Episode 126: The Master Plan of Mirage Pokémon Part 2

Gladion shouts, "Silvally!"

Ash steps forward and places a hand on Gladion's shoulder. "Don't worry, Gladion. We'll get Silvally back, I promise."

Gladion pivots around and shouts at Ash in anger, "And how are we going to do that!? We don't even have a clue where they fled to! Silvally could be anywhere!" Realizing he's out of line, Gladion takes a breath and calms himself. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. But the point still stands."

Brenda says to Brock, "Wow, Gladion struck me as the type of guy to not show his emotions strongly."

Brock points out, "That's how powerful his bond with Silvally is. That's exactly why we need to do everything we can to rescue it."

While trying to think of what to do next, Ash notices something on the floor. He realizes that it's Mira's portable holographic computer. "Look, Mira must have dropped that in all the excitement!"

He runs over to pick up the holographic emitter and turns it on.

Gladion asks, "Can you use it find out where they went?"

Ash scrolls through various screens. "I don't know. Most of this stuff might as well be in another language for all I can tell." He stops on something. "Hey, this is her most recent diary entry." He reads it aloud, "Today is the day of the Silver Jubilee, and the day that we finally enact our master plan. I have hacked into the city's mainframe and ensured that the battle contestants selected will be myself and that boy, Ash Ketchum. We know that Silvally's trainer is already in the city. Having someone he knows well shown on the holovision should be enough to get him to come out. The Mirage Ultra Beasts will be the final piece of bait. Silvally will soon be ours. A new world is at hand. A better world."

Ash shakes his head disbelief. "I can't believe it. She really is working with the Mirage Master…"

Before Ash can continue his search, a Mew appears in front of him. Everyone says at once with surprise, "Mew!?"

Brenda gasps, "So you really did see a Mew last night then?"

Ash looks at the Mew and asks, "What are you doing here?"

Mew playfully floats around Ash's head. "Mew mew!"

Brock gasps, "No way, could it be?"

Ash asks, "What is it, Brock?"

"That Mew, I think it's the Mirage Mew!"

Ash looks to it and asks, "Is that true?"

Mew happily affirms, "Mew!"

Ash grins, "I knew you would survive! That's great!"

Brock questions, "But how are you here right now? There's no mirage emitters, and you didn't come from a Mirage Ball."

Mew beckons to the holographic console to answer.

Brock nods in understanding. "Mira must have interfaced her holo-console with the Mirage Master's computers at some point, and Mew downloaded itself into it. Now it's using the holographic emitters from the holo-console to appear to us."

Ash realizes, "So you must have been trying to get my attention last night, but you couldn't once Mira woke up. You were trying to warn us, weren't you?"

Mew nods apologetically. "Mew…"

Brenda asks, "So what exactly is going on here?"

Ash explains, "This Mew was created by the Mirage Master. But it's not like the other Mirage Pokémon. It can think for itself. It has a soul."

Brenda gasps. "Is that even possible?"

Gladion points out, "Silvally is an entirely artificial Pokémon, not too different from Mew, in that respect."

Brenda nods, understanding his point.

Ash continues, "The Mirage Master thought Mew was a glitch, and maybe that's how Mew started, but it became so much more. It sacrificed itself in order to help us stop the Mirage Master." He looks to Mew and smiles. "But I guess part of it managed to survive. I always knew it would."

Brock comments, "The irony is, in his quest to create the perfect Pokémon, the Mirage Master succeeded, but to him it was only a malfunction that needed to be purged."

Gladion realizes something. "If you came from the Mirage Master's systems, does that mean you can show us where his base is?"

Mew nods as it joyously exclaims, "Mew mew mew!" It flies off, beckoning for everyone to follow it. So they do.

The Mirage Master and Mira stand inside a high-tech lab. In front of them, Silvally is strapped down to a table with machines of all sorts connected to various parts of its body. Most notably, one machine is plugged directly into the side of its head, via the port where the Memories are placed. Silvally is struggling with all its might to break free, but it has been bound too tightly.

The Mirage Master states, "Struggle as you like, it makes no difference. I will have the data I need, one way or another." He presses a button, activating the various pieces of equipment. Electrical surges are sent through Silvally, causing the Pokémon to cry out in pain.

Mira looks uneasy. "Doctor, must we really cause it such pain?"

Mirage Master laughs. "Come now Mira, don't tell me you've suddenly decided to feel empathy for the thing. You know as well as I do that all it is is an imperfect attempt at creating the perfect Pokémon, no different from my failed first-generation Mirage Pokémon. It deserves no pity. And besides, this is the only way through which we will realize our dream. You do want to create that perfect world of yours, don't you?"

Mira sighs as she nods. "Yeah… I do…"

The Mirage Master stops, as if he senses something. He looks down to a computer and activates a security feed. He sees a video of Ash and the others arriving outside a building. "Hmm… they found us faster than anticipated, how could that be?" He notices the Mew on the security feed. "What!? How could that- that- that abomination of programming be with them!? I watched it decompile with my own eyes!"

Mira glances at the floor with guilt.

Mirage Master catches this. "You know something, don't you?"

Mira slowly nods. "I have a theory…"

Mirage Master shakes his head in disapproval. "Fine. We shall deal with this problem too. It will not stop the master plan." He looks to side, where Team Rocket have apparently been standing this entire time. He barks, "You three, stop standing there uselessly and earn your pay. Get to the mirage control room at once!"

They all snap to attention and salute. "Sir, yes sir!" They rush off.

Mew has led Ash and the others to a compound on the outskirts of the city. A wall with a closed gate encircles the building. Brock comments, "It certainly looks like a villain's lair."

Brenda asks, "How are we going to get inside?"

Mew slips through the space between the bars of gates, then attempts to pull a lever on the other side. However, Mew's hands pass right through the lever. It says with disappointment, "Mew…"

Brenda asks, "Why can't Mew touch the lever?"

Brock explains, "Since Mew is being projected by a traditional holographic projector, instead of a mirage system, it doesn't have a physical form."

Ash notes, "And I don't think any of us have Pokémon that are small enough to slip through the bars."

Mew floats back out, this time not bothering to slip between the bars, just floating through instead. It says apologetically, "Mew."

Ash shakes his head. "It's not your fault, Mew, we'll find another way through. We'll break through if we have to."

But before they can take any further action, a swarm of levitating Mirage Balls fly up and over the wall. Once over the wall, they each transform into a Mirage Pokémon, creating an intimidating army made up of powerful Pokémon such as Absol, Bisharp, Tyranitar, Gengar, Centiskorch, Aegislash, Gallade, Golisopod, and many more.

Ash and Pikachu ready themselves for a battle, but before they can do anything, Gladion steps forward with his arms up, declaring, "We surrender."

Ash demands silently, "What are you doing?"

Gladion whispers back, "Just follow my lead, I have a plan."

Ash doesn't seem to like it, but he puts his hands up too. Brock and Brenda follow suit.

Who's that Pokémon!?

It is said to possess the genetic composition of all Pokémon. It is capable of making itself invisible at will, so it entirely avoids notice even if it approaches people.

The Mirage Pokémon lead Ash and the others into the mirage control room, where they see Team Rocket. Jessie and James say at once, "Welcome, twerps."

Ash shouts accusingly, "Team Rocket! You're working with the Mirage Master?"

Jessie laughs. "Of course we're working with the Mirage Master. He promised us that in return for Meowth's wealth of Legendary Pokémon data, he'd give us a Mirage Ball of our own."

Wobbuffet adds, "Wobbuffet!"

Brock notices Meowth strapped into the same bed that Pikachu was forced into last time they met the Mirage Master. "Of course! That's how he got his Legendary Pokémon data back. Team Rocket and Meowth have seen almost as many Legendary Pokémon as Pikachu."

Meowth chuckles. "And might I add, it's quite glorious to be able to create any Pokémon with the power of my mind. I can create the strongest Pokémon." A Mewtwo appears in front of Meowth, as if to prove his point. "Or the rarest." The Mewtwo transforms into an Unown. "Or even…" His mind begins to wander, and the Unown transforms into a Meowth wearing a bow. Suddenly blushing, Meowth shouts, "Forget you saw that last one!" The female Meowth disappears. "I could even create my own Pokémon, if I wanted!" At that same time, a Mirage Heliosol appears. Meowth slyly adds, "Not that I would do a thing like that."

Brock whispers into Ash's ear, "That Mirage Pokémon just appeared with no Mirage Ball. Mirage Master must have a Mirage System built into this building as well."

Ash whispers back, "But I don't see any emitters, so he must have hidden them."

James points out, "And just imagine what we'll be able to do once we get a Mirage Ball of our own. We'll be truly unstoppable."

Brenda remarks, "I highly doubt that."

Any further conversation is cut short when the Mirage Master suddenly makes his presence known. "Except it has already been proven that you can't hope to defeat my Mirage Pokémon with your pitiful 'real' Pokémon."

Seeing Mirage Master, Gladion is overcome with anger. He shouts, "Mirage Master, what did you do with Silvally!?"

Mirage Master chuckles. "Don't worry, it's quite safe. For now."

Gladion lunges at the Mirage Master, but the Mirage Gallade leaps forward and intercepts him, knocking to the ground. Gladion snarls in anger.

"I tire of this nonsense. You four will no longer be interfering with my plan."

Ash shouts, "Just try to stop us!"

"I already have." With a wave of his hand, Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Gladion all suddenly look very drowsy.

Brenda mutters, "So… sleepy…" She collapses unconscious, followed by Brock, then Gladion.

As Gladion desperately tries to stand up he struggles to say defiantly, "You won't get away… with… this…" He at last succumbs too.

"Once again, I already have."

It's Mew!

When Ash wakes back up, he's chained to the wall of the Mirage Master's lab, alongside his friends, who are still unconscious. He looks around to see Silvally strapped down, also rendered unconscious, and Mira looking over the readings on a computer. The Mirage Master is nowhere to be seen.

Ash urges, "Mira, you can't trust the Mirage Master. He's evil! He doesn't care about Pokémon or even life at all."

Mira sighs before turning to face Ash. She shakes her head. "No, you're wrong. Dr. Yung cares more about Pokémon than anyone. That's why he seeks to create the perfect Pokémon."

Ash shakes his head. "That's not true. All he wants are tools of mass destruction, not Pokémon."

"Think about it, Ash. Think about how awful this world is. It's so chaotic. So unpredictable. A Pokémon that's there one minute can be gone the next. Dr. Yung and I are working together to create a better world. One controlled by rules and logic. One where you never have to say goodbye to the ones you love…" She seems hung up on the last line. She looks to Ash pleadingly. "Can't you see that that would be the better world? One where you and Pikachu never have to separate from each other, not even after a thousand years?"

Ash looks over towards Pikachu, hanging unconscious in chains. He shakes his head. "No. I wouldn't want that. A life like that would be meaningless. It would be a hollow shell of what the world is now."

Mira looks to the ground, unable to face Ash directly. "You wouldn't be saying that if you had gone through what I did…"

But before Ash can question her meaning, the Mirage Master appears and states, "Ah, look at who's awake. Your friends should be coming to any moment as well. Just in time to see my ultimate plan unfold."

As if on cue, the others start to wake up. The first thing Gladion notices is Silvally. He struggles to free himself as he shouts, "What have you done to it!?"

Mirage Master responds. "I have done nothing but scan it for the data necessary for my plan. The final algorithms are being put in as we speak. Before long I shall be able to create a new world, a perfect world."

Brenda questions, "A new world? What does that mean?"

"In the time since my last defeat, I realized that my ambitions to create the perfect Pokémon were far too limited in scope. Using the power of the Mirage System, I could do so much more. I could create a new world and supplant this pitiful excuse for existence with it. Forget the perfect Pokémon, I will have created the perfect world, inhabited by nothing but the perfect Pokémon and the perfect people."

Ash looks to Mira, connecting the Master's plan to her dream.

Then Mew appears to protest, "Mew! Mew mew mew! Mew mew!"

The Mirage Master clenches his fists as an involuntary rage takes a hold over him. "You! You dare to show your flawed code around here when I am at the brink of obtaining perfection!? He lunges forward to grab Mew, and somehow, he actually does. He squeezes down on it.

Mew shouts in pain, "Mew!"

Mira's eyes widen, seeing the rough handling of the Pokémon. Noticing her dismay, Ash asks, "Mira, what did the Mirage Master tell you about Mew?"

"He… he said it was a flawed specimen. A rogue piece of coding that he couldn't properly debug. It ended up crashing his entire system last time."

Ash shakes his head. "It's more than that, so much more. Maybe it did start off as a mistake in his program, but it became so much more than that. The truth is, the Mirage Master did create the perfect Pokémon, but it was a complete accident. That Mew has a soul! It's a real Pokémon, and that makes it as perfect as anything could ever be!"

Mira, seeming to doubt herself, shakes her head in denial. "No, that's not possible. A soul isn't scientific. You can't code a soul. Souls aren't dictated by logic."

Ash simply states, "Nothing perfect ever is…"

Mew struggles to break free as it continues to cry in pain. Mirage Master suddenly gets an idea. He throws Mew to the ground. It hits the ground and its holo-matrix temporarily destabilizes. "No, I've got a better idea. What better way to permanently purge you from the system than with my most perfect creation? The perfection will drive out the imperfection, it's almost poetic. Mira, activate the Mirage Generator!"

Mira hesitates, unsure of what to do.

Sensing her hesitation, the Mirage Master reminds her, "Don't forget about your dear old friend, Porygon."

Mira's head hangs in depression. "Yes… of course… for Porygon…" She enters a command sequence into the main computer. The entire room begins to shake as tremendous amounts of electricity is pumped through the various machines. The lights flicker on and off. Silvally suddenly awakens, crying in pain. A large cylindrical machine on the opposite side of the room, not unlike the one that created Mirage Mewtwo, begins to glow intensely. Then everything goes silent.

The Mirage Master declares, "Yes! It was a success!"

The door on the cylindrical machine swoops open, releasing a blinding light into the room. The source of the light is a Pokémon which slowly steps out from the machine.

Brock gasps. "No… he couldn't have…"

Brenda demands, "What is it!?"

The light subsides enough to see the luminous form that has been created.

Brock answers, "It's Arceus…"

Ash gasps, "Arceus…"

Brenda struggles over the pronunciation, "Ar-sues…?"

Gladion explains, "Arceus is the ultimate Pokémon. According to mythology, it was the original one. The egg from which the universe itself hatched. It is the creator of everything. It is also the Pokémon upon which Silvally was based."

Ash connects the dots, "So that's why the Mirage Master wanted Silvally. He couldn't gather data on the actual Arceus, so he settled for its copy."

Brenda mocks, "Ha! A copy of a copy! A lot of good that's going to do you!"

The Mirage Master laughs manically. "No! It is so much more than a copy of a copy! The Aether Foundation had all the data they needed to create a copy of Arceus powerful enough to command its abilities of pure creation, what they lacked was a vessel that could host said power. That is what my Mirage System provides. And with only a fraction of the pure creative power that is Arceus, my Mirage Pokémon can make itself as I will it."

Brock realizes in horror, "Even change itself to have the full potential of Arceus…"

"Yes! The unlimited power of Arceus is mine! I have created the perfect Pokémon! And this isn't even the end! It shall ascend to an even higher form, and then I shall create a new world! A perfect world! One without emotion and weakness!"

Brock points out, "Guys, we're not just talking about a holographic simulation of the world. With the power of Arceus, the Mirage Master could make all his mirages real. He could even replace our world with one of his own design."

Ash's eyes widen. "Oh no…"

Mirage Master declares, "Arceus, give these feeble minds a display of your power. Destroy the defect!"

Mew looks up to the imposing figure of Arceus with fear. "Mew…" It's too weak to try to move.

Arceus rears up onto its hind legs, and several spears of crimson light are fired at Mew, tearing the holographic Pokémon apart.

Ash shouts, "Mew!" as tears start to fall from his eyes. Brenda also cries, while Brock and Gladion both look down with sadness and anger.

Ash notices Mira also looking upset. He shouts, "I hope you're happy with yourself! You allowed this to happen! You might as well have destroyed Mew yourself!" This only increases the shame that Mira seems to feel.

The Mirage Master crosses his arms, appearing pleased with himself. "The possibilities are now endless." He looks to Mira. "I am taking Arceus to the Mirage Core to begin the final preparations. Double check your code and make sure everything is right." Without another word, he and Arceus vanish in a flash of light.

The moment he's gone, Mira runs over to a console and types away. She says, "I've blocked Dr. Yung's–" she hesitates, "I mean the Mirage Master's remote access to the building. He'll be too busy in the Mirage Core to notice." She types something else, and the shackles holding Ash and the others open, dropping them to the ground.

Ash asks with surprise, "Mira, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to make things right."

Brock asks, "Why the change of heart?"

Mira sighs. "That man… that thing, he's not Dr. Yung. Not the one I knew. I've been denying it for years, but it was made clear to me now. I saw the fear in Mew's eyes. You were right, Ash, it does have a soul. I don't know how it's possible, but it does. And the Mirage Master destroyed it without hesitation. He saw that fear too, but it didn't mean anything to him. He's not the Dr. Yung I used to know anymore." She sighs. "In more ways than one…"

Gladion runs over to Silvally. Mira quickly enters another command, and Silvally is released. He asks, "Silvally, are you okay?"

Silvally manages to lift its head and nuzzle Gladion, tearing his already patched shirt in the process. Gladion grins profusely. "Thank goodness." He helps Silvally to its feet.

Ash asks, "What's the Mirage Master's next move? What's the Mirage Core?"

Mira explains, "The Mirage Core is the room where the main computers that run the Mirage System are housed. What he's planning on doing is going to take a massive amount of computational power, so he needs to plug into the Mirage Core directly.

Ash nods. "In that case, there's no time to waste. Show us to the Mirage Core."

Mira nods. "Right."

While they're running up a flight of stairs, Ash says to Mira, "Alright, I think it's time you told us what's going on with you and the Mirage Master."

Mira sighs as she nods. "Yes, you deserve to know. I first met Dr. Yung back before he was kicked out of the Pokémon Institute, back when the Mirage System was nothing but an idea in his head. He recruited me right out of school to be his assistant on the project. Even back then he promised me that the Mirage System could help to create a better world." She sighs. "I think back then he actually meant it in a good way, not the twisted version of it he's trying to create now. And at the time, I was desperate for anything."

Brenda asks, "What do you mean?"

Mira sighs again. "When I was young, I had a best friend. It was a Porygon. We did everything together. We were completely inseparable. At least, until the chaotic and unpredictable happened…and Porygon was ripped away from me. My desperation to get my one true friend back led me into the field of coding. Using Silph Co.'s proprietary technology, I coded and brought to life many Porygon, all in an attempt to bring back mine, but they weren't the same. I saw them all as failed specimens." She sighs at her own comparison to Mew. "But that wasn't right… they were simply their own unique individuals…" After a pause she continues, "Eventually Dr. Yung caught word of me being the best coder in my class, not to mention my experience with computer-generated Pokémon, and recruited me to his project. Together we turned his dream of the Mirage System into a reality, and in turn he promised to help me some day fulfil my dream of a better world. Not only was he my mentor, he was my first true friend since Porygon…" She sighs.

Ash asks, "So back then, he actually cared for people?"

Mira nods. "I don't know when the change happened, it was gradual. Probably the result of his obsessive work on the Mirage System. I was too blinded by my friendship with him and my own desires to notice. Then the Pokémon Institute kicked him out and revoked all funding. That surely compounded the issue. It hardened him, making him apathetic to the world. I thought he was rightfully upset, but I didn't realize it went beyond that."

Seeing the regret in her eyes, Ash comforts, "It's not your fault that this happened to him. You couldn't have stopped it."

Mira shakes her head. "That isn't entirely true. You see, when the Mirage Master said that he was reborn in that fire at his old lab, he didn't just mean figuratively. He escaped from that burning building only just barely hanging on to life. He told me that at first, he saw no reason to go on, but in the flames, he drew new inspiration. But it was too late for his body. He found me, and I coded him a new body."

Brock gasps. "Wait, do you mean…?"

Mira nods. "I uploaded his mind into the computers and created a holographic body for him using the Mirage System."

Brenda points out, "That would explain why he seemed to be able to appear and disappear out of nowhere."

Brock adds, "And why he was able to respond so instantaneously to us. He's integrated into the lab's computers."

Mira says morbidly, "But it's worse than just that. As a mirage construct, he can do anything to himself that he can do to a Mirage Pokémon. That means he can give himself the powers of any Pokémon in his system. That's how he put you guys to sleep, with the powers of a Hypno."

Ash realizes, "That means he doesn't just command Arceus, he can become Arceus."

Brock, Brenda, and Gladion gasp at this realization.

Mira affirms, "Yes. He is to be the one who creates his new world."

Ash shakes his head in disbelief. "This isn't good."

Mira agrees, "It isn't, but fortunately, I do have a plan to stop him."

The Mirage Master stands in front of Mirage Arceus in a massive sphere-shaped room with the walls covered in technology. He says, "Very soon we will have fully stabilized your matrix, then we will at last be ready. A perfect world will be created."

Then Ash shouts, "Not if we have anything to do about it!"

The Mirage Master swivels around to see them entering the room. His eyes lock in on Mira. "Mira, you disappoint me. I thought you were different than the rest." Anger suddenly rises in his voice, "I thought you understood me, but now you betray me!?"

Mira shouts back, "I thought I understood you too! But I was mistaken!"

"Then you will be deleted from existence like the rest of them. Arceus, cast your Judgment!"

Arceus shrieks as it attacks with a hundred spears of crimson light.

Ash orders, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Gladion adds, "Silvally, Air Slash!"

The two Pokémon counterattack in an attempt to block Arceus' attack, but it's no use. The spears of Judgment effortlessly break through Pikachu and Silvally's attack and rain down on everyone in the group, knocking them back and to the ground, while inflicting injuries.

Ash is the first to stand back up. He shouts in defiance, "We refuse to give up! You may not be able to see the beauty in this world, but that doesn't mean it should be destroyed!"

The Mirage Master shakes his head in disapproval. "You fail to understand my motives. That does not come as a surprise to me. No simple mind could ever grasp what it is I am about to do. But it does not matter, for there is nothing you can do to stop me. I have become too powerful."

Ash glares at him directly as he declares, "We'll see about that! Pikachu, use Hallowed Lightning!"

Pikachu begins to charge. "Pika, pikaaa…"

Ash recalls the plan that Mira told him. Mira said, "Remember how Pikachu's Hallowed Lightning managed to destabilize Mirage Rayquaza's holographic matrix? It happened due to an energy overload. Force enough energy into a holo-matrix, and that's the result. In that state a Mirage Pokémon will be extremely vulnerable to a cyber-attack. Pterabite and I can write a code, and put it into the mainframe, that will cause the entire Mirage System to destroy itself once we put Mirage Arceus into that vulnerable state."

Pikachu unleashes the attack. "Chuuuu!" It hurls the orb of lighting forward.

The Mirage Master orders, "Judgment!"

Arceus attacks once more with its signature move. Ash grimaces, assuming the attack will stop Pikachu's, but the spears soar right past the orb. Instead, Pikachu's attack lands, and Arceus is struck by an intense bolt of lightning that does absolutely nothing to it.

Meanwhile, Arceus' spears of light hit their true mark, impacting Ash and friends again.

Down on the ground, Ash curses, "Shoot! It wasn't enough energy!"

Mira says, "Arceus has the most resilient holo-matrix I've ever seen!"

The Mirage Master floats forward. "And now that you have seen resistance is futile, I am ready for the next step in my master plan! Arceus, accept my upgrade to your data!" A harsh white light envelops the Alpha Pokémon. "Execute script! Download all queued data!"

Mira shouts, "No! We're too late!"

Jessie and James are gathered on either side of Meowth. Laughing, James says, "Okay, okay. Do a Tyrantrum! Do a Tyrantrum!"

Meowth snaps his fingers and Mirage Tyrantrum appears, much to Jessie and James' pleasure.

Jessie claps. "Wonderful! Now let's try the most important of them all! Do a Pikachu!"

Meowth cracks a grin, claps his hands, and a Mirage Pikachu appears. Jessie and James burst out in applause.

But it's cut short when Meowth cries out in pain. Electricity surges through his body as the helmet he wears locks itself onto his head. Two images appear on the screen showing his memories.

Jessie asks with worry, "Who's that Pokémon?"

James answers, "It's Ho-Oh and Lugia…" As stated, Meowth's memories show two scenes, one with Ho-Oh flying overhead, and one with Lugia bursting out from the ocean.

Meowth shouts through his pain, "Get it off!" Jessie and James attempt to pull the helmet off, but its locked on tight.

The screen then shifts to an image of Groudon and Kyogre.

Glowing with light, Arceus begins to change form. Dark blue plates, similar to those on either side of Lugia's back, grow out of Arceus' back. Then on one side of it, a wing like Ho-Oh's sprouts out. Spikes similar to those lining Groudon grow out of the sides of its neck, while at the same time the ribbon-like tail fins of Kyogre grow out of either side of Arceus' tail. Dialga's front blue diamond and housing as well as Palkia's pink shoulder pearls and housing both appear on the equivalent locations. The head frills of both Reshiram and Zekrom grow atop its head, glowing red and blue respectively. From beneath these frills, the antlers of Xerneas protrude out, while Ho-Oh's wing on one side is now accompanied by Yveltal's wing on the other. The area around Arceus' forehead and eyes transforms into a star-covered faceplate resembling that of Solgaleo and Lunala. It bears half of an emblem representing the Sun and half an emblem representing the Moon. Lastly, a sword-like structure similar to the sword Zacian holds grows out from the bottom of its chin, while a smaller version of Zamazenta's shield manifests on the front of its neck. All the while, the already imposing Pokémon has grown at least double in size.

With the images of Zacian and Zamazenta flashing on the screen, Jessie and James tug as hard as they can on the helmet locked to Meowth's skull. Within moments, the machine completely overloads, and explodes, sending Team Rocket hurtling through the roof and into the sky, shouting, "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

The light around the mutated Arceus ceases, leaving the monstrosity to be viewed better. Ash looks at the thing and demands, "What have you done…?"

Mirage Master laughs triumphantly. "I have made a Pokémon more powerful than Arceus! If ever there was a most perfect Pokémon, it is this one! Not only does it have mastery over creation, but it commands the land and sea! Controls time and space! Defines truth and ideals! Dominates life and death! Influences the Sun and Moon! And so much more! This creation is even greater than the sum of its parts! And it's all mine to control!" He shakes his head. "No, it's more than that. It is me!" The Mirage Master disappears.

Mira shouts, "No! It's too late!"

The mask of the Mirage Master appears over Arceus' face. The voice of the Mirage Master booms through the room, "I have become the most powerful entity to ever exist! And now, with a mere thought, and I can transform myself from virtual to physical, and the last of my weaknesses shall be gone!"

But before he can think the thought, Silvally, in its purple Type: Dragon form, is suddenly diving at it from above as Gladion shouts, "Multi-Attack!" Silvally rends its claws through the Mirage Monstrosity, but to little effect. Silvally quickly leaps back to relative safety. Gladion asserts, "That's our power you stole! We won't let you have it!" To aid Silvally, he throws three more Pokéballs, calling upon Lycanroc, Umbreon, and Zoroark.

Mirage Master demands, "You dare stand against me, even after you see what I have become!? If you are so eager to end your existence, so be it!"

Ash and Pikachu stand up next to him. "He's not alone!" He throws all of his Pokéballs at once, sending out Solurtle, Eagladiator, Dashilisk, and Arborrior.

Brock and Brenda too. They shout together, "We will stop you!" They send out all their Pokémon too, Blissey, Kappaqueous, Glitterfly, Rabbolt, Frostcicle, Wispirit, and Lupine also join the battle.

Mira steps in front of them all. "The friend I once had is truly gone. Dr. Yung is no more. We will defeat you in the name of his memory!"

With a sudden fit of rage, Mirage Master shouts, "Dr. Yung was pathetic! He was a weakling who let everyone else walk all over him! He deserved to die! He was not fit for my perfect world! And neither are you! Judgment!" He unleashes Arceus' Judgment attack, but this time empowered by all the different Pokémon he's absorbed, causing the spears of light to glow a rainbow of colors.

Ash, Gladion, Brock, Brenda, and Mira all shout together, "Go!" Their Pokémon all launch attacks against the Mirage Monstrosity at once, but it's quickly apparent that even their combined might isn't enough. The rainbow Judgment breaks through the combined attacks and continues on to its target.

Everyone leaps to one side or another, just barely managing to avoid the brunt of the attack. When the spears impact the wall behind them, they cause an explosion, blowing the wall out.

Brock grunts. "Guys, that attack was even stronger than regular Mirage Arceus'! If that hits, it's all over!"

Ash declares, "Then we won't let it hit! Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu begins its dash at the Mirage Master. "Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika, chuuuu!" Pikachu rams into the monster, but causes no noticeable damage in the slightest.

Using Yveltal's wing, Mirage Master knocks Pikachu away with a powerful blow.

Mira shouts, "Let us try! Pterabite, use Signal Beam! Match the holo-frequency to disrupt it!"

From Pterabite's wings a beam of sinister energy is fired. It hits the target, but harmlessly dissipates on impact.

From there, all the Pokémon try attacking as one again, but despite landing, they still do nothing. The Mirage Master is quick to counterattack this time, quickly dispatching of all the Pokémon who stand in his way.

They may all be down, but Silvally manages to stand back up. It looks incredibly damaged, but it's willing to keep fighting. It roars.

Gladion shouts, "All we need in is one solid hit to disrupt it! You know this enemy better than anyone, Silvally! Use Multi-Attack!"

Another roar from Silvally and it rushes at its opponent. Silvally glows with a brighter aura than ever before as it musters everything it can. It claws grow several times in size as it crushes them down on the monster. Everyone looks to the Pokémon with hope, but that hope is dashed when Silvally's claws bounce off of the mutated Arceus, causing absolutely no damage. The Mirage Master then promptly retaliates by blasting the Pokémon back with a close-range Judgment. Silvally falls, unable to bear any more. Gladion rushes over to it.

Mirage Master laughs. "Do you not think I would guard my creations against a strategy as simple as interfering with their holo-frequency!?" He looks to Mira. "Ha! You have proven a failure as my student!"

Mira shouts emotionally, "I'm not your student! I'm Dr. Yung's student!"

"But still, it is time to teach you a lesson you will never forget! Judgment!" He attacks again, but this time with even more spears of light.

Brock gasps. "There's no way we're dodging this one!"

Ash says with a panic, "Pikachu and I can't block it!"

And just before the attack can hit, a streak of light appears in the room. From the point of view of Velocivity, everything seems frozen in time. It surveys each and every one of the spears of light, then dashes from one to the next, leaving a trail of light behind it. Each time it rams into a spear, it causes them to explode. Within moments from its perspective and practically no time at all from everyone else's, it has successfully blocked the Judgment.

Ash gasps. "What just happened!?

To answer his question, Velocivity appears in front of him. It looks him directly in the eyes.

Ash gasps. "What… are you…?"

Brock exclaims, "That's Velocivity! The Legendary Lightspeed Pokémon! It can run at the speed of light!"

Ash realizes, "You're the one who saved me yesterday from Guzzlord!" Thinking back, he adds, "You're also the one who helped us stop that black hole!"

Velocivity nods.

"You've been keeping an eye on us, haven't you?"

Velocivity nods again.

Mira points out, "Ash, running at the speed of light means that Velocivity carries infinite amounts of kinetic energy within it! That could disrupt any holo-matrix!"

Ash nods. "Can you help us out a little more, Velocivity?"

Once more, the Pokémon nods.

Mirage Master shouts, "It doesn't matter if you have a pathetic, flawed Legendary Pokémon on your side! It cannot match my perfection!" He unleashes another volley of Judgment.

Velocivity immediately springs into action. Once again it quickly disposes of the attack. It then charges head-on at the Mirage Master. Despite its unbelievable speed, a barrier is instantly erected around the Mirage Master, which causes Velocivity to bounce off.

"You may be able to move at the speed of light, but my computer mind can think at the speed of light! That's all it will take for me to defeat you as well!"

Velocivity stands right back up and picks up the fight. What follows is an intense showdown between two foes moving at unprecedented speeds. Nothing more than a blur of light, both combatants continually ram into each other, with the Mirage Master's barrier protecting him from any and all damage. Actions are enacted and over so fast that the eye can barely catch them. There's a Judgment. There's no more Judgment. A beam of light here, reflected there. Three successive bangs created by continual ramming. Flashes of light. Explosions of color. Bursts of sound.

Only seconds after it began, the battle takes a break when Velocivity stops moving. It's panting heavily. Mirage Master declares, "Another flaw exposed. You tire, while I do not. Once I defeat you, your data will make a fine addition to my arsenal of perfection."

Ash steps forward, saying, "We have to do something!"

Brock grabs him by the arm. "There's nothing we can do, Ash. Those two are battling on a whole different level."

"But Velocivity is losing!"

Brock just shakes his head as he releases his grasp on Ash. Ash sighs.

The Mirage Master shouts, "Your flawed existence ends here! Judgment!" But just before he can cast his attack, his body freezes in place. He demands in rage, "What is this!? I can't move!"

A new feature appears on the Mirage Monstrosity. Out from the tip of Arceus' tail, Mew's tail grows.

Ash gasps. "It can't be!"

To confirm what everyone's thinking, Mew declares from Arceus' mouth, "Mew mew!"

Mira exclaims, "Mew must have made a back-up of itself in the Mirage Master's systems!"

Brock realizes, "So the Mirage Master isn't the only program with willpower in his systems! Mew has just as much control as he does!"

In rage, the Mirage Master shouts, "How dare you corrupt my perfect Pokémon with your flawed coding! Get out! Get out!" The Mirage Monstrosity begins to vibrate violently as the wills clash for control.

Mew urges, "Mew! Mew mew!"

Ash objects, "But Mew! If we destroy it now, that will destroy you!"

Brock reminds Ash, "Mew already made its decision, remember?"

Ash nods. "Right." He looks to Velocivity. "Can you do it Velocivity? Disrupt his matrix?"

The Legendary Pokémon nods. At full speed it rams itself into the shieldless Mirage Master. Both he and Mew shout in pain at once as the imparted kinetic energy causes the monstrosity to visually glitch, with parts of it blinking in and out of existence as electricity begins to spark from it.

Ash shouts, "Mira, do it now!"

Mira nods. "Pterabite, plug into the system! Download our destruct code!" Pterabite flies over to a computer terminal and plugs the tip of its abdomen into a port.

A corrupted version of Mirage Master's voice shouts, "No, don't do this! Don't destroy perfection! The world could be ours to recreate, Mira! A world governed by rules and logic is obtainable!"

Mira shouts back firmly, "I don't want to live in a world like that!" The entire room begins to shake violently. Computer terminals begin to explode.

In his final breath, the Mirage Master shouts, "No!"

And in the absolute final moment, Mew says, "Mew mew!" as if to say thank you. Then the Mirage Monstrosity explodes, leaving nothing behind. Following that, the entire building around them disappears all at once, leaving them to fall to the ground.

Brock observes from the ground, "The entire lab must have been nothing but a hologram. It's ingenious…"

Ash gets back up and stares at the spot where the Mirage Master and Mew last floated. A tear falls from his eye.

Gladion approaches him from behind. "Mew made a noble sacrifice."

Ash nods. "It did. It's just not fair that that's a sacrifice it had to make twice." He shouts to skies, "It's not fair!"

Gladion points out, "Most of us don't even know if we'd be willing to sacrifice our lives to save someone else even once. Mew did it once, survived, and was still willing to do it all over again. That Mew is a true hero, and it lives on in our memories."

Ash wipes a tear from his eye. "Yes. It does."

Gladion looks out at the sky. "And speaking of living on in our memories, Silvally and I must leave. We need to get back to Lillie and continue what we started."

Ash nods, knowing what he means. "Of course. It was great to see you again, Gladion."

Gladion nods. "And it was great to see you too Ash."

Without another word, he and Silvally turn to leave.

And they aren't the only ones to leave. Satisfied that everything is now under control, Velocivity also dashes off.

Ash and Pikachu are sitting at the same table where they first talked with Mira about her dreams of a better world. Ash sighs. "It's been three days, and I still can't get over the sacrifice Mew made. It's not fair."

Pikachu agrees somberly, "Pika…"

Then Mira approaches Ash excitedly. "Ash, I have something to show you."

Ash looks up, but doesn't look too interested. "What is it?"

Mira pulls out a Mirage Ball.

Ash tilts his head. "A Mirage Ball? What's that for?"

She grins. "I think it might have been the only one that didn't explode when we overloaded the Mirage Master's computers."

Ash just shrugs, completely unsure of where this is going.

"And you see, while Pterabite was interfaced with Mirage Master's computers, I had him create a back-up for a specific file on the system."

Ash's eyes suddenly widen as he realizes what she's talking about. "Are you saying…?"

Mira nods. "And now that I've repurposed this Mirage Ball to have its own internal computer, able to work without the Mirage System, I was able to download that program into here." She hands it to Ash. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Ash quicky grabs the Mirage Ball and throws it. It becomes engulfed in light as Mew materializes around it. It looks around in confusion. "Mew?" Then once it realizes what's going on, it performs several in-air flips, shouting excitedly, "Mew mew mew!" It circles around Ash's head playfully.

Ash is grinning profusely. "Don't thank me, it was Mira who saved you."

Mew begins to fly circles around her now. She laughs at it. "For the longest time I believed that you were nothing but a flaw in a perfect system, but now I realize that you were the perfection. You are the true crowning achievement of Dr. Yung. You are his legacy, his gift to this world. As long as you exist, so too does my old friend and mentor."

"Mew!"

Ash says, "Mew, now that you have that independent Mirage Ball, you can go anywhere you'd like! You're not trapped by some computer anymore. You're just as free as any other Pokémon."

Mew looks out towards the sky with a look of both anticipation and trepidation. "Mew mew!" It takes one last look at Ash and Mira, then flies away.

Ash shouts, "This is the first day of your true life! Happy birthday, Mew!"

A very happy birthday indeed! On a day like today there is so much to celebrate. Not only the memories of everything that has passed, but all the dreams of everything that is to come! A lot has happened since we all first came together, and a lot more has yet to come! Let's all join together in celebration! Let's all look together to the future as brilliant as a diamond and as shining as a pearl, as the journey continues!

To Be Continued…

A quarter centaury. That's how long Pokémon's been with us. I would stress how long that is, but it would also make me feel old, as I was born the same year as Pokémon. But still, not many things have that kind of lasting power. And the fact that we're all still here, enjoying Pokémon as much, if not more, as we did back 25 years ago is a testament to the power of the franchise. There have been some rough patches, and yet we're still here. Here's to another 25 years and beyond! Happy anniversary Pokémon!

Train on!