Pokémon Trainer Hero
Chapter 56: Aftermath
Gar eventually opened his eyes after a long while of being in the darkness. It was a hard task, but he eventually managed to pry his eyelids open, and when he did the first thing he saw when awoke was the bright sight of a pure white ceiling and ceiling fan to compliment. He didn't even need to feel around himself to know he had been once again stripped and put into a hospital gown. After a few minutes of trying, he eventually found his voice again and strained to use it for the sole purpose of complaining.
"Why do I have strong Deja vu?", Gar moaned as he rubbed his head and tried to roll over.
"Probably because you do.", a familiar female voice answers him.
Without moving he replied, "Hey Chiyo. What happened this time?"
"Your right arm broke in several different spots, along with severe bruising on your neck, abdomen, chest, head, and a very slight concussion.", the old woman quickly listed off his ailments.
"Thank Giovanni for that.", he groaned with a growl while looking at his once broken arm, which was now bound in a cast.
"When you came in, the bones in your arm had been reset and put in a splint. Which I find odd.", Chiyo continued with confusion.
"That was Mewtwo.", Gar informed her.
The old woman laughed and said, "Quite handy for a mutant brain cat."
"Chiyo.", Gar scolded her in a dangerous tone.
"Sorry sorry.", she apologized while waving her hand.
Gar looked over at the wall clock, seeing it was mid-evening, and asked, "How long was I out this time?"
"The better part of a day, and not by any medically induced coma this time. You're nearly ready to leave.", she informed him with a calm tone.
"So what happened?", Gar immediately asked.
"You broke your arm sweetie.", she reiterated.
Gar groaned while slapping his head with his good hand and firmly corrected himself, "I meant after everything else. What happened to Team Rocket, Giovanni, my Pokemon, the Heroes, and even the students?"
Recovery Girl hopped off her stool and took to checking Gar over as she replied an explanation, "That Giovanni person got blasted to near oblivion by your Mewtwo and ended up retreating with only a few of his blimps and lackeys. Most of them were captured alongside their Pokemon with only a small handful escaping. All your Pokemon are accounted for, the students are all safe with only minor injuries, but the heroes present are a different story.", Gar sucked air through his teeth as Recovery Girl looked through his eyes. "As you've said, many of them were underprepared to handle Pokemon and many of them are badly injured with only a few walking away unscathed. Even All Might is still recovering from the toxins of those Muk's.", she finished up her explanation while taking her clipboard and writing her findings down.
"I was afraid you were going to say that.", Gar complained while burying his hand into his face. After he pulled them away he asked, "What did I do wrong?", Chiyo stopped her scribbling and listened to the young man's plights. "I tried so hard to prepare for something like this and everything still goes downhill. I'm just hard at being good?", He asked, stressed while looking at the ceiling with watery eyes.
Recovery Girl shook her head and patted his shoulder. She told him, "Don't beat yourself up too much about stuff like that. It's not your fault entirely. In a way, it's all our fault. We rushed this whole thing and didn't think things through despite the possible outcome.", he hopped back on her stool and recorded all her findings on the computer as she spoke. "We were only looking at the image of our school instead of the bigger picture.", she sympathized with him.
Gar rolled his eyes and made an annoyed sound in his throat before telling her back, "Oh please Chiyo, no one, not even I could have predicted that Giovanni and Team Rocket of all scum would burst from the ether. But that still makes me wonder.", this made the old woman stop typing and look at the young man. "If Giovanni is back, who else is too? I know for a fact that at least a few evil Teams from my world still have a score to settle with me.", he told her with a visible shudder.
Recovery Girl sighed and hopping off her stool she marched over to the door while telling him, "Well don't stress yourself out thinking about something like that now. For now, you have a few visitors."
"Is it the entirety of 1-A again?", Gar asked exasperated, completely not in the mood for another surprise get-well party.
Chiyo shook her head as she grabbed the handle and told him, "Not this time. Just two."
She quickly swung the door open and floated a very familiar Pokemon.
Gar's eyes widened with excitement and trying to sit up he exclaimed with excitement, "Mewtwo! Oh man, am I glad to see you again! Are you okay?"
Gar nearly doubled over from sitting up so quickly, and the Pokémon had to use its psychic powers to help him. Once in a more comfortable position he better the Pokémon's bald head and the Pokémon reciprocated by nudging in deeper to the affection. Once pulled away, Mewtwo then glared over at Recovery Girl and the old woman rolled her eyes at the pseudo god.
"Fine fine, I'll let you have some privacy. You can come in as well.", she walked out the door while waving for someone else to come in.
Once the elderly hero left, a much younger person stepped in. One that Gar immediately recognized and greeted with a confusing statement.
"Izuku?"
"Hey Gar, how are you doing?", Izuku asked him nervously.
Gar took a moment before he spoke, looked down at his arm, and slightly holding it up jokes, "Um, still broken."
Recovery Girl quickly poked her head in one last time to say, "You have 15 minutes and then you have to go, both of you."
Izuku nodded with a fearful sweat drop, while Mewtwo only growled and glared at her harder. Once she was completely gone, everything settled down and the conversation continued.
"I'm glad to see you two okay, though why are you here, especially you Mewtwo. My memory is only fuzzy until the part when Giovanni held me hostage and you blasted all of us out of the stadium. And I'm pretty sure that I released you, so what gives?", he asked the freed legendary.
Mewtwo said nothing in reply and simply placed something on Gar's covered lap. He picks up the object in his good hand and his eyes go wide with shock and amazement! It's a shiny Master Ball that looks fresh from the conveyor belt.
"Is this…no way. How did you, wait…..Giovanni had extras, didn't he? So you wanna-.", he babbles about until his brain finally puts it all together.
The Pokémon still says nothing but nods its head.
Gar's eyes go watery again and he says through a choked voice, "Mewtwo I-I don't know what to say."
"I think you should take him back. He wants to.", Izuku offers from the sideline, feeling like a third wheel.
Gar smiles at this and clicks the ball to life, he holds it out in front of the Pokémon, who taps the button once more with his finger, and instantly the Pokémon is converted into energy and absorbed into the device. It's closed with the Pokémon's matter inside and then sake's once, twice, and thrice. Then it finally clicks and sparkles.
Gar held the ball up to his forehead and whispered, "Welcome back, my friend."
As Gar does this, Izuku pulls out two other Pokéballs and sets them on the bed while saying, "Also he wanted to give you these as well."
Gar takes the ball from his head and glances at the two new Pokéball's in his lap. The first one was another Master Ball, to his surprise. He briefly wondered just how many of those Giovanni had in stock? Then he looks at the other one and almost has to do a double-take when he sees what it was. It was a Thief ball, but not just any, it was the one that kept that poor Mewtwo that Giovanni created!
"Wait a sec….is this-?", Gar asks, completely baffled.
Izuku nods his head and Gar states at the ball for several seconds in disbelief with his mouth wide open. After a bit of silent ogling, Izuku finally pipes up to speak.
"So what are you gonna do?", he asked Gar.
Gar gripped the Thief ball in his hand and with a determined glare, he said, "I'm gonna do something that should've been done long ago. But first I need to get outside."
Gar immediately threw off the covers and swung his legs out before jumping straight up without any thought or hesitation!
Izuku's heart nearly leaped from his body at this sudden act and he tried to grab Gar while exclaiming, "WOAH! Hang on a second you're still not….."
Unfortunately, Gar still wasn't in control of his body and he ended up on the path for a face plant that Izuku was underprepared to catch! Formally, the master ball containing Mewtwo suddenly burst open by itself and out-formed the very same Pokemon who immediately used his psychic powers to grab Gar mid-fall! Keeping the young man suspended long enough for everyone to settle down.
Gar sighed with relief and said, "Thanks Mewtwo."
To which the Pokemon rolled his eyes at Gar and his ridiculousness. Gar then quickly briefed the two on his plan and the Pokemon used his powers to carry Gar outside while Izuku shouted around for Recovery Girl. Luckily the old woman was thoroughly distracted with her tea break, so they were able to leave the medical wing and school with ease. Once outside on the grassy field, Mewtwo carefully set Gar on his feet while Izuku helped steady him. Once Gar could stand on his own, he took a deep breath and grabbed the Thief ball from his sling.
He turned to Izuku and asked, "So have you guys hacked it yet?"
Izuku awkwardly rubbed his head as he explained, "Well…..no one knows really how to. Hatsume tried to tinker around with it but we stopped her before she could break it."
"That would be bad.", Gar stated with a pale expression.
"Kinda thought you knew.", Izuku hoped.
Gar took a moment to think, snapped his finger, and asked, "You got my phone?"
"Yeah, but Rotom's not in it. He's doing some cyber stuff with the school.", Izuku explained while taking Gar's phone from his back pocket.
"All I need is the phone.", Gar told him boldly while taking it in his good hand.
He then opened a strange app and tried to balance the Thief ball and the phone on one hand. Mewtwo quickly came to his aid and held up both items with his mind. With the Thief ball sitting on the screen and the phone at a comfortable height, Gar began to use his good hand to start rapidly typing.
After a few minutes of watching this happen, Izuku finally asked, "What are you doing?"
"I have an app that can temporarily hack Pokeballs.", gar told him without looking up from the screen.
"There's an app for that?", Izuku asked back with a mix of shock and exasperation at the 'there's an app for everything.
"Yeah but it's illegal. I was given it by the government for special reasons.", he once again briefly and vaguely told Izuku without looking up from the screen. Making Izuku gives him a strange look. "It's usually really hard to hack a normal Pokeball, but a Thief ball is another story.", he explained further, and even more vaguely.
Seeing as Izuku was far along into confusion and disbelief, Gar's sweatdropped and explained more thoroughly, "A normal Pokeball is used for full security once a Pokemon is caught. Using a specific trainer's ID to encrypt it so theft isn't possible. Thief balls break this rule by overwriting the current trainer ID with their own, allowing capture to be possible. Thief balls use so much in hacking that they have almost no security. So all I have to do isssssssssssss done!"
The screen on the phone glowed green and Gar took the Thief ball in hand. He set it to release and freed the Mewtwo within. Once the Mewtwo was manifested into the world, the Thief ball shattered into pieces. The new Mewtwo stood with its back turned towards the group with its eyes closed. It slowly opened its eyes and looked around, feeling a sense of clarity for the first time in a long time, and seeing things for the first time. Grass, trees, the sky, wind, the sun. No more cramped, smelly, and dark laboratory.
Then the Pokemon noticed three presences behind it. It turned around and saw Izuku, Gar, and Gar's Mewtwo standing behind it. For a moment the Pokemon was confused by their appearance and wondered what was going on, and why it seemed to remember both Gar and his Mewtwo? They didn't seem hostile, but then the Pokemon noticed something sitting inside of Gar's sling, a new Master Ball! The Pokemon immediately freaked out and fleas without hesitation, taking itself high into the air and quickly dipping over the horizon!
Izuku had tried to run after and called to the frightened Pokemon, "Wait! WAIT! Don't run! We just wanna-."
But he was stopped by Gar who grabbed his shirt and said in a calm yet firm tone, "It's okay Izuku, let'em go. It's for the best. If I had immediately recaptured him right after being released, it would have reinforced its thoughts on humans and been harder to train."
Izuku let go of his tension as Gar released him and looked to the sky where Mewtwo vanished from sight. He looked back to Gar and asked with a worried expression, "Are you sure that was such a good idea? I mean it's a synthetic superweapon pseudo god, is releasing it the best course of action?"
Gar gave a complacent nod and replied, "Don't worry, Mewtwo are known for their solitary nature. It'll just find a nice place to hide from….everything. Mewtwo just needs time to rest and acclimate its lost mind."
Izuku looked at Gar's statement strangely and said back while pointing, "But I thought Mewtwo was just fine, I mean he decided to stay with you."
Both Mewtwo and Gar looked at Izuku with equally strange expressions, but both quickly realized his verbal confusion, Gar quickly corrected himself saying, "No no no, not my Mewtwo, the other one. The Mewtwo, the Mewthree, the….uh…..I need to think up a name to keep things organized.", Gar only thought about this for a second and gave up. He looked at Izuku with a sigh and asked him, "Naming isn't one of my strong suits, you got anything?"
Izuku only has to put on his thinking cap for a minute before an idea came to mind, and he told Gar, suggesting, "How about…..Nova."
"Nova?", Gar repeated the name.
"Yeah, like HyperNova. While your Mewtwo is all about raw power, Nova is more about explosive controlled power.", the teen explained.
"Nova…..I like it! In that case, when the time comes to find them again they'll be called Nova.", Gar finalized proudly.
"When will that be?", Izuku asked.
Gar looks out towards the sky where Nova took off and said with a whimsical distant tone, "Sometime in the future. For now, Nova needs space and time. They've been through so much."
As they all look out to the sky, out to Nova, out towards the future, a calm set before them in the now they were experiencing. However, this peace was quickly broken by a very familiar and very angry, and very old voice.
"And so have you, now back to bed!", yelled Recovery Girl from behind them, making all three of them jump!
All three said nothing as Gar and Izuku bower to the old woman while Mewtwo lifted the teen off the ground and back to the medical wing, where he was deposited back in his bed.
Once they were all settled back into the room and far from Recovery Girl's ire, Izuku nervously stood by Gats bee while fiddling his fingers. Gar noticed that Izuku had something else for him and prompted him about it.
"Sooooooooooo I'm guessing you didn't come all the way here just for Mewtwo and Nova, right?", Gar questioned the teen.
Izuku gave a slight nod and replied, "Yeah, you're right. I came to give something back to you."
Gar raised skeptical eyebrows and asked, "Give back to me? But I don't remember lending anything to you? Did you take something and didn't tell me…..me…..?", Gar was cut off the mid statement as something small and metal was quickly dropped into his lap. Confused, Har picked it up and saw it was the Champion medal he gave to Izuku after their 1v1 battle. Making a weird face while looking between the item and the teen, he said, "Uh, Izuku, why are you giving this back to me? It's yours, you've earned it, you won the-."
Yet again Izuku cut him off and firmly stated, "No. No, I didn't.", this made Gar close his mouth as the young teen took a shaky breath before speaking. "I…I know you threw the battle for me.", he suddenly told him.
Gar felt the hair on his neck rise with stress and worry, his pupils dilated, and his body went warm! How had he been found so quickly!? Was it that obvious? He had to play it cool for now.
So Far waved his hand, blew a raspberry, and said, "What?! What are you saying? Don't be ridiculous, I didn't do that! Sure I went a bit easy on you in the first half but after that, it was all you and-."
However, yet again, Izuku cut him off, but in a much louder tone this time, nearly on the verge of yelling as he exclaimed, "Stop!...just please….stop, I know you're lying to me. You weren't just holding back 'a bit' you partially threw the whole battle for me, even when Mewtwo Mega Evolved. I know I didn't win that on my own accord, you made it easy for me. I know I never would have won that fight realistically, I should've been defeated before you got your second Pokemon on the field.", he rants away while Gar stays quiet and Mewtwo sticks to the side.
Izuku takes a deep breath to calm himself and then asks with a shaky tone, "So all I wanna know…..why? Why did you do it? Why did you trick me?! Did you think it was funny?! Was it a prank or something?! Are…..are you my friend?", at this point, Izuku was already crying.
Gar had to put a stop to this and holding up his good hand he exclaimed, "Woah Woah Woah! Izuku, stop right there! I never thought it was funny or a prank or anything like that! And of course, you're my friend!"
Izuku tried to wipe his face and then demanded back, "Then why did you do that!? Why? WHY!? Is all you said to me before, with Kacchan and my self-worth and healing, just talk?! Were you just making fun of me like everyone used to before?"
Gar felt his face go white and his stomach drop at the question. His brain buzzed and he tried to think of something to say, but only gibberish "No! I-it's just-you see it's-I was only….", eventually he gave up on excuses and decided to face the music. With a loud sigh, he dropped his head in shame and apologetically told him, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, you're right. That was a dirty underhanded thing for me to do. Even if I would have beaten you quickly, I shouldn't have held back and thrown the match just for your sake."
"My sake?", Izuku asked back accusingly.
Gar suck in air at his stupid wording and tried to collect himself by explaining, "Look, this isn't an excuse for my action, but I do have a reason for doing what I did.", Izuku said nothing in reply but gave him a look that said he'd listen. Gar took a breath and started from the beginning. "Back when I was your age, hell, even younger, I set out on my Pokemon adventure. I never really had a dream to 'be the very best. I had something else I wanted, but the road I took was a very hard one to take. It was miserable! I was alone and I got my butt handed to me more times than I can count. I was getting beat by wild Pokemon for Lugia's sake! I…", Gar trailed off as his voice began to sound shaky and uncertain. "I wanted to give up so many, many times. Cause I felt like that no matter what I did or how hard I tried, there'd be something standing in my way, preventing me from taking that first step I needed! I….I felt like I was falling back further and further, every time I stood up.", Gar had to stop again to compose himself, and didn't notice when Izuku was staring at him with wide and concerned eyes. "At one point I just wanted to lay down and give up altogether…..I felt like mud. Even if someone was there for me…..it wasn't for long, and I'd feel like I was at square one again.", this time a year roller down his face, and he quickly wiped it away before continuing, as Izuku started on with bated breath and watery eyes "I felt this way up to the point I became an adult. And to be honest, that feeling still hasn't completely left me. I know it's there, waiting to rear its ugly head. That's why I tried so hard to be on top from my first victory. To block out that feeling.", he finally finished his story while grabbing at the bedding.
He took another long minute to compose himself and wipe away the stray tears before he could continue. Even Izuku had to hold back his choking sobs to undoubtedly let him finish up.
Once he could speak again, Gar told him, "That's why I threw that battle for you Izuku. You and I are so much alike in many ways it's almost kinda frightening. I know you've been through an experience similar to mine and….well….I just wanted you to feel some kind of achievement after pushing so hard to claim something. I never had any malicious intent, I just wanted to help. I didn't want to see someone else go through that when there was a chance that I could help."
Gar sighed sadly and was ashamed of himself. He dropped his head while shaking it and told the young teen, "But you're right. It was terrible for me to lead you on like that and practically hand it to you. It was like I was making fun of you. I don't expect you to forgive me for what I did, just know I'm sorry for doing it."
Gar half expected Izuku to take his explanation as another excuse for his behavior, and it sorta was. He expects him to yell at him for it regardless or just storm out and never speak to him again. He thinks he's lost a good friend all due to his poor choices. However, he's surprised when Izuku does the complete opposite! He….lunges at Gar and pulls him into a hug, a tight one.
Gar is baffled by this turn of events and babbles out through the hug, "I-Izuku! Wh-What are you-?"
"I forgive you.", Izuku quickly says, cutting him off, and making the young man freeze up even more. He hears the young teen sniffle and tries to squeak out, "Im-Im sorry for thinking of you that way! I-I just-!"
Before he could finish, Izuku broke down into a folly of tears! He broke down into Gar, leaning his full body weight as he sobbed into his thin hospital gown. Gar nearly fell over from not being ready for it, and the fact he only had one arm to use, but Mewtwo kept him erect for the meantime.
Gar rubbed Izuku's back and cooed kindly to him, "No no no. Don't apologize to me. I'm the one in the wrong here, not you. You have every right to be crossed with me. Come on, don't cry."
Eventually, Izuku managed to collect himself and he sniffled back hard, pulled away, and wiped his eyes while saying, "I'm sorry."
Gar sighed and told him again, "I told you not to apologize."
"R-Right.", Izuku managed to collect himself while wiping away the rest of his tears. Once he's in a better state of being, he piped up and asked, "So what about those other three prizes I won during the intermission?'
Gar shook his head rapidly and exclaimed, "Oh no, that was all you! No lie! 100%!", Izuku simply nodded at the answer.
Izuku saw that the medal had fallen to the ground during their ordeal and picked it up before setting it into Gar's sling while saying, "Still though...you should keep it.", Gar was a bit confused by this until Izuku boldly proclaimed with a determined smile, "Cause next time the title is still on the line, I want to be better at battling and fight you with no restraint!"
Gar smiles at this proclamation and replies with a much calmer, yet equal declaration, "And I look forward to that day when you can beat me. Till then I'll teach you all I know."
Izuku nods and says, "Thanks! Anyway, I should go before Recovery Girl clobbers me. Rest up well and I'll see you in class."
"Yeah, see you then.", Gar waves Izuku off, watching him vanish from sight and sound, behind the door and down the hall.
The room was now occupied by only Gar and Mewtwo. Both sat in silence for several minutes and occasionally shared glances.
Eventually, Gar couldn't take the silence and blabber out into the near-empty room, "How long are you gonna stay quiet?"
"I'm surprised you still remember that.", Mewtwo said in his mind.
Gar laughed at this and stated, "How can I not? My Pokemon unlocked power that was previously thought to be a myth."
Mewtwo rolled his eyes while crossing his arms and retorted, "At this rate, you should stop calling them myths and more as reference guides. And I didn't unlock it, I've always had it."
"Then why have you never said anything before?", he asked the Pokémon.
"I just didn't feel the need to say anything.", it replied simply
Gar placed a hand to his chest and sucked in air while saying in a painful voice, "Harsh."
Again the Pokémon rolled his eyes at the young man's shenanigans and stated firmly, "Say what you like but my decisions are my own."
Gar shrugged indifferently at this and asked back, "True, but does Izuku know? Since you both came to visit me I assume you spent at least some time together."
Mewtwo took a minute to look at the door before replying, "He's a good kid but he doesn't, and I don't intend on telling him, and I expect you to not breathe a word of it either."
Gar put his good hand up in defense and made a mock zippering motion with his mouth he promised, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed. So only Gio Gio and I know about your vast range of power?"
Mewtwo nodded again and replied, "Yes. But that does bring up a good point.", Har raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the Pokémon's sudden shift in conversation. "Even though Giovanni is crippled once again, he's back no less. What do we do about this?", he asked the young man.
Gar said nothing at first, only sitting back into his pillow and looking up at the ceiling. Mewtwo waited for him to speak, but saw him using his good hand to pat the area next to him. Mewtwo rolled his eyes at the offer, but he couldn't resist soft comfort…..anything. so he floated over to the spare room by Gar's feet and later down there, curling up in a semi-ball shape, much like a cat.
After a little more waiting, Gar finally answered and told him, "I'd normally say we should go after him while he's down, but right now everyone's in a state where they should hide and lick their wounds."
"So I guess it's something else for the future, eh.", Mewtwo offered
Gar nods and says, "Yeah, for now. But Mewtwo.", this makes the Pokémon raise his head and stare at the young man, who looks back at him with a confused expression. "Why did you come back to me? You could've left and lived truly free. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm more than appreciative of it, but why?", he asks the Pokémon.
This time it was Mewtwo's turn to sit and stew in thought, though for a much shorter time. He closes his eyes and flickered his tail now and again. Like him, Gar waits patiently.
Finally, he comes to the answer and states, "I trust you. Simple as that. You and I have been through many things. To not be by your side after everything, would seem absurd. I can't see my life without you in it."
Gar pits a hand to his cheek and coos with a lovey-dovey voice, "I love you too, buddy."
Mewtwo makes a face like he ate something sour and pulling the skin on his face it complained, "Uck! Alright alright! You don't have to go into the gushy feelings! That's the first and last time I open my heart like that to anything. So count it while you can!"
"I always knew you had a soft spot.", Gar chuckles happily while rubbing the Pokémon's head, much to its chagrin. "But it does make me think. What's gonna happen now? Things were at least somewhat simple, and now they are not. Bayo, Giovanni, and what's their connection? Why would Bayo help Giovanni?", He asked while looking nervously out the window.
Mewtwo follows his gaze and answers sarcastically, "Obviously not from the goodness of his heart."
Gar's gaze grew more intense and serious as he gripped the blanket hard. He repressed the urge to grind his teeth as he stated, "Bayo has something planned, something big, and Giovanni was just a small part of it."
"Are you sure about that?", The Pokémon asks with an unsure tone.
Gar nods without looking at him and sees with complete certainty, "Absolutely positive. There's no doubt about it. I've known him longer than most. This is something he'd do."
Mewtwo hummed in his head and reassuringly told Gar, "Well whatever it is we'll figure it out as we go along. For now, we just have to worry about ourselves, and what everything from before is going to bring."
Gar sighed to relax and turning his gaze back into the room he said with a more relaxed but still stressed voice, "Yeah you're right. I just hope it's not as bad as I'm thinking it to be."
Big thanks to Foxycraft9 for the name suggestion for the New Mewtwo! And an equally big thanks to all others who put their submissions! I loved all your ideas, but Nova had my vote. If something else comes up that I need a new name for something(Like a new name for the A.M.P.D from two chapters ago!) I'll place it down here in the Authors Notes. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter. Things are gonna get interesting and spicy from here on. Thanks again and Plus Ultra!