Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pokemon 1-5-1 ❯ ...Into the Fire ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4 - …Into the Fire

A swift gust of wind suddenly ripped through the cave, blowing out the fire and shrouding the cave in complete darkness. The sudden darkness lasted only long enough to bewilder the companions before a new light illuminated the cave. This light came from an Elekid who had just used Flash at the order of its trainer, who now stood before the confused group.

"Well, well, well… we meet again," said a familiar voice.

Ever notice how, when your life is in grave danger, all you can think about is the ones you love?

As their eyes became accustomed to this new, brighter light, the companions, much to their dismay, saw a man in a light blue Team Rocket uniform standing before them. It was General Brett, and Pidgeowl could be seen behind him, staring into the cave with its cold, intelligent eyes.

"You!" Rick exclaimed, clenching his fists.

"You can call me Rocket General Brett, kid. And remove the impudence from your voice before I'm forced to do something really terrible to you," Brett threatened.

"I'd like to see you try!" Rick shouted, taking a step forward in defiance.

"H-hey, man, calm down a little," Jayce pleaded, trying to restrain his friend, "Now isn't the time for rashness!"

But it was too late; Rick's challenge had irritated Brett enough. The Rocket General quickly removed a pistol from his back pocket and aimed it straight at Rick's heart.

"Insolent whelps! I'll blast you both to hell, that's what I'll do!"

Brett squeezed the trigger. The gunshot reverberated through the cave. Melissa gasped as Professor Oak shouted in astonishment. Rick was dead silent.

At that time, all I could think about was if my mother had survived the destruction that Brett had wreaked on Pallet…

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A cold, unforgiving moon hung over the now desolate town of Pallet. Over ninety percent of the town had been completely obliterated by the giant bird and its rider, who had dropped small bombs on random building, laughing all the while. Now all the survivors were gathering inside the few buildings to somehow remain practically unscathed. One of those buildings was the local bar.

Two men carried another wounded victim to the back of the bar where the town doctor could attend him. Nurse Joy helped as much as her limited training in healing humans would allow. Everyone has moodily silent, only the occasional groan of the injured breaking the silence.

A man suddenly stood up, gaining everyone's attention. He was a grim-faced middle-aged man who wore a black top hat over his thinning brown hair, dignifying him as the mayor of Pallet town. His eyes scanned the room slowly, taking a mental count of those present, then looked down at some papers that he held in his hand before he spoke.

"The other shelters have sent reports to me on survivors and casualties… by the grace of God, only 2 people have died this day.. thus far…" he paused as more than one person broke into tears. Dourly, he forced himself to continue.

"Unfortunately, there are still several whom are unaccounted for. One is Professor Oak… the others are miss Abigail Cartwright.. Jayce Collins.. Rick Lansing.. and an unknown Pokemon trainer seen accompanying the aforementioned young men toward Oak's lab shortly after the first explosion… sadly, we must assume that they, too, have departed this earth…"

"Bullshit!" a gruff female voice called from one side of the bar.

All eyes shifted to the location of the outburst. Standing there, a shot glass in hand, was a disheveled woman who looked about in her mid-thirties. Her long brown hair was unkempt and her amber eyes were deeply bloodshot from too much drinking. With her free hand, she straightened up her beer-stained blue blouse in an attempt to look as presentable as she could in her present state.

"My son is not dead," she said in a more calm yet just as defiant voice.

The mayor looked at her sorrowfully for a moment before saying, "Miss Lansing… please… now is not the time for one of your drunken outbursts…"

"Shut it, Maynard!" Becca Lansing snapped, interrupting the mayor, "I refuse to believe that my son is dead! He said he'd never abandon me like his father did…" Becca dropped the half full shot glass, which shattered on the floor. She was nearly in tears.

Almost instantly, both Maynard the mayor as well as Nurse Joy were at her side, trying to calm her down.

"Look Becca… every nook and cranny has been searched… I…" the mayor halted, unsure of what to say.

"They may have been chased out of town and are simply taking shelter in a cave somewhere," Nurse Joy said reassuringly, "all we can do is sit and wait for the morning."

Becca pushed Maynard and Joy away and stumbled a few steps forward.

"I don't wanna wait `til morning!" she shouted as she wobbled toward the door.

"Wait! Becca, Stop!" the mayor called out, ready to go after her only to have Nurse Joy restrain him.

"Let her go… perhaps a walk will do her good," she stated.

"But that monstrosity might still be out there…" argued Maynard.

"It's been eight hours since we last heard anything from the monster. I think it's safe to assume it's gone," Joy countered.

The mayor hesitated a moment then nodded grimly as he watched Becca exit the bar. But great worry still gnawed at his mind.

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Brett squeezed the trigger. The gunshot reverberated through the cave. Melissa gasped as Professor Oak shouted in astonishment. Rick was dead silent, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, expecting to feel the bullet tear through his chest at any second. But it never came. Instead, he heard a bitter curse escape Brett's lips.

"Mangy beast!" the Rocket snarled, "I should kill you for that!"

Rick dared to open his eyes and saw a very enraged Brett futilely trying to grab his pistol out of the hands of Mew, who dangled it several feet above his head. The gun then began to glow pink dimly before it broke into several pieces, which then fell to the earth. The shaft connected squarely with Brett's nose, causing him to cry out painfully.

As Brett began shouting out curses left and right, Melissa began to titter. The titter gradually turned into a guffaw then a full-blown laugh. Hearing a mocking laughter in his ears, Brett suddenly forgot his pain and glared spitefully at the teenage girl.

"Think that was funny, bitch…" Brett said in a low, menacing tone as he extracted a knife from his pocket, "here… let me give you something to laugh about!!"

The laughter fell from her lips as the Rocket General charged toward Melissa, knife poised and ready to strike. She froze in fear instantly, having never truly faced possible death before. Fortunately for her, Rick was thinking fast.

The moment he saw Brett draw his knife, Rick dove for his backpack and removed from it the jagged piece of flint he had found earlier. It wouldn't be much against a steel knife, but it would have to do. Rick moved faster than he ever knew he could and was in front of Melissa just as Brett reached her.

Steel and flint struck and a small piece of the flint broke away, but the rest held the knife at bay. Rick and Brett stood at a stalemate, struggling against one another's strength. Brett was gradually winning the battle, his blade slowly drawing closer to Rick's chest.

"Give up and die, kid… you can't win," Brett said with an arrogant grin.

Rick said nothing, his full concentration on keeping the knife from finding its mark. So intent was Brett on killing this miserable brat who had dared to challenge him that he paid no heed to the others. He didn't realize had Melissa suddenly snapped out of her paralysis until her fist had struck his already broken nose.

An unbearable wave of agony struck him as Brett reeled back, shouting and cursing in pain. His knife fell harmlessly to the ground, the Rocket's full attention on his throbbing nose. At first, Rick considered driving the piece of flint into the chest of this evil, heartless man but he knew it wouldn't solve anything. Rick dropped the flint and, instead, drove his fist into Brett's jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor, unconscious.

Rick stood there, subconsciously rubbing his fist, which stung from the impact, a stunned look on his face. Professor Oak and Jayce were stunned as well. In all the years they had known Rick, they had never seen him resort to violence. But, when the life of Melissa had been endangered, Rick had reacted as though fighting was second nature to him. What surprised Jayce most was the impact of the blow Rick smote Brett with. He had never realized the strength his best friend had obtained over the years.

Melissa stood next to Rick, also rubbing her stinging knuckles. Unlike her companions, however, there was cool resolve in her eyes. She had been fighting for survival all her life.

Mew found admiration in what Rick had done. In his actions, she saw inner strength that she wished she had too. Little did she know that not only that strength, but also something far greater was indeed in her.

"Thank you," Melissa said almost inaudibly, turning her head slightly toward Rick and smiling, "thank you for saving my life."

Rick smiled back and was about to reply when, suddenly, a blood-curdling shriek tore through the cave and a bone-chilling wind ripped into the very souls of the companions. It was then that they remembered the presence of Pidgeowl just outside the cave's mouth.

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Pidgeowl had watched in silence as the events in the cave had transpired. Brett had been so confident that he could handle these impertinent insects that he had told the hybrid pokemon simply to `watch the entrance and make sure none escape.'

Not that it really mattered to Pidgeowl. They were merely chasing after a group of weak, pathetic humans and an irreverent little speck of a pokemon. How something so small could harvest any power at all was beyond him. But the doings of the boss were not of his concern. Let Giovanni have the miserable creature.

Pidgeowl sighed mentally. This was a waste of his power. He was a vicious bird of prey: A mighty hunter with both strength and stratagem on his side. He knew the most effective way to annihilate any adversary.

'I should be helping terminate Team Missile,' Pidgeowl thought irritably, 'not chasing after this so-called legendary pokemon…'

It was in this frame of mind that Pidgeowl watched, in utter astonishment, as the band of fugitives was somehow able to overcome the Rocket General. At first, Pidgeowl was too stunned to react. How could these worthless beings defeat a member of Team Rocket? It was unimaginable. Brett had brought inexcusable embarrassment on this illustrious team.

But he would receive his punishment soon enough at the hands of the boss, however. For the time being, it was Pidgeowl's task to chastise these dissidents who had humiliated the great Team Rocket.

As these thoughts flew through his mind, a fiery rage began to build in Pidgeowl's soul. In a matter of seconds, everything seemed to be colored crimson red in his eyes. The hybrid beast let loose a shriek, the likes of which has not been repeated since, then began to beat his wings, sending gust after gust into the cave, each one stronger than the last.

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As Pidgeowl beat his wings faster and faster, the wind quickly grew unbearably strong. Four aghast humans, two bewildered pokemon, and an unconscious Rocket were hurtled against the back wall of the cave. The impact was bone-jarringly harsh and everyone was certain every bone in their bodies had shattered. The wind continued growing stronger until they were all pinned against the wall, unable to move.

"If this keeps up, we'll all be crushed by the sheer force of the wind!" Oak screamed, trying to be heard over the deafening roar of the wind.

"Is there anything we can do!?" Rick yelled back.

Oak hesitated a moment before bleakly answering, "I'm afraid not! The wind is too strong!"

"We gotta do something!!" Melissa shouted, half in aggravation, half in desperation.

Jayce opened his mouth to answer and instantly gagged on his words. The wind was now too strong even to speak without choking on the biting rush of air. But the inability to speak was the furthest problem from their minds. The gradually intensifying wind was making it harder and harder to breath. They weren't going to be crushed; they were going to be suffocated with air.

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Mew had been slightly more fortunate than her ailing friends. With her keenly sensitive psychic powers, she had felt the building rage of Pidgeowl and knew he was preparing to attack. Just as the wind had hit, Mew had been able to put up a Barrier to protect herself from the crushing press of the wind. Had she not, her physically frail frame would already have been crushed.

But the barrier was beginning to weaken. The relentless blast of wind was becoming too much to resist. In a matter of minutes, the barrier would fail and the full force of the wind would strike her, crushing the life from her body. Mew's mind raced, trying to think of a way to prevent such an end for her and her friends. Quickly, she took in her surroundings, hoping to find a solution.

Just a few feet below her, the wall of wind Pidgeowl was creating with his powerful wings was slowly crushing Rick and the others. Off to the right, Mew spotted the lifeless body of Brett, which had fallen behind several rocks that jutted out from the floor. Elekid lay next to its trainer, having been knocked out by the collision with the wall. The rocks seemed to shield their bodies from the ungodly winds. Suddenly, it hit her. She knew how she could save her friend, at least.

'It may cost me my life…' Mew thought, 'but I must save my friends… I won't let them die because of me…'

With that thought fueling her resolve, Mew sent a quick mental message to Rick then prepared to carry out her plan.

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Rick had never thought wind could ever get this strong. It was like a whole gang of Hitmonchans was rapidly Mega Punching him relentlessly. Even the winds he remembered from a hurricane that hit Pallet Town when he was four seemed to pale in comparison to these winds of Pidgeowl's creation. This was more like all the winds in the world were focusing their full wrath inside the cave, only wanting the destruction of those who took shelter in it.

Suddenly, Mew's soft, feminine voice was in Rick's mind, penetrating through his dismal thoughts. The presence of her always-gentle tone was enough to calm Rick's ailing mind, driving the negative thoughts away for the time being.

{{Rick, as soon as the winds stop get everyone behind the outcropping of rocks to your right. I'm… I'm going to try and stop Pidgeowl.}}

Rick wanted to shout out to her and tell her to stop. He wanted to tell her she wasn't ready for such a fight. But the wind kept him from physically speaking and his lack of psychic abilities restrained him from telepathically speaking. All he could do was wait and see what Mew had in mind.

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Mew fell almost into a trance as she began to concentrate entirely on her psychic powers. Slowly she began to glow a bright pink color. That glow then expanded around her until she was completely encased in a ball of psychic energy. Just as she completed this, the barrier finally failed and the psychic ball was struck with the full force on the wind.

Mew's mental will held fast and the ball held back the powerful gusts. Her task was now half done. Next, Mew focused all her inner thoughts on forward motion. She imagined a bullet being projected from a gun, rocketing though even these winds and psychic energy massed behind her. For a few moments nothing happened. Then, slowly, the energy began pushing the psychic ball that encased Mew forward.

The tremendous force of the wind was a staggering power to surmount, but gradually Mew overcame it. Faster and faster her glowing pink ball of psychic energy began to go, ripping through the wind now like a sharp sword through paper. The mouth of the cave loomed near, Pidgeowl's frame unmistakable as he stood there, beating his wings at an almost blinding speed.

Soon, she would be upon her adversary and the battle would begin. All Mew could do was hope she could get the first blow in.

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Unfortunately, the rage in Pidgeowl's soul had not totally blinded him. He saw the attack coming even as Mew formed the ball of psychic energy around her frame. Undaunted, he continued the flap his wings as fast and as hard as he could. There was no way this pitiful creature could ever withstand the strength of his wind long enough to make it to the mouth of the cave. He was prepared, though, just in case.

Much to his surprise and amusement, Mew was able to power her way to the mouth of the cave. Pidgeowl waited for the right moment then ceased beating of his wings. The sudden loss of resistance sent a befuddled Mew catapulting directly toward her foe. Pidgeowl simply batted Mew, psychic ball and all, aside with one of his massive wings.

Mew crashed into a thick-trunked tree then fell to the ground, the psychic ball that had saved her life yet again dissipating as she fell. The tree she had struck began to crack and groan before it too fell, landing with a loud crash behind the injured Mew.

Pidgeowl then slowly turned to face his unworthy adversary, his eyes piercing through this audacious creature that had dared to attack him.

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The wind halted so suddenly, that the four breathless humans couldn't do anything as they were dropped unceremoniously onto their behinds. Painful groans were mixed with gasps for breath as they slowly recovered from the ordeal and tried to regain their senses. Melissa was the first to stumble to her feet. She looked to the cave entrance, expecting to see Pidgeowl glaring back at her, but the hybrid pokemon was nowhere to be seen.

Rick was the next to his feet followed by Jayce. Hastily, he grabbed his two fellow teens and pushed them behind the outcropping of rocks.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing," complained Melissa, rubbing her arm from Rick's less than gentle grasp.

"Mew said to get behind these rocks so we'd be protected," Rick answered hurriedly as he helped the still dazed professor back behind the rocks.

"Where is Mew anyways?" Jayce ventured to ask as he looked around, rubbing a bump on the back of his head.

Rick looked up at his best friend then gazed toward the mouth of the cave. Slowly, he answered, "I think… she went out to confront Pidgeowl…"

No one said anything else as all their eyes strayed to the cave's entrance. Everything outside seemed eerily quiet. But it was only the calm before the storm.

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Pidgeowl casually strolled toward Mew, who was just recovering from the impact with the tree, his hate-filled eyes never leaving the small cat-like pokemon. The genetically created bird halted several feet from Mew and watched as she struggled to her feet then floated up into the air so that she was eye level with him.

Pidgeowl glared at Mew and Mew glowered back, never relenting from the beast's intimidating gaze. Seconds ticked by and neither made any moves. The only motion was the slight wafting up and down of Mew as she floated in mid-air. The staring contest persisted for long minutes with no signs of stopping.

Contrary to her body, Mew's mind was racing. How could she defeat this monster? It was most definitely very powerful: perhaps even more powerful than her. Could she defeat it? Mew banished that thought from her mind. She had no choice but to prevail over Pidgeowl. This would be a test of her psychic abilities that Mewtwo had once said were uncommonly powerful for a Mew. And she had a feeling this wouldn't be the last or most challenging, if she even reigned victorious here. Mew drove out all stray thoughts from her mind and prepared for battle.

A dull pink glow surrounded Mew as her psychic powers built up within her. This was Pidgeowl's cue. With a leap and a single beat of his wings, he was airborne. A protective ball of psychic energy once again enveloped Mew as her opposition rose higher into the air until he was nearly twenty feet above. At the same time, they both began a headlong charge at one another. An attack was on both of their minds and they collided, Mew's Take Down meeting with Pidgeowl's Head butt.

Mew couldn't overcome Pidgeowl's advantage in size and weight, however, and was sent careening through the sky like a baseball that was struck by a bat. Eventually, Mew was able to halt her momentum just before she would have slammed into the cave ceiling.

She couldn't beat Pidgeowl in a straightforward physical fight; Mew knew this now. She had to use distance attacks and not let her opponent get to close. It was her only hope for victory. With that in mind, she looked up at Pidgeowl, who was hover some distance away, as if awaiting her next move. Mew felt it would be wrong to disappoint.

Dropping her protective ball, Mew began to gather psychic energy until it began to pulse within her. A deep purple hue surrounded her as the energy she had built up become too much to contain. Wasting no time, Mew released the energy in the form of a beam of energy the same color as the hue that surrounded her. This was a PsyBeam and it was hurtling directly at Pidgeowl.

He had not been dormant, however. As Mew released her attack, Pidgeowl had begun to flap his wings extremely hard and fast until the air itself seemed to become a tangible wall of spikes that was a Razor Wind attack. The two forces collided at mid-point and effectively cancelled one another out.

This time, Pidgeowl gave his opponent no time to concoct another attack. He dove straight for the cat-like pokemon, using Agility cover the distance between them at a blinding speed. Mew barely had enough time to recall her psychic ball before Pidgeowl assaulted her with a powerful Sky Attack.

He didn't even allow Mew to plummet toward the ground as he batted her back up into the air with a flick of his wing then sped towards her, beginning to spin in quick, tight circles as he prepared for a Drill Peck.

Mew saw the attack coming, however, and was just able to dodge the attack by twisting upward. The sudden shift in direction was enough to stop Mew's velocity while Pidgeowl still struggled to recover from his botched attack. Mew took the opportunity to create another PsyBeam and fired the attack at her adversary, whom has just come out of his spiraling decent.

The attack hit home, causing Pidgeowl to cry out in pain and in rage. Unfortunately, the PsyBeam had been created in such a haste to take advantage of the situation, that it had done no serious damage. Pidgeowl shrieked in rage again as his eyes began to glow crimson red. Too late did Mew realize this was the move known as Glare.

An uncontrollable fear coursed through her body, paralyzing her. All she could do was float there as the suddenly calm and confident Pidgeowl flew casually toward her.

His calm casualness suddenly turned into a bitter rage as Pidgeowl bash at Mew's protective ball with Wing Attack after Wing Attack. Mew suddenly became aware of a terrible exhausting feeling in her mind. Her psychic powers were beginning to waver. She couldn't hold the psychic ball against such a barrage much longer.

Much to Mew's chagrin and relief, her foe finished off his assault with one last Wing Attack that sent her plummeting toward the ground. At the last second, she was able to regain control of herself and halt the decent. Mew hovered just above the ground, her breath slightly labored, trying to think of a way to prevail over such a powerful enemy.

A plan popped into her mind. It was risky, but worth a shot. With grim resolve, Mew began to charge straight at Pidgeowl who, in turn charged toward her. This would be just like the last exchange, the hybrid creature thought, and his adversary must have lost her mind to try again.

Just as the two opponents were about to collide, Mew suddenly veered upwards. Pidgeowl stopped his charge and stared ahead, bewildered. Mew's movement had been so sudden even his keen eyes hadn't been able to follow. He had no time to search for her though as Mew abruptly slammed into his head as hard as she could.

Pidgeowl shrieked in anger and in pain then quickly spun around, bringing both his wings together, attempting a Wing Attack, but Mew was ready and quickly dodged out of the way, retreating several feet. The cry that Pidgeowl emitted this time was of pure rage. He had underestimated the craftiness of this tiny speck and it has capitalized, humiliating him. It was time for him to become serious.

Pidgeowl flew away, putting some distance between him and his foe before turning in mid-air. He then sped toward Mew as fast as he could muster and that was blindingly fast. The hybrid pokemon was moving too fast for Mew to devise a counteraction and she was stuck by the full force of a devastating Head butt. Had her protective ball not been present, the impact would have slaughtered her. The force of the blow, however, did send Mew plummeting toward the ground below.

At the last second, she was able to pull herself out of the nosedive for a third time. This act of saving herself time and again was beginning to irritate Pidgeowl and that merely added to his already livid fury. His rage was beginning to cloud his mind. All he could see was the blood of this impudent creature spraying into the air, his victory assured. His mind in an incensed haze, Pidgeowl poised to attack once more.

Mew hovered there, inches above the ground and stared up at her adversary, who was rising higher and higher into the air. He was preparing for a Sky Attack and Mew knew the sheer speed and the force of the attack would be more than enough to overcome her unless she thought of something quick.

She also realized something else. Her psychic powers could sense an overwhelming rage emitting from Pidgeowl's mind. He was blinding himself in his fury and was no longer thing strategically. This could play into her favor, she thought.

Quickly she pondered and a plan formed in her mind. Once again, she would have to take a tremendous risk, but her last efforts had proved successful, perhaps this would too. That notion in mind, Mew dropped her defensive ball.

This was his chance to end the miserable life of this creature. Even as he ascended into the air he saw Mew drop her shield. In his rage-filled mind, Pidgeowl could only assume that the power of his last attack had been too much for her and that she had given up any hope of winning. She was submitting herself to her fate and he would be more than happy to deliver.

Beaming with pride over his assumed victory, the hybrid bird halted his climb and began his decent toward what he perceived as a terrified and helpless creature. His speed was so great that he caused a tremendous sonic boom that was heard even as far as Viridian City.

Mew waited for the right moment. If she acted too soon, Pidgeowl would have enough time to recover and attack again. If she acted too late her plan may backfire. Her adversary was moving so fast that Mew had to rely on her instincts and psychic abilities to locate to precise moment. In a matter of seconds, she knew it was time. Her eyes began to glow a bright white light and Mew released the most powerful Psy Wave attack she could muster.

The invisible wave of psychic energy struck Pidgeowl so suddenly that his mind couldn't handle it. As the waves tore through his mind, causing the most horrid sound imaginable, Pidgeowl shrieked in utter agony than lost control of himself.

The pain-racked pokemon began to spin uncontrollably toward the earth, swerving wildly through the air. He zipped passed Mew, missing her by a few feet, then he impacted the earth with such force, it send a shockwave through the ground and a spray of dirt high into the air.

Mew was barely able to escape being swallowed up by the dirt cloud as she retreated from the crash site. When she was at a safe distance, she turned around and surveyed the scene. But she couldn't see anything yet; dirt was still far too thick in the air. She would have to wait before she knew if she had won or not.

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"What the hell was that?!" Jayce exclaimed as the shockwave rumbled through the cave, knocking everyone off balance.

"I have no idea," answered the professor.

"I just hope Mew is okay…" Melissa murmured meekly.

At the mention of Mew, Rick, who had already been worrying like a mother hen for her chick, couldn't control himself any longer. Without a word, he shot out from behind the outcropping of rocks and bolted for the mouth of the cave.

"Rick! Wait! It's too dangerous out there!" Oak called out to no avail before chasing after Rick.

"Wait, don't leave us here alone!" Jayce called after them both as he, too, took off toward the entrance.

Melissa knelt there by herself, unable to believe they had all took off into the battle zone outside.

"Humph!" she spat, irritably, "Men! Always running headlong into danger, never giving one thought to the women, who are smart enough to keep safe."

She sat there in her safe hiding place in nervous silence for only a short time before sighing in frustration.

"Damnit…" she muttered as she followed her three male companions into danger.

Just as Melissa reached the mouth of the cave, Brett began to stir slightly, a painful groan escaping his lips.

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Mew approached the crater cautiously, uncertain as to if Pidgeowl was actually defeated or not. As a precaution, the protective psychic ball was around her again. Slowly, she inched closer and closer, parting the dust that hadn't completely settled yet as she went. Finally, she was above the area where Pidgeowl had fallen and she peered down through the dust, trying to locate the, she hoped, motionless body of her opponent. The airborne dirt was still too thick, however, and she couldn't see anything.

Mew hovered there, searching intently for any sign of Pidgeowl. The tension grew in her heart as each second ticked by. Deep down, she felt this fight wasn't over yet. It was just a matter of locating her opponent before he struck first. Unfortunately, Pidgeowl had other plans.

Suddenly, a beam of white energy burst from the cloud of dirt that hung over the crater and hurtled straight at Mew. By the time she saw her danger it was too late. The massively powerful beam struck her head on, completely destroying her protective ball. Fortunately, the slight delay as the beam penetrated her psychic barrier gave Mew enough time to move just enough to avoid the full brunt of the attack. But the energy beam was so powerful that even being grazed by the attack was nearly too much for her.

Mew fell toward the ground and landed with a thud near the crater.

'That was… a Hyper Beam…' Mew thought, recognizing the attack from when Mewtwo had used it. Quickly banishing the thoughts of her life before Team Rocket, she struggled to get up but could hardly move. It took a lot of effort, but Mew finally got to her feet just as Pidgeowl emerged from the crater, a smug and suddenly calm look in his eyes as he approached.

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Rick arrived at the cave entrance just in time to watch in horror as the massive beam of energy collided with Mew. With a cry, he started the rush toward where Mew was falling only to be brought to an abrupt halt as Professor Oak finally caught up with him.

"Dangit, Rick, don't!" exclaimed the professor as he grabbed the teen by the shoulder, "it's too dangerous!"

"But Mew's in trouble," Rick shouted worriedly as he tried to wrest himself from Oak's grip.

"There is nothing you can do! That horrid beast would tear you limb from limb!" Oak stated, "This is Mew's fight… if she cannot defeat Pidgeowl… then I fear no one can…"

As badly as he wanted to, Rick knew he couldn't argue with that. With much distraught, he looked on as the hybrid creature inched closer to the downed Mew. Rick felt utterly hopeless and useless.

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Pidgeowl approached his query feeling certain victory was his. At any time, he could put this miserable creature out of its misery, return to the headquarters and inform Giovanni of how wasteful the pursuit of this weakling had been. He could end this quickly were it his will… but it wasn't.

Pure hatred seethed inside Pidgeowl's heart. This insolent being had embarrassed him not once, not twice, but three times. He wouldn't let it die so easily now. For the humiliation it had brought upon him and upon Team Rocket, Pidgeowl would punish it ten-fold. This was what gave the genetically created pokemon the most enjoyment in life. Indeed, he would have some fun with his victim now before he sent it to the great beyond.

To Be Continued…