Chapter 16: Leveling the playing field
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NOW – ALOLA
Afterwards, Kukui couldn't recall much of the fall or the moments surrounding it.
He remembered that horrifying, bottomless feeling in his stomach for a few seconds before smashing through a thick tree. He remembered desperately grasping to hold onto the branches, alerting a flock of natu that then soared out of their resting place wildly cawing, and then plunging straight into the warm pool of water that thankfully covered large parts of the conservatory floor.
Dazedly, he dragged himself to the nearest shore and just laid there, halfway out of the water, coughing weakly and trying to determine if he was still in one piece.
He was, if just barely.
Face pressed into the grass, he focused on getting some air into his lungs, taking shallow, rasping breaths.
"Professor Kukui!" someone called, and suddenly there were hands all over him, pulling him completely out of the pool, patting his face and chest and checking his airways. Kukui squinted towards the familiar voice.
"I'm", he muttered feebly, "o-kay."
Curling onto his side, he coughed out a handful of pond water before drawing in a ragged breath and opening his eyes fully.
Champion Lance and Officer Nanu were kneeling over him, shock and concern stark on their faces.
"What happened?" Lance demanded, once he had determined Kukui wasn't actively dying. "The skylight broke? Why- why were you up there?"
Kukui grimaced, pushing himself up to a sitting position. "I was… um…"
"We were looking for you", Lance added. "The guards said they last saw you going towards the conservatory, but we didn't think you'd be on top of it."
Kukui rubbed his hands against his face, trying to clear his throbbing head. "We were there, because…."
Then, like struck by lightning, he remembered. Ash!
He whipped his head around, frantically trying to get a glimpse of his student that had fallen along with him. Scrambling against the grass, he tried to stand up.
"I- I need to find-"
"Calm down, Professor", Nanu ordered, pushing down onto his shoulder. Kukui easily went down with him – he wasn't very happy to notice he was too weak to resist even that simple force. "Let's start from the beginning."
"No, you need to listen to me!" Kukui waved his hand around desperately. "Ash was up there too! He fell- and Miriam, she had a Mewtwo! She's going after Ash with a Mewtwo!"
"Miriam?" Nanu asked. "She's the leader, right?"
"Where is Ash, Kukui?" Lance asked, worry lining his words now more than ever.
"I…" Kukui shrugged miserably, pushing strands of wet hair from his face. "I don't know. Alive, I hope."
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Lance and Nanu gave Kukui a short recap while he recovered. They had both arrived around the same time, just moments ago – Lance by Tobias's invitation and Nanu by Kukui's. And since they didn't know where else to start looking, they had made their way to the conservatory floor – right as the ceiling above them cracked and rained down like a shower of millions of brilliant, gleaming, deadly shards of glass.
"We didn't get a glimpse of anyone else falling besides you", Lance told him. "You landed basically at out feet. You look pretty banged up, Prof, but luckily, I don't think you managed to break or pierce anything vital."
"Thanks", Kukui grunted, finally feeling steady enough to get back onto his feet. He smarted everywhere, his back feeling especially strained, but it was something he could easily enough ignore for the time being.
"Let's look for Ash – but quietly", Nanu said in low voice. "If he and that hunter are still recovering – or possibly unconscious – from that fall, maybe we have a chance to move him out of here to safety before she can have another go at him."
Kukui agreed. The conservatory was quiet besides the sounds of the pokemon living there. Many of them had gotten upset by the sudden crash – not to mention by the shards of glass that now covered every surface – so there was a bit more hustle and bustle going on than was perhaps ordinary. But still, there was no indication, not yet, that Miriam might be up and looking for Ash. Worryingly, though, there was no indication that Ash might be up yet either.
Slowly, they made their way around the edge of the conservatory. Every once in a while, Kukui had to stop to brace himself against the wall, catch his breath and push down his bouts of pain – he really was feeling quite roughed up from the fall. He was sure Lance and Nanu were getting anxious and probably wanted to leave him behind and move along quicker, but they stayed patient for Kukui's sake. They knew how just much Ash meant for him. There was simply no way Kukui would stop now.
"Tell us more about that Mewtwo", Lance whispered, as they crouched behind a thick bush to observe one of the corners of the conservatory. "Was it completely under her control?"
Kukui made a face, rubbing his bruised shoulder absentmindedly. "I'm not sure. I only saw a glimpse of it before the explosion. She had it in an ultra ball though – I never would've thought that was the best option for a Mewtwo."
"It's probably a modified poke ball", Lance muttered. He seemed irritated about even the thought of it. "It has been the topic of discussion for ages, about what is the best way to capture and hold a Mewtwo. Team Enigma's lot in particular was in favor of the ultra ball modification route. I'm not happy to hear they went with that." He frowned, deep in thought. "It certainly can't be comfortable for the pokemon. But I suppose there must be other ways she is keeping it loyal to her besides that. And none of those are good ones."
"You knew she had a Mewtwo in her possession?" Kukui asked, a bit sharper than he intended. "You knew how dangerous she was! For how long?"
Lance grimaced. "It's… complicated. There was an event a few years back, where a Mewtwo was created. But what happened to it afterwards remained a mystery. No one could find it, nor the person who had created it, so for the longest time we weren't sure if they had escaped together or if Mewtwo had disposed of its creator and fled on its own."
Kukui groaned, frustrated. "So you just let it – them – go? You let Miriam rebuild her organization in peace?"
"Of course not", Lance sighed. "We just had nowhere concrete to start looking. My memories from that day are nearly nonexistent. Same for everyone else involved. It wasn't until recently when Tobias contacted me with some worrying news, that I even remember he'd been there too – or that Ash had been involved at all!"
"There is a theory that Mewtwo possess the ability to wipe people's memories", Nanu said. "I imagine it's no coincidence that there's major confusion surrounding its creation."
"That's our running theory as well", Lance agreed. "Thankfully Tobias has recently been able to recall some essential bits and pieces from that time and got us back on track. But even with that… we were almost too late."
Kukui felt terrible about accusing him. "I didn't realize. I'm sorry, Lance", he said. "I'm just…"
"Worried about your kid", Lance finished sharply. "Trust me, I get it. Ash is very dear to me too. It's been an intense couple of days, figuring all of this out and making all sorts of plans to proceed."
Suddenly, Nanu held his hand up to silence them. "Hush", he hissed. "I think I saw something."
Kukui peeked through the bushes as well, heart in his throat. "Ash?"
"Unfortunately, no. I assume that's the infamous Miriam. She… appears to be talking to someone."
And indeed, through the undergrowth and other landscaping, Kukui could see the form of the hunter staring up at something that was out of their view, her mouth moving rapidly.
Agitated, Kukui straightened his back. "Let's go."
"Hold it", Nanu ordered, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back down. "You are in no state to battle, Professor. Let us do the heavy lifting this time, alright?"
Kukui grumbled but nodded then. "Right. Lead the way."
They rushed towards the area where they had spotted Miriam. It took a while for them to navigate through the ponds and trees and other obstacles, but finally they got a clear view of her. Kukui noticed she hadn't made it out of the crash unharmed, either. Her hair was sticking wildly out of her braid, her clothes ripped and covered in mud. She was facing Mewtwo with a furious, white-lipped look. Mewtwo hovered next to her, its expression cold and emotionless, its body nearly motionless.
Kukui couldn't help but stare at the pokemon. He'd never seen such a strange-looking creature. The unnaturalness of it was only amplified by the intricate armored collar that surrounded Mewtwo's neck and shoulders, making it look more like a machine built for battle than a living, breathing pokemon.
The collar looked heavy and cruel, and made Kukui feel sick to his stomach.
"Where is the kid?" Miriam hissed at Mewtwo. "I won't ask again."
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he's… close.
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Kukui's eyes widened in shock. Mewtwo's voice was ocean deep and ageless, echoing through his whole being like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
Miriam only got angrier. "You know more than that. You know exactly where he is! Why are you resisting my command?"
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somehow… I feel connected to that child. I do not wish to harm him.
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Kukui, Nanu and Lance shared a stunned look. Miriam, looking wild, took out Mewtwo's strange poke ball and held it up between them.
"I don't care what you want! And you know what's gonna happen if you refuse to obey me!"
Mewtwo simply looked at her blankly, but Kukui could swear its shoulders got tenser under the collar, like it was anticipating pain.
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I do know, Master.
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"Then take me to that brat, now!"
"Hey, Miriam!"
There was someone else approaching. The ferns surrounding the clearing rustled, and a small figure appeared out into the open. Leaves and mud in his hair, and a pikachu on his shoulder.
"I'm right here", Ash said firmly. "So leave Mewtwo alone."
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THEN – SINNOH
Ash laid there, limp on the floor, as the world descended into chaos around him.
Miriam was barking orders at the lab staff, and they were all rushing around and yelling things Ash couldn't make sense of. Lights had turned off during the explosion though some sort of a backup generator was running, machines humming and dots of colored lights blinking everywhere. Most of the light in the room was coming from Mewtwo, who was hovering inches off the ground in the middle of the room, emitting a pale purple glow in every direction.
Ash, gritting his teeth in concentration, shifted his hand across the floor, glass shards making a soft clinking sound around him. His fingers were coated in slimy liquid, and he curled them experimentally. The breathing mask was still pressing over his nose and mouth, and he pulled it off along with the IV needle from the inside of his elbow. Droplets of blood trickled down his arm, but he hardly felt it.
He had never felt so weak. He knew he'd almost lost everything in that tank.
"Mewtwo!" Miriam bellowed, and Ash wanted to warn her, wanted to stop her from escalating the situation any further, but he had barely any air in his lungs.
"Mewtwo, I am your Master! Submit to me!"
Mewtwo's voice sent a shockwave trough Ash's whole being.
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what have you done, human?
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Ash craned his neck and watched as Mewtwo rose higher and higher, and in its arms, it held a small, unconscious creature. Mew.
Ash shifted, trembling and panting, until he had his elbow under him. "Mewtwo", he gasped, and it was small and barely audible, but he knew the pokemon could hear him. "L-leave. Run. Please, just run away."
Mewtwo's glowing eyes were trained at him. There was no emotion there, other than distaste.
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why should I forgive you people for causing this?
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"Stay out of this, brat", Miriam snarled, palming a poke ball in her hand. She looked like she was ready for a battle.
A thump of a door smashing open came from behind them.
There was someone – a grunt – at the lab doorway. "Ma'am", he nervously addressed Miriam. "We are under attack."
Miriam laughed, sharp and cruel. Behind her, Mewtwo loomed. "Oh, really?"
"From a rivaling hunter crew", the man added, sweat pooling at his hairline. "We think it's Pokemon Hunter J's lot. They have breached the central hall."
Ash's heart leaped. Hunter J and Dirk. They were coming for Mew.
"What?" Miriam screamed. "Now?!"
The man shifted, agitated. "Y-yes, Ma'am. Saga is handling it upstairs, but w-we might need backup."
"Well, you better go back up there and help them", Miriam snarled trough her teeth. "I'm busy right now if you can't tell."
"Yes, Ma'am!" The man saluted sloppily, hastily, before running away again.
"I'm sorry", Miriam said to Mewtwo once the man had gone. "Let's continue."
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what was the purpose of my creation?
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Ash shivered, unable to focus on the interaction any longer and dropping down onto his back, breathing hard. His arms and legs were tingling, feeling slowly returning to them, and he managed to roll around onto his stomach. His eyes caught something blue and familiar in the corner of the room, and he set his jaw, got his elbows under him and crawled towards it.
"Lucario", he whispered.
Ash!
Lucario was awake, slumped slightly against the wall but not completely out of it. It reached towards Ash, and once they were close enough to each other, it grasped his head between its palms and pushed their foreheads together.
I was worried, it murmured, holding him tightly. I saw you in that tank, Ash. Are you alright? When I was in there, I felt like I was slowly dying.
"I'm alright, Lucario", Ash sighed, closing his eyes briefly. It felt good to be held by it.
I am glad.
Ash got his knees under him, suddenly feeling stronger. And that was when realized Lucario was sharing its aura with him, donating him bits of something he'd almost lost completely. And Ash panicked.
"Wait", he yelped, grabbing both Lucario's hands and pushing them away from his face. "D-don't. Don't give me too much."
Lucario was weak, too. It had also been drained.
I have plenty left, Lucario assured. I wasn't there for long. Not as long as you were.
"It's too risky", Ash argued, breath caught in his throat, and he let go of Lucario completely, shuffling back until they were no longer touching. "I-I'm gonna get better. Don't worry about me. When this is over, I'm gonna recover on my own."
You feel hazy, Lucario said, and it frowned deeply. They took too much. You will only keep weakening unless I help you.
Ash shook his head. Even after all these years, the way Lucario had faded into nothingness while saving Mew was still clear in his mind.
"I can't risk it", he said, soft and terrified.
Mewtwo's voice broke through his consciousness once again.
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you created me for slavery?
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It was speaking to Miriam. The lab staff had fled, and the hunter stood there alone, facing Mewtwo on her own. There was one pokemon at her side, but Ash couldn't quite make out what it was. Her other hand was palming something small and blue behind her back – maybe a poke ball.
"No, you misunderstood!" she exclaimed. "You wouldn't be my slave. You'd be my partner."
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partner?
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"Together, we'd be unstoppable", Miriam continued, a manic glint in her eyes. "I could show you what you're really capable of!"
Ash waved his hand at Lucario, silently asking it to follow, and started crawling towards the exit. His sticky palms and knees dug into the shards on the floor, but he ignored the sharp stings of pain and kept going, all his blurry focus trained on the path ahead.
Let me help you, Lucario offered, but Ash batted its reaching hand away.
"I can manage", he forced out between huffs of strained breath.
They reached the doorway and slipped through it. The corridor was empty, so Ash took a moment to rest and leaned against the wall, grimacing hard. His vision was swimming. He really just wanted to lay down and sleep. He really needed to sleep, but he wasn't sure whether he would wake up again if he did.
Suddenly, something slipped through the doorway after them. It floated closer, gentle and feather light, and landed on Ash's lap.
"Mew", Ash whispered in awe.
The pokemon meowed softly. One of its paws curled around Ash's fingers, and the other one reached for Lucario, and between one breath and the next, it blinked them out of existence.
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They reappeared outside of the building and landed onto a heap on the front lawn. The ground was sloped, and Ash found himself rolling down a hill, the world hurtling by him in a flurry of lights and color. Finally, he ended up onto his back, lightheaded and stunned.
"Ash!" someone yelled.
Ash stared up into the sky. It was sunset, he noticed. A beautiful, cloudless evening.
"Ash!" a voice shouted in his ear, and then there were arms all over him, shaking and prodding. "Ash, are you okay?"
Absentmindedly, Ash nodded. "Yeah."
"Oh, my gods. Look! He's all slimy! What happened?"
That was May. Ash felt a smile stretching across his face. That was May!
"May?" he whispered, and she appeared above him, wide eyes gazing down at him.
"Oh, Ash", she breathed, and then someone else took over, someone with bigger, rougher hands.
"I got him, May. Go, let's regroup at the truck."
"Right!"
May's soft hands left his face, and Ash instantly missed the contact.
"Are you injured?" Brock's voice asked. "Can I move you?"
Ash shook his head and then nodded, and then forced himself to focus. "I'm… okay. Just tired."
"Tobias!" Brock shouted. "Help me move Ash!"
Tobias? Ash wondered. If Tobias was there, then Max must've been safe too. And that meant…
"…Pikachu?" he rasped, frantic suddenly, grasping Brock by the sleeve.
Brock took his hand in his, rubbing warmth into his fingers. "Pikachu's fine. All your pokemon are waiting with Kellyn and Nurse Joy a bit farther back. They're all okay."
Ash slumped back down. "Oh, that's good…"
"Yeah", Brock said, and didn't let go of his hand. "Take it easy now."
Another person appeared over him, his tall form dark against the evening sky.
"How is he?" Tobias asked, crouching down next to Brock.
"Exhausted", Brock said. "I don't know much else than that. Let's move him away from the building."
Tobias took his legs and Brock grabbed him under his arms, and they heaved him into the air. Ash craned his head around trying to get an idea of what was going on, but it was quite dark and there were people and pokemon running around everywhere, yelling various things.
"What's happening?" he muttered. "Where're Mew and Lucario?"
"Mew and Lucario?" Brock asked blankly, and alarm bells started ringing in Ash's head.
"They were with me just minutes ago!" Ash exclaimed, twisting around in Brock's hold, making him yelp. "They're hurt- They're really hurt too! I gotta find them!"
"Hey!" Brock huffed, tightening his grasp.
"We gotta go back!" Ash said frantically, flailing around a bit. "Let me go back!"
"Ash!" Brock snapped. "We can't go back! This is battle zone between Team Enigma, the G-men and Hunter J's gang! We need to get away from here as quickly as possible!"
That made Ash shut up. "Battle zone?" he repeated, tone hollow.
"The G-men have raided this place to take down Team Enigma for good. Additionally – as you know – Hunter J's gang is here as well for the Mew. It's utter chaos right now. But-" Tobias said and grunted, hoisting him up a little. "We can tell you more details later. I'll go look for Mew and Lucario once you're out of the way."
Ash finally went limp in their arms. He stared up to the sky. "They created Mewtwo", he told them quietly.
Both Brock and Tobias stumbled, nearly dropping him. "What?" Tobias rasped. "During these two days?"
"Uhuh", Ash said, gaze vacant. "I helped them do it."
"Where is it now?" Brock asked with concern. "Ash, where did Mewtwo go?"
"I dunno", Ash muttered. He could still feel the weight of its glare against his skin. "It was pretty mad at us."
Tobias and Brock kept their pace up, but they were both silent for a while. Ash knew they were communicating over him without words.
"I'll take him the rest of the way", Brock said then. "Tobias, go find Lance and warn him and the others about this as fast as you can!"
Ash let them maneuver him onto Brock's back. He draped his arms around Brock's shoulders and Brock supported his legs, and then they were off again.
"This is bad", Brock said to him sharply. "The last Mewtwo we met…"
"I know", Ash muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm sorry. It was too late to stop it."
Brock bounced him gently. "Hey! Whatever happened, it wasn't your-"
He suddenly yelled, startled, throwing himself to the side. A wall of fire whooshed past them, just inches away, and Brock went stumbling down onto the grass. He groaned in pain as his knees took the brunt of the impact, but he held tightly onto Ash and managed to keep him on his back. Ash whipped his head around in shock and saw a familiar figure advance towards them with a heatran at his side.
"Oh, here you are", Dirk chuckled. "Found you, Ash."
Brock struggled back to his feet, turning so his body was between Ash and the hunter.
"What do you want?" he snapped in a low voice, and Ash had almost never heard him sound so mad. "Give it up already! Can't you see it's over already?"
"I don't think so", Dirk smirked. "Heatran, use magma storm!"
Brock was moving before Ash could even think to react. He threw out a poke ball, yelling. "Water gun, Mudkip!"
The two attacks collided, and Brock hobbled back, away from the impact zone. "You okay?" he asked over his shoulder, and Ash nodded.
"Mudkip-!" Brock began, but then there was another person next to them, taking control of the situation.
"You two, get back!" Officer Jenny ordered, stepping towards Dirk. "This one works for Pokemon Hunter J, one of the most notorious hunters in Sinnoh. I'm going to take him down right now!"
"Officer Jenny?" Dirk yelped. "First the G-men and now the cops are here too? What the hell is going on?"
"We alerted everyone", Brock said evenly. "After you kidnapped our friends… and after we heard about Hunter J's plan to infiltrate Enigma headquarters and capture Mew back, we knew it would be the perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone, so to say."
"Today is going to mark the end of both your and Team Enigma's operations", Officer Jenny announced, and her growlithe barked sternly as if to vouch her words.
Dirk looked around in bewilderment. "Boss, could I get some help here?"
Brock adjusted Ash on his back, tensing a little as a salamence landed on the grass behind Dirk. It was Hunter J, and she looked completely done with the situation.
"Dirk", she called from the top of her pokemon. "I suppose this is the end of our deal."
Dirk turned on his heels, staring up at his boss. "The end of- b-boss, what do you mean?!"
Hunter J rolled her eyes. "I was always prepared to get out the minute you turned out to be more trouble than you're worth. Goodbye."
"B-but", Dirk stammered, utterly dumbstruck.
Ash could not believe this was the same man who had attacked him just this morning. He looked so pathetic that Ash almost felt bad for him.
"Hey, wait!" Officer Jenny yelped, but the salamence was already in the air, speeding away and taking Hunter J with it.
"Boss!" Dirk screamed. "No, J, wait!"
"You better go now", Officer Jenny said to Ash and Brock. "I'll handle the rest of this."
She turned back to face the horrified hunter. "Right. Dirk, was it? Let's see what you're made of."
Brock thanked her quickly and started jogging away. "We're almost there", he said to Ash. "We've got clean clothes and food for you. You're gonna be okay."
They could hear Dirk's defeated wails fade into the background as they got farther and farther away from him. Too exhausted to really feel any joy about his downfall, Ash buried his face into the crook of Brock's neck and hoped, hoped that he was right.