73 An unusual Discussion

Celadon city was famous for three things, it's massive department store that dwarfed all others in the Kanto region, being the city of flowers due to the work of its Gym Leader, Erika, and the Game Corner.

The Game Corner was THE biggest casino in the entire region, that hundreds visited daily in the hopes of winning big and becoming millionaires. It also even featured dozens of lucrative items that own could cash their tokens in for as prizes, including even rare Pokemon like Clefairy. Of course, they were all caught and sold 'legally'.

But, the Game Corner also harbored a deep and dark secret beneath its floors.

In the back rooms, there was a switch that would open a secret elevator in the wall, which would take whoever rode it into the hidden depths beneath the Game Corner. The central hub of Team Rocket.

While the facility under the Viridian city Gym had been their original headquarters years ago, that had changed when the facility beneath the Game Corner was finished. Instead, the Viridian city facility was used mainly by the Boss as his own personal hideout to run Team Rocket from, without having to travel all the way to Celadon and risk exposing himself.

Meanwhile the Game Corner facility was their main training center, storage facility, and the central point from where the organization reached out to every one of their branches all over the Kanto and Johto regions.

But now, Giovanni sat at his new desk under the Game Corner, battered and bruised, but still very much alive as he recalled what had happened to him the night before.

It is time YOU learned YOUR place.

That was what Mewtwo had told him after escaping his restraints, killing all of his ghost type Pokemon, and then snapping the neck of his Persian.

After hearing that he had thought his life was forfeit, that he was going to die right there at the hands of his own servant. But no.

Instead, Mewtwo had completely ignored Giovanni as he passed by him, and went on to destroy the rest of the facility, and kill everyone else within.

And while others might think that meant Mewtwo was unwilling to kill Giovanni, he knew what it really meant. Mewtwo didn't even consider Giovanni of enough significance to bother killing.

The mere thought of that infuriated him like nothing Giovanni ever experienced before. Aside from the Ketchum brat spreading that disgusting rumor about him and Surge of course.

He would not let this stand.

"Archer, Ariana, Proton, Grey. To my office, NOW." Giovanni ordered through an intercom, calling every one of their Executives to a meeting. This included their newest Executive, Grey, who had replaced Petrel after his numerous failures.

Though, Petrel did make himself useful one last time before being dismissed, by personally 'feeding' a bunch of their Raticate for them.

And as he turned a red jewel over and over in his hands, the same jewel that came from the forehead of his now dead Persian, Giovanni's mind was already racing with plans to return Mewtwo to his right place. At his feet.

***

"That's good. You can take a rest now." Lucario stated to Jackie and Bruce, along with their Pokemon after they finished yet another intense portion of training, before all four slumped to ground from exhaustion.

"Now while you're all resting, I'll begin your first lesson on aura." Lucario declared as he stood in front of them, making all four look up at him curiously. He then pointed at Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee before stating seriously,

"First we'll begin by trying to have the two of you learn the move Aura Sphere, which will hopefully help you learn how to properly apply aura in other uses as well."

As he said that, Lucario demonstrated the move for the two Pokemon by producing a small Aura Sphere for them to observe.

"All living beings possess aura, and as fighting type Pokemon, we can use aura more easily than others can. You'll start by learning to sense and manipulate the flow of your own aura, and once you can do that, I'll have you try to use Aura Sphere as well."

Firing the Aura Sphere to the side when he finished speaking, Lucario then moved behind Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan as he placed his paws on their backs. Jackie and Bruce meanwhile watched the scene with bated breath.

"Now close your eyes and breath in a slow and controlled manner, like when we were meditating this morning."

"Chan!"

"Lee!"

Both declared in affirmation as they did as Lucario said.

"Focus on the flow of energy in your bodies. Don't try to stop or control it, just observer it and go with the flow for now."

""...""

The two of them were silent as they worked to observe the flow of energy like Lucario told them, the only sound that could be heard from them being the steady rhythm of their breathing.

"!!!"

Lucario looked up suddenly then as he sensed something above them, his eyes narrowing in agitation.

"Continue on your own for a bit, I have something to go do."

Leaving them confused, even as they continued meditating, Lucario left the Pokemon Center alone before launching himself forward to leave the city. While Ace had gone north-West with the others, Lucario headed east until he had left the city limits, and entered an area where there was no one else around him for miles. At least, no one visible to the naked eye.

"Come out." Lucario snarled as he looked at a specific point in the sky, which shimmered before a sphere of blue psychic energy appeared out of nowhere. And within that sphere was none other than the very last person Lucario wanted to deal with, Mewtwo.

"What do you want?" He snarled in agitation, while his entire body tensed in case Mewtwo wanted to fight again.

"I merely wanted to learn something." Mewtwo said in a calm voice as he descended from the sky before landing softly on the grass before Lucario.

"My plan had been to silently observe you, but since you noticed me then I might as well ask directly." He continued as if unbothered by Lucario's alertness.

"What?" Lucario growled without relaxing any part of his body.

"I was wondering, why do you serve humans?" Mewtwo asked him.

"What?" Lucario asked again with more than little confusion at what Mewtwo was talking about, before the legendary repeated himself patiently,

"I said, why do you serve humans?"

Lucario blinked when he heard Mewtwo's question a second time, before he replied, "I don't understand what you're talking about. I 'serve' no one."

This time Mewtwo blinked while tilting his head in confusion.

"Pokemon serve humans, do they not? So I am curious, as a being stronger than humans, why serve them?"

It was only at this point, with absolutely no hostility being shown from Mewtwo as they talked, that Lucario began to loosen the tension in his body just ever so slightly, before saying,

"As I said, I 'serve' no one. My kind hatch from our eggs when in the presence of one gifted in aura, our partners. We then work to benefit each other, I fight for my partner, and he helps me become far stronger than I would've otherwise. The same applies to most Pokemon being raised by trainers."

"So you work....for mutual benefits...?" Mewtwo asked slowly.

"You could say that." Lucario said with a nod.

"Interesting..." Mewtwo uttered as he thought on what Lucario told him.

"My turn to ask you something." Lucario said, regaining his attention once more. "Did you destroy the Team Rocket facility in Viridian city?"

"I did indeed." Mewtwo answered without any hesitation, before adding, "Giovanni and I had a.....disagreement regarding the terms of our partnership. He intended for me to become a slave to his whims, and I declined."

"Did you kill him?" Lucario asked, since he had seen some of the news after Ace went to the river with the girls, and wether Giovanni was alive or dead was still an unknown.

"I left him alive." Mewtwo answered. He did not feel the need to expend the energy needed to kill Giovanni, something he knew would torment the man infinitely more than if he had killed him.

"I see..." Lucario uttered in response, already planning to report to his partner what he was learning here. So he had to keep digging.

"What do you intend to do now?" He asked the legendary.

"I...do not know..." Mewtwo answered truthfully.

"My first thought was to exact vengeance on the humans of this world for their taint, but then I recalled that not all humans would deserve such a thing. Like you partner."

"My partner?" Lucario parroted, confused.

"Indeed. When we met before, I fully expected Ace Ketchum to prioritize his own life over that of his 'inferior' Pokemon, just as anyone within Team Rocket would've done. But he surprised me by readily offering himself in your stead, and then following through with it. Such an act made me...."

Mewtwo then paused as it he were trying to come up with the right word, before Lucario supplied helpfully, "respect?"

"Yes! That's it. I respected him after that." Mewtwo said as if he were just now realizing it himself.

The idea shocked him, that he, a powerful legendary, respected a mere human.

But as he realized that Mewtwo began to wonder, were there other humans worthy of respect?

As he contemplated this Lucario watched him in silence, waiting for any signs of hostility, while also studying the legendary Pokemon. This was of course the first time he was seeing Mewtwo so clearly, as last time he was attired in the robotic armor given to him by Team Rocket.

"But still..." Mewtwo suddenly stated, stirring Lucario from his observations.

"If I do not retaliate against humans, then what shall I do? The sole purpose of my creation was to serve, according to Giovanni. I refuse to accept such a purpose for myself, but that leaves the question of what I should do..."

"Why should I care? As long as you aren't going to try and kill us again, then do whatever you want." Lucario stated as if it were obvious.

"Whatever...I want?" Mewtwo asked to clarify.

"Yes. Whatever you want." Lucario repeated.

"Sit in a cave for a few years, travel the world, taste some good food, test your strength. You can literally do whatever it is you want, and you can decide your own purpose from your experiences."

Mewtwo was silent as he considered what Lucario told him, which was both the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, as well as the most intriguing. He had never once considered what he WANTED to do. Only what he was SUPPOSED to do.

"I shall think on what you told me..." He said before turning to leave.

"Before you leave." Lucario suddenly called out, making Mewtwo pause briefly. "There is something I want to ask from you."

***

"Well that was fun~!" I exclaimed as we entered the Pokemon Center after playing to our hearts content at the river, and stopping to get some burgers when we came back.

"Sniff..."

Joy on the other hand was NOT very happy after her first big day out. Not only was she not a fan of flying, but she also got VERY sunburnt after spending the day by the river. Just how much of a shut in was she until now?

Thankfully she wore a one piece swimsuit, so her sunburn only extended to her arms, legs, and face instead of her whole body.

The good news was that, as the two of them scoured the rocks on the river edge, Joy's Happiny had been lucky enough to find an oval stone.

"See see!" Her newly evolved Chansey cried happily while also using Heal Pulse to try and help Joy's sunburn heal.

"Thank you Chansey." She said gratefully, though it barely helped her sunburn.

We made our way to where I could feel the auras of Jackie, Bruce and their Pokemon, but I couldn't feel Lucario anywhere nearby.

""Welcome back master!""

"Where'd Lucario go?" I asked them curiously.

"He just said that he had something to do." Jackie answered.

"But he hasn't been back since." Bruce added.

Though I already knew that I cocked my brow curiously since I couldn't help but to wonder what he was up to. Some kind of training I'd bet.

I just hope he doesn't overdo it on his own.

"Well, that's too bad since we got him burgers and a double chocolate milkshake as well." I said, before putting the things I'd gotten Lucario to the side for later. The milkshake I ask one of the Nurses Joy to put in the fridge though.

""Thank you master!"" My two disciples cried as I passed them their burgers, as they and their Pokemon both shed tears of gratitude after a long day of training. Just what had Lucario done to them?

Well, I'll ask him whenever he gets back.

The five of us continued our meal while our Pokemon excitedly ate the food that had been prepared for them by the Nurses Joy. May was done with her burger before everyone else, and was busy trying to pilfer fries from our plates as we ate at a much slower pace.

All in all, we were enjoying ourselves after a day of fun when a voice suddenly sneered,

"Well well well, look who it is. Ace the Waste."

I didn't even need my aura to tell who THAT voice belonged to, as all of us turned to see Gary standing there with his posse of cheerleaders shaking their pom poms.

"???"

"And you are...?" I asked while cocking my head in confusion.

"You-!" Gary snarled as I played dumb.

"No, I'm pretty sure you're not me. Because if you were, then I might be you, whoever you are." I then looked to the girls and asked, "any ideas?"

"Nope. Not a one." Dawn said coyly.

"I have no idea." May said with a smirk.

"I think I might recognize you, but I'm not sure. I'm sorry..." Joy said dejectedly, as if she genuinely felt bad for not knowing who Gary was.

"Humph! Acting all high and mighty just to impress master..." Jackie sneered.

"Maybe he just wants to pretend he's as good as master~!" Smirked Bruce.

With each word we said Gary only got madder, before he focused on Jackie and Bruce as they called me 'master', and sneered, "What's this Ace the Waste? Making random people call you 'master' now? That's just pathetic."

I cocked a brow at that while looking pointedly to the cheerleaders behind Gary's back, several of which giggled and waved at me with interest without him noticing.

"I'm gonna call pot and kettle on that, whoever you are." I told him with a smirk, while also winking noticeably at the cheerleaders in return.

"Grrr..." Gary snarled at my attitude. "Fine then. If that's how you wanna play it Ace the Waste, then we'll settle this the old fashioned way!"

Saying that, Gary took out a Pokeball and pointed it at me.

"Let's have a Pokemon battle!"