efforts of Raynar's coalition were all for naught. Dallon has activated Genesis, a device meant to summon Arceus, whom he would control using the Red Chain and use to create a new universe. However, as Dallon will soon find out, there are reasons why certain powers are kept beyond our grasp, and soon the race to stop Neo-Cyclone turns into a battle to save the Universe.
Mewtwo stared at Dallon, then at Genesis in disbelief. Even as powerful as he was, it wasn't enough. Massive arcs of electricity began surging up the Genesis arch, the light from which was so bright that all had to turn away to avoid being blinded. A white line appeared in the center of the arch, which expanded into a light that covered the entire inside of the arch. Seconds later, a silhouette became visible, slowly gaining clarity until at last he appeared. Arceus, the Original One, had returned! "What is that!" Sarah exclaimed. "It's Arceus! We're too late!" Raynar shouted in disbelief, "But how! We were so close!" Dallon, meanwhile, had stood up and was now holding the Red Chain in his hands, his intent no clear. "No Dallon! You're making a mistake!" Mewtwo shouted, by his warning fell on deaf ears. Arceus was far too powerful to control using the Red Chain, but in his madness, Dallon refused to listen. "Now Arceus! End this world and begin anew!" Dallon shouted as he lassoed the Red Chain over Arceus' neck. Massive arcs of energy shot from the chain into Arceus, and the creator was clearly enduring great pain. "He has a strong will…" Dallon muttered, "I command you! Submit!" At that moment, Arceus turned his gaze towards Dallon, and at that moment the ghost type realized he had made a grave error. The Red Chain glowed, cracked, then shattered in an explosion of energy that forced everyone back. "What! The Red Chain was supposed to control Arceus!" Dallon shouted in disbelief, "How can this happen!" "You're mad Dallon, Arceus is far too powerful for anyone to control!" Mewtwo shouted angrily, pointing towards the sky, "Now the consequences of your actions have become apparent!" Dallon followed Mewtwo's point until he saw what Mewtwo meant. A dark sphere had appeared in the center of the sun and was gradually growing, the light of the sun seeming to swirl into it not unlike water into a whirlpool. "What is that!" Dallon exclaimed in horror. "That is a Black Hole…" Raynar replied, "A region where space-time is stretched to the breaking point by an infinite gravity well…and by the looks of it, it is expanding, and won't stop expanding until everything has been consumed by it and destroyed." "No, you're lying! How could this happen!" Dallon shouted, not believing Raynar even though he knew deep down that his enemy was right. "You're madness was your undoing Dallon, and now all that exists will pay the price of it." "Not if we can help it!" shouted someone from behind them. Everyone turned around to see Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, all of them ready to attack. "Give it all you've got, my Brothers! We must subdue him before all is lost!" Giratina exclaimed, "Shadow Ball!" "Spatial Rend!" Palkia shouted. "Roar of Time!" Dialga roared. The three of them launched their attacks all at once and struck Arceus, but the Alpha pokemon released a powerful blast of energy that not only nullified the attacks but did massive damage to the trio. "No way! He's too strong!" Dialga shouted. "We can't stop him, we're too late!" Palkia exclaimed. The trio barely stood back up, a testament to Arceus' infinitesimal power and will. The Original One then shot high into the air and began raining energy down upon the world. "We can't stop him…" Dallon muttered in disbelief, "My dream…my purpose! Was it all just a lie!" "No, just misguided" Mewtwo replied as he looked up at Arceus as he continued to ascend. "Maybe no one can stop him…" Mewtwo said, "But I have to try!" "Mewtwo, don't do it!" Sarah exclaimed, running over to him and pulled her towards him, "You promised me you would never leave me! If you confront Arceus, you'll be killed!" "If I don't do this, it won't matter anyway! Nobody would survive!" Mewtwo replied. Sarah's eyes began tearing up as she looked up into his eyes. "Sarah…I was engineered for battling, and to be the best at it in existence..." Mewtwo said as he looked into her eyes, "I have to do this Sarah. For you, the world, the Universe…I may never see you again, but if that's what it takes, then so be it…" Sarah stared into Mewtwo's eyes and, like before, was bombarded with how many emotions she sensed, but unlike the self-doubt, anger and loss she had sensed when they first met, she sensed many other things. He was sad that he would have to leave her, but there was also a sense of acceptance, but most of all, a fiery determination that made Sarah realize that as much as she hated to accept it, Mewtwo had to do this, because if he couldn't, then no one could. "Then I know I'll never regret this" Sarah said before placing a tender kiss right on his lips. She wanted the moment to last forever, but all too soon, she snapped back to reality, and reality demanded that Mewtwo leave her in order to save reality from destruction. "Goodbye Sarah…" Mewtwo said as he stepped back and looked straight up. Here goes nothing… Mewtwo thought as he charged up his aura and launched skywards, seemingly nothing more than a violet streak in the sky. By now, the Black Hole had blocked out the sun's light turning the day to night. Two bright stars could be seen against this background, one stationary, the other moving towards it rapidly. Everyone else on the ground looked up at this, but Sarah could see something else. Due to her being so close to Mewtwo, she could see what he saw down to every detail, and she knew she would never forget what was about to happen.
Mewtwo continued to ascend, higher and higher through the atmosphere, the air growing thinner every second. Mewtwo didn't really need to breathe, as he could sustain himself for a month on a single breath in necessary, or at least that was the theory. As he broke through the top of the atmosphere and into space, he looked down on the world below and was mesmerized by the view. It was breathtaking how the world looked from so high up, but he knew he didn't have time to enjoy the view. He stopped ascending and found himself barely two hundred yards away from Arceus, the energy emanating from him nearly overwhelming Mewtwo. "I'm sorry it had to come to this Arceus, but I must stop you for the sake of all that you made!" Mewtwo shouted as he called upon his full power, charging up his Aura until he seemed to blaze with it, much how Arceus appeared at the moment. Finally, at long last, the two charged forward at blinding speed, and the fight to the finish had begun.
Arceus struck Mewtwo first, sending him flying downwards, but Mewtwo was able to stop his fall using friction from the upper atmosphere to change his course. "Take this!" Mewtwo shouted as he launched Aura Sphere. Arceus suddenly changed color as it changed to the ghost type, nullifying Mewtwo's attack. "This is going to be difficult…" Mewtwo muttered as Arceus attacked again with Hyper Beam. Mewtwo evaded the attack but was struck as Arceus used it again. Much to Mewtwo's chagrin, Arceus was strong enough he didn't need to recharge from attacks like most others. Arceus then attacked him again, this time with Draco Meteor. Without realizing what he was doing, Mewtwo launched a massive energy blade at them, shattering them before they could strike him. I just used Spatial Rend! Mewtwo thought, Then THAT means… Arceus attacked again, this time using Dialga's signature attack, Roar of Time. Mewtwo raised his arms towards Arceus and used Roar of Time as well, the attacks colliding in a spectacular explosion that lit up the sky for all watching below. Mewtwo knew that the entire world would be watching by now; he could not fail, not matter what the cost. Arceus used Spatial Rend, but Mewtwo teleported out of the way before he disappeared. Anticipating Mewtwo to use Aura Sphere, Arceus changed again to a ghost type, but he was wrong. "Shadow Force!" Mewtwo shouted as he reappeared and struck Arceus directly for a critical hit. The Alpha pokemon recoiled away from the attack, but was far from defeated.
Meanwhile, all of Mewtwo's comrades watched below as the battle unfolded, the two of them appearing as nothing more than bright meteors shooting across the sky at unheard-of speeds, bright flashes of light that illuminated the entire sky to the horizon signifying an attack. "I've never seen fighting this fierce!" Dialga exclaimed in disbelief. "Even Dialga and I haven't fought against each other that hard!" Palkia interjected, "And we're brothers, we're supposed to fight!" Giratina rolled his eyes and muttered, "And you two wonder why our father considers me the mature one…" Giratina noticed Sarah in a near trance-like state and immediately knew that Mewtwo was showing her the battle from his perspective. He then looked back up at the sky and said, "For the sake of us all, please do not fail Mewtwo. Our fate is in your hands…"
Back in space, Mewtwo and Arceus were fighting even harder now, exchanging blows every other second as Roar of Time, Spacial Rend and Judgment attacks arched across the heavens, reflecting the violence one would expect between armies, but this was the work of only two: a god and a living immortal, near equals in this battle. Arceus fired Judgment at Mewtwo, this one being too close to evade. Mewtwo took the entire force of the blow, but managed to weaken it somewhat using a barrier. Arceus is even stronger than I thought! Mewtwo thought …No, I can't give up! I will NEVER give up! Justice is on my side! Mewtwo counter-attacked with Dark Pulse, the attack stunning Arceus for a brief moment and giving Mewtwo the opening he needed to even the odds. Mewtwo slammed into him using Shadow Force, but Arceus still would not fall. Arceus fired a massive blast of energy at Mewtwo, Mewtwo firing another at Arceus. They collided in a massive explosion that threw both of them away from each other. Both of them recovered and for the first time in the battle, they paused, assessing each other's defenses while assessing their own condition. I can't go on like this… Mewtwo thought, But Arceus is too powerful, I can't defeat him! Suddenly, an idea came to Mewtwo's mind; he had thought of it before, but only as a last resort. The only way he could hope to defeat Arceus was to unleash all of his power in a single blast, but although he would have a slight chance of defeating Arceus, it wasn't guaranteed. However, it was a certainty that he would not survive, as using it would result in him losing the ability to keep his speed up, and so he would reenter the atmosphere and would be incinerated. It was a painful truth knowing that in order for everyone else to live, he had to die, but if there was any other way, he would know it. At that moment, Arceus unleashed Judgment once more. Mewtwo blocked the attack, his barrier just barely holding back the energy of Arceus' wrath. It's now or never! Mewtwo thought as he began to close the distance with Arceus despite the attack. His barrier began to falter as the attack became more and more intense, but Mewtwo had to hold on until he could do what needed to be done. He could feel the attack breaking through, but his determination to ensure Sarah's safety, the one thing he held on to even now in the end, kept him going despite the pain. This is it! Mewtwo thought as he grabbed onto Arceus. "!" Mewtwo roared as he released a literal supernova of pure energy in a massive explosion that for a moment was so bright it would have outshone the Sun. The Black Hole slowly began to fade and ultimately disappeared as the shockwave slammed into it. The explosion launched Arceus back into the atmosphere and slammed him into the ground near where he had appeared near the Genesis device. The battle was over, and Mewtwo looked back down upon the world in triumph, but then, he felt his power fading away.
He was fading away, as he knew he would, but that did nothing to change the fact that it was still a shocking realization to him that he was dying. Is it over? Sarah asked him telepathically. It is done… Mewtwo said, Sarah…I'm sorry. For what? Sarah replied. I'm sorry, but I won't return to you…I'm fading away… Mewtwo said as a painful shock ripped through him, signaling to him his time was near. What…you're dying! Mewtwo, no! I can't go on without you! Sarah exclaimed. You can and you WILL go on Sarah! Mewtwo replied forcefully, My fate has been sealed, but yours is up to you…go on without me, live a long and happy life…just keep me close…in your heart, your memories, and your soul, and I will always be with you… As Mewtwo closed his eyes in preparation for what was to come, he had flashbacks of his life, starting with his first awakening, then moving on to his training, the battle with Aranam and the fall of the Order of Arcceonn Knights. Then he saw when Axxon found him years later and made him his 'apprentice', then his fights against Darkrai and Raynar. Finally, he remembered meeting Sarah, growing closer to her, and finally the moment of their final farewell before the battle. "I guess…life wasn't so bad in the end…" Mewtwo whispered as he felt his last reserves of energy leave him. His body began to glow, and finally, he scattered into pure energy, gone forever.
Back on the ground, Arceus staggered to his feet, dazed, but alright. "What…where am I?" Arceus said as he looked around, "What happened here?" "I'll explain later father…" Giratina replied, "But at least you're okay…" "Wait! Where's Mewtwo!" Derek exclaimed. Everyone looked around, trying to see him, but he was nowhere in sight. "Mewtwo's gone…" Sarah muttered just before she burst into tears. Raynar walked over to Sarah and tried in vain to console her. "Mewtwo…who's he?" Arceus asked. "A genetically engineered pokemon created specifically for battling" Raynar replied, "But he was a lot more than that…" Arceus shook his head and said, "You don't need to say any more. I understand now…" "Where's that Dusknoir? We'll make him pay for this!" Dialga roared angrily. "No, let him go…" Arceus replied calmly, "Even now I can sense his presence. There was no malice in his heart, he was being deceived…and I know just who it would be." "You don't mean…" Giratina responded. "Yes, I do" Arceus answered before he turned to Sarah and said, "I am sorry for your loss. From how he was described, Mewtwo sounded like a pokemon after my own heart." Sarah, who had finally stopped crying, looked up to Arceus and replied, "There's no need for an apology…" She then looked up towards the sky and added, "The Universe is safe…and I have him to think for that…"