"There can only be one of us—either Mew or me! I'll never accept her existence!"
Mewtwo's roar split the air as psychic energy surged outward, engulfing the sky in a storm of blue and violet light. The sheer magnitude of his power distorted space itself, shaking the ocean beneath them.
Ash's eyes narrowed, his Aura flaring instinctively in response.
"This pressure…!"
He could feel it — Mewtwo's psychic power had already surpassed the peak of most second-tier Legendaries, brushing against the threshold of a first-tier Legendary.
He clenched his fists. "I should've seen this coming. Mew's appearance… it's pushed Mewtwo beyond his limits."
Within Ash's vision, the world shimmered red for a moment.
The Kaleidoscope Aura Lens—his unique adaptation of Aura sight—activated, allowing him to perceive fluctuations in life energy and psychic fields. He immediately began forming a countermeasure. The only way to stop Mewtwo now was to burn through his mental energy and overwhelm his focus.
"Gravity Field!"
Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue, and an invisible force slammed down like a mountain. Both Ash and Mew gasped as they were pulled toward the ground, unable to resist the immense pressure.
"So strong…" Ash gritted his teeth. "Even gravity itself bends to his will."
As they plummeted, Ash flared his Aura, summoning his spectral guardian — a massive, radiant construct of light-blue energy. Its form resembled a divine warrior, cloaked in armor forged from pure Aura. Susanoo of the Waveguide, Ash's ultimate manifestation, enveloped both him and Mew in its protective shell.
The island below shuddered as the construct landed, its Aura shielding deflecting the crushing gravity.
Mewtwo looked down coldly.
"That technique again? Let's see you block this."
With a flick of his hand, he condensed psychic energy into a sphere of black Aura — an Inverse Aura Bomb, darker and heavier than before — and hurled it toward them.
Ash's jaw tightened.
"So that's how it's going to be…"
He drew a deep breath and placed his hand over his left eye, red light flaring. "Then let's see which of us breaks first."
The Kaleidoscope Lens expanded into a burning ring of crimson.
"Izanagi—Activate!"
The dark Aura sphere detonated against the island with a thunderous explosion, consuming everything in blinding light.
When the dust settled, Mewtwo hovered above the smoking crater, eyes narrowing.
"Hmph. That should be the end of—"
A pulse of energy interrupted him.
A strange, unfamiliar psychic signature rippled through the debris — one that felt… unstable.
From within the dust, Ash emerged, his clothes torn, one eye glowing faintly red, the other dim and lifeless. He held Mew protectively in his arms, her body faintly glowing as she recovered.
"That… was close," Ash muttered.
His voice carried exhaustion, yet resolve. One of his eyes—the left—had dimmed, drained of its Aura.
He'd used Izanagi, a forbidden Aura technique that allowed the user to rewrite reality itself for a few moments—turning defeat, even death, into illusion. But the cost was immense: half his life energy and a permanent loss of visual Aura clarity in one eye.
Mewtwo's psychic senses twitched.
"Your psychic field… it's changed. Your energy frequency isn't the same."
"Of course it's not," Ash replied evenly.
"Right now, I exist between reality and illusion."
For the first time, Mewtwo faltered.
"Between… reality and illusion?"
Ash straightened, his Aura radiating fiercely, the sky behind him warping from the pressure.
"This is your final warning, Mewtwo. From here on—this is a real battle. I won't be holding back."
He could already feel the strain of Izanagi tearing at his body — three minutes at most before the technique collapsed. He didn't have time to waste.
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, his psychic field flaring once again.
"You really think you can beat me in your condition?"
Ash's gaze sharpened. "Let's find out."
The air between them split open as Aura and psychic power collided, blue and purple lightning coursing through the sky.
The uninhabited island trembled beneath their combined might — the clash of the Original's child and the Copy who sought to surpass it.
"Mew, listen to me. You have to leave this place. Right now, it's too dangerous for you to stay."
Ash spoke softly, cradling the pink Legendary Pokémon in his arms. Despite the chaos raging around them, he smiled — calm, reassuring, unshaken. Then, without hesitation, his Aura construct, the towering guardian known as Susanoo of the Waveguide, opened its massive hand.
Before Mew could react, Ash hurled her far into the distance with precision and care, sending her away from the battlefield.
"Mew~!"
Mew cried out in surprise as she soared through the air. She could feel the psychic field of Mewtwo's Gravity Zone weakening behind her, but the earlier clash had drained most of her strength.
She'd already expended tremendous energy resisting the crushing force of Mewtwo's gravity. If not for Ash's throw, she might not have made it out alive.
Ash exhaled, eyes narrowing. If I tried to reason with her, she'd never leave.
This was the only way. Mew was too innocent — too trusting — to understand when to run. And even if her Teleportation was exhausted, she could still use her basic psychic abilities to shield herself from harm. Throwing her clear of the blast zone was the safest option.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Mewtwo roared, his voice echoing across the shattered island. He spread his arms, psychic energy flaring violently as he prepared to chase after Mew — but before he could move, Ash appeared in his path, blocking the way.
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You dare stand between us again?"
Ash met his glare, unwavering.
"If I don't stop you here, you'll never calm down. So come on, Mewtwo — show me just how strong you've become!"
Mewtwo didn't hesitate. "You asked for it."
A black sphere of condensed corrupted Aura formed in his hand — denser and darker than before — and with a sharp flick, he launched it straight toward Ash.
Ash didn't move.
He clenched his fists, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Heh… come on, then."
The sphere struck him square in the chest.
"BANG!"
A thunderous explosion shook the island. Smoke and shockwaves rippled outward as Mewtwo's Dark Aura Blast pierced clean through Ash's torso, leaving behind a gaping wound. Blood sprayed through the air as his body staggered backward.
"Ash!!"
From afar, Cynthia, Professor Oak, and Delia screamed in horror. Their cries echoed over the comms, raw and desperate. Delia collapsed, fainting as the image of her son's blood-soaked form seared itself into her mind.
Cynthia's fists clenched as tears welled in her eyes. "Ash…!"
Even Mew, still suspended in the sky from Ash's earlier throw, froze in panic, her psychic energy flaring instinctively as she screamed, "Mew!!!"
Down below, Mewtwo hovered in silence, eyes wide for just a moment. He had expected resistance, evasion — something.
But Ash hadn't even tried to dodge.
Blood dripped onto the shattered stone beneath him.
And yet… Ash smiled.
His right eye burned faintly with blue light, the remnant energy of the Izanagi of Aura, keeping his consciousness tethered to reality despite the fatal wound.
Ash raised his head slowly, his voice faint but resolute. "You're strong, Mewtwo… but power without restraint will only destroy what you're trying to prove."
Mewtwo's expression hardened. "You talk as if you understand me."
Ash's eyes glowed — a deep, radiant crimson. "I do."
The energy around him began to shift again, the dying flame of his Aura bursting into a brilliant surge.
Even as blood continued to fall, his voice was steady.
"Because I've walked the same path… the path of someone who didn't know where he belonged."
...
TN:
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