Transcendence

The Showdown part 1: Rematch

Deep within the bowels of the forbidden cave, where the air thickened and the walls shimmered faintly with malicious aura, Alex padded silently through the shadows. Every footstep echoed with purpose, his senses heightened, aura flickering like a quiet flame around his small, hardened form.

Then, without warning-fwoosh-a pulse of psychic pressure split the air.

Mewtwo materialized before him in a smooth, elegant ripple of energy, its eyes glowing with a cold, violet light. It hovered slightly above the ground, arms crossed, tail swaying with a deliberate flair.

"Ohhh, how quaint," Mewtwo purred with a posh, venomous tone. "Took you long enough to crawl your way here. Honestly, I expected you a year and several months ago. But don't fret-this time, I shall not be sparing your pitiful little life. Ohohoho! What is this? Insect here, has a ribbon, aww muppet is going on a play date!"

With a flick of his long hand, the cavern pulsed with psionic force. Alex observed as an invisible pressure stabbed at his mind-Mewtwo was already trying to end the fight before it began, aiming to crush his consciousness and rip him apart from the inside out.

But the pressure... didn't land.

Instead of being overwhelmed, Alex's aura flared, forming a dense barrier around his mind like a crystal dome of light and defiance. The psychic tendrils recoiled and dissipated, rejected with silent ferocity.

Mewtwo blinked, momentarily stunned.

"What-?"

Alex stepped forward, eyes glowing faintly, arms relaxed but ready. "Surprised?"

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. It tried again-harder this time-flooding the cave with psychic energy as it honed in on Alex's brain, attempting to dominate, to break, to own him.

Nothing. Alex's aura didn't even flicker.

Mewtwo snarled in frustration, its floating form twitching slightly. "What is this sorcery?! What have you done to become immune to me?!" It tried peering into Alex's mind, searching for the source-only to find a blank haze. His memories were sealed, protected beyond reach.

Alex simply smirked.

"I did a lot of push-ups," he said coolly. "A lot of motivation... and juice. Lots of juice."

Mewtwo's right eye twitched.

"How positively barbaric." it spat. "So you think resistance makes you strong? How laughable. I don't need my psychic abilities to reduce you to dust, you sniveling insect." Mewtwo descended slightly, hands flexing. "And between us... I've rather enjoyed causing chaos in your little Lant. The panic. The tears. The screaming. It's been so... refreshingly fun."

Its grin widened with aristocratic malice.

Alex's aura pulsed brighter in response, his expression calm but deadly.

"Then you'll love what happens next."

The cave trembled as the two forces prepared to collide-one born from perfect genetic might, the other forged through fire, struggle, and a year and month's worth of sweat, blood... and a disturbing amount of getting Hyper Beamed at point blank.

The cave exploded into a symphony of flickering light and roaring energy.

Alex dashed forward, propelled by a surge of aura from his feet that launched him like a blue comet across the cavern. His Force Palm lit up, crackling with condensed energy as he aimed directly for Mewtwo's chest.

"Predictable," Mewtwo scoffed, lazily raising one hand.

A translucent Barrier shimmered into place just in time. Alex's Force Palm slammed into it with a shockwave, cracks spidering out across the psychic wall-but it held.

Mewtwo's smile widened, condescending and amused. "Is that all? I expected something more from the 'Savior'."

But Alex wasn't finished.

He leapt back, aura swirling around him like a cloak of fire. Then, his paws turned pitch-black-Shadow Claw-and with a flash, he hurled a slice of darkened aura forward. The slash screeched across the floor, arching low. Mewtwo floated higher, dodging it with a scoff-only for the attack to split into two, one real, one an aura echo, a trick Alex crafted through sheer training.

The echo slipped under the barrier and sliced through Mewtwo's leg. Not deep, but enough to earn a flicker of pain.

"Hmph."

Alex smirked. "Not so flawless now, are ya?"

Mewtwo narrowed its eyes, displeased but still composed.

In an instant, Alex blurred again, but instead of attacking, he mimicked Mewtwo's movement from earlier-his Copycat activated. He brought up a smaller version of Mewtwo's own Barrier, using it to block a sudden pulse of psychic backlash from the Legendary. Then he pivoted off his own shield, flipping behind Mewtwo.

With Mewtwo spinning to retaliate, Counter activated-a burst of stored kinetic force in Alex's paw struck true, landing hard across Mewtwo's back. The psychic barrier shimmered again and faltered briefly under the impact.

"Getting warmer," Alex grinned.

Mewtwo scowled. But Alex wasn't finished.

He thrust both paws forward, aura swirling violently between them. With a sharp cry, he unleashed a glowing aura blast-not Aura Sphere, but a personalized homing pulse, forged from training with Mew. The blast twisted in midair like a seeking missile, darting through the cave's columns to home in on Mewtwo.

Mewtwo raised a hand. Barrier.

But this time, Alex was already moving-leaping over the reflected burst and slamming down with another Force Palm while cloaked in a last-second Aura Shield, absorbing the resulting psychic shockwave.

Mewtwo staggered. Not much-but for the first time, its expression shifted from amusement to irritation.

"Tch... You're actually beginning to annoy me."

Alex grinned, panting lightly. "Didn't think you'd need to get serious, huh?"

Mewtwo floated higher, eyes glowing. "Enough games. I was only using 10% of my power, insect."

With a flick of his wrist, a blinding violet aura surged into the air-a massive psychic spoon, glowing with an ancient shimmer, appeared behind him like a conjured weapon of divine reckoning.

Alex blinked. Then smirked.

"What is that? Gonna lecture me on how to eat properly?"

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. "No... but perhaps I'll teach you a lesson in humility."

Then, his voice dropped into something darker, twisted with venom.

"Or would you prefer I tell you about Kevin dying or how about David-ohoho!"

Alex froze. The light around him flickered as his face hardened, aura spiking uncontrollably.

"... What did you say?"

The cave trembled. And the real fight-was just beginning.