Disclaimer: Do I own Pokémon? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!

Movement 06- In the Golden Afternoon

Main Theme: Going Home by Shiro Sagisu [Bleach OST #1]

May's Theme: Battle Frontier Japanese Opening by Takaya Akina

Dawn's Theme: Paradise by Coldplay

Mewtwo's Theme: The Master by Nakagawa Kotarou [Code Geass R2 OST #1]

Getting Serious: Quincy's Craft by Shiro Sagisu [Bleach OST #3]

-Shima Gai, Noon-

"To making the elimination rounds! CHEERS!" Misty shouted, raising a glass.

"CHEERS/KANPAI/PIKA/VEE!" Everyone else responded, raising their own glasses in response. Granted, most of them were not holding alcohol, Pikachu was holding up a bottle of ketchup, and Tayuminai didn't have opposable thumbs, so Satoshi had to hold up her glass for her, but that wasn't the point. Misty, Max, Gary, and Satoshi had all advanced from their qualification brackets into the elimination rounds.

"So, do you guys know who you'll be facing in the round of 32 yet?" May asked, propping her chin on the hand that wasn't holding her glass.

"No, they haven't," answered Max, who was watching the updated list of trainers who had made it on his PokéNav. "But most of the League Members who are competing made it. Oh!" Max's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Damn. Paul made it."

Most of the group growled, and Brock's glass cracked a little in his hand. "Great…the king prick."

Satoshi frowned, as an image of a purple-haired young man with a sneer on his face appeared in his mind. "Who's Paul?"

"An…acquaintance…of ours. He's a strong Trainer, but he treats his pokémon like crap. Doesn't think emotions belong in a pokémon battle."

Satoshi cocked his head, his mouth neutral. "Sounds like a somewhat unpleasant person."

Dawn nodded emphatically. "Yeah, and he always struts around like he's all that. It really gets irritating."

"The guy's an ass, plain and simple," spat Misty.

Satoshi nodded, feeling the intense dislike through the group's auras. 'This Paul must really be an unpleasant person, if all of them find him so deplorable.'

Just remember, Satoshi-kun, Sensei always told us not to judge on first meeting someone.

Yes, I remember, Yu-chan. Especially considering that he was using his Plusle and Minun during that lesson. Satoshi shuddered, drawing the attention of the others.

"Something wrong, Satoshi?"

The hooded trainer shook his head. "No, I'm just remembering my sensei. He often lectured us on matters such as emotions in battle."

Dawn immediately perked up at the mention of Satoshi's master. "Your teacher…does he live in the Kami-Kyoku no Yama as well?"

Satoshi grinned wryly. "Caught me. Yeah, Sensei lives in the heart of the range. You can only find his home if you already know where it is, though," he quickly added, seeing the prospective gleam in Max and Dawn's eyes. "And Sensei probably wouldn't take you as students. From what I can gather, practitioners of Aura cannot seek out their masters; the masters must offer the chance to learn to their students. My Sensei told me that the first principle of teaching someone in Aura is that 'When the student is ready, the teacher appears.'"

The coordinator and trainer slumped. "Awwww…"

"So," May continued, taking Dawn's role as the interrogator, "What does your sensei say about emotions in battle, then?"

Satoshi was quiet for a few moments, then shrugged his shoulders in a "whatever" motion. "He always told us that emotions should be suppressed in battle. They can impact your focus, and will often give the enemy an advantage to use against you. However," he continued, holding up a hand to forestall Max's outburst, "He also said that those emotions are what make the greatest trainers in the world what they are. If you look at the Champions, you'll notice that every single one of them cares deeply for their pokémon, and they put passion into every battle. At the same time, they do not allow their emotions to impair their judgment. You agree, ne Oak-san?"

Gary blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah. And please, Professor Oak is my grandfather. Call me Gary."

Hikaru interrupted, looking confused. "Wait, what do you mean, Gary agrees?"

Satoshi turned to look at the redhead, raising an invisible eyebrow. "You didn't notice his battle style?"

Hikaru just looked even more lost. "Battle style?"

Gary and Satoshi both grinned. "Come with us."

-Sennichi no Shima Practice Fields, 12:30 P.M.-

Like most cities and towns, Shima Gai had a large area located nearby that was devoted to battles. At almost every hour of the day, you could find a battle there. There was a joke that a town needed three things to be called a town: a place of meeting, a place for travelers to stay, and a field for battles, and if you were missing the first two, you could use the third for all three.

The group was currently walking along the edge of the fields, while Hikaru was being treated to a lecture by Gary and Satoshi. May and Dawn had split off, heading back to the shopping district.

"There are several different descriptions of battle – whoop, duck – styles." Gary began, breaking off to dodge underneath a stray Pin Missile.

"Each battle style has its own advantages and disadvantages," Satoshi picked up, casually weaving around a wildly-aimed Thundershock, despite the fact that Tayuminai was perched on his shoulder. "The first style, and the most common, is simply called Basic. This is what most Trainers start out with. It's based on simple attack and defense. If your enemy attacks, you defend. If you attack, your enemy defends. You use moves as they are, without setting up long term tactics. Very little complication to it, but a reliable style."

"The next style, and this is the one I use, is called Analytic, or Conditional. This battle style revolves around finding your opponent's weak points, and maximizing the condition of the battle to your advantages. Boosting stats and inflicting conditions like poisoned, paralyzed, or burned are common in this battle style," Gary lectured, "If you remember, I used Umbreon's low health to our advantage, because Flail gained massive power after she was badly hurt, then had her heal herself, while her opponent had no such opportunity. This battle style requires a lot of thinking ahead, but it is extremely effective when used properly."

"The third style is called Instinctive. Trainers that use this style almost always end up becoming well-known. You can't learn this style, it's something that can takes years to perfect if you have the capability to use it."

"Why?"

"Trainers who can use Instinctive…have an unusual affinity for battles. They are, for lack of better words, naturals. They have an understanding of battling that goes deeper than tactics. I've heard it described as being able to feel a battle's 'spirit'."

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, that's probably the best description for it." At the raised eyebrow from Gary, he shrugged. "Yes, I use it. So does Sensei. But anyway," Satoshi continued, "Instinctive battle is the hardest style to use, mainly because it more of a philosophy than a strategy. Cynthia and Lance are both Instinctive battlers. Wallace is actually an anomaly. He is one of the few trainers in living memory to become a Champion using Basic style."

Misty broke in, gesturing to Brock and herself. "Brock and I both use a combination of Analytic and Basic. There are other battle styles, such as Dawn and May's, which use their opponents' moves against them, and the battle style exclusive to Psychics, which uses their precognitive abilities and mind-reading to predict and counter their opponents' attacks."

"Koga and Janine base their style around status conditions and avoiding direct combat. Steven allows his pokémon to soak up damage, then deals severe damage with slow, but high-powered attacks," Brock contributed. "In reality, there are many more battle styles, but that's some of the more well-known and documented ones."

"Each pokémon has their own unique skills, which can contribute or detract from whatever battling style their trainer uses." Satoshi finished. "It sometimes can take years for trainers to figure out exactly what their battle style is, and even longer to perfect it."

The lecture ended, with Hikaru's mouth hanging open. "I never thought…that battling went so deep…"

Satoshi nodded, a smile beneath his hood. "Battling alongside pokémon has been part of our world since the dawn of time. It is only right that such a sacred – whoops, that was close! – representation of two races is so deep and complex."

Misty stared at him. He had made a very wise statement, but it was hard to take seriously when he dropped into a full split to avoid a Flash Cannon. Everyone else joined in staring at Satoshi, who hopped back up to his feet as if nothing had happened. At their stares, he cocked his head, looking askance at Misty, a feeling of 'What did I do?' radiating from underneath his cowl.

Misty shook her head at the almost childish confusion of the hooded trainer. 'One moment he's all serious and knowledgeable, and the next he's like a ten-year-old child…it's almost like he has two people in the same body… Yet another mystery of Satoshi? Or just a personality quirk?'

The orange-haired girl shrugged off the thought, and refocused on Max, who was spluttering slightly, trying to explain to a baffled Satoshi why they were all staring at him.

-Somewhere and Nowhere-

I have found him. The voice was calm, confident, and sure in its statement.

Do you really wanna do this? You know what could happen … This voice sounded, paradoxically, both older and younger than the first, carrying both ancient wisdom and childish innocence.

I will not be moved on this. I owe him a debt that I can never repay. As do most of us, I will remind you.

Do not presume to lecture us, young one. This voice, though not as strange as the second voice, carried great weight and depth to it, as if spoken from the deepest parts of the ocean. We know well what we owe to him. It is not an obligation we take lightly.

Another voice joined in, this one more feminine than the third, feeling of bright skies, and the warmth of the sun. Even those of us who do not owe him a debt favor him. When it is time, rest assured that we will act.

I know. It was not my intention to insult. But he is my friend, and that is something that I will honor. I failed him once. I will not fail again.

The second voice sighed. So be it. But remember the consequences, as they will be yours to bear.

I understand. I'm going.

The first voice's presence faded, leaving the second voice to sigh again.

Will he be able to do it? The fourth voice sounded concerned.

I dunno. He learned a lot, but…This one may be beyond him. We must wait and see.

A fifth voice, sounding vastly more powerful than any of the other voices, replied. Indeed, we shall see. How much he has learned…how much they both have learned.

-Sennichi no Shima, Waterside Promenade, 7:30 PM-

The group had spent almost five hours at the fields, observing other matches or fighting mock battles. Satoshi had abstained from using his own pokémon, instead opting to borrow pokémon from the others. Even with unfamiliar pokémon, the hooded Aura user had won every match. Gary was still a little annoyed that his Arcanine had lost to Max's Sceptile while Satoshi was commanding it.

"I still don't get why that Leaf Blade was able to beat my Flamethrower. That's just wrong."

Satoshi shrugged. "Flame needs oxygen to survive. I just had Sceptile move quickly enough to suck away the oxygen."

Gary facepalmed. "Gah…should have thought of that."

Misty and Brock chuckled. It was rare that Gary was beaten in battle tactics. It was his specialty.

After visiting the fields, they had gone to one of the waterside parks and Brock had cooked dinner for them all. The picnic dinner was one of the most enjoyable meals anyone there could remember having in years.

The group continued to walk along, laughing and joking. Satoshi had seamlessly melded with them, as if he belonged there. Everyone seemed to get along with him, even though he still was so ambiguous about his origins. The way everyone was smiling, it was almost like having A – Misty stopped her train of thought dead.

'Stop it. Satoshi is his own person. Stop trying to make him Ash's replacement. That's not fair to him or Ash.'

The redhead shook herself, not noticing the concerned glance Satoshi shot at her.

'Waterflower-san…'

But before Satoshi could say anything, a massive pressure slammed down on them. To those that had been in the Pokémon Center when Satoshi registered, the feeling of being simultaneously drowned and crushed was intensely familiar. Several trainers around them passed out. Others collapsed on their hands and knees. Satoshi himself did not react, but looked somehow pleased when Misty only stumbled before steadying herself.

"S-Satoshi, are you the one doing this?" Gary managed, trying to force his body to stand back up.

The hooded trainer shook his head. "No, this is someone else's doing…"

The pressure abruptly doubled, forcing both Gary and Misty back down to their knees. At the same time, a sound like a lightning bolt shattering glass rent the air. Satoshi's head snapped up, followed by everyone else's.

In the middle of the air, nearly twenty meters from the ground, a crack appeared. The crack split wider, then burst open, revealing a swirling maelstrom of black-on-black. Rather than showing any indication of movement with color difference, the strange color seemed to give the impression of movement and energy. But the creature emerging from the void was what drew everyone's attention.

It was tall, and mostly a greyish white, with a large purple tail. Its hands possessed only three digits, and its feet, which appeared to be digitigrade, had only two toes. The head appeared vaguely catlike, with two stubs that looked like either horns or ears, and a tube that arched from the back of the head to the middle of the back.

Misty gasped. "Mewtwo…"

Indeed, it was the Genetic pokémon. He floated out of the rift, which closed behind him, and simply floated in midair, arms crossed. Staring at Satoshi.

In the shadows, Koga's eyes widened. "Janine…go get Cynthia and the others."

His daughter, whose eyes seemed to be even wider than his, nodded, and sped off.

"Mewtwo?" questioned Satoshi, not taking his eyes off of the strange pokémon, despite the splitting headache he felt, as more strange – and yet, familiar – images surged through his head. An island in the middle of a massive storm…Mewtwo and…Mew? hurling attacks at each other…a feeling of intense coldness…Mewtwo again, this time injured…carrying Mewtwo on his shoulder…a sound of water…a roaring sound like an avalanche…The same blinding white beam…

Satoshi banished the images and feelings from his mind, forcing himself to focus.

Brock spoke up from where he was holding himself up with his arms, his legs already having collapsed. "Mewtwo is an artificial pokémon. From what he told us when we met him, he was cloned from Mew by Team Rocket. He's an extremely powerful Psychic type."

"Yeah, but he wasn't this strong the last time we saw him." Misty retorted, her hand already inching toward a pokéball. Pikachu, feeling her tension, began to build up charge in his cheeks. Umbreon and Gary readied themselves also, despite being unable to stand up straight. Satoshi noticed.

"Oh, you guys can't stand, can you?" the hooded trainer grinned – and abruptly, the pressure was gone. "Is that better?"

As they got to their feet, Misty asked the question on everyone's mind. "What was that?"

Satoshi shrugged. "That was Pressure. Mewtwo was exerting it on everyone here. I just countered his pressure with my own."

Max sweatdropped. "I'm pretty sure that's not how Pressure works…"

Gary opened his mouth, but was quickly cut off by Misty. "Lecture later. Right now, focus on Mewtwo."

At that exact moment, the Psychic type began to descend towards the group. With the exception of Satoshi, every member of the group had unclipped a pokéball and expanded it to full size, waiting on tenterhooks for any show of aggression. The hooded trainer did nothing, although he could feel Tayuminai building up Aura. Slowly, Satoshi reached down, then held up Tayuminai's empty pokéball.

Get in the ball, Tayu-chan.

But Papa-san…!

Tayu-chan, can't you feel how strong Mewtwo is? You're strong for your age, but this pokémon is on par with the Legendaries. He'd probably wipe you out before you had time to blink.

But…! Satoshi shook his head, and pressed the button on the ball, withdrawing Tayuminai in a stream of red.

Just stay in there, okay? I don't want you hurt.

At that moment, Mewtwo stopped descending, and floated just above the ground, still staring directly at Satoshi.

For a moment, all was quiet.

Then, Satoshi stepped forward, and bowed to the Genetic pokémon.

"Hajimemashite, Mewtwo-dono. I am Satoshi."

With his head inclined, the hooded trainer missed the look of surprise and, somehow, hurt that flashed across Mewtwo's face for a moment.

Why do you bow to me? Raise your head.

Satoshi complied. "It is the respect you are due as a pokémon of such strength, Mewtwo-dono."

If Mewtwo was flattered by Satoshi's statement, it didn't show. He did, however, glance over at Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, and nod slightly at them. Misty, Brock, Pikachu. Hello.

Misty, who had relaxed slightly, smiled a little. "Mewtwo. How have you been?"

The Psychic type turned his head back to Satoshi, his expression not having changed in the slightest, apart from a slight narrowing of his eyes. I have been well. But…that is not why I am here.

Brock raised an eyebrow, lowering his pokéball. "Then why are you here?"

For a long moment, Mewtwo's mental voice fell silent. For him.

Without warning, a wave of Psychic force blasted outward from Mewtwo, hurling everyone except for Satoshi backwards. With a cry, Pikachu released a Thunderbolt, already seeking to retaliate. Without taking his eyes off of Satoshi, Mewtwo raised a hand…and the attack redirected harmlessly into the ground.

Satoshi was already in motion, his hands snatching all four of his older pokéballs from his waist, and hurling them forward.

"Minna…!" (Everyone…!)

No. Mewtwo gestured with the same hand, and the pokéballs stopped midflight, and shot back towards the other trainers, joined by Satoshi's fifth and last pokéball. The moment that the balls struck the ground, they flashed open, and five blurs shot out, heading back toward Mewtwo, two trailing blue energy. Mewtwo made a sweeping motion with his left hand, and all five of Satoshi's pokémon slammed into a dome that enclosed Satoshi and Mewtwo. At the same time, the Pressure that had still been pressing down on all of the bystanders seemed to become muted.

Not wasting an instant, Satoshi's pokémon began slamming attacks into the barrier. Taifuu and Sorahime both launched streams of their respective elements, while Tayuminai and Hirumanai slammed Aura-boosted attacks into the shimmering wall of energy. Yugana raised both her hands in front of her, towards the barrier, and the air between her and the barely-visible dome seemed to shimmer like heat rising off of a desert. Not to be left out, Misty released her pokémon and ordered them to attack the barrier as well. Pikachu needed no orders, as he was already hurling electricity at the barrier. Brock, Gary, and Max had also released their pokémon and were assaulting the dome.

And still it held.

-Within the barrier-

Satoshi did not look away from Mewtwo for an instant, even as the dome around them was besieged from all sides by pokémon attacks.

They will not rupture this barrier. Mewtwo, also, had not broken eye contact with Satoshi. You recognize it, don't you? Nothing short of a Legendary can breach it, and anything below that level of strength will merely strengthen it.

Satoshi did not reply verbally, instead communicating with his Aura. Recognize it? I have never seen it before in my life.

For a moment, a look of hurt flashed across Mewtwo's face, and Satoshi could feel a ripple of sadness as the Psychic lost control over his own emotions again.

I… had hoped that enough of a shock would maybe help you remember… Mewtwo schooled his face into a blank expression again, even as a wave of regret washed over Satoshi's senses. If you will not remember…

Mewtwo suddenly teleported right in front of Satoshi, a three-fingered hand already curled into a fist. The blow took Satoshi completely by surprise, and he was almost knocked over, but backflipped into a fighting stance. Mewtwo also assumed a stance, one hand stretched outward in front of his body, while the other was held above his head.

Then I will force you to!

Satoshi sprang forward, his fist already crackling with Aura. Mewtwo, hand glowing with psychic force, deflected the blow, shooting his front leg up in a knee-strike blow that Satoshi twisted around by millimeters. The hooded trainer spun, a glowing blue foot scything upward toward Mewtwo's head. The Genetic pokémon's tail whipped around, canceling the kick. Abruptly, Mewtwo vanished from in front of Satoshi, only to reappear in the trainer's blind spot, his fist speeding into the side of Satoshi's head – and through it. Mewtwo's eyes widened, before he teleported away from a double fist blow that came from his blind spot.

An afterimage? Impressive.

Satoshi did not respond, and instead seemed to concentrate for a moment. A moment later, four perfect copies of the hooded trainer appeared next to him. Unruffled, Mewtwo stilled, and four copies of his own materialized. The combatants stared at each other for a long moment.

Shall we, Jinsei Kōken?

Satoshi – all of him – smirked.

Watashi ni kuru.

-Outside the barrier-

Yugana's brow furrowed as she explored the strange dome that separated her from her trainer. She had been drawing from everything Sensei's Xatu had taught her in the art of barrier-breaking, and still this obstacle escaped from her understanding…Ohhhhh…

Yugana took a moment to cut out Tayuminai from the mental link she had formed with her comrades and allies. Then, the Gardevoir did something she rarely did.

Arceusdamnit!

Hirumanai, Taifuu, and Sorahime all stopped dead. Yugana almost never cursed.

"Zel floatzel, zelfloat?" (What is it, Yu-chan?)

This barrier is dimensionally based, and being maintained by a Legendary.

Son of a ground-type. Hirumanai seemed unsure whether to be pissed or panicky.

"Char…." (Toxic….)

Ummmm…minna? Why do you all feel so angry? Tayuminai asked, backing away from the barrier for a moment.

This barrier is dimensionally-based, which means that the user uses a form of Trick Room, mixed with Barrier and Reflect. It warps the adjacent dimensions around it, so any attack's power is fed back into the barrier itself. As long as the user has the power to hold the original techniques, the barrier won't come down.

So that means…

Yes. Hirumanai answered. We won't be able to get through the barrier unless we have a legendary-level dark type attack.

But, what about Papa-san!? He's still in there, Hiru-nii, Yu-nee!

Yugana picked up the young Eevee with telekinesis, embracing her gently. We will just have to wait and watch…and hope Satoshi-kun wins.

Hirumanai rested one of his forepaws on Yugana's shoulder. Master will always find a way to pull through. He has never given up on anything as long as I have known him.

"Zel…Floatzel zel float zelfloatzel…" (But…Mewtwo is a legendary…)

Satoshi-kun will do it…I know it. Yugana's mental voice was confident, holding absolute faith in her trainer, knowing that he would succeed.

In other words, it was everything but what she was feeling.

'Satoshi-kun…'

-Within the barrier-

The entirety of the space inside the shield had become a battleground. In the short two minutes since Satoshi and Mewtwo had begun to fight in earnest, the ground, formerly quite flat, had become riddled with craters and broken pieces of earth and rock.

Soshō Ao Shōgeki!

Psywave!

Satoshi's fists were deflected by a ripple of force, and the hooded trainer backflipped away, firing a barrage of Aura Spheres in midair. Mewtwo responded with a wave of Shadow Balls, then spun to block a spinning roundhouse kick from another Satoshi, who was promptly destroyed by a copy of Mewtwo. In reply, two of Mewtwo's other copies were decimated by lightning-fast kicks to the sides of their heads. Mewtwo himself backhanded another Satoshi, then hurled the copy into another, destroying both Satoshi clones and a Mewtwo clone that the second Satoshi had been grappling with.

Ao Jōshō Kama! (Blue Rising Scythe)

Satoshi swung his leg in another kick, launching a shot of Aura that bisected the remaining clones. Without pausing, the human spun, blocking a Psychic-reinforced axe kick from the real Mewtwo. The ground underneath Satoshi buckled from the force, but the trainer himself remained standing.

Very impressive, Jinsei Kōken.

Satoshi nodded. You as well, Mewtwo-dono. As expected from someone of your stature.

Both combatants leapt backward, Satoshi immediately taking up a ready stance. Mewtwo, however, stared a Satoshi for a moment, his face unreadable. After several seconds of thought, the Psychic type held out his right hand, and seemed to pull on some invisible object.

As if by magic, a giant spoon, almost tall as Mewtwo himself, materialized in the Legendary's hand. Mewtwo spun the spoon by its handle a few times, then settled into a combat stance.

Prepare yourself. With those words, Mewtwo shot forward, swinging the spoon with one hand like a club or sword. Satoshi channeled Aura to his arms, raising them to block the weapon. Mewtwo didn't even attempt to change course, electing instead to continue the head-on attack.

With a sickening crack, the spoon slammed into Satoshi's lower left arm – and shattered it. Gritting his teeth, Satoshi grabbed the spoon's handle with his right hand, and brought his right foot up, only for Mewtwo to yank the spoon backward, and spinning to deliver a tail strike that propelled Satoshi all the way into the barrier. Within a second, Satoshi was on his feet, but remained at a distance, cradling his left arm, mouth a thin line. For several seconds, the hooded trainer seemed to stare intently at his arm. Abruptly, the entire arm erupted in blue flames. The flames lasted for two heartbeats, and then disappeared, leaving the arm none the worse for wear.

Satoshi seemed to relax, and began to clench and unclench his fist, testing his arm out. Mewtwo looked genuinely impressed.

Self-healing? Very impressive.

Satoshi looked back at Mewtwo for a few moments…and then smirked.

That spoon…it's your focus, isn't it?

Mewtwo nodded, a matching smirk on his face, as he spun the weapon gracefully in his hand.

Yes. It is both my focus and my favorite weapon.

The hooded trainer smiled even wider, and his whole body tensed. Aura began gathering around the trainer, but instead of dancing like flames, the Aura seemed to arc and branch like electricity. Before Mewtwo's eyes, the aura sparked outward, glowing brighter and brighter, until Satoshi was surrounded by a dense web of blue-white Aura.

Yu-nee, is Papa-san…?

Yes, Tayu-chan, he is. Yugana hugged the young Eevee a little closer to her chest, a smile on her face. Next to her, Hirumanai stood like a statue, arms crossed, but the small curve at the edges of his mouth betrayed his emotion.

"Char char charizard?" (Now he gets serious?)

"Zel float float zel." (This should be good.)

You have done me the honor of drawing your weapon in battle against me, Mewtwo-dono. It is only fair that I do you the same honor.

Satoshi held out his right hand, and the web of Aura that was surrounding him brightened once again, before collapsing inward in a brilliant flash.

The glow faded, revealing Satoshi. In his hand was one of the most beautiful swords Mewtwo had ever seen.

It was four and a half feet long, with no tsuba, a blue-white blade and a cream white handle. The hamon was jagged, looking like a bolt of lightning that ran from the base of the blade to the tip.

Hakai-ten. (Fractured Heavens)

Misty gaped at the blade.

"Where did that come from?"

Hirumanai answered her without taking his eyes off the battle. That is Master's weapon. The blade of lightning, Hakai-ten. We don't have to worry about him now.

Misty relaxed just a little bit. The air of victory coming from all of Satoshi's pokémon, even Tayuminai, was enough for her. "Everyone, return. Pikachu, to me."

Gary turned to her, a question on his face. She grinned back. "Everyone, withdraw your pokémon. Satoshi can handle this one."

Everyone looked baffled, but did as she asked.

Yugana and Hirumanai moved over to stand with the trainers, both of them smiling.

Don't worry, minna-san. Satoshi-kun will definitely beat Mewtwo.

A beautiful weapon, Jinsei Kōken. Now… Mewtwo spun his spoon around, then dropped into a stance. Are you ready?

Satoshi grinned, and vanished. Mewtwo spun, deflecting the downward slash that came from behind. A spin of his weapon, and Mewtwo thrust the handle of the spoon toward Satoshi's midsection. The hooded trainer blocked, and then spun on his front foot, swinging the nodachi up diagonally, the entire length of the blade crackling with electricity.

Shiden! (Blade Flash)

Mewtwo dodged the slash, but was unprepared for the lightning that arced off of the sword as it hissed past him. His muscles locked up, leaving him open to Satoshi's roundhouse kick that followed the sword upward. The kick hurled Mewtwo backwards, slamming him into the barrier. Satoshi blurred forward, sword raised for a finishing strike, only for Mewtwo to teleport out of the way, and swing his spoon down at Satoshi's unprotected back. The spoon struck – and passed cleanly through the afterimage, splitting the ground beneath like a hot knife through butter.

Mewtwo changed to a two-handed grip, using the spoon as if it were a staff to deflect Satoshi flurry of counterstrikes, then gestured with one hand. Behind him, sharpened rocks levitated off the ground and shot towards his opponent. Satoshi leapt backwards, then swung his sword around in a powerful arc as the spears of rock neared him.

Ikkatsu! (Roar)

A sound like distant thunder rippled out from the blade, followed by a wave of concussive force that reduced the spears to clouds of dust. In the same motion, Satoshi continued his sword's arc around to lock the blade against Mewtwo's spoon. For a long moment, the two struggled, leaning their weight into each other's weapon.

Before Satoshi could react, Mewtwo's hand shot out, slamming into the grip of Satoshi's nodachi, and knocking the sword out of the hooded trainer's hand. In the microsecond before Satoshi could escape, Mewtwo's tail landed a blow squarely into the hooded trainer's torso, sending him skidding further away from his sword. Mewtwo teleported in front of Satoshi, holding the end of his spoon at Satoshi's throat. The hooded trainer grinned, and blurred into motion, kicking the spoon up into the air, and gaining distance with a backflip. In midair, the trainer held out a hand.

Kitosasu! (Returning Stab)

Mewtwo was confused for a split second, before his instinct screamed at him. Eyes wide, the Psychic teleported to the right. As he did, Satoshi's nodachi shot through where Mewtwo had just been, and landed in its wielder's hand. Still in midflight, Satoshi drew back his sword, and kicked off the air, much as his Lucario had done earlier in the day. The sword swung downward toward Mewtwo, who conjured a Barrier to block the strike. Satoshi flicked the angle of his sword ever so slightly, and the edges of the sword seemed to blur. There was a loud crack, and as the sword struck the translucent wall and was stopped for a moment, the shockwave caught up.

Ikkatsu! (Roar)

There was a sound, audible even to those outside, like a clap of thunder, and Mewtwo's Barrier shattered. The shockwave that had broken the barrier kept going, ripping into the Legendary's torso.

As if thrown by a great invisible hand, Mewtwo rocketed backwards, and slammed into the barrier.

Slowly, Mewtwo got up, blood leaking from his mouth. Wincing, the catlike pokémon pressed his hand to his diaphragm.

Well done…ugh…I did not expect such a technique.

Mewtwo's hand glowed, followed by the place where Satoshi's attack had struck.

Recover.

The glow faded, and Mewtwo straightened, a smirk on his face as he wiped the blood from his mouth. He held out his right hand, and his spoon reappeared, pulsing with energy.

A single blow?

Satoshi nodded, and then changed his stance, his sword levitating, unsupported, next to his hip. One hand rested on the handle, the other just above where the sword was floating. Mewtwo responded, holding his spoon in both hands, even as it began to glow even brighter. Satoshi's nodachi, by contrast, did not visibly change, although those watching felt as though it had somehow become even more powerful.

For a long moment, neither combatant moved. Time seemed to stand still, as if it, too, was waiting to see what would happen.

As one, both trainer and Pokémon blurred into motion. Satoshi's sword speeding out in a Iaido strike that cut through the very air. Mewtwo's spoon, although slower, left behind a glowing wake of pure energy. The distance was closed between them faster than the eye could blink.

"Enough."

A figure appeared directly between the two attacks. In the next instant, Satoshi's sword and Mewtwo's spoon stopped dead, their eyes wide in shock.

This person had stopped their attacks with his bare hands.

"I must confess, young one, I am impressed with how strong you have become. With how strong both of you have become."

The man was tall, at least as tall as Satoshi, and lean, with pure white hair, green eyes, and a face that would probably steal at least half of Satoshi's fangirls. He wore an immaculate white suit, and appeared entirely calm, as if he had not just stopped two Legendary-strength attacks with his bare hands.

Hiru-kun, did he just…?

I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes, he did. Both Hirumanai and Yugana's mouths were gaping, and they weren't alone. Everyone present was displaying some form of shock.

"Unbelievable…" Max whispered.

Misty only nodded, busy concentrating her empathy on the man. She couldn't get a lock on his emotions. It was like trying to sense the emotions of someone on the telephone, all she felt was a vague echo of…satisfaction? Amusement? It was hard to tell.

Then, Mewtwo's barrier shattered, and the Legendary pokémon dropped to one knee in front of the man in white.

For a moment, everyone was frozen. Then, Satoshi's pokémon tensed, and Hirumanai and Taifuu both prepared to leap to their master's defense.

"Yare, yare," drawled a voice from behind them, "Don't ya think ya'll're rushin' things a bit? Stay put."

With the last two words, a distortion in the air appeared around Satoshi's pokémon, and Taifuu jumped forward, heedless of the voice's warning…and Taifuu jumped forward, heedless of the voice's warning…and stopped. Confused, he attempted to jump forward again, but was stopped by Yugana's outstretched arm.

Don't bother, Tai-kun. It's a time rift. As of now… Yugana turned halfway, glaring behind her. We are at their mercy.

As one, everyone turned toward the two figures that were approaching them from behind. They made an odd pair. The male was tall and lanky, wearing jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a dark-blue hoodie lined with silvery fur. His spiky hair was a similar color, blue with silver highlights. In his left hand, he was absently flipping a balisong, smirking widely. The woman next to him was shorter than he was, and dressed in miko robes. She had long white hair, shot through with light pink highlights, and was the very picture of calm. Both had brilliant red eyes, and, much like the white-haired man, Misty could only catch an echo of their emotions.

"Ya'll jus' chill your heels," continued the man, as he tossed the knife into his right hand. "Ain't no reason for everyone ta start goin' fer each other's throats."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Must you be so vulgar?" She turned towards Satoshi's pokémon, offering an apologetic bow. "Please excuse my brother's behavior. As you can see," she glared at the man next to her, "He tends to act quite crude."

A vein popped in the man's forehead. "Oi, wha' th' hell're ya talkin' about, bitch?"

"I am, of course, referring to you intentionally slowing time before the final clash in order to build up the suspense."

"Th' HELL YA SAY! Ya expanded space inside th' dome so there'd be more room fer their techniques, ya got no righ' ta be pointin' fingers't me! Stupid cow!"

"Hmph. You prove my point without me having to say anything else. Vulgar fool."

"Eh!? What's tha'? Ya wanna fight? Let's go, ya stuck-up li'l priss!" The man spun his knife out, holding it up, while the other hand pulled a switchblade from his jacket.

"If you wish to make a fool of yourself once again, oh thick-skulled brother of mine…"

The woman's eyes gleamed, and she reached into the sleeve of her robe, drawing out a gleaming tantō.

"Children!" snapped the white-haired man. "Behave!"

Almost instantly, the knives and tantō were sheathed, and both sibling bowed in unison.

"Gomennasai, otou-sama."

"O-otou-sama!?" Everyone's eyes bulged. Max lifted a slightly shaky finger.

"I-isn't that guy only a few years older than they are? What's going on here?"

Satoshi's eyes narrowed. 'Father? Such overwhelming power…the male can manipulate "time"…and the female "space"…'

His eyes widened. "Y-you are…!"

Yugana's eyes widened as well, as she realized the same thing as her trainer.

Minna-san, whatever you do, don't attack! These aren't normal people! They are…!"

"Oi, let us introduce ourselves!" interrupted the blue-haired man, as he and his sister moved over to stand between the white-haired man and the trainers and their pokémon. "Dialga!"

The miko bowed to the trainers again. "My name is Palkia. Dozo yoroshiku." (Pleased to meet you.)

Satoshi looked again at the man who had stopped his sword barehanded. "And that would make you…"

The man grinned, and held out his wrist. Dangling from a thin chain was a golden wheel, inset with jewels.

Mewtwo broke in. Forgive me for my foolish actions, Arceus-sama!

Arceus smiled at the young Legendary. "You have done nothing wrong, child. Return to the Hall."

The bangle on his wrist glinted, and a tear in reality appeared next to Mewtwo, who reluctantly got to his feet, glancing back at Satoshi. Forgive me, my friend…

Before Satoshi could question what Mewtwo meant, the Legendary disappeared into the rift, which closed behind him. Arceus turned back to Satoshi. "So…even after young Mewtwo's efforts, you still do not remember? It seems that a more…direct method is needed.

In less than an instant, the white-haired man was in front of Satoshi. He extended a single index finger, and tapped the surprised trainer on the forehead, beneath the hood.

Ba-bump.

Satoshi stiffened, then collapsed to his knees.

Master!/Satoshi-kun!/"Satoshi!"/"Charizard!"/"Floatzelzel!"/"Chukapi!"/PAPA-SAN!

The cries, though in unison, were varied. The humans charged forward, already reaching toward their pokéballs.

"No." Dialga sounded bored, gesturing vaguely with his left hand, as the humans were frozen in place. One of Gary's pokéballs, already in motion, was stopped in midair. "We can' go'n let y'all mess wi' what Father's doin'."

Yugana's eyes narrowed, her voice betraying the anger she felt. What is he doing to Satoshi-kun?

The Legendary in human form smirked. "I don' see no reason ta be tellin' ya tha'."

Hirumanai and Yugana's faces both contorted into snarls of fury, before, an eyeblink later, an eerie calm spread over their faces.

Taifuu, Sorahime, Tayuminai…please return. Calm as Yugana's voice was, there was frightening steel to it, one that compelled the three pokémon to obey without question. Yugana secured the three pokéballs on herself, before she and Hirumanai both turned to face the Legendaries who were preventing them from reaching their trainer.

I see. Then, if you will not allow us to pass… Hirumanai's body began to emit Aura, and Yugana's eyes narrowed once again. We will go through you.

Palkia looked at the two pokémon askance. "And how do you propose to do that?"

Yugana held an arm out, then swept it sideways. Jigokukei: Chou Jikuu Ikou. (Hellscape: Superdimensional Transposition)

There was a sound like a burst of static, and Yugana and Hirumanai seemed to flicker for a moment.

Then, they stepped forward…and through the time rift, as if it weren't even there.

Dialga and Palkia gaped. Arceus looked mildly impressed.

Ready, Hiru-kun?

Always.

Hirumanai leapt forward, Metal Claws at the ready, while Yugana gracefully moved backwards. The Shiny pokémon clasped her hands, as if praying.

Banshō no Da ra ama: Jikū no Umare (Litany of All Creation: The Birth of Time and Space)

A burst of energy rippled outward from Yugana. As the wave spread outward, it touched the trainers, unfreezing them. Gary's pokéball finished its flight, releasing a Scizor. Misty and the rest also finished moving, Brock's Toxicroak, Hikaru's Sableye, Max's Sceptile, and Pikachu all took up battle positions.

Dialga and Palkia looked absolutely flabbergasted. "H-how does she know…?"

"What are you doing to Satoshi!?" Misty's anger had built to almost boiling, but beneath it was an undercurrent of fear. She was having flashbacks of six years ago, when she had been just as helpless, and only able to watch as the person dearest to her heart was taken away.

'No! Never again!' The redhead declared. 'I won't allow anyone else to disappear!'

With that decision, Misty suddenly began to glow, wisps of blue Aura streaming off of her shoulders and upper body. The others turned to her, surprised, but she was solely focused on her opponents. "I will not allow you to do as you please! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Scizor, Signal Beam!" "Sceptile, Razor Leaf!" "Sableye, Shadow Ball!" "Toxicroak, use Sludge Bomb!"

"Hmph. Earth Power." Palkia tapped a foot on the ground in front of her, and a wall of earth erupted upward, absorbing the attacks, though it fell apart a moment later.

Arceus shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "It's getting noisy around here. Let's go somewhere quieter, shall we?" The human avatar of the Alpha pokémon placed a hand on Satoshi's shoulder, and vanished, taking the hooded trainer with him.

Satoshi-kun! Before anyone else could move, Yugana had teleported to Misty's side, and handed her Tayuminai's pokéball, along with Taifuu and Sorahime's capsules. Tayu-chan, trace Satoshi's Aura.

Misty didn't need any more explanation. "Tachiagaru, Ryū Shinzo!"

The ex-Gym Leader leapt onto the dragon's back, and took off.

"Oi, I though' I tol' ya'll ta stay PUT!" Dialga shouted, firing off an Ice Beam from his hand at the departing pokémon.

Follow Me! Hirumanai's shout coincided with the Ice Beam curving back down toward the ground, where he and Yugana were standing side by side. Next to them stood Misty's friends, who were also readying their pokémon.

We will be your opponents right now. Yugana declared, as she began to charge an attack on her hand.

Dialga and Palkia grimaced, but still took battle stances.

"A'ight then…" drawled the Temporal pokémon, his knives already out.

"Show us your best." Palkia declared, smoothly drawing her tantō once again.

Misty released Tayuminai the moment they were out of range of most attacks.

"Tayuminai, I know I'm not your parent or trainer, but I need you to help me. Can you find Satoshi?"

The little Eevee frowned for a second, then nodded. Her eyes glowed, and then she turned to look forward on the Dragonite. Papa-san…is to the west.

Misty nodded, trusting the Normal type. "Follow what she says Ryū!"

As the dragon banked toward the west, Misty clenched a fist.

"Hold on Satoshi…we're coming."

-Elsewhere, High-Altitude Airplane-

"Clyde-nii?"

The orange-haired Rocket operative turned to look at his sister. "Yes Bonnie-nee?"

"Remind me why we ended up on this task force again?"

"Because we are supposed to direct the subject toward Waterflower and her friends, who are known to hang around Satoshi. And because we were assigned to observe Satoshi, it became part of our jurisdiction."

Bonnie's eyebrows raised in understanding, before furrowing in confusion. "Ohhh…So why are we freeing him?"

"Because he is a sufficiently dangerous opponent to test Satoshi, and because he holds a grudge against the others, he will be easy to manipulate."

"Drop in one minute!" A voice yelled from the cockpit. As one, the team of Rocket commandos began checking their gear.

"Ready nee-san?"

"Ready nii-san."

"Then let's go."

Wow, it's been a while. *Scratches back of head Mareepishly* Hehehe….Oops. Well, a combination of trying to start College Apps early, not being allowed to type on vacation…and I am one of the worst procrastinators on the face of the earth. Slowbro ain't got nothing on me. Plus, this chapter just didn't want to write itself. *Bows head to floor* Pleaaase don't hate me! I'm really really really really sorry! Look, I already have part of the next chapter started! I promise it will be here sooner! Please don't hate me!

Mewtwo was an incredibly hard character to write, because he is such a human character, but at the same time, he has difficulty expressing himself. But we will see more of him later. He's awesome. I did borrow his spoon weapon (which can cut BUILDINGS in half) from the Pokémon Special manga. But Mewtwo is one of my favorite pokémon and characters. What did you guys think of Satoshi's fight? I wanted to make it exciting, but it was a fine balance between a total beatdown on Mewtwo and Mewtwo beating down. But rest assured, both of them have a whole slew of techniques in store. How about the avatars of Arceus, Dialga, and Palkia? Arceus, I sort of pictured Fate Averruncus from Mahou Sensei Negima! Palkia, just a stereotypical miko. If I was making this an anime, Dialga would have a Kansai accent. His character design is based on Izaya Orihara from Durarara!, with spikier, longer hair. Now, Terminology!

Balisong: Butterfly knife. Ya know, those cool flippy knives? Dialga's Steel type, so I figured knives would work well.

Miko: Traditional Japanese priestess. Google for pictures of the robes. Palkia's Water type, so, you know, gracefulness an all that stuff.

Hakai-ten: could also translate as "destructive heaven" or "cracked sky" (Get it? Get it?)

Tsuba: the guard of the sword. If you want a general picture of Satoshi's sword, look up Setsuna Sakurazaki's nodachi "Yunagi" from Mahou Sensei Negima! Nodachis are awesome.

Hamon: the wavy line that can be seen on the blade of most Nihontō. Each sword maker's hamon is different.

Cliffhanger, but next chapter should definitely be here sooner. We'll get to see the fight between Dialga, Palkia, and Satoshi's allies, we'll see what Arceus is up to, and we'll see what Team Rocket is doing.

If you don't review, I'll send Mewtwo and his BFS (Big F#cking Spoon) after you. If you do review…I don't know, I'll send you a cookie, or something…I might reply, I dunno.

Ja ne!