"Well," Mewtwo sighed, "that's one way to wrap up testing."
"I should probably go as well," said Tim uncertainly. "I didn't know the freezing would be so bad."
"Before you go," said Mewtwo, "what were you and Squirtle working on before you came?"
"Just improving his move set," said Tim, affirmed by a nod from Squirtle. "We can come back tomorrow to keep working, because we didn't quite finish today's goals."
"You sure?" asked Mewtwo. "I'd be more than happy to help out my little buddy here." He kneeled and put his hand on Squirtle's shoulder. Squirtle looked up with a smile.
"I can help too, if you need it," added Gengar, raising his hand in offering.
"I appreciate the offers, guys," said Tim, "But I really think I should go to the Pokémon Center and make sure Tobuscus is all right."
Squirtle spoke up and said, "If you're going to go, can I stay here with Mewtwo and Gengar and train with them?"
"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Mewtwo. "You can go to the Pokémon Center while we're up here!"
"I—well…" muttered Tim, clearly torn between wanting to do things himself and seeing that Squirtle completed his training. However, a glance at Mewtwo's bruised eye seemed to sway him more effectively than his own indecision.
"All right," he said, "but I expect you guys back in time for supper, or we'll think you've run off or something. Okay?"
They all agreed.
"Right," said Tim. "Here's what Squirtle and I were working on earlier—"
A distant, bird-like shriek—one that sounded miles away and thousands of feet in the air—cut across Tim like a blade. He stopped and looked around for the noise.
"What was that?" he asked to nobody in particular. All the others could do was shrug and only guess what produced the strange cry. "It sounded like it came from over there, didn't it?" He pointed south, in the direction of the highest, snow-capped peaks that enclosed the Valley.
"A little bit, yeah," said Gengar uncertainly. He glanced at Mewtwo concernedly, who was still crouched and fairly eye-level, and Mewtwo reciprocated. Neither could pinpoint exactly why, but the shriek sounded like some sort of warning; like something was coming… Maybe he was being paranoid, but Mewtwo felt like they weren't to be here anymore.
"I thought it sounded a bit like a Pokémon, didn't it?" asked Mewtwo.
Tim turned around with a confused expression and said, "Now that I think about it, it kind of did. But I don't know of any Pokémon that makes that sound. From the six hundred or so Pokémon I studied, I can identify its cry in almost a heartbeat. That one—I've never heard anything like it."
A second, identical shriek, this one far closer and louder than the last, pierced the air.
"There it is again!" said Tim. "Is it still—?"
"Look!" Mewtwo shouted, pointing over the mountains from where the call first issued. Everyone's eyes followed Mewtwo's finger. Against the bright blue sky, a dark shape emerged. It looked like a small airplane, but it was certainly no man-made object. This being had huge, sweeping wings it flapped at intervals, and the beast was growing larger and larger at an incredibly fast rate, heading directly for them. Meanwhile, a sneaking, deep-seated suspicion was creeping upon Mewtwo like a chill. He had only the vaguest of ideas who might be accompanying this creature, and he prayed that his fears would not come true.
Whatever this was, it did not bode well.
"Tim," Mewtwo said in a surprisingly commanding voice he didn't recognize as his own, "take Squirtle and get out of here. Right now. Go to the Pokémon Center and stay there until I come back."
"You're—what are you—?"
"Just do it."
Mewtwo looked straight into Squirtle's scared face and said, "Go with Tim to the Pokémon Center. You'll be safe there."
"But what if—" Squirtle began, but Mewtwo took hold of his shoulders to quiet him.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"I don't want to lose you too!" cried out Squirtle. He grabbed hold of one of Mewtwo's hands with both of his shaking ones and held tight. His eyes blinked and sparkled in the sunlight, softening Mewtwo's heart.
"You won't lose me," Mewtwo whispered, "I promise."
He pulled Squirtle into a tight, reassuring hug. Squirtle squeezed as hard as he could, obviously trying to put all of his feelings in this single gesture. He wasn't going to fail Squirtle.
"And Gengar?" Tim asked as Squirtle disengaged, "What's he going to do?"
Mewtwo and Gengar looked into each other's eyes, and a sort of understanding transmitted between the two. The hardness and resolution in Gengar's eyes was clear. In combination with his nod, the intentions were undeniable.
"He's staying," said Mewtwo. "I'm pretty sure we have some unfinished business to take care of together."
One corner of Gengar's mouth lifted, and, for a brief moment, Mewtwo glimpsed a cunning, mischievous shadow of his former self float to the surface.
"But enough lollygagging!" said Mewtwo, his commanding voice returning in full measure. He gave Squirtle a little push in Tim's direction, stood up straight, and added, "You guys need to get out of here. Run, and don't look back! Stay out of sight from the sky until you get to Ether!"
They obeyed. Dashing out of sight, Mewtwo heard their rapid footsteps die away quickly. The third shriek was a deafening one; Mewtwo estimated it couldn't have been farther away than a half-mile. He knew there was little time.
"Gengar," he said, eyes fixated on the shadow bearing down upon them, "Go hide in that clump of evergreens over there. Stay in the shadows, and don't do anything until I tell you to. If anything happens to turn really sour, then do what you must."
Gengar did as he was requested. On the edge of the low-hanging branches, he turned back and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Mewtwo stared back into the burgundy eyes, one time aglow with a wicked, scarlet hue. Both knew that neither could make amends with their pasts, but could at least confront them. Now, after nearly two months of picking up the scattered pieces, the puzzle was nearly completed. Neither could desert this moment, for both have been deprived of meeting their maker for far too long. Now was the time to act.
"I'm positive I want to do this," said Mewtwo calmly. "It's finally time we come face-to-face. I'm ready."
Gengar nodded. His body mysteriously melted into the shadows of the trees, but Mewtwo traced his eyes settling amongst the thick branches. He was nearly out of sight; a perfect place to see, but not be seen. Mewtwo turned back to face the beast bearing down upon them, but barely got a chance to see the shadow of a giant Y in the sky before another, much smaller shadow seemed to leap from its back.
Mewtwo had no time to prepare himself. He was knocked to the ground in an instant and found himself staring right into a Pokémon's eyes, not even three inches from his face. The newcomer had one hand around Mewtwo's neck and a combat knife at his throat, the cold blade flirting with his skin. Mewtwo breathed in a foul smell of mud, algae, and seaweed off of the Pokémon's breath. Its moist skin left a film of water on whatever it touched.
"Nice seeing you again, Mewtwo," he growled in Mewtwo's ear. "It's been far too long since we caught up; fifteen or sixteen years it's been, hasn't it? And who blackened your eye? I'd like to send them flowers."
"You'd better shut up," snarled Mewtwo with equal bite, "or I'll give you something worse than a black eye, Golduck. Get off of me."
"Not until I've had my say," Golduck spat. "You abandoned Team Rocket and left us to crumble after the failure with the Silph Company. We were so close to clinching all of Kanto, but all you cared about was yourself. Even when you were part of Diamond Squad, you had your own interests at heart, not ours."
"You never did like me, did you?" retorted Mewtwo. "You always kept your distance from me and hardly went on any missions I was a part of. Were you scared of me, Golduck? Scared I was too good?"
Golduck tightened his hold on Mewtwo's neck, making him choke and splutter.
"You never deserved the Captaincy for Diamond Squad, and you know it," snapped Golduck, leaning farther into Mewtwo's face and cutting off his airway. "I was better than anyone there. All Giovanni wanted to do was keep you happy, even if you didn't ask for it. I saw right through it. I spent four years trying to rise to the top, but you stopped me from getting there at the last second. You'll be paying for that…"
The knife's blade was being pressed, apparently unconsciously, into Mewtwo's neck. His flesh was giving to the blade, but it wouldn't be long before skin was broken. He could feel his blood pounding beneath Golduck's fingers and the knife. He couldn't draw breath and was scared that any action would end disastrously, but a familiar, unlikely voice intervened.
"ZERO-FIVE!" the voice bellowed, "Return to your position!"
Golduck jolted as if he received an electric shock. He jumped off of Mewtwo, squelching on his armor, and hurried backwards to the source of the command. Mewtwo got up, massaging his throat, to lay eyes upon a very strange assembly.
The most noticeable of this group was the beast that had presumably hauled them all here. It was a huge, avian thing towering over the rest at double Mewtwo's height. It definitely resembled a bird, but it was also exceedingly different than anything Mewtwo ever saw. It didn't have wings; rather, its limbs—including one where its tail should have been—were more like arms and hands with huge claws. Its main color scheme was red, black, and gray; a vividly red underside with black adorations, a black back, and a feathery gray ruff that flowed and billowed around its neck. There were black horns on its head, pointing forward and looking like scythes above its eyes. Because its limbs were so large, it clasped its wings (or hands or whatever they were to be called) so that they wouldn't lay on the ground awkwardly. Its tail sprawled out behind in the snow.
The next largest thing was someone he hadn't noticed in the sky. Charizard, carrying another passenger, managed to land on the ground. He was still wearing his black Kevlar vest, just like Mewtwo always remembered. His appearance changed some since Mewtwo last saw him: an aged, weathered face; tired eyes; perhaps a little thinner; and, most noticeably, not carrying any firearms.
Raichu, who had just dismounted from Charizard's back, looked a little more fit, but still bore the same worn-out air Charizard exemplified. He too wore his Kevlar vest and carried no weapons.
Sandslash was standing next to the red beast, chewing on a toothpick protruding from his mouth. He didn't look angry like Golduck, merely bored with the proceedings. His arms were crossed and his face quite expressionless. A new scar right over his eye adorned his face, making him look like an old war hero.
As Mewtwo's eyes traveled between this odd reunion of old and new, a flash of brightest red more vivid than the new creature's underbelly appeared from behind it. Mewtwo looked for the source and felt a leap of rage inside his stomach.
Silver was saddled on this thing's back, peeking out from behind with the saddest of faces. Mewtwo couldn't believe she was in league with this party. This was certainly the last place he expected her to show up. How could she be a part of it?
"Afternoon, Mewtwo," spoke up the same voice that called off Golduck. For one wild moment, Mewtwo thought the voice issued from the giant beast, but he spotted a person in a red suit that blended well with the creature he was standing in front of.
Of all the old faces there, Giovanni's had changed the most. The last time he saw him, he was a smooth-looking man in top condition. Now, time served to rob him of some of his looks. Lines etched his face and the finely chiseled features seemed to have been worn smooth. His short, closely cropped hair was graying; a tell-tale sign of age and stress. His body had thinned out as well, and he certainly looked like he had seen better days.
"Afternoon…" Mewtwo replied cautiously. He didn't want to say anything stupid, but he was bursting to pay something back to this man and his team who wrecked so many people. Small talk should help keep his temper in check.
For now.
"I see you're wearing your new suit of armor," said Giovanni, acknowledging the beautiful carbon fiber glint reflecting off of Mewtwo's body. "How do you like it?"
Mewtwo didn't answer the question; on the contrary, he proposed his own.
"How do you know about this suit?" he asked suspiciously.
Giovanni gave a dry chuckle and said, "I paid for it! Your friends from Cerulean University put in a written request to fabricate the whole thing in a mere four weeks! It cost a fortune and then some, I tell you. You wouldn't believe the man hours that got poured into your suit. Nobody pulled any stops… not even myself. It's so technologically advanced, there are parts it uses that are not commercially available. I had to do a lot of convincing to get you that suit, Mewtwo."
Mewtwo's mind was imploding upon itself. He had a suspicion that something like this would come to light, but it still didn't prepare himself for the utter devastation it wreaked on him.
"You—" Mewtwo stuttered, "You're—you fund the research team?"
"Of course!" Giovanni said, apparently unprepared for Mewtwo's slowness. "I created that team three years ago and funded it ever since! The four students that are a part of it currently are some of the brightest researchers I've ever seen. I knew their knowledge is invaluable, so I offered them the course of study with all expenses paid. The two high school students from the United States are particularly interesting, because both have Pokémon that are extremely powerful; I believe they were the strongest on the East Coast from my research, but neither are aware of the fact. Lucky me that they attended the same high school. I've been hoping for a few months now that I could see how their Pokémons' powers compare to the strongest in Japan. Truthfully, I thought their skills would go unrivaled to anything thrown their way.
"But when I saw you were helping with the research team, I couldn't believe the report from Timothy Bishop. A few days after I received his letter referencing the Mega Ring's successes, I got another saying you were in the University's laboratories yourself. I'm sure you could imagine my confusion; a Pokémon whom I commanded myself fifteen years ago, saw disappear right before my eyes, and thought dead, back and helping out this research team? I was baffled beyond belief! One of the most—if not the most powerful Pokémon that ever existed back amongst humanity? And even more bizarrely, doing good things for the world? The mind-numbing truth…!"
"Guess it's time for you to catch up with reality, Giovanni," Mewtwo responded as if the two were discussing the matter over drinks. "I've done a lot of things you might never believe possible from me. You remember Squirtle? The one you left to die in Cerulean? I'm his guardian, now. Gengar, your finest henchman until this past October? No longer brainwashed and, like me, using his potentials for good."
"Speaking of," said Giovanni, "I received another report yesterday, saying that you and several others, including the very same Gengar, were to be here testing out your armor's capabilities. Where are they?"
Mewtwo knew it would be far too noticeable to look anywhere but at the speaker or those that accompanied him. Under the clear presumption of turning his head slightly to face Charizard standing on the far end, he glimpsed the faint glow of two burgundy dots still nestled in the shadows of an evergreen in his peripheral vision.
"Not here," Mewtwo said as casually as possible. "Couldn't make it."
Giovanni frowned.
"That's unfortunate," he said as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, "I really wanted to meet them all in person… especially Gengar. I wonder how he's been getting along, because I heard that Allen Greene is his trainer now. Gengar really was a fine helper, like you said yourself…"
Though Mewtwo wasn't showing it, this conversation was irritating him beyond endurance. Why was Giovanni acting so unbelievably calm? Was he trying to lull him into a false sense of security? Or was he hoping to catch him off-guard at the right time? Whatever the case, Mewtwo was determined to strike first and not let it happen. However, he was sure an opening move on his part would be a terrible mistake. A seven-on-one situation existed without Gengar's help, and even with his help, the ratio would still be too unfavorable. He needed the jump without five Pokémon ready to strike him before taking out one or two at the most.
Half of his mind wandered off while the other half remained present for Giovanni's conversation.
"—My daughter, Silver, in fact, commented that she liked him the most out of all the Pokémon she's interacted with," continued Giovanni. Silver buried her face into the gray ruff around the red beast's neck and released a dry sob. The beast turned its head, a disgusted look on its face.
"Who's your friend, if I may ask?" asked Mewtwo abruptly, motioning to it.
"I'm glad you brought that up, Mewtwo," said Giovanni with a hint of relish at the question. "This is Yveltal, a legendary Pokémon from the new Kalos region. He is unique, just like you are; only one exists on planet Earth. I traveled with these trusted Pokémon beside me to Kalos, hoping I could claim something rare as my own…"
So his habits haven't changed, Mewtwo thought dully. Still has an unquenchable thirst for the rare and exclusive. Yveltal doesn't know what's really in store for him down the road.
Suddenly, a spark flew from the wandering half of his mind and ignited an idea. Praying it would work because he was so out of practice, he let his thoughts take over.
Gengar? If you can hear me, use your thoughts to respond!
"—actually, we found him in a sort of giant cocoon in the basement of someone's headquarters; Team Flare, I think they called themselves… they had the most ridiculous outfits I've ever seen…"
Gengar! I need you right now! Just think and we can communicate!
"All we wanted to do was explore, but I guess they didn't take too kindly to that, nor when we defeated everyone that was there. They were swearing revenge, but how could they when they didn't even have the power to stop us?"
Finally, the familiar voice broke through Giovanni's monologue:
What! What is this? How are you—?
Never mind that, we're going to stop them right now. I can't act alone, and we'll be outnumbered unless we can get a jump on them. I need you to cause some sort of distraction so that I can make a move first. Don't harm anyone yet. Can you do that for me?
I—yeah, I can—err… I'll think of something.
Mewtwo, still observing Gengar's watchful eyes, saw them disappear from his peripheral vision. His muscles tensed, but Mewtwo didn't make any movements, lest he give away his intentions. He mentally prepared himself, ready to act when it was time. Meanwhile, Giovanni was still speaking, apparently under the impression that Mewtwo was still listening.
"So we took Yveltal back to Kanto and tested his strength and powers as soon as possible," Giovanni continued. "He was remarkable, I tell you; nearly as admirable as you were, Mewtwo."
"You don't say?" remarked Mewtwo skeptically, "How so?"
"The sheer power!" exclaimed Giovanni. "You wouldn't believe it! The ability to steal the life energy of all living things! We found out its signature move as well; Oblivion Wing can steal up to three-quarters of the opponent's health. Such a powerful move, and so destructive on the opposition. I believe your friend Squirtle found out the hard way, though… his father, too. We thought Squirtle had potential, but we were sadly mistaken."
Instantly, red-hot rage swelled to Mewtwo's head, blocking out all other thought except for the one reaching Gengar's mind:
Do it. Now.
There was no delay between the command and its execution. Barely had the thought crossed his mind when Yveltal collapsed, bellowing a horrible screech. Silver fell off of his back with a shriek and fell a good many feet—at least eight or nine—straight to the cold hard ground. However, she landed softly… too softly, in fact. A strange purple glow, not from Mewtwo's own hand, cushioned her fall.
Almost in synchronization, everyone turned at the uproar behind them. Mewtwo wasted no time with their lack of attention, and, pulling on his helmet again in one swift, smooth motion, released a sweeping burst of energy from the palm of his hands.
Nearly everyone lost their balance from the rush that befell them. Only one, Charizard, kept on his feet long enough to retaliate. A long jet of fire issued from his mouth and flew towards Mewtwo before Charizard stumbled. Mewtwo braced for the impact, throwing up his shields in time to meet the flames. The intense heat met him head on, but the shields did their job admirably. Thankfully, all he felt was a sharp rise in temperature.
Within a second of recovering from the flames, a huge lash of water whipped Mewtwo in the face. He wasn't ready for this second barrage that cost him precious moments pressing an advantage. Golduck had quickly sprung back onto his feet, set on charging Mewtwo. Behind Golduck, Gengar reappeared in the dazzling sunlight, positioned behind the entire party and ready to act. As Golduck started to send another, more damaging surge of water, a ball of dark shadow intercepted the attack. Gengar dashed into battle, striking Golduck across the face with a dazzlingly quick Shadow Claw. Not a second after impact with Golduck was Gengar knocked to the ground by a powerful jolt of electricity. Raichu swiftly darted to Golduck's side, setting up a two-on-one situation against Gengar. Recovering quickly and using speed to his advantage, Gengar maneuvered between the two, attacking and counter-attacking at every possible opportunity.
Mewtwo was about to assist Gengar when Charizard proceeded to block his path. His wings were beating a steady tattoo, clearly indicating he was holding his ground. Mewtwo stanced, prepared to wage some real battling, but an inconvenience in the form of Yveltal shot from the ground like a cork in water and distracted him. A malevolent aura of black radiated from the sky borne Yveltal, raising a sudden chill up Mewtwo's spine. The dense shadows surrounding Yveltal shifted and swirled around him before solidifying. The mass of black hovered for a moment in Yveltal's outstretched hands—all three of them; his tail was holding shadows as well—before he released the Dark Pulse directly at Mewtwo.
Instinctively, Mewtwo's knees bent, his weight shifted sideways, and he jumped out of the path of speeding blackness not a moment too soon. The attack forced Charizard to break his stance and duck out of the way as well. The Dark Pulse collided with the ground and produced a noiseless explosion, leaving a crater devoid of anything but dirt in its wake. Mid-jump, Mewtwo was propelled forward an extra few feet from the shockwave of Yveltal's attack. He fell hard into the ground, feeling the snow melting on contact with his skin, heated by the intense stress of this genuine mess of ongoing battles. He pushed himself upright again only to find Charizard doing the same.
Now Mewtwo had to prioritize; Yveltal was priming to attack again, but Charizard was closer and, by the looks of it, going to be ready to strike faster than the beast flying high above. To deal with this, Mewtwo first threw a psychic punch at Charizard, causing him to lose his balance again, then faced Yveltal once more.
In Mewtwo's vision, Yveltal was highlighted a vivid red, marked as an attacker. His HUD displayed a flashing text notification, reading, 'Dark type Pokémon detected. Cannot damage without Miracle Eye.'
Thinking fast, Mewtwo shot a huge ball of energy straight at Yveltal's head. He took the bait; panicking, Yveltal swerved to miss the fake attack, giving Mewtwo enough time to take a good hard look at Yveltal and identify him.
It was exactly what Mewtwo needed. The armor's computer recognized the Pokémon by tapping Mewtwo's brain in conjunction with the Miracle Eye move he used. Now, the previous notification was replaced by a new one, which said, 'Identified YVELTAL.' He was about to make a move when a terrible cry of pain distracted him.
Golduck and Raichu were rapidly gaining the upper hand against Gengar. He was losing ground against his opponents, and in the few seconds that Mewtwo dared to watch, Gengar got hit once, twice, thrice in a row. The last blow from Golduck unseated him. His eyes looked exceedingly dazed while he tried to remain standing, but before he could do anything else, Raichu threw a sucker punch right into Gengar's kidney.
Gengar was rendered motionless; all he could do was kneel on the ground, gasping for breath. Golduck approached him like a king before his subject. He unsheathed his combat knife again, twirling it in his hand effortlessly. Golduck cracked an evil, toothy grin, spreading across his whole bill. Raichu was rubbing his knuckles, preparing to deliver another blow or two if need be. Golduck held his knife underhand and drew it back, ready to plunge it straight into Gengar's flesh, but could not complete the action. He and Raichu were raised into the air by no visible means of support except for a vibrant violet glow around their figures. Their shouts quickly silenced after both got thrown into tree trunks; the frozen ground; Charizard, who was caught watching and knocked unconscious when Golduck's body collided with his head at high speed; and finally Yveltal.
WHAM!
The tangle of bodies fell a colossal thirty feet to the earth with a bone-shaking crash. Yveltal tried to raise himself off of the two unmoving Pokémon beneath him, but Mewtwo was upon him before he could react. Mewtwo threw psychic punches and energy, actual punches, and anything he could do to harm Yveltal. Finally, with blood pouring out of Yveltal's nostrils and slack jawed mouth, Mewtwo whipped his tail at full force, turning a full three hundred sixty degrees to achieve the action. The rigid carbon fiber ribs encasing his tail hit Yveltal's head with massive force. He collapsed sideways, rolling onto his back beside Golduck and Raichu, limbs outstretched and motionless.
Mewtwo doubled over with his hands on his knees, totally winded from his attacks. In the moment, he could feel a glow of his old self seep through to the present and couldn't control it as well as he hoped. He dazedly stared at the damage he inflicted while a confusing mix of satisfaction, guilt, and pity wormed through his stomach. Mewtwo glanced behind him to find Gengar lying sideways in the snow, clutching where Raichu punched him. Mewtwo hurried up, kneeled beside him, and laid a hand on his shoulder, asking, "Are you all right?"
Gengar's face was scrunched up in pain, but he managed to nod, breathing as hard as if he ran a marathon.
"Cheap shots…" he grunted, "Damn them and everyone that throws 'em to hell…"
"You did really well there, Gengar," Mewtwo said. "Taking on two Pokémon at once, especially considering how skilled they were… That's no easy task at all."
Gengar gave a weak chuckle and added, "Couldn't hold up forever. Thanks for having my back right there. I owe you one."
Mewtwo smiled tiredly and said, "I'm just doing what friends do. Watching out for each other, you know?"
"Well," said Gengar, "That's one way to put it, I guess. But for something like that, a thank you isn't enough."
"Of course it—"
Mewtwo's words were cut off by a sound issuing from near the pile of unconscious Pokémon. Giovanni was staring right at the two of them, bringing his hands together at intervals and clapping extremely slowly and deliberately. His expression was unhappy and sour, presumably due to the fact that he was surrounded by his own knocked-out Pokémon. The sight gave Mewtwo a deep-seated satisfaction.
"Well done," droned Giovanni with a frown, "You two just managed to wipe out the entire Diamond Squad and then some. That impresses me… and I'm not easily impressed."
"You don't look like it," said Gengar, still speaking a little weakly from having been punched in the kidney.
"Don't let me misguide you," returned Giovanni, "I can assure you that I am indeed stunned by both of your performances. However, I am curious… why couldn't Mewtwo perform so admirably when he was under my hand for nearly a year?"
Mewtwo's eyes locked with Giovanni's. Inside Giovanni's eyes, Mewtwo finally peered through the facade that entrapped him all of those years ago. The eyes that once brought Mewtwo the feeling of life and liberty deteriorated into dark bitterness. The mask of a normal, successful business man lifted; now all that stood before Mewtwo was a power-hungry maniac... a maniac that needed to be stopped. Now.
Mewtwo gritted his teeth. He began to transition his armor settings to full offensive when Giovanni's crisp voice cut through his focus.
"What a shame. You once had a chance for greatness. All the work you've done over the years... wasted. Murder, deception, everything; all of it for you to change your mind."
Just ignore him... Mewtwo thought to himself. As his armor correlates with his thoughts, he could not let any of Giovanni's words get to him.
"Was that change of heart worth it? I'd be delighted to listen to you tell all the families you've destroyed that it was all for naught; that it was all just an experiment. The loss of their family member was for nothing."
"You're telling me that?" Mewtwo spat with disgust, springing upright.
"Everything I've ever done was for one greater goal. There was meaning behind every action. Where was your meaning? Everything you've done has been for nothing. You, as you are now, are nothing as a result of your failure. Then again, that's all you've ever been from the start."
A deep rage began building inside Mewtwo. His resentment towards Giovanni churned within every nook and cranny of his brain.
"Fool, just because you changed your mind-set doesn't mean you can stop acting as my pawn. You are still going to be of use to me, only now you've lost any opportunity for a shred of happiness."
Mewtwo's fingers began to convulse. Now the rage began to cloud his brain like a thick fog. He barely saw the flashing notification on his HUD that said, 'WARNING: Circuitry overheating.' Through the haze of recklessness now impairing his vision and thoughts, he heard Giovanni utter one last phrase:
"You're just an outright failure, Mewtwo, and that's all you ever were. Nobody loves you… including your 'friends.' You are the loneliest, most disgraceful Pokémon the world has ever seen. Not even your own parents—oh, wait… you have none."
That was the ticket to make Mewtwo snap.
Mewtwo completely and totally forgot his surroundings. The taunts and falsehoods that came from the man standing so close riled him up so badly that most every other thought was wiped clean. Only one thought remained: to blast Giovanni into oblivion.
Mewtwo ignored the cries for his retreat issuing from Gengar and moved to conjure up a Hyper Beam, but something was wrong with his armor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the luminous ball of orange appear in his trembling hands. Another thing he noticed as well; when he moved his limbs, it felt like he was trying to struggle through neck-deep quicksand, or he couldn't move at all, or he moved in the complete wrong direction. He let out a roar of frustration, not noticing another notification on his HUD. He completely missed the text flashing in bold, bright red letters, which said, 'CIRCUITRY FAILURE.' Mewtwo's armor was malfunctioning, and he didn't have the sense to simply remove his helmet.
Giovanni watched without comment thus far. He seemed extremely amused watching Mewtwo battle with his own stupidity. In contrast, Gengar was watching from the ground in horror. He tried to get up, but could hardly raise himself without doubling over in pain. Giovanni saw this motion and said, "Ahh, Gengar, don't expend your energy! There's no hope for him, anyway. I don't know why you wasted so much time with him before now, to be honest. He's a hopeless cause that wallows in his own pity and leans on his friends to even function properly. Have you noticed that most of the people he's come into contact with wind up injured or dead? I can assure you that you'd be much safer and happier without him."
"You jest, Giovanni," gasped Gengar, "I don't care if Mewtwo was my murderer, or even helped assassinate my own father, because he saved me from a wretch like you. At least he's trying to turn his life around. You? You're just the same, evil bastard you always were."
Giovanni moved not a muscle. Only his eyes shifted slightly off of the scene before him to look at someone padding quietly through the snow. Gengar neither noticed nor heard the silent Pokémon approaching, and only realized he was there when razor-sharp claws sliced open his back.
Meanwhile, Mewtwo was still hopelessly struggling against his own armor, trying to force it to accept commands it would not take. The circuitry was fried from his reckless rage earlier, causing his suit to behave erratically and force Mewtwo's limbs into some bizarre positions. In one moment where Mewtwo's entire body was frozen stiff by an erroneous execution by the armor, the same flash of claws that brought Gengar to the ground found itself darting through the back of Mewtwo's helmet and taking out a large chunk of it.
The power of Sandslash's attack compromised Mewtwo's balance, forcing him to take several steps forward and retain it. Mewtwo's vision went corrupt, going haywire due to the damage the helmet sustained. He also felt a stinging sensation on the back of his head, and, when he put a hand to the affected area (now able to move quite freely), withdrew it to discover warm, wet blood. Mewtwo glanced around to see Sandslash a few feet away, gazing straight at him as if daring him to come closer. But when Mewtwo turned back to his former position and saw a disgustingly smug smile on Giovanni's face, the mere sight angered him far more than the Pokémon that just attacked him. He almost started to charge the man when something in his peripheral vision made him stop dead still.
Gengar was running as fast as he could towards Giovanni, stumbling or falling every few steps and sometimes struggling to raise himself from the ground. Mewtwo couldn't understand this until he saw the cause that chilled him to the bone marrow. Two massive slash marks opened up his back, staining the wounds and making his entire backside reflect the world with a dark red hue. He was leaving blood in his wake, turning the snow into a trail of red. A look of purest hate was etched on Gengar's face, not unlike what Mewtwo felt just moments before.
"You're a dead man, Giovanni!" screamed Gengar so loudly that it echoed all around them in the forest clearing, "A dead man walking, I say! I'm gonna kill you!"
Gengar was barely five yards from Giovanni, having tripped again in his haste, when the latter reached for the inside of his suit jacket. Within the second, he grabbed hold of an object attached to his suspenders, withdrew a handgun, and pointed it directly between Gengar's eyes. Everyone froze, including Sandslash, who was still standing behind Mewtwo. Gengar's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the sight of staring down the gun's barrel. Immediately, a glistening sweat broke out on his brow and his mouth hung open slightly in disbelief.
Mewtwo recognized the handgun in less time than it took Giovanni to draw it. The Desert Eagle was exactly the same as he remembered it; matte black, sleek, and loaded with deadly cartridges. The sound of the weapon's safety clicked so loudly in the still air that it carried the same echo as Gengar's screams. Giovanni had eyes only for Gengar.
"By all means, continue your advance," breathed Giovanni. He spoke hardly above a whisper but made sure his words reached all ears, especially the ones belonging to the addressed, "I'll be delighted to give a deserter of Team Rocket his punishment."
Gengar's face contorted with rage as he bellowed, "BLUFFS! ALL OF THEM! YOU MANIPULATE AND KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE AND POKÉMON! YOU MANIPULATE YOUR OWN DAUGHTER! YOU—!"
Evidently, words simply failed him at this point. Gengar was set with murder in his eyes and heart. Ignoring Giovanni's warning, he scrambled upright and simultaneously took a step towards the man whom he just verbally assaulted.
A step was all Gengar could take before Giovanni pulled the trigger.
The shooter's aim was true. The unseeable bullet traveled like a laser beam right into Gengar's forehead, ignoring bone, flesh, or anything that had the slimmest chance of stopping the bullet. The copper and lead disintegrated into shrapnel, leaving an exit wound far more devastating than the entry wound. A gaping hole, larger than a fist, appeared when most everything got expelled from inside Gengar's head. The drastic change in inertia caused Gengar to fall backwards, even though he was running forward. He collapsed with a fwump on the ground, gazing with open eyes at the clear blue sky he could not see.
Now Mewtwo's rage returned beyond full measure and more powerfully than he ever felt before. Pure, unfiltered instinct commandeered his brain completely, leaving no space for the tiniest morsel of rational thought. His desire to kill Giovanni burned hotter than the sun in the sky as he ripped off his ruined helmet and charged with blistering speed, gathering vibrantly purple energy in both of his hands. But just as quickly, Giovanni turned the gun on Mewtwo.
Time slowed down to a legitimate crawl the moment Mewtwo found himself on the other end of the Desert Eagle. He was still sprinting towards his target but completely out of control of his own actions, seeing that he already committed to rushing Giovanni. Giovanni's expressionless eyes, long ago devoid of compassion, stared straight into Mewtwo's violet ones. In combination with the handgun, the sight made his brain grind to a screeching halt.
Don't think you can get off scot-free, Mewtwo, said Giovanni, though he didn't open his mouth in the slightest, You're not the only one who has deserted Team Rocket over the years. All of them received what they deserved, just like your friend Gengar. Now, I will permit you one last chance until the New Year to give yourself up for Team Rocket. If you refuse, you'll be joining Gengar and the countless others that were killed by your hand. You can't outrun Team Rocket, Mewtwo; try, and you will die.
In excruciatingly slow motion, Mewtwo saw Giovanni lower the gun. Mewtwo thought he was going to holster it and allow a chance to strike, but he was wrong. Giovanni fired with the gun still aimed at Mewtwo.
Instantly and unexpectedly, reality caught the two of them up, giving Mewtwo absolutely no time to react before the bullet entered his stomach. It punched right through his chestplate like it was paper. Mewtwo felt the bullet explode flesh and blood out his lower back with unholy pain. In direct response, his legs stopped working and lost all of their strength. Mewtwo fell to the ground at speed, causing him to roll and tumble through the snow and spray blood droplets everywhere. He came to rest face-down in the ground, hearing almost nothing else but a deafening pounding in his ears. With each throb of his heart, his newly-acquired wound felt like someone was punching him within his midriff over and over again. He could scarcely draw breath as he felt a warm trickle of blood run out of the corner of his mouth against his cold face. Hotter blood poured out of his back like a river, rapidly spreading throughout the snow in his surrounding area. He raised his head just off the ground—all the further he could lift with his strength—and found his nose centimeters away from Giovanni's polished shoes. Giovanni bent down so that the grievously injured Pokémon could look into his eyes.
"This is just a little bit of your suffering, Mewtwo," said Giovanni quietly in Mewtwo's ear, just loud enough over the steady tattoo blocking out all other sound, "One dead friend and a gunshot wound is nothing if you don't re-join Team Rocket. Fail to heed my advice again, and I will personally ensure the death of every one of your friends. I will make you watch while they beg for my mercy. I will break you into a pulp of your former self with no chance of happiness or retribution. I will make you pay for what you cost us fifteen years ago at the height of our power. You will be sorry you ever lived, Mewtwo…"
A beep issued from a device on Giovanni's waist. He unclipped a cell phone from his belt and looked at the screen, a frown becoming more and more pronounced on his face with the passing seconds. He sighed disappointedly and returned his phone to where it belonged and holstered his handgun. Standing up, he said, "Hoping you have fun, Mewtwo, because I must go back to headquarters. Some idiots can't run the place while I'm away. Honest to God…"
Mewtwo lifted an arm forward, trying to reach Giovanni's shoes and grab hold, but they retreated outside of arm's length. He let his arm and head fall with a thump to the ground, lacking the stamina to keep either up. Giovanni flitted about to his feebly stirring Pokémon, rousing them and keeping good distance from the gory scene he just vacated.
"Hurry up, there," commanded Giovanni, "we need to move out immediately. A disturbance was reported, and our assistance is requested." He paused before adding, "Zero-five, must I tell you to move again?"
A good deal of footsteps began to shuffle about, but Mewtwo could not see it happen. All that was in his field of view was snow in one eye and the surrounding trees and evergreens in the other. Gengar's body lay some five or so yards away like a forgotten toy. His glassy eyes were still wide-open, reflecting the perfectly blue sky and the warm rays of sunshine. If only this could have been the last thing he saw, and not the rifling of a gun's barrel…
Words floated over to where Mewtwo lay, but he could only make out a fraction of it.
"Is he—? But wh—sh? You c—can—?"
Someone responded, and Mewtwo heard the flapping of massive wings not long after. The dry snow drifted along from the breeze created by the wings and a whoosh announced the departure of the only ones that knew a dead and a dying Pokémon were in this forest. Mewtwo's last hope for survival just took off into the morning sky, and there wasn't a thing he could do.
Mewtwo tried to move again with all of his strength, but he couldn't budge more than a fraction of an inch. He felt his own sticky blood clinging to him in between his skin and armor. The snow obstructing his one eye began to turn red. The pool of blood Mewtwo was laying in had spread to encompass his whole body and now stuck to the side of his face, hot and uncomfortable. Though in reality, this was nothing to the unendurable pain that tore at everything left in his stomach.
Blackness began to creep in from the edges of his vision. The world was slowly dimming away from its bright self, completely smashing Mewtwo's hopes through the ground. He knew there was no chance of him being rescued, but the sight cast what was left of his prayers into oblivion. What a terrible way to die.
At least he'll be able to see Gengar soon.
The blackness was now almost all-consuming. Mewtwo felt like he was looking into the wrong end of a telescope, he could see so little. Should he just close his eyes and wait to die? Was there really anything else he could do besides wait? Gengar was already dead, and nobody other than Tim and Squirtle knew what might have happened to the two of them. But by the time they would think to check, Mewtwo would be long gone. He closed his eyes, wishing everything would stop. He didn't want to feel anymore; he just wanted to die.
"Mewtwo! Mewtwo! Can you hear me?"
The voice did the trick. Mewtwo felt like he got pulled out of a tunnel as his eyes snapped back open. Though the blackness still persisted like a vignette on the edge of his vision, he could see. And he was looking right into the distressed face of Silver.
"Can you hear me?" repeated Silver.
All Mewtwo could do was groan a raspy, gurgling breath through the blood coagulating within his throat. But eventually, he labored through the pain because his life depended on uttering one single word:
"Yes."
Silver reached forward to touch the exposed side of Mewtwo's face. Despite the cold, her hand was soft and warm against Mewtwo's skin. This simple touch had a monumental impact on Mewtwo's spirits. Silver really wasn't in allegiance with her father after all; her true spirit rested where it belonged.
"Don't move," said Silver, "because you'll be worse off if you try. Just—stay calm, okay? We'll get you out of this mess. I promise."
We? Who's we?
Silver arose and went over to where Mewtwo knew Gengar's body was. She leaned over him, apparently trying to assess the situation. But what happened next nearly made Mewtwo's heart stop.
Gengar, however sluggishly, lifted himself to a sitting position, rubbing his forehead like he had a headache. He was exchanging some words with Silver with an occasional grimace of pain. When Gengar removed his hand from where a bullet hole should have been, Mewtwo saw not a trace of the evidence.
Silver returned to Mewtwo accompanied by Gengar, both ignoring the pool of blood Mewtwo lay in. Gengar took in a lengthy breath upon sighting the gaping wound in Mewtwo's back and turned away slightly.
"That's bad…" he said. "He needs to get to the Pokémon Center right now. But how can we get him there? And will they know how to deal with something like this?"
"Nurse Joy can deal with anything," said Silver, "and I've already arranged transportation from Team Rocket's local base. Their Little Bird will be here in ninety seconds."
"A Team Rocket helicopter is coming here to help?" asked Gengar suspiciously, "Won't they know who we are?"
"Normally they would, which could raise some problems, but luckily, these guys I know very well. We're very friendly, so they shouldn't ask questions, even if they do recognize you two. They know who I really am, unlike my father," Silver added bitterly.
"And they won't turn us in or anything like that?"
"Not on their lives. I already asked them—"
"Gengar…"
Silver and Gengar jumped, apparently forgetting that Mewtwo was still there. Gengar dropped down on his knees so that Mewtwo could see him.
"What?" asked Gengar concernedly, "What is it?"
"How… How—are—?"
Mewtwo's raspy voice, already weakened by the bullet wound, was further impeded by the blood still in his throat. He had real trouble speaking, but needed to know just one thing from Gengar.
"How are you—still—alive?"
Gengar gave the smallest, saddest smile possible, and said, "You can't kill a Ghost, Mewtwo. I live twice, but only die once. You, on the other hand…"
Mewtwo moved his hand, still lying ahead of him, towards the two of them with all the strength he could muster. Both took hold. Mewtwo's eyes burned not from pain, but from happiness. Tears leaked out of both eyes and ran down his cold face sticky with blood. He squeezed their hands as hard as possible (which was to say, not very hard) and they reciprocated with gentle pressure. For what seemed like an age, the three of them simply remained there, holding hands. Hope flooded Mewtwo to disperse everything else from earlier; knowing that he could give help to his friends and receive it in return, especially in a situation like this, was more than he could adequately express.
The sound of beating rotors crept through the air, gradually increasing in volume as the unseen helicopter approached. Silver heard this and turned around to check behind her in the sky. She looked Mewtwo in the eye and whispered, "You're going to be all right, Mewtwo. I promise."
She pressed her lips to the back of Mewtwo's hand and gave a kiss of exceeding gentleness before letting go. She stood up and turned around to greet the helicopter still high in the air, waving her arms to attract the pilot's attention. The snow around them and Silver's clothes billowed about, picking up in intensity the lower the helicopter got to the ground. Gently, the black helicopter, glinting in the sunlight, landed in a clear patch a number of feet away. Both pilot and co-pilot, dressed in flight suits colored with black and gray digital camouflage, ripped off their headsets and jumped out, grabbing a stretcher to take over to Mewtwo. They dashed over, bearing the stretcher between them.
"Take him to Ether Valley's Pokémon Center!" Silver shouted over the roar of the helicopter, "Make it quick, and don't let them know who you are! We'll meet him there as soon as possible!"
Both of them nodded. Silver and Gengar stepped back so that the two could do their job.
"Yosh," said a female voice that Mewtwo vaguely recognized, "we'll have to come back for the other. We don't have enough space for two Pokémon right now."
Two Pokémon? He wasn't the only one?
"Gotcha," said the man named Yosh. As gently as possible, they lifted Mewtwo onto the stretcher and raised him into the air. The instant they moved him, Mewtwo felt like he was on the deck of a swaying ship. He could barely gather his bearings the whole while. However, when they turned him around so that they could fit him in the back of the helicopter, Mewtwo caught a glimpse of something very odd.
Sandslash was laying in the snow, behind the massive blotch of red snow saturated with Mewtwo's blood. His hands covered his face and he was rolling around at intervals, apparently in significant pain. Silver and Gengar kneeled beside him, trying to comfort him. Mewtwo had no idea what to make of this, but before he could think about it anymore, the helicopter ascended over the tops of the trees.
The man named Yosh was piloting the helicopter. Though Mewtwo couldn't see him, he could tell it was him because it was his voice issuing from the pilot's seat. Now that the helicopter was not enclosed by trees, the sound of the engine and rotors dissipated through the air enough so that Mewtwo could hear him communicating through his headset:
"Vulture One to Center One-Nine, Vulture One to Center One-Nine. Come in, Center."
"This is Center One-Nine. Go on, Vulture."
"We have a HVI en route to your Pokémon Center by air. He's in need of immediate medical attention that we can't provide."
"What's his status?"
"Critical. A single gunshot wound to the stomach with a high caliber pistol round. Requesting clearance to land on the Pokémon Center's helipad for drop-off."
A pause.
"Vulture One, you have permission to land. What's your ETA?"
"Sixty seconds."
"Copy. First responders will meet you on the rooftop."
"Did you hear that, Mewtwo?" asked the female voice sitting in the back with him, "Ether Valley's Pokémon Center will take care of you."
Mewtwo moved his eyes as much as he could to look at the speaker. Upon seeing her face, he instantly remembered who she was.
"Yumi…" Mewtwo struggled to breathe, "Thank—you…"
His eyes fell shut so unwillingly. Mewtwo sank into a hurricane of shouting voices and intense pain, diving head first through the cyclone of swirling colors.