Mewtwo didn't understand why some of the other Legendaries adored the museum so much. He understood plenty of Pokemon couldn't get enough of it, even his own student Lucario adored it. But the gaudy yellow and reds clashing on its unusual paint job, the odd brick pathways leading to its entrances and exits, and, of course, the wax figures…all unpleasant, unappealing to the psychic Pokemon.
He cringed as Lucario walked along the pathway inside the museum, showing off various humans in "normal" settings. All of which involved laughingly making use of Pokemon in demeaning ways. Painting up Eevees with stupid bows and ribbons as the little ones struggled to break free of their arms, Pikachus trapped in machines to drain their electricity, stupid humans pouring waste off a "Wall", which became several Grimers and Muks on the bottom.
He shook his feline head back and forth, sucking on a small cup of wine served to him by the Museum's director Mew as she giggled, floating around by his head, tail calmly whisking back and forth.
"We only use the finest materials to make these wax figures." She insisted proudly, putting a tiny paw on her chest. "All to get across how lucky our world is to be human-free, far, FAR away from any of their species. Thank Arceus he created this place all for us. Can you imagine having to contend with some snotty preteen throwing balls at your head all the live-long day?"
"I DO, he's my student." Mewtwo remarked, quickly holding up a paw, catching a bluish ball of powerful Aura energy, panting slightly as it dissolved in his grip, nodding at Lucario. "WOW. I could barely stop it with one paw. You're getting better, Lucario!" He complimented, Lucario holding his paws together and bowing his head before Mewtwo's own Shadow Ball launched him through the air and into a wall with a THRUNKA-THUD, Lucario letting out a long, loud "Owwwww" as he slid down to the floor.
"Forgot rule number one…never let my guard down." He muttered, Mew looking slightly panicked he'd almost hit a statue of a female trainer.
"Oh! Don't worry, Ms. Mew. I'd never ever let myself or Lucario hurt one of your precious wax figurines." Mewtwo insisted calmly, putting his free paw on his chest before he and Lucario headed down the hall. "But I cannot really stay, I…find this place kind of…it just doesn't click for me, you understand?"
"I TOTALLY get it. Not everybody likes "realistic" type art. But I prefer this over, say, illusionary work that I'm normally so amazing with." Mew remarked, evidently not understand as she blinked her large blue eyes, the little pink cat bobbing up and down in the air as she folded her arms across her tiny chest, nodding. Mewtwo sighed, heading out the door and down the hall, making for the exit as he passed by Chikoritas, Charmanders and Chespins who were all eager to see what human beings looked like as part of their class trip, their friendly Chansey teacher standing by their side.
As Mewtwo put the disposable glass away in the trash, he made his way through the winding forest path by the wax museum towards the forest, intending to head back to his mountainside mansion. The sun was beginning to set, casting burning rays that lit the valley behind him up like a bonfire with orange/yellow brilliance, shifting shadows being cast on the natural pathway beneath his feet.
But as he continued walking, he stopped, sniffing at the air. He…he could smell something odd. It sort of smelled like…metal. But a metal he didn't recognize. There was usually a tangy aridness to the metalworks of the Smithies of this world of Pokemon. This was more bitter and almost exotic, with a faint smoky air. He sniffed again, making his way towards the scent, winding his way through the trees, taking notice of a cave coming up ahead with a faint light glowing inside, what appeared to be…heavy indentations and tracks leading inside. A fire had been started, a figure almost faintly illuminated within, an odd voice rising out in an alien language.
As Mewtwo hovered inside as silently as possible, not touching the ground, using his psychic might to keep aloft, he inwardly gasped at what was before him. A spaceship. A spaceship had somehow bounced and slid inside the cave and someone was by a fire, head bowed on a red rug, praying, from the sound of it. And the form of the body…
No. No, it couldn't be but…
It was. It a human. Dark skin, jet black hair, young. Not more than 14, wearing a faint white, slightly faded outfit with a shattered helmet nearby and other equipment clearly made for spacefaring-
…the ship. The interior had…there were unmoving, still forms within. Almost bruised and wrecked beyond recognition. The impact had evidently killed all of them but this one. A spacefaring family meant to explore new planets, perhaps? Mewtwo looked from the dead threesome inside, and then the praying youngling. He was murmuring in a language that…Mewtwo couldn't even begin to guess what it was. He was tempted to reach out mentally, peer inside the human's mind, but if he did that, the human would immediately be aware of him, AND would become immediately hostile at this alien being peeking inside his head. Besides, Mewtwo was against such a violation of the mind. It was beneath him.
He carefully landed down on the ground, and cleared his throat, the human immediately sitting up, his thick locks whipping along with his head as his deep chocolate-brown eyes looked into Mewtwo's indigo pupils. "Hello there, human." Mewtwo announced with his deep, golden voice. "Greetings."
The human blinked slightly, mouth gaping in surprise. "Ahhh…AHH…" He stammered.
"You don't need to worry. I'm friendly."
"Sen nesin!?" The human whispered out, immediately scrambling up to the back of the wall past the fire he'd set, eyes bugged out wider than saucers, fingers gripping the ground, shaking in terror. "Vallahi, sen nelerdir?!" It gasped.
"I…don't understand what you're saying." Mewtwo said, scratching his head, the human panting, looking Mewtwo up and down. "Have you not seen a Pokemon before?"
"…P..Pok…Pokemon?" The human asked quietly. "…Pokemon? POKEMON?" It asked again, eyebrows raised up.
"Yes. Pokemon." Mewtwo said, nodding as he put a paw on his chest. "Mewtwo. Pokemon. Mewtwo."
"…Mew…two." The human murmured, looking the psychic cat over, pointing at him. "Mewtwo?"
Mewtwo nodded, the human pointing at himself. "Devah. Human."
It was a start.
…
…
…
… "You seem…rather unfocused lately, sir." Lucario admitted as he did bench-presses outside of Mewtwo's mansion beneath a cherry tree, Mewtwo looking over a large book on humans that he'd gotten from the "Human" section of the library. Mew, being the evidently most knowledgeable Legendary about humans, controlled the library. After all, it was connected directly to the wax museum…which unfortunately…meant that when he'd gone to check out the books, Mewtwo had had to look at those disgusting, far-too-realistic statues. Those statutes…the things that now seemed gaudy mockeries of humans staring back at him, stupidly pointing up in the air, eager to "be the very best" or some such silliness according to the text he was reading.
The book wasn't as helpful as he wanted. It told plenty of awful things about humans doing this and doing that and oh they were so, SO awful and their bodies were so strange on the inside. In fact, that was the only useful thing the book had given away: human eating habits and their biology. They were omnivorous, something Mewtwo had guessed taking a look at Devah's teeth after a few days of visiting him in the cave…
And helping him bury his family. Devah had engaged in a prayer as he buried his family's bodies, teeth biting into his lips every-once-in-a-while, the prayer a soft, almost musical intonation. Devah knew a few words of "English" as he said, but evidently the country he was from didn't really have much Pokemon nor had many people that used the language Mewtwo did. He knew OF Pokemon, evidently, just like Mewtwo knew of humans, but beyond that? Nothing. So they'd had to learn about each other.
In particular, Devah was incredibly grateful that Mewtwo had guessed right about what food he'd like and had begun happily chowing down away on tasty Oran berries mixed with Fried Magikarp. Market Meat were all donations from Pokemon who had willingly sold themselves up in exchange for providing for their families or, in some cases, were criminals being punished for their horrific and unforgivable transgressions. The human had also been grateful Mewtwo hadn't immediately attacked him…he'd heard that "wild Pokemon not nice".
"I'm simply finding human culture…interesting." Mewtwo admitted to Lucario as he turned the page. "The books in the library aren't too helpful but there's a few in here from your grandfather if I read this right."
"Oh, yes, our family's always been fascinated by humans. We keep a lot of records from how they used to be like before Arceus moved Pokemon here to this new world." Lucario admitted. "It's why I love the museum so much, closest thing I can come to seeing real humans."
"They supposedly taught your species martial arts?"
"Yes, and our philosophy. Humans LOVE their philosophies and belief systems." Lucario admitted, ceasing the bench-presses as he began doing some squats. "Biggest one in particular's "monotheism". But their word for God kind varies."
"Indeed, I can tell." Mewtwo remarked.
For Devah had spoken of "Allah", his "God". And supposedly did a prayer every day at around what he was sure was five o'clock in accordance to his faith, kneeling on his rug, softly speaking to his lord in that same melodical, oddly entrancing language he used. A few books had been on the spaceship, but since Mewtwo couldn't read the language, he was trying to find a book on humans that might do some translating for him. So far…no luck.
"Our race is more into the idea of Karma. Essentially…you get what you give to others. And all the good and bad you do comes back in the end." Lucario said with a nod as he rose up. "Sometimes I wish a human would come here. I'd have so much to ask."
Mewtwo was tempted to let Lucario visit but…frankly, the less people that new of Devah the better. At least, for now. The child was still rather emaciated and not really able to defend himself.
"You've really gotten into learning about humans, haven't you?" Mew asked as she floated over to Mewtwo from down the path, looking intrigued, seeing he had a large telescope set up at the upper deck of his home as he nodded, closing the book and floating it away to the small pile by his side. "And now you're getting into space travel?"
"Well, Deoxys has always talked about his many adventures in space." Mewtwo remarked. "Speaking of which, it's his turn to lead the Ceremony of the Legendaries tomorrow, correct? Will he discuss our new enforcement policies for thievery?"
"Oh, I'm sure. But remember, Mewtwo, the blackness of space is a curtain that shouldn't be drawn. Once pulled back, it looks into us just as much as we look into it. The unknown sometimes should remain just that. Unknown." Mew remarked. "We should spend our time caring for this world, our gift from Arceus. Not wasting time on wondering what's out there."
"What if what's out there wants to come HERE? Shouldn't we try to be prepared?" Mewtwo wanted to know, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Oh, we ARE prepared. We're more ready than you'd think. I'll bring up bringing you up to speed with the other legendaries. I know you've only been part of us for five years, but I think it's time you became a member of the inner circle." Mew said proudly with a beaming smile.
"But if you don't like knowing the unknown, why do you have a museum with a huge human wing?" Lucario wanted to know.
"Because humans AREN'T "unknown" to me. I was one of the ones who still remember what humans were like on the old world." Mew said calmly. "Trust me. What's in those books will tell you all you need to know on why we wanted to get away from them so we could focus on building a better life here. Not in the unforgiving reaches of the dark up there." She said, pointing upward before floating off.
Mewtwo "harrumphed" once she floated off. "Really. This whole planet is my only galaxy? My only universe, is that what she's saying? Fry one fish at a time? I can fry multiple fish. There's no harm in learning more."
"Because knowledge is power?" Lucario asked of Mewtwo as Mewtwo smirked a bit.
"Knowledge used PROPERLY is power. Come. Let me show you!" He laughed out, hovering in the air, purplish psychic energy swirling around him.
…
…
…
…Mewtwo had done pretty much everything possible to convince Devah he shouldn't leave the cave. Yet Devah had also gotten stronger. He'd begun to try and explain how his family had been chosen, part of a whole campaign, Mewtwo managed to gleam, from his planet, to explore the galaxy. Find new life. A family from every country going in every direction to know the unknown. His country of "Turkey" had been so proud of him…and his father even more so.
He'd begun to trust Mewtwo immensely. So much so that, at last, Mewtwo found it safe to move him into his mansion. Now Devah had a real bed. And Mewtwo could start teaching him the same language he spoke with the books within. It was a slow, slow process, but…he was doing it. More importantly, though, Mewtwo would need to develop a disguise for Devah. Something to hide him in case anybody unexpectedly dropped by. He kept Lucario out of the house and in the yard most of the time, and Devah hidden away in his bedroom when Lucario DID step inside, but it was a temporary solution to be sure. And he was even more sure that prying eyes were on him.
He'd felt it at the meeting of the Legendaries when they'd met as one, the almighty council that ruled the Pokemon world. The inner circle of Lugia, Mew, Dexoys, Latias, Latios and Shaymin had been quite happy to induct him in to their club. It had involved "male bonding". By which Shaymin had meant lots of alcohol, and as such, the hedgehog-esque Legendary was now utterly falling-down-drunk, barely able to form coherent sentences as he hiccupped his way through a conversation with Mew.
"Y'know I'd really like to maybe get some new statues for the museum?" She'd been asking of him before he belched slightly.
"Y-Y'know th-there's no more we can give, like…not been around for…EVER, really. Like, what…a decade now?" He mumbled. "Nope. Can't g-getcha any. Nothing new."
"Ohhhh." Mew sighed quietly as Mewtwo raised a nonexistent eyebrow up in the air, sitting by Dexoys in the deep blue council chambers, sipping some wine as Deoxys absorbed a cupcake via osmosis. "I so enjoy breaking out the molds. Gives me a chance to turn on some classical, indulge my inner "artiste"." She said with a pretentious air before sighing and hovering off.
Dexoys seemed to visibly shudder at this as he looked in her direction, then away. "Something wrong?" Mewtwo asked.
"…she's got issues." Dexoys murmured. "Thank goodness she'll never get another frickin' statue of hers. I hate those damn ugly reminders."
Mewtwo was tempted to ask "Reminders of what", but the wine was making his head fuzzy and his body warm, so he decided to drop it. Though that question still stayed in Mewtwo's mind even as he made his way back to the mansion, flopping down onto the couch, Devah pulling up a blanket over him.
"Thank you." Mewtwo quietly murmured, looking up into Devah's soft brown eyes.
"Teşekkür EDERIM." Devah said, shaking his head. No, no it was he who should be thanking Mewtwo. And the Pokemon didn't even need to be psychic to tell that. Their hearts and minds were open to each other. No barriers. With patience and persistence, even strange languages could be conquered.
Two students and two teachers living under the same roof. Mewtwo liked being a student for once. He could get used to it.
…
…
…
…it had been two months since Devah landed, and Mewtwo had spent the time both disposing of the spaceship bit by bit to avoid obvious detection and teaching Devah about his world. All he had left to do was get rid of that last bit of Devah's ship. Or rather, his old equipment.
Specifically, the helmet. Mewtwo calmly made his way down the forest path as the sunset cast a sharp glare that seemed to blind anybody that even looked closely in its direction. The wind was cold, biting into his bare arms as he approached the cave, surprised that…something was off.
He'd come to pick up the helmet but…the indentations, the drag marks from the ship were gone. Wiped clean as if he'd never been-
Wait. Wait. Something wasn't right. Mewtwo glanced to the side, seeing something behind the bushes where they'd…buried…
How in the…who would-
Something hit him in the head. He let out a gasp, clutching his skull, burning fire singing through his body as he felt himself shrinking, getting smaller, smaller-
Darkness. And an odd warmth. He moaned, rocking back and forth in a fetal position…what was going on, where was he, why-
Light. Faint light. Devah smirking down at him from…above? How…
A ball. He was in a POKEBALL.
"You…you traitorous, dirty, disgusting MONSTER!" Mewtwo snarled out, slamming his paws against the insides of the ball, scarcely able to believe he could see out from it, thankful for the psychic might he had. "They were RIGHT about your kind! Mew was right about you all along you pathetic little brat! I should have crushed your neck when I had the chance, when you were frail and weak!" He roared. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Devah smirked again, tossing the ball into a chest in his own bedroom, Mewtwo roaring at him as the lid closed…
…silence. And nothing more.
…
…
…
…Mewtwo had to have been in the chest for three weeks before, thankfully, somebody had finally come around to his home. Lucario's curiosity as to why Mewtwo never let him up into his top floor where the bedroom was had gotten the best of him and he'd gotten inside, seeing the chest and faintly "feeling his aura". Mewtwo had been curled up inside…evidently his struggles had made him break out of the ball, disintegrating it but…he'd been too weak from being stuck inside so long to escape the chest. Thankfully he was now back to normal…and to thank Lucario after a few days of rest and recovery…
He was taking him to the wax museum.
"It's great, y'know. They've been doing renovations." Lucario insisted cheerily, leading Mewtwo down the pathway, Mewtwo using a cane as he ambled down the halls towards the "new wing". The sun was shining brightly that day, soft and calm on their faces as it filtered down through the glass roof of the latest additions to the museum. "I must tell you, it's so great that Mew was able to get some new statues for this place."
"Oh?" Mewtwo inquired, hobbling along on the cane as Mew floated above a tour group, cheering looking down at the little Eevees and their Eeveelutions who had come to see the new exhibit, which showed off, of course, a human spaceship.
"And here's just a glimpse of what might happen if the humans ever came to our world. I mean…scary, right?" Mew admitted, gesturing at the exhibit, turning her back on Lucario and Mewtwo…not seeing Mewtwo's paw suddenly grip the cane so tight he almost broke it. A shocking realization rising up. Something clicking in his head as he finally understood what was really going on.
…Devah hadn't been the only one who'd come to their planet.
…had he?
And it hadn't been HIM that caught Mewtwo off-guard...made him see lies just like the children were seeing now...
HAD IT?!
The crowd could only see their fears realized. Their terror given a face. Evil personified, struggling with Pokemon struggling to fight back in a fatal struggle, all of the Pokemon and human statues given fatal wounds save for one preteen human with dark skin and deep brown eyes that had his foot pressed down hard on a wax statue of Mew herself, a sneer on his face.
The others just saw a monster.
…Mewtwo could only see a friend.
And then…
He saw RED.