By: Cameo Anderson

"Wolves in the fold"

The sun slowly began to warm the Earth as a cool morning breeze rustled through the trees. A brilliant white flag with blue lettering, "Poke' Show, Inc." fluttered gently as the flowers in the front lawn opened their blossoms. Suddenly a figure in a suite burst through the door of the Poke' Show building, yelling at the top of his lungs. It was Steven S Stanton, Poke' Show co-founder, and he seemed to be in quite a hurry. "Hey! Mikie! It's Saturday and we have to be ready when Gary gets here! Where are you anyhow? Hello?" The 19-year-old trainer and his pikachu searched the hallways of the building for Mikie Milkins, the other co-founder. He finally found him in the training arena. "Hey, Milkins! Yeah, you, Mikie! I've been looking all over for you! Did you stay the night here or something?"

Mikie turned and looked at his friend, a strange expression on his face, "No. I didn't stay the night here, but I got up early enough to select which Pokemon will perform when Gary is here. It's important that we make a good impression, so I want only the best, most well trained animals out on the lawns. Hey, tell Victor and Jamie to bring their Horsea and Seal. I need some water Pokemon out here." Steve stood there silently for a moment, then he said, "Hey, Gary doesn't care what Pokemon we have! All he cares about is MewTwo. I bet I know who you're worried about…" Mikie just gave him a blank stare. Steve figured he was either a very good actor or he was the most ignorant guy on the face of the Earth. He just smiled to himself and left the gym to prepare for the arrival of the great trainer.

On his way out, Steve ran into a couple of gentlemen talking in hushed tones. Being the usual cheerful guy that he was, he greeted them, "Good morning, gentlemen!" Both of them straightened up at the appearance of the company president, "Good morning sir." They stiffly replied. Steve didn't think much of it and continued on his trek to the local store to get some hot dogs to grill for lunch when Gary was there. The two men continued talking…

"So, Mr. Lyle, you think we might be able to pull this off?" The shorter one asked. The other man just narrowed his eyes and said in a confident whisper, "Of course we can. I never fail. Unfortunately, I have to rely on your negotiation skills, you'll have to convince MewTwo that he's better off with us… you know where my people skills rate, so you're elected for the job. Once that's done, the rest will be a snap. Thanks to the superiority of Team Rocket technology, we'll be running this joint within the day." Mr. Lyle was a tall man, short brown spiky hair and a permanent evil look on his face. The other one, Burke, was shorter and had the face of an innocent child you'd never suspect of doing wrong. The two parted, Mr. Lyle leaving the building and Burke heading towards the training facility, where he was sure MewTwo would be.

Seeing that Mike was in the room, he had to come up with some kind of distraction to get rid of him. "Hmmm. How can I get that guy out of here." With an idea in mind, he approached Milkins who was standing in the center of the room observing a Persian and a Growlithe jumping through hoops. "Excuse me sir, but I was told to give you a message." Burke said as calmly as possible. Mike glanced at him, "Yes, what is it?" "Mr. Stanton told me to have you come to his office. Apparently he found some rather "interesting" files in the computer system that he thinks you should look at." To his relief, Mike swallowed the bait and left the center to go find Steve. Now it was just Burke and MewTwo, and a few dumb animals that wouldn't know what they were saying anyhow so they made no difference. It was time. Team Rocket would soon possess the greatest Pokemon of all.

"Power of the word"

The training arena was basically an oversized gymnasium. Glancing around, Burke saw several Pokemon of various species practicing their respective tricks. There must be a large show that night, but what did it matter? They would be without their prized star soon enough if Burke had anything to say about it- and he did. Half way across the arena, Carter Burke's eyes fell upon the shadowed figure of MewTwo.

"Good morning" the voice seemed to come from inside his head. Puzzled, Burke looked at MewTwo, who was standing motionless, a cold stare chilling Burke to the bone. "MewTwo?" Burke queried the voice in his head. "It is I." MewTwo answered mater-of-factly. "For what reason do you seek me, Carter Burke?" The voice was emotionless and would send shivers creeping up the strongest of spines. "How did you know my name?" Burke again questioned the voice. "I know… everything," was MewTwo's only response. "Listen, I am here to help you… help you escape." Burke's voice re-acquired its usual confidence. "I need no help. I do not wish to escape. I do not require the aide of any human," MewTwo emphasized the last word, eyes narrowed at the Rocket.

Forcing a smile, Burke approached the creature, head held high, seemingly loosing any nervousness he may have had earlier, "Oh no, my friend. That is where you are mistaken. I can assure you that I am correct. This place is stunting you, MewTwo. You have potential to become whatever you desire… you could control the entire world… yet you choose to remain here with these foolish humans. What will you gain from a company founded to entertain children, MewTwo? You must seek your destiny, you must follow the path to your fate."

MewTwo stepped closer to Burke, "I will do well here. One of those 'foolish' humans, the one they call Michael, he showed me where my destiny lies. It is here. I am unhindered in my quest for knowledge, perfection, and greatness. It is all within my grasp as long as I remain within these walls… When I am ready, he will allow me to leave. We have an agreement." Burke simply laughed at the pokemon's ignorance, "Do you really think he'll let you leave? Are you really that trusting? MewTwo my friend, he is only in it for the profit. 50% of the people who come to his shows are there to see you, Pokemon." "Without you, his corporation is worthless. You are his cash cow, MewTwo, nothing more. He does not want what's best for you- only his company. You mustn't allow yourself to be blinded by this man. You have a chance to succeed, but only if you leave this place. How do you expect to achieve anything worthwhile when you are held captive by a corporation founded to entertain children? Look around you. Look at these Pokemon. They are nothing more than mindless puppets for Milkins and his associates to manipulate at will. They serve no purpose other than to fill seats at some arena… and their pocket books. You disserve better than to play second fiddle to losers like Stanton & Milkins. Come with us, and together we can control the world."

The room fell silent. MewTwo stood expressionless, eyes half closed, contemplating the words Burke had spoken. Suddenly, MewTwo's head snapped up, eyes wide open. "I will leave with you. I see wisdom in your words." Without waiting for a response, MewTwo raised his hands above his head and called a light-filled portal of immense size. The surprised Burke was pulled into the swirling vortex by a strange force, and MewTwo was quick to follow, closing the portal behind him. The two stood on a cold, gray, rocky beach- nothing but empty skies of mist in all directions.

"This is where I once made my home- this dismal place. When I found my way to Cinnabar Island's secret rock tunnel, I thought I'd found a road to freedom, an end to a forever of solitude I was sure to endure out of necessity to remain apart from society. Now I understand that finding my place among the humans was not the answer… it did not complete the puzzle. You have given me the final piece for which I have searched a lifetime to find: The answer, the one thing that will complete my existence- my very identity. For this I am eternally indebted to you. For it is not to serve, not to be served, not even the recognition of who I am by society in its entirety… it is my individuality. I must protect this at all costs. And as you have pointed out, this can only be accomplished by closing the doors to all possibilities of opposition- any one or anything that might threaten to take that from me."

Burke nodded his head solemnly, motioning towards the sea, "MewTwo, you have finally realized the key that will unlock the door and lead you into the life you knew deep within your soul that you were destined to. Team Rocket and I know and understand you better than anyone else ever could. We face the same trials as you have… that of being different, knowing that you are destined for far greater than the common life. That is what makes us strive for our goals… what gives us the breath to keep going in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Let's go home to our base, there is someone I want you to meet." With that, the two evaporated from the rock-strewn beach in a cloud of mist, and faded from site.

"Business as usual"

The Poke' Show building was bustling with the usual pre-show preparations. It was almost time for Gary to arrive, and Michael wanted to ensure that his experience with them was a positive one. "Please people, clear the arena. You've done your job well enough. Victor, Jamie, Vincent, Destiny, Desmond, and Steven. Get your Pokemon ready for the show. I want this to be one of the best you've ever done. This has got to look good." Mikie continued to call out directions as he made his way across the arena floor towards the trainers' locker area. Leaning on his crutch, he called Steve, who happened to be making conversation with Destiny, the newest member of the Poke' Show team. "Still that same old one-track mind," Mikie thought to himself as he watched Steve smile at the girl and turn to come towards him. "So what's up, Mikie?" Steve asked in his usual jovial tone. "I was wondering… have you seen MewTwo around here? He gave me his word that he would not miss Gary's visit, but I haven't seen him since early this morning. I'm getting very nervous here."

Steve just looked at him, head cocked, one eyebrow raised and smiled, "Nah, haven't seen him, Mikie. Maybe you ought to check the Pokemon Center. That's probably where he is." Not waiting for a reply, Steve skipped back over to where Destiny stood, a smile on her tanned face. Mike envied Steve's ability to throw all his cares to the wind. He remembered the time when he was just like his friend, but their paths had become so different in the last few months. Michael had to manage a growing business, and Steve was becoming more and more of a master trainer and showman. Not a care in the world, because he knew his job would always be there for him and he had a lot of free time to enjoy the fruits of success, unlike Michael.

Taking his weight off his crutch, he went turned around to leave and ran into none other than Cindy Oak. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said in her silvery voice, "Didn't mean to get in your way like that Mikie." She smiled as she reached down to help him back to his feet, and handed him his crutch. Michael was thoroughly embarrassed, "No problem at all, I should've been watching where I was headed. Wait a minute… what are you doing here so early? Gary isn't here yet is he?" Now Mike began to get worried. She just smiled at his worry, not having the slightest idea what he was worried for, "Don't worry so much, Mikie. You don't have to go out of your way to impress my Dad. All he wants to see is MewTwo anyway. He won't mind if everything isn't 'just so.'" Her smile answered his question, though it wasn't necessary, for out from the arena's back exit, a straight-faced Gary Oak approached the group.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Milkins." Gary shook Mike's hand and hugged his daughter, "Good morning to you, too, sweetheart." What was he going to do to sidetrack Gary until he could find MewTwo? "Would you care to tour the grounds, Mr. Oak?" Mikie queried, hopefully. Gary seemed less interested than Mikie'd hoped, but he did agree, and so they were off. Mike excused himself for a moment and radioed Steve, telling him to look for MewTwo at the Poke' Center while these two got a tour of Poke' Show's grounds. Steve left immediately, very uncertain about the whole thing. MewTwo did a lot of things, but he always kept his word.

The group casually walked along the path leading to Poke' Show's built in Poke' Center and shelter. A rose-scented summer breeze gently whispered through the grass and tugged at Cindy's windbreaker as the sounds of wild Pokemon echoed in the background of Mike's words, "This is the west garden. The 5^th graders at the local school planted most of the flowers here as a thanks for our donation to their technology fund. Up ahead is our Poke' Center and shelter. We care for our Pokemon as well as those of other trainers, even stray and wild Pokemon that might be injured. This is also a place where our Pokemon can run free without the restriction of being inside a poke' ball." To Michael's relief, Gary seemed to be interested by all of this and hopefully Steve would be here in a few moments with MewTwo. The group went on inside of the Center.

"Memories re-lived"

Just outside Pallet Town Poke' Mart, the great Ash Ketchum stood, a sack full of newly purchased poke' balls slung over his back. Looking down at his pikachu, Ash encouraged, "C'mon, Pikachu, we only have one more stop to make, and then we'll go home." The little pikachu smiled up at his trainer and followed him along the dusty path towards the gym. Suddenly from out of nowhere, two figures appeared in Team Rocket uniforms. Ash was about to grab his poke' ball when the tallest figure yelled, "We are Team Rocket! We are unbeatable. Trainer ball, go!" And before Ash had a chance to react, he was pulled inside of the ball. His pikachu fled in fright as the Rockets chortled obnoxiously at having captured the greatest trainer ever borne. They patted each other on the back and one was heard saying, "Wait 'till MewTwo sees this- he'll be quite pleased. Probably give us a raise, ay?" The two disappeared around the corner, their hideous laughter fading in the distance.

It had been nearly 20 minutes since Mike had given Steve the order to fetch MewTwo, and still there was no sign of the man or the Pokemon. Mike was getting nervous. They were back on the south grounds, just outside of the Arena's entrance. Suddenly the breeze changed directions and picked up speed. Wisps of gray appeared from out of nowhere and began drifting across the sky, filling it with billowing clouds. A storm was immanent. The sun disappeared behind the quickly darkening clouds and from just beyond the hill a tall figure appeared, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Mikie! I couldn't find him! He's not at the Poke' Center, or anywhere else in town for that matter! It looks like this storm's going to be a bad one. We've got to get inside!" As the figure got closer, it was recognizable as Steve. Kevin Ketchum was with him.

"I found Kevin in town. He said he'd like to drop by, so I brought him back here. Doesn't look like either of us picked a good day." The group high-tailed it inside the arena and bolted the door. "I don't know what's going on here," Michael looked at Steve, confusion clearly written on his face, "I checked the weather more than once on the satellite. None of this disturbance was predicted… or even possible given the data I gathered. I just don't get what could be causing this storm. We're getting reports from the beaches that the waves are 10-20 feet in height. I don't ever remember a storm like this in my lifetime."

Suddenly Kevin caught Mikie's gaze- a strange sense of deja-vu fell over him… finally, he spoke, "I do. I remember my father always talked about a mysterious storm, it happened when he was 8 years old. There were terrible waves; the sky had the same strange coloring, but it went away as suddenly as it came. No one ever found out what caused it. There was something else… something he couldn't remember. The force behind the storm- he has some strange memory, but it's only vague. He says that somewhere in that memory was the answer, he knows it. But he can't get his heart to tell his mind. It's so strange." Kevin's voice trailed off as the sound of thunder shook the arena. Lightening lit the sky, clearly visible through the arena skylight.

Suddenly 2 figures crashed through that skylight, sending showers of glass cascading to the arena floor from some 25 feet up. The force of the explosion knocked them off their feet, and sent Mikie's crutch flying across the auditorium. 2 men stood back to back, arms crossed, decked out in Team Rocket uniforms. "I am Carter Burke." The first said. "And I am Robert Lyle." The second one chimed in. "We are Team Rocket, and we are here to put an end to this evil empire!" In unison, they both pulled strange, blue colored poke' balls from their belts and shouted, "Trainer balls, Go!" With that, they tossed the balls into the air and they began to glow a strange aqua color. Before Steve or Gary could retrieve their poke' balls, they were pulled into the mysterious balls, captured in the same manor as they had often captured Pokemon.

Mouth agape, Kevin reached for his poke' ball, "What on Earth have you done to Steve and Gary?" Kevin demanded as he called fourth his Charizard. "I challenge you to a battle!" "Save it, Kid," the Rocket snapped back, "We've got no time for your bologna! Now that we've captured the two greatest Pokemon trainers in the world, we have no need to waste our time with you. You see, now that they have been captured, they are bound by the same rules as a Pokemon. They must obey their master without question and never try to escape. They will both now be on our side, so you have no chance of defeating us," the Rocket finished.

Michael shouted at the smug Rocket, "What do you think you're doing?" "We've come up with the most ingenious plan to take over the world, is what we've done! And none of this would have been possible without our dear friend MewTwo." As if he'd been queued, MewTwo leapt down through the same hole in the skylight. "Good afternoon, gentlemen." MewTwo said cordially, mocking them with his smug look. "I see you've met my friends," he gestured to the two Rockets. "They're going to teach you how it feels to be trapped inside one of those miserable poke' balls, only being let out for fights! Or for some human's personal amusement!" MewTwo's face became contorted with anger. MewTwo tossed a blue poke' ball into the air, or what Steve thought was a poke' ball, until it pulled him inside of it with a quick burst of blue energy. Everyone took a step back.

MewTwo approached Poke' Show's creator, a sinister gleam in his eye. At that moment, Burke tossed a poke' ball into the air. It was the same kind they'd used to capture Ash and Gary. Mikie struggled to get up, but without his crutch, he simply couldn't move fast enough to escape the ball.

Realizing this, Cindy jumped to her feet and bolted towards him, knocking the trainer ball off its course, sending it rolling across the gymnasium floor. Mikie used a railing to get to his feet and tried to grab the trainer ball out of the air, to no avail. MewTwo cursed under his breath, but Burke simply laughed, "No matter. You have nowhere to run. It's almost a shame to have to destroy defenseless souls such as yourself."

There was nowhere to run, and had there been, Mikie couldn't have run anyhow. The Rocket was unfortunately right. Cindy stood beside Mikie on the stair steps, trying to decide what to do next. MewTwo and the Rockets had them cornered. There was no escape. They would be captured just like their friends.

"Strength in unity"

MewTwo towered over Kevin, Cindy and Mike, who were at a complete loss for ideas, basically up the river without a paddle. Kevin chose that moment to take off his Pokemon league hat. MewTwo caught site of him and nearly dropped the two trainer balls he held, "You look familiar… ah yes, and you must be Kevin, Ash's son. There's no mistaking you… you're identical. And you're every bit as foolish as he was. The last time we met, your father was nearly killed. You won't be so lucky."

MewTwo laughed as an idea formed in his twisted mind, "I know what I shall do. You will battle. You will fight against your own fathers, Ash and Gary- and-" MewTwo looked at Mikie, "your best friend. Let's see how strong you are. If you win, I'll let you 3 go free. If you loose, you'll become a part of my collection. Can you fight your own family? Or shall I just kill you right now and go on with the rest of my plan?" Cindy looked at Kevin, "Well, if we fight them, we'll have another chance to battle MewTwo, when we're better prepared. If we don't, we're sure to be captured." Kevin nodded in agreement. "We'll fight," he reluctantly agreed. "Excellent. Maybe you're not as foolish as your father after all…"

Looking at the rockets, MewTwo gave them a signal. In unison, they took out their trainer balls, "Ash, Gary, go!" The two yelled. From out of the trainer balls, the two familiar figures appeared, ready to battle. MewTwo called out Steve and then announced. "They will not be using Pokemon this time. For this battle, you will be doing the fighting. The winner is the one left conscious. Begin." MewTwo stepped back, enjoying the mayhem.

Gary leapt at Cindy, plowing her to the floor. Though surprised by the sudden attack, Cindy was not without her own agility. She rolled from underneath him and came up from behind, thumping her fist hard into his back. Gary spun around and lunged for her again, but she dodged his attack and sent a kick into his stomach, doubling him over. Meanwhile, Ash had Kevin pinned to the floor easily, as he was twice the size of his young son. "Dad, it's me, Kevin. You don't want to do this to your own son. You're being blinded by MewTwo's psychic force! You have to fight it, Dad. You know this isn't right."

Kevin was desperately trying to reason with his father and world famous trainer, trying to bring him back to reality, but his words had no effect. Ash pounded the defenseless Kevin into unconsciousness, pummeling him with a series of sharp blows to the head. "Not much of a challenge, MewTwo. I expect that next time you'll give me a more worthy opponent." From the corner of the gym, Ash's pikachu had freed himself from his poke' ball and was watching the fist fest with a look of horrified familiarity.

Mike stood facing his best friend, leaning on his crutch, still having a difficult time figuring out why on Earth MewTwo wanted them to fight. It wasn't too difficult to see who would win. Steve broke the silence. He lashed out with his fists, most of which were successfully blocked. But Mikie couldn't block Steve's foot. With one quick blow to the chest, Mikie was sent sprawling across the gymnasium floor. Mikie didn't bother trying to get up, as he figured he'd get beat up a lot less if he just remained right where he was.

He flinched when he saw the cold hatred in Steve's eyes as he glared at his opponent, a menacing laughter escaping his lips. "It looks like I win, doesn't it Mikie? You never were much of a fighter. I guess it's time to finish the job." Just as Steve was about to kick him, Mikie reached for his crutch and jabbed Steven so hard he stumbled and fell backwards, hitting his head on the floor. "That wasn't very nice of you, Mikie." Steve growled, standing back up. "I'll have to teach you some manners." Steve snatched the crutch from Milkins and whacked the unfortunate trainer over the head with it. "That'll keep ya quiet for a while," Steve chuckled to himself as he went to stand next to MewTwo and gawk at the other fighters.

Moments later Mikie stirred. He could hear Gary and Cindy still struggling. Out of the corner of his eye, though his vision was blurred, Mikie saw what he thought was a Mew. It was hovering over the arena, observing the battle. Mike was sure he was seeing things- until it caught site of him and floated down to the floor only inches from the trainer. Mikie sat up with much effort and looked quizzically at the Mew. Unfortunately, he had no poke' balls left. Mew must have known that. The rare Pokemon gazed at Mikie with it's beautiful sparkling eyes.

Hovering just above Milkins' head, the Pokemon began to glow mysteriously. Something strange began to happen, Mikie felt himself beginning to change. Blinded by a sudden flash of light, he fell back to the floor a strange vibration running through his body. When he re-awakened, he felt strangely different. He stood up easily, without his crutch. He looked around for Mew and saw nothing. The Pokemon must have disappeared. Then at that moment, he felt something nagging in the back of his subconscious, trying to force it's way into his conscious mind. It was Mew. "What's happened to me?" he asked quietly. The Mew's soft voice echoed within his brain, "You and I are one. Your mind and my mind, your body and my body, your strength and my strength are bonded. You have become me. I have become you. Look at yourself. You now have my power and I have your strength of will, your strength of heart, and your human thoughts and feelings. We can defeat MewTwo only in this form."

Mikie was stunned when he looked at his reflection in the window Payne. He was no longer a human at all, but a Pokemon-human hybrid similar in appearance to MewTwo himself! "My God! What did you do to me?" Mike felt strange, yet powerful. Though his appearance was somewhat disconcerting, he felt a strong desire to end the suffering, and he knew he possessed the ability thanks to his newly formed link with Mew.

Mikie turned to face the battle on the arena floor. MewTwo hovered over the two remaining fighters. The Rockets were cheering as Gary through another punch at his own daughter. Catching site of Steve and Kevin's unconscious bodies, Mikie couldn't stop the anger from welling up inside of him. Milkins looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "Enough!" before anyone had a chance to respond, Mikie sent a beam of energy towards MewTwo, encasing it inside of a glowing envelope of energy. Seeing that they had no chance, the cowardly rockets fled the scene, "To hell with this!" Lyle shouted at Burke as the door slammed behind them.

MewTwo fought to free itself from the energy cage, but could not. Using the enormous powers of Mew, Mikie reversed MewTwo's psychic control over Ash, Gary, and Steve, allowing them to regain control of their own minds. Taking an empty Platinum ball from the unconscious Steve's belt, he tossed it into the air at the trapped MewTwo, capturing it once again. The ball fell to the floor as Steve and Kevin began to regain consciousness. Steve sat up and rubbed his head, "Man, what happened here? Mikie-" Steve stopped the moment his eyes settled on the creature before him, "MewTwo?" He asked, "Where's Mikie? What happened?"

Just as Mikie was about to speak, he started to glow again. That strange energy he felt before left him and he transformed back into the soft-spoken human that he was meant to be. Steve scratched his head, baffled, "You're gonna have to explain that one, Mikie… cause I just don't get it." The other trainers were equally confused but felt much better after Mikie assured them that MewTwo was safely tucked away inside the platinum ball and that the rockets had run away scared like the cowards they were known to be.

Steve smiled to himself as Cindy ran to Mikie, who was standing next to Steve, amazingly without his crutch, and threw herself into his arms. She buried her face in his suit, crying out of happiness that this was all over, and sadness that it had ever taken place at all… that such evil could exist in the world. Mikie looked up to see Mew hovering above them, as if to say goodbye. Ash, Kevin, Gary and Steve all caught a glimpse of the rare Pokemon as it disappeared through the broken skylight.

"Is that what I thought it was?" Kevin asked his dad, though he already knew the answer. "Yes, I think it was, Kevin. I think it was." Mikie just smiled knowingly at the little Pokemon who'd saved them all from an uncertain fate at the hands of MewTwo. Gary sat down next to Steve and elbowed him, "I think I've seen enough MewTwo for a lifetime, but I haven't gotten to see one of your shows. How about it, Stanton? Let's put the past behind us." Steve smiled and nodded as the sun set behind them. It was over.