The outskirts of Cerulean City were quieter than most travelers expected.
Beyond the cheerful crowds and glistening waters of the Gym's bay, the cliffs to the north rose sharp and silent—untouched by the rhythm of city life. Hidden there, like a scar carved into the mountain's base, was a place few dared to approach:
Cerulean Cave.
Locals called it cursed.
Historians called it forgotten.
Skylar?
He felt it calling.
That afternoon, while Misty stayed behind tending to the baby Magikarp and training her Froakie near the lake, Skylar wandered up the narrow path leading into the cliffs. Gardevoir walked beside him, unusually quiet.
She could feel it too.
A presence.
Watching.
Waiting.
The mouth of the cave appeared suddenly, carved by time and power, pulsing with something deeper than simple danger.
Skylar hesitated.
Then stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the air changed.
It wasn't just cold—it was dense, like swimming through thought.
Gardevoir froze.
Her eyes widened.
And then she collapsed to one knee, gasping.
—"Gardevoir!" Skylar rushed to her side.
She shook, her hands trembling against her head. Her psychic field sputtered, flickering, like a candle against a storm.
Skylar felt it too.
The pressure.
Psychic weight.
Not just energy—it was will. Someone, or something, was actively pressing down on them. Not with hate, but with pure, unfiltered force. A test.
Skylar gritted his teeth, holding his head. The cave walls warped around the edges of his vision. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
And then—
His aura flared.
Not summoned—instinctively ignited, as if his very soul resisted.
A deep pulse radiated from his chest.
He reached for Gardevoir's hand, the key stone around his neck glowing bright.
—"With me."
Gardevoir's mega stone answered instantly.
The light between them ignited the darkness.
—"Mega Evolve!"
In a burst of silver and violet, Gardevoir rose from the cave floor, her gown flowing into a galactic flare of light. Her hair extended like a comet's tail. Her eyes snapped open—clear. Empowered.
But Skylar didn't stop there.
He took a breath.
Focused his will.
Pushed aura into her.
A second field enveloped her mega form—a translucent veil of light and emotion, fusing her psychic power with Skylar's aura signature. They weren't two beings anymore.
They were one will.
And still, the pressure remained.
A voice rang out.
Low. Calm.
Sharp as a blade.
"Interesting."
Skylar and Gardevoir spun, eyes scanning the dark.
A shape moved beyond the jagged stones.
Hovering above the ground, powerful limbs folded, eyes glowing like twin stars.
Mewtwo.
He stepped into the faint light, his presence vast and coiled like a storm held barely in check.
"You resist well."
"You bond with aura."
"You evolve under pressure."
His tail flicked once.
"Why?"
Skylar exhaled, stepping forward slightly.
—"I came here because I felt something pulling me. A presence."
"And now that you've found it?"
—"I'm not here to take anything. I just wanted to understand."
Mewtwo tilted his head.
"They said that too."
"Team Rocket."
A memory flickered across his mind—needles. Machines. Screaming.
Mewtwo's fingers twitched.
"You channel aura like an elite."
"You command a Mega Evolution without delay."
"What is your purpose, Skylar?"
Skylar stood tall, even as the air thickened again.
—"To protect the world I was reborn into."
Mewtwo's gaze sharpened.
"And if I stood against that world?"
Skylar's eyes narrowed.
—"Then I'd stand against you too."
"To control me?"
—"To protect the innocent from being controlled."
A pause.
Then—
"Prove it."
Without another word, Mewtwo vanished.
Skylar spun just as a shockwave of psychic energy slammed into Gardevoir's shield.
She countered, releasing a blast of Moonblast energy, which scattered through the cavern like stars.
Mewtwo reappeared above, eyes glowing.
"Impressive."
He fired again.
A barrage of Psybeams.
Gardevoir deflected some, absorbed others, and Skylar sent aura pulses through their bond to stabilize her.
Skylar shouted:
—"Double team! Close the gap—teleport behind!"
Gardevoir flickered once—then again—then disappeared.
She reappeared behind Mewtwo, her arms glowing with Psyshock energy, boosted by Skylar's aura.
The blast hit—full force.
Mewtwo was actually staggered midair.
He righted himself quickly, growling under his breath.
And then—
He smiled.
"You're not lying."
"You fight like someone with nothing to prove—but everything to protect."
He floated down to the cave floor, his power dimming.
Gardevoir hovered behind Skylar, still in mega form but no longer in combat stance.
Skylar didn't speak—just watched.
"I have watched your world twist power into chains," Mewtwo said softly. "Humans who cage. Who hunt. Who own."
"But you…"
He looked Skylar in the eye.
"You share."
"Perhaps, for the first time… I believe you."
Skylar let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Go."
"Your path is not here."
"But if the world falls again… I may answer when you call."
Then—
He was gone.
Just like that.
Skylar stood in the silent cave for a full minute.
Then dropped to his knees, trembling, not from fear… but release.
Gardevoir returned to her normal form in a soft flash of light.
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
Skylar smiled.
—"We're still just getting started."