Alex

You are on your own. Mewtwo's reply dampens the burst of relief I had felt. With our ace-in-the-hole preoccupied, we are in deep, deep trouble.

"Update," I whisper to Thunder. "Mewtwo's also pinned down. No help is coming." I hazard a glance over our cover. The floor is littered with bodies and slick with blood. Thankfully none of the bodies belong to anyone I know. Small comfort to the dead, though. The attackers have ceased fire and are currently searching the building for stragglers, systematically checking every nook and cranny they can think of. And they're getting dangerously close.

"...I think... no, no that's a terrible idea." Thunder mutters.

"Tell me."

"Remember the gun incident in the forest? I shocked that guys gun and it exploded?"

"It'd disarm them, sure. But that body armor looks thick. They'd be stunned for a bit but come out swinging."

"And it'd only work on one at a time. We'd get shot before we could get anywhere with it."

I can hear the footsteps of the gunmen getting closer. They'll be on us in a few minutes. Thunder's plan has some potential but we'd need to find a way to affect everyone in an instant. Desperately I look to my environment for something, anything, to save us. My gaze rests on a fire alarm mounted to the wall behind us. For a moment I dismiss it, but then I start to think.

"I got a crazy plan."

"I'll take crazy."

"I pull that thing," I point to the alarm. "sprinklers will drench everything in water. Then you shock with everything you got. It'll take everyone down."

"Including you and our friends."

"Get Josh and Jack afterwards. They'll help with cleanup."

"But what happens if I put too much power in?"

"Thunder-"

"Or It's not enough and they just kill us?"

"Thunder." I repeat, firmly. I rest my hand on his side. "I trust you."

I see a spark in his eyes galvanize and determination fill his face. "You're right. Let's do it."

One of the gunmen rounds the corner, coming face to face with us. Thunder reacts quickly, shocking the gun in his hands. Just like back in the forest, the weapon explodes, showering us in shrapnel. The gunman stumbles back in a daze, but they'll be attacking again soon no doubt. Additionally the sound of the explosion will summon the rest to our location.

"Go! Hurry!" Thunder yells, standing ready for more to approach. I make a bolt for it and reach the alarm, pulling it quickly. In an instant the piercing wail of an alarm fills the warehouse and water begins raining from the ceiling. In short order the water has drenched everything in sight, just as two armed goons round the corner.

"Now!" I scream. I see a flash of yellow light followed by a painful shocking surge running through my body. That's the last thing I remember before I black out.

Thunder

Thunder doesn't hesitate. The moment the attackers come into view he lets loose every watt in his body. A painful experience, but a necessary one. In a fraction of a second the electricity spreads out across the wet room, making contact with every living thing inside. Just as quickly everyone starts dropping and as if as a last hurrah every single gun in sight explodes. With a single, exhausting strike, the fight is over.

Suddenly the Mew containers start to unlatch and open. Hundreds of Mew eagerly rush out. Most leave immediately, but a number of them stay behind. His electric discharge must've damaged them and forced them to open. Good. That saves everyone a lot of time.

Thunder's thoughts immediately drift to Alex. He walks his tired body over to him, getting on top of him and feeling for his heartbeat. To his relief he can feel it. It worked.

"Is he okay?" One of the Mew ask.

"Yeah. He's okay." He turns to face the Mew. "And all of you? They didn't hurt you all too badly, right?"

"Most of us are fine. Though... I did see those humans take several away that we never saw again..."

"If they're still alive once we get a chance to do a thorough search of the building we may find them. For now, though, can I ask you all a favor? Can you get all these guys restrained before they wake up?"

"Of course." Another Mew chimes in. "You rescued us all. That is the least we could do."

"And head outside. There should be a car with two humans in it. Bring the adult one back in to help if you could."

A Mew nods and flies outside, leaving a weary Thunder and the rest to tend to the unconscious enemies.

Mewtwo

As their enemies converge on them, Mewtwo turns to Beta and opens a psychic link.

If they know you're with me they will trigger the kill switch. I will need to make it appear you have fallen in battle.

You will perish if you fight alone.

And you will perish if you attack them.

You spoke of legacy before. I had not given it much thought before, but now that I have, I must ensure mine is spoken with respect.

You are certain about this?

I believe so.

Very well. I will handle the humans. Keep the pokemon occupied.

Of course. The exchange lasted only a fraction of a second. Such is the utility of telepathic communication. Beta breaks away from Mewtwo and launches a Shadow Ball at an attacking Scolipede. Meanwhile Mewtwo redirects enemy fire at their feet, attempting to encourage them to take cover.

Another pokemon, an Escavalier, rushes Mewtwo and forces them to break off and focus on the new attacker while the Rocket goons continue to lay down fire on them. It takes every ounce of focus and concentration to keep themselves from getting impaled by the Escavalier while simultaneously dodging dozens of bullets at once. Fortunately, Beta takes notice and throws the Scolipede they've been fighting at Mewtwo's attacker. Now relatively unoccupied, Mewtwo returns their focus to the armed goons, sending a psychic shockwave their way. The blast sends most of them reeling and knocks a few out.

Mewtwo glances back at Beta, who is struggling to keep the now much angrier Scolipede at bay. Once the gunmen are dealt with they should be free to lend a hand. They ready another shockwave, prompting their targets to try and seek cover. One unlucky enemy fails to see the wisdom in such actions and gets thrown straight out the door for their troubles. The rest find themselves either safe or burried under crates of various supplies.

A device in the hand of one of the still standing hostiles captures Mewtwo's attention. A remote like device that she's pointing at Beta. If they had to guess, it's a kill switch trigger. Mewtwo tries to yank it free of her grasp, but only manages to make her stumble as the Escavalier jabs their lance into their gut. Mewtwo yelps in pain and turns to attack with Psycho Cut. It's enough to force the Escavalier back briefly for long enough to use Recover to shore up the damage, managing to close the wound halfway.

As the Escavalier charges again Mewtwo erects a forcefield to halt their advance. It barely works, given the type disadvantage. Mewtwo growls. They need to destroy that trigger or else Beta is done for. This Escavalier needs to be dealt with immediately.

As Mewtwo readies A shadow ball voices call from outside the windows.

"Guess what, Rocket? We're free! And we're making it your problem now!"

"Get ready for some karmic justice!"

"This is for my sister!"

"That one! They helped rescue us! Help them!" From the shattered windows about a hundred Mew come streaming in, beelining it for anyone they deem an enemy. Seems the tides have turned.

"Do not harm the other like me! They are an ally!" Mewtwo calls. And it seems that they are listening. With the sudden influx of reinforcements the battle is over in minutes. Mewtwo breathes a sigh of relief. It's finally over. They turns to address the Mew. "Thank you. All of you. You may have just saved our lives."

"You were with the group who broke us out, right? Consider it us repaying the favor."

"Are my allies well?"

"Mostly unconscious last I checked. The Pikachu pulled a crazy stunt that won the day. You should go check on them, though."

"I shall. You have my deepest gratitude." Mewtwo turns to Beta who is staring at the unconscious form of the woman with the trigger. They stare at the device, deep in thought. Mewtwo walks over to them. "Am I to assume that device is indeed the kill switch trigger?"

"You are correct. Whomever has that device, or any like it, has control over me."

"Then destroy it. Once we leave the kill switch itself can be removed. But for now it would be safer to destroy it."

"It would..." Beta grabs the device off the ground and stares at it, hesitating. "Freedom... I never thought I would ever want it... I was so content to obey. Even now, I do not know if I should do this..."

"I will not lie, it is not easy. I am still learning myself. But we can discover freedom together. My..." They pause, a swell of emotion rises within them. "My brother."

"Brother..." Beta echoes. Their expression hardens and they clench their fist, crushing the trigger in their hand before dropping the mangled chunk of circuits and shards of plastic on the floor. Several seconds of silence follow. "What shall we do now?"

"I must check on Alex and his friends. It sounds as though my help would be appreciated."

"Our help." Beta corrects. Mewtwo smiles.

"You are right. Our help."