Chapter no.150 Elegy of Raticate (Patreon)

Mewtwo's smile deepened as he lifted his head, as the pokémon stopped their screams, dropping them unceremoniously on the ground. A bluish aura surrounded Austin, lifting him from the ground, back into the comfort of the wheelchair.

"As I was saying before being so… rudely interrupted, you know who I am. I am waiting for your other question."

Mewtwo floated closer.

"Go ahead, Ash Ketchum… ask it."

"Why did you let me go?" Austin murmured. It was something he had been thinking about all this while. "Especially if you knew that I summoned the King to battle against you?"

"Are you suggesting that I kill you and end your legacy for good?"

Austin gulped.

Mewtwo's smile deepened.

"I just want to know, why you did, what you did."

Mewtwo felt amused. This boy, was truly worth keeping alive, for entertainment's sake if nothing else.

"Because of Ash Ketchum… I believe your destiny is to join me."

Wait... what?

"I am not going to repeat it."

"I…..I will never join the likes of you. You murder, kill and torture for fun."

Mewtwo had some kind of twisted smile forming on his face as if it knew something he didn't.

"I think you will change your mind when you see your precious Raticate."

Austin felt a pit forming in his stomach as his eyes glowed red for split second.

"What did you do ?"

"Why don't you find out?" Mewtwo said, his fingers glowing with psychic energy. He gently placed his fingertips on Austin's forehead, and a flood of visions ensued.

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Cynthia walked through the halls of the Pokémon center eager to meet her friend.

She was extremely anxious for him but hearing he was waking made her jump in joy as she immediately teleported to the island using an expensive Alakazam transport that was available to the extremely rich.

Walking down the hallway, one of Cynthia's Pokeballs opened up revealing a bipedal, canine-like Pokémon with predominantly blue and black fur. It possesses a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, in addition to a third on its chest. It has red eyes, a long snout, and ears. When its mouth is open, two pairs of pointed teeth, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower, can be seen. It possesses cream-colored fur on its torso and blue fur on its thighs that resemble shorts. It has a medium-length tail of the same blue color as well. It stands on its toes rather than on its entire foot.

Lucario immediately manipulated its aura to form a barrier in front of them in an instant wave upon wave of crimson aura spread throughout the island.

The phenomenon caused the weather to change from a bright sunny day into a thundering rainstorm in a matter of seconds.

Cynthia immediately looked at her partner and the surrounding Pokémon who had started weeping.

"What's wrong?!"

"Lu! Lucario."

Lucario pointed forward as Cynthia called out her Garchomp and the trio immediately flew to one side of the island.

Cynthia expected to come across some kind of Legendary Pokémon at first but what she came to shocked her to her core.

It was Ash surrounded by his Pokémon.

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Individuals get heavier when they die.

The weight of the recovered corpse remains as it was held in their hands.

Austin didn't want to feel like that again.

Whether or not he was tired from fatigue, he was uncomfortable as his vision was shaking. Neither his head nor his body moved well. The darkness in front of him was getting darker, and the rain whose noise is supposed to be loud was going further away.

Still, he couldn't stop thinking about it, and he didn't care about these things.

His feet were wobbling.

His eyes were stained glassy red and they had a burning feeling to them from the number of tears he had cried. It felt like he hadn't moved from the spot he was sitting in.

He couldn't hear anything but the beats of his heart that sped from time to time as he held onto the corpse.

His tears still trickled down his face and landed in what was now a puddle on his shirt.

He didn't bother trying to stop.

What was the point?

His heart felt like it had been encased in ice as it tightened again and again.

More and more tears ran down his face but the rain washed them away.

"A..Ash ."

As the name was called, a shivering Austin looked up to see a worried Cynthia who had covered her mouth with her hands as she saw the state her friend was in as tears and snot escaped from him as he was hugging the corpse of a dead Raticate.

Cynthia's mind flashed to the time when she was given the news of her parent's death.

At that time, she didn't know what to do so she cried as it was the only thing she could do until she couldn't cry anymore.

Running towards Austin, Cynthia put on a brave front as she knew right now, that her friend needed her as the wounds of grief are things that last for a lifetime.

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Up in the air, Mewtwo smiled as he could see the hands of fate turning, the strings of the fate of the trainer below were interlinking with his fate.

Remembering the day he escaped, Mewtwo could see the strings of the fate of his partner, Giovanni interlink with his strings of fate but that wasn't what caused Mewtwo to cooperate with team rocket because Mewtwo knew that Team Rocket's fate was linked to something bigger, something whose fate was linked with not only himself but the entire world.

And then he found him.

Ash Ketchum.

The trainer whose fate is interlinked with all but something was wrong as Mewtwo could see that strings of fate that connected Team Rocket to Ash Ketchum were extremely weak meaning that whatever Fate's plan was with him was also weakening and Mewtwo will never let that be, he will know what fate has plans for him, he will know his purpose so he caused something that strengthens the string of fate between Ash Ketchum and Team Rocket.

He brought Ash Ketchum the corpse of one of his precious companions that had died.

Slowly but surely Ash Ketchum's grief would turn into anger and anger that would lash out at the world. Starting with Team Rocket.

I await the day we meet again, Ash Ketchum, maybe then I'll know what the purpose of my creation was, why I was born into this accursed world.

Mewtwo had a melancholic smile as he remembered Raticate.

'I hope you can make me feel alive again!'

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[ Flashback to the SS. Anne ]

"If I defeat you, then will you save my human?" Raticate asked, her voice a raspy whisper as she struggled to stand upright.

Mewtwo's response was a cold, mocking laugh that echoed through the air. "The boy summoned a king to fight me, yet he fell before my might. So what could a weakling like you possibly do?"

"Fight," Raticate declared, her voice barely audible. Despite her injuries, there was a fire in her eyes that caught Mewtwo’s attention. She could barely stand, her body swaying with each labored breath, but her spirit remained unbroken.

It was a will.

A will to stand against insurmountable odds.

A will that resembled that of humans.

A will that Mewtwo wanted to break.

With a casual wave of his hand, Mewtwo unleashed his psychic powers upon the wreckage of the SS Anne. The twisted metal began to stir as if awakening from a deep slumber. With a series of eerie creaks and groans, the debris reshaped itself, stripping away from the ship to form an arena around them. The metal twisted into jagged spires and platforms.

"Begin!" Mewtwo's voice echoed as he floated down to the platform, his presence overpowering.

Without hesitation, Raticate lunged forward with what strength was left, using combo move — Sword Strike.

But in the face of Mewtwo’s immense power, the efforts felt feeble. His fist met Raticate's body with a casual, dismissive force, sending Raticate hurtling back onto the platform with a brutal crunch. Pain exploded through Raticate, the sound of bones breaking reverberated in the ears, overwhelming and sharp.

Raticate tried to rise, the body a landscape of pain—burned, poisoned, broken.

Each attempt to move sent fresh waves of agony coursing through Raticate. "Stand," Raticate yelled, but the body refused to respond. It felt as though every fiber of being was screaming to just lie down and surrender to the darkness that edged the vision.

Yet, through the haze of pain, Raticate saw Austin.

Ignoring the body’s protests, Raticate drew on a deep, primal will.

Her instincts screamed for respite, but her will refused to give in.

With tremendous effort, Raticate pushed up, standing once more on shaky legs.

"What a disgusting will you have? Fighting for what?" Mewtwo’s voice was filled with disdain.

Raticate gritted teeth against the pain, the voice a raw scrape in the throat. "I am fighting for my family!"

The words tore from Raticate as it launched itself at Mewtwo with a Quick Attack, every muscle and sinew protesting.

Mewtwo just snorted.

As Mewtwo gathered the aura into his hand, manipulating the very particles around him, he created a beam of intense flames.

He unleashed it with precision as Raticate, propelled by a desperate Quick Attack, rushed towards him.

The collision was catastrophic.

The flames engulfed her, and like a piece of meat charred beyond recognition, she fell to the ground, her fur singed, her skin, muscle and nerves visibly destroyed.

Mewtwo looked down on the pitiful creature.

The only sign of life was the subtle rise and fall of her chest.

Intrigued by her resilience, he noticed her lips moving weakly.

Compelled by a mixture of curiosity and a nascent respect, he floated closer, connecting to the dying Pokémon's mind to hear her final thoughts.

"F.E.A.R," Raticate's voice echoed in his mind, weak yet defiant.

Before Mewtwo could ponder the meaning behind her words, Raticate, summoning the last vestiges of her strength, executed another Quick Attack biting into his neck. Mewtwo felt a sudden surge as normal type aura, began to seep into his body.

"Endeavour!"

Mewtwo's aura, the very essence of his power, started to blast out uncontrollably.

It was draining him, weakening him far more than he had anticipated.

It was as if every bit of his strength was being siphoned off, equalizing their states of vitality.

"Enough!"

With a forceful blast of psychic energy, he hurled Raticate's body into the ocean, ending the threat she posed. He fell to his knees, the ground beneath him cracking slightly from the impact.

As he regained his composure, a strange feeling washed over him.

"I was almost defeated!" he realized, a sense of exhilaration pulsing through his veins.

The close brush with defeat, the intensity of the battle, it awakened something within him.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Mewtwo felt truly alive.

Breathing heavily, Mewtwo looked out towards the ocean where he had flung Raticate.

Mewtwo's hand moved swiftly, cutting through the air as he telekinetically pulled Raticate from the depths of the ocean. As he brought her closer, a stark realization dawned upon him—Raticate had died. The small, brave creature lay limp in his psychic grip, her life extinguished.

Mewtwo, despite his immense power, felt an unexpected twinge of regret. He reached out with his psychic energy to heal her, only to find that she had died at the very moment she launched her Quick Attack into his Flamethrower.

It meant that she had fought, and nearly defeated him, while already dead.

The revelation struck Mewtwo deeply. Her sheer will and sacrificial bravery were traits he had seldom encountered with such purity. It challenged his view of himself as an all-powerful being, untouched by the struggles of lesser creatures.

Standing there, holding the lifeless Raticate, Mewtwo felt an unfamiliar respect for the tiny Pokémon.

His arrogance, usually unshaken, wavered as he turned to face the trainer, Austin. Mewtwo's eyes, often cold and distant, held a new expression—one of somber acknowledgment.

You're alive today because of her, boy. Remember this.

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[ Elegy of Raticate ]

In the corners where no one looked,

You found me, gave what no one else would.

Even in this pain, I tried my best, human,

You saw my heart, gave it a place to rest.



You didn’t care I wasn’t strong,

In our little world, I belonged.

With every pat, every treat, every hug,

You filled my days, made them snug.



So for you, I fought, even a god above,

Wrapped in flames, pushed by love.

No fear in me, just your face in sight,

Holding me brave, making me fight.



Thank you for loving this weak woman, human,

For seeing my strength when I felt I had none.

As I leave, know you were my light,

My human, my hero, my might.



If you look up and see a star’s gentle gleam,

Think of me, let it be our dream.

Thank you for giving me love, human,

Remember our days, remember our cheer,

Remember me, always near.

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Author's Note:

Well, this chapter is likely to evoke a lot of mixed feelings, so I wanted to clarify something. Some of you may be familiar with the "Blue's Raticate Theory," which suggests that in the Pokémon games, the player is responsible for the death of Blue's Raticate on the SS Anne, which is why we later encounter Blue in Lavender Tower.

I personally really like this theory, which inspired me to write this fanfic. I know this twist may not be to everyone's liking, and you are free to stop reading if it's too much; however, as an author, I encourage you to continue, as the story will soon diverge further from the original canon and take a darker turn.

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As for the poem, or elegy—which is a mournful, melancholic poem that typically laments the dead—it represents Raticate's last words to Austin, thanking him for his love. I had tears in my eyes while writing it, and I hope it resonates with you as well.

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And Raticate's words F.E.A.R are a reference to a strategy in competitive pokémon. "F.E.A.R." strategy (Focus Sash + Endeavor + Quick Attack + Rattata or Raticate), where Raticate aims to reduce the opponent's HP to 1 and then use Quick Attack to finish them off.

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I hope you have a blessed rest of your day, and please, share your thoughts in the comments!