Chapter 23: Outrun my Devil Mewtwo stepped back almost instinctively; there was something strange building up in the clearing. It was an odd and vivid sensation, and Mewtwo could honestly say that he had never felt it before so it took a few moments for it to register: pressure. There was a sense of overpowering force descending upon the field of battle. So much in fact that it was almost possible to imagine that the rain descending from above were rocks striking against their figures, that the ground was vibrating beneath this unseen force. A pebble began to float. Mewtwo blinked and turned to look at it. A small brown pebble was slowly floating upwards, towards the sky. Mewtwo might have missed it in the heavy rain but he had noticed it and now he felt apprehensive. Then the bright singular light disappeared and the standing feline was flung forcibly into the air. A wall of heat had lashed out suddenly from the previous glowing form. Mewtwo instinctively used telepathic means to control itself and levitate above the ground. Now a pokemon stood there that Mewtwo didn't recognize. It was a quadruped, larger and bulkier than Arcanine had been, with brown fur and a great mane, black bands on its feet, and something that looked distinctly like a white cloud trailing from its back. Together in the rain they stared at each other, neither saying a word. The pressure was long since gone, there was no longer any sign to signify or express danger. In fact, it was almost possible to imagine that the pressure had never been there. Or at least, Mewtwo might have disregarded it, had he not clearly seen pebbles floating. That hadn't been normal, there was something weird going on, and now the great feline was reluctant to proceed aggressively. The beast looked at Mewtwo calmly and then sat back on two legs, arched its head back and roared. It was mind-shattering, Mewtwo closed its eyes in pain, the noise that the dog had produced had sounded like a volcanic explosion. Immediately, the rain stopped. The dark clouds that had surrounded the land dissipated and bright sun light appeared: sunny day. The dog remained unruffled through all this. I wasn't aware that Arcanine could evolve, doggy, said Mewtwo. "Neither was I," the dog said in a tone that most resembled a deep and wild growl. Karma's body was still slumped below Mewtwo, quickly it motioned downward with one arm and blue light covered her body. She was flipped over and something went flying from her bag: her pokedex. Mewtwo motioned at it and it soared towards him. The cat caught it in and opened it precariously. Surprised, Mewtwo looked at the dog. It had been expecting an enraged response for this action, for desecrating its dead trainer's body, but the beast hadn't even moved. You aren't mad? I just flipped your precious owner, Mewtwo sneered. "Don't worry," the dog said simply. "Soon enough, the dead will walk again." Mewtwo didn't like that. It darkened its brow, it was a strange thing to say. The pokedex was pointed at the dog and it blinked in activation. "Entei," said a digitized mechanical voice. "the Legendary Volcano Pokemon. Entei embodies the passion of magma. Its barks are said to cause volcanic eruptions. Unable to contain its extreme power, it races headlong across the land." Mewtwo dropped the pokedex. Legendary? Mewtwo's eyes widened. You...you're just like that cat! Mew! Mewtwo's natural calm and apprehension suddenly disappeared. All thoughts suddenly wipped from its mind, its entire being and focus now centered on crushing this pokemon. This legendary pokemon; this pokemon that was considered legendary just like Mew. The humanoid feline outstretched its right arm; a blindingly bright blue light appeared in its cupped hand. The light swirled around and formed into a sphere as Mewtwo closed its hand in a fist. You are so dead. Chris shifted his weight in the ice ball and sighed. Something was wrong. Really fucking wrong. He was no longer holding her Karma's hand so his left hand lay limp in its encasement. Actually, he didn't know what had happened. One moment, they're hand had been together, then his whole hand had been suddenly wet and warm, and Karma had plunged downward. The force of her fall had caused his hand to smash downward and he had let go from the pain. His hand had hung loose, fresh and cool wind grazed his skin; in other words, Karma's side of the ice had melted. He couldn't hear her after that so he couldn't tell if Arcanine had freed her or worse yet, Mewtwo. Rain must have been falling because he felt droplets of cold water splash downward against his skin. He wriggled his free fingers, trying to draw attention, but nothing happened. Then his heart jolted. He breathed in jerkily and his legs shook like rubber. He closed his eyes to steady his heart, to steady his uneven breath, and he was surprised to find tears. It wasn't a stream or anything. He wasn't weeping or lamenting, in fact he wasn't even sad. Yet tears had suddenly lined his eyes and he felt empty inside. Not sad, just empty. The whole icy encasement shook and Chris' position rolled and he was tipped sideways. Chris wouldn't know naturally, but Entei's burst of heat had buffeted the now half-sphere and tipped it over. Sideways, right unto its half-side. Chris crashed sideways and he screamed. The ice had fallen right unto his outstretched exposed hand, shattering and breaking his fingers and bones instantly. He tried to pull it up but his position made that impossible. He bit down on his tongue to mask the pain and felt warm liquid inside his mouth. Yet already, his broken hand was going numb; the sheer cold ice only aiding that process. He blinked. He could see light. It was coming from the golf-ball sized hole which had been made near his forehead. Now tipped over sideways, the hole was above him; to his left. Bright light was being reflected through this. In fact, Chris could now make out the light through the semi-clear ice. The sun now seemed to be shinning. Chris sighed again. Something really was wrong. Mewtwo teleported behind Entei. Before, this had been enough to get the jump on the fiery dog, but this time, upon appearing, Mewtwo was met with the sight of legs. Big brown elongated legs. Rushing straight at it. The feline blinked and teleported again, this time to the sky above Entei, before it even had a chance to deliver its deadly spherical blast. It looked down and was again greeted by an unexpected sight: flames. A jet spray of flames were soaring upwards towards it floating figure, emanating from Entei's open maw. Mewtwo teleported yet again, this appearing lower and across the field from the canine. It turned to face Entei but found it speeding across the plain soundlessly; it was already homed in on its location. Mewtwo's brow darkened; it was getting annoyed. It raised its arms in a wave motion and placed a wall of energy to impede its path: reflect. Entei was fast. Even Mewtwo had to admit its speed had now reached extremely shocking levels. Within seconds it had crossed half the distance, it moved in quick and agile leaps. It slammed right into the psychic wall without even a hint of remorse and instead of being repelled, Entei actually pushed it back. Mewtwo mouth dropped open. The dog was actually pushing back its barrier with sheer strength. Mewtwo raised its hands and pushed forward, strengthening the psychic wall. Yet this didn't halt the fiery mutt, Entei kept pushing the wall steadily back. Entei opened its maw and sprayed flames out in a wide cone. Too late, Mewtwo remembered that reflect wouldn't stop flames, and it was doused in fire. Quickly it teleported into the sky again only to be surprised by the sight of Entei springing off the ground and flinging itself at the airborne Mewtwo. The psychic cat faltered slightly; it had burns, and they hurt a lot more than usual. It chopped that up to the bright light caused by sunny day. Entei was fast. Too fast. But there was something else wrong as well. Mewtwo raised its arms and surrounded Entei in a bluish light mid-jump: psychic. It had done this before to the dog, so it didn't expect what it was greeted with: failure. Usually, grabbing something telepathically felt like grabbing something with a hand in its mind. This time however, it felt like it was trying to grab water. Not physically of course, it could do that easily. But metaphorically, trying to grab Entei telepathically felt like trying to grab water with your hands. You might get lucky and grab some, but even then, most of it would drip out of your cupped hand. The humanoid cat held it (sort of anyways) for a second, but quickly lost its 'grip' and the dog slipped through its mental grasp and slammed straight into Mewtwo. Opening its maw wide, it grabbed Mewtwo's substantial tail and swung it in large and rough circles midair. With force, it sent the cat crashing into the field below. Mewtwo landed limply with a thud and sprang to its feet, it looked up in time to find itself faced with a wall of fire bearing down on it. It teleported across the field, directly opposite Entei and saw it land elegantly from its leap. How are you doing it? Mewtwo asked. You're fast but...even so...whenever I teleport... Entei gazed at the cat intently, "I dunno." Without warning it crossed the distance between itself and Mewtwo. "But when you teleport, I get a feeling of where you're about to go." Mewtwo socked the encroaching Entei in the face, the powerful punch sending it reeling for a second, before lying forward and delivering a kick that sent it spinning. You just know? Are you of the psychic type now? From its downed position Entei looked up and opened its maw to reveal, not dancing flames, but a bright yellow light: solar beam. A bright beam of energy shot out in a ray and collided with Mewtwo, who threw up a blue barrier just in time to escape its effects. Entei sent its body crashing into the barrier and once again, Mewtwo was shocked by its sheer strength as the blue bubble shattered around it. The feline was sent crashing to the floor, the great dog on top of it and before it could act, Entei opened its maw. Flames didn't appear, but instead, noise. It roared a ferociously wild noise that was mind shattering. Mewtwo closed its eyes in a terrible wince and it missed the signs of danger: Entei began to glow red. Even before the attack came, Entei heated up terribly: over 20,000 degrees. Mewtwo felt that; its whole body suddenly engulfed in a searing blaze below Entei. Then the great fiery dog erupted. Over heat. The field suddenly became an inferno of unbearable heat and fire. It wasn't just the uncontrollable flames either; there was a strange pressure bearing down on the land, driving everything downward, crushing everything below an unseen presence. It felt oppressing. Then the flames disappeared. The green grass that had before stood so vibrant before them now lay black; charred. Entei rose from atop the psychic feline's limp form and trudged off of it. Entei was dead beat, its breathing deep and haggard. Mewtwo was covered in black and red; its whole being seemed unquestioningly defeated. Entei gazed down on it and sighed, then turned in Karma's direction. Her downed corpse was further off, the flames hadn't reached her. That was a relief. For all of Entei's words of her death not mattering, he truly did care deepl- Entei was bathed in a purple light. It turned around to face a standing Mewtwo, one arm outstretched in its direction. Surely you didn't think that was it? Entei bounded forward, preparing to crush it with a tackle only to find itself going peculiarly too slow in contrast to its prior speed. Mewtwo smirked and moved. Astonishingly, it disappeared from view momentarily and appeared before Entei, its arm clutched in a fist. The wallop sent Entei crashing backwards. It looked up at the feline, now very confused. The plain was still bathed in a strangely warm purple glow. Mewtwo stood before Entei and smiled devilishly. It raised its arms before the canine and proclaimed, Heh, feeling a little slow, doggy? Well, allow me to be the first to welcome you to my 'trick room'.