The Final Battle I

*Pewter City*

"So...Who is this person we're looking for?" Honeybear the Snorlax asked as we walked into Pewter City.

"Someone elderly." I replied. "He or she reportedly was there when Lugia was allegedly summoned seventy years ago."

"So...I haven't spent much time in Pewter City, but I'm willing to bet that if anyone could point you in the right direction it would be Brock."

"Brock is still the gym leader here?" I asked, amazed.

"Of course!" Honeybear replied. "Most of the gym leaders you battled are still in their same positions. You didn't think that the pokemon you faced them with were the only pokemon they had did you?"

As we entered Brock's gym, everything went silent until Brock ran up to me and got on his knees in a praying position. "Please, I'll give you whatever you want, just don't kill any of my pokemon!" He pleaded.

"Relax man." I said as I helped him up. "Soon our pokemon won't have to fight to death anymore, but I need to know a single thing from you."

"O-of course!" Brock said, happy to help out and not be destroyed again.

*Vermillion City*

"So now we just need someone to learn Whirlpool." I told my team as I twisted around the Silverwing in my hand. We all looked at Honeybear.

"Don't look at me!" He said. "I can't learn that move, only Surf."

"Then we're heading to a place we haven't caught a pokemon yet." I said.

*Tojoh Falls*

"You know we can't actually traverse this area." Flint said.

"Oh I know." I replied as I pulled out a Super Rod. "That's why I brought this guy."

*Angelo the Goldeen joined the party!*

*Angelo learned Surf*

*Angelo learned Waterfall*

*Angelo learned Whirlpool*

*Whirl Islands*

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Angelo the Goldeen said as he struggled through various whirlpools while I hung on by his tailfin. "I find it hard to believe you're the champion of anything."

"Well, you don't have much say in this matter, do you?" I remarked.

When we landed, I slapped an Exp share on Angelo and led my party into the caves.

"Are you ready Honeybear?" I asked my Snorlax.

"M-me? Why do I have to fight him?"

"Because you're special defense heavy and know Rollout, so you stand the best chance!"

"O-okay…" Honeybear said. "But you know, I think I'm having flashbacks man. Remember Zapdos? I don't want to have to go through something like that again…"

"You'll be fine. I have plenty of healing items left over from my league challenge."

*Lugia's Den*

"I have been waiting for you, Hank Coro, Indigo Champion." Lugia said as I climbed down some stone stairs. "Welcome to my den. We are around a mile below sea level right now, so don't think exploding the place will solve any problems.

"Lugia." I said as I got Honeybear's pokeball ready. "I'd much rather not fight you, but you are the only thing keeping me from permanently killing Mewtwo once and for all to end this awful Nuzlocke for good."

"Oh really? I'm the only thing?" Lugia smirked as he raised his wings, and out from behind him came Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.

"B-but I defeated them!" I said in disbelief. "You're the only pokemon remaining whom Mewtwo turned into a horcrux."

"That may be so." Lugia confirmed. "But as long as I remain, I can command these three to do my will.

"Well…" Flint my Typhlosion said. "I am a vessel for Ho-oh...so as long as I live…." He began to glow the same golden hue that enveloped Ho-oh when we saw him, and Suicune, Raikou and Entei popped out, ready to fight the legendary birds.

(The rest of the chapter is best enjoyed listening to Lugia's Song)

Lugia nodded his head. "I cannot defy Mewtwo." He said. "I am connected to him, and his will has been melded with mine."

I could faintly hear what sounded like forlorn music coming out from lugia when he spoke. It had a strange calming effect on me, while simultaneously making me want to just give up everything I was doing. I almost felt...tired.

"If you do wish to fight me…" Lugia said. "I will invite you to make the first move."

"I do not wish to fight you." I told him. "I have heard many stories about you, and according to them, you've only ever risen to quell fighting. I imagine being linked to Mewtwo is unnatural for you, and I would love to be able to just leave, fight Mewtwo and be done with this whole thing once and for all… … but I have dedicated the past five months to achieve the peace that the Indigo region seeks. I have lost countless friends on my journeys and have had my will broken many times. I cannot stop now. No, not now. I am so close, and although it is my personal belief that you have the power to break your bond from Mewtwo yourself, I'm sure you believe the exact opposite, because of your fear."

"Fear?" Lugia asked, confused as his birds and the beasts faced each other all around us. "Why would I be afraid?"

"Because of death." I replied. What I expected to be a battle was turning into more of a debate, but still, the legendary beasts and the legendary birds were colliding, with each side doing better as Lugia and I raised points against each other.

"I am the great beast of the seas." Lugia stated. "I am a legendary pokemon, and I will never truly die. Sure my life will, end, but a new Lugia somewhere will take my place. I fear not death, good sir."

"It was not your death that I was referring to." I said. "It was the death that you have caused."

"I understand not what you mean by this." Lugia replied.

"Lugia," I said as I sent out Liteweight. "This is a Jumpluff. Do you believe that he can best you in combat?"

"That would be propersterous." Lugia said. "I cannot be slain by such a small creature with such a large type disadvantage."

"Yet you would sooner see him die than allow him to live." I rebuddled. "I won't pretend to have you figured out. In fact, in the near year I've spent in Johto now, I think I've only discovered more questions, but I do know one thing. Mercy is not a weakness. Mercy is a sign of strength. I often try to let my opponents live when I defeat them, and instead of gaining their animosity, I end up with their gratitude. For I held their life in my hands, but gave it back to them. I never asked for help from anyone, because I never wanted to put them in harm's way, and those whose help I have gotten anyway, I either have with me here, in my PC, or have sent them off somewhere safe, but many have lost their lives for me, and the only way I can think of to repay them, is to make sure that they did not give their lives for nothing. Tell me, Lugia, would you look upon a Fearow and be afraid?"

"No."

"Then why has my closest friend lost his life to this Nuzlocke rule? Lugia, would you look upon a Zubat and be afraid?"

"No, of course not."

"Then why had he lost his life simply for being loyal to a trainer? Lugia, would you look upon a Beedrill and be afraid?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then why was a Beedrill the first to lose his life for this cause? These rules have taken my friends away from me, but if you do not fear them, then why must they die? Is it because there is a risk that they might grow too powerful? That they might find some secret not meant to be known to the mortal realm? Why, Lugia, do you contradict yourself?"

Lugia remained silent.

"You claim to not be afraid of the pokemon that I have mentioned, and as such, I am sure that you are not afraid of the pokemon in my party right now, Yet your actions and affiliations would suggest otherwise." I explained. "I personally believe what you say. You do not fear me or my pokemon. Is this what you would tell me."

"It is." Lugia nodded. "I fear none of the pokemon you have before me."

"I believe what you tell me." I said. "I think it is Mewtwo's life force within you that is making you act this way. A long time ago now, I defeated Moltres, but before he died, he had an inexplicable change of heart, one that I never got to see in Zapdos or in Articuno due to me being unconscious at the time of their defeats. It left me confused and bewildered, but I believe I know why now. Mewtwo's life force had left him before he passed away, which has led me to a conclusion that I might not need to slay you, or even fight you, in order to remove Mewtwo's influence over you. But you must cooperate with me if it is to succeed."

Lugia seemed to be pondering, until all the birds he created that the legendary beasts were battling disintegrated, and Lugia hunched himself over in pain. The beasts stood poised and confused. Flint, who was still in Ho-oh's golden hue, managed to speak up.

"Lugia is struggling inside his body." He told me. "I can see him battling Mewtwo's aura. I think he may have been the first legendary pokemon that Mewtwo attempted to turn, since Mewtwo seems to have most of his life force inside Lugia."

"What does it look like?" I asked.

Instead of answering, Flint touched my head with one of his paws and everything went dark and blurry. I could see a blue-ish hue in Lugia's shape wrestling and colliding with a purple Mewtwo shaped hue.

"This is amazing…" I said. "Who is winning?"

"Lugia's victory is almost guaranteed." Flint told me. "This is his body, his element, and now that he's fighting, Mewtwo is weaker than he has ever been."

The two auras wrestled for a bit longer, until they collided with each other one final time, and suddenly my vision returned to normal, and I noticed that Flint was no longer in his golden hue, and the legendary beasts were gone.

"What the hell just happened?" Liteweight asked as he realized that Lugia was no longer present.

"Lugia defeated Mewtwo's life force inside his own body." Flint replied. "In short, he gave his life to stop Mewtwo."

"Wait, I thought he would just sort of...expel Mewtwo's life force from his body, not die!"

"Mewtwo's life force was located right in Lugia's heart." Flint said. "He must have ripped the thing asunder getting Mewtwo out of there."

"Now It's our turn to banish Mewtwo." I told my pokemon.

"Hopefully without the dying part." Liteweight said under his breath.

"Soon we embark for Cerulean Cave, gentlemen." I told my party. "I know that's where Mewtwo will be, and I know that we will make sure, that's where he will die."

"But you said that you only kill when you are afraid of your enemies." Honeybear said.

"I know." I replied. "Ever since I first learned of him, Mewtwo has terrified me. It's time to end that terror." I said as my stomach growled. "But first, some lunch."

Next time:

The Final Battle II

Will Hank Win, or Is he doomed once more?