Prologue
"What do you suppose your punishment should be?" That was the question. That was the question he knew would be asked. He had weeks to prepare an answer; of all the hours and days spent alone away from his family in a high-security prison he should have proposed a mercy plea before he stood before the judicial committee. That's the least he could've done. He was guilty, that's for sure. He'd already confessed, but he should've given some thought to why he shouldn't be given death for his crime, or spend the rest of his life locked away in the most horrific Kanto prisons. But the truth was the truth, and he knew this. He was a criminal; he did not have the slightest chance to overrule the courts and their ultimate decision. Mercy pleas, excuses, rights, and prestige—it was all useless when standing before five of the most powerful men in the nation. He was asked again; a crisp, articulate voice boomed from above his head, and bounced off the slick, metal paneling along the interior of the room: What do you suppose your punishment should be?
He kept his head low, following the disorganized pattern of the checkered, black and white tiles beneath his feet. His face never faltered, his eyebrows were pressed together in torment. The silence that fell amongst them was deafening and he thought the sound of his own rapid heartbeat could be heard throughout the room.
"Mr. Yukari." He flinched when he heard his name. "Your rebuttal." After slight hesitation Norman lifted his head and looked among the five supreme judges who sat high above him like kings upon a throne. A large gold-plated emblem of the mighty Kanto Empire hung on a panel behind them. It contained the three legendary birds, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos perched atop an oak tree with their wings spread and ready for battle. Clutched in their feet were bundles of arrows, and behind them was an outline of the Empire etched with intricate detail and care. It didn't seem to matter how little light there was in the room, the emblem shone bright behind the judges' heads like a halo, and it shone down on his face almost blinding him, and illuminating every crevasse of despair and indignity hid away in his heart. His home nation, he could not dare to look at. The emblem, the black and crimson Kanto flag hanging above his head; he had brought dishonor to the Empire. He would never be forgiven.
"My punishment is at your will," Norman said. He bowed his head to his authority. The judge who sat in the middle was the most tenured, and the sternest, and his chair sat a foot above the others. He clasped his veiny hands beneath his sagging, wrinkled chin.
"Ten lives lost in the explosion on Cinnabar Isle and the creation of a lethal Pokémon who continues to roam recklessly across the nation. Considering the extent of your crime, explain to us why we shouldn't sentence you to death?"
"I accept whatever punishment I am given," Norman responded. He froze, and held his breath because it suddenly felt like the room began caving in on him. He felt that he'd been thrown into a pool of icy water to awaken the haunting memories lying dormant in his mind. Images from that chilly night in October began to cloud his thoughts. He was a visiting scientist conducting research at the Cinnabar laboratory that day. He worked primarily in Saffron, and occasionally Celadon, but he was invited to participate in a secret controlled experiment with several of Kanto's best geneticists. They were going to change the world. They had the knowledge, and the power to do so. They would do what dozens of other scientists failed to accomplish. They would clone a legendary Pokémon. The mood was light and celebratory after they successfully cloned the legendary Pokémon, Mew. They would gain fame and money for their attributes to the scientific field in Kanto; their names would go down as the most brilliant minds of the world. Things, however, quickly spiraled from their control. The Mew clone, Mewtwo as they named him, possessed an extraordinary amount of power, too much for their equipment to handle. Mewtwo broke free of its confinement with relentless rage. It targeted them and everything they owned. Norman could distinctly remember the Pokémon's intellect, how it looked each of its victims in the eyes before killing them. He can still hear the most horrific sound it made, almost a scream, followed by the explosions. Out of a team of eleven scientists he was the lone survivor who clung to life by cowering in the corner of a file cabinet after abandoning his colleagues. He can still smell the scent of blood at times, the overwhelming stench of his colleagues' blood and flesh that pooled beneath his feet when he came out of hiding hours after the ashes settled. Norman shut his eyes and gritted his teeth in attempt to flush away the remnants of guilt that accompanied these visions. He could hardly breathe, and he almost collapsed down to his knees.
"Mr. Yukari, due to the inability to reach a consensus on your punishment we are temporarily dismissing this case until further notice. However, until we resume, whenever that may be, you are exiled from the nation of Kanto. You have exactly one week from today to pack your belongings and leave the Empire, not to return until you are recalled. Court dismissed."
With the sound of a dismissing mallet, Norman was quickly escorted from the courtroom by two law enforcement officers. He kept his face low, hiding the shame that flowed as tears from his eyes.