FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Mark's battle with Red was every bit the challenge he had expected it to be.For what felt like only minutes but had in fact been over an hour, their Pokémon had clashed, battling tenaciously with the passion of their trainers spurring them on. Through quick thinking and adaption, along with his rediscovered confidence to keep his head where it needed to be, Mark had secured a small lead in the battle, still possessing four Pokémon while Red had been brought down to two.But all of that changed when Charizard appeared. Red's most famous and long-term partner, and with Mega Evolution having raised it beyond its limits, quite possibly the most powerful Pokémon Mark had ever encountered in his three years as a Pokémon trainer. Stronger than Blue Oak's Blastoise. Stronger than Lance the Dragon Master's Hydreigon; even Randy's Mega Sceptile paled in comparison to what Mark faced now.

Everything from his battle with his mother, Diana, to his journey to Kanto on the S.S Julia, to his battles with Blue and Lance and his training in the woods. They had all been to prepare him for this moment.He had never felt so alive.

Mark's journey to face the greatest trainers in the world had barely begun, and yet here now stood an opponent unlike any other. Truly, Red had shown Mark why he was the Kanto Region's greatest trainer. He was even more anxious to get reach the other regions to face their top trainers. But for the moment, his mind was only on his current objective. To win.Vitesse and Charizard began their battle with light attacks; Vitesse with Dual Chop and Charizard with Wing Attack; Mark's choice of attack confirmed that Charizard had indeed lost his Flying subtype and become a Fire and Dragon-type Pokémon. This concerned Mark at first; it meant Vitesse's Fighting moves would be more effective but Thunderpunch would be weakened and her own Fire attacks would be next to useless. This left her options limited without a little power boost.After a short skirmish between them, Vitesse managed to land a Low Sweep, kicking his legs out from under him before, at Mark's command, she jumped away, getting some distance. “Bulk Up, then Roost!" Mark directed.

Channeling her energy into her limbs caused Vitesse's muscles to swell as she increased her strength and durability, and she immediately followed it by channeling that same energy to the bruises already left by Charizard's attacks, soothing them and removing the discomfort they caused.But as Charizard got back to his feet, Red had decided to change his strategy; no doubt he realized that battling Vitesse on the ground was not putting the match in his favor, and that left only one course of action. “Charizard, get in the air!" Red called.

Charizard quickly complied, spreading his large black wings and flapping them strongly as he jumped off the ground to get airborne. Mark acted quickly, prompting Vitesse to attack. “Get him with Thunderpunch before he gets airborne!" He cried.She charged at the Dragon, making a jump at him while ascended, fist drawn back to strike, but Red once more acted first. “Fire Blast!" And Vitesse suffered a direct hit from a star-shaped flame projectile that sent her hurtling back to the ground. She flipped around to land on her feet, but now Charizard was in the air, and the fight would be that much harder for her; she may have been bird-like in appearance but she was grounded.

But Mark wasn't worried yet. “Stay loose, girl," he began, and knew he had her ear when she tilted her head in his direction while keeping Charizard in her peripheral.He spoke quickly. “I've analyzed how he fights; he excels at physical combat, so sooner or later he's going to have to come back down if he wants to play to his strength. Focus on dodging his distance attacks for now while your speed amplifies, and when he descends, try to ground him the same way you did Dragonite."

She nodded to Mark, turning her gaze fully back to Charizard and watching him with intent as he flew in her direction. At Red's command, Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower attack, which forced Vitesse to run to the left to avoid it, but as per her trainer's directions she didn't try to counter attack as he had not flown low enough for her to jump at him before he would ascend again, and ascend he did, flying back up to a thirty-foot altitude and circling around to attack again.Mark searched the field for anything his Blaziken could use to her advantage. His eyes fell upon the cliff wall of the mountainside of Mt. Silver, overlooking the Indigo Plateau.

That cliff face sent a memory flashing through his mind; of when Snorlax amid using its Rollout attack, had sped at the cliff and then rebounded from it to catch Tanker off guard; it had been an effective use of the terrain, and it gave him an idea. “Vitesse, lead him towards the wall!" He called, pointing in the direction of the cliff face.

She turned, seeing what her trainer was pointing to, and acknowledged his order. She broke into a run, sprinting for all her worth at the wall in hot pursuit, breathing a stream of scorching flames in her wake. Fortunately for her, her speed had increased to the point that even Charizard couldn't catch up to her.Red watched where Vitesse was running to, and suddenly cried out a warning to his Pokémon. “Charizard, bank away!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Bounce at the wall, then rebound!" Mark shouted to Vitesse.Charizard started to turn. Vitesse sprang forward, turning her back to the wall as she flew before using it to jump back at Charizard, angling her leap so that she could get within his flight path. Charizard saw her out of his peripheral, looking back in her direction as she arched right at him, both of her fists crackling with another Thunderpunch just as Mark had directed. His eyes widened, realizing her intentions. It seemed like she had him…

But then he folded in his wings, and plunged. She soared over his back, missing him completely and sparing his wings from the shocking touch of her fists. Charizard narrowly pulled out of his dive after landing feet first and taking off back into the air again, while Vitesse rolled as she returned to ground, breaking her fall and turning to see Charizard as he rose back into the air.“Damn!" Mark cursed lowly, realizing that Red had seen right through his plan. 'I've got to ground that reptile or Vitesse won't stand a chance! And I can't switch to Siren; if even Tanker couldn't take a punch from Charizard, she'd get flattened by him!'

Even if he were to switch to his Milotic, he didn't want to. Mark wanted Vitesse to be the one to beat Charizard; she and him were alike in that they had both been the first Pokémon of their trainers, standing with them in every battle from their first gym all the way to their ascension to Champion. They both had a similar upbringing, and they were both the finest Pokémon that Mark and Fred respectively had ever raised. If Vitesse could defeat Charizard, itwould mean that she and Mark were the stronger team, and deep down he felt that this would be what would prove whether he was the trainer he should have been, or not.

No, it had to be Vitesse who would win or lose this battle. And it was up to Mark to find out how to do it. No more excuses; there was a way, and he would find it.

He watched Charizard's flight path, while Vitesse reverted to dodging his distance attacks, avoiding. Red's Pokémon was using one Fire Blast after another, aiming carefully but Vitesse was too swift for him to land an accurate shot, changing direction when he attempted a leading shot. After four or so attempts, he tries once more, only for smoke to escape his mouth. He had used up all his flame power!'Now he'll have to come down!' Mark realized.

“Charizard, use Swift!" Red shouted.'Or not…' Mark thought with exasperation.

Charizard let out a deep growl before throwing out his wings, countless glowing projectiles shaped like stars forming in front of the leathery membranes before sending them soaring forth, all of them arching towards Vitesse. 'So much for that,' Mark grumbled in his mind, watching as Vitesse ran to the side to avoid the stars. Some of them struck the ground and dissipated, but not all of them did; some veered at the last minute, arching towards Vitesse and homing in her like a swarm of heat seeking missiles.

'What the hell?' Mark demanded in his mind, watching as the stars chased Vitesse, and then cursed under his breath. 'A homing attack just like Aura Sphere! No matter how much she runs, they'll keep chasing her!'

The stars were increasing in number as Charizard generated more of them, occasionally beating his wings to keep himself aloft but after each series of flaps, more stars formed. Vitesse is running to and for, seeking cover, but the plateau is only open ground; nothing for her to use as a shield or for cover. Mark knew Swift was not a powerful attack, and Vitesse could likely withstand it, but taking that many hits would put her at a disadvantage. She was running out of places to run, the stars nearing the hundreds at least, and she was heading for the cliff wall.

'She's going to get cornered!' Mark realized in horror, thinking hard on what to do. How could he save Vitesse from that Swift attack?! 'If only I'd taught her Protect!'

Suddenly, he had an idea. “Vitesse, block them with Dual Chop!"

Vitesse, with her back now to the wall, ignited her hands with the energy of the Dragon-type attack, and lashes out at the nearest star as it beelined towards her. It shattered as though made of glass, and in a blur of motion her other hand struck another star, yielding the same result. Seeing that her trainer's suggestion was working, she struck the stars that raced towards her while staying mobile to avoid the others; those that could not correct course fast enough struck the wall behind her, shattering. Some still made it through her defense, grazing her body and causing some pain, but her swiftness was saving her from the worst of it.

However, she was far from safe, even as the stars lessened to none, she did not see the danger plummeting straight at her. “Vitesse, look out!" Mark practically screamed as Charizard fell towards her, fist drawn back to strike.

After shattering the last star, Charizard seemed to appear as if from nowhere, racing towards her with a feral growl as his fist, glowing a bright white, was brought forth to strike. Time seemed to slow as Vitesse reacted, narrowly spinning out of the way of Charizard's Mega Punch. But not what followed; the stone wall behind her exploded, sending chunks of rock

striking her in the back and sending pain arching across her back, stumbling the Blaziken. Vitesse struggled to regain her balance, turning to face Charizard just as he attempted to strike her with Mega Punch with his other arm. She banked to the side, dodging the attack.

“Low Sweep!" Mark called.

Vitesse ducked just as Charizard swung with his other arm once again, falling onto her hands and swiping her leg at Charizard's, taking both out from under him and sending Charizard falling to the ground with a surprised growl. With that, Vitesse jumped away, performing a backflip and landing on her feet.

“Good move, girl! Now, Bulk-up and Roost!"

She complied, focusing her energy to strengthen and rejuvenate herself, flexing her arms proudly before returning to her combat stance. “Now, Dual Chop!"

Charizard was back on his feet and about to take flight again, already hopping up and flapping his wings but Vitesse was quicker, charging at him full sprint and practically a blur as she charged, appearing right in front of him and surprising Charizard with her speed. She struck him once across the face, followed by a direct knife hand strike to his chest. Now slightly winded by her strike, Charizard fell back to the ground, wincing from the strikes; Vitesse landed in front of him, only to run around him with blinding speed and lunge for his back, delivering a double Thunderpunch to his wing joints before he could recover.

Charizard roared in agony, and then turned on her violently, kicking Vitesse square in the stomach before she could react and sending her flying. The Blaziken wheezed as she fell onto her back, clutching where she had been kicked and curling her legs in pain.

“Vitesse! Are you okay?" Mark called to her, and sighed with relief as she jumped back to her feet, rubbing her stomach with clear discomfort but she was otherwise okay. 'She's got a huge advantage in speed, but Charizard's just way too strong -stronger than even her,' thought Mark. Fighting him head-on was dangerous, but if she didn't keep the pressure on, he would keep pelting her with Swift or any other distance attacks he might have known until the shock to his wings faded away and he would fly again.

'I can't let him fly again. That jolt to his wings isn't going to last long,' he thought. “Stay nimble, girl; get in there with Dual Chop again!"

Vitesse's talons once more glowed with the dragonic power, rushing at Charizard to resume the battle. “Dragon Claw!" Red called out to his Pokémon. In response, Charizard held out his arms, from which extended three-fingered claws made of a green aura, crossing them in front of himself and blocking Vitesse's first knife hand strike, throwing open his arms again to throw her back before lunging forward and slashing at her.

She evaded, lunging forward and striking Charizard in his exposed belly. He huffed, but retaliated promptly with a claw to her shoulder, biting into her flesh and sending shredded pieces of feathers scattering to the air. Their exchange of strikes carried into a flurry of trading blows, fist, claw and foot all colliding with one another in a chaotic contest. Despite Vitesse's immeasurable speed, somehow Charizard was keeping pace with her enough that he could defend against her attacks, and he struck with such force that it overwhelmed the Blaziken's attempts at guarding, forcing Vitesse to rely entirely on dodging to avoid damage.

This, however, was quickly wearing on Vitesse. She was already starting to slow down, struggling to keep on the pressure, but the same could not be said for her opponent; Charizard was doing less dodging and more just taking Vitesse's hits in a show of durability. Mark was

quickly beginning to realize that Charizard was going to outlast Vitesse if this kept up, but he was out of options; Vitesse had no other attacks that would affect the mighty Dragon Pokémon -her Blaze Kick would barely affect him, and Flare Blitz, though powerful enough to inflict harm, wouldn't be enough to finish him off -it'd be more likely to knock her out just by using it. Bounce was out of the question too -at their current range, Charizard could easily catch her before she could complete her leap, or worse, fire another Swift attack -if she was airborne, she could not maneuver.

“Come on, Vitesse!" Mark hissed; he couldn't give her any more instruction -he'd tried everything, thrown everything he had at Charizard. “You can beat him! Give it all you got!"

Spurred on by her trainer's words, Vitesse struck out with another Dual Chop, swinging at Charizard perhaps harder than she had before. Charizard recoiled from the strike, only to kick her once more and send her skidding backward.

“Finish her off with Dragon Claw!" Red called.

Charizard's claws formed again, and he threw himself towards Vitesse. Not in flight, but in a leap, claws drawn back to attack and eliciting a feral growl of triumph as he fell towards her, bringing his claws down to win the battle. But Vitesse caught Charizard by both arms, seizing him by his wrists before she twisted her body about sharply, turning her arms in the process and causing Charizard to spin as he was flipped around and sent hurtling to the ground with a crash and a plume of dust marking his point of landing.

She had done it, Mark realized. Vitesse had executed a back throw, overcoming Charizard's superior might with technique just as they had been practicing. He couldn't contain his excitement after witnessing such a flawless execution of the throw, throwing his arm into the air whooping joyously. “Way to go girl!" He called out.

He felt a swell of pride in himself, knowing that his training with Vitesse was bearing fruit. She was mastering all the techniques he shared with her faster than he ever had -what took him four plus years had taken her a fourth of the time. 'I wonder if this is how a sensei I feels when one of their students make such an accomplishment?' He thought to himself, suddenly thinking back to his early Judo lessons and the teacher he had…

But now was not the time for reminiscing; a deep growl warned him that Charizard was not down for the count. He defiantly rolled onto his front, wincing as he tried to move one of his wings, which was now hanging limp at his side. The collision with the ground after being thrown had evidently hurt it, having been pressed under his own bodily mass. Now the fight would have to stay on the ground.

“Charizard, hang in there!" Red called, motivating his Pokémon. “Use Roost!"

'He knows Roost?!' Mark thought in horror, watching as Charizard held out his good wing, from which spawn a plethora of ethereal feathers that slowly encircled and encompassed him. When they vanished, most of the bruises caused by Vitesse's attacks had faded from his body. It hadn't healed his wing, but he was now back in better fighting shape.

“Geez this guy just won't stay down," Mark grumbled in a low voice.

“Go Blast Burn!" Red called to Charizard, filling Mark's chest with feeling of horror as he heard Red call out the most powerful Fire-type attack in all the world.

“Oh shit! Vitesse, get away, fast!" Mark shouted.

Charizard growled again as the flames from his maw intensified along with his tail flame as he raised his fist. Vitesse, listening to her trainer, spun around and fled as Charizard struck

the ground, causing cracks to form around him, from which a white-hot light shone, followed by a huge explosion that shattered the land around them. Vitesse outran the explosion for a few seconds but was eventually sent hurtling forwards by the blast, and even Mark and Red had to cover their faces with their arms to defend against flying debris.

The force of the explosion was felt even from the top of the stairs where Randy, Brock, Blue, Lance and the Elite Four, and even the staff members from the Pokémon league were watching. Some ducked for cover instinctively, but others like Lance and Koga only held up their arms to protect their eyes, cape and scarf billowing out behind them in the wind. Randy was trying to protect both himself and his camcorder without losing any footage of the battle.

Only when the explosion subsided did they dare to look back down to the battle below. Charizard could not be seen through the cloud of smoke emanating from the point of the blast origin, but Vitesse was lying over by the cliff face. They could see her rolling onto her back and sitting up, along with Mark calling out to her as he ran to her side. She rubbed the back of her aching neck as Mark dropped to his knees beside her.

“Vitesse, are you okay?" He asked.

She shook her head briskly to clear the debris from her crown, which was now a mess from the blast, before turning to her trainer and nodding. She had escaped the worst of the blast thanks to her speed. Mark sighed with relief once more, smiling at her. “Good," he said.

But once again, that low growl permeated the air, bringing their attention to the column of smoke which hid Charizard. They could see a blue glow emanating from within the cloud, eyes widening in alarm as Charizard stepped out, his red eyes finding his opponent once more, where he then bared his teeth.

Red stepped into view as well, appearing beside Charizard and fixing Mark with a determined look. “This battle isn't over yet," he stated.

Mark looked at Red briefly, and then Charizard, surprised by the resilience of the dragon; Blast Burn was the most powerful Fire-type attack known to Pokémon trainers, and came with a heavy cost -the amount of power required to use it was severely draining, yet Charizard had seemingly not even stopped to catch his breath.

However, as Mark watched, he saw Charizard shudder a bit, prompting Mark to study him more closely, realizing that Charizard standing tall at that moment was a ruse. He could see the tiredness in Charizard's stance; his knees were shaking, and his good wing was only half folded. Despite the tenacity he displayed, Charizard was in fact exhausted. But so was Vitesse; the two had fought for what felt like hours; at this point, he couldn't be sure who would be left standing after the next attack.

But Vitesse indeed rose back to her feet, using her hands for support as she stood, meeting Charizard's gaze. Mark saw how wobbly she was, and the flaming ribbons trailing from her wrists had shrunk down to half of their usual length. Only willpower was keeping her on her feet now.

“You sure, girl?" Mark asked, concerned for her well being. “Charizard's weakened enough Siren or Fang can finish him off."

But she gave a shake of her in refusal to Mark's suggestion. He looked her in the eye, seeing her desire to win. He knew at that moment that Vitesse wanted to win this battle for him; just as Mark himself did, she wanted to be the one to prevail against Charizard to the finish, not just to be the one that softened him up for one of her comrades to defeat. Her

resolve alleviated Mark's concern, and he rose to stand next to her, clapping her shoulder with his hand.

“I know you can do it," he said with affirmation.

She nodded to him, and then turned to Charizard again. That was the cue for Mark and Red to get some distance from them. The battle was about to end, and it would be determined in the next one or two attacks.

“This contest is about to end," stated Lance, narrowing his gaze.

“Who is it going to be?" Brock asked, leaning forward on his arms.

“Come on, Mark," Randy said in a low voice, watching intently through his camcorder. “Come on, Vitesse…"

Off to the side where Mark had been standing previously, Fang and Siren were both cheering on their comrade. Fang's barks and Siren's cries reached Vitesse, and only increased her desire to win. Charizard's steely gaze met her own, their spirits burning as brightly as their flames. Both reverted to the combat ready stances simultaneously, and their trainers gave them the order.

“Mega Punch!" Red shouted.

“Dual Chop!" Mark commanded.

They lunged at each other, both crying out at the other as their arms made contact. Charizard's punch rattled Vitesse, but she held firm, pushing Charizard's arm aside before she attacked with her other hand, striking his cheek. He winced, but he didn't give an inch, retaliating with a second punch. Vitesse recoiled from the hit, barely recovering in time as he lunged at her again, where she then delivered a roundhouse kick to his exposed ribs, staggering him. He followed up with a Dragon Claw at Red's command, forcing her to jump away to avoid the attack.

Finally, the last attack was called out by both trainers simultaneously, putting everything into an all or nothing final push.

“Flare Blitz!"

Vitesse and Charizard attacked at the same time, both launching themselves at the other as flames exploded around them. Vitesse shrieked, Charizard roared, and their cries were heard until the midair collision that sent a ripple through the air itself that blew Red's hat from the top of his head and causing Mark's vest to billow out as it would if he stood in the wind.

Both Pokémon were launched backward from the collision. Vitesse arched through the air, limp and seemingly unconscious as she was making no attempt to soften her landing. Mark saw this, and immediately ran to get under her, barely making it enough to catch her only to be knocked over himself when he failed to brace himself. Charizard managed to stay upright as he made it back to ground, stumbling on his own feet until he tripped over his own tail and began to fall back. Red rushed over to him and managed to catch Charizard before he fell, grunting with effort as he tried to hold him up.

And just like that, both Pokémon devolved from their Mega Evolutions back to the forms of a regular Charizard and Blaziken, their eyes shut as they panted for breath.

“Who… who won?" Blue asked.

“I think it was…" Brock began but trailed off, not so certain himself.

For the next moment or so, nobody seemed able to agree on a definitive answer as to who the victor was. “It seems they've tied," stated Lance, speaking for them all.

“A battle with two ties in it," Randy chimed in, referring to the double knockout between Venusaur and Saber earlier in the match. “That's a first for me. But hey! Mark's the winner, right? He's got two Pokémon left, Red's out."

“Where did you learn to count?" Blue asked in a condescending tone. “Red's not out of Pokémon; he still has one left."

“Oh, right… that last battle was so intense, I completely forgot," replied Randy, brushing off Blue's tone. “Well regardless, Mark has the advantage -it's two to one now."

“If Red has the one I think he does, I guarantee you, Mark does not have the advantage," retorted Blue.

Randy turned to Blue, rather fed up with his cynicism. “You've been going on about how Mark isn't going to win this battle since it started," he stated, glowering. “In case you haven't noticed, he's pushed Red to the brink. Are you so sour about Mark beating you that all you can do is talk smack about him when he's winning?"

Blue shot Randy a dirty look. “If you think you've seen Red's best Pokémon, you're wrong. He's got one that's even stronger than Charizard."

The tone of Blue's voice told Randy that he was serious about what he was saying, staring at him in disbelief for a moment before he looked back down to the battlefield below, seeing how damaged it was from over the course of the clash between Vitesse and Charizard. Much of the damage had been caused by Charizard when he had used Blast Burn, and yet Blue claimed that there was a Pokémon even stronger than that on Red's team?

“What the hell could be that powerful?" He asked in a whisper.

As the conversation above was carried out, Vitesse and Charizard both began to stir again, finding their trainers looking down at them with concern. At almost the same time, the two Pokémon turned their heads to look at each other, and it was then they understood how the battle had ended.

Vitesse looked up at Mark in apology, but he only smiled at her. “You've nothing to be sorry for, girl," he assured her gently. “You fought like a Champion, and I'm proud of you."

He heard light footsteps approaching, and looked up to see Fang padding his way over to them, carrying Mark's bag in his jaws. Siren was right behind him, waving to and fro as she slithered after him. “Hey look, here comes your support group." Mark commented in jest.

Fang set the bag down by Vitesse's leg as he stepped over, looking up at her and whining slightly. She reached down and stroked the top of his head as Mark accepted the bag he'd brought over, giving Fang a pet on the neck and saying “Good boy," before he turned his attention to his bag, retrieving a handful of Sitrus berries -and noticing he was running low on them. “I'll have to get more of these soon," he commented before he offered the berries to Vitesse. “Here you go girl; these should give you some energy back."

She nodded, weakly reaching with her other talon, but barely able to grasp them in her weakened state. Mark used his arms as he tried to prop her up, and then looked up and smiled at Siren gratuitously as the Milotic slid behind Vitesse, letting the Blaziken lean on her for support as she ate the berries, letting their rejuvenating fluids flow down her throat one at a time as Mark fed them to her. By the third berry, she was strong enough to take the others and eat them herself.

Red was giving Charizard a similar treatment, giving him medicine that his face scrunched at the taste of, but he diligently drank it. It seemed to work within seconds, giving

him the strength to sit up on his own without Red's help, looking at Red and nodding his head to him. Red smiled at gently stroked Charizard's muzzle. “You were amazing as always, Charizard," he said. “Great job, and thank you." He looked in Mark's direction, feeling a warmth in his heart when he saw how not only Mark but his Pokémon as well were helping the Blaziken recover from the battle. “Well would you look at that. They're like a family, aren't they?"

Charizard rumbled in agreement, but after watching the three for a moment, he turned to Red again, letting out a low growl to get his attention. Red looked at him curiously, seeing the look in his eyes, and then nodded to him. “Yeah, you're right," he said, reaching for his fallen hat and holding it in his hand. “This battle must go on. Want to stay out here to watch then?"

Charizard nodded in reply, slowly standing up and standing at Red's side as his trainer called out to his opponent. “Hey Mark!" He called, getting the Hoenn trainer's attention. “You know, I still have one Pokémon left. So, our battle is still ongoing."

Mark looked at Vitesse, their eyes meeting as he silently wondered what she thought. She answered him only with a short stare and a nod of her head, which he returned, and then looked at Red. “Okay; just give me a moment," he said, turning his attention back to Vitesse.

He offered her his hand, helping her stand up and assisted her as they returned to the original spot that they had stood at the start of the battle. Vitesse sat down again, using her hands for support, while Fang and Siren remained on either side of her; they were Mark's last Pokémon, and both were ready for the battle ahead. Fang had yet to receive his turn, and Siren had fully healed from her battle with Pikachu before; both were prime and ready, and Mark was certain that victory would be theirs regardless of what Red was bringing out.

Of course, he didn't know what Red had left. He had defeated what Mark believed to be Red's strongest Pokémon. Red had even strayed outside of his usual modus operandi by bringing out Charizard as his second-last Pokémon instead of his last choice as he was famously known to do. It was clear to Mark now that habit and M.O did not apply to Red; he would adapt to his situation, and whatever Pokémon he still had, he was willing to bet there was a very good reason as to why he had saved it for last.

Mark watched with his heart racing in anticipation as Red produced his sixth and last Poké Ball. He saw by its black and white colouring with the yellow crest that it was an Ultra Ball; Mark's mind flashed back to his battle with Lance, to the Pokémon he himself had carried in such a ball. Hydreigon had been a fearsome opponent with incredible power, and now another Pokémon contained in such a ball was about to be revealed to him.

“This is it, Mark," stated Red, replacing his hat back upon his head and adjusting it until the shade hung squarely above his eyes, casting them in a slight shadow as he raised his head again. “I chose this Pokémon for this battle because I wanted to see if you would be the one to push me to use it, and you have done so. Now, come on out!" Red called as he threw the ball into the air.

The ball opened, and the Pokémon contained within was released, materializing in the air above into a humanoid form. The being that emerged however was completely alien to Mark, who stood both awestricken and clueless by the strange Pokémon that Red had called forth. It was a strangely humanoid Pokémon with some felinoid features, such as the shape of its head being quite like that of a cat, though instead of ears it seemed to have two short, blunt 'horns' protruding from the top of its head where said ears would have been. Its violet eyes

glared from beneath a furrowed brow as it fixed its gaze down upon Mark as it levitated overhead. A tube-like growth extended from the base of its skull to conjoin with the top of its spine at the base of its neck.

The rest of its body was a pale gray skin, pale almost to being a pink-white, with a purple streak running from its belly and its lower back. A tail longer than its own body swayed beneath it, stretching several feet before thinning out and then flaring again into a bulbous tip at the end of its tail. It had definitive shoulders and chest, which resembled a sort of breastplate but were completely part of its body, almost like a naturally grown armour. Its legs were a little shorter than its height would suggest, and when it descended to the ground below it stood on the very tips of its footpaws, like it was tip-toeing. Finally, its arms, short and scrawny, suggested a lack of physical fitness, and its 'hands' had three short fingers with round tips.

The spectators stared in awe at the newly revealed Pokémon below -all except Blue, who had apparently seen the Pokémon before. They watched in silence as it lowered itself to the ground, and it was finally Randy who spoke first.

“What the freaking frick is that?!" He demanded as he brought out his PokéDex, holding it up to get a picture of the strange Pokémon. “I have seen a lot of Pokémon in my time but I've never seen one like that before!"

As if to add to his confusion, however, when the desk pulled up a display of the Pokémon, the entry listed 'No data available', not even able to give a name or any other statistics to the identity of this Pokémon. “What the shit? That's a bunch of boo-hack!"

“You won't find that that Pokémon in any 'Dex entries, pal," stated Blue. “That Pokémon is one of a kind -the only one of its kind. No other one like it exists in the entire world."

“So, that's it," stated Brock. “Red's living proof that Mew is real."

“Mew?" Randy echoed. “Wait a minute; I've seen a lot of artist's interpretations of Mew and not one of them looked like that -I mean the tail is… almost right, but the rest of it? No; you can't tell me that's Mew."

“It's not Mew," stated Blue firmly. “That, is Mewtwo."

“Mewtw-What?!" Randy demanded, mouth hanging agape. He fumbled to find words for a moment before he grabbed his head in frustration, clawing at his scalp feverishly through his hair. “Oh, I'm totally lost now!!" He practically hollered.

Down below, Mark stared at the strange Pokémon -he had not heard its name yet- with a mix of curiosity and shock, wondering what sort of freak of nature he was looking at. Nothing about this Pokémon seemed normal to him -even without being a Pokémon himself it just felt unnatural, like this thing he saw should not exist. To his right, Fang was stepping back warily to stand in Mark's shadow -a Mightyena that could look dragons in the eye without even flinching was afraid of this creature. Was this a sign of just how powerful it was? Or perhaps, an indication that Mark was indeed not looking upon a natural life form?

Suddenly, his mind raced back to the day he and Randy had visited Pallet Town and encountered Professor Oak at his laboratory. “It's not my place to say what it is, but let's just say that Red carries with him the most definitive proof of Mew's existence that has ever been found," had been his exact words.

'Could this Pokémon be what Oak was talking about?' Mark asked, among a thousand other questions racing through his mind at that moment. 'Is this the living proof of Mew's existence?'

“I take it you're shocked?" Red asked. “I seem to get that reaction a lot when I actually use Mewtwo."

“I'm… something alright," Mark returned. “What Pokémon is that? I've never seen anything like it."

“Because there isn't another like it," replied Red. “This is Mewtwo, a Pokémon created by science."

“You mean like Voltorb and Porygon?" Mark asked.

“Yes and no," replied Red. “Mewtwo is different from them as he was made through genetic engineering, and not the result of an accident as Voltorb is, or born of programming like Porygon." He adjusted his hat once again, flicking a speck of dust from the brim. “I'll explain it all to you after this. For now, let's get back to the battle; show me you have what it takes to challenge a Legendary Pokémon!"

Mark swallowed hard, feeling his heart leapt into his throat. He had often wondered how his Pokémon would stand up to a Legendary, but he did not anticipate facing one in Red's possession -not to mention one that was so obscure and unknown. Not one he knew anything about either -he could not even tell what type of Pokémon it was as he knew nothing about Mew, let alone this… other, that stood before him.

Mark studied Mewtwo carefully, his eyes exploring its physique. Without seeing it in action for himself before now or having any means of studying it in advance, his only option was to trust his eyes. 'Judging by those thin arms, this Pokémon is probably not a close combat type. Doesn't look like it could throw much of a punch, though it's legs and tail seem a little more defined… still, I'm going with Special Attacker for this one. Hopefully it's as frail as it looks and then maybe Siren can outlast it.'

He turned to look over his shoulder to the Milotic. “You ready, girl?" He asked.

She nodded her head to him before turning her gaze forward once more. With brief hesitation, she slithered her long body out to the battlefield, watching Mewtwo intently as she did. Mark could tell that despite her willingness to battle it, Mewtwo intimidated her as much as it did Fang. There was something they knew that he didn't; he had to be on his guard.

“Let's begin!" Red called. “Mewtwo, use Psychic!"

Mewtwo's body emitted a faint blue aura as it carried out the attack, lifting its arm before thrusting his palm in Siren's direction. The air between the two of them seemed to be forcefully parted as the telekinetic blast raced at the Milotic. Siren braced herself, but was still blown back by the attack, crying out as she was thrown back several feet until she managed to correct herself and return to an upright position.

“Water Pulse!" Mark ordered.

“Light Screen!" Red called.

As Siren conjured the condensed ball of liquid, a multi coloured wall appeared in front of Mewtwo, and with a striking motion, she sent it straight towards Mewtwo. The screen caught the attack, scattering it harmlessly and leaving Mewtwo untouched.

“Shit!" Mark cursed. “Siren, Hypnosis!"

“Safeguard!" Red countered, and just as Siren herself had done against Pikachu, a mystical veil appeared in front of Mewtwo; a red tinted aura emanated from the wall a second after -the same colour as Siren's eyes. Her hypnotic gaze was successfully blocked by the wall, leaving Mewtwo unaffected.

Now it was Red's turn to take the offensive. “Use Energy Ball!"

Mewtwo's held up its hand, and a glowing green sphere materialized above its palm, growing to roughly the size of a basketball before Mewtwo lowered its hand, pointing at Siren. This motion sent the glowing sphere on a collision course with the Milotic, racing across the battlefield towards her.

“Watch out!" Mark called instinctively even as Siren was already in the process of dodging; she threw herself out of the ball's path, firing another Water Pulse at Mewtwo, but Light Screen was still active and once again appeared to protect Mewtwo from harm.

“Blizzard!" Mark ordered.

At Mark's command, Siren breathed a cone of blowing snow and ice crystals in Mewtwo's direction. Unlike the previous attack, Mewtwo showed visible discomfort from the attack, though as before Light Screen and Safeguard still activated again to protect Mewtwo from damage or Blizzard's freezing effect. Blizzard was Siren's strongest attack and even it wasn't enough to weaken Mewtwo.

'Damn it, I can barely even hurt this guy!' Mark thought in frustration. 'Siren just isn't strong enough!'

“Mewtwo, Energy Ball again!"

This time, when Mewtwo cast the sphere of power at Siren, she was not able to get out of the way in time, taking a direct hit to her middle. She shrieked with pain, recoiling from the hit, but Mark was quick to react. “Use Recover!"

“Oh, no you don't!" Red objected. “Mewtwo, Disable!"

Siren was just in the process of using recover when Mewtwo's eyes glowed brightly with a pale blue gleam. The same kind of glow appeared around Siren, and suddenly she was frozen in place until it faded, after which Mark could see that the injury left by Energy Ball had not healed, and despite a second attempt to use Recover by Siren, it did nothing.

“Now, Psystrike!" Red barked.

Once more, Mewtwo's eyes glowed brightly as it slowly raised its arm over its head. As it hovered in place, several diamond-shaped forms materialized around the strange Pokémon, and with a clench of its hand, they all soared at Siren. She tried to intercept them with Water Pulse, but they blew through the condensed water sphere as if it were air, and the projectiles struck Siren consecutively, shattering upon impact and making her wail in pain.

“No, Siren!" Mark called, horrified. “Red, stop! That's enough!"

“Mewtwo, stand down!" Red commanded.

At Red's call, Mewtwo reverted to a calmer stance, blinking away the glow from its eyes as it stood waiting, while Mark and Fang ran out to the fallen Milotic to check on her. Mark fell to his knees at her side, lowering himself down enough that he could see her face. “Siren, are you okay?" He asked.

Hers eyes shakily opened and rolled to look up at her trainer, cooing weakly at him. He reached out to touch her, but pulled his hand back when she flinched at his touch, prompting him to look at the spot where he had placed his hand. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the broken skin and flowering bruise around it.

'That's no energy-inflicted wound; that's from something solid!' He thought. 'Psystrike… it works just like Psyshock -kinetic projectiles formed from psionic energy. But that move showed

a lot more control and overall power than Psyshock,' He looked up, turning to Mewtwo and narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 'So, this thing is a Psychic type, then.'

He turned back to Siren, once more reaching out to pet her but this time taking care not to touch where she had been hit. “Thanks for trying, Siren," he said softly as he produced her Poké Ball. “Now rest up; you've definitely earned it. I'll get you to the center as soon as we're done here."

She let out a low whine to her trainer and closed her eyes before Mark recalled her, returning her safely to the confines of the ball and stored it back into his vest. 'Now what?' He wondered. 'I'm down to my last Pokémon, but is Fang strong enough? After what just happened to Siren…'

He heard Fang bark at him, snapping him out of his trance and turning his gaze to the Mightyena, locking eyes with his Pokémon. Fang stood staring at him for a moment until Mark understood what his Pokémon was trying to say, but he could only frown in response.

“Are you sure?" He asked.

Fang nodded his head at Mark. He was willing to try, as long as his trainer was. Mark smiled at Fang, and then rose to his feet, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling. With that, he turned to Red and Mewtwo again. “Last round, Red," he stated as Fang stepped forward, growling lowly as he stared at Mewtwo.

“Alright then," he said.

As Fang took his position, Mark began to think about how he was going to prevail in this battle. He thought back to Siren's battle, and to the attacks Mewtwo had used. 'There has to be a clue in how Red has been battling with Mewtwo. He's been using a lot of defensive attacks as if he was trying to avoid damage at all costs. As for offensive attacks, I've seen Energy Ball -a Grass-type moves, and two Psychic-type moves. Psychic moves won't work on Fang, so I've got nothing to fear from those. But if I've learned anything about Red it's that he thinks of everything. Just like with Blue's Alakazam he probably taught it some kind of attack for taking on Dark-types.'

Mark raised his head as a spark of realization surged through his mind, remembering how quickly Alakazam fell against Fang. 'Wait a minute! Just like Alakazam; maybe that's it! Alakazam is powerful on the attack but it's defenses are quite weak without the right moves to balance them out. Especially up close. What if Mewtwo is the same way -maybe it's a glass cannon! Even Legendary Pokémon have weaknesses. I just hope I'm right. But if I am, then it's imperative I get Fang up close and weaken Mewtwo's distance strength as much as possible'

“Since you don't seem intent on making the first move, I will!" Red declared. “Mewtwo, Aura Sphere!"

“Say what?!" Mark heard Randy call out in surprise

Mark was equally shocked, having never seen nor heard of another Pokémon capable of using Aura Sphere aside from Lucario. Fortunately, as Mewtwo conjured the glowing blue sphere of pure kinetic energy between his hands, Mark knew what to do about it.

“Fang, run for the wall!" Mark instructed, pointing westwards.

Without question, the Mightyena bolted from his current position, making a beeline for the cliff wall just as Mewtwo hurled the Aura Sphere. As expected, it was homing after Fang, pursuing his aura and completely zeroed in.

“What's Mark doing?" Lance asked as he watched the spectacle unfold. “Aura Sphere cannot miss, and his Pokémon cannot hope to outrun it forever."

But Randy only smiled. “I think I see what he's doing."

No sooner did Randy say this that Fang reached the wall. He did not even need instructions from Mark on what to do; he knew precisely what his trainer was planning, for he sprang at the wall, landing against it with all fours before jumping off again, evading the Aura Sphere as it raced towards him only to shatter on the cliff face, demolishing the rock where it hit but causing Fang himself no harm.

Lance was stunned. “How did he…?" He began, but trailed off as the battle resumed.

“Fang, Torment!" Mark called.

With that, an ominous crimson glow emanated from Fang's body, followed by his eyes, and with a frightening snarl, the same aura appeared around Mewtwo, and the Psychic-type cringed as if it were in pain, but quickly shook it off, trying Aura Sphere again only for a red bolt of lightning to arc across its body, once again causing it to tense with pain.

“Now, Snarl!" Mark commanded.

Fang's eyes glowed again as he inhaled sharply before unleashing a powerful snarl from his open maw, dark ripples filling the air around Mewtwo as the sound based attack reached it. Mewtwo recoiled as if it had been struck in the chest.

“Energy Ball!" Red ordered.

Mewtwo complied with the attack change, forming another green sphere like the one that had defeated Siren. But unlike Aura Sphere, Energy Ball did not home in on its targets; Fang's act to avoid Aura Sphere had put him a fair distance from Mewtwo's location and it had not moved any closer, allowing Fang to easily avoid the Energy Ball by jumping to the left.

“Keep using Snarl!" Mark directed, prompting Fang to release the attack again, once more causing Mewtwo to recoil as it was hit. It was then Mark noticed that Mewtwo's light screen had faded as it was no longest

This time when Mewtwo shook off the hit, its expression turned from one of discomfort to one of anger. Riling it up had never been part of his strategy but Mark knew an angry Pokémon could be as much a hindrance to itself as an angry human could be to themselves, so he was fully prepared to take advantage of the situation.

“Mewtwo, move closer!" Red called, realizing that distance wasn't helping in this battle.

Mewtwo let out a deep growl as it propelled itself forward via telekinesis, closing the distance between Fang and itself as, at Red's command, it used Aura Sphere again, but as before, Fang dashed out of the path, the swift moving sphere unable to correct course before it struck the wall, once more wasting one of the few attacks it had that could hurt Fang.

Fang used Snarl again as Mewtwo drew closer, giving it no time to put up a new Light Screen as Red commanded, followed by a retaliating Energy Ball that Fang wasn't able to dodge with Mewtwo only a few meters away. Fang seemed to be cornered, with the cliff at his back and Mewtwo in front of him, but Mark was not troubled by this, because his plan was working.

Fang recovered from the Energy Ball within seconds of taking the hit, turning his gaze back to Mewtwo and curling his lips back in what could only have been a grin. The repeated Snarl attacks had weakened Mewtwo's attack strength, and now he was only a short sprint away. Fang charged, running away from the cliff wall and leaping at Mewtwo as Mark called out his next command.

“Crunch!"

Mewtwo tried to dodge, but Fang was too quick, clamping down on Mewtwo's arm and yanking him out of midair with a sharp pull and a painful bite. Mewtwo howled in agony, trying to wrench its arm free of Fang's powerful jaws. Fang tenaciously kept his grip, pulling again every time Mewtwo tried to conjure an attack, throwing off his aim or disrupting its focus

“Brutal Swing!" Red ordered.

Mewtwo finally stopped trying to pull it's arm free, and instead raised its tail. A dark aura emanated from the bulbous tip before, with a sharp twist of its hips, the tip of its tail lashed against Fang's unprotected flank like a bull whip, causing him to yelp instinctively and loosening his jaws just enough for Mewtwo to pull its arm free. It then proceeded to turn sharply in the opposite direction, swinging its entire body around -no doubt levitating to turn so violently, and striking Fang across the face, once more bringing an agonized yelp as he was bludgeoned.

Mark swore under his breath. 'Mewtwo hits harder than I thought!' “Fang, Crunch before he can levitate again!"

But as Fang lunged forth to attack, Red intervened once more. “Barrier!"

Mewtwo thrust both palms forward towards Fang, and then Mightyena struck an invisible shield, thudding against it as heavily as he would a real wall, once more letting out that pained yelp that made Mark's heart twist at the sound of. 'Of course there'd be a physical defense as well…' Should he really have expected any less?

“Now, Aura Sphere!" Red ordered.

“Shadow Ball!" Mark countered.

At almost the exact same time, Fang and Mewtwo launched their respective projectiles, both flying over one another as they beeline towards their intended targets; Mark had hoped to intercept Aura Sphere with the Shadow Ball but Fang's aim was not on point. It still was heading for Mewtwo. However, Aura Sphere found its target first; Fang was struck square in the chest and blown from his feet, hitting the ground and skidding across few feet before coming to a stop, where he lay unmoving.

Without even checking to see what became of Mewtwo, Mark was already running over to Fang, dropping to his side and crouching over the Mightyena to check him.

As he feared, Fang was out cold, and with that, the battle was over.

“Fang…" Mark said in a whisper, gingerly placing a hand on Fang's side, stroking his fur gently. “Good try, boy," he said quietly, before finally mustering the courage to look in Red's direction, only to feel like a heavy blanket of iron rings had been draped over him following what he saw.

Mewtwo was still up, the fading aftermath of a Light Screen vanishing just as Mark looked over. It had blocked the attack while Mark had not been looking…

With a heavy heart and a long, unhappy sigh, Mark turned his gaze down to Fang once again. “It's over, then," he said in a low voice. “We lost…"

Meanwhile, Red stepped forward to stand at Mewtwo's side, looking up at his Pokémon with an approving smile. “Well done, my friend," he said, before holding out Mewtwo's Poké Ball. Mewtwo nodded back to him, before quietly returning to his ball following Red activating the recall. With that, the Kanto trainer crossed the battlefield to where Mark sat in the dirt next to his fallen Mightyena, who still had not come around yet.

Mark looked up as Red approached him, their eyes meeting for a moment until Red came to a stop, with Fang now laying between him unconscious. After a second or so of waiting, Red knelt, looking at Fang and then at Mark, smiling lightly and placing a hand on Mark's shoulder. “You two were amazing," he said, before cocking his head back in the direction of the League terminal. “Let's go get them patched up, shall we?"

Mark nodded. With that, he inched forward, lowering himself down gently picked up Fang in his arms, making sure he was securely in his grasp before he attempted to stand up again, holding his Mighytena to his chest and grunting with effort as Fang's weight reached him. Red moved to his side to help him rise, bringing him back to his feet as Mark hoisted his Mightyena partly over his shoulder; moving him in his Poké Ball would have been much easier, but he wanted to carry Fang up to the terminal himself, not let the ball do it for him. He saw Vitesse standing up as he and Red approached the staircase, joining them and following behind Mark as they climbed the stairs to the path above, just in case he lost his balance while carrying Fang.

Fang was heavy, of course; he was quite large even as Mightyena went, weighing more than a hundred pounds and standing a few inches taller than the average of his species. If not for keeping fit as often as he did, there was no way Mark would ever be able to carry Fang himself, but he managed, believing Fang deserved better than to be carried around in his ball, and so despite the strain it caused him, Mark kept climbing, carrying his beloved companion with the safe accompaniment of another at his back to help him if he needed.

He rose over the top of the stairs to applause.

Mark was caught off guard by what he heard as he climbed over the last step on the stairway. Randy, Brock, Lance, the Kanto Elite Four, the shopkeepers, even Blue -they were all clapping their hands in congratulation as Mark rose over the top of the steps. He looked back at Red, excepting to find out that the applause was meant for the actual victor of the match, but Red was only just coming over the stairs himself, followed by Charizard -Mark had actually forgotten Charizard was still out of his ball, as the dragonic Pokémon had barely made a sound throughout the last battle.

All eyes were on Mark; they were not looking at Red, they were looking at him, and as he walked between them and approached the Pokémon League building, they complimented him on the amazing battle that they had all born witness to, claiming that it had been a privilege to see such a fantastic battle. He didn't feel worthy of the praise, but he received it all without making a face or voicing any protest.

All of the ruckus had stirred Fang from his unconscious state. His eyes shakily opened, unknown to the trainer carrying him through the crowd. The wandering red orbs found Vitesse first; she noticed his open eyes quickly, and let out a low, comforting coo to the Mightyena, even reaching over and gently scratching him behind the ear. It was when Fang shifted at her touch that Mark knew his Pokémon was awake.

“I'm proud of you boy," Mark stated, looking over his shoulder at Fang as much as he could. “That applause isn't just for me or Vitesse; it's for you too." His hand gently caressed Fang's back. “You're the best Mightyena that any trainer could ever have."

Fang whined slightly, bringing his head closer to Mark's and gently nuzzling him before shutting his eyes once again, letting out a long sigh as he drifted off.

Red walked ahead of Mark to get the door for him, holding it open for the Hoenn trainer. Mark walked sideways into the League, followed by Vitesse and then Charizard before he too stepped in, with the many spectators quick to follow as well…

All, except for one, who walked off the path and produced a cell phone from his pocket, punching only two buttons before he brought it to his ear. “Kanto Operative nine-six, reporting in," He said lowly into his phone. “I found something."

Mark left all his Pokémon with the nurses at the Pokémon Center, as did Red, before they were both treated to lunch by Lance. They brought a few tables together where they could all sit and talk, reviewing the battle amongst themselves, retelling their favorite moments of the match.

Randy even replayed some of the footage, uncovering the secret to Snorlax's rebound-trick when he had bounced back from the cliff wall to hit Tanker from behind. It turned out he had not 'bounced' at all, but rather he had somehow turned himself over, uncurled his legs and then kicked off of the cliff wall to send himself hurtling back towards Tanker. Though it seemed impossible for such a large Pokémon to make such a maneuver within a split second, but the footage did not lie and unlikely did not mean impossible.

“That battle was truly a spectacular contest," Lance stated as discussion about 'favorite' moments was concluded.

“I'll admit, it was pretty good," agreed Blue, not even sounding reluctant. “Mark fought a good match against Red."

“He came closer to beating him than I ever did," Lance too admitted, though with more reluctance than Blue. “I daresay Red, I believe you have found another rival."

Red laughed lightly, adjusting his hat and leaning back in his seat. “I seem to be collecting quite a few of them," he said, sarcastically. “First Blue, then Ethan, then the current Unova Champion and now a former Hoenn Champion. It seems like there are stronger trainers emerging every year, doesn't it?"

“Better watch out Lance," stated Blue. “Pretty soon, someone might come and take your place too."

“I would welcome the honour to face a worthy new Champion," returned Lance. “If Mark had the eight official badges of Kanto, I might have even ceded the title to him when he beat me."

Mark laughed at that. “I'd prefer to stay close to home, truthfully," he said. “If I ever become a Champion again, I'll probably be aiming to retake my title in Hoenn, or the Pokémon World Tournament -if another one is ever hosted."

“So, Mark," Brock chimed in after sipping on his drink. “Where will you be heading next?"

Mark hummed as he folded his arms on the table, looking up at the ceiling. “Johto, probably," he replied. “That's the next closest region, so it stands to reason I should go there."

“So, you'll be looking for Ethan then," stated Lance.

“He's quite a trainer himself," added Red. “He's just as strong as I am, if I had to be honest, and his Typhlosion is one of the most powerful Pokémon I've ever seen."

“Then I better prepare," stated Mark. “I had to train hard just to take on Red -I'll have to train even harder to battle Ethan. My Pokémon and I are strong together, but admittedly I

should spend more time with Saber -get him more used to me, and I still have to find out what Tanker's special ability is when he Mega Evolves."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mark noticed Brock glance over at him oddly, followed by a short reply from the Pewter Gym Leader. “Sand Force," he stated.

“Pardon?" Mark asked.

“Mega Steelix's ability is Sand Force."

Mark tilted his head curiously. “How do you know that?"

“Jasmine," he replied. “The Steel-type Gym Leader in Olivine City in Johto; she told me."

“And how did she know?" Mark asked, deeply curious. “Does she have a Steelixite?"

“No -at least not since last time I saw her," replied Brock. “But she did do some extensive study on it before taking a trip to Kalos looking for one because she felt it could help her become stronger. She told me that Mega Steelix's ability is called Sand Force -which, if memory serves, increases the attack strength of Steel, Rock and Ground-type moves used during a sandstorm, not mention giving Steelix an incredibly strong defense."

Mark thought back to his battle with Lance, where he had used Tanker's mega evolution for the first time since finding the Steelixite in the tunnels beneath Mt. Chimney, which he had been exploring during his temporary retirement. He remembered how powerful Tanker had become after using Sand Storm, but had initially mistaken it for the power of the Mega Evolution -which, most of it probably still was, but knowing that Tanker's attacks had been made even more powerful by the active Sandstorm helped clear away any doubts he had about Tanker being able to beat a Pokémon as powerful as Hydreigon.

“That explains a lot, actually," he stated. “Sand force, huh? Powerful ability from the sounds of things. I can definitely make use of that." He then chuckled. “But, she's wasting her time looking for a Steelixite in Kalos -there aren't any there. So far it's only been found in Hoenn -I found mine in a tunnel running under Mt. Chimney."

“Oh. I better make sure to tell her that if she plans to take another trip to Kalos anytime soon."

“Where did you meet Jasmine, Brock?" Red asked, curiously. “Well, she called me to Johto requesting some advice," explained Brock. “A pupil of hers was raising a new Onix to later evolve into a Steelix of their own to be used in the Gym, but she was having some difficulty, so she called on someone who knew more about Rock-types than she herself did -or maybe just someone who knew a lot about raising an Onix. I headed to Olivine, shared what advice I had to her pupil and that was that. But we talked a bit while I was there and that's where I found out about Mega Steelix's ability."

“Fascinating," said Lance. “Sand Force could be quite helpful if you enter battle against a very strong trainer."

“I think so too," agreed Mark. “Just wish I had known about it sooner. Not that I would have used it against Red, considering Charizard knocked Tanker out in a single hit."

“To be fair, Tanker was already pretty worn out," Red reminded.

Mark turned to Red, adopting a more serious expression as he addressed him. “Now, if you're still willing to, you want to explain what the deal is with Mewtwo?" He asked. “You said he's a product of science, but what kind of science could produce something that powerful?"

“Well I'm no science wiz," started Red, once more adjusting his hat, his gaze falling to the table in front of him. “But ten years back is when we discovered him. Before that, I found a

journal in the ruins of the Pokémon mansion on Cinnabar Island that spoke of how he was created. Somehow that journal survived the fire that destroyed the mansion, and was just intact enough to read."

“Do you still have that journal?" Randy inquired.

“No," replied Red with a sigh. “I didn't realize just how significant it would be, so I left it there. No doubt it perished with the rest of the town when the volcano erupted."

“Well shit; I was hoping to see it," grumbled Randy.

“How much did you learn?" Mark asked.

“Let's see…" Red muttered, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he recounted those earlier years. “The research team that created Mewtwo did so from the embryo of a pregnant Pokémon they found in the far southern reaches of the world. I don't remember the name of the region, but they took the Pokémon and experimented on its offspring, not realizing just what Pokémon they had found."

“Mew," Mark stated.

“Yes," Red confirmed. “They named it that, and they tampered with the genetics of Mew's baby; what else they put in, I don't know for sure, but Mewtwo was the result. Mewtwo was so powerful, they were beginning to fear it, but before they could come up with a new way, well… the mansion burned down, and that was the last anyone had seen of the scientists or Mewtwo. Almost everyone believes the mansion fire was an accident."

Blue chimed in, adding to the story, “but I'm sure Mewtwo caused it when he escaped his captivity, and then disappeared for many years until by happenstance, I found him while exploring Cerulean cave looking for rare Pokémon."

“Did you try to capture him?" Randy asked.

“Of course I tried," returned Blue. “But I… had a setback."

Randy arched an eyebrow. “Setback, meaning, he stomped you?"

“N-No, it was nothing like that!" Blue retaliated, which only made Randy laugh at how flustered Blue had become so quickly. “Why you smug little…! You want to throw down right now?! I'll bet my Blastoise will hose away that attitude of yours!"

“Me, against you?" Randy asked, grinning. “You couldn't even beat Mark, and now you want to battle the guy who took his Champion title from him?"

Mark ignored the growing spat between Randy and Blue to continue pressing Red for information. “Didn't any of the scientists survive?"

Red lowered his gaze again, hiding his face behind the visor of his cap, humming in thought. “Yes… one did," he replied after a moment.

“Where is he?" Mark asked.

“He lived in Lavender Town, running the Pokémon House where stray or abandoned Pokémon were taken care of by volunteers," explained Red. “His name was Doctor Fuji."

The melancholic tone in Red's voice was quite clear to Mark. “Was?" He repeated.

“He passed away a couple of years ago," explained Red. “He was old, you understand. He died peacefully in his sleep, and after that, the town began funding the continued operation of the Pokémon House, which was renamed the Fuji Care Center, and freshly refurbished."

Mark sensed the sadness in Red's words as he spoke about Dr. Fuji, and quickly pieced together the reason for his pain. “You knew him, didn't you?"

“I did," replied Red, reaching into the pocket of his coat and producing his keystone, holding it in his palm. “He's the one who gave me this, and the Mega Stone Charizard carries. But besides that, he became a good friend, and everyone in Lavender town idolized him for his kindness and willingness to help Pokémon in need, giving them a home when no one else would."

“Sounds like he was a good man," commented Mark.

“Maybe," returned Red. “Part of me just wonders if he was trying to atone for the mistakes he made when he created Mewtwo. Though Mewtwo and I have grown close, his creation is just more proof that human beings shouldn't be tampering with the forces of nature. Mewtwo is one of the most powerful Pokémon in the entire world -stronger than even most Legendary Pokémon. I fear that if I hadn't found him, he'd have gone on to become dangerous to humans. So, I do what I can to make him feel welcome, giving him a place he belongs, and I continue to travel the world looking for Mew, so that he won't have to be an outcast for as long as he lives. However long that is."

“Are you saying he's dying?" Mark asked.

Red raised his head in alarm at Mark's question. “Oh no, not that. Or at least I don't believe so," he replied. “I mean, well… it's hard to say. In the ten years since I caught him, he hasn't shown any sign of aging. But with all the tampering to his genes, it's hard to say how long a lifespan he would have."

He shook his head. “But that's not the point I was trying to make. Ten years ago, I caught Mewtwo and began searching for Mew hoping to complete the PokéDex once and for all. But as Mewtwo and I grew to understand each other in started to realize how alone he really was; he is the only one of his kind, robbed of his true heritage and turned into an outcast, and to top it off, the gene tampering damaged his reproductive system- I call Mewtwo a 'he' but the truth is, it's neither male or female; Mewtwo is genderless. As such, he can't even produce offspring, hence he is the first, and last, of his kind.

“Eventually, my quest to find Mew became less about the PokéDex and more about finding Mewtwo something he could relate to somehow; maybe even find the Mew that was supposed to be his mother if I want to really press my luck. If anyone would accept him and truly make him feel like he belongs, it'd be that Mew."

“That's a pretty big undertaking," stated Mark. “You're really willing to go that far for Mewtwo?"

Red turned to Mark and smiled at him. “Would you do any less for Vitesse or Fang?"

At that, Mark chuckled. “I suppose I wouldn't," he replied, before his smile faded. “But how do you know that Mew is still alive?"

“The journal on Cinnabar never said that Mew was still in captivity when Mewtwo broke free, or even after he was created," explained Red. “She may have escaped or even been freed when Mewtwo destroyed the lab. If she did, she may be out there now, looking for her baby, or trying to start a new life far from humans. Either way, that Mew belongs with its child, and I hope to reunite them. If I can't, then I'll at least find another Mew that Mewtwo can bond with. However it turns out, my quest goes on."

As if Mark could not have had any more respect for Red after their battle. But surely enough, he felt a well of it rising within him, feeling as though when he looked at Red, he looked upon someone who would give his life to protect the Pokémon of the world; it moved

him, in a way nothing else ever had before. Even Randy and Blue had ceased their argument to listen to his words, stunned by the commitment he showed to his goal, while Brock and Lance were both wearing proud smiles on their faces as they listened to his proclamation.

Mark laughed light-heartedly once again. “There really are no other trainers like you out there, Red. I don't think I've ever met or even heard of someone willing to try so hard for one Pokémon."

Red smiled broadly at Mark's compliment. “Coming from you, that means a lot. Especially after seeing how much you care for your own."

Lance glanced over his shoulder as a door opened, and a nurse appeared, rolling a cart out from the treatment center and followed by Vitesse, who was carrying an armload of Poké Balls as she followed the nurse over to the gathering.

“Speaking of quests, Mark," Lance said, getting the attention of the Hoenn trainer. “It would appear you can resume yours now, too."

Mark followed where Lance was looking, and shot to his feet when he saw Vitesse following the nurse carrying his Poké Balls in her arms. Red followed suite as he realized that the Pokémon on the cart were probably his own.

“Hey girl, how're you feeling?" Mark asked his Blaziken.

She replied with a happy, healthy cluck, stepping closer to Mark and nodding her head to the Poké Balls she carried. “She was very adamant about bringing those to you herself, you know; she would not even go into her own ball."

“She does that," replied Mark, returning his Poké Balls to the holster in his vest one at a time. “Anything amiss with any of them?"

“None whatsoever," replied the nurse. “They have all healed well and are perfectly healthy."

“Excellent," said Mark. “But just the same, I think I'm going to give them a break until I find Ethan. If any of them are feeling as worn out as I do right now, they deserve it." He looked briefly at Red, who nodded back in agreement as he added his Poké Balls to the holster on his belt. With that, Mark turned to Lance, who had also left his chair and was standing by the table.

“Speaking of," began Mark. “Lance, do you know where I might be able to find Ethan? I know that Johto and Kanto both share this league so you know if he's stopping by anytime soon?"

Lance's expression soured a little at that question, eyes rolling to the side as he seemed to be considering how to answer. “Well…"

“What's the matter?" Randy asked.

Lance answered quickly, though his mood did not lighten. “To be honest, I have not seen Ethan in quite a while."

“What do you mean?" Mark asked. “Doesn't he check back for new challengers here?"

“He used to, but as of late I haven't seen him nor heard one word of his whereabouts," replied Lance. “The last time I saw him, about four months ago, he seemed to be rather distant, like there was something bothering him. A mere day after he arrived, he said he had to find something, and that was the last I saw of him. He doesn't answer his phone or check in here at the League anymore."

“Is he in some kind of trouble?" Mark asked with concern.

“I don't know," replied Lance. “The only ones who might would be his family, or perhaps Professor Elm in New Bark Town. I'd start there."

“How far is it from here?" Mark asked.

Brock chimed in. “A few days' walk depending on the weather, but there's no road to get there from here," he said. “There's a river separating the boundaries and no bridge to cross."

“What about flying there?" Mark asked.

“I would not recommend it," stated Lance. “There are storms around Mt. Silver and crosswinds that could rip you and your Pokémon right out of the sky this time of year. If you get caught in one, it could be a disaster."

“The fastest and safest way to Johto is the Magnet Train that runs from Saffron City to Goldenrod City," suggested Brock. “You could take that to Johto, and then head to New Bark Town. It would be about the same amount of time but much safer, and you get to travel in comfort."

“Yeah; the Magnet Train is a fun ride," agreed Red.

Mark turned to Randy, wanting his opinion but answering with only a shrug instead. “I guess the Magnet Train it is then," he said. “I did say I wanted to give my Pokémon a rest; I suppose this is the best way to do it. It's not like I'm on any sort of time constraint."

“Then I guess we're heading to Saffron then," said Randy.

“If you find Ethan, let him know I said hello," Red requested.

“Can do," returned Mark before turning his attention to the computer terminal at the Pokémon Center desk. “I better get Palm Tree out of storage; I'll need him to get to Saffron."

“You going to put Saber back in?" Randy asked.

“Not this time. I need to spend more time with Saber, so I think I'll have to put away Tanker or Siren for now -we already know Coal won't go in."

After a short internal debate as he was still loathe to part with any one of his Pokémon, Mark stored Siren into the Pokémon storage system and took Palm Tree back out, before he said goodbye to Lance, thanking him for his hospitality and promising him a rematch one day, before Red, Blue and Brock exited the league with him to see him and Randy off.

Mark turned to speak to Red one last time as he let out Palm Tree to prepare to leave. “Red," he began. “Thanks again for an amazing battle. I learned a lot from you, and I'm looking forward to meeting up with you again."

“The same to you, Mark," replied Red, offering Mark his hand, which the Hoenn trainer shook graciously. “You're a great Pokémon Trainer, and you can still improve. I get the feeling that if we battle again someday, the results will be very different."

“Only time will tell."

Red then glanced at Mark's vest. “I overheard you mention Coal won't go into the storage system; he must be really attached to you to loathe being parted from you that much."

Mark chuckled at that. “Attached? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think Coal considers me to be his adoptive father. Along with VItesse here," he gestured to the Blaziken. “I was one of the first things he saw when he hatched from his egg."

“I see," returned Red. “Well, to be honest, it may be best that you don't store him. I think he's getting close to evolving."

Mark's eyes widened at that. “Evolving? How do you know?"

“Call it a hunch," replied Red. “He's much more powerful than an average Charmeleon; my Pikachu may not be fully evolved but he has far more experience than Coal, and yet your little friend was able to match him for quite a while. I think he's reached the pinnacle of his growth in his current form -the only way to advance further is for him to evolve. Soon, you'll have a Charizard of your own."

“Now that will be cool," said Randy.

“Definitely," agreed Mark. “My own Charizard… that'll be awesome!"

“Just remember one thing," Red began. “Transitioning from a Charmeleon to a Charizard is fairly difficult for them. The addition of the wings takes away from the agility he'll be previously accustomed to, and then they have to learn to fly, which they know how to by instinct but it takes them a while to get used to it."

Mark nodded, thanking Red for his advice.

All of a sudden, a Poké Ball on Red's belt popped open, startling both trainers as Charizard let himself out of his ball and materialized at his trainer's side. “Charizard?!" Red exclaimed with a start, before asking in a calmer tone. “What're you doing?"

Charizard grunted at Red, before turning his gaze towards Vitesse, who Mark hadn't recalled to her ball yet. Both trainers stepped aside to let Charizard approach the Blaziken, making eye contact with her and staring her down. At first, Mark and Red thought Charizard wanted a rematch with the Blaziken despite their last battle having only been a few hours before. But as they watched, Charizard suddenly held up his claw, clenching it into a fist and holding it out to her. She looked at his claw, before eventually understanding the gesture and returned to meeting his gaze before touching her own fist to Charizard's

Red let out a light laugh. “I think Charizard has found himself a new rival."

“I guess we have too," returned Mark, glancing at Red.

“So it would seem," the Kanto trainer returned. “And I look forward to the next contest."

“You and me both," returned Mark.

It was at that moment Mark decided that he really had to leave or he would end up spending another night at Pokemon League chatting it up with Red. 0He produced Vitesse's Poké Ball, recalling her to begin the journey, and mounted up onto Palm Tree's back before taking one more look over his shoulder at Red. “See you around." He said, smiling one more time.

“So long, Mark," returned Red, nodding his head to Mark.

Randy, who was already on the back of Skyclaw waiting to leave, watched in silence as Mark rode on Palm Tree's back until he stood at the edge of the plateau, overlooking the vast forest below, spreading his wings and bounding from the ledge, followed immediately by Skyclaw. Both Pokémon, with trainers holding on for dear life, plunged several meters before catching the wind in their wings and ascending until they rose above the plateau, with Red, Blue and Brock watching and waving to them until they had faded away into the twilit sky to the east.

Mark looked back in the direction of the Indigo Plateau a few times until he could no longer make out the trainers watching from the top of the ridge. As he crossed the skies above Kanto, he bore a proud smile on his face, satisfied with his adventure in the Kanto Region. Kanto was home to some of the greatest trainers he had ever met; Blue, Lance, and of course

Red, were truly worthy of their reputations. The honour of battling them had been worth every moment of this trip -even its rocky start didn't affect his satisfaction with the conclusion.

And this great adventure was only just beginning. There were still many trainers out there waiting for him.

(Sorry to everyone for the bad formatting! I tried several times to fix it but it keeps ending up like this; I don't know what else to try! If anyone can suggest anything please do so!)