Pokemon

REVELATION OF THE MASTER

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, never have and never will. I writing this because I love pokemon and I’m making no money off it whatsoever so don’t sue me!

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Part 4: Battle of the minds

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Dr. Fuji shook his head, that foolish boy knew nothing of him or what he had been through. Morals, ethics, such things were meaningless to him and had been for some time. Perhaps if the boy did know he would not be so adamant in his views. Mewtwo, it had been his greatest creation, but at what cost? His daughter, or rather her clone, had died while in telepathic contact with the young mutant pokemon. It had been responsible for her death, he was certain of it. First he lost her in that car accident then to Mewtwo. His wife, his friends, all had been sacrificed in his cloning studies that eventually enabled the creation of Mewtwo. At the time the driving force for his experiments had been the possibility that Amber could be brought back to life, restored to him. But when her clone died he lost all hope in that and the thought of making an all powerful, perfect pokemon that would serve Team Rocket and make all his sacrifices worth while became his passion, his reason for living. But Mewtwo stole that from him too. That was why when Giovanni approached him with another chance to work on Mewtwo he accepted. Perhaps, he thought, if he completed the experiment, perfected Mewtwo, he could at last end his life in peace having accomplished something. His thoughts were interrupted by a beeping noise that indicated an incoming message from Giovanni. He pushed the button to receive the message and then turned to the screen as his employer’s face appeared on it.

"Ah, Dr. Fuji how are we progressing?"

"Mewtwo is ready and the brainwashing is nearly complete on the other pokemon," Dr. Fuji bowed in respect to his employer.

"Excellent, I can begin my ‘special’ plans for the creature now then?"

"Yes sir, but there is one thing I wanted to mention to you."

"And that would be?" Giovanni asked raising an eyebrow.

"A boy, Ash Ketchum has been found snooping around here. I don’t think he is a threat but I wanted to know what you want done with him."

Giovanni’s eyes narrowed in anger for a moment. "Get rid of him. That boy has been a thorn in my side for too long and I want him removed."

"As you wish sir," Dr. Fuji replied with a bow.

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On the other side of the line Giovanni stood up from his chair, Persian meowing in discontent because he had stopped petting it, and turned to Butch and Cassidy, the only other people in the room. They sat at a desk in front of two computer screens surrounded by complicated control systems. This would allow them to access the pokemons own fighting skills and use them without having to issue a direct command for every move that they used. This could be done of course but only if necessary. The computer screens would display the pokemons current health and fighting ability on graphs and also, through remote cameras, show what they were doing at any given time. They could even keep the pokemons natural fainting mechanism from functioning, enabling them to battle long past the point where they would usually have gone unconscious. This of course would likely result in death or irreparable damage to the pokemon but its not like they cared.

"I suggest you two double-check your equipment, it will not be long before you have to use it," Giovanni said as he moved towards the metallic suit.

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

"Continue until I return," he said, stepping into the suit as it automatically encased him. Various wires and tubes plunged into his skin, it didn’t hurt much thanks to an antiseptic they injected and even if it did it wouldn’t have mattered. This would all be worth it.

"Uh, where are you going?" Butch asked tentatively. It certainly didn’t look like Giovanni was going anywhere.

"To visit an old friend," he replied ominously. He then closed his eyes as the suits helmet clamped onto his head and sensors invaded his mind. He could feel his mind expanding its capabilities as he interfaced with the computers and other hi-tech equipment around him. "Yes, this will certainly be an interesting meeting," he though as he reached out psychically to another very different and very powerful mind…

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Up above, Ash’s pokemon had gathered together and formulated a plan. Once Espeon had used her psychic powers to find where Ash was and a hidden entrance to the lab Pikachu suggested that she, Noctowl and Lapras use them to keep the sensor equipment and video cameras from seeing them. They agreed it was possible and after psychically deactivating the alarm system on the door it was a simple matter for Snorlax, Kingler and Feraligatr to pry it open. And so with Pikachu leading and Snorlax guarding their backs the large group of pokemon headed down the lab corridors to find and rescue their master. They could only hope that they would reach him in time.

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Back in Viridian, Jessie, James and Meowth were still searching the large office. Jessie couldn’t help but feel that this place was familiar somehow but from long ago before she joined Team Rocket. Suddenly a long forgotten memory emerged; it carried the same feelings that had drawn her to this room in the first place. She could scarcely believe what she saw.

*In Jessie’s mind*

A very young Jessie sat on a bench next to her mother’s office waiting for her to finish her work. It was strange, Jessie thought to herself; she had never been taken to where her mom worked before. She didn’t even know what her job was. It must have been a job where you had to be really good at keeping secrets judging from how hard it was for her to get past security. More then one of them had said something along the lines of "a Team Rocket base is no place for children! If you weren’t so well respected here Miyamoto I’d report you to Madam Boss." "Team Rocket? What was Team Rocket?" "Hmmm," she thought, "maybe mommy helps people build rockets for the army." "Yeah! That has to be it!"

Just then her mother opened the door and ushered her in. Jessie thought it looked like she had been crying. "Jessie honey I want you to listen closely to me," she whispered while holding her daughter tight. "I brought you here for a special reason and it’s this," she pulled out a disk from her skirt. "I know Madam Boss or her son will try to recruit you into Team Rocket, so if you ever get the chance I want you to take this disk and put it in this machine, It will do the rest. It will tell you things that I can’t right now." She pointed to a small flat square shaped device with a slot for the disk and a top that looked like it could project something as well as an imprint shaped like a human hand. She then walked to a wall and pushed on a small part of it. It opened to reveal a hidden compartment and she placed the machine and the disk (now in a protective casing) in it before closing it and pulling a small bookshelf in front of it. She then turned to Jessie, "sweetie I want you to remember this place, never forget it. Please know that whatever happens I love you." A few days later her mother told her and her father that she had to go away for awhile." Jessie couldn’t stop crying at her mother for leaving again. Why did she have to be away so often? And this time she never came back. She had been so upset that she had tried to block out all her memories of that time period, including that strange visit to the base.

*End memory sequence*

"Jessie, Jessie?" James asked tapping her on the shoulder and getting a bit frantic at receiving no response. "Jessie! Are you alright?" he said now shaking her. Suddenly she seemed to come out of her trance and looked at him seriously.

"James, I remember now."

"Remember what?" James asked, Meowth sharing his confusion. She didn’t answer him but instead ran to a wall across the room and pressed down on a part of it. It snapped open, revealing the disk and device in fine condition. She grabbed it, plugged it into an outlet and placed it on the middle of the floor. She slid the disk in and waited.

"Jessie’s gone nuts," Meowth commented as he observed her unusual behavior. James simply looked on perplexed.

"Come on, work!" Jessie pleaded angrily to the machine and hit it as the seconds passed with nothing happening. She then remembered the handprint and taking off her glove placed her right hand on it.

"DNA scan confirmed," a computer voice chirped as the device whirred to life. Four projections, one on each corner, began to emit light, as the area above the machine seemed to shimmer.

"It’s a hologram projector," James thought aloud as he and Meowth watched the strange spectacle.

Jessie’s eyes widened in shock as a shape began to form in the shimmering area in front of her. It was a woman. She was well built, wore a high-ranking black Team Rocket uniform and had long purple hair. Jessie could barely breathe; it was like she was seeing a ghost. "Mommy…"

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"Well boy, it seems you won’t get to see the ultimate culmination of my experiment after all," Dr. Fuji said as the computer beeped that only ten minutes were left till the brainwashing process completed.

"How can you do this? Some of these pokemon help maintain the balance of nature, and Mewtwo… it just wants to be left alone," Ash pleaded with the insane scientist.

"I owe these creatures nothing, especially Mewtwo," the professor replied indignantly. "I was the one who was majorly responsible for designing it and I will do as I please with it. And as for the others, my employer plans on making a new balance, one based on survival of the fittest. Imagine it, a world so darkened and filled with chaos that people will no longer be subject to the restrictive ideals of right and wrong that plague us today. Only the smartest, fittest and most adaptable will survive, as it should be."

"You designed it?" Ash asked in surprise for the moment trying to ignore the rest of the professor’s rant.

"Yes and that accursed creature destroyed the lives of many of my colleagues," (we cut to a scene of the professor, clothes torn and wounded from being thrown from the laboratory when it exploded, floating in the ocean amidst the labs wreckage only later to be picked up by a concerned fishing boat and sent to a hospital where he spent the next few years recovering.) "I was lucky to have survived." He then turned to Mewtwo. "Now at last it will be used for its original purpose, to fight for Team Rocket."

"You’re crazy! Even if you can control these pokemon what makes you think that you’ll be able to get rid of all the good in the world?"

"You don’t understand a bit of what this is all about do you?" the professor commented with a cocked eyebrow, "and you never will," he motioned to a Rocket, he stood up and reached for his gun…

Suddenly a large explosion was heard as the doors on a far end of the lab blew apart and several forms shot out of the opening with amazing speed. On impulse the Rocket turned to face the direction of the blast and was met with the frightening form of a very angry Charizard standing in front of him. The enraged dragon knocked the gun out of his trembling hands and lifted the shocked man up by the neck, letting out a loud roar in his face. The man fainted. Charizard promptly dropped him and swiftly tore Ash loose.

"Charizard you found me!" Ash exclaimed as he hugged the creature. He then looked around and was greeted by the sight of all his pokemon pummeling the Rockets and scientists. Snorlax sat on some while Primeape gave others a good thrashing. Espeon knocked the guns out of some of their hands using her powers and Meganium and Venusaur Vine Whipped a good number as well. Typhlosion set part of the lab on fire with its Flamethrower; Heracross easily lifted a large computer and sent it crashing into some Rockets who had been trying to shoot Pigeot and Butterfree down. Seeing an opening Butterfree blew several more away with it’s Whirlwind while Blastoise sent others flying with Hydro Pump. Pikachu ran into the middle of a group of them and let out a huge flash of light from its whole body. The Flash attack succeeded in momentarily blinding the rockets and Pikachu attacked with a vengeance, Tail Whipping some across the face and slamming into others with Quick Attacks.

"You’re all here!" Ash yelled, nearly to the point of tears that his pokemon had banded together and risked so much to save him.

"Pika-pi! [Ash!]" Pikachu cried as it ran to Ash and jumped in his arms. Ash looked up from hugging it and was happy to see that most every Rocket member had ran from the room, no doubt, being the cowards they were; to flee the scene before they were captured. One remained however. Dr. Fuji stood in the midst of the growing fire laughing hysterically. Ash wondered how he could stand in the flames like that without being burned.

"The experiment will be completed! You can not stop it, no one can! Soon my life’s work will be complete, I will be complete!" he cried madly.

Typhlosion and Charizard leaped at the man, claws raised when suddenly mechanical tentacles shot of his palms, wrapping around both pokemon and slamming them to the floor before releasing them. The other pokemon backed away in surprise.

"What the heck?!" Ash yelled in shock as he watched the at least fifteen foot tentacles retract back into his palms.

"You could say that it costed me more then an arm and a leg to create Mewtwo. After being so badly injured by it I decided to take precautions so I would never be so easily overcome by anything ever again. I invested a great deal of funds in making my battered body more powerful and as you’ll soon see I’m now more metal then flesh and blood," the professor said casually before releasing three long metal claws from in-between the knuckles on each of his hands. He raised them and ran at Ash with a mad murderous look in his eyes. Mere moments before he reached Ash Tauros slammed into him, knocking him on his back but he quickly got back on his feet, grabbed Tauros by the horns and threw him aside. Feraligatr ran to, and grappled with the professor hand to hand. Ash looked on amazed as Dr. Fuji began to overpower the crocodile-like pokemon with his mechanized strength.

"He’s too strong, Heracross help it!"

Heracross flew in and with a great burst of strength pulled the madman’s arms behind his head, allowing Feraligatr to hit him with a Water Gun. He was knocked into a wall but was barely stunned as he got back up and prepared to attack again.

"We’re going to have to fight him together. Typhlosion, Venusaur, Pikachu, you three attack him first. The rest of you stand back until you’re needed," Ash told his pokemon.

"Razor Leaf!" Venusaur shot dozens of the sharp edged leaves at Dr. Fuji, ripping his clothes and the fake skin that was over most of his body but he continued to advance.

"Flamethrower now!" Ash yelled as Typhlosion quickly spat the tongue of flame straight at the professor. He raised his right hand and activated a disk-shaped energy barrier in front of him that completely blocked the attack.

"Is that the best you’ve got?" he asked in a bored tone as he used the same shield to block Pikachu’s electricity.

Snorlax meanwhile had run up behind him and was about to slam him into the floor with his fist when the professor grabbed his right arm and threw the huge creature over his head Snorlax hitting the floor hard. Charizard fired a blast of flame at him while Lapras fired her Ice Beam and Espeon used Psybeam. Dr. Fuji couldn’t hope to block all three attacks and so leaped up in the air a good thirty feet completely dodging the blast and clung to a wall like a spider. Evidently his hands had adhesive devices in them. Noctowl flew straight at him in a Take Down but before it could make contact the professor shot out a tentacle from his left hand, half strangling it and then throwing it into Pigeot sending them both to the floor.

Ash was having trouble staying calm but his pokemon needed him to keep a clear head if he was going to command them properly. His mind was racing, trying to think of a way to beat the cyborg when an idea struck him.

"Butterfree, Venusaur! Spray your Sleep Powder at him quick!"

A stream of Sleep Powder shot out of Venusaurs flower while the same substance was shed from Butterfrees wings. It floated over and surrounded the professor but to Ash’s surprise he was unaffected.

"Foolish boy! Not enough of my organic body is left for such attacks to affect me," the professor laughed and then leaped off the wall feet first into Typhlosion knocking it onto its back. He locked his fists around the Fire pokemons neck and delivered huge electric shocks into it. Typhlosion cried out in pain and struggled but to no avail.

"Typhlosion, use your Thunderpunch!" Ash yelled to his friend.

Typhlosion charged the electricity up in both its fists and grabbed the professor’s arms, countering his electricity with its own. The resulting power surge was enough to knock the professor off but he was far from beaten.

"Prime!" Primeape yelled his battle cry and charged at Dr. Fuji, its right fist raised in a Mega Punch. The professor blocked the punch with one hand and hit it away with the right. Primeape landed on its feet and charged again, punching him in the stomach several times. The professor was unprepared for such a ferocious attack and was pushed back several feet before attacking back but by that time Primeape had back-flipped out of the way, the professors tentacles narrowly missing it, though they did tear up the floor. He ran at the pig monkey, claws bared and slashed at it. Primeape again managed to dodge as the professor cut through wires, tubes and metal around him attempting to stab it. Primeape then hit him with a quick Scratch attack across the face and kicked him in the jaw before retreating to let the next pokemon attack.

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Jessie didn’t dare blink lest the image of her mother disappear as quickly as it appeared. She simply watched, speechless, as Miyamoto began to speak.

"Jessie, if you are seeing this it most likely means I am gone and as I suspected Team Rocket has seduced you with their promises of power and fame. I am recording this because I am soon to go on another mission, one I may not return from so let me tell you now, its not worth it. The leaders of Team Rocket care nothing about you, they only want to use you to fulfill their own ends and then discard you when your usefulness has ended, I know, I have seen it happen many times. Joining Team Rocket was the biggest mistake I ever made; it has costed me everything I cared about. You, your father all have had to take a back seat to Madam Bosses commands. Being a member of Team Rocket has caused the loss of my dignity, my self-respect and the freedom of many innocent pokemon. I only wish I had realized this sooner, perhaps things could have been different, perhaps…" at this the recordings eyes began to become teary and her voice began to break but Miyamoto continued. "But it is too late for me, I am far too entrenched in their world. I wish I could have been a better mother to you, given you all the things you deserved and needed so much. However what I can give I do so now. I implore you with all my heart to not take the same path I did, it will only lead to your ruin," she then smiled. "You have such a big heart and so much potential. Team Rocket will try to take away all those things, please do not let them. I pray you will become more then I did." She then reached out her right hand, as though longing to touch someone she could not.

Jessie on impulse tried to take her mothers hand but it passed right through. Tears now dripped from Miyamoto’s face as Jessie too began to cry. "Jessie, my precious daughter, I now and always will love you," with that the hologram shimmered and disappeared. Jessie dropped to her knees weeping. She cried for only a few seconds before she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and a furry paw taking her hand. She looked up to see Meowth and James, their faces full of emotion.

"I failed her," she whispered in-between sobs. "She wanted me to make something of myself and I failed her."

"It’s alright Jess, I… I mean we understand," James said softly. Jessie jerked away from him and stood up fuming.

"How could you understand?! You don’t have any idea what it’s like to grow up with nothing. First my mother then my father left me, how could you understand that?!"

"Hey! I may not know what it’s like to grow up in poverty but I do know what it’s like to be alone!" James shot back angrily. "My parents were about as negligent as you can imagine, at least yours cared about you!"

Meowth’s eyes were sad and he seemed to be near tears. "At least you guys knew your parents. Ever since before I can remember I’ve been alone."

"Look at what we’ve become," Jessie said as the pent-up guilt of all the things she had done and tried to do began to overcome her. "No one cares about me, no one loves me… and who can blame them."

"Jessie we care about you, especially me, I always have. We’ve been through so many things together, we’ve suffered the same loneliness, shared the same pains," James said emotionally placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your mother was right, we all deserve to lead better lives then this, maybe we still can," he ended with a hopeful air.

"What are you saying? You think we can really get a second chance?" Jessie asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course we can. I don’t think it’s ever too late to change."

"I agree with James," Meowth said, "your mothers speech really effected me. I just wish I’d gotten some sense knocked inta me sooner and lets face it, we’ve always been better at worken with the good guys." Jessie and James smiled and nodded.

Jessie suddenly got a confused look on her face and looked to James. "James, what did you mean when you said you cared about me?"

James got a panicked look on his face and started sweating, putting his hand behind his head blushing and giggling in that freaky way he does. "What did I mean? Uh… hahahahahaha… um… lets see… what I meant was… well would you believe I just developed a case of amnesia?" Jessie shook her head with an impatient look on her face.

Meowth crossed his arms. "Oh just tell her already."

"Tell me what?" Jessie asked also crossing her arms.

"That he’s in love with you," Meowth replied manner of factly.

"What!?" Jessie cried out in surprise.

"How did you know?!" James yelled grabbing Meowth by the neck.

"Oh it’s so easy to tell Jimmy boy judging by da way you look at her when she’s not looking. Plus how you reacted back when those nutty birds were goen crazy and I said that a relationship between you two would never happen," Meowth replied not the least bit intimidated.

"You mean its true?" Jessie asked.

"I guess you could say the cats out of the bag," Meowth punned terribly as James put him down.

"You mean you really love me?" Jessie asked, looking James in the eye.

"Well… that is I… uh," then he sighed in resignation. There was no way to get out of it this time and it was about time he said something. "Yes. Jessie I love you. You’ve always been one of the few people I could really call a friend."

Jessie’s eyes shook emotionally as she leaped on James and gave him a backbreaking hug. "Oh James! I love you to!" she squealed as she hugged him. Despite barely being able to breathe James was happy, as was Jessie, finally.

Meowth looked on, smiling. "Now this is what I call a beautiful moment." He then jumped in and joined the hug. "Team Rockets come to terms at last!" they all shouted as they hugged.

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"Go for it Muk!" Ash ordered as the sludge pokemon charged forward and tried to smother the professor, he tore loose and shot his tentacles into it. They had no real effect so he switched to a laser beam that shot from his index finger on his right hand. It cut into Muks body, hurting it.

"Muk, use Acid Armor!"

Muks body glowed briefly and its skin became noticeably harder and darker. This time the beam bounced right off it as Muk slid toward the professor to attack again.

"Sludge Bomb!"

"Muk!" Muk yelled as it threw its head back and shot out a large ball of sludge from its mouth. It hit Fuji hard, exploding on contact and forcing him back even further.

"Blastoise now!" Ash yelled as Blastoise fired fire hose strength streams of water at the professor, knocking him into a wall. He stood up drenched, some wires showing and sparking from the hits he had received but clearly not defeated yet.

"That’s it guys, wear him down! Heracross, Horn Attack!" Heracross flew at him and slammed its mighty horn into his armored body, severely crushing his left side. The Dr. shot out a tentacle but the beetle managed to dodge it and before he could react Kingler had Vice Gripped the tentacle, cutting it in half with its large claw, and then Crab Hammered him into the wall again with one powerful strike of the same claw. The professor didn’t get up as fast this time. Kneeling and breathing heavily his whole body was sparking and smoking as the remains of the severed tentacle retracted back into his hand.

"You… will… not… stop… the experiment!" he managed to utter before collapsing to his knees again.

"The experiment?" Ash thought then suddenly remembered, "the experiment!" He looked at the timer, which was amazingly still operating. There was less then a minute to go!

"Everyone smash everything you can, we have to find the machine that’s pumping this brainwashing liquid and destroy it!"

"No! I won’t let you!" the professor screamed as Ash’s pokemon began to tear at the surrounding machinery. He let out another maddened scream and dove toward Ash intent on strangling him. Lapras slid in-between them and blasted Fuji with a Water Gun. The strong stream of water hit the professor in the chest and he was thrown to the floor where he was entangled in various wires that had been torn from the machinery.

Ash took this opportunity to look around and noticed many of the cables and wires from the tanks were leading to one particular computer console. "That must be it!" Ash thought and ran to it, tearing off the covering. About a million wires of various sizes and colors greeted him. "Oh well," he sighed, "all I can hope for is to disrupt the system that’s programming these things." With that he grabbed fistfuls of wire and cable ripping them just as the computer began saying the brainwashing was complete. His quick action caused a powerful surge of electricity in the console and after giving him a shock worse then anything Pikachu had ever done to him it exploded. Ash was blown several feet through the air before hitting the floor hard on his back, hurt and dazed. One by one most of the systems began to shut down either because of him or his pokemon and/or the still spreading fire they had caused.

Dr. Fuji eyes widened in horror then in pure hatred, as he seemed to notice for the first time that his laboratory was in shambles. "You… I’ll kill you!!"

Ash wanted to run but he was still too dazed to even stand and so watched helplessly as the professor ran at him yet again, sparking and smoking the cyborg scientist seemed to be on his last legs. A split second before reaching him Ash was blinded by a huge flash of light as a Thunderbolt shot straight into the professors chest knocking him backwards a good thirty feet where he hit a wall, cracking it. As Ash’s eyesight returned he saw Pikachu standing protectively in front of him, cheeks flickering with electricity, its eyes filled with righteous anger toward the man who had dared attack Ash.

"Why… why did you do this?" the professor asked weakly as the fire began to spread around him, his eyes so filled with loss and hopelessness that Ash began to feel sorry for him.

"Because a lot of people and pokemon would have gotten hurt if Team Rocket got control of these pokemon," Ash replied as Primeape and Heracross helped him stand up. "How could you help them when you knew it would cause so much suffering?"

"Suffering?" the professor muttered as he stood up as well, the flames still surrounding him. Blastoise and Feraligatr kept the flames at bay with their Water Gun attacks. "Life is suffering! Anyone who doesn’t know that is foolish and naïve. You suffer and then you die! All that one can hope for is to accomplish something that will effect the world after you’re gone and you’ve taken that from me!"

"We all have problems but that doesn’t mean you give up. We can all strive for a happier future, even you!" Ash yelled back passionately.

"I don’t care about those things anymore and I never will. Everything that gave me those feelings is gone. As far as I’m concerned happiness doesn’t exist. It is dead to me!" The professor began to stagger forward, apparently intent on attacking again

Ash didn’t know what to say to the poor shard of a once great man that stood before him, and he never got the chance. His eyes widened in horror as a huge section of the wall behind Fuji began to crumble from the fire that was blazing around him.

"Look out!" Ash yelled but the professor didn’t even seem to hear him. One spike-shaped section of wall fell first and impaled him straight through the chest from the back, he staggered to one side and was buried in rubble before he would of hit the floor. In all this the only sound he made was a loud moan when the spike hit him.

Ash looked on shocked. He had never seen someone die before, but he couldn’t lose it now, not when his pokemon needed him the most. He sighed, he knew in his heart that there was nothing he could of done, the man Dr. Fuji had once been died a long time ago. There was however no more time to think about it as Pikachu informed Ash that the rest of the building was beginning to collapse. Ash knew or at least hoped the Legendary pokemon would be okay with their power and the strong tanks surrounding them but he wasn’t so sure of himself and his pokemon.

"Everyone bunch together and brace yourselves I have an idea!" Ash yelled to his pokemon and they quickly gathered around him. The ceiling began to fall, snuffing out the flames. If they could have seen outside they would have seen the entire hill collapse in on itself.

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Unbeknownst to Ash another battle, just as intense had been going on in another plane. Giovanni had established his psychic link with the one whom would soon serve as a type of host for him; the machines were no longer needed. Giovanni smiled as his minds essence swam into the foreign mind, he was going to enjoy this…

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Darkness… that was all Mewtwo could see and before that he could see nothing. All he knew was that an incredibly powerful force had taken over his mind. He didn’t know where he was or what he was doing but at least that force whatever it was had worn off. He tried to open his eyes but nothing happened. He expanded his consciousness beyond his body and found he was in a deep sleep and there was nothing he could do but wait for the sedative to wear off. Darkness… emptiness… how he hated these things. For years it was all he could see or feel as he incubated until finally he had been able to wake. Now again he was trapped and alone and there was nothing he could do about it. Who had done this? He was Mewtwo, the strongest pokemon of all, how could he be captured so easily? However his internal questioning was soon brought to a halt.

Mewtwo gasped in shock as he felt his mind violated and invaded by a familiar presence. Mewtwo shook with fear and anger as he saw the person he hated most appear in front of him, floating in the void of darkness.

"Mewtwo, it’s been awhile, you look well," Giovanni said calmly.

"Giovanni! What are you doing in my mind?" Mewtwo spat back, lacing every word with venom.

"Mewtwo do you really think you will ever be rid of me? I am your master and it is time you accepted it," Giovanni replied not the least bit intimidated.

"I wiped your mind last time we met. You should not even know of me much less how to control me."

"You have underestimated me Mewtwo," Giovanni replied in a disappointed and mocking tone. "You are far too proud of your so called ‘memory erasing abilities.’ They are quite temporary against a mind of any degree of strength."

Mewtwo’s eyes narrowed in anger. "Get out of my mind!" he screamed and formed a dark sphere of psychic energy in-between his hands. With one quick movement he threw the attack straight at Giovanni. To his surprise Giovanni calmly raised his hand and the sphere was absorbed harmlessly into a shield of energy that surrounded him. "How?" the pokemon asked completely stunned.

"This is my minds essence not my body Mewtwo. In this state any person can use their will to make use of the same abilities you use on the physical plane. And thanks to my suits enhancements I was able to reach your mind in this form. Now surrender your will and powers to me. I assure you that if you resist your suffering will be great."

"You’re insane," Mewtwo replied in a scoffing manner. "My mind is too powerful, even if you were able to submerge my will under yours you could not handle my powers. The immensity and complexity of them would destroy you. Your human mind is simply not capable of it."

"You have again underestimated me. Really Mewtwo, even after all the experiences you’ve had are you still so arrogant?" Giovanni said, it was a statement not a question. "I know more about your abilities then just about anyone else after all it was your training at my gym that, in part, made you so powerful. You would be surprised of what the human mind is capable of, especially when assisted by technology. And on top of that knowing your opponents greatest inner pains can make the task of controlling them that much easier." With that Giovanni spread his arms outward and Mewtwo yelled in pain as he was assaulted by a huge wave of psychic energy that invaded the deepest recesses of his mind.

Mewtwo was so overwhelmed by the force and immensity of the attack that it was several seconds before his minds protective barriers were able to reassert themselves and drive Giovanni’s probe out.

"No matter," Giovanni said, putting his hands back on his sides. "I now know everything I need to take control of you."

"We shall see," Mewtwo replied and then rushed at Giovanni. The two exchanged blows, kicking, blocking and punching each other, sparks of energy flying whenever they made contact, until Mewtwo found an opening and with one swift movement of its right hand and a flash of psychic energy in its eyes sent Giovanni flying backward where he hit an invisible wall in the darkness. He didn’t seem to be injured much however.

"Let’s see how strong you are when your emotions get in the way of your concentration," Giovanni said looking slightly irritated as his right hand began to pulse with green energy. Mewtwo rushed at him again but it was too late. Giovanni opened his hand, firing a thin beam of energy straight into Mewtwo’s forehead, stopping the creature cold. Giovanni smiled evilly as the beam intensified. "Even the mightiest mind can be broken… if you know its weaknesses."

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Mewtwos senses were assaulted by memories, terrible ones he had tried to forget. He struggled but was unable to focus enough to break Giovanni’s hold; the memories simply came too quickly for him to cope with them.

"No, please no. Please… Don’t make me see this!" But his cries went unheeded.

Ambertwo… she had been the first friend he had ever had. The first entity he had ever spoken to. She was so innocent, so sweet. She was one of the few things he had ever shed a tear over. Now he was forced to watch again as her body destabilized, died and disappeared before his eyes. "Amber, wait! How do you stop tears?" he cried out the same question he had asked her that day as the same feelings of hopelessness washed over him. But it didn’t stop there. Next thing he knew he was watching himself as he destroyed the lab that created him, killing everyone in it. He knew that the scientist had murdered many pokemon and even humans in the process of creating him with no remorse and thus deserved what they got, plus he did not yet know how to control his powers but that did not alleviate the terrible feelings of regret that now filled him. He had helped Giovanni capture countless pokemon and enslave them. He couldn’t believe that maniac had fooled him into believing he valued him as anything more then a weapon. Then there were the pokemon and people he had brainwashed to fulfill his plans of revenge on all other living things. How he wished he could change that. What did it matter that their memories had since then come back? He had no right to toy with them in the first place. Then the battle, the terrible battle he had arranged. Many pokemon would have lost their lives if that that incredible boy had not intervened. Without a second thought he had sacrificed himself to save the pokemon and this with Mews help is what finally brought him to his senses. He had caused so much pain, so much suffering. Would he ever make up for it? Could he? He felt so lost, so weak and helpless. He suddenly felt his consciousness being submerged deeper and deeper in his mind and then surrounded with barrier after barrier of Giovanni’s mind energy. He tried to break through them with his mind but no sooner would one be destroyed then another even thicker one would take its place. Soon he was exhausted. Giovanni’s mind essence, now huge, floated in front of Mewtwo. He extended his hand toward Mewtwo, now so large that he could hold the pokemon in his hand.

"Relinquish your will to mine and your suffering will end," he said in an almost comforting manner. Mewtwo knew better, if Giovanni did get control then the pokemon would still be able to see and hear everything that happened to it but would be powerless to stop him.

"No! I won’t be your slave, not again!" Mewtwo screamed and grabbed his head as he tried to resist Giovanni, but the terrible images continued. Only now they were no longer real memories.

"You were never my friend," a pseudo Ambertwo said coldly as she floated in front of the pokemon, "I hate you! You killed me!"

Mewtwo knew that it wasn’t his fault. Ambertwo’s life force simply wasn’t strong enough to survive the cloning process and like so many pokemon before her her cloned body eventually destabilized and disintegrated. His memories however were now so jumbled his emotions so out of control, that such logic meant nothing. Tears began to form in his eyes as he begged for her forgiveness.

"You will never be anything more then an experiment," the pseudo Ash said, now floating where Ambertwo had been. His face was cruel and unforgiving. "Your destiny is nothing more then to function as a tool for others to achieve their own ends. Live with it."

"You… you can’t mean that. You are the one who taught me that I had a choice, that it’s how you live your life that makes you who you are!" Mewtwo couldn’t stand the emotional daggers that were being plunged into him. The scene suddenly changed to a bright blue sky and a mountain, that mountain. The one he had seen Mew flying towards and there it was. Mew. In his current state Mewtwo didn’t care if the image was real or not.

"Mew! Wait! I need your help!" he yelled after it but it continued to fly forward only looking back once. However it’s face didn’t hold a smile or even a look of pity, only hate, pure hate.

"No! Please don’t go!" Mewtwo cried in anguish tears now falling freely from his face as the sky grew dark and soon everything around him was completely black again. Giovanni still floated in front of him, right hand extended. Mewtwo whimpered, floating in a fetal position in the blackness.

"Now… you are mine," Giovanni said softly as green tentacles of energy shot from his palm and started to surround Mewtwo who only struggled briefly before they completely enveloped him. After several seconds the tentacles retracted. Mewtwo was gone, his conscious being completely submerged and helpless under Giovanni’s mind.

Giovanni smiled. "That was invigorating," he said in an amused tone. "Now to give my new body a test run," he closed his eyes for moment, searching the condition of the lab then opened them, an annoyed look on his face. "Well it seems that boy has complicated things slightly. Not that it matters, I now possess the power to ascend to my rightful place in this world and to crush anyone who dares stand in my way."

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Underground Mewtwo’s body floated, its tank having suffered little damage in the labs collapse. Slowly its eyes opened and glowed blood red. Its fractured tank began to crack further…

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Notes:

All right! The stage is just about set. Soon the Ultimate Battle will begin.

Amber and Ambertwo respectively are dub names for Ai and Aitwo I’ve heard about. I don’t know if they’re official but they’re good names nonetheless so I decided to use them. Just so you know Dr. Fuji being alive and a cyborg now are completely products of my imagination ^_^ At first I thought of making a new mad scientist for this role but then decided including Dr. Fuji would be a neat plot twist. I also tried to make him one of those tormented villains who was once good but because of a traumatic incident could no longer deal with life and went insane. From what I know of Dr. Fuji he was a perfect candidate for a tormented villain.

I hope I did the scene with Jessie and James admitting their love for each other semi well. I really couldn’t think of any better way to do it. It is a bit goofy but remember they are goofy. I do believe in Jessie + James = love though I don’t believe it as strongly as AAML. Still they do make a good couple and I thought finding out they cared about each other would help them in their change of sides. It is apparent throughout the series that Jessie, James and Meowth really aren’t all that bad.

Miyamoto is Jessie’s mother. In Japan there is a story that tells how she was a high-ranking Team Rocket member who worked under Madam Boss, the mother of Giovanni. She was sent on a mission to capture Mew but after seeing it she was killed by an avalanche while chasing it. Not much is known about her but it is apparent that she cared about Jessie a great deal.

I call Mewtwo "he" because it has a male voice and gives it more character then if I only called it "it." Besides perhaps in the anime, unlike in the game, Legendary Pokemon have sexes. When it is appropriate I will also call Mewtwo "it" just as I do with the other pokemon. I find Mewtwo to be a very deep character with a tortured past and I tried to convey that. I hope I succeeded.