Chapter 61: Utter Defeat
Ace Ketchum.
Mewtwo didn't know why, but he could not forget about that human.
Even several hours after returning to the Team Rocket facility Mewtwo continued remunerating on what had happened as he tried to kill Ace.
While Mewtwo had expected Ace Ketchum to beg for his life or offer up his Pokemon in exchange for his own life, instead he had used his aura to reach out to them one last time. And of course he had caught Mewtwo up in it as well.
Even now Mewtwo was confused as he recalled the 'feeling' of receiving a mother's love, and the bond of brotherhood. Both of which were something he had never experienced as a product made by humans in a lab.
He could also recall the taste of fresh Miltank milk, hand to hand sparring with a Riolu, getting bitten by a Houndour as it broke 'his' arm, and numerous other things Mewtwo had never experienced before. Not memories, but 'feelings'.
What was most curious was the fact that Ace Ketchum had never tried to shy away from being killed, and instead smiled as he welcomed death.
He defied everything Mewtwo had learned about humans and the way they acted. And plus there had been.....that.
As he thought about 'that', Mewtwo traced a track down his face with one of his fingers.
"Mewtwo, the boss wants to see you. Now. " A Rocket suddenly said to him, annoying Mewtwo with his interruption and tone.
He could see that the man didn't even feel fear or awe towards Mewtwo in his mind, instead there was an arrogance from the fact that they had the world's strongest Pokemon under 'their' control.
He could also feel the contempt and disdain the man felt for his 'weak' and 'useless' Pokemon, which was the complete opposite of Ace Ketchum.
For some reason the thought disturbed Mewtwo, when it had been completely normal to him before.
"Do not presume to order ME, human." Mewtwo snarled as he seized the man with his psychic power.
...
"Ah, Mewtwo. We were just starting to wonder where you were at." Giovanni said as the legendary Pokemon teleported directly into his office.
"There was business I had to attend to." Mewtwo answered curtly.
Giovanni shrugged as another man entered the room, one with short cut and spiked aquamarine hair, and wearing a white suit with the Team Rocket emblem on the left breast. In his hands he carried a couple of champagne glasses along with an elegant and expensive looking bottle.
"Archer and I are just about to celebrate." Giovanni said as the highest ranking Team Rocket Executive under him poured them both a glass. Naturally, Mewtwo didn't get one.
"To the death, of Ace Ketchum!" Giovanni declared while raising his glass up high, before he and Archer both took a nice long drink.
"You truly wanted him dead that badly?" Mewtwo asked with confusion.
"Of course!" Giovanni exclaimed with relish.
"That brat interfered with my plans years ago, and set us back years by exposing our existence prematurely." Giovanni stated bitterly at the memory.
"And that meant he deserved to die?" Mewtwo asked him.
"Well yes, under usual circumstances any who cross Team Rocket need to die to make an example. But Ace Ketchum was a special case." As he said that Giovanni swirled what champagne remained in his glass while his eyes narrowed hatefully.
"Even after I saved his life, that brat turned around and publicly demanded money from me that I had no choice but to pay in order to save public face. And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, that little fucking shit went and spread this DISGUSTING rumor about me and Surge, which completely ruined any reputation I had!"
Giovanni snarled angrily as he recalled that horrible day, while the Persian that had been napping in the corner awoke as its tail began to twitch irritably.
"But that wasn't even all either.... Now, he's joined the Rangers and has apparently dedicated himself to being as much of a nuisance as possible!"
As Giovanni finished his rant Archer tapped a few keys on a tablet that showed several headlines, articles and news reporters of several incidents in Viridian city, Viridian Forest, and Pewter city.
"From the attack on the Pokemon center in Viridian city, the operation to acquire the True Alpha Beedrill in Viridian Forest, the attack on the fossil Pokemon sanctuary in Pewter, the loss of ALL of our agents in Pewter and the surrounding area, and now the loss of all our agents in Mt. Moon.
"In every one of these instances a 'mysterious Ranger' had intervened in some way, or provided the information on our bases and operations in Pewter. Now we KNOW that Ranger was Ace Ketchum, and so we no longer need to worry with his death."
"Yes. Now we can focus on the future, such as our plans for the legendary Pokemon, the SS. Anne, and our expansion." Giovanni practically purred as he took another sip of his champagne.
"..."
Mewtwo watched the two of them as they continued sipping and congratulating themselves, before he finally said, "So I suppose this is a bad time for me to tell you that I didn't kill Ace Ketchum?"
""...""
Both Giovanni and Archer paused mid drink as they they slowly looked at Mewtwo incredulously. The former then slowly set his glass onto a nearby tray.
"And may I ask why not?" He asked with barely controlled fury.
"He surprised me, as a human."Mewtwo said plainly.
"I see..." Giovanni uttered, but the anger was still rolling off of him in thick waves that Mewtwo could feel without even reading his mind.
"Is there a problem with that, 'partner'?" Mewtwo asked with threatening undertones in his 'voice'.
"No. Not at all." Giovanni snapped irritably.
"Good." Mewtwo stated as the pressure he had started exerting eased off.
"Take this. It's details on your next assignment." Giovanni spat as he tossed a folder in Mewtwo's direction, which he easily caught with his psychic powers. "Meet the team in two days at the Cinnabar island hideout."
Without another word Mewtwo teleported out of the room, going off to do who knows what.
With him gone Giovanni took another sip of his champagne, though it was no longer as sweet to Pallet as it had been. Instead it now tasted bitter.
"Is this truly ok boss?" Archer asked worriedly.
"Of course it's not, but I'm also not going to waste precious time and men going after a single brat..." Giovanni snapped irritably.
"Purrr." Persian growled while rubbing its head against Giovanni's leg affectionately.
"Put a price on his head so large, even his mother would slit his throat in his sleep." Giovanni finally said as he pulled up the footage from Mewtwo's helmet cam of Ace and those with him.
"Double it if he's brought to me alive, so I can have the pleasure of ending his life myself. And double it again if his Pokemon come with him." Giovanni ordered as he zoomed in on each of Ace's Pokemon, specifically the pure white Charmeleon as he imagined it as a coat or belt.
***
"!!!"
I awoke suddenly in the darkness of night, my throat throbbing painfully as I instinctively sucked in a mouthful of air, only to choke on it.
"Ace!" Dawn exclaimed beside me, while I also felt all of my Pokemon around stir as I woke.
"Dawn...." I croaked horsely as I looked around confusedly.
"I'm still- oomph!" I groaned as Dawn suddenly rushed and squeezed me, burying her face in my chest as I felt my shirt become damp.
"We thought you had been killed!" She whimpered tearfully.
"Not yet apparently..." I croaked softly while rubbing her back comfortingly.
""Ace!!"" Misty and May both exclaimed nearby when they realized I was awake, before they too tackled me on either side emotionally.
"Why?!" Misty demanded.
"Why what?" I asked confusedly, before she looked up at me with angry tears in her eyes.
"Why would you sacrifice yourself like that!?"
In the face of her anger though, I could only smile softly at her.
"You know, you look beautiful when your angry."
"!!!"
"You jerk..." Misty pouted as she looked away.
For a moment the four of us just lay here, huddled together while surrounded by our Pokemon as they watched over us worriedly. I even had both Miltank and Tauros acting as my pillows behind me to support my head.
Our huddle only lasted a minute or two though, before something started forcing its way between the girls. May and Dawn parted confusedly to reveal none other than a certain lovable pink egg, Happiny.
"Piny piny!" Happiny exclaimed emotionally as she tried to wrap her stubby little nubs around me in a hug.
The rest of my Pokemon followed her lead as they all tried to nuzzle or embrace me in their own way.
Cranidos began to lightly butt his head affectionately against my shoulder, while Miltank wrapped one of her hooves around me protectively. Both were forced out of the way though as Vespiquen came in from behind to wrap both of her arms around my chest, during which I felt several grubs wriggling against my back.
Meanwhile Nidorina had climbed into my lap alongside Happiny to curl up on me.
"Taur!" Tauros declared, drawing my attention to him as he stood and turned to face me.
For a moment it appeared almost as if he were going to charge, before he bent his front legs and pressed his head into the grass respectfully.
"Taur taur ros!" Tauros declared, stating that he would never be able to repay me for not only saving him from the smuggler, but also for preventing Mewtwo from killing him and Miltank.
"Keep that talk up, and I might feel bad if I do eat you one day." I told him jokingly, to which Tauros snorted with a wry smile.
"Trooo." Lowed May's Tropius as it snaked its head towards me, before dangling the fruits hanging from its neck in front of my face.
"Are you sure?"
"Tro." Tropius said in affirmation, before I picked one of the fruits and started eating it.
"They're delicious." I told it, making Tropius rustle its leaves happily while I felt a rush of energy in my body.
It was said that children in tropical areas often ate Tropius fruits for snacks, but on top of being sweet they were very nutritious and full of vitamins as well. Though, it wasn't anywhere near as nutritious as a Chansey egg.
Even as I took the last bite of fruit though I already felt a bit better, and the soreness in my throat had numbed a bit.
"What WAS that though?" May asked while shuddering, obviously referring to Mewtwo.
"A legendary that was created in a lab as clone of Mew, Mewtwo." I said while reaching for my bag, before digging through it for my notebooks.
"Contrary to what it seems like though, Mewtwo isn't evil. The lab that created him was funded by Team Rocket, who then swooped him up and has been using him ever since."
As I said that I handed Misty my notebook after opening it to a certain page, which depicted the same exact Pokemon that we had seen earlier, but without all of the robotic armor.
"What is this!?" Misty exclaimed as she looked over the old drawing.
"A drawing I did a few years ago. I've got quite a few of them in there, but that one's the most relevant to our current situation." I answered casually as Misty began flipping through my notebook curiously, her expression becoming increasingly incredulous with each page.
"Kyroge... Suicune..... Lugia... These are some of the most famous water type legendaries in the world!" Misty exclaimed as she beheld the drawings.
"Yeah. Not my best work, but it's still ok." I said with a shrug, though Misty just gaped at me.
"How do you have these?" Misty demanded irritably.
"I drew those of course." I answered her as if it were obvious, before taking the notebook back from her.
"We can talk more about Mewtwo tomorrow though. I'm tired, my throat hurts, and I want to talk to Rio- er, Lucario." I said while catching myself at the slip. I had been used to my partner being a Riolu for so long, it was going to take some getting used to with him being a Lucario now.
"Ok then..." Misty relented for now, but I knew I'd have to explain later. She still didn't know the 'truth' about me like May and Dawn did.
The girls and Pokemon around me scattered as I made to stand, while Happiny cried out worriedly, "piny piny!"
"I'm ok Happiny. It's just my throat that's sore." I assured her before heading to where I could sense Lucario, along with Pidgeot and Dragonite.
I found the three of them in a clearing overlooking a cliff, which was saturated in an amber colored aura that was being emitted from Lucario. As I stepped into it though I felt a layer of moisture form on my skin, and I realized Lucario must've been using the move Life Dew to help heal the injuries the three of them sustained while fighting Mewtwo. After all, they had been the ones to get their asses kicked the worst.
"Dro?" Dragonite lowed as he noticed me approaching.
"Dro!" He exclaimed as he stood up, though he kept his arms wrapped protectively around a satchel he had.
"Thank you Dragonite. I can't imagine what would've happened if you hadn't shown up." I told him sincerely, though Dragonite just adopted a bitter look.
I couldn't blame him though, as I had never even heard of him losing before. If he had lost a battle, it was before I was even born.
"Don't worry abut it Dragonite. Even if professor Oak's entire team was here, Mewtwo still would've won." I told him, though he obviously didn't take too much comfort from that.
"Dra!" Dragonite exclaimed, declaring he would become stronger as well as he held the satchel even more protectively than before, making me wonder what was inside.
I had more important things to worry about at the moment though, and could wait until tomorrow for that.
I turned towards Pidgeot as my alpha bird refused to look me in the eye, he even flinched when I patted his side comfortingly.
"You were amazing Pidgeot. Don't let Mewtwo get to you." I told him.
"Ge..." Pidgeot uttered dispiritedly.
I smile sadly at him, but didn't say anything more. There was a very high chance of encountering Mewtwo again along with other legendaries in the future, he would need to work through this himself.
I then turned towards the last of the trio, who was currently meditating on the edge of the cliff as he tried to calm himself after what had happened earlier.
Though he was sitting, I would place Lucario at about five foot tall, an entire head shorter than me without counting his upright ears. Physically he appeared similarly to when he was a Riolu, with the only changes aside from his height being that his abdomen was now covered in tannish fur, and he had a spike on the backside of his paws.
And as I looked at him I realized what we had been missing for him to evolve. It wasn't high friendship like in the game, otherwise he would've evolved years ago, but adversity. Riolu had needed an opponent that forced him to go beyond what he was capable of, giving him no choice but to evolve in order to obtain victory, or survive.
I wonder what that said about him when the opponent he needed to trigger the evolution was Mewtwo himself.
Something told me Lucario however was mostly aware of this now that he had evolved though, and now his mind was on very different things.
For a moment I didn't say anything to him as I sat down beside him, dangling my legs off the cliff as he meditated.
"I guess I can't call you a runt anymore." I said suddenly with humor in my still raspy voice.
"We'll need to send all your Gis home to mom, and she'll probably lament the fact she can't play dress up with you anymore while putting them all in boxes. Ash is going to seethe with jealousy when he finds out, and I can imagine the professor will have a million questions for you to answer since, you know, you can talk now and stuff. And-"
"I'm a failure as a Lucario." He suddenly said to cut me off.
"What makes you say that?" I asked while cocking a brow at him questioningly.
"Not only did I lose so completely, but I also nearly caused the death of my partner. Such a thing is....unforgivable amongst my kind."
Lucario clenched his paw into a fist as he said that, while I could feel the frustration and self loathing radiating off of him in thick waves.
"Knock that off." I said while elbowing him in his chest, making him look at me curiously.
"Mewtwo was sent to deal with us regardless, you didn't 'cause' anything. And when you mention losing, well you JUST evolved. It's not like anything would've changed the outcome." I told him truthfully.
I then stood and turned to face him with an intense look. "Instead of sitting around moping, get your ass up and do something about it. You've got a whole arsenal of new moves that you could be mastering. Your physical abilities have all made a huge leap, and your cap has gone up significantly. What are you waiting for?"
For a moment Lucario said nothing as he looked up me, before he too rose to his feet.
"You're right partner, I need to get to work. And I promise you, no matter who I face in the future, I will NEVER lose again." He declared resolutely.
"You better not. If you do then I'll probably have to trade your ass in for a better model." I told him jokingly.
"You don't have the balls, bitch."
"Wanna try me, pussy?"
"Bitch!"
"Pussy!"
"Bitch!"
"Pussy!"
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Harry_Dresden
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