Transcendence

Tempered Reforged part 4: Unyielding

They stood in the middle of a rugged canyon, the skies overcast, wind howling. Alex's body was battered, scraped, and burned, but his eyes burned with purpose. Across from him floated Mew, carefree as always, tail lazily flicking in the air.

"C'mon, Alex! Hit me already!" Mew called with a sing-song voice, spinning in the air.

Alex growled through clenched teeth. He focused his aura, his hands glowing with compressed energy-Aura powered Force Palm. He lunged.

Mew blinked once and raised its tiny arms. In a flash, a shimmering bubble shield materialized-its personal defense field. Alex's Force Palm struck it hard, but it dispersed harmlessly.
Then Mew giggled and raised one paw.

"Think fast!"

Its fingers wiggled comically before glowing-and suddenly, a torrent of Scald burst from Mew's body, blasting Alex in the chest. He screamed in pain and rolled across the dusty ground, steam rising from his body.

He coughed, struggled to stand, then went again-this time with Shadow Claw. He slashed wildly-

But Mew vanished. Teleport.

Alex spun around, just in time to see Mew above him.

"Psychic!" A wave of invisible force slammed Alex into the canyon wall with bone-jarring speed.

"Gah-!" He collapsed to his knees, eyes flaring with pain and frustration.

"You're not even trying, are you?" Mew teased from above.

"I am trying!" Alex snapped back, pushing himself up.

Furious, he used Copycat-his Aura surging as he tried to replicate Psychic. The move fired-but Mew flipped upside-down and let its bubble tank the blast again.

"Nice try!" it chirped. Then, with no warning:

Hyper Beam.

A blinding light tore through the canyon. Alex leapt back, trying to tank it, bracing himself-but the raw power of the beam overwhelmed him. He skidded, tumbled, and crashed into the rocks, a cloud of dust rising around his fallen body.

He groaned, clutching his ribs. Everything ached. His vision blurred.

Mew floated down slowly, hovering above him, arms crossed.

"You're letting your emotions get in the way. You have Aura, Alex. Use it. Feel the attack before it happens."

Alex didn't reply. He was too tired. Too frustrated. His powers were still unstable. He could barely land a hit.

But inside him, something was beginning to stir.

The desire to stop losing. The need to control his aura and most of all-the promise he made to himself. To face Mewtwo. No matter what.

Tomorrow, he'd get closer. But for today... he laid there, scowling as Mew summoned a rain of Metronome-powered Minimize clones to dance circles around his aching body.

"Dance party for the loser!" Mew giggled.

Alex groaned. "I hate you so much."

***

The next day, after another round of bruising failure and psychic humiliation, Mew floated above a shallow forest stream, grinning ear to ear.

"Alright, Alex! Today we're going to do something a little less violent!" it declared sweetly, though its tone carried that familiar chaos. "Life Dew! A soft, peaceful healing technique whenever you're near water-unless you're too hopeless to use it."

Alex, limping and soaked from a failed dodge roll into the stream, blinked.
"Wait... healing? Actual healing?! You're not going to blast me with Hyper Beam this time?"