Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I do not make money from the writing of this story.
Author's Note: This story is based on Mewtwo Strikes Back (Japanese original) and the Birth of Mewtwo CD Drama. The story takes place during the time Nurse Joy was at the Pokémon Castle before the trainers arrived. Also, I use the Japanese names from the canon for some things, and English for others, based on what name I like best.
Warning: This story contains sexual content and thematic violence. I've only included the first half of this story to abide by the M rating. The second part with explicit material is on Archive of Our Own, which comes with additional warnings. If you are over 18, you may search for it by story title under the same author name.
(If I haven't been clear enough, this is a lemon. If you don't like, don't read.)
Before the Storm
She stood barefoot on dark, gleaming crags. Waves of seawater gnarled by the sharp rocks splattered over her ankles. The spray was so thick that her ivory chemise clung to her wet body, changing the thin fabric color to blush. Her strawberry hair was wild with wind, unlike the tight loops she usually wore.
Her back was to him, facing the sea. As he approached her, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. Her lips moved. The sea battered the little island and the crashing water drowned out her voice. He could not make out her words.
Mewtwo opened his eyes to Nurse Joy standing placidly where he left her, close to the perimeter of the cylindrical room. The trance he placed over her was undisturbed. Her mind was empty and waiting.
What did you say? his mind asked.
"Forgive me, Master. I do not understand how to fulfill your request." There was no change in expression.
Mewtwo regarded her for a moment. Deep shadows cast across both of them from the severe, golden light of the evening sun. He stood up from his control chair to his full two meter height in the pinnacle of Pokemon castle's central tower and stared down at her.
How did you send me that vision?
The Pokemon doctor was silent, and he saw in her mind that the question did not register. There were no thoughts, only an induced attention that was listening for his commands. He sensed nothing in her beyond it.
His command over the human was total, so he must have evoked the scene himself – Mewtwo decided – his focus during meditation was poor. Mewtwo levitated up and dived down with a backflip through an opening in the floor. He passed through the coils of a spiral staircase that wrapped through the air like one strand of a DNA helix, connecting the tower and a massive guest hall below. The staircase was constructed to accommodate creatures that could not fly, but since the only creature that entered the tower besides Mewtwo was Nurse Joy, it was really only to allow her limited form an entry.
Mewtwo flew over the hall into the stadium under construction by a team of Graveller and Machoke. The Machamp foreman was under trace and directed the work efficiently with his six muscular arms. Mewtwo requested a timeline as he flew past, and the Machamp responded with his estimate that the stadium would be ready for use in two weeks.
Once the stadium was finished, Mewtwo would be ready to receive guests. He was still compiling a list of the strongest trainers to invite. Only the most stubborn, evolved, and arrogant opponents would be worth his time, and these trainers were hard to come by. He sought to observe every trainer that earned gym badges and won competitions. The search was tedious.
The hours Mewtwo spent watching his enemy and their benighted Pokemon stoked his repudiation. Humans were weak and stupid, and spent much of their time posturing to hide it. The mutant was furious that he was created by them and even served one once. Their cloning accomplishment was a fluke, and he bore the consequences. Mewtwo saw humans as profligates that needed to be put into their place – and soon he would show them what their place was to be.
The psychic Pokemon entered the underground level of the castle to survey the technology he had repurposed. He destroyed the cloning device that birthed him on this island, but since rebuilt it to his own, improved design. What took the human scientists decades to accomplish took Mewtwo a matter of months, and the clones could be grown within an hour.
Three Pokemon clones slept inside individual fluid-filled, tubes – Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise. Mewtwo conjured battles for them to hone their skills and teach them to obey him without question before they were ready to wake. He ensured their emotional states remained collected so they would be clear-headed in the coming event.
Mewtwo hovered in front of the three and entered their minds, creating a psychic association that bonded them. As he quelled any restlessness from the sleeping monsters, he felt a presence was missing among the four of them. It was as if a small weight balancing a scale had been removed. The sensation disrupted their equilibrium.
A stream of bubbles appeared from Charizard's maw, and Venusaur emitted a rumbling sound. All three shifted in their chambers, knocking the fluid in the tubes until the vessels groaned from the pressure. Mewtwo broke the link with them. Their movements ceased. He immediately looked to his left as if expecting to see someone there, but only witnessed the massive tangle of cords and pipes that fed the machine.
Mewtwo snorted. He refused to admit he could still not easily identify apparitions of his own mind when he entered the minds of others. Telepathy was innate, but poor self-control lead to disastrous outcomes in the beginning. Mewtwo developed meditative practices that allowed him to compartmentalize his psyche to mitigate problems when he used the telepathic ability. Aside from these rare and innocuous incidents, he could reliably maintain a link without losing control of the situation. Or so he believed.
The stars were out in early dawn when Mewtwo awoke. The generators powering the island hummed. The sound of the motors lay over the quiet darkness like a soft blanket. Faint moonlight glittered over the blackened walls and ceiling through the large, arched windows of the control room. It was a moment that almost seduced Mewtwo into a sense of contentment.
Something shifted out of place - he felt it like a single hair standing on end. Instinctively Mewtwo levitated to the window and looked down towards the shore. He saw the silvery outline of a person - Nurse Joy was standing out on the rocks. Just as Mewtwo was about to teleport her, she jumped into the sea.
Mewtwo threw out his hands and blue aura spilled over him. He could not get a lock on the doctor without a visual. He teleported to the craggy outcrop in a flash of blue light. The inky dawn and black water made it impossible to see. Mewtwo shaped his hands to form an orb of light and hurled it towards the depths. Upon impact the sea lit up like an emerald. Shadows of a school of Tentacool, spooked by the sudden burst, scattered in all directions. Among the forms was that of a human.
The psychic Pokemon extended a hand and the human form began to glow with telekinetic power. Mewtwo lifted Nurse Joy out of the water, and teleported them both back into the castle.
Nurse Joy dropped to the icy floor of the basement level, soaked and heaving. Mewtwo stood over her, glowering. He could no longer feel her mind, which meant she was no longer affected by the trance. He waited while she clawed at the grated floor and kicked on the ground, coughing and yelping in pain as she tried to bring in air. Her writhing inspired a slight smirk in the feline-like Pokemon, despite his consternation.
After a few deep and successful breaths, Nurse Joy quieted and held still, laying on her hip with her elbows on the ground and her head hanging low.
Perhaps I underestimated you. Mewtwo spoke his thoughts telepathically.
The communication pressed a cold mark on Nurse Joy's spine, and she felt the intense fear of waking up to unfamiliar surroundings, or falling. She shifted to her palms and looked up at the creature that had forced a presence on her mind.
She had never seen a creature like this – it was slightly bigger than a man. It stood upright on two powerful-looking legs, with a thick, long tail raised behind it. Its torso was wasp-waisted, with bony protrusions on its shoulders and long, slim arms. The face reminded her of a cat, but less defined, as if it was a crude copy of one. It had narrow ears high on its head that hooked at the tip. It gave her a pressing stare with large, unsympathetic eyes.
She couldn't look at it anymore. She dropped her gaze back to the floor, "What is happening?" she stammered, still unable to catch her breath.
Mewtwo looked her over. She was barefoot and wearing nothing but a slip. You caused yourself harm and negated my trance. How?
Nurse Joy winced at the unfamiliar voice in her head, "How – what? Are you a Pokemon?"
Mewtwo was immediately irritated and disappointed. She had no memory of what transpired. His large tail flicked back and forth swiftly. He lifted his paw-like hand and drew Nurse Joy to her feet with his telekinesis. The sudden loss of agency over her body caused her to shout in surprise.
Here, I am your master. You do not need to know anything else.
"Please, what is going on?" Nurse Joy cried. Mewtwo waved his hand in front of her and the doctor fell silent, her eyes glazed over and empty, once again engaged in a trance. Despite the trauma of near drowning, she stood erect and softly clasped her hands in front of her.
Mewtwo lowered his arm. He still needed his questions answered, but he would need to find the answers himself. This appeared to be a theme for a Pokemon whose powers had no precedent. He tested his control over Nurse Joy by marionette, causing her to look one way and then the other, lift one arm and then the other. There was no resistance or spark of consciousness in her movements or interactions with his commands. He could not figure out how she got outside.
He remembered the vision of her on the rocks from a few days ago. The thought dissolved into a long-ago vision of a mountain overlooking a lake that formed part of his being. The sea and the lake clashed, mixed, foamed, and it unsettled him.
What did you say to me before you jumped into the sea? he asked.
"I do not understand your request, Master," Nurse Joy stated.
He already knew her answer but he was still frustrated. He had long ago searched all her memories and gleaned all the knowledge he required from her, but there was nothing in her head to explain this. He probed through again, nothing new, but he noticed she was freezing cold and exhausted.
Despite her noble posture and her blank expression, she trembled. Her hair was matted against her head and water dripped from the tip of her nose and from the hem of her gown into a puddle on the damp floor. The wet gown clung transparent against her breasts, belly button, every dip and curve, and nothing, physically or mentally, was hidden. Mewtwo's breathing became more rapid as he realized the depth of his grasp on her - that Nurse Joy was unable to resist the trance despite an imminent collapse of her body. He felt a boiling heat rise through him.
"Yes, Master." Nurse Joy shifted her vision from the dead space in front of her to Mewtwo. She stepped forward and pressed against him, running her hands slowly down his angular chest. Mewtwo leapt back into the air and encircled himself in a psychic barrier, throwing Nurse Joy towards the ground.
Never touch me! He knew a strong response would not affect any difference in her obedience, but he was unable to control himself.
Nurse Joy got to her feet. She wavered in standing but her voice was still, "I understand, Master."
Feed and clothe yourself before you faint, he thought to her flatly. The flustered Pokemon retreated up to the main floor.
The stadium was complete and the clones were ready. Nurse Joy received replies from all the guests, and the date was set. Mewtwo sent most of the Pokemon that labored at the castle away, except for two Chancey that were needed to prepare meals, and Nurse Joy, who would prepare his introduction to the guests. Mewtwo spent much of his time in meditation to increase the strength of his psychic attacks. He rarely moved and ate little, allowing his psychic energy to build.
After two days of stillness, the meditation was interrupted by the vision of the woman he'd taken. He saw the human standing out on the rocky shore facing the sea. All the details were the same - her posture, her clothes, her hands at her sides, how her hair whipped in the wind. Every wave crashed against the island exactly as it had before. He approached, and she turned her head. He was determined to know her words this time, as perhaps it would clear the vision for good. He concentrated completely on the movement of lips and the sound coming from them. The scene faded into blackness except for her. The sounds of the crashing waves were gone and there was silence. She spoke, but he heard nothing. The young woman disappeared into the dark water below.
He was cold. Mewtwo awoke to the feeling of weightlessness, surrounded by water. The shock caused him to attempt to breathe. Saltwater filled his nostrils and burned into his lungs. He summoned the strength to ignore the pain, focusing his telekinetic power to propel himself to the surface. A shockwave blasted the top two feet of water away from the Pokemon and white seafoam whorled around him as he took in air. He flew over the rocks and crashed into a clearing north of the castle.
He surrounded himself in a blue light that dissipated the water remaining in his airway. Mewtwo put up a barrier and scanned his surroundings. It was a peaceful night. His castle loomed above and the windmills turned rhythmically in the light breeze. The clone instinctively shook off droplets from head to tail. He pawed the water from his horn-like curved ears. He was still cold and did not appreciate the wet, and though he felt fine after using Recover he was not a Pokemon accustomed to being caught off guard.
Mewtwo clenched his three-fingered hands and teleported into the castle to the room he designated for the human. The room was large enough only for a full size bed and a side table – all dark wood, polished, ornate carvings in the bed frame and legs of the table – but warped, as if they were not crafted by human hands. There was a small round window at the end of the room that allowed the moonlight to glaze the bed, but no one was in it. Mewtwo turned his attention to a door opposite the bed, illuminated by a low-powered flicker of candles inside.
The door began to glow in his blue telekinetic light and opened. He levitated inside and saw the doctor lying in the claw-foot tub he had inattentively placed in the middle of this wash-room when the castle was built. The tub was filled, and the woman was fully clothed in the dress he provided. Her head was completely submerged.
Mewtwo cut his levitation and walked to the foot of the tub. He glared down into the water and waited. Joy's eyes opened wide and she sat up, pushing the water out of her hair with her hands. The movement was so quick the bath water sloshed and spilled onto a tiled floor. Joy gripped each side of the tub and looked up at the Pokemon, her expression a mixture of confusion and disappointment.
"Wake up!" she cried, beating her fists onto her temples.
You believe this is a dream? For only a moment, he considered her experience and how she could possibly interpret what was happening to her. That concern was quickly replaced with indignation that she had broken the trace once again.
Nurse Joy began to get out of the tub. Mewtwo's eyes lit up and the doctor was thrust down with her back against the porcelain. She hit hard and cried out.
Regardless if you know what you've done, you are responsible for it. I can find another one like you. The Pokemon lifted his hand into the air in front of him slowly and lowered it toward the ground. Nurse Joy felt herself sink below the surface of the bath water. She thrashed her arms and legs but the telekinetic force kept her under.
Mewtwo had extinguished the life of a human before, but it had never been this direct or intentional. Overcome with curiosity, he entered her mind as she fought against her fate.
He felt her fear, confusion, pain and will to fight the spasms of her diaphragm that desperately attempted to pull in air. She was screaming inside but did not give in. She thought of someone she loved.
Mewtwo closed his eyes, and in the darkness of his sight he saw her standing on the rocks. She turned her head slightly, and he could hear her speak:
"Where am I? Who brought me here?" she whispered. Before she stepped off the rocks, as she always did in the vision, her form changed, and he saw a young woman with blue hair and a wide grin. She turned to face him. Mewtwo did not remember seeing this girl before, but the sight of her made his stomach lurch and his chest tighten. "Go on living. I am sure life is wonderful!" she threw her hands out exuberantly, and fell backwards into the surf. It was as if a cord was attached and her fall ripped something out of him.
The Pokemon opened his eyes and drew his hand back. Nurse Joy felt the pressure on her release and came up coughing. She rolled herself over the side of the tub and fell to the ground with a thud, still hacking and gasping.
Mewtwo looked down at her intently. With a flash, he was gone.
Nurse Joy's dress was heavy with water, but she pulled herself to her knees and leaned against the wall of the bathroom. Adrenaline got her to her feet and she stumbled to the doorway. She looked out at the bedroom, collapsed, and blacked out.
Joy felt something soft brush against her face. She opened her eyes but could see nothing but darkness. She tried to move but there was nothing beneath her. She sensed movement next to her and turned her head. A small, pink Pokemon floated there, its bright blue inquisitive eyes close to her face.
"Mew," it chirped resolutely.
The Pokemon faded. Behind it, far in the distance, she saw the large purple Pokemon that had been attacking her. What looked like armor materialized over him. He opened his arms in a wide gesture and Joy heard battle cries of many different types of Pokemon. They echoed all around her, and were soon joined by the shouts and screams of people. The large purple Pokemon began to glow bright and the armor disappeared. He was suddenly much closer.
A flood of memories streamed through her mind, they came through so quickly she wasn't sure if they were hers, or who she was. What was she? Where was she? What was happening to her? A wave of loneliness rose within her, and she felt betrayed. This wasn't her. She was not lonely.
She saw herself at the Pokemon Center, releasing an Eevee out of its Pokeball. It was a warm day, the sun was bright, she was relaxed, and ready for the weekend. The Eevee waited patiently at her side while she pulled out a bag of chow, until its attention was drawn towards the window and it began to growl.
Nurse Joy's ears pulsed. She could hear her blood pumping, and she felt light-headed. She stood in front of a large machine that reminded her of an Omastar. Where was Eevee? She could barely keep herself upright from the dizziness.
These are defective. Start again. She heard the Pokemon whose thoughts were always spilling into her mind. Prepare an elixir. Do not heal it. Find a suitable alternative. Send that one an invitation. The string of commands continued and she found herself unable to think. There were other words hidden between the commands, spoken softly and less certain, and she focused on that to avoid the loud, demanding litany.
I am the strongest Pokemon. What is my purpose? Who am I? I feel nothing. This world is corrupted. I am more powerful than any human. Why have you not come to challenge me?
Joy's attention went from the voices to the Pokemon standing next to her. He stared ahead. She followed his gaze to a massive fire in front of them - the Omastar machine was burning. The fire was enormous but it gave no light. The heat became intense, so intense that she began to fear her safety, and tried to run away. She found no friction or surface to run on. Nurse Joy screamed, "let me out! Please!" The Pokemon turned to her. "Please, let me out! Please Mewtwo!" Nurse Joy began to feel an odd sensation of being two places, two minds, two states – she burned with fear and desperation, overwhelmed by the threat surrounding her, but she also felt a desire for her pleading. She cried out again to satisfy the desire – and the Pokemon smirked at her.
Nurse Joy woke up and let out a short, startled scream. She sat forward. Perspiration covered her face. She was in the bed of the room she had remembered from before. The sky was blue and bright, the sun just above the horizon of the sea outside the window.
The doctor wiped her eyes of tears, and dabbed her neck with the hem of her gown. Unfortunately, it was even wetter than her face; it was still wet from the bath. Nurse Joy peeled off the damp dress rubbed her arms and legs.
The ineffable nightmare lingered, making her existence feel uncertain, but her skin was ashen and clammy. She couldn't be that lucid of a dreamer to feel so physically ill. She slid off the bed and walked slowly to the bathroom, found a towel and dried herself off.
She sat on the cold tile, staring at the tub for a long while, unable to make sense of anything. She remembered so many things, but she could not piece it together. After a long time, the young woman noticed she was famished – and knew that the Chancey would be preparing breakfast. The routine comforted her, like it was a normal day.
Nurse Joy realized she only had the one gown, and so pulled out the chemise from it, which would dry quicker than the heavy wool, and slipped it on. She exited the bedroom and headed down the short hall and to the stone stairwell that lead to the kitchen.
She ate a breakfast of warm scrambled eggs and smoked fish. The two Chancey chattered as two social Pokemon would, and paid Nurse Joy little mind aside from clearing her plate and replacing it with a cup of green tea. She sat at their work table and sipped slowly, contemplating what she should do.
Chancey put together a plate of smoked fish and berries. As she lifted it from the counter to check if it was to satisfaction, it vanished out of her mitts.
"Chancey!" she chided.
There was no electronic communication, no boat or vessel to get off the island. Nurse Joy knew these things already. The Chancey could not help her cross the sea. Her only way off the island would be through Mewtwo. Joy shuddered.
Despite being trapped with a violent Pokemon that has little regard for human life, the dream gave her a strange sense of confidence. Her fear was known instead of unknown. Nurse Joy thought about her home, wondered if anyone was searching for her. Besides her Eevee, she did not have any close family in town. She thought of her sister calling and never getting an answer. She wondered if Eevee was safe. She began to focus on home – it was the only thing to keep her resolute and sane. Find a way home.
The Pokemon doctor set down her tea cup and excused herself from the table. The Chancey waved a farewell and the human exited the kitchen.
End excerpt.