Pokémon: Midnight Blue

The Sixth

Stumbling into the lobby of the Day Care, I collapsed onto the couch, exhaling sharply with a groan from the pain of Mewtwo's attack. I felt a searing pain in my chest, while my legs throbbed and ached. Closing my eyes, I struggled to make sense of what had just happened, quickly sitting up and opening them again when I heard Mrs. Carney enter the room.

The elderly woman looked at me, her eyes going wide with shock and curiosity. “What was all that commotion out there?” she queried, quickly checking over my wounds.

“Mewtwo's here on the island,” I replied, groaning as she applied a salve to a particularly sensitive area. It kidnapped Letta and attacked me, saying it wanted to meet me on the plateau an hour from now.”

“What? Why? How is this even possible? Letta's done nothing wrong!”

“Of course she hasn't; this is all my fault, Mrs. Carney. Mewtwo was after me, not her. I promise, I'll get Letta back and fix this mess, don't you worry.”

“Alright, Brian, I trust you. Before you go though, you may want to put on some decent clothes.”

Fighting back a chuckle, I sighed as Mrs. Carney left the room, feeling the aches in my body slowly disappearing from her care. I looked at the clothes Letta had given me the night before, moaned a bit, and pulled them closer to me. I ripped off what was left of my Dark Phoenix vest and shirt, quickly slipping into the white v-neck in the clothes pile. The soft cotton felt unbelievably refreshing against my skin. I changed pants and socks, then slipped into the denim jacket, bending my arms back and forth to loosen the stiff material. Glancing around the room, I noticed black running shoes that Letta had left for me. I slipped them on and walked around for a bit, admiring the comfort that I felt. These clothes made me feel different than my Dark Phoenix clothes did; I felt agile and almost back to normal. Fumbling through the pockets of my old, torn clothes, I pulled out the final piece of the puzzle; the ski cap that Letta had given me. I put it on my head, and knew that my alter ego was gone. I was truly myself again, though I was afraid that I wouldn't be as capable as my Dark Phoenix persona. Stepping outside, I received a warm salute from my team, all of them showing that they were ready to fight. I smiled. This was the confidence I needed.

I jumped on Dragonite's back, returning my other teammates to their Pokéballs. Dragonite took off, and we reached the summit at speeds most could only imagine. When I saw Mewtwo, I leaped off of Dragonite, landing in front of it. Letta was beside it, trapped within a Psychic binding.

“Let her go, Mewtwo!” I roared. “Let's do this the easy way, where you release Letta and no one gets hurt.”

Of course, while that would be ideal for you, Mewtwo responded, I have other plans, Brian.

My blood began to boil, and I shouted, “Have it your way then! Dragonite, Hyper Beam attack!”

Dragonite shot a powerful attack at Mewtwo, but the Pokémon deflected it back at Dragonite, who dodged. I barely jumped out of the way, not quite reacting to the fact that because Dragonite had moved, the Hyper Beam was aimed at me. I could dimly hear Letta scream my name, but it didn't register. All I was aware of was the fury I felt from almost being hit by an attack while my girlfriend was being held hostage. Mewtwo's next words had my eyes blazing with a white-hot flame.

So you do have some fight left in you. Good for you, Brian, but you'll have to do a lot better than that to get Letta back.

Letting all my Pokémon loose from their Pokéballs, I began to order. “Dragonite, Blizzard! Raichu, Thunder! Gyarados, Hydro Pump! Gengar, Shadow Ball! Charizard, full powered Blast Burn!” While four of my Pokemon turned to look at me before complying, one took a different course of action. Charizard let loose a Flamethrower on my chest before flying to the far side of the battlefield and turning its head away from me.

I stood and gazed as the attacks flooded over Mewtwo and he struggled to fight them all off. I felt really good about myself until I heard a shriek.

"Brian!" Letta cried, "Stop it!"

Suddenly, the image of a grave came to my mind. I could hear what I believed to be Kira's voice, telling me, “You find Letta, Brian, but she is repulsed by what you have become. Selfish, spiteful, bloodthirsty. She tries to get as far away from you as possible, but her resistance infuriates you. In trying to retain her, you will make her perish.” As this image disappeared, I realized that I was beginning to drop back into the hysteria that I had felt as Dark Phoenix, and knew I couldn't let this happen. I had come too far to lose those that I cared about.

"Stop!" I called to my Pokémon. They froze and looked at me as Mewtwo struggled to get up. I ran over to Mewtwo and helped it to its feet. "Go ahead and recover, Mewtwo. If we're gonna do this, we're going to do this right."

Call your terms, Brian, Mewtwo responded as it healed itself.

"One on one. My Charizard versus you. How's that sound?"

One on one? Those are brave terms.

"I beat Kira in a five on six battle. I have a right to be brave."

I assure you I won't be so easy.

"Let's go then."

My Flame Pokémon charged at Mewtwo, who put up a barrier in response. Charizard quickly adjusted to the barrier and swooped to the side, planting itself away from Mewtwo. Our opponent wasted no time in rushing at Charizard, a barrier forming around it at the same time. My Pokémon endured the attack and grabbed Mewtwo, shooting high into the air. Flying in circles, it let go of Mewtwo at the height of the circle, using the momentum it gained from the throw to get higher up before letting loose a Flamethrower. Before Mewtwo hit the ground, Charizard grabbed it again and slammed the Genetic Pokémon down himself. As it prepared a Steel Wing attack, Mewtwo got to its feet and held up a paw.

That's enough. Mewtwo groaned, I surrender. You've proved your strength. I have battled many trainers, and I came across only one that was very similar in strength to you, but he claimed you had more passion, more heart, and insisted I challenge you. Indeed, you have not disappointed.

"Who was that?" I inquired.

A young trainer by the name of Robin Manera. He said he was a good friend of yours.

I smiled, and in the corner of my eye, I could see Letta smiling too. "Mewtwo," I said to him, "Would you like to be part of my team?"

It would be my pleasure to join such a powerful and noteworthy team.

I pulled out a Master Ball that I received as a prize for winning the Pokémon League, but Mewtwo held up its paw again.

There is no need. It walked up to me and touched a Pokéball on my belt, encasing itself inside. I could hardly believe it. The most powerful Pokemon in the world was now one of my partners. 

Letta was released from the bind, and she ran over to give me a huge hug.

"I almost lost you," I gasped as I clutched her tightly, "I can't believe I almost lost you again."

"You almost lost yourself, Brian," Letta sighed, "I never want to see that side of you again."

"I know. I promise you won't."