Author's Note: Three was one chapter too many for a training arc, so we're doing a time skip to the action. Besides, it's more fun to show y'all the results of training. DBZ or Yu Yu Hakusho style, you know?

Also surprised no one caught onto the twist at the end I've been building up to.

Updated Team list at the end.

Chapter 20: The Island of Doctor Fuji

The rain beat down but Hannibal's Tailwind kept any of it from breaking through to pelt his hide or soak me to the bones. We were already circling New Island to come in for a landing. The last month and change of sparring and training had gone well, I thought to myself as I glanced over and saw Ash and Misty flying next to us within the Tailwind on the recently evolved Pidgeot who was using their own move to further support Hannibal's control of the skies.

Brock was having the time of his life getting the closest look he'd ever been allowed of Hannibal as he rode behind me.

As we landed I grudgingly accepted that the castle was quite impressive. I'm not even sure what type of architecture style to ascribe to it, with the wind turbines on the towers, the spiraling nature of those towers, and the odd elongated arches, it was abundantly clear an inhuman intelligence is what conceived of this project.

Fergus, the bulky trainer with the water pokemon as well as his own nidoqueen was there already as we let ourselves in. I nodded at him as we took our seats.

The Grand Hall was a large space as befitted the name, I leerily looked over the strange spiraling pillars that I knew were there to suck up our pokemon with Mewtwo's strange poaching pokeballs. Honestly, Mewtwo could make a killing if Silph Co would give him a job. Proof of concept with his clones and those pokeballs would get him a researcher position faster than you could say bidoof!

Why bidoof? I'm unclear on that myself but seeing as my knee was bouncing up and down at the time I'm going to assume I was quite nervous here waiting for this highly anticipated (in a very not good way) event to commence.

"Are you really this nervous for a tournament? Have you not done one before? I know you only had like the one real gym battle." Misty tried not to let her bias against the way Pokemon Tech kids had a reputation of not being fully prepared for the full tournament setting and getting knocked out before the preliminaries were over their first year, but it still bled through.

"No…" I shook my head at her question, "There's something wrong about this entire set up. We should be on guard. I thought we'd be fighting on the island, sure, but none of the surveys have a castle of all things here."

So that was a filthy lie, but no worse than any of the others I had spoken over the last year. It was…truth adjacent to prepare them for the inevitable.

That caused Misty to begin glaring around at the setting in suspicion. She wasn't subtle, either.

This was also when Corey and Neesha arrived in quick succession. They took their seats and let their pokemon out as well.

It was surprising to me how much of my Kantoan pokemon I had in common with the other New Island trainers. I had honestly forgotten or not had a vision regarding some of the ground types on display such as the rhyhorn and nidoqueen. And I didn't remember the scyther and sandslash at all.

I fiddled with the antique pokeball around my neck as we waited for Mewtwo's appearance and Ash and company chatted with the competition. Ash's wartortle was sizing up Neesha's blastoise appreciatively and Neesha herself was hammering Ash with questions over how he had gotten a dragonair.

The fact that Ash had managed to catch the dratini who I am very certain based on having gotten it from an island after a dragonite saved him from a capsized tour boat during the giant tentacruel attack on Porto Vista that it was the same pokemon that would later grow into his world championship dragonite had been a major surprise for myself as well. It had evolved into its current dragonair form during our weeks of training. Specifically during a light training in dragon-type energy with Sharazad.

Ash let very little slip actually, only saying that a dragonite had saved them from a shipwreck and had wanted him to take their child with him on his journey after. Very mature. Even if he had said it loudly and waved his arms around like a maniac.

But that was neither here, nor there, as I came out of my musings Mewtwo revealed himself from his "disguise" and began his challenges. Things proceeded similarly to my fragmented dreams, both the blastoise and the venusaur were quickly handled by the clones.

However, before Ash could battle the charizard I stepped forward, "Mewtwo, a moment of your time before we proceed?" I called out.

The genetically modified being turned glowing purple eyes to me, "Curious. Speak, human."

"I have been investigating Giovanni and the Viridian City Gym for some time, and recently I have presented my findings to the League and was tasked with determining where the unknown pokemon he used in his gym challenges disappeared to. From your meager details in your story I am presuming that you were that pokemon?"

"Indeed, I was. But no more! I am no longer a slave to you humans, to be used to meet your petty goals!"

"Good, good, I wouldn't want you to be. The only pokemon that should be working with us are those that choose us as partners." I gestured at the two pokemon I had out of their pokeballs, Cleo and Estella, "All of my partners know they are free to return to their location of choosing should they ever no longer wish to follow me, I know that you will not find that believable, thinking them coerced through the bread and circuses of the human world. But it is the truth and what I believe should be the standard, what many humans believe should be the standard."

"If you do not think I will believe your claims, which I do not as they are ridiculous, why state them?"

"Because, Mewtwo. I know that Ash Ketchum's charizard will beat your clone. It has trained rigorously with my own pokemon for the last few months and I believe in their bond they have developed. If Charizard beats your clone, you will hear out my offer from the League and give it good faith consideration!"

Mewtwo looked so much stranger and more alien in person than it had in my dreams. The ridge above his eyes made them look sunken and sallow, the extra piping jutting out from the base of his skull that looped around and connected lower on his spine was off putting as his head swiveled taking in the scene, and the unearthly glow of his psychically empowered eyes made my own spine shiver in some kind of primal fear. Only a light rippling of my own shadow calmed my nerves as I delivered my wager.

"Very well, I will hear out your offer should this…Ash Ketchum," He practically sneered the name, which was impressive to manage that level of inflection with telepathic messaging, "Manage to defeat my own charizard. But I make no promises of my response."

And with that Ash called out his charizard with much bravado to begin the duel.

Working with my pokemon, particularly Shahrazad and Hannibal, had deepened Charizard's move pool from what it normally would have been so early after evolution.

While he could have answered the Flamethrower from the clone with his own, Ash commanded him to instead meet it with a Dragon Breath learned from Shahrazad, the move would not be resisted by the opposing monster and the draconic energies were tightly packed and prone to stunning opponents.

In fact after the third such strafing exchange by the combatants the clone seized up, for just a moment, but that was all Ash needed to push an advantage.

"Wing Attack!" Ash called out, finally having memorized his type match-ups he knew that flying-type did not resist itself. Charizard darted in to bring the match to his true strength, physical combat.

Wing Attacks and Slashes were unleashed on the clone in brutal combinations, not allowing it a moment to breathe. However, it did eventually come to its senses and was capable of fighting back. In close quarters the bulky clone preferred grapples and bites, and the fight became a veritable bloodbath, certainly the bloodiest fight I had seen in person to this date.

"I don't like this," Brock stated, "They are fighting more like wild charizard competing for dominance of a flight!"

Misty had even covered her eyes, "Tell me when it's over."

I gritted my teeth, I was still fairly certain Ash was winning…but…

"Ash!" I called out, "End it now, finish it!"

Ash's eyes lit up in recognition, "SEISMIC TOSS!" He called out just as Charizard hooked the clone with another Slash attack, with a feral grin Charizard transitioned the hook into a grapple under the wings of the clone. They spun up and then around and plummeted down. The clone was body slammed by Charizard into the dirt below. Both struggled, but only Ash's charizard stood tall, with a roar he sent a final gout of flame into the sky.

"That was amazing, Charizard! You deserve a rest!" Ash returned his champion and I turned towards Mewtwo, repressing a smirk.

"Well, Mewtwo, will you hear my offer?"

I wasn't sure of the range of facial expressions normal for Mewtwo, but I was fairly certain a displeased frown was on his face.

"Speak."

My shadow fluttered and barely stopped that word from hitting me like a command. Allowing me to marshal my thoughts coherently instead of having words come tumbling out in a babble.

"The Pokemon League would like you to partner with us to bring Giovanni in for his crimes. He only just a few days ago escaped a raid on the Viridian City Gym, we would like you to help us bring down Team Rocket. Hopefully this would appeal to you, as he mistreated you horribly, and allow you to learn more about how normal society is not so bad as the Team Rocket who funded your creation."

"You offer me revenge? In hopes that I will come to trust you? Such blatant manipulation."

"No, Mewtwo!" I firmly called back across the room, "I offer you closure on the worst the world has to offer and exposure to the best of it!"

A condescending laugh echoed through all of our minds, causing everyone else to stumble as I barely resisted through gritted teeth and a ripple of my shadow.

"Let's settle this the way your 'best of society' does then! Impress me in a battle…with myself."

And without any warning he threw a blasted Shadow Ball right at me.

"GOL!" A cry screeched out as the lumbering form of my giant golurk shot out of my shadow and with a shining fist punched the ghostly orb mid-air, shattering it.

Blood and adrenaline pumped through my veins as I turned to Mewtwo with a grin, "I wouldn't have it any other way, kick his ass, Mr. Darcy!"

My golurk's legs faded from view and he began hovering with his main thruster. He rocketed forward with both fists glowing with ghostly energies.

I saw Mewtwo's eyes widen for the briefest second before he teleported out of the way of the one-two combination aimed straight for his head.

What followed was a terrifying game of cat and mouse. With Mewtwo actually being put on the back foot as the mouse at the start.

With Mr. Darcy I had traded versatility for type-coverage. He knew every single punching attack he could learn, giving him amazing elemental coverage, but that meant he had no long range capabilities except for fading out and back in with Phantom Force. He didn't even have a STAB ground-type move due to this. He could punch and body slam with multiple elements and he had his mobility skill with Phantom Force, but that was it.

We weren't landing enough hits, however, those we did land were both super-effective and were weakening Mewtwo's hold on his impressive psychic powers with the introduction of clinging ghostly distortion.

And then Mewtwo teleported high up into the soaring ceiling, formed a spherical psychic barrier around himself, and then his entire body glowed with Recover.

"No!" I called out, "Phantom Force, get up there!"

But the damage was done, just as a Shadow Punch shattered the Barrier, Mewtwo's eyes snapped open and a wave of pure Psychic rippled out and slammed Mr. Darcy into the ceiling, and before he could fade away into another Phantom Force, Mewtwo formed a Shadow Ball and as if he were spiking a volleyball, slammed it into Mr. Darcy's torso.

The ghostly light of Mr. Darcy's eyes faded away into unconsciousness, and I returned him to his Dusk Ball as he fell from the sky.

Licking my lips I fingered my other pokeballs on my belt as Cleo tried to step forward with a growl, that was not a good match-up, I didn't have many good match-ups left actually.

And then, just as I was about to enlarge the Dusk Ball holding Hannibal, my body froze. Without Mr. Darcy to protect me with distortional energy, I was completely at Mewtwo's mercy.

"Enough!" His telepathic voice hammered about in my skull. "A good match, but not impressive enough! You thought a type-advantage and brute force could match me? Pathetic."

I felt my body lift up into the air a few inches, "Now, I shall take all of your poor pokemon for my own and create a perfect clone army to replace them. And then I shall strip all you know of this Team Rocket from your mind and have my own crusade."

And I felt him start to push into my mind, frantically I tried to hide the memories of my dreams.

I wasn't fast enough.

"What? What is this?" Confusion echoed about as Mewtwo caught an image of Mew interfering in one of my dreams.

However, before he could delve deeper a pink light instead began to emit from the large antique pokeball around my neck in rippling waves. Breaking his hold on me and allowing me to fall back to the ground, quickly collapsing to my hands and knees.

A shimmering pink Light Screen appeared in front of me and the pokeball detached from its chain and floated forward. Growing first, then beginning to fold out into a form.

A form of a clockwork, bunny-eared, pokemon seemingly sculpted as a child in a poofy antique dress.

"LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!"

A new telepathic voice joined the conversation. The voice of Ozma, the Magearna I had procured through Samson Oak from an Alolan antique shop and had studiously and lovingly repaired over the past two months.

Isaac's Team:

Nidoqueen- Cleo

Marowak- Estella

Rhyhorn- Alberich

Quagsire- Huckleberry

Piloswine- Alexei

Alolan Sandshrew- Brinker

Kleavor- Artagnan

G-Meowth- Rum Tum

Aerodactyl- Hannibal

Krookorok- Lyle

Kabutops- Axel

Omastar- Grauben

Giant Golurk- Mr. Darcy

Magearna- Ozma