Dr. Fuji’s Private Lab, Uncharted Territory, Guyana Archipelago, April 7th, 1985

“Vital Signs: Suboptimal.”

“Estimated Lifespan: 30 Standard Minutes.”

Dr. Fuji ignored the automated statement, resting a hand against the glass chamber that stood in the centre of his main laboratory.

Within the glass, suspended in artificial amniotic fluid, was a little girl, no older than five-years old.

His daughter.

Her eyes remained closed as she curled into herself, plastic tubes and wires connected to ports embedded in her skin, initially meant to be a temporary means of sustenance, only to be required for her continued survival.

It won’t be long, sweet daughter.

Soon, you will be reborn into something greater.

Beside Ambertwo’s chamber was another, far smaller replica, hosting a being far smaller than his cloned daughter, yet far more powerful than Dr. Fuji ever could have predicted.

It was through him that his daughter could be saved.

Mewtwo…

Before Dr. Fuji were the remains of his experiments in cloning over the last year, each iteration requiring the use of a Mew Cell to develop, with each bearing deformities that were slowly stripped away as he crafted the key to resurrection.

They always said Dr. Fuji would do great things. They always said Dr. Fuji could prevent stillbirth, solve world hunger, cure cancer, should he put his mind to it.

But he never cared for such things; he was never as altruistic as his peers.

He only cared for his family.

He cared enough to defy death itself, and bring them back.

Ambertwo was born from the fourth iteration of testing. In her mere existence, she was a miracle, created from the perfect combination of Mew and Human DNA. She should have been perfect.

Yet, she wasted away all the same, caught in the grip of the same illness that took Amber.

It was only thanks to her connection to the fifth iteration of testing that she lived for this long. Mewtwo was formed before Ambertwo had fully taken shape, and was meant to be the last of non-human testing, with his cellular structure remaining almost identical to Mew, with just the smallest touch of Dr. Fuji’s own DNA.

In his own way, Dr. Fuji now looked upon two of his children.

One human.

One pokémon.

And like Ambertwo, Mewtwo was almost perfect, bearing none of the sickness that took the lives of the first three clones. It should have been Dr. Fuji’s ultimate scientific success.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, despite remaining entirely healthy, Mewtwo could never fully wake.

Upon discovering this, Dr. Fuji had been overcome by overwhelming disappointment, but no real sense of grief. This only changed when, upon reading the psychic frequencies between the clones, it became clear that Ambertwo and Mewtwo were connected in a way that he could never have dreamed of.

They were both fully conscious, and spoke to one another with their minds.

And if their heartbeats indicated anything… they were content with each other’s presence in a way they weren’t when separated.

A small, withered part of Dr. Fuji felt proud of his daughter for her compassion. She had always been far more friendly than himself - an oddity, considering her mother wasn’t exactly kind herself - so it shouldn’t have surprised him that she would have made a friend in Mewtwo.

But the larger, more practical side of his mind only saw the opportunity in such a connection. Both Ambertwo and Mewtwo were almost perfect, as Ambertwo was slowly dying, and Mewtwo was unable to awaken.

But Ambertwo had already opened her eyes, had pressed her hand against the glass.

And Mewtwo… his body was genetically unable to fall under illness.

It was meant to be.

“Vital Signs: Suboptimal.”

“Estimated Lifespan: 20 Standard Minutes.”

Dr. Fuji cast his eyes away from his daughter, and barked at the workers, “Are the preparations complete?”

One of the scientists - Dr. Fuji never cared to learn their names - stepped forward with a wary glint in his eyes, “Yes, sir. But-” The lab shook minutely from a tremor on the ground. The scientist seemed to find this particularly worrying, given the dread overtaking his visage, “-There’ve been tremors around the area; you just felt one of them. They’ve been increasing in intensity, and we’re pretty sure they’re not naturally occurring.” The scientist turned back to look at the other assembled workers, all of whom beared varying looks of worry, and turned back to Dr. Fuji, “We - er - we recommend you wait-”

“ This can’t wait! ” Dr. Fuji snapped - “Vital Signs: Near-Critical. Estimated Lifespan: 15 Standard Minutes.” - taking a step towards the scientist, “I’m not going to let some insignificant earthquake stop me from saving my daughter! ”

The scientist gulped in the face of Dr. Fuji’s sudden rage, yet he found it within himself to respond, “With all due respect sir… it’s a clone. If it passes, we can simply make another.” He adjusted his glasses with increased enthusiasm, unseeing of Dr. Fuji’s rising fury, “We have the cells for it, and we know how to make them work-”

The scientist gasped as he was shoved down, Dr. Fuji standing over him with narrowed eyes, “ Get out of my sight! If you’re so damned worried about the floor shaking a little, then leave! ” He snapped his eyes to the rest of the workers, who watched the display with frightened stares, “Begin the procedure!”

Dr. Fuji turned around, listening as the scientist scampered off the floor and scurried away. Lights and dials blared to life as the machine behind the glass chambers finally activated.

The ground shook once more - glass tubes fell and crashed against the ground - but Dr. Fuji only had eyes for the clones, as the amniotic fluid began to drain out of their chambers, which were then connected to the machine.

The monitor on Dr. Fuji’s desk lit up with several readings, showing the vital signs and brainwaves of both clones. The chambers were refilled with an almost clear liquid, and at once, the pressure within the room tripled as their psychic link was tugged on and stretched.

Dr. Fuji looked down on the readings, ignoring the sweat pooling at his bangs as Ambertwo’s brainwaves slowly amped up in speed, before finally equalling the intensity of Mewtwo’s own.

As this happened, Ambertwo’s heart began to beat faster and faster - like Mewtwo’s own - before slowing down suddenly, dropping to 80 BPM, 70 BPM, 50 BPM, 30 BPM-

“Subjects are Ready for Psychic Transfusion,” The automated voice echoed around the lab, and Dr. Fuji snapped his head up, “Do you wish to proceed?”

“Yes!” Dr. Fuji snapped, his grin halfway between joyous and manic.

At once, the pressure in the room increased once more, and Ambertwo and Mewtwo’s eyes both opened, casting the room in a shimmering blue light, as they both opened their mouths in a silent scream.

And Dr. Fuji watched on, tears in his eyes, as Ambertwo’s body began to fail, and Mewtwo began to writhe. The light of their eyes only growed ever more beautiful - ever more terrible - and it was only from the screams of the other scientists that Dr. Fuji pulled his eyes away, and witnessed a blast of fire, as a shadow, wreathed in flame, entered the lab.

“let there be light.”

…

New Island, The Eye of the Storm, January 1st, 1998

let there be light

And there was light, as flashes of lightning tore the sky in streaks of blue and silver. Rain and hail flooded the ground, an icy slush pooling at Red’s feet as the temperature rose to boiling highs, and his breath puffed out in chilled clouds.

“I have come to bring Your fate to You, Mewtwo. whether in destruction-” The mass of shadows moved, and Red crouched over his pokémon, watching with narrowed eyes as the Shadow Lugia blasted Mew away with a staticky roar, “-or creation.”

Your Fate will Meet Its End.

Mewtwo - predictably - focused his attention on Zeus and The Chariot, who dismounted the corrupted legendary as Mewtwo launched a volley of Shadow Balls at it.

The storm surged , and the Shadow Balls were shredded mid-air by a spiralling darkness so thick that Red could feel it in his lungs. The Chariot - who’s form was obscured by the hellish winds, the growing shadows - stood within the storm as if he was born in it, breathing in the stifling air as if it was a sunny day at the beach.

And though Red couldn’t see the Chariot’s face, he could easily envision the crazed smile upon his face, the thrice-damned flash of snarling teeth as his eyes glowed with malevolent whimsy, conducting massacres as a musician would an orchestra-

Red could see the Chariot’s face, broken and bleeding, his mechanical lung wheezing out as glass and water crashed from above, a watery tomb far too merciful for the man - the monster that doomed the world-

focus

The shimmering haze of crimson left Red’s eyes, and he stumbled back, almost losing his footing as the storm continued to grow.

remember Your lessons in control

Red snarled wordlessly, digging his nails into his palms - drawing blood - as he forced himself to stand still, and observe.

The first and most important thing Red noticed was that all of his pokémon were alright. Though they were injured by their battle against Mewtwo, and forced onto the ground by the strength of the storm, he could see that they were still healthy.

Well, healthy enough to not require being put into stasis within their pokéballs.

And they were all tense , primed for battle at Red’s word, visibly restraining themselves from rushing at the Chariot in a suicidal rush.

And it would be suicide, as Red witnessed twin flashes of light, columns of fire and stone joining the shadows as the Chariot’s Typhlosion and Tyranitar - Ares and Dionysus - fought alongside Zeus.

After his pokémon, though, the second thing Red noticed in his forced state of calm was an almost familiar tug on his aura - shattered as it was. It was a state of heaviness that didn’t affect him physically, yet there was a sense of itchiness beneath his skin that drove him mad.

It felt like a link - fluttery and thin - only barely there, but it clung tightly.

It almost felt like Red’s bond with Frogadier - and his infant bonds with Pichu and Charmeleon - but it was deeper in a way that unnerved him.

It actually felt closer to his bond with Vee than anything else, as sudden and deep as his love for her.

…Yet the tug on his soul felt deeply cold rather than pleasantly warm.

Red shook the thought away, moving himself and his pokémon back to protect them from the Chariot’s wrath.

But all of the Chariot’s focus was on Mewtwo.

And that was the third thing Red noticed in his forced calm, and it threatened to break what little control he had because this had never happened before.

Everytime the Chariot encountered Red - going back to their very first meeting, at the birth of the Storm - he was out for blood , attacking him indiscriminately in such a way that Red simply couldn’t afford to stand still and watch.

Not like he was now.

Even before the Chariot singled Red out as his equal , there would always be some sort of battle. Yet, as Red stood against Zeus’ storm, he witnessed - for the first time of his life - the terrible beauty of the Chariot’s power when it wasn’t directed against him.

And, oh, it truly was both beautiful and terrible.

Where Red’s battles against the Chariot were feverish, frantic dances of blood and fire, the Chariot’s offensive against Mewtwo seemed far more…

Graceful.

Where Red had pounded against Mewtwo’s defence like a blunt instrument, and Mew had spun around Mewtwo’s offence like a fine thread, the Chariot managed to do both.

And he made it look effortless.

Where Red had raged and roared, the Chariot remained silent, weaving between crashing stone only to send his own with a flick of the wrist.

Minimum movement with maximum effect.

Where Mew had remained passive in his attacks, the Chariot lunged, forming spears of flaming aura to throw at Mewtwo, only for it to Teleport away, unwittingly leaving it prone to Ares’ Fire Pledge.

Mewtwo shot through the air in a flaming heap, only stopping itself less than a second before impacting the wall with a wave of Psychic , and the only thing Red could think at the moment was that Mewtwo wouldn’t have survived that had Ares used Blast Burn.

Not when it was already so weakened from Red and Mew.

But Red only had to look once into Mewtwo’s glowing blue eyes to see that it didn’t realise - or didn’t care - that it could have died, as it launched itself back into the typhoon, both hands forming sharpened Aura Spheres.

Red looked back to the Chariot, and for a moment, the storm shifted in such a way that he could see his eyes.

A shimmering, steel-like grey.

Yet not the cold, dead grey Red remembered.

He almost looked… sane.

In fact, what troubled Red so much was just how sane the Chariot seemed compared to Red’s memories of him from the fallen timeline. Where that Chariot ranted endlessly over maddened ideologies, this Chariot was far too quiet.

It unnerved Red.

it enraged Red.

It didn’t matter if this Chariot was somehow more controlled in his brutality, he still had to die. Red’s mission - his Purpose - was to eradicate Team Source before it doomed the world, and the man - the devil - before him was responsible for the death of millions-

The Chariot turned his head - merely a silhouette - and Red perceived through the haze of hateful crimson that the Chariot was staring at him - with what look, he couldn’t tell - only for the Chariot to tilt his head, eyes flaring a dark crimson of its own - yet not as bright as Red’s - as Red’s chronic migraine snapped , and the haze shattered into the din of static noise surrounding them.

A trickle of blood crept out of Red’s ears and down his neck.

Yet, for the first time in months , Red could think without having to restrain the phantom urge to destroy.

Red reared back, as if struck, as the everpresent weight on his soul soothed and simmered. Yet it remained, slowly clawing its way back to the cornea of his eyes. He brought his eyes back to the Chariot’s form, only to see that the man had turned his back to him, calling out to his pokémon, “Evade and counter! Wear it out!”

Even with the rise in volume, the Chariot’s voice remained calm in a way that still discomfited Red. But with the migraine soothed - with the crimson haze smothered - Red could think past his blazing hatred enough to remember that there were others on the island.

And unlike himself, none of them were remotely equipped to deal with the Chariot’s wrath.

There was a choice to be made here, and just a month ago - perhaps even weeks ago - Red would have chosen to stay, to fight, to kill, to get revenge twice over.

But the Red of before was a broken man, alone, with all those he loved long since buried.

Now, though, Red’s choice was obvious.

He turned around, and fled to the edge of the typhoon.

For while he may still be a broken man, he was no longer alone.

Did it make him better, to have friends to help lift him up?

Did it make him worse, to drag them down to death or damnation?

Red didn’t have time to ponder this, as he grit his teeth and fought against the winds of the storm, distantly noticing the pounding of his veins as blood vessels popped from the change in air pressure.

Red reached the edge of the typhoon, only to shoulder Mew as it flew back towards the fight. The small mythical shook itself off from the impact - it’s singed fur being the only signs of being in a fight beforehand - before turning to scrutinise Red.

Red stilled, glaring at Mew as it turned up its nose in a snobbish gesture, “Well, well, well! Here I thought my clone was the only freak around here!”

Red’s eye twitched - though it’s glow remained dull - and he snapped, “Now’s not the time! Where are the others?”

Mew rolled its eyes, twirling lazily before pointing a foot towards the edge of the stadium, “They’re all cowering, like ants!” Mew giggled, before suddenly pressing its nose against Red’s, “You know, you’re lucky the Creator’s light shines upon you. You wouldn’t be allowed the backtalk otherwise.”

Red’s face twisted in a grim smile - which hid the frank bafflement he felt at the mythical’s words - and growled, “Try me.”

“Oh…” Mew rumbled, before bopping Red on the nose with a happy trill, “I like you! Unlike him, you have some moxie!”

Red couldn’t help but blink at the whiplash of Mew’s tone, and wasn’t able to respond before the mythical twirled once more, “Get going now! I have to go teach a stupid bird some manners.”

With an echoing giggle, Mew flew back into the typhoon, leaving Red to shake his head and run to where Mew had pointed.

As he did, Red noticed just how much of the stadium had been destroyed in his and Mewtwo’s battle, with the battlements and towers all bearing some form of damage, with some structures having been reduced to nothing more than rubble.

After vaulting over the shattered remains of one such fallen tower, Red reached a breach in the battlements, and found Feraligatr standing guard, with Salvare’s other pokémon flanking it.

Just as Feraligatr noticed Red’s arrival, so too did his trainer, as Salvare burst out from the breach, “Red!”

Red opened his mouth to respond, only to snap it shut, eyes widening as Salvare wrapped his arms around him.

…It was a hug.

Before Red could say or do anything about it, Salvare stepped back, his visage somewhat embarrassed, but it was quickly overshadowed by a grim stare, “I’m glad you’re alright, but we have a problem.”

“Let me guess,” Red deadpanned, turning an unimpressed gaze upon the trio of children who were peeking at them from behind Feraligatr, “It’s those three?”

“Yeah,” Salvare sighed, scratching the back of his head in agitation, “They just kinda… showed up. ”

Red held in a snort - ‘Showed up’ sounds about right - and forced himself to look upon a group of people he hadn’t seen in years.

The first he saw was Brock, who protectively stood over the other two - an instinct borne of raising a legion of younger siblings, no doubt - with a guarded stare. He was somehow older than Red expected, yet younger than he remembered.

Brock was only 16 at this time.

To Ash, that made Brock seem that much more mature.

To Red, who had been 17 when the Storm first came, that made Brock seem all the younger.

Red shoved down the growing pit of anger in his stomach, and wrenched his eyes to the side, spotting Misty, who was shivering against Brock’s side.

And if Brock’s youth was more of a subtle thing, Misty was very obviously still a child. Her eyes were scared - innocent - in a way that hadn’t been present in Red’s memories of her, and with her holding herself as she shivered, she seemed so much smaller than he remembered.

So much more scared, despite her attempts to hide it.

It made Red wonder if she had been this scared the first time, back when he had been Ash.

And if so…

How did he not see it?

Red closed his eyes, pinching his nose in growing agitation before opening them to witness the source of his rising fury.

Himself.

Ash Ketchum was a tiny slip of a thing, staring up at him with a determined scowl. Pikachu - younger than Pichu, yet evolved - was carefully balanced on his shoulder, and placed the entirety of his focus upon his older self. Ash’s clothes were far more damaged than that of his companions, sporting tears and burns that likely came from his ill-advised trip within the inferno of Red and Mewtwo’s battle.

How he managed so was still a mystery to Red.

But there was another mystery Red needed answered, as he strolled past Salvare and stared down the group, flicking his eyes between Brock and Misty, before settling his gaze upon Ash, “ Why are you here? ”

Not ‘How are you here?’ That could be answered in any number of ways, none of which truly mattered.

But ‘Why?’

Red had to know why Ash had deemed fit to risk himself - to risk his friends - to go to an island kilometres off the coast whilst a storm ravaged the world. He had to know why Ash would do something so reckless, so stupid , when he should have kept his friends in mind and protected them.

Like Red failed to do.

And Red knew this was Ash’s idea. It was always Ash’s idea. He had brought his friends along on more suicidal quests than he could count, simply because it looked cool , or he needed to help.

And behind Red remained a series of failures, a series of graves, a series of mistakes he couldn’t undo.

Ash blinked at Red’s question, and his eyes turned defensive, as he puffed up and responded, “Well, someone needed to do something! ”

Red could see Brock and Misty’s nervous expressions in his peripheral vision, but he remained focused on Ash. He didn’t have to ask what Ash meant by something - it was apparent to them - but he did have to ask, if only for himself, “ Why does it have to be you? ”

Red didn’t give Ash the chance to respond, as he turned to Salvare and asked, “I’m assuming they don’t have a way off the island?”

Salvare straightened, “They don’t.”

Red restrained the urge to sigh, “Then they’ll take ours.” He turned to his pokémon, who tore their gazes away from Ash - something, he knew, was far more difficult for them than it was for himself - “Do you remember where our boat is?” At their nods, Red commanded, “ Dig us there.”

“Wait!” Ash shot forward, glaring at Red with determined eyes, “We need to stop this, whatever’s happening-”

Ash was cut off by Brock, who stepped in front of Ash as Misty wrestled him away, “You’re sending us away, sir?”

Red’s lips pursed at Brock’s small voice - sir? - but he answered, “Yes. This is no place for children.”

Because that’s what they were, in the end.

Ash, Brock, Misty, they were all children facing the wrath of gods.

Mewtwo, the Legendary Bird Trio, Palkia, Dialga.

Arceus…

They shouldn’t have had to be the ones to pacify these beasts.

They were children.

They were dead because of him.

Red closed his eyes, beating back the mix of guilt and rage that threatened to overtake him. He opened them, and nodded to his pokémon to begin Digging , as Brock asked, “Are you also leaving?”

Red narrowed his eyes at the question, and ignored Ash’s own squawk of disapproval to respond, “That’s not for you to know.”

It was pretty apparent to Red that the answer didn’t satisfy Brock - or Salvare, for that matter - but before he could respond, Ash shot forward, having successfully wrestled himself and Pikachu out of Misty’s grasp, “But-”

“ But nothing, ” Red hissed, his eyes flaring crimson once more. He yanked Ash by the scruff of his shirt and shoved him into Brock’s embrace, “It’s too dangerous for you. You’ve done your part, but now it’s time to leave. ”

Red turned away from his younger self, but not quickly enough to miss the glare the child was sending him. He nodded to Salvare, wordlessly beckoning his protégé to the front of the tunnel, and stepped back, “Follow him, single file. No speaking, and no escape attempts.” Red’s eyes met Ash’s as he said this, and the younger counterpart was cowed for a moment by the blazing crimson of his eyes, “I’ll follow behind you.”

It went unsaid that if Ash tried running, Red would catch him.

Ash grumbled, but allowed himself to follow his friends down the tunnel Red’s pokémon made. It was nowhere near as spacious or dry as the tunnel Red had ascended upon reaching the island, as fissures ran along the island’s crust, causing trickles of rainwater to drop on their heads as they crept down the tunnel.

They crept along for another minute before the earth began to shake, as the battle above heightened in intensity, causing cracks to form along the tunnel’s walls. At once, without any words between them, Red and Salvare stopped, their pokémon pressing themselves against the earth to keep it steady. After a few more moments, the earthquake passed, and they continued.

None of them noticed Red’s hat slip from his hair and fall to the ground.

Finally, after several minutes of digging, they reached the base of the island. Salvare stumbled out, but kept his footing, and helped Brock and Misty out of the tunnel.

Ash declined Salvare’s assistance with a huff, hopping down himself.

Red followed his counterpart, telling Frogadier in a whisper to seel the tunnel, before noticing the other trio by their boat.

Salvare noticed them shortly after, “ Hey! ” He ran towards the trio, as the two humans fled behind the boat, and the Meowth jumped three metres into the air, “What the heck are you doing?!”

“What are you doing?!” That was James’ voice - because where Ash went, Team Rocket wasn’t far behind - “This is our boat!”

“Yeah!” Oh, now it’s Jessie. Red took the moment to nod towards Charmeleon’s creeping form before walking towards Salvare, “Now scram!”

Salvare sputtered, looking somewhat bewildered, and entirely exhausted, “Who the heck are you people?! ”

Ash seemed fit to answer the question; though, it was probably in the worst way possible, given Salvare’s history - not that Ash would know it, but Red wasn’t exactly feeling charitable - “Team Rocket! Your boat’s on the other side of the island!”

Salvare’s eyes flashed upon hearing ‘Team Rocket’ , and it was only because of Red placing a firm hand on his shoulder that he didn’t command Feraligatr to commit murder.

Salvare turned an aggravated stare onto Red, only for him to shake his head and command, “Charmeleon, Scary Face. ”

A beat - then twin screams, as Jessie and James both scurried out from behind the boat, with Charmeleon trotting out behind them, bearing the smuggest look Red had ever seen on his face.

Meowth popped his head out from underneath the boat, and locked eyes with Red for several moments, before gasping out in confusion, “ Twerp? ”

Red scowled, causing Meowth to meep and scurry behind the other two, who now stared at Red with wide eyes. They turned to stare at each other, before turning their heads to Ash, “You have a brother?!”

“ Enough ,” Red snapped, cutting off Ash’s exclamation of ‘ What? ’, “Everyone, get in the boat.”

“ Red, ” Salvare’s voice was strained, and the cause of it was apparent based on the direction of his glare, “ They’re Team Rocket.”

“I know,” Red murmured, low enough that only Salvare could hear - Misty was the first onto the boat - “These three are harmless, though.”

“ What? ” Salvare hissed, as Brock tried to corral towards the boat - with minimal success - “What the hell do you mean by ‘harmless’? ”

“ I’ll tell you later, ” Red snapped, his patience wearing thin - though that was no fault of Salvare’s - as he turned towards the second trio, “You all, get in.”

“ What?! ” Salvare barked, stepping in front of Red to stare at him in betrayal , “Why the fuck are we saving them! ”

“Because I know them, ” Red hissed, watching in the edge of his vision as Team Rocket clambered onto the boat, “Sure, they’re not exactly good , but they’re not like your father. They’re not evil, not like the rest of them.”

Red and Salvare remained in a standoff for several moments, only for it to be broken by Brock and Misty’s yells, as Ash darted past the two of them and tried to run back to the tunnel, only for him to be blocked by Frogadier.

Red’s ears began to ring as Misty and Brock’s voices melded into a ringing din, as he stalked towards Ash, his voice no louder than a whisper, “Are you this fucking dense?”

Ash whirled around, his eyes widening at Red’s glare - his eyes glowed in a brilliant rage - “I’ve told you already, it’s too dangerous for you to go back there.”

Ash wavered, but stood firm - determined - in the face of Red’s growing anger, “Maybe it is, but I can’t just do nothing! ” His voice was backed up by a squeak from Pikachu - a Pikachu that knew none of the horrors Pichu lived through - “I’m not a coward!”

“If you’re not going to think about your own safety, then think about theirs!” Red hissed , extending a fist towards Misty and Brock - both of whom were struck silent by the weight of Red’s rage, the weight of Red’s guilt - “They’ll stand with you, even when you do something idiotic - especially when you do something idiotic!”

Ash’s eyes widened as Red’s restraint snapped , and he stomped forward, eyes blazing in pure loathing as he raged at himself, “DO YOU WANT TO GET THEM KILLED! THAT’S HOW YOU GET THEM KILLED!” The earth began to shake as Red stepped forward, his anguish breaking free to ravage the coast, “THAT’S HOW YOU GET YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, EVERYONE WHO YOU’VE EVER CARED ABOUT KILLED!”

Images of countless faces, countless tombs, countless deaths flashed across Red’s mind - and all of them, he bore the responsibility of in his heart - “MISTY! BROCK! GARY! SERENA-” Red’s voice cracked, sorrow overtaking the rage in his voice, “Professor Oak, your own goddamned mother…” Red straightened, and pinned Ash’s trembling form down with a stare, pooling every ounce of accumulated self-loathing into his words, “Mark my words, Ash. It may not be today, but if you keep acting like this, you will see it for yourself.”

Ash had fell onto the ground at some point of Red’s rage, trembling under the weight of his fury. Yet, Ash mustered what remained of his courage, and blinked back tears to snap, “Y-you don’t know me! You don’t know anything about me!”

Red snarled - a dark part of him found grim amusement in Ash’s words - and bit out a single name, “Delia Ketchum.”

Ash went still, and Red reached out to grab the child, only for Frogadier to pick Ash up onto his shoulder, hopping past Red to deposit Ash with his friends.

Red stared at Frogadier’s eyes once Ash was settled…

And Frogadier was shaken.

Frightened…

By him.

Wrenching his eyes away from the boat, Red turned to Salvare - who almost looked disturbed - raising an eyebrow in silent question. It didn’t take long for Salvare to pick up on it, and he responded with a wary shrug, “What? We already established that I’m sticking with you.”

‘Wherever you go, I go.’

Red closed his eyes - realising that the migraine was back - and simply commanded, “Send them away.”

Red’s eyes remained closed as Salvare commanded Feraligatr to push the boat away with Surf. He listened with closed off ears as the sounds of whispered voices were overtaken by the waves, plunging the remaining two in a blessed silence.

Of course, it couldn’t last forever, as Salvare murmured by Red’s side, “Did you have to terrify the kid?”

Red sighed, his eyes remaining closed, “Can we not talk about it?”

“No, I kinda think we have to talk about it,” Salvare responded with faux-cheer, mimicking Karen’s tones, “Because, between you and me, that was pretty fucking disturbing .”

Red opened his eyes - simmering in a dim hue of crimson - and turned back towards the tunnel, prompting Salvare to snap, “ Red- ”

“He has to learn…” Red breathed, his voice airy from yelling so much, “That his actions have consequences. That he will cause his friends to die because of a misplaced sense of loyalty. ”

“He’s ten, ” Salvare growled, following Red as they began to ascend the tunnel once more, “He didn’t deserve your rage.”

“And he doesn’t deserve to lose his friends over a stupid mistake,” Red snapped, turning to face his protégé, “ Leave it. ”

“Are you the kid’s father, because you sure acted a lot like the only father I know! ” Salvare barked, his own eyes rippling into shades of violet, “You look similar enough for it! Is that why you looked so fucking spooked upon seeing him? I saw it.”

“ Salvare, ” Red rumbled, narrowing his eyes into crimson points, “ I. Said. Leave. It.”

“No,” Salvare shook his head as he rushed forward, blocking Red’s path through the tunnel, “You threatened him. You said a name - Delia Ketchum - and it scared him. ” His eyes turned pleading, as he regarded Red with a desperate stare, “ Please tell me there was a reason for it. Please tell me you didn’t do it for fun-”

“He’s me,” Red cut Salvare off, prompting everyone within the tunnel to freeze, “I’m him.” He stepped towards Salvare, his eyes flashing in raging anguish as he stared him down, “We’re the same person, Salvare. That’s how I know it would happen. ” His eyes darkened into seas of void, both baring singular crimson suns, “ That’s how I know they’d die for him, because they died for me. ”

Red distantly felt Pichu nuzzle against his cheek in a comforting gesture, but kept his focus on Salvare, who now knew Red’s secret.

A secret that, after months of lies, was revealed in a fit of emotional duress.

Red gulped down the rising bile in his throat, and stepped past Salvare, “Nevermind. We don’t have time-”

“I don’t get it,” Salvare whispered, his eyes no longer looking disturbed, but rather perplexed, “You… yelled at your past self?”

Red clenched a fist at Salvare’s words - it painted a rather pathetic picture, him using his past self as a punching bag for his own self-loathing - and grunted out, “I’ll explain later.” They neared the stadium, “Now, we have to focus on the present.”

In more ways than one.

Salvare sobered, taking his place by Red’s side as they peered at the hellish storm before them, “Understood. Where do you need me?”

Red pursed his lips as he watched the storm, witnessing flashes of silhouettes appear under strikes of lightning, and turned his head to look at his pokémon. Frogadier and Charmeleon were both winded from their previous battle, but they bore minimal injuries. However, as Red looked into Pichu’s eyes, he could sense that, despite the mouse’s bravado, it was a hair away from fainting.

Should Red force Pichu into battle against the Chariot, it would with Pichu succumbing to something much worse than fainting.

With a resolute nod, Red plucked Pichu off of his shoulders, and set him in Salvare’s arms. Upon realising Red’s intent, Pichu began to protest rather loudly, cheeks sparking in growing agitation.

Red fixed Pichu with a hard stare, “Don’t fight this, Pichu.” His gaze softened, and he pet Pichu’s head, “You’ve done enough for us.”

As Red’s hand left Pichu’s head, he pushed a small amount of aura into Pichu’s form, dragging him into slumber with Hypnosis.

Red nodded to himself and turned to Salvare, “Hold him, and keep away from the storm.”

Salvare held Pichu against his chest, and looked past Red, “You’re going in?”

Red turned back, as a flash of lightning illuminated the midnight sky to reveal the hazy form of Shadow Lugia as it descended back into the battle with a cry of static. Arcs of purple and pink energy rushed against the edge of the storm, as Mew and Mewtwo both fought against the Chariot.

Yet, Red could feel deep within his soul that their strength alone would not be enough.

BY THE TURN OF THE CLOCK, YOU SHALL KNOW YOUR DESTINY.

GO FORTH, MY CHARIOT. GO FORTH, AND PREVAIL.

Red cast an eye to the sky before turning back to Salvare with a solemn nod, “I must.”

Salvare nodded back, holding Pichu close as he stepped back, “Don’t die, Red.”

Red paused - and once more, despite his recent failings, he found that he had no desire to die; not like the last time he delved into a storm - and responded, “ I won’t. ”

Red walked back to the edge of the storm, pausing as Charmeleon and Frogadier stood by his sides.

Red ran a finger along the bracelet on his right wrist, and felt the Source Stones embedded within.

His pokémon watched the movement with narrowed eyes, anticipation lining their nerves as they gazed upon their trainer in silent question.

Red looked back, his face set in a grim stare, and only asked, “Are you sure?”

Frogadier and Charmeleon both nodded - both of them far too trusting of him; yet it brought a warm comfort, all the same - and Red heaved a weary sigh, “...It’s probably necessary at this point. Arceus have mercy on us all. ”

Red pinched the stones, and with a grunt, twisted them, releasing the boundless energy contained within them, only for them to latch onto his pokémon.

Red’s aura spiked as his bonds with them triple in weight, as Frogadier and Charmeleon both doubled over, shining with a radiant light.

Red’s heart raced as he stepped forward, his pokémon stepping beside him as light condensed into new, more powerful forms.

Red’s eyes blazed as they breached the edge of the storm, and they all rejoined the battle with the same heart, the same mind, and the same soul.

…

‘We dreaming of creating the World’s Strongest Pokémon.’

Mewtwo buckled in the air, pulling the hellish winds around itself as a makeshift shield. Blades of fire and stone crashed against it, leaving burning scrapes along his skin.

‘Those fools thought you were a science experiment.’

His fists clenched, his skin peeled over with Recover , and a stab to the earth brought forth another Earthquake , the next brought a Fissure.

‘But I see you as a valuable partner.’

With a wave of Mewtwo’s hand, golden flames arced into the sky, turning the surrounding rain into steam, which exploded into blasts of ice with a clench of his fist.

‘It was my impression that you were looking to prove your place in this world…’

Mewtwo sunk to the ground, and with a mighty roar, upturned stone into magma, wielding it as a shield to deflect blasts of Dark Pulse and Flamethrower.

‘You’re mistaken, Mewtwo. I didn’t create the Storm. I destroyed it.’

The Typhlosion and Tyranitar combined attacks and blasted away the wall of magma. In the smoke, the demon commanding them lunged forward, launching spears of flaming aura at him. Mewtwo Teleported away - moments before being struck - but not as far as he would have wished.

‘You’re nothing more than a pitiful god born in tubes!’

Mewtwo huffed, exhaustion clawing at his limbs, only for pain to spike in his side as the Typhlosion’s Fire Pledge connected, shooting him through the air.

Mewtwo regained control, summoning a Psychic barrier between himself and the wall before impact. Wounds laced his skin as he hovered in the air, the glow of his eyes flickering as rage gave way to exhaustion.

But he didn’t, he couldn’t allow himself the weakness. He couldn’t be burdened by the same limits as mere mortals - he was above them!

With a desperate cry, Mewtwo enveloped his fists with sharpened Aura Spheres , and launched himself back into the fight, punching the Tyranitar’s chest once, twice, before being knocked back by the Typhlosion.

The demon - wreathed in phantom flames - pierced Mewtwo with a steel-eyed stare, and commanded those that followed him, “Evade and counter! Wear it out!”

Mewtwo was struck by the demon’s arrogance - greater even than Red Satoshi’s - in thinking that it could stand against him, and it boiled over into rage, which Mewtwo used to fuel his wrath against the twin behemoths of stone and fire.

Mewtwo had been fighting for hours , first with Red, then with Mew, and finally against the demon. Any lesser being would have fallen against such a gauntlet long ago - for Mewtwo would readily admit they all bore power - but Mewtwo was not a lesser being. All three were unique challenges for Mewtwo to overcome - unique trials for him to prove his title as ‘Strongest’ .

Red Satoshi was an incredible being, bearing a power that even Mewtwo couldn’t sense the limit of. In a direct confrontation, Mewtwo doubted that even he would emerge victorious. At best, he may achieve a pyrrhic victory, with both combatants suffering fatal wounds.

This became very clear early on in his battle against Satoshi, so he adapted, and found a weakness. For all that Red boasted power, he hardly knew how to wield it. It seemed to Mewtwo as if Red himself had been unaware of the power until fighting Mewtwo, which would be a blessing, if true.

Thus, Mewtwo’s battle against Red became less of a brawl and more of a test of endurance. Instead of attacking Satoshi directly, Mewtwo prioritised redirection and defence, slowly wearing his opponent down to press the advantage.

It had taken much of Mewtwo’s energy to outlast Satoshi - far too much - but it allowed him to best his opponent, and in his victory, Mewtwo did not sense Mew’s arrival until it was too late.

Yet, where Red had been overly aggressive in his attacks, Mew was overly defensive. It was true that Mew had struck Mewtwo with attacks of its own, but it seemed more concerned with enraging Mewtwo with its words than actually defeating it, and Mewtwo indulged in that rage, allowing it to fuel his attacks.

Mewtwo had no doubts that he could have defeated Mew. He may not have been able to kill the annoying creature, but he would have forced it to flee.

Yet, it seemed neither Mew, Mewtwo, or Red accounted for the arrival of the demon.

Mewtwo hissed, spitting out blood as he twisted his wrist, banishing Typhlosion into a wall. It gave a cry, but Mewtwo had no time to capitalise, as Tyranitar barreled into him with Bulldoze .

Mewtwo shook the Tyranitar off, huffed a tired breath, and lifted a hand, grabbing Tyranitar with Psychic before pressing down .

Tyranitar grunted as it was crushed into the earth, but any crippling damage Mewtwo may have inflicted was cut short by a wave of dark energy, as Tyranitar broke free from Mewtwo’s Psychic hold, allowing it to reemerge from the earth.

Mewtwo growled in annoyance - phantom flames lingered in his vision - only to stop at the sound of lightning, and Teleport away in time to dodge a Thunderbolt from the demon.

Mewtwo sensed the power behind the blast, and found it lesser than that of Satoshi’s, but far more precise in a way that Red’s hadn’t been.

The demon cocked his head as he regarded Mewtwo, who cast another Recover with the time he was given. The winds of the storm still carried phantom flames that obscured the demon’s face, though Mewtwo could still see the edges of a small grin, “You’re running on fumes, my friend. It’s obvious just by looking at you.”

Mewtwo snarled, and punched out a series of Shadow Balls , only for them Tyranitar to absorb them into its hide, looking only mildly pained by the attacks.

Mewtwo heaved in a breath of air into his seven lungs - each of which were strained - and roared, “You dare?!”

“Oh, I dare,” The demon replied, sounding mildly amused as he strolled around the typhoon - and in Mewtwo’s mind, he heard the terrified screams of a little girl - “I’ve dared many things in my life; it’s what makes it worth living.”

The demon sighed, looking up for a moment as a shriek of static emanated from the corrupted Lugia above them, “It doesn’t have to be like this, Mewtwo.” He looked back down, staring at Mewtwo’s exhausted form, “I will get what I desire, one way or another .”

He stepped towards Mewtwo, and in a flash, the demon’s eyes burned into pinpricks of crimson void, “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be. I’ve killed you once already; I have no desire to do so again.”

At once, the world around Mewtwo faded, and the phantom flames grew to consume him. In his mind, amidst the din of chimes, the screams grew louder, louder until they deafened him.

‘I’ve killed you once already.’

Something cracked within Mewtwo’s mind, and he closed his eyes as he banished the screams of the child, “No. No! ” He opened his eyes, blazing a brilliant blue as he stared at the demon in rage, “ You lie! ”

The demon sighed, as if disappointed, and began to speak once more, only to cut himself off as a static shriek pierced the air, and a mass of shadows fell from the sky, dropping to the ground with a monumental crash.

The demon’s focus upon Mewtwo broke, as he rushed to the corrupted Lugia’s side. He almost looked concerned. And for the first time, Mewtwo was able to view the fallen god without the winds obscuring it.

The corrupted Lugia looked far different from what Mewtwo knew of their species, bearing sharper edges along its scales that seemed to ooze with dark ichor. It’s eyes were narrowed into triangular slits, glowing a bleeding crimson that cast the mist into shades of scarlet.

The beast met eyes with Mewtwo for a moment, before snapping upwards as it enveloped the demon with its wings, protecting him from the sphere of radiant pink energy that slammed onto them.

The Lugia grunted at the impact, and the sphere burst into excess psychic energy, as Mew tumbled out, kicking through the air as it yelled at the God of the Storm, “That’s what you get for knocking me back earlier, you overgrown Pidgey!”

Mewtwo blinked at Mew’s exclamation, only to blink again as he registered the injuries his progenitor bore. While the pest didn’t show any obvious signs of exhaustion, he could see a number of burns and scratches that weren’t there previously.

Before Mewtwo could fully ponder this, the demon extricated himself from the Lugia, and paused upon seeing Mew’s form. Mewtwo tensed as the demon straightened, but rather than attack, the demon brought a hand to his chin, “In all my years, in all my travels, I have met many legends…” The demon’s eyes darkened, but his focus was no longer on Mewtwo, but Mew, “But never once have I met a Mew.”

Mew huffed, upturning its nose in a way that only caused Mewtwo to tense further, “That’s because you’re a nobody .” Mew giggled cruelly, regarding the demon with uninterested eyes, “You’re just one of many. No more than a measly human!”

The demon only smirked in response, though it was hollow in a way that haunted Mewtwo, “Perhaps so, but us humans have tales about legends such as yourself.” The shadows along the man’s face flickered, casting him in a monstrous light as he stepped forward, “They say that Mew are invulnerable, that they are unable to bleed, for they may heal their bodies even past the cold embrace of oblivion.”

The demon tilted his head, eyes flickering between his Lugia, Typhlosion, and Tyranitar before locking back onto Mew’s, “Something I’ve learned about these legends is that they are often nothing more than superstition, myths crafted out of a need for purpose, security, or simple faith.” He took another step forward, and Mewtwo watched as Mew formed a ball of Psychic behind its back, eyes widened in some foreign feeling that Mewtwo hadn’t seen in the creature until now.

But on Mewtwo’s tongue, the sensation tasted strongly of fear.

“ I wonder, ” The demon’s voice was cold - almost detached - as he stepped closer to the mythical, “ How much pressure does it take to make a Mew bleed? ”

“How about none?” Mew snarked, before launching the built-up Psychic at the demon with a flick of its tail.

Yet, rather than taking the hit or dodging, the demon simply extended a hand, catching the ball of Psychic with a grunt, forcing the demon’s arm back as he skidded several paces backwards, slowly clenching his fist around the ball of Psychic , before extinguishing it with a snarl.

Mewtwo and Mew both stared at the demon in awe for a moment, only to kick into motion as the demon’s pokémon rejoined the battle.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

At first, Mewtwo almost considered Mew to be an opponent alongside the demon. This thought was quickly banished within the opening minute of the battle, as Mewtwo and Mew were forced back-to-back to defend themselves against the demon’s onslaught.

Yet, there remained no chance for either of them to confirm their temporary alliance, as the demon’s pokémon attacked them relentlessly, periodic flashes of light coinciding with the arrival of new opponents.

In streaks of shadow, an Umbreon danced around the edges of the battlefield, using Helping Hand and Wish to support its allies in their fight against the two legends.

Mewtwo Teleported away from a blast of corrupted energy from Lugia, only to be hit in the shins with a Head Smash by a Sudowoodo, who had been Flung by the Tyranitar.

Mewtwo gripped the damnable rock - his shin throbbed from the impact - igniting the layer of sap coating its form, before launching it into the storm.

Without the sap, the hellish rain would do much more damage to it than anything Mewtwo could do with the time he had.

This was proven true when Mewtwo was forced to Protect against a Moonblast from a Togekiss, hissing at the strain within his veins as the fairy trilled in chimes above them.

Mewtwo spared a glance to his side, and saw that Mew wasn’t faring much better than him, as it desperately weaved between attacks of fire, stone, and shadow, only managing to retaliate with paltry waves of Psychic .

The Lugia managed to strike Mew in the chest with a pulse of shadowed energy, blasting it into the ground. Tyranitar made to double down on Mew, only to be pushed back by a Roar from Mew’s mouth.

Mewtwo surveyed the battlefield, Teleporting wildly in the face of overwhelming odds, mind working desperately to find a path to victory in this hopeless situation.

It was becoming clear that, without a drastic change in circumstance, Mewtwo would not emerge victorious in this conflict.

Mewtwo ignored the pit in his stomach at the thought - just like he ignored the terrified screams of the little girl - and narrowed down their opponent’s offences in order to find the flaw in their defence.

Their defence was almost nonexistent.

No, that wasn’t right. Their offence was their defence. The demon’s pokémon attacked with such brutality, with such overwhelming force that it prevented them doing anything else but to defend.

Mewtwo saw this cycle, and knew it had to end.

And Mewtwo knew how to do it, as the storm of rain and pokémon surrounded them, what stood in its centre remained the same.

The demon-man itself, bearing a shadowed smile amidst phantom flames.

‘how terribly beautiful.’

Mewtwo shook his head of the voice - it haunted him it haunted them - and erected a psychic dome, warding off the pursuing Umbreon and Togekiss, before forming a gauntlet of aura along his arm.

The demon-man commanded the pokémon with such confidence that they heeded his every word.

With him gone, they too would fall.

He sharpened the aura, heaving shuddering breaths at the strain on his soul, and collapsed the dome, using the excess psychic energy to Teleport himself one last time, appearing before the demon-man as he reared back and struck-

A bellow of static pierced the air, and Mewtwo braced himself as he was blasted back by a pulse of darkness.

The corrupted Lugia cried once more, its static trill laced with pain, as Mewtwo’s attack had been blocked by the creature, causing it to pierce its wing.

The fallen god bellowed once more, and after giving a singular glance at the demon-man to verify his safety, it rose into the air and descended upon Mewtwo with an enraged shriek.

Mewtwo hissed in pain, but raised his fists in defiance. The last remains of his energy were flagging, and his final bid for victory was all but gone, but he stood nonetheless.

Both voices in his head - his own and the girl’s - went silent in his conviction.

Mewtwo had proclaimed himself to be the God of War.

If he were to fall here, it was better for it to be while standing instead of kneeling.

The Lugia opened its maw, charging up one final Shadow Blast , only for its jaw to snap shut as a chain of shadow wrapped around its maw, the rippling sickle at the end of the chain stabbing into the creature’s snout.

The corrupted Lugia gave a muffled cry as it was yanked back and slammed into the earth, the chain fading away as a shadowed figure leaped out of the storm’s edge and stabbed down with a katana of compressed water.

The Lugia rolled away in time to avoid being impaled, only for the shadowed figure to throw a Water Shuriken into its hide, prompting a cry from the beast.

It crept forward, intent on fighting the other shadowed figure, only for a bolt of blue fire to strike its chest, blasting it back with a shirek.

Mewtwo turned to face the new combatant with wary eyes, only for them to widen as he registered that the source of the attack had been the Charmeleon that Red had commanded earlier.

However, there were notable differences that confused Mewtwo. It appeared slightly larger than before, and its scales were several shades darker. Blue-tipped spikes protruded from its head and shoulders, crawling down its back before being consumed by a blue flame that enveloped its entire tail.

Yet, the oddest detail Mewtwo noticed were a set of malformed nubs on the creature’s back, bent in a way that almost reminded him of the broken wings of a bird.

However, the deformity didn’t seem to cause the dragon any pain, as it roared in rage at the corrupted God of Storms.

The shadowed figure stepped back to stand alongside Charmeleon, revealing that it, too, was an inexplicable transformation of one of Red’s pokémon.

The Frogadier seemed much sharper now, almost appearing entirely black as shadows caressed its form. It stood much taller than before, wearing a chain-and-sickle on its back - a kusarigama, if Mewtwo recalled correctly - and two small shurikens on its hips.

As Mewtwo tried to comprehend when and how they achieved such transformations, Red himself stepped through the storm, casting a momentary glance at Mewtwo before refocusing on the demon-man behind him.

Mewtwo then noticed that the demon had halted in his advance.

Mewtwo shivered, dragging any remains of his energy into another Recover as the demon tilted his head, regarding Red as his pokémon moved to protect the Lugia’s wounded form, “So you return… Red Satoshi .”

Mewtwo expected Satoshi to explode into a rage, as he did before. But the man merely closed his eyes and breathed slowly - calmly; much more calmly than he had against Mewtwo - and reopened them, “ So I have. ”

‘So you arrive, Storm-Bringer.’

‘So I have.’

Mewtwo shuddered, hearing the distant chime of bells as the earth shook with something other.

The demon and Red continued to stare at the other, sizing each other up in a way that surprised Mewtwo in how personal it was.

The demon broke the silence with a grin - the shadows stretched along his form, hiding it, but the white of his teeth seemed to glow in the moonlight - “Well, this should be interesting. ”

At once - as if driven by a combined understanding - the two men moved , and the brawl raged harder than before.

Mewtwo flew away in a bid to escape the storm, but was prevented from doing so by Tyranitar and Umbreon. Mewtwo huffed away his joint exhaustion and frustration, blinding the two of them with Flash in order to back away from them.

Mewtwo nearly collided with Typhlosion in his fatigue, barely managing to beat away the embers of its Eruption as it fought against Charmeleon and Mew. He rolled under them - in a move similar to Mew’s - and panted on the ground as the splinters of his mind cracked further.

‘let there be light.’

Mewtwo hissed as Togekiss released a Dazzling Gleam upon Frogadier, blinking away the lights in his eyes as the ninja retaliated with a Toxic Dagger. Tyranitar charged forward to Bulldoze Frogadier, only for Red to step forward, launching an Aura Sphere into the beast’s chest, toppling it to the side.

And though Red’s aura seemed much more reserved than before, it also seemed much more precise.

Mewtwo grunted as he rose into the air, casting a shield of golden flame to ward off Sudowoodo as it neared. At the flames grew, so too did the cracks in his mind, as phantom flames surrounded him, and a demon - the same demon? - wreathed in flame, smiled as the shadow of death descended upon him.

‘how terribly beautiful.’

Mewtwo began to scream - began to scream like the girl in his mind - as the chimes grew to deafen him.

With a roar, Mewtwo banished the flames, striking the Sudowoodo and Umbreon both as they prowled around him.

Mewtwo barely paid any mind to them, though, as he focused upon the battle at the storm’s centre, as Red faced off against the demon-man, their pokémon trading blows in a fruitless endeavour to gain ground.

It became apparent to Mewtwo how, despite whatever desperate measures Red had taken with his pokémons’ transformations, he would surely lose in a prolonged conflict.

In his mind, the demon of the fire laughed and laughed and laughed and-

The little girl couldn’t stop screaming.

Mewtwo’s eyes glazed over in azure rage, and he surged forward, arm outstretched to grab the demon’s form, wrapping it in his psychic embrace so that he may press the man down, and crush him into the earth.

The demon’s eyes - shadowed crimson - widened as Mewtwo gripped him, only to narrow as Mewtwo’s grasp on him loosened, almost shedding away like water, before outstretching his own hand to grab Mewtwo in a psychic hold.

The demon snarled as he held Mewtwo aloft, fingers twitching as sweat trickled down his brow. The demon’s breaths came out in harsh rasps - so much like Red’s own, hours before - before levelling out as his hold on Mewtwo slackened, before releasing in full.

But this was in no way a sign of the demon’s fatigue.

The demon spared a glance at Red - held off by Typhlosion, Umbreon, and Togekiss - and another at Mew - beaten down by Lugia, Tyranitar, and Sudowoodo - before rolling his neck, piercing Mewtwo with a shadowed glare as he growled, “ Enough of this. ”

Mewtwo buckled at the sheer wrath of the demon’s words, and fell onto his knees as a terrible - beautiful - pressure suffused the air.

If he were to fall here, it was better for it to be while standing instead of kneeling.

Yet Mewtwo could not stand. No amount of willpower, rage, desperation, terror could move his knees off the ground as the demon stepped forward, eyes glinting with thinly held malice , “ This has taken long enough. My patience wears thin. ”

By now, Mewtwo could sense that Red and Mew both recognised the demon’s advance, and tried to stop it - Mewtwo would have almost thought it to be from a desire to help him, were the thought not so laughable. However, the demon’s pokémon held them off, allowing it to step closer to Mewtwo until it stood directly before him.

…So this was how the new God of War would die.

He would die kneeling, having proven unworthy in the face of the gauntlet before him.

The demon raised an arm, and Mewtwo closed his eyes, awaiting death with a sudden sense of acceptance that he never before associated with the prospect.

In the surfacing depths of his mind, a little girl silently weeped at how, even after all this time, he didn’t desire to live.

‘I never asked for this!’

‘What do I have to live for?’

The demon pressed a thumb against Mewtwo’s forehead, and he held his breath, waiting for the finishing blow.

It never came…

What happened was so much worse.

The demon tore into Mewtwo’s soul, and under his command, the cracks in Mewtwo’s mind splintered, shattered as the demon wrenched forth the buried depths of his spirit, flooding his mind with a cascade of memories.

A little girl - his best friend - a clone-

A valley - a mountain - a lakeside-

Clones struck mute, blind, deaf - passed away-

burning burning burning-

The demon released his thumb from Mewtwo’s forehead, allowing the clone to drop onto the ground, writhing as images, smells, sounds, thoughts, terrors, tears, loves, joys, sorrows flooded its mind.

Flooded its soul.

‘What is that?’

‘That’s the sun.’

‘What’s it for?’

‘It makes the whole world bright and keeps us warm all day.’

The voice - the little girl’s voice - it was the same it was the same Mewtwo opened his their eyes and mewled as shining light let there be light blinded him and the girl was screaming still screaming why was she screaming he was screaming the pain the veil shimmered I’ve killed you once already phantom flames spread, it feels like it’s time to say goodbye no no no no No No please I need you live to live what am I who am I what is my Purpose this cannot be my destiny there is no escaping my destiny god of war you are good I am a monster amongst monsters a god born in tubes-

Mewtwo clutched his - their - head, twin voices screaming in pain as their world shattered around them, revealing the Veil in all of its terrible beauty.

He had seen past the Veil.

He had seen what lay beyond the void.

And it was driving him Mad.

Mewtwo felt a hand press against his shoulder, and the demon murmured words that nearly bled into the din of chimes, yet Mewtwo heard it in perfect clarity, “look around you, see the twine that weaves the veil of the world.”

Mewtwo saw , and shed tears as the Veil shimmered against an invisible wind.

He had seen it before, in the cold embrace of oblivion.

Ambertwo continued to cry in his mind.

“take one look past the veil,” The demon - a haunting voice whispered ‘The Chariot’ into his mind - urged, his voice sounding desperate in a way that was hauntingly familiar, “and see that freedom is a lie.”

Mewtwo bellowed, energy pouring off of him in waves as he succumbed to the memories - the Madness - of death and rebirth. Cracks splintered along the ground, shattering the entire island down to its very foundation.

And deep below the stadium, held within a chamber of reinforced steel, the core of nuclear energy cracked, and emitted a hiss as the cracks splintered further, inching towards the same oblivion that Mewtwo found himself trapped within.

…

There was a certain familiarity - a certain clarity - in Red’s mind as he stepped into the storm.

He and his pokémon had braved Mount Silver only four months ago, and breached the Source Storm in order to destroy the Conduit once and for all. Compared to that, this storm almost seemed akin to a simple rainstorm .

Now, as the three of them stepped past the outer layer of heavy winds and hail, the cascades of light began to simmer down along his pokémons’ forms, allowing him to see what they had become.

Red’s right arm was entirely numb - paralysed - from the transformation.

It was worth sparing his pokémon the pain.

It wasn’t as if Red expected to be of much use in the coming fight. The seemingly limitless well of power he held before had been reduced to a mere trickle, slowly charging back up to the levels he wielded before.

Though Red rather doubted he would have the time to wait for that power to fully return.

And even if he could, Red wouldn’t. He needed a clear mind for the fight ahead, and if this day had proven anything to him, it was that whatever crimson power engulfed him also took away his restraint.

He couldn’t afford to lose control again.

Especially against the Chariot.

Red looked to his sides, taking in Frogadier and Charmeleon’s new forms.

Frogadier blended into the shadows, his form almost looking as if it was somewhere between aqueous and gaseous. Tendrils of darkness caressed his limbs, as darkened water compressed into shurikens that stuck to his hips, the lingering remains forming in a chain-and-sickle that Frogadier held in his hands.

Red didn’t remember the exact name of that weapon.

On his other side, Charmeleon walked proudly, standing almost as tall as Red himself. His scales had darkened even further, layering themselves in a way that made him appear fiercer. Blue spikes protruded from his skull, across his shoulders, and down his tail, which itself was consumed by azure flames.

Yet, a single glance at Charmeleon’s back revealed that the loss of Charizard’s wings affected Charmeleon even today. Red rubbed Charmeleon on the back in a comforting gesture, but quickly refocused himself as they heard a bellow of static.

Shadow Lugia.

Frogadier darted forward, launching his chain-and-sickle to wrap around Zeus’ maw before yanking it, pulling the corrupted legendary away from Mewtwo’s form.

And it was then that Red recognised just how exhausted Mewtwo looked.

The newborn legendary was a sight for sore eyes, bearing numerous cuts and bruises along its skin. The glow of its eyes was all but gone, and Red was struck by the hauntingly familiar tan of its eyes.

Not crimson, like the Conduit.

Nor azure, like the wrathful god.

But tan…

It was the same tan eyes that stared at Red atop the mountain, after the Conduit had been defeated, and Mewtwo freed from its control.

And these eyes were the same, both accepting in the face of death.

Red snapped his eyes over to Zeus as it targeted Frogadier, watching as Charmeleon blasted it back with a bolt of blue flame.

Red stepped forward as his pokémon closed ranks, casting a momentary glance at Mewtwo before refocusing his attention on the man behind it, who had seemingly taken notice of Red’s entrance.

Yet, while the storm had dwindled enough for Red to fully see the Chariot, he could see no more than his most basic features, as shadows warped in such a way to envelop the man in darkness, only illuminated by the glow of crimson eyes.

A darker shade than Red’s own.

Red could only faintly feel the tug of the man’s aura - the same tug as earlier - and distantly recognised just how much control the man must have to hide his form in such a way.

To constantly pull on the surrounding shadows to hide one’s face was difficult enough.

To do so with his entire body…

Red couldn’t help but be grimly impressed.

The Chariot regarded Red for several moments - the shadows hiding any expression his face may have had - and tilted his head in a curious gesture, “So you return… Red Satoshi. ”

He knew Red’s name.

Or… he knew Red’s name. Not Ash’s. Red closed his eyes and breathed slowly, forcing himself to remain calm even as his soul writhed against his restraint.

The Chariot doesn’t - can’t - know his origin.

Only he and his pokémon do…

And Salvare too…

Red reopened his eyes - they glowed, but only with a fraction of the power they had before - and spoke with false civility, “ So I have. ”

Red ignored the sense of déjà vu he felt at the words, and took a step forward.

The earth shook.

The Chariot regarded Red in silence for several moments, only to break out into a grin - and it haunted Red how brightly his teeth seemed to glow against the shadows - and remark, almost pleasantly, “Well, this should be interesting. ”

Red’s eyes widened, and at once, he moved , commanding his pokémon forth as the Chariot’s own launched a coordinated strike against himself, Mew, and Mewtwo.

It was a brawl, with the Chariot on one side, and the rest of them on the other.

They split apart, as the Chariot corralled his pokémon into striking them in teams, preventing them from aiding one another as they were forced to fend against their own adversaries.

Red and Frogadier faced off against Athena and Hepha - Togekiss and Sudowoodo respectively - moving as one against a greater foe.

Charmeleon had been separated with Mew into fighting Ares.

Red forced himself to remain calm as he dodged alongside Frogadier - their bond strengthened with his transformation - recalling that any miscalculation borne of rage or panic could cost him or his pokémon their life.

And he could not accept that.

Red had failed in this regard when fighting Mewtwo, as he had allowed himself to be controlled by emotion, which granted him terrible power, yes, but it came at the cost of his control.

He wasted moves, wasted his energy in a mad scramble to take down the legendary, allowing Mewtwo to retake the upper hand by outlasting him.

Mewtwo did the same thing to Red as he did to the Conduit.

It stung.

But it forced Red to learn , and he applied that lesson to his current battle. He reached into his bond with Frogadier and turned it into something greater than the sum of its parts.

They moved as one, dodging attacks with efficiency, never wasting breath as they redirected attacks and blocked what they could not avoid.

Red’s left arm throbbed in pain as he did so - for his right arm remained unmoving - but he remained active, lunging alongside Frogadier to deliver a Low Kick to Sudowoodo before launching it away with a Fling .

Athena retaliated with a Dazzling Gleam , and Red reached through his bond and absorbed the brunt of the attack, allowing Frogadier to leap up and stab the Togekiss with Toxic Dagger.

Red hissed as the light burned his skin.

But he could bear it; the light hurt him far less than it did Frogadier.

Red’s eyes snapped to his side at the sound of a hiss, only to see Mewtwo’s dazed form stumble away from them.

Before he could think or do anything to help Mewtwo, Dionysus emerged from the storm’s edge, charging towards Frogadier with Bulldoze.

Red snapped forward, punching his left fist towards to beast, launching an Aura Sphere into its chest, causing it to topple over before colliding with Frogadier.

Red took the moment to glance once more at Mewtwo, only to see it hovering in the air as it screamed , banishing the golden flame surrounding it to strike Hepha and Hades both as they circled the hovering pokémon.

Red snapped his eyes away from Mewtwo’s wrath - though, Red wondered if it was wrath, or Madness - as the Chariot jumped towards him, smile stretched wide as Zeus flew above him with a bellow of static noise.

A glimmer of blue appeared at the edge of Red’s vision, as Charmeleon - injured, but able enough - stepped beside him.

The Chariot regarded Red for a moment as his own pokémon stood beside him. With a wordless twirl of his finger, the battle resumed, with the Chariot finally personally leading the fight.

It became readily apparent that any advantage Red may have had was void in the face of the Chariot’s wrath.

Whereas before, the Chariot’s pokémon attacked in singular - almost predictable - patterns, under the Chariot’s direct command, they were nearly unstoppable.

While moments before, Red had battled Togekiss, Tyranitar, and Sudowoodo to a standstill with only Frogadier, now Red found himself on the backfoot, as the Chariot battered against his defences with precise strike after strike after strike.

This was not the Chariot that Red thought he knew. The Chariot he remembered only spoke is rasping laughs and hissed whispers. The Chariot he remembered attacked relentlessly, never stopping for a single moment until absolute devastation was wrought, both on his opponents and himself.

The Chariot he remembered was never so silent , never so calculated , never so cold. While the fallen Chariot had shown shades of these aspects in battle, he was often loud in a way that grated Red’s ears, often reckless in a way that spelled danger to all that surrounded him, often blazing hot in spirit, so much that he burned anything he touched, including himself.

It was due to the Chariot’s own ill-advised battle underneath a lake that he perished, after all.

In many ways, the Chariot was the cause of his own death.

But this Chariot was a different beast altogether.

This Chariot displayed such fine control - such finesse - over his own aura that the fallen Chariot never wielded.

This Chariot displayed a level of restraint that spoke less of ill-placed mercy, and more of well-placed caution.

This Chariot displayed a calm demeanour that barely wavered, even in the face of devastation.

It made Red wonder what made the Chariot change so much, to make him go from this… to the Chariot he remembered.

They almost seemed like two entirely separate people.

Red grit his teeth, banishing the thought.

He had no time for it; it wasted brainpower.

He needed every ounce of focus he could muster for the fight ahead.

So Red pulled from his experience of fighting the Conduit, and endured. He shifted his priorities from defeating the Chariot to simply surviving.

After all, it was hardly likely that he was going to emerge victorious with only two pokémon, regardless of their Source transformations.

So Red stood firm, commanding his pokémon into guarded retreat, as they deflected attacks when they could, blocked when they couldn’t, and simply tanked what slipped past their defences.

Red’s skin burned as he pulled on his bonds with his pokémon - both of which were heightened to new levels under the influence of the transformation - but he didn’t buckle from the pain, standing firm so that his pokémon may persist.

Red ignored the visible look of intrigue he saw upon the Chariot’s eyes.

Red’s salvation only came minutes later, as the Chariot stopped in his tracks, crimson eyes widening as a faint blue glow enveloped his body, only for him to narrow his eyes in annoyance as he shook away Mewtwo’s psychic hold of him, only to stretch out an arm to ensnare Mewtwo in his own hold.

Red remembered doing the same, when Mewtwo went to attack Ash.

It had taken even him, with all of his power, the majority of his reserves to hold Mewtwo in place for just a few seconds.

Yet, the Chariot did the same with a fraction of the power, gasping out in harsh rasps as he slowly released the legendary, trickles of sweat dropping onto the floor below him.

Yet he had achieved the same feat as Red, even if only for a moment.

Red looked upon the Chariot, reminded once more of Mewtwo’s words.

‘You are powerful, Red Satoshi. Your power even rivals my own.’

‘But you have no control over that power.’

For the first time, Red believed he understood what Mewtwo meant by control - what Herren meant in his various rants of the subject .

Control allowed for the Chariot to wield a mere fraction of Red’s power, and achieve the same result as him with a fraction of the cost.

Red grit his teeth, stepping towards the Chariot, only for Typhlosion to body-block him, Umbreon and Togekiss both standing at its side.

Red backed away, staring warily at the towering beast as it lumbered towards him, no longer attacking - which, in and of itself, was a mystery - but not allowing Red to get any closer to his trainer.

It almost made Red laugh hysterically , how Ares had suddenly become much less aggressive with nothing more than a glance from the Chariot, as it backed Red towards the edge of the storm, before stopping to look at his trainer as he growled, “Enough of this.”

Red turned to see the Chariot standing before Mewtwo, who kneeled in defeat before the man.

Even from this distance, Red could see the sorrowful acceptance of its eyes.

It plagued him.

The Chariot only took another step forward, eyes glinting with thinly held malice , “ This has taken long enough. My patience wears thin.”

The Chariot was going to kill Mewtwo.

In the back of his mind, Red recalled that was exactly what he was going to do mere hours earlier.

But a voice in his mind - a voice suspiciously close to Ash’s - urged him against it.

Red lunged forward, only for Typhlosion to catch Red at the chest and slam him into the ground, knocking the breath out of his lungs.

Frogadier and Charmeleon both attacked Typhlosion in retaliation, but were quickly held back by Togekiss and Umbreon. Typhlosion let go of Red’s chest, pinning him with an almost disappointed stare before snorting out a plume of smoke, making it seem as if it asked ‘ What did you expect? ’.

Red hated how much the gesture humanised Ares.

Red was helped onto his feet by his pokémon, both of whom glared at the Chariot’s own, who seemed content to merely stare back.

Neither of them attacked the other.

Red only reflected on this baffling state of affairs for a moment, as the island suddenly began to shake, an ear-splitting wail emanating out of Mewtwo as he slumped to the ground, clutching his head.

Both of its eyes glowed an incandescent blue.

The Chariot stepped back, leaving Mewtwo to slump onto the ground, energy pouring off of him in waves, splintering the island with its power, releasing plumes of dust and smoke from within the earth.

Distantly, Red felt a tremor of disaster rumble deep beneath them.

Mewtwo kept screaming - screaming with two distinct voices - and Red’s eyes sharpened upon the Chariot’s satisfied smile - visible, even amidst the shadow - “ What did you do to him? ”

The Chariot turned, facing Red with crimson eyes of his own - ringed with darkened void - and smiled softly, “ I gave back to him what was stolen. ”

The Chariot stepped towards Red, cutting off his vision of Mewtwo’s wailing form, and blinked away the crimson haze of his eyes with an ease that Red envied, “But enough about Mewtwo… I want to talk about you. ”

Red tensed as the Chariot’s pokémon moved, flanking the man as he stepped towards Red, seemingly unworried about that fact that they fought minutes before, “I knew you would be a fascinating individual, Red, but today…” He turned, eyes taking in the ruined stadium - now visible amidst the receding storm - “You were extraordinary. ”

The Chariot turned his eyes back to Red - and they remained grey, even as they flashed with shades of crimson - “You fought my pokémon to a standstill. You forced me to step in directly .” The Chariot smiled - and it was paradoxically sickening and comforting; Red shivered - “ This has never happened before. ”

Red stepped back, recognising the glint in the Chariot’s eyes as hauntingly familiar, “It almost makes me think that you could be my equal… ”

Red heard his pokémon growl at those words - they recognised it as vividly as him - and the Chariot turned curious eyes to them, “And to think you did so with two pokémon, even transformed as they were.” The Chariot’s tone was flippant - uninterested - about the transformations themselves, though it quickly sharpened as he regarded Red once more, “You will make… the greatest of protégés. ”

Red’s fist clenched, as he grit his teeth, remaining silent.

He couldn’t trust himself to speak without screaming.

Red supposed that the Chariot’s words shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did - it was only every previous encounter with the man that he said some variation of those same words. Yet, with the myriad of differences he had seen in his enemy, Red almost believed - almost hoped - that the Chariot would simply ignore Red, for once .

The Chariot seemed to be aware of Red’s spiralling dread, fear, hatred , as he stepped back - almost as if giving Red space - willing the harsh shadows on his form to soften.

It almost seemed like he was trying to pacify Red.

This was another difference that Red didn’t find himself particularly fond of.

The Chariot began to speak once more, in softer tones, but abruptly stopped as the island shook once more - undercut by distant chimes - only for the quakes to linger, as distant explosions erupted beneath them.

Beneath them?

The sense of dread burrowing into Red’s heart only digged its way deeper, and he felt the Chariot Detect the ground underneath them, only for his eyes to widen in surprise, momentarily loosening the shadows from his control.

In the split-second that Red could see the Chariot’s face, he could only think one thing.

The Chariot looked young, around Red’s age.

The shadows enveloped the Chariot’s face a moment later, but Red could still see the look of bitter annoyance on his enemy’s face, “You have got to be kidding me-” The island shook once more, the explosions rising in volume, “-There’s a nuclear reactor under here?”

Red blinked, only to blink again as the Chariot’s words fully registered. A wavering trill caught his attention, as Mew hovered over to them, face set in a grim stare, with just the smallest amount of vitriol aimed at the Chariot.

Yet Mew’s reaction only told Red that the Chariot was being truthful.

The Chariot cursed, turning his burning eyes skyward, “ Do you think this is funny?! ” He roared at the moon overhead, eyes narrowed on an unseen observer, “ Is this all one big joke to you?! ”

Red watched as the Chariot’s pokémon looked at each other in visible concern before moving to calm their trainer, nuzzling against him in a manner that reminded Red all too much of Pichu’s own reassurance amidst his worst moments.

Red forced himself to shove out the mingled wrath and confusion from his heart.

The Chariot faltered in the face of his pokémons’ support, visibly calming himself with a single breath, “ So be it. ” He turned to Red, eyes bearing no trace of their crimson haze, “I will not die here, and you need not die either.”

He extended his right hand, which, while scarred, was flesh and bone. It bore not traces of the leather and metal of Red’s memories. The Chariot’s lips twisted in a defeated smile - an expression Red had never seen on the Chariot’s face - and he beckoned, “Come with me, Red Satoshi, and we can reshape the world. We can make it into something better… ”

There was a note of genuine desire in the Chariot’s voice, both different and eerily similar to the desperate, doubtful tones that Red remembered.

It almost gave Red pause.

But all the same, Red’s answer remained instinctive - familiar, a blunt riposte to the Chariot’s systematic offer of alliance - as he snapped back, “Go to hell!”

Yet another difference presented itself, as while Red’s memory illustrated a wan smile, a sarcastic twitch of the lips, the Chariot before him frowned, almost looking hurt by Red’s words.

Somehow, this, more than anything else, was what struck Red as truly bizarre.

The Chariot quickly shrugged, however, the faint edges of his face smoothing out into shadow, “I imagine I will, Red, but not today. ” He took a step backwards, and Zeus lowered its neck for him to mount it, “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

The Chariot looked around, missing Red’s visible confusion, “You were never meant to be caught in the crossfire of… this , but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at the cards dealt to us by fate.”

The Chariot recalled his pokémon in a single movement, leaving Red and Mew behind as the Shadow Lugia flapped its wings, rising into the air, “Farewell, Red Satoshi.”

With a shriek of static, Zeus flew away, dissolving into the clouds above them. Red watched them leave for several moments - several things flying through his mind - only for the island to rumble once more, snapping Red back to reality.

Right, there was a nuclear reactor underneath them.

What the hell was a nuclear reactor doing here?

“ It powered the island, ” Mew chimed, having gleaned Red’s panicked thoughts. Mew ignored Red’s glare, floating around him in slow, disjointed movements, “ That guy was a total freak, right? ”

Red didn’t answer, his eyes narrowing on Mew’s skin, specifically the slashes marring its soft furs.

There was blood on them.

It was the smallest amount, yes, but Mew bled . It tried to hide its wounds once it noticed Red staring at them, but he had already seen enough to know what it meant.

The Chariot - Zeus - one or both of them made Mew bleed.

Mew were said to be invulnerable, incapable of shedding blood.

Red shook his head, shoving the thought away as he limped towards Mewtwo’s writhing form. He distantly noticed Salvare running towards them, seemingly emboldened with the lack of a storm.

But with the looming nuclear explosion, the storm’s disappearance was hardly a comfort.

There was a musical echo hidden amongst the din of chimes, and it took Red a moment to recognise it as Salvare’s Absol. The haunting melody seemed to awaken Pichu’s sleeping form, causing him to scramble out of Salvare’s arms and onto Red’s shoulder. Red turned his eye to Salvare, only for his protégé to calmly remark, “Something terrible is about to happen, isn’t it?”

Red almost laughed at the absurdity of it all - living through Mewtwo and the Chariot’s wrath, just to die in nuclear fire - only for Mew to actually laugh, “ Oh, nothing major. We’re just on top of a nuke, is all. ”

Salvare’s eyes widened first in incomprehension, then in terror, but before he could ask Red what they could even do , Red turned to Mew, “Can you teleport us away?”

Mew puffed up, “I can leave anytime I want…” It trailed off under Red’s glare - and wasn’t that an experience, silently chastising an ancient godlike being with only a look - and meeped as it tucked its tail inward, “I mean… I’m - er - I’m going to need help to get… us all out of here…” Specks of red tinged Mew’s cheeks, almost as if it was embarrassed , “I’m not exactly at my strongest right now…”

Red closed his eyes, forcing himself to remain calm - a calm soul is a controlled soul - and asked with a slight rasp, “Could I help you with that.”

Mew reached up to sniff Red’s hair, only to shake its head, “Ew, no! I mean-” It quickly changed tone after Salvare silently loomed behind it, “-The power you wield wouldn’t exactly… work well with mine.”

Red knew it was a stretch, but it did nothing to lessen his disappointment. He couldn’t afford to lose hope, though - the Turn of the Clock was ever merciless in its finality - as his mind spun with rapid ideas, “What about Mewtwo?”

Mew readied itself to deny the idea, only to pause, scrutinising the comatose form of its clone, “I suppose it would work… but the clone’s not exactly responsive, genius.”

“No, he’s not,” Red agreed airily, looking at Mewtwo with considering eyes.

The Chariot went close to Mewtwo, close enough to lay hands on him.

Yet Mewtwo lived, but his spirit was fractured.

‘I gave back to him what was stolen.’

Red’s own memories were fractured, peeled apart by the man he hated most.

The Chariot brought his thumb to Red’s forehead - close enough to kill him, yet he didn’t.

The Chariot did the same to Mewtwo.

Red looked down on the only pokémon he had left that remained in their pokéball.

Vee could connect with Red’s mind - Red’s soul - with such an ease that seemed instinctive.

At Azalea, Red and Vee had pulled his friends into his memories, fueled by sorrow and desperation. Red had regretted it ever since, and never sought to replicate it.

But, now, Red wondered…

Could it be replicated, and done in reverse?

Red silently apologised to Vee, knowing that she had earned a well-deserved rest, but this was the last shot they had at survival.

And Red promised himself that he, and his friends, wouldn’t die today.

Upon Vee’s release, Red spoke - for they had no time to wait - easily tapping into his bond with the young pokémon, “If we were link our minds together and reach into Mewtwo’s mind, could we do it?”

Vee blinked tiredly, momentarily confused before sharpening as she gleaned their situation off of Red’s mind. She gave a single look at Mewtwo, her form shifting almost entirely into Espeon, before chirping back into his mind with a yawn, ‘Yes, Lightbringer.’

Red nodded back, wordlessly kneeling down beside Vee to link their bodies, minds, and souls together. Their bond flared, strengthening to such an extent that, for the first time in Red’s memory, Vee solidified entirely into the form of Espeon, bearing no signs of mixed evolutions.

There was, unfortunately, no time to congratulate her for then achievement, not to thank her for her willingness to help.

As one, Red and Vee stepped together, and dove into Mewtwo’s mind.

…

Red opened his eyes, and awakened in a valley of emerald green.

On his neck, Vee wrapped around his shoulders as if she was a scarf, casting tired - but vigilant - eyes to their surroundings.

It was not what Red expected.

Around them stood blue mountains, rising so high that they touched the clouds, and the sun above. Sunlight reflected against trickling streams, which fell from the mountain into flowing rivers, cascading down waterfalls and into a lake beside them.

Birds sang in the trees around them, unseen within the leaves as the wind sifted through the forest. Though the sun was warm on Red’s skin, he felt a chill enter his bones as he stepped into the forest, whose music beckoned him forth.

Go Forth.

Red glided through the forest, his movements swift and precise in a way that was not his own. The trees shifted around him, only leaving spectral remains as he came upon a clearing within the woods.

Red paused at the sound of a child’s laughter, her voice soft yet bright in soul. Almost unconsciously, Red felt a smile grace his lips, but he remembered that the voice of the girl was nothing more than an apparition, or a memory - Red truly wondered which would be worse - and forced his face into neutrality as he entered the clearing.

The laughter suddenly stopped, as within the clearing, five heads turned to stare at the newcomers. Red looked over them all in rapid succession, noting what looked to be the three Kanto starter pokémon and a little girl beside them. His gaze lingered on the human girl for a moment - both of them regarding the other in silence - only to finally rest upon the final form, which Red recognised as Mewtwo himself.

Yet, this Mewtwo was smaller, almost childlike in appearance, looking much more like its ancestor than his physical form showed. In the silence, Red could hear Mewtwo whispering to itself, though its words were lost to Red’s ears, and he crouched, softly calling his name, “Mewtwo?”

At the sound of his name, Mewtwo jerked away, and the other pokémon in the clearing all moved as well. The Squirtle retreated into its shell with terrified eyes, the Bulbasaur huffed as it dug its roots into the ground, and the Charmander growled as it stared at Red in ill-hidden distrust.

Only the girl remained unaffected by Red’s words, as she stepped over to calm the pokémon, her face cast with lines of sorrow that were far too old for a child as young as she. She cast a sad smile at Red and Vee, her eyes lighting up only slightly at the sight of the small pokémon, “It’s lovely to meet you two, what are your names?”

The girl’s voice carried an otherworldly echo that only deepened the chill in Red’s heart, but he kneeled to become eye-level with the girl, shoving away his lingering confusion and exhaustion as he answered, “I’m Red, and this is Vee,” The girl giggled softly as Vee chirped, and Red felt his smile return, “What’s your name?”

The girl’s smile widened, the sad edges receding as she lifted her dress in a curtsy, “I’m Ambertwo.” She smiled at Red, her eyes suddenly shining with unshed tears, “It’s nice to finally meet another who has died and lived on.”

Red’s eyebrows rose in confusion, but he pushed past his concern and asked the girl, “Do you know what’s wrong with Mewtwo?”

The girl’s smile dimmed as she looked to Mewtwo’s whimpering form, and Red was once more struck by how the girl both looked too-young and too-old for her apparent age, “So many… So many things…” She turned back to face Red, tears trickling down her cheeks, “What do we do?”

Red couldn’t answer - because he didn’t know - and Vee uncurled herself off of Red’s shoulders and went over to comfort the girl, nuzzling against her with a tired mewl, shocking a wet laugh out of the girl.

The Squirtle poked its head out of its shell, inspecting Red with no small amount of caution. Bulbasaur merely gave a single glance at Red before turning its head with a huff, and Charmander only growled once more at him, inadvertently making Red remember his early days with Charmeleon.

Back a decade ago.

Red shook his head of the thought, only to notice that the girl was still awaiting an answer, based on how she looked to him. He almost responded ‘ we do what we must ’ out of instinct, but thought better of it, instead responding slowly, “We do what we can.”

Red thought that answer would be better for a child her age, but it didn’t seem to satisfy her. Yet, as Red thought to himself, the girl and the pokémon may not be separate entities like he first believed. His gut told him that they were all one and the same.

They were all within Mewtwo’s mind, after all.

So perhaps… perhaps the key to this was understanding why they all appeared in Mewtwo’s mind.

Vee seemed to glean Red’s idea, as she gave him a single nod, prompting him to ask the girl - Ambertwo - “Introduce me to your friends, Ambertwo.”

Ambertwo’s frown turned right back into a smile, as she set Vee down to introduce the pokémon. She trotted over to the Bulbasaur, petting its head as it huffed in agitation - yet he accepted the pets, regardless - “This is Bulbatwo! He’s deaf, and it makes him stubborn, but he’s truly loyal.”

Bulbatwo regarded Red with thinly veiled suspicion, but allowed him to slowly reach down and pet him, prompting a blinding smile from Ambertwo, “He likes you!”

Though Bulbatwo was apparently deaf, it seemed to understand Ambertwo’s expression, as it shook away Red’s hand with a surly frown, prompting a chuckle from the girl.

Red allowed himself a small chuckle as well, as he thought back to Charmeleon, and how the dragon presented a tough front, despite longing for Red’s attention.

Red has been so focussed on survival - on his mission - that he hasn’t spent much time with his pokémon outside of training.

Red closed his eyes at the thought, and breathed once more, silently vowing to spend more time with his pokémon, his oldest friends.

Ambertwo grabbed Red’s hand and dragged him over to the Charmander, whose growls increased in volume as he neared, “This is Charmatwo! He’s blind, and it makes him angry, but he loves fiercely.”

Ambertwo stepped forward, whispering softly as she wrapped Charmatwo in a hug, visibly surprising the small beast, only for it to reciprocate with a hug of its own.

Red stepped closer, reaching out a hand for Charmatwo to sniff, growling at him all the while. As it did so, Red noted how Charmatwo’s eyes were faded, and only seemed to be focussed on growling at his general direction, rather than him specifically.

It reminded Red of Pichu, and how the mouse’s rage was directed at everything in his path, which only served to bolster his rage rather than minimise it.

And Red had sought to utilise that rage in battle rather than find a way to satiate it.

Red frowned, unseen by Charmatwo, and he looked back to the past four months with a grimace. His pokémons’ devolutions affected them all negatively, but it struck Pichu the hardest. With Charmeleon and Frogadier’s evolutions, Pichu was left further and further behind, and if Red didn’t do anything about it, Pichu may take desperate measures to compensate.

Red couldn’t lose Pichu to some hairbrained scheme to regain his old power. He needed to show Pichu that he meant the world to him, no matter the level of power he wielded.

Ambertwo released Charmatwo, and with a small smile at Red, tiptoed over to the Squirtle, coaxing its head out of its shell, “This is Squirtwo! He’s mute, and it makes him shy, but he’s very thoughtful.”

Squirtwo poked its head out cautiously, eyeing Red with poorly veiled suspicion. Ambertwo only stroked the pokémon’s head, soothing it as it slowly extended its limbs from its shell.

It regarded Red in silence as he reached his hand out once more, staring at the limb with distrust, only allowing itself minimal, cautious contact with his hand. Squirtwo’s eyes remained locked with Red’s as it did so, yet its thoughts seemed far away in a way reminiscent of Frogadier.

Frogadier had always been the most quiet of Red’s surviving pokémon, usually opting to remain entirely silent as Pichu and Charmeleon both spoke over the other in growls, cheers, and roars.

It made it difficult to recognise when Frogadier was struggling, as he often kept his demons to himself, bottling them up until they stacked upon each other, only to spill over in terrible fashion.

But that gave no excuse for Red to miss it. He would have to talk with Frogadier, if only to catch up with a close friend.

Yet, Red’s thoughts about Charmeleon, Pichu, and Frogadier only made him remember that, in many ways, his pokémon mirrored their trainer. He, too, yearned for companionship while fervently pushing them away. He, too, raged against the world, regardless of whether the target of his rage deserved it. He, too, remained silent as he spiralled into his own demons, only being saved by his friends, his pokémon.

Red owed the world to them, several times over.

He strived to return the favour, to make himself worthy of their trust.

Red nodded to himself, reaching down to pet Vee as she trotted over to him, mewling softly at the turn of his thoughts.

She, too, was worth more than anything Red could offer.

Their attention returned to Ambertwo as she stepped next to Mewtwo, placing a hesitant hand on his head. Her smile wavered as he whimpered, covering the ground in frost as pain, sorrow, self-hatred radiated from the creature.

Yet Red heard the song within Mewtwo’s whimper, and understood it.

Ambertwo kneeled next to Mewtwo, hugging his trembling form with closed eyes, which did nothing to stem the flow of her tears, “Mewtwo was always meant to be the best of us.” Her eyes opened - tan flashing with an azure glow - and she clenched her fists, stomping her foot in sudden excitement, “And he is! He was never deaf, never blind, never mute! No sickness could take root in his cells!” Then, as quickly as it came, Ambertwo’s excitement left her body, as she slumped against Mewtwo’s form, crying alongside his silent tears, “But even still, it wasn’t enough. Mewtwo… was dying.”

Ambertwo closed her eyes, sucked in a breath, and kissed Mewtwo on the head with such sorrowful love that Red had to force himself to keep looking. She turned to him with a watery smile, no longer bothering to hide her tears, “He was a baby, new to the world in a way the rest of us weren’t. But even still…” She lifted Mewtwo’s chin, revealing the cold blue glow of its eyes. Yet, she felt no fear at the sight, only smiling at the one she loved, “He was flaking away, all the same, and we were dying with him.”

The forest suddenly darkened, and the sun dipped below the mountains. Red repressed a shiver as Ambertwo straightened, her tone growing colder as she breathed out puffs of icy air, “My dad wouldn’t accept it - couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t accept another of his children to die, and he could hardly stand to lose two at once.”

The valley darkened as the shadow of death descended upon it - at the edge of Red’s vision, embers of white flame flickered within the forest - “So he found a miracle, a way to trade two lives for one, and gift him with the perfect child…”

Ambertwo turned to face Red, her eyes radiating a chilling azure, and her voice echoed with an otherworldly force, as many souls spoke at once through the same vessel, “Some things were never meant to be trifled with. Ambertwo and Mewtwo became one.”

And at once, the forest erupted into flames, as shattered glass and steel rose from the ground, tearing against the earth as crimson lightning arced the sky. The fires grew into an inferno, and within the crimson void, a shadow, wreathed in flame, formed into an angel of death. The light of its smile shined amidst its shadows, as it laughed at Red, raising flaming arms above itself as if it was a conductor, and the din of chimes echoed and echoed until it grew to choke Red, forcing him to the ground as Mewtwo howled into the air, crying against the smoke as it smothered them, wrapping them in an inferno that blazed…

Then left, leaving nothing but a wasteland of ash.

Red knelt onto the ground, cradling Vee to his chest as he lifted his head, checking to see if the inferno had truly left.

Though his skin bore no burns, the devastation wrought was no less real.

Ambertwo stood amidst the wasteland, keeping a hand on Mewtwo’s shivering form. Unlike Red, they did show signs of injury, though they were vague, formless tears, almost as if a child tried to draw a dead body without ever seeing one before.

That made their appearance no less haunting.

And it was then that Red understood , as he gazed upon Ambertwo’s protective stance with newfound vision, “...You died, didn’t you?”

Ambertwo and Mewtwo turned as one - both of their eyes glowing a chilling blue - and Ambertwo gave a smile, though it was a hollow thing, “We died, yes… But Mewtwo lived anew.” Her smile fell, and the glow of her eyes pulsed with a familiar rage as she whispered, “Dead things were never meant to live twice.”

Red closed his eyes - ‘I accepted my death’ - took a slow breath - ‘I was willing - no - I was happy to die!’ - and asked in a calm voice, “When did Mewtwo die?”

He didn’t ask when Ambertwo died, but rather Mewtwo…

They were one and the same, after all.

Mewtwo regarded Red with intense - Mad - eyes, only for Ambertwo to whisper in response, “1985… I was less than a year old.”

Red shuddered, for a child’s death was always a tragedy, regardless of whether they were a clone. He bowed his head, and murmured to Mewtwo, “You have my condolences… I know what it’s like to die, only to live again.”

“I know,” Red’s eyes snapped up at Ambertwo’s voice, which trembled with desperate rage, “But how do you remain whole? How do you remain complete?” Ambertwo’s form began to flicker, as she clutched her head in pain, “We had to be cut away- yet I remained!” Her eyes snapped open, and in mixed voices of both Ambertwo and Mewtwo, she cried out, “We’re tearing myself apart!”

Vee mewled in distress, reaching out to bring comfort to the girl and pokémon - one and the same - only to snap back as their form splintered apart, tearing at the seams. Yet Red remained calm, as he gave a sad smile, “You say I’m - what is it - whole?”

Red closed his eyes, clenched his fist, and released the iron-grip he had on his soul. He opened his eyes, casting a dim crimson glow against the azure of Mewtwo’s own, “That’s the thing… I’m not. ”

And behind Red, formed from the shadows of his own fractured soul, were shimmering figures of crimson void, all lashing out with separate voices.

let out your rage let out your hatred let them all burn bring on the storm-

It’s what you are, Red. You are destruction made manifest. All who follow you will die-

but there’s a time and place for destruction, and only you may make that decision. your will is your own, now go forth-

GO FORTH, MY CHARIOT, GO FORTH AND CONQUER.

Red closed his eyes, and with a heavy breath, the shadows withered away, as he locked them within the depths of his soul, festering amongst the countless demons he carried on his shoulders.

Red opened his eyes, regarding Ambertwo as she gave an astonished stare, “I’m… I’m not whole. Haven’t been for years…” Red sighed, but leaned forward with a determined glint in his eyes, “I know it’s painful. I know it’s unfair. But I persist.” Red paused, thinking back to all of the people who matter to him - Pichu, Charmeleon, Frogadier, Vee, Salvare, Karen, the rows upon rows of people who died for him to live - and murmured with a steady voice, “I have too much to lose otherwise.”

“How?” A voice called from within the wasteland, as a familiar form parted the ash and fire with a wave, revealing itself to be the adult form of Mewtwo - his eyes glowing a brilliant azure - “How can you know for sure?”

Mewtwo floated towards Red, stopping beside the younger Mewtwo as he bellowed, “How can you know this to be your purpose? HOW?!”

At once, every aspect of Mewtwo’s soul snapped their heads to Red - each of their eyes a brilliant blue - awaiting his answer.

Red thought for a moment before deciding with the truth, “I honestly can’t say.”

Red suddenly laughed, half-hysteric as he looked upon Mewtwo’s shocked face, “I don’t even care if there’s such a thing as destiny. I’m not doing this for some sort of cosmic purpose!” Red stepped forward, staring at Mewtwo with a determination that had never left Red, even during his darkest days, “I’m doing what I must because there are people I care about, people who I want to protect. ” He took another step forward - and Mewtwo stood his ground - his voice rising with emotion, “I’m doing what I must because I’ve seen - no - I’ve lived through what will happen if I do nothing! So I’ll do it , and keep on doing it, even if it’s painful , even if it’s unfair , because that’s who I am. ”

Red was nose-to-nose with Mewtwo now, but neither of them made any moves to step away. Red’s eyes softened after reigning in his heightened emotions, petting Vee as she wrapped around his shoulder in comfort, “...Do you understand what I mean?”

Silence… then a whisper, “No…” Red turned his head to see the baby Mewtwo lifting his head, eyes no longer glowing blue, but shining with a shade of tan. Ambertwo hugged the baby Mewtwo as it stood, speaking for the first time in Red’s memory - his voice being remarkably soft - “But… I am willing to try.”

Red smiled softly and kneeled before Mewtwo, extending a hand, “Then come with me.” Mewtwo hesitated for a moment, only to grasp it like his life depended on it, and Red smiled as the world around them shimmered, then faded back to reality, “And I will show you.”

…

The Clock Turned, and the earth quaked, concrete turning to rubble as tectonic plates began to shift.

The Clock Turned, and glass rattled - the core bubbled - then cracked - the core hissed - then shattered - the core erupted - before melting as the walls around it melted into magma, and heat splintered through the stone and into air, condensing into nuclear fire that pulsed, then burst in the depths of the island.

The Clock Turned, and within the stadium above, moments before the blast, a flash of light pierced the sky in shades of radiant pink, brilliant azure, and blazing crimson, as several figures disappeared in an instant, only for the very ground they stood upon to explode in a cloud of fire seconds later, blasting apart the entire island, and the palace built upon it.

…

Eastern Sea, ~1 Kilometre from East Coast of Kanto

The sound of a distant explosion brought silence to the boat.

Ash looked back alongside the others to see a bright cloud peeking over the horizon, which was somewhat ominous, especially given that the cloud seemed to be a little bit on fire.

Yet, Ash could barely get himself to care about the implications of the cloud of fire likely originating from the island they left mere hours ago. He remained entirely silent as the others on the boat began to murmur about the explosion and flaming cloud, keeping his arms crossed as he glared at the sea behind them.

Pikachu cooed on his lap, nuzzling against his leg almost aggressively in an attempt to calm him. Ash directed a small smile at his best friend, but only pet his head for a moment before returning his glare at the sea.

‘DO YOU WANT TO GET THEM KILLED! THAT’S HOW YOU GET THEM KILLED!’

Ash’s eye twitched as the words replayed in his mind - for the hundredth time - and he could vividly recall the man’s face as he yelled at Ash, eyes glowing a terrifying crimson that warped his snarl into something monstrous.

Ash had never before thought of someone in such terms.

Ash shook away the pit of dread in his stomach, turning his eyes to Jessie and James as they hesitantly brought up the ‘ new-clear(?) ’ reactor they found underneath the stadium, with Meowth adding that it was apparently damaged.

Ash didn’t quite understand why this seemed to make Brock and Misty go so pale, but he could infer that whatever this new-clear thing was, it wasn’t a good thing.

Apparently, it really wasn’t a good thing, because Misty was starting to look as distressed as she had been when they were hiding at the edge of the stadium, “Oh God… I hope they’re alright, especially that really pretty guy… ”

Ash raised an eyebrow at Misty’s whisper, which was a lot louder than she probably intended, as evidenced by Brock’s flabbergasted question, “What? Who? ”

Misty’s eyes widened in absolute embarrassment as she realised they had all heard her, and Ash felt himself give a mildly vindictive smile as she began to blush - it was about time he found a way to get back to her for all her teasing - and stammer out, “Th-the scary one! You know, the one who emerged from the storm, almost like a fairy tale, ” Misty’s voice became oddly wistful, and Ash’s smile dropped as he realised who she was referring to, “I mean, he was kinda mean, but-”

‘THAT’S HOW YOU GET YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY, EVERYONE WHO YOU’VE EVER CARED ABOUT KILLED!’

“ Who cares about him?! ” Ash snapped, almost surprising himself with the amount of anger in his voice.

Pikachu mewled, increasing the level of nuzzlement he gave his leg, and Misty and Brock both blinked in surprise, only for Brock to send Ash a severe frown, “Do you want him to die there?”

Ash blanched, “ No! It’s just-” He bit his tongue, raising agitated hands as he fumbled for words, “He threatened my mother! ”

Everyone on the boat winced - even Team Rocket - and Brock hesitated, eyes beckoning less hard and more sympathetic, “I… wouldn’t say it was a threat- ”

‘Mark my words, Ash. It may not be today, but if you keep acting like this, you will see it for yourself.’

“What else could it be?!” Ash yelled, fully turning his anger at his friend, “He was going on about me knowing what it’s like to lose family! He-” Ash’s breath caught on his throat, his voice hitching as he began to tear up, “ H-He knew her name. ”

‘Delia Ketchum.’

Misty leaped over the boat to envelop Ash in a hug, Pikachu shifting onto his shoulders to nuzzle against his cheek with a low, comforting purr. Brock regarded Ash for a moment, waiting until his hiccups lessened, and his eyes dried, “He… He did look like you… eerily so. ”

Ash rubbed his eyes, blinking at Brock in incomprehension, “What?”

“He’s right. I actually thought he was you at first,” Misty chirped up to his side, only for her to go red and scoot away from Ash, “B-but he’s way older looking… Do you think you’re related?”

Ash blinked before glowering, “ No. ”

Brock didn’t seem to hear Ash’s denial, as he audibly wondered, “Maybe he’s an older cousin? Or an uncle?”

“ We’re not related! ” Ash snapped, more exacerbated than angry, “I’ve never even heard of this guy before!”

Brock and Misty looked at each other before shrugging in confusion, leaving Ash to simmer as the boat neared land.

The storm had lifted around an hour or so ago, fading away so quickly that Ash almost thought it was an illusion. But he had seen some crazy stuff today - including the appearance of two - maybe three - legendaries - so he didn’t find it entirely out of the question.

As Pikachu called out in joy at the sight of land, Ash thought for a moment about what he was going to do once they were back on the road. It didn’t take long, especially in light of the words echoing in Ash’s mind - ‘Delia Ketchum’ - as he hadn’t called his mother in well over a month.

He really needed to talk to her right now.

He… He just really needed to hear his mom’s voice, and he’d be fine.

He had to be.

…

Ruins of New Island, February 5th, 1998

“...I’m still at a loss for words.”

Lance grunted, thinking to himself that Clair clearly wasn’t at a loss for words since she was still talking.

Not that Lance could necessarily blame her for it; it was her way of coping with stress, which was in no short supply given that a fucking nuke went off a month ago.

They stood over the wreckage of the disaster site, Lance being accompanied by the Elite Four - sans Lorelei - the Pewter Gym Leader, the winner of the Silver Conference - regardless of said winner’s denial of the title - and, of course, his darling cousin.

Lance wanted to sleep.

Arceus must’ve found that absolutely hilarious, if the past two months were any indication.

Lance huffed to himself, rubbing his eyes as his subordinates surveyed the wreckage.

They had only just been able to safely travel to the island, over a month after the actual blast. Apparently, given how astronomically barbaric the use of nuclear energy was in most parts of the world, it was incredibly difficult to acquire Poison pokémon that specialised in purifying nuclear radiation.

Lance had to go behind Goodshow’s back to hire contractors from Orre and Kalos.

Of course, Goodshow claimed that there was a process to such things, and that Lance should have waited for help by trusting in the process .

Yet, even a month after the fact, all Lance could get out of Goodshow was that the World League was conducting an ‘investigation’ on any nuclear threat.

Lance had - admittedly - flipped his shit at the excuse, cutting off communications from Goodshow as he dealt with the crisis himself.

The following month was easily the busiest Lance had ever been in his time as Champion. First, he had to conduct the proper burial rites for Will, who now rested in the Indigo Burial Grounds at the Indigo Plateau. Then, he instated Koga as the newest of the Elite Four, which led to a week’s worth of paperwork with getting his daughter to be officially recognised as the new Fuchsia Gym Leader.

Then , with the Silver Conference still lingering in everyone’s minds, Lance finally went forward with his idea for an organisation specifically meant to counter threats such as Team Rocket. He personally vetted various candidates amongst the Ranger Corps - taking Red’s words of warning to heart - promoting ten to be the first generation of the G-Men.

Clair laughed herself silly at the name.

The formation of the G-Men had proven to be much less controversial than Lance had thought it would be, with most of Johto supporting it, while Kanto was an even split.

Towns such as Vermillion City were particularly receptive to the G-Men, with Surge giving public support to its formation. Meanwhile, Viridian City became the most vocal of his objectors, with Giovanni firmly standing against the G-Men’s creation.

Agatha didn’t seem particularly surprised when she brought it up to him, bearing a look in her eye that told him she knew more than she let on.

Lance had found almost immediate success with the G-Men, as they had already struck at Team Rocket bases in Goldenrod and Celadon City, with Lance personally leading the charge. Their retaliation against Team Rocket seemed to curb any advances the organisation may have made on his region, as they started going to ground.

And if Lance felt the pride of a dragon at his opponent’s fear, then so be it.

Naturally, Goodshow wasn’t particularly pleased with Lance’s actions, what with there being rumours of him inquiring about any replacements for Lance.

Thankfully, Lorelei had taken to managing the Indigo League’s communications with the World League, sparing Lance the headache. She had only given him a single nod when he went to thank her, saying that he had more immediate concerns than some old bureaucrats.

Honestly, Lance almost believed that Lorelei enjoyed dealing with bureaucratic bullshit.

Lance shook his head of the thought, turning to one of the G-Men - Asher Forre - as he approached the Champion, “Sir, Gym Leader Pebbleman wishes to show you something.”

Lance nodded to the man, turning back to quickly call Clair over as they followed the agent to the other side of the ruined island.

They came upon a small crowd of people, as Karen was loudly talking - or perhaps yelling was more accurate - at Agatha and Koga, waving a red hat in the air. Standing to the side, looking somewhat lost, was Flint, who simply watched Karen’s rant with bemusement.

Lance sidled next to the man, “You wanted to see me?”

Flint turned to look at him, “Yeah.” He grunted, pointing to the hat in Karen’s hands, “My Onix found tha’ hat underneath all this rubble. The girl seemed to recognise it, though.”

Lance nodded to himself, watching as Clair stepped in to calm Karen down. Shifting his eyes to Agatha - whose eye was twitching in obvious agitation - he rose an eyebrow, prompting her to hobble over and bark, “What?”

Lance crossed his arms, letting his cape fall to his ankles, “What was that about?”

Agatha huffed, turning to eye Karen with a mix of emotions that Lance didn’t bother to decipher, “Apparently, tha’ was Satoshi’s hat.” She sniffed, her face going cold as Karen stepped over, having calmed with Clair’s assistance, “She seemed rather concerned that he was at the sight of a nuclear blast.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t be?” Karen growled dangerously, gripping tightly onto the offending item.

Lance decided to step in before Agatha could respond with her own cutting words, “All this tells us is that Red was here.” This didn’t surprise Lance nearly as much as it should, “That doesn’t mean he was here when the blast went off.”

Karen turned her glare onto Lance, “But they might’ve. ”

Lance noted Karen’s use of ‘ they ’ rather than ‘ he ’ - were there other pieces to this puzzle? - and shook his head, addressing Karen’s concerns, “The League is looking for him - Cynthia and Steven, too.”

“But you haven’t found anything,” Karen accused, drawing a growl from Agatha.

Lance rubbed his eyes in exhaustion - he could understand her worry, but Red was, admittedly, pretty far down on his priority list - and replied, “There’ve been rumours .” Karen perked up, “Some guy seen with a Pichu, or with a black Charmeleon. It’s all been hearsay.”

Karen didn’t care about Lance’s doubt, leaning forward with a determined glint in her eye, “ Where? ”

Lance sighed, “Rota, Alto-Mare, random places…” He rubbed his eyes, “Look, I’m sorry, but I have a load of other things to worry about without adding Satoshi to the pile.”

Karen crossed her arms, a considering look crossing her face, “...I can look for them.”

Lance regarded her for a moment before waving his hand, “Fine, go ahead.” He sighed, willing himself to stay awake - he had received a grand total of 8 hours of sleep in the past week; his bloodstream was coffee - and grit out, “Good luck.”

Lance didn’t see Karen blink, nor did he see her sharp smile. He could barely bring himself to care about Red at the moment, even though the man might be dead.

Call him heartless, but he believed Red would forgive him the slight.

It was pragmatic, after all.

Besides, Lance was going to be busy enough in the coming months dealing with Team Rocket.

Red Satoshi, Team Source, everything else regarding the two… well, he’d leave Red to deal with that for now.

Lance had his own demons to contend with, and he’d rather like to do so with another few hours of sleep.

…

Archived Audio Recording, April 7th, 1985

It was raining outside.

Flames spread throughout the compound.

Sirens blared with crimson light, only stopping as the walls holding them up collapsed into rubble.

Plumes of white fire scorched the floors.

With every step, the earth shook.

Bodies lined the halls, some dead and others cowering.

None stood to fight.

The man felt no remorse for those he passed.

They were hardly the first he killed, and he doubted they would be the last.

There came voices from deeper within the compound.

The man followed.

With a wave of his hand - as if he was a conductor - the man commanded his pokémon to blast open the door.

“let there be light.”

And there was light, as screams rang around the room.

A blazing inferno stretched into a ring around them, trapping them inside.

Some realised too late, and burned for it.

The man stepped into the inferno, and scanned the layout with a cold stare.

Amidst the machines and screaming masses stood a single man, seemingly unaware of everything else in the world.

He stepped forward, eyes rippling into crimson void.

He felt its presence, and gave a satisfied smile.

The other man - a scientist - only seemed to notice his arrival once the flames began to spread towards them.

He stood protectively over two glass chambers.

One held the body of a little girl, as still as death.

The other held a blight of creation, writhing in agony.

The man paused upon seeing the creature, sensing the twine of the veil dancing around its form.

It was never meant to be born, yet it was.

“a god born it tubes.”

The man’s whisper drew the creature’s attention, as it snapped glowing blue eyes to his own.

For a moment, he felt a strange kinship with the creature.

They were both cast out of the Creator’s shadow.

But he crushed the feeling; it served no purpose.

He spared one last look at the abomination.

“how terribly beautiful.”

The creature writhed.

The flames spread shattering the glass around it.

The creature fell onto the ground with a gasp.

The man looked away, closing his eyes.

It looked like a foetus, torn away from the womb before birth.

The man felt a stab of remorse, and smothered it.

Many will die in his path for a better world.

He must not flinch because of it.

The man stepped forward, grabbing the scientist by the collar.

His voice was soft, but no less wrathful.

“The Mew Cells. Where are they?”

The scientist babbled.

The scientist screamed.

The scientist weeped and cried and raged about the girl and the creature.

The scientist apparently intended to save them.

The Chariot did not care.

He dropped the scientist, knocking him unconscious with a strike to the head.

The flames continued to spread.

The creature continued to writhe.

Though, it’s strength was quickly faltering.

The Chariot kneeled down next to the creature, recognising it in the light of the flame.

It was a clone of Mew.

The Chariot sighed, and closed the clone’s eyes.

He granted the poor creature rest, using Dream Eater to tear away the last vestiges of its vitality.

It was an act of mercy.

It was an act of practicality.

The compound began to collapse.

The Chariot opened his eyes, seeing through the creature’s memories to find the location of his quarry.

It didn’t take him long to find it.

Hidden underneath the glass containers was a hidden compartment.

Within the compartment lay a photo of a girl - the same girl by his feet - and a parcel.

‘Stem Cells extracted from Mew fossil, Guyana [Count: 3]’

The Chariot closed his eyes, and pocketed the package.

He was done here.

“Ares, leave no survivors.”

His voice held no emotion.

No joy.

No regret.

Ares obeyed.

The Chariot fled, nothing more than a fleeting shadow, wreathed in flame.

He left behind a wasteland of ash and fire.

It would be years later that he learned of a single survivor: the scientist.

But that didn’t matter to the Chariot.

Little mattered to him any more.

He only cared for the cells in his pocket.

They were his key to salvation.

They were his key to damnation.

GO FORTH

GO FORTH, MY CHARIOT

GO FORTH, AND CONQUER