Disclaimers 'n all of that royal nunsuch: If you don't know the routine by now, then boy, do I feel sorry for you. Nintendo and associates own Pokemon, I don't, they have my thanks for inventing such wonderful stuff, you know the rest. The only characters I own are the ones I made up.
This is part three of "Of Moonlight Shadoes and Echoes Past." Here Madhea will finally be able to thrive as she and Sharie draw ever closer to Mt. Quena. As always, comments greatly appreciated. This part is more of a "tie-in" part connecting 2 and 4 than anything else, but still contains a great deal of important material. The stage is set for possible future events, and Madhea has a little growing to do. In fact, her growth patterns might seem a tad exxagerated but then again, nothing in the pokemon world would stand much ground in reality. At the very end comes a rather interesting story twist....
Oh, yeah, as a last note, in my vocabulary, Violet means purple, not blue. A crayola crayon labeled violet is purple, not blue, and I go by that. So when I interchange the expression violet eyes with amethyst eyes occasionally, I am referring to the same shade. Anyone familiar with my "From the Stars" series will know how I pointed this out there, too....
Of Moonlight Shadows and Echoes Past, chapter 3
by ZeoViolet
****
At last, despite her frailty, Madhea was free to thrive.
And thrive she did. It was not but a few days before Sharie noticed a weight gain and switched her from a bottle to soft foods--mostly fruit, as a Mew diet seemed to indicate. Thankfully fruit trees were plentiful in this forest.
Now that she no longer was so worried about Madhea making it, Sharie concentrated on her physical strength. As she walked along she manipulated the little arms and legs, and at night, she encouraged Madhea to kick as much as possible and otherwise helped her to exercise. It was Sharie's aim to get the girl on her feet as soon as she was able. Madhea, too, wanted more freedom of movement than simply being carried, so she complied easily.
The double effort soon paid off.
****
Madhea was just a little over a week old now. They had stopped for the night, and Sharie had set her down on a blanket while she set up camp.
Madhea's intense gaze followed her every movement. Her eyes took everything in, and she kept studying how Sharie walked, wanting the same for herself. Sharie figured it was the reason why Madhea was so frustrated today.
*I want to walk like that,* the girl thought to herself. She saw Sharie crawling around on the ground, reaching for firewood. Madhea already had decided crawling was not something she enjoyed. But she wanted the freedom of movement so she would not have to be carried *all* the time. Already she had developed the pokemon's sense of disliking enclosed spaces. Nature was wide open, not enclosed or restricted.
Seeing Sharie stand on her toes to reach a high branch, Madhea could bear it no longer.
She scooted to the edge of the tree she was under, and placed her little hands on the trunk. Her violet eyes narrowed in concentration as she struggled to get her tail to act as a center of balance, unsure of *quite* how it was done. This did not deter her, it only made her more determined. Her little fingers held onto the bark, and she pulled herself upwards until she was on the high tips of her toes, the way a Mewtwo was intended to stand.
"Mew! Me-eeew!"
Startled, Sharie turned around at Madhea's excited cry. She looked downwards, her eyes widening in astonishment. To her amazement, Madhea was *standing*, holding on tightly to a tree, but her face was flushed and her eyes triumphant.
"Meeeew!" she squealed again.
Sharie was frozen in surprise, but she was also suddenly very happy. Madhea was still very frail, her weak arms and legs were trembling, struggling to keep her upright, but already she had gained enough strength to stand on her own.
"Oh, Madhea! You did it!" Sharie cried, forgetting about firewood. She whisked Madhea into her arms and whirled her around and around. "That's a big girl!"
Madhea uttered a sound then, one that was rather startling to Sharie, for she could never recall Mewtwo ever making such a sound.
The young girl Mewtwo laughed aloud.
"Mew! Mew!"
To Sharie's trained ears, it rendered as "I did it! I can stand now!"
"It appears so," Sharie conceded, kissing Madhea's cheek.
"Mew! Mew--mew, mew."
Sharie was dumbfounded. "That's good and all, Madhea, but don't you think you should try getting used to standing before you try walking?"
The look on Madhea's face became even more determined. "Mew!"
Sharie sighed. From what she had read, the scientists had figured that being able to control Madhea from birth would make it much easier to bend her will. But it had become quickly clear to Sharie that Madhea's will was at least as powerful as Mewtwo's, if not moreso. If this had been the intents of the scientists, it would have been an utter failure.
"Okay," she agreed. "We'll try a few steps. But hold on to me."
She stood behind Madhea. Madhea lifted one graceful arm, and Sharie took her hand. The little pokemon then let go of the tree with her other hand. Moments later, Sharie was holding both hands securely, bending over her from behind. Madhea looked up and caught her eye, her amethyst eyes twinkling excitedly.
"Let's go," Sharie urged. "One foot in front of the other."
Madhea obeyed, but was rather startled by a wave of dizziness after moving just a few steps. Frustrated, she looked up into Sharie's eyes.
"You aren't used to being upright, Madhea," Sharie answered calmly. "Give it time. You have to get used to it. Also, you need to use your tail to balance. Making both legs and your tail work together takes practice."
"I will. I will practice every day. I want to walk."
She tried a few more steps, while Sharie held her hands. This time, she did not get so dizzy.
"That is enough for today," Sharie urged quietly. "Don't worry, Madhea. In a few days you will be running around as if you never had any cares in the world. You are getting stronger so fast I can't believe it."
****
Indeed, Sharie reflected that night, she couldn't believe it. It had not taken her long to discover the keen mind the child posessed. Even though Madhea had suffered greatly her first days, it had not affected her intelligence, which was turning out to be considerable. Madhea's large amethyst eyes missed nothing, and her senses were keen and sharp. Once she had gotten used to communicating, Madhea had started firing questions to Sharie about the world around her. Sharie answered patiently, at first simply so Madhea could understand, and then with more and more details as the girl's grasp of language and understanding grew at astonishing bounds--like most pokemon, Madhea was born with her language skills intact, a baby pokemon only needed exposure and practice to get used to the process.
Sharie suspected the lonliness Madhea had endured back at the lab, where she had been left alone for so long, would probably haunt her for some time. It was sad that she had already experienced something of the world's cruelty--being abandoned without knowing why. Those first days she was so desperate for contact she had loudly protested when Sharie set her down, even for a minute. Now, thankfully, her need for physical contact was not as great as she discovered what a great thing independence was. Already her personality was developing a stability and security that would be a strong asset to her later on in life. It was the very stability and security Sharie had wanted her to have so desperately, somehing Sharie and--she knew--Mewtwo themselves lacked.
It was the stability being loved and accepted by someone important to her granted her.
Sharie felt that she had been loved, but the cruelties of others from her first days, making her feel different and inferior because she was different, had crushed any such stability she would have gained in knowing who she was and what she could do in the world.
She sincerely hoped Madhea could make it without feeling the whole world was a cruel place that needed to be wiped out.
As Sharie promised, within days Madhea was running around as if nothing had ever impeded her movements. She also began to grow quickly, putting on weight and inches where she needed them. She was still small enough to fit easily into one of Sharie's arms, but Sharie no longer worried that her growth would be affected.
Two things happend around this time. Sharie began to train Madhea in various mental sheilding, before she even developed any powers, and Madhea discovered the world of reading.
Sharie was astounded again. From just looking over her shoulder while Sharie worked on her handheld computer Madhea guessed what letters were for. Sharie only had to give her one brief explanation about the alphabet, and Madhea instantly connected the rest. She discovered Sharie's electronic encyclopeida, and now, while Sharie carried her when she was tired, she read, learning of the rest of the world beyond the forests of Johto. Sharie even threw in some instructions on medicine and healing others, and information about forest plants and their properties. It was information that Madhea might find useful one day.
Sharie herself, while browsing the files the scientitsts had left behind about Madhea, discovered something interesting. It easily explained why Madhea seemed to know what other pokemon were on sight, when Sharie knew she had not been told before.
Even while floating in the womb, Madhea had been exposed to educational tapes, telling her about some of the other pokemon known, their attacks, and their weaknesses, and other information concerning the outside world she would soon inhabit. The information was not complete, but Madhea certainly remembered what she had been taught.
So Sharie added education to the list of things she was teaching Madhea. Soon, she knew, Madhea was going to start contemplating deeper questions, like why she was different and what her own purpose was, and why they were travelling this forest. In fact, she was probably thinking them already, and Sharie understood that Madhea sensed that she was unique in a world that had hardly seen her kind before. Sharie knew, too, that she had to be completely truthful with Madhea. The young pokemon deserved to know as soon as she ws able to understand just what the world could have in store for a young mewtwo.
****
An earsplitting shriek caught Sharie by surprise as they were walking along one day when Madhea was about three weeks old.
The cry raced straight up Sharie's spine. She turned in horror. "Madhea!"
Madhea screamed again, from where she was lying on the ground, holding her head in absolute agony.
"It hurts! It's so loud! Sharie, why does it hurt so?"
But she only screamed louder when Sharie approached.
That caused Sharie to understand what was happening. She pushed up her own mental barriers as far as she could so Madhea could not sense her.
Madhea was undergoing her first psychic surge.
Sharie was shocked. She had been preparing Madhea for when this would happen, but neither of them had expected anything of this intensity. It had to be deafening poor Madhea's mind with pain and mental noise, to be overwhelmed by so many extrasensory feelings and powers at once.
Sharie ended up having to forcibly pin Madhea's flailing little arms to her sides. She decided to use telepathy to introduce Madhea more to the concept of doing this herself, to get the girls to kick up the mental barriers she had been working on.
*Madhea, you have got to calm down,* she said with her mind, the soothing psychic undercurrent causing Madhea to still somewhat. *It is shocking to you, I know. It still shocks me every time I have to suffer it. I will help you.*
Indeed, even as she said it she pushed her own barriers around Madhea's mind as well, drowining out much of the mental noise for her. It was difficult--Sharie had not expected anywhere near this much power to pounce on the girl at one time, and her first time, at that.
Madhea became completely quiet as she listened to Sharie's mental voice.
*See how I am doing it, Madhea? Remember what I taught you? Can you raise your own barriers?*
*I've had no powers to practice with, Sharie,* came Madhea's own thoughts along the link Sharie had established.
*You do now. Do it just as I taught you. You will see how much such barriers can do for you. Pretty soon controlling your mind barriers will become so second nature you will forget you do it--you will even control them in your sleep. Go on, try.*
Madhea did so, her body glowing with the effort of mentally picturing invisible barriers around the newly-awakened Psychic turbulence in her mind.
Despite her efforts, the sheild was weak and wavery at best. Madhea struggled with it, knowing it had worked well before. But forcing it up against this monster invading her head....
*Do not fight it, Madhea. Flow along with it. There, that's it.*
Sharie sensed Madhea's heartbeat slow as she stopped her instinctive struggle against her own powers. She mimicked what she sensed Sharie doing with her own powers--allowing herself to harmonize with them. It was certainly a strange sensation but it felt better than fighting it, that was for sure.
Sharie withdrew her mind completely, allowing Madhea full control of her senses once again. The rigid body in her arms relaxed. The girl sighed and leaned against Sharie tiredly.
"Sharie?" she asked aloud, in her Mew language. "You are one of the few humans who can understand pokemon languages, aren't you? Especially without--well, linking your minds."
"Yes, Madhea. Most people can't do natually what I can do, but most trainers of pokemon soon come to understand it anyways, at least deep down. That happens when trainers get close to their pokemon."
"Still, I want everyone to understand me. You told me that there is another like me out there, and that he communicates only by telepathically projecting his thoughts. I want to try that, too. I could be more easily understood than simply....well, sounding like Mew."
Sharie tilted Madhea's face upwards with her hand and looked her in the eyes. "Don't force yourself to do so if you really don't want to, or for anybody's sake but your own, Madhea," she said softly. "Do what your heart tells you is right. Mewtwo has probably never heard his own physical voice. You were born unable to use your powers right away, and your voice was the only way to do so. All pokemon have this instinct for language, very early on. All pokemon understand each other's language, and the human language, too."
"Then why can't humans understand pokemon sub-languages? It must get frustrating, especially when some trainer captures a pokemon without asking them first."
"That is why I never capture pokemon, Madhea. Few things are worse than ripping a pokemon away from their home without their consent. You I knew I had to save, though, and that was different entirely. Yes, I'll teach you that. And now that you have some control, I can teach you how to harness that power, not just bury it, if that is what you want. It might be a wise thing to do--the world is a big place, beautiful in some places, very dangerous in others."
Madhea smiled at her. "You would really teach me?"
"Sure. But Madhea, know this: I am training you, but I consider you my equal. I am not your master. I would never ask anything of you that you are not willing to give. I will never place you in a battle against another trainer. I can't take advantage of you like that. It was the original reason you were created in the first place, but you do not have to suffer such a fate. All living creatures, human *or* pokemon, deserve to live where and how they choose, and I do not consider that any different for you. Okay?"
Madhea smiled. "Okay."
****
The weeks continued to pass. As Madhea grew, so did her understanding about the world around her. Sharie told her the full truth behind her creation, and of Mewtwo's history. Madhea also developed a full understanding of what it was to be different, in a world that saw her as different.
However, besides absorbing all the love Sharie was capeable of giving her, she also developed a determination to make it in a world that saw her as unnatural. Madhea knew that she walked in the moonlight, in the shadow realm between light and dark, but she was determined to one day walk as freely in the sun as she would by moonlight.
She did not fully understand, however, why Sharie, her human sister, would one day have to leave her.
"Because there are those evil out there who would want to take advantage of you, Madhea, soely because you are growing so powerful." Sharie painfully answered to the best of her ability. "You were born different, Madhea, as I was, and must eventually walk the same shadowy path that I walk, and find your own way. Mewtwo would be able to teach you how to use your powers as well as I can, if not moreso. He will know that he is truly not alone in the world if you are with him. But at all costs I want you to be kept safe from others who would try to use you to their evil ends. Especially while you are so young. With Mewtwo helping you you would be much safer than you ever could be with me."
"But I don't want to leave you!" Madhea protested. "You saved my life, and have given me more love than it seems a clone like myself would have ever been given. In all ways but blood alone you have been like my sister. You've cared for me like a mother but we bonded like sisters. How could I simply walk away and leave you alone, after all you have done for me?"
"Oh, Madhea." Sharie hugged her little friend fiercely, her own heart hurting. "Do not worry about me. Helping you gave me my own sense of purpose for awhile, where before I was lost and floundering. After we depart I must continue to wander, and find my own path. There can't possibly be any other real place in the world for me. What is best for you and the greater good of everyone involved is what plays in my mind. Truthfully, this is the best thing that can be done for you, to keep you safe."
Madhea trembled in her arms, and Sharie reassured her before the girl even thought what Sharie did not want her to think. "Do you think I want to leave you? That I desire to be rid of you? Heaven forbid!" Sharie's eyes grew bright and full of pain, and Madhea saw the deep feelings in their depths reflecting what she was speaking out loud. "When I leave you my heart will never be whole again, but I will cling to the thought that you are safe and that no scientist can experiment on you and put you in a cage, or no human will overcome your will and force you to bend to his. It was a horror I saw Mewtwo subjected to, and thank gods he broke free. Some cruel humans tried to treat me that way, too, behind my father's back. You will be with others life yourself, too, if you go. You won't be alone."
Sharie pressed Madhea even closer to her heart. "But there is doubt whether Mewtwo will even tolerate my being around him. He truly hates my family for how he has suffered. You would have nothing to do with it. I am sure he would accept your presence. But he would never accept me. It is why I must leave."
For many moments Madhea was silent, by now knowing the full story of Sharie's past links with Mewtwo.
She was aware enough of the world and of her own self to know that Sharie was right, the world probably would never fully accept her as she was--an enhanced pokemon clone. To many, she was an unnatural carbon copy, a reflection, nothing more than a shadow with no real life or substance. At least with Mewtwo and his other clones she would not be alone, and be with others like herself if Mewtwo agreed to it. She had become as aware of the shadows she walked in as Sharie was.
Madhea pulled back and looked at Sharie's face. She was staring off into the distance, struggling unsuccessfully to control the emotions playing across her face. Madhea frowned, knowing how much Sharie loved her. That she had never doubted and did not have to think about twice. She also knew she was everything to Sharie, and the human girl was everything to her. The look of heartbreak Sharie was trying to hide from her now spoke volumes. She would happily follow Sharie anywhere, and hang the risk to herself. All she really wanted right now was to stay with the one person who could truly understand her.
"Sharie?" she asked at last. "Would you force me to stay with him?"
For a moment, Sharie was surprised. She remembered how she had warred with herself ages before over the very same question.
"No," she answered honestly. "I would be going against everything I was, and everything I've taught you, if I did not allow you to have the same freedoms as every being, human or pokemon deserves. That includes choice. According to many people's standards, Madhea, we do not fit, do not belong. We are not normal. We must make our own standards and decide for ourselves what normal is if we are to survive at all, or find a place to belong. And yet--being unique is just as important. I know I don't want to be like everyone else, no matter what I've been through."
She rocked back and frorth, still holding Madhea tightly. "The best thing for you would be staying with Mewtwo, far from the world and man, at least until you are grown and able to fully take care of yourself and your ever-growing powers. And to Mewtwo, especially from someone like me.
"I would also be selfish if I simply kept you with me without giving you the chance to be as free and happy as you deserve to be, even though leaving you will tear my heart out. You'd be exposed to dangers I would never want for you."
With a deep breath Sharie voiced the vow she had made long ago out loud for Madhea to hear. "But if, after meeting Mewtwo and the other clones, your heart's deepest pull is the desire to remain with me at all costs, then I swear to you, Madhea, I will be willing to have you at my side. I will do everything I can to protect you and we will find our own way in the shadowland we have walked. The choice is going to be far from easy, but in the end, the decision will be yours alone."
Madhea understood how important a decision it was, but how could anything change her heart's desire? Could she ever be happy living far away from the world, with a small crowd of other clones--and Mewtwo, the one living soul on this planet who was like herself? Could he ever understand her as well as Sharie did? Could they share what she did with Sharie?
It was hard, going with what Sharie desired for her and knowing it was for the best. Sharie would never rest easy unless she knew Madhea was safe. That versus going with Sharie at all costs, even if she had to be exposed to a world full of dangers. The weight of this decision, Sharie had told her, would, in the end, likely rest on her shoulders alone. Madhea also suddenly understood something Sharie had not voiced, but had surely considered herself--that the consequences of each decision could be far-flung. She could not just make such a choice on impulse. She would have to see what both sides of the choice offered her, both good and bad and weigh it all for herself. Madhea, in the end, alone would have to search her heart and make what she felt would be the best decision.
****
One night, a few nights later, Sharie had a strange dream. One that was certainly unusual, but also vividly real.
Deep within the earth, she sensed a danger. It ran so deeply that usually it would only be pokemon themselves that would be aware of it. What kind of danger she could not tell.
The dream shifted, and she suddenly saw herself asleep--like her spirit had left her body and was standing beside it.
In the dark came a flutter, and a green blur approached the sleeping human and pokemon. Sharie could not clearly make out the pokemon's face, but she saw a small green body with delicate, almost transparent, wings flying around in the shadows. The small figure stopped and hovered over the sleeping pair fo a moment, as if hesistating. Sharie saw a pair of eyes in the pokemon flash, and her own body glowed for an instant.
The small creature made a sound of satisfaction. From nowhere came a sparkle, and a small object appeared in its hand--an amethyst-colored stone set in what looked like a diamond-shape cut from a seashell or porcelain. The pokemon seemed to regard it for a moment, then lowered itself to the ground.
Gently, it pushed the object into Sharie's still hand.
The figure rose and looked at her a moment longer. Sharie herself, watching this, could not move.
With a sparkle, the small green figure then vanished.
And Sharie woke up.
****
For a moment, she sat there, breathing hard, suddenly seeing the pink in the east telling her it was nearly sunrise. *What a strange dream. Why would I dream that? What did that...figure put into my hand, in the dream?*
Her hand!
She drew in a sharp breath. Her hand was curled around something! Something small....
She brought her hand up close to her eyes and slowly uncurled her fingers. She was not sure whether to be afraid or awed. Only one thing was clear.
Her dream had been very real.
In her hand was the mysterious object she had seen put into her hand in the middle of the night. In the early morning light, the amethyst-colored stone sparkled brightly, and the material it was set in did indeed feel like a seashell.
Sharie let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. So someone had visited her during the night and given her....something. But--what was it for?
When Madhea awoke a few minutes later, Sharie was still staring at the charm, her face deeply contemplative.
She did not even see Madhea watching her, and jumped a bit when Madhea spoke using the psychic voice projection she had come to favor.
"I never saw you wear that piece of jewelry before, Sharie."
Sharie looked at Madhea, but still felt unable to say anything. She held it up between them, the sunlight catching on the jewel in the center. It was the exact same color as their eyes.
"I've never worn it before, that is why," she said slowly, finding her voice at last. "We had a visitor last night, Madhea, and I have no idea why this was put in my hands."
Now able to talk, she told Madhea what she had seen.
"A green creature?" Madhea asked. "Was it a pokemon?"
"I don't know, Madhea. I did not recognize it. I could not even see it's face clearly."
"Better keep it, then," said Madhea. "Maybe there was a reason it was given to you."
Sharie wasn't sure, but Madhea's words did carry merit. She strung the charm around her neck on the same chain she kept a golden locket she always wore, for safekeeping.
Whatever the reason for the charm, she did not know why as yet.
****
More weeks passed.
Madhea was now three months old. She had continued to grow rapidly, now the size of a small child. Except for the continuing hints of her frail side, she had thrived. With all the love Sharie had given her during her early vital months, there was a security and stability about her nature that both Sharie and Mewtwo themselves had missed out on. When she did something she was sure of herself and her actions, and did not doubt every little thing. Part of Madhea was happy and easygoing, mixed with a side of her that was just as serious, and deeply contemplative, seeing a world in far deeper tones than most people would normally see things or even think about them. Perhaps, Sharie reflected, this would be the greatest trait she shared with the one like herself, Mewtwo.
She had become an odd mix of personality traits, too--in some ways, Madhea acted her age, loving to play and have fun like any child would do. But she also strongly reflected the deep wisdom she had been born with and Sharie had encouraged to grow. It was the mind of a child with the intelligence and reasoning of a much older person, pokemon or human. It was a mix that could easily get her into trouble.....or give her the ability to quickly think her way out of it.
Madhea's powers had continued to surge out of control several times. Each time Sharie had brought her under control and trained her in various uses, but Sharie could not fully explain why it was happening in this manner. It was nothing the scientists had done, for they had done the exact same enhancements to Madhea as they had done to Mewtwo, and Sharie had long since determined that they had not messed up anywhere. Sharie's best guess was that the Mew she had been cloned from also had powers of such a quirky nature.
The way Sharie was training Madhea was vastly different than what Giovanni had used on Mewtwo. They worked together, often becoming like one mind at times. Sharie had her own signature attack, the Psychic Triwave attack. It was an attack she had discovered herself years before while experimenting with her abilities. No psychic pokemon she had ever met knew it offhand, much less any other psychic *human*, even her father. It wasn't known to science or the League in general. However, she found out that some psychic pokemon were capeable of learning it. She had already taught her father's favorite Alakazam--the same one who had first told her father she was Psychic as a baby--and an Espeon at another lab such a move. She had even taught her father such a move, though it was on a much weaker scale. Using his psychic powers for attack purposes was not a talent of his. Still, it was a rare move and she felt safe passing it on to Madhea.
With Madhea's consent, Sharie had also set out to do what Giovanni, in his arrogance, had not thought of to do--teach Madhea moves outside her type. Giovanni had found Mewtwo so powerful that training his Psychic powers was all that he felt was necessary. Telekenetically Mewtwo might be able to control elements, like kicking up storm clouds or summoning waves of water from nearby water sources. Even controlling temperature he could do telekenetically. But using the actual move type itself, outright Water Gun or Blizzard, Sharie doubted he had been trained on.
But with so many new pokemon discovered, and the discovery of the Dark type, she did not want Madhea relying on just that and nothing more. Rumor had it that Mew was capeable of learning all the specialty moves of other pokemon. Sharie decided to put this to the test, and already Madhea knew a wide variety of moves besides Psychic ones.
For her own safety, Sharie also made sure her Physical Attack also grew as well as her Special abilities. Madhea's health continued to improve as constant exercise increased her Defense as well as her Special Defense abilitiy.
For the most part, Madhea was healthy now. There was one dark shadow, though. A few weeks before Madhea had caught a case of pokemon flu. In most pokemon, this was very mild.
In Madhea it had turned into something very serious. Her weak immune system could not handle it. It had taken three days before Sharie had overcome the flu in Madhea with the constant care she gave.
In fact, she was amazed she did not catch it herself--humans weren't exactly immune. Maybe she had, and just did not know it--she seemed to grow increasingly worn out as the days passed, although she strove her utmost to hide this from Madhea.
For now, Madhea was fine.
The flu incident only doubled Sharie's conviction, however, to get to Mt. Quena. Madhea was extremely powerful now, her stats going higher in leaps and bounds every day that passed.
None of that would do her any good with her frail edge still able to kill her. It was Sharie's ferverent hope that the waters hidden in the depths of Mt. Quena would remove Madhea's weakness, take away the ghostly pallor to Madhea's skin, and restore her to full health. Maybe it would also unleash the hidden potiential Madhea had, the powers being held back from her because of this lasting frailty. The only danger she could think of is Madhea having so much power unleashed on her at once that neither one would be able to handle it. It was a risk Madhea had said she was willing to take.
Whatever the outcome, Sharie at least wanted her to be fully healthy. Madhea deserved so much more than what she was limited to now, even though she was already as powerful as many other pokemon were ever likely to be.
****
Sharie and Madhea broke through the forst edge one day, and an awesome sight greeted them, leaving both a bit breathless from wonder.
In the far distance rose, at a great height, the Johto reigon's greatest natural wonder.
Mt. Quena!
Sharie was the first to find her voice. "That's it, Madhea! That is Mt. Quena! Isn't it grand?"
Madhea's eyes were wide. "And Mewtwo actually lived at the top of that thing? Mt. Quena is out in the open!"
Sharie reached down and picked her up, hugging her absently. "Look around you, kiddo. The geographical traits of this area are pretty unique. From now on we could be buffeted by storms, blizzards, or even typhoons. Very few humans ever visit this area, and even fewer have ever *considered* trying to climb Mt. Quena. Of the few that have, only a fraction of them remember it, due to Mewtwo's erasing their memory. Luna Carson and Cullen Calix are the only humans around for miles, and even they don't remember."
"But you said they were good guys, not nasty like Giovanni," mused Madhea.
Their hearts are in the right place, but most of the problem, I think, was Cullen. He is a medical researcher for humans, and his emphasis on the waters of the spring and clarity lake were for exploiting them for human needs. He cared about pokemon and all of that--he even sacrificed his first sample to save a couple of pikachus--but his mind dwelled a little too much on what it could mean for humans. In those instances, he forgot about pokemon. He would probably have still tried to expose the secret of Mt. Quena's waters to the ouside world. Mewtwo did not want that chance taken. Luna most likely would not have herself, but she had developed feelings for Cullen. I think Mewtwo decided it was best if she was left in the dark as well."
"Mewtwo would not do that to you, would he?" asked Madhea anxiously. "You've taught me how to resist someone trying to telepathically erase my memory, but are you strong enough to rebuff Mewtwo if he tries?"
It was one time Sharie was able to provide Madhea with a clear answer. "Madhea, I believe that is the one area where I know how I stand against Mewtwo. For some reason, I have always been obsessed with protecting myself against mental intrusion, to the point I am sure not even Mewtwo can do it. Other than that, though, it is likely his powers supercedes mine easily. Besides," Sharie turned and planted a quick kiss on Madhea's forehead. "I don't want to forget you, Madhea. Losing you will be bad enough, if you stay. Losing your memory would be doubtless much worse, because Mewtwo can try to erase the memories in my mind--but the memories in my heart can never be breached. And that area, my little friend, is where the bond we share resides, and my love for you. That, I can never forget."
Madhea hugged her fiercely. "Neither will I," she vowed. "Neither will I! Whether I leave or stay, what we have shared I swear I wll never forget! You gave me life, and you have loved me with everything you have. I will never forget."
"And Madhea, you gave me the ability to feel inside my heart again for the first time in more years than I can count. After all we have shared, I could never forget it, either, no matter what the outcome is to be. Come on. Mt. Quena isn't far now."
****
They had barely started walking again when an enormous roar stopped them in mid-step.
Beneath their feet, the ground shook.
Another series of loud roars filled the air, and the area around them quivered.
From behind Sharie, Madhea gave a gasp and lost her footing. She had to clutch at Sharie's slender legs before she hit the ground.
"Mew!" she cried aloud, so starlted she forgot to speak psychically. "What's happening?"
"I don't know," Sharie answered. "That is too loud to be just any pokemon battle! There may be trouble, Madhea--we must see what is going on. Someone may be hurt!"
Another searis of roaring quakes knocked Sharie flat, and Madhea stumbled with her. Dizzily Sharie made her way to her feet, ignoring the sudden pain in her ankle.
"Stay behind me, Madhea!" she warned.
Together, they approached a hill that ended abruptly, telling Sharie there was a cliff below it. The roars seemed to be coming from below.
Cautiosly, Sharie scooted to the edge, gripping the grass for all she was worth. The strong ground quakes could easily knock her over the cliff edge so fast she would not be able to telepathically fly out of harm's way before she hit the ground and killed herself.
On her stomach, she scooted over to the edge of the cliff and peered downards.
The sight that greeted her shocked her clear to her toes.
This was not how she pictured she would meet Mewtwo--trying vainly to battle off a crazed Tyranitaur!
****
Sharie came out of her shock moments later when Madhea edged up beside her and peered over the cliff herself, seeing what was below. She gave a soundless gasp at what she saw, then turned huge, scared eyes to Sharie.
Sharie already was pulling her pokedex from her pack.
"That is a Tyranitaur like I told you about," she said softly. "Rarer even than Dragonite. Probably one of the greatest danger to any psychic pokemon ever. Let me see it's level...."
The pokedex gave her a reading on the monster's level.
Sharie almost fell over the cliff in surprise. No wonder Mewtwo, a Legendary Pokemon, was having such trouble!
That Tyranitaur was at level 100! Peak level!
Twin sets of amethyst eyes met each other's. Both knew that if they did not do something fast, even a legendary pokemon like Mewtwo could well be history.
But what could be done?
****
End chapter 3.
Got interesting towards the end, eh? Keep an eye out for part 4, when Mewtwo meets Sharie and Madhea for the first time. How are they going to react? Can they fight off such a pokemon? Because not only is Tyranitaur a dark-type, he is surely at a much higher level than even Mewtwo is....stay tuned.
This is part three of "Of Moonlight Shadoes and Echoes Past." Here Madhea will finally be able to thrive as she and Sharie draw ever closer to Mt. Quena. As always, comments greatly appreciated. This part is more of a "tie-in" part connecting 2 and 4 than anything else, but still contains a great deal of important material. The stage is set for possible future events, and Madhea has a little growing to do. In fact, her growth patterns might seem a tad exxagerated but then again, nothing in the pokemon world would stand much ground in reality. At the very end comes a rather interesting story twist....
Oh, yeah, as a last note, in my vocabulary, Violet means purple, not blue. A crayola crayon labeled violet is purple, not blue, and I go by that. So when I interchange the expression violet eyes with amethyst eyes occasionally, I am referring to the same shade. Anyone familiar with my "From the Stars" series will know how I pointed this out there, too....
Of Moonlight Shadows and Echoes Past, chapter 3
by ZeoViolet
****
At last, despite her frailty, Madhea was free to thrive.
And thrive she did. It was not but a few days before Sharie noticed a weight gain and switched her from a bottle to soft foods--mostly fruit, as a Mew diet seemed to indicate. Thankfully fruit trees were plentiful in this forest.
Now that she no longer was so worried about Madhea making it, Sharie concentrated on her physical strength. As she walked along she manipulated the little arms and legs, and at night, she encouraged Madhea to kick as much as possible and otherwise helped her to exercise. It was Sharie's aim to get the girl on her feet as soon as she was able. Madhea, too, wanted more freedom of movement than simply being carried, so she complied easily.
The double effort soon paid off.
****
Madhea was just a little over a week old now. They had stopped for the night, and Sharie had set her down on a blanket while she set up camp.
Madhea's intense gaze followed her every movement. Her eyes took everything in, and she kept studying how Sharie walked, wanting the same for herself. Sharie figured it was the reason why Madhea was so frustrated today.
*I want to walk like that,* the girl thought to herself. She saw Sharie crawling around on the ground, reaching for firewood. Madhea already had decided crawling was not something she enjoyed. But she wanted the freedom of movement so she would not have to be carried *all* the time. Already she had developed the pokemon's sense of disliking enclosed spaces. Nature was wide open, not enclosed or restricted.
Seeing Sharie stand on her toes to reach a high branch, Madhea could bear it no longer.
She scooted to the edge of the tree she was under, and placed her little hands on the trunk. Her violet eyes narrowed in concentration as she struggled to get her tail to act as a center of balance, unsure of *quite* how it was done. This did not deter her, it only made her more determined. Her little fingers held onto the bark, and she pulled herself upwards until she was on the high tips of her toes, the way a Mewtwo was intended to stand.
"Mew! Me-eeew!"
Startled, Sharie turned around at Madhea's excited cry. She looked downwards, her eyes widening in astonishment. To her amazement, Madhea was *standing*, holding on tightly to a tree, but her face was flushed and her eyes triumphant.
"Meeeew!" she squealed again.
Sharie was frozen in surprise, but she was also suddenly very happy. Madhea was still very frail, her weak arms and legs were trembling, struggling to keep her upright, but already she had gained enough strength to stand on her own.
"Oh, Madhea! You did it!" Sharie cried, forgetting about firewood. She whisked Madhea into her arms and whirled her around and around. "That's a big girl!"
Madhea uttered a sound then, one that was rather startling to Sharie, for she could never recall Mewtwo ever making such a sound.
The young girl Mewtwo laughed aloud.
"Mew! Mew!"
To Sharie's trained ears, it rendered as "I did it! I can stand now!"
"It appears so," Sharie conceded, kissing Madhea's cheek.
"Mew! Mew--mew, mew."
Sharie was dumbfounded. "That's good and all, Madhea, but don't you think you should try getting used to standing before you try walking?"
The look on Madhea's face became even more determined. "Mew!"
Sharie sighed. From what she had read, the scientists had figured that being able to control Madhea from birth would make it much easier to bend her will. But it had become quickly clear to Sharie that Madhea's will was at least as powerful as Mewtwo's, if not moreso. If this had been the intents of the scientists, it would have been an utter failure.
"Okay," she agreed. "We'll try a few steps. But hold on to me."
She stood behind Madhea. Madhea lifted one graceful arm, and Sharie took her hand. The little pokemon then let go of the tree with her other hand. Moments later, Sharie was holding both hands securely, bending over her from behind. Madhea looked up and caught her eye, her amethyst eyes twinkling excitedly.
"Let's go," Sharie urged. "One foot in front of the other."
Madhea obeyed, but was rather startled by a wave of dizziness after moving just a few steps. Frustrated, she looked up into Sharie's eyes.
"You aren't used to being upright, Madhea," Sharie answered calmly. "Give it time. You have to get used to it. Also, you need to use your tail to balance. Making both legs and your tail work together takes practice."
"I will. I will practice every day. I want to walk."
She tried a few more steps, while Sharie held her hands. This time, she did not get so dizzy.
"That is enough for today," Sharie urged quietly. "Don't worry, Madhea. In a few days you will be running around as if you never had any cares in the world. You are getting stronger so fast I can't believe it."
****
Indeed, Sharie reflected that night, she couldn't believe it. It had not taken her long to discover the keen mind the child posessed. Even though Madhea had suffered greatly her first days, it had not affected her intelligence, which was turning out to be considerable. Madhea's large amethyst eyes missed nothing, and her senses were keen and sharp. Once she had gotten used to communicating, Madhea had started firing questions to Sharie about the world around her. Sharie answered patiently, at first simply so Madhea could understand, and then with more and more details as the girl's grasp of language and understanding grew at astonishing bounds--like most pokemon, Madhea was born with her language skills intact, a baby pokemon only needed exposure and practice to get used to the process.
Sharie suspected the lonliness Madhea had endured back at the lab, where she had been left alone for so long, would probably haunt her for some time. It was sad that she had already experienced something of the world's cruelty--being abandoned without knowing why. Those first days she was so desperate for contact she had loudly protested when Sharie set her down, even for a minute. Now, thankfully, her need for physical contact was not as great as she discovered what a great thing independence was. Already her personality was developing a stability and security that would be a strong asset to her later on in life. It was the very stability and security Sharie had wanted her to have so desperately, somehing Sharie and--she knew--Mewtwo themselves lacked.
It was the stability being loved and accepted by someone important to her granted her.
Sharie felt that she had been loved, but the cruelties of others from her first days, making her feel different and inferior because she was different, had crushed any such stability she would have gained in knowing who she was and what she could do in the world.
She sincerely hoped Madhea could make it without feeling the whole world was a cruel place that needed to be wiped out.
As Sharie promised, within days Madhea was running around as if nothing had ever impeded her movements. She also began to grow quickly, putting on weight and inches where she needed them. She was still small enough to fit easily into one of Sharie's arms, but Sharie no longer worried that her growth would be affected.
Two things happend around this time. Sharie began to train Madhea in various mental sheilding, before she even developed any powers, and Madhea discovered the world of reading.
Sharie was astounded again. From just looking over her shoulder while Sharie worked on her handheld computer Madhea guessed what letters were for. Sharie only had to give her one brief explanation about the alphabet, and Madhea instantly connected the rest. She discovered Sharie's electronic encyclopeida, and now, while Sharie carried her when she was tired, she read, learning of the rest of the world beyond the forests of Johto. Sharie even threw in some instructions on medicine and healing others, and information about forest plants and their properties. It was information that Madhea might find useful one day.
Sharie herself, while browsing the files the scientitsts had left behind about Madhea, discovered something interesting. It easily explained why Madhea seemed to know what other pokemon were on sight, when Sharie knew she had not been told before.
Even while floating in the womb, Madhea had been exposed to educational tapes, telling her about some of the other pokemon known, their attacks, and their weaknesses, and other information concerning the outside world she would soon inhabit. The information was not complete, but Madhea certainly remembered what she had been taught.
So Sharie added education to the list of things she was teaching Madhea. Soon, she knew, Madhea was going to start contemplating deeper questions, like why she was different and what her own purpose was, and why they were travelling this forest. In fact, she was probably thinking them already, and Sharie understood that Madhea sensed that she was unique in a world that had hardly seen her kind before. Sharie knew, too, that she had to be completely truthful with Madhea. The young pokemon deserved to know as soon as she ws able to understand just what the world could have in store for a young mewtwo.
****
An earsplitting shriek caught Sharie by surprise as they were walking along one day when Madhea was about three weeks old.
The cry raced straight up Sharie's spine. She turned in horror. "Madhea!"
Madhea screamed again, from where she was lying on the ground, holding her head in absolute agony.
"It hurts! It's so loud! Sharie, why does it hurt so?"
But she only screamed louder when Sharie approached.
That caused Sharie to understand what was happening. She pushed up her own mental barriers as far as she could so Madhea could not sense her.
Madhea was undergoing her first psychic surge.
Sharie was shocked. She had been preparing Madhea for when this would happen, but neither of them had expected anything of this intensity. It had to be deafening poor Madhea's mind with pain and mental noise, to be overwhelmed by so many extrasensory feelings and powers at once.
Sharie ended up having to forcibly pin Madhea's flailing little arms to her sides. She decided to use telepathy to introduce Madhea more to the concept of doing this herself, to get the girls to kick up the mental barriers she had been working on.
*Madhea, you have got to calm down,* she said with her mind, the soothing psychic undercurrent causing Madhea to still somewhat. *It is shocking to you, I know. It still shocks me every time I have to suffer it. I will help you.*
Indeed, even as she said it she pushed her own barriers around Madhea's mind as well, drowining out much of the mental noise for her. It was difficult--Sharie had not expected anywhere near this much power to pounce on the girl at one time, and her first time, at that.
Madhea became completely quiet as she listened to Sharie's mental voice.
*See how I am doing it, Madhea? Remember what I taught you? Can you raise your own barriers?*
*I've had no powers to practice with, Sharie,* came Madhea's own thoughts along the link Sharie had established.
*You do now. Do it just as I taught you. You will see how much such barriers can do for you. Pretty soon controlling your mind barriers will become so second nature you will forget you do it--you will even control them in your sleep. Go on, try.*
Madhea did so, her body glowing with the effort of mentally picturing invisible barriers around the newly-awakened Psychic turbulence in her mind.
Despite her efforts, the sheild was weak and wavery at best. Madhea struggled with it, knowing it had worked well before. But forcing it up against this monster invading her head....
*Do not fight it, Madhea. Flow along with it. There, that's it.*
Sharie sensed Madhea's heartbeat slow as she stopped her instinctive struggle against her own powers. She mimicked what she sensed Sharie doing with her own powers--allowing herself to harmonize with them. It was certainly a strange sensation but it felt better than fighting it, that was for sure.
Sharie withdrew her mind completely, allowing Madhea full control of her senses once again. The rigid body in her arms relaxed. The girl sighed and leaned against Sharie tiredly.
"Sharie?" she asked aloud, in her Mew language. "You are one of the few humans who can understand pokemon languages, aren't you? Especially without--well, linking your minds."
"Yes, Madhea. Most people can't do natually what I can do, but most trainers of pokemon soon come to understand it anyways, at least deep down. That happens when trainers get close to their pokemon."
"Still, I want everyone to understand me. You told me that there is another like me out there, and that he communicates only by telepathically projecting his thoughts. I want to try that, too. I could be more easily understood than simply....well, sounding like Mew."
Sharie tilted Madhea's face upwards with her hand and looked her in the eyes. "Don't force yourself to do so if you really don't want to, or for anybody's sake but your own, Madhea," she said softly. "Do what your heart tells you is right. Mewtwo has probably never heard his own physical voice. You were born unable to use your powers right away, and your voice was the only way to do so. All pokemon have this instinct for language, very early on. All pokemon understand each other's language, and the human language, too."
"Then why can't humans understand pokemon sub-languages? It must get frustrating, especially when some trainer captures a pokemon without asking them first."
"That is why I never capture pokemon, Madhea. Few things are worse than ripping a pokemon away from their home without their consent. You I knew I had to save, though, and that was different entirely. Yes, I'll teach you that. And now that you have some control, I can teach you how to harness that power, not just bury it, if that is what you want. It might be a wise thing to do--the world is a big place, beautiful in some places, very dangerous in others."
Madhea smiled at her. "You would really teach me?"
"Sure. But Madhea, know this: I am training you, but I consider you my equal. I am not your master. I would never ask anything of you that you are not willing to give. I will never place you in a battle against another trainer. I can't take advantage of you like that. It was the original reason you were created in the first place, but you do not have to suffer such a fate. All living creatures, human *or* pokemon, deserve to live where and how they choose, and I do not consider that any different for you. Okay?"
Madhea smiled. "Okay."
****
The weeks continued to pass. As Madhea grew, so did her understanding about the world around her. Sharie told her the full truth behind her creation, and of Mewtwo's history. Madhea also developed a full understanding of what it was to be different, in a world that saw her as different.
However, besides absorbing all the love Sharie was capeable of giving her, she also developed a determination to make it in a world that saw her as unnatural. Madhea knew that she walked in the moonlight, in the shadow realm between light and dark, but she was determined to one day walk as freely in the sun as she would by moonlight.
She did not fully understand, however, why Sharie, her human sister, would one day have to leave her.
"Because there are those evil out there who would want to take advantage of you, Madhea, soely because you are growing so powerful." Sharie painfully answered to the best of her ability. "You were born different, Madhea, as I was, and must eventually walk the same shadowy path that I walk, and find your own way. Mewtwo would be able to teach you how to use your powers as well as I can, if not moreso. He will know that he is truly not alone in the world if you are with him. But at all costs I want you to be kept safe from others who would try to use you to their evil ends. Especially while you are so young. With Mewtwo helping you you would be much safer than you ever could be with me."
"But I don't want to leave you!" Madhea protested. "You saved my life, and have given me more love than it seems a clone like myself would have ever been given. In all ways but blood alone you have been like my sister. You've cared for me like a mother but we bonded like sisters. How could I simply walk away and leave you alone, after all you have done for me?"
"Oh, Madhea." Sharie hugged her little friend fiercely, her own heart hurting. "Do not worry about me. Helping you gave me my own sense of purpose for awhile, where before I was lost and floundering. After we depart I must continue to wander, and find my own path. There can't possibly be any other real place in the world for me. What is best for you and the greater good of everyone involved is what plays in my mind. Truthfully, this is the best thing that can be done for you, to keep you safe."
Madhea trembled in her arms, and Sharie reassured her before the girl even thought what Sharie did not want her to think. "Do you think I want to leave you? That I desire to be rid of you? Heaven forbid!" Sharie's eyes grew bright and full of pain, and Madhea saw the deep feelings in their depths reflecting what she was speaking out loud. "When I leave you my heart will never be whole again, but I will cling to the thought that you are safe and that no scientist can experiment on you and put you in a cage, or no human will overcome your will and force you to bend to his. It was a horror I saw Mewtwo subjected to, and thank gods he broke free. Some cruel humans tried to treat me that way, too, behind my father's back. You will be with others life yourself, too, if you go. You won't be alone."
Sharie pressed Madhea even closer to her heart. "But there is doubt whether Mewtwo will even tolerate my being around him. He truly hates my family for how he has suffered. You would have nothing to do with it. I am sure he would accept your presence. But he would never accept me. It is why I must leave."
For many moments Madhea was silent, by now knowing the full story of Sharie's past links with Mewtwo.
She was aware enough of the world and of her own self to know that Sharie was right, the world probably would never fully accept her as she was--an enhanced pokemon clone. To many, she was an unnatural carbon copy, a reflection, nothing more than a shadow with no real life or substance. At least with Mewtwo and his other clones she would not be alone, and be with others like herself if Mewtwo agreed to it. She had become as aware of the shadows she walked in as Sharie was.
Madhea pulled back and looked at Sharie's face. She was staring off into the distance, struggling unsuccessfully to control the emotions playing across her face. Madhea frowned, knowing how much Sharie loved her. That she had never doubted and did not have to think about twice. She also knew she was everything to Sharie, and the human girl was everything to her. The look of heartbreak Sharie was trying to hide from her now spoke volumes. She would happily follow Sharie anywhere, and hang the risk to herself. All she really wanted right now was to stay with the one person who could truly understand her.
"Sharie?" she asked at last. "Would you force me to stay with him?"
For a moment, Sharie was surprised. She remembered how she had warred with herself ages before over the very same question.
"No," she answered honestly. "I would be going against everything I was, and everything I've taught you, if I did not allow you to have the same freedoms as every being, human or pokemon deserves. That includes choice. According to many people's standards, Madhea, we do not fit, do not belong. We are not normal. We must make our own standards and decide for ourselves what normal is if we are to survive at all, or find a place to belong. And yet--being unique is just as important. I know I don't want to be like everyone else, no matter what I've been through."
She rocked back and frorth, still holding Madhea tightly. "The best thing for you would be staying with Mewtwo, far from the world and man, at least until you are grown and able to fully take care of yourself and your ever-growing powers. And to Mewtwo, especially from someone like me.
"I would also be selfish if I simply kept you with me without giving you the chance to be as free and happy as you deserve to be, even though leaving you will tear my heart out. You'd be exposed to dangers I would never want for you."
With a deep breath Sharie voiced the vow she had made long ago out loud for Madhea to hear. "But if, after meeting Mewtwo and the other clones, your heart's deepest pull is the desire to remain with me at all costs, then I swear to you, Madhea, I will be willing to have you at my side. I will do everything I can to protect you and we will find our own way in the shadowland we have walked. The choice is going to be far from easy, but in the end, the decision will be yours alone."
Madhea understood how important a decision it was, but how could anything change her heart's desire? Could she ever be happy living far away from the world, with a small crowd of other clones--and Mewtwo, the one living soul on this planet who was like herself? Could he ever understand her as well as Sharie did? Could they share what she did with Sharie?
It was hard, going with what Sharie desired for her and knowing it was for the best. Sharie would never rest easy unless she knew Madhea was safe. That versus going with Sharie at all costs, even if she had to be exposed to a world full of dangers. The weight of this decision, Sharie had told her, would, in the end, likely rest on her shoulders alone. Madhea also suddenly understood something Sharie had not voiced, but had surely considered herself--that the consequences of each decision could be far-flung. She could not just make such a choice on impulse. She would have to see what both sides of the choice offered her, both good and bad and weigh it all for herself. Madhea, in the end, alone would have to search her heart and make what she felt would be the best decision.
****
One night, a few nights later, Sharie had a strange dream. One that was certainly unusual, but also vividly real.
Deep within the earth, she sensed a danger. It ran so deeply that usually it would only be pokemon themselves that would be aware of it. What kind of danger she could not tell.
The dream shifted, and she suddenly saw herself asleep--like her spirit had left her body and was standing beside it.
In the dark came a flutter, and a green blur approached the sleeping human and pokemon. Sharie could not clearly make out the pokemon's face, but she saw a small green body with delicate, almost transparent, wings flying around in the shadows. The small figure stopped and hovered over the sleeping pair fo a moment, as if hesistating. Sharie saw a pair of eyes in the pokemon flash, and her own body glowed for an instant.
The small creature made a sound of satisfaction. From nowhere came a sparkle, and a small object appeared in its hand--an amethyst-colored stone set in what looked like a diamond-shape cut from a seashell or porcelain. The pokemon seemed to regard it for a moment, then lowered itself to the ground.
Gently, it pushed the object into Sharie's still hand.
The figure rose and looked at her a moment longer. Sharie herself, watching this, could not move.
With a sparkle, the small green figure then vanished.
And Sharie woke up.
****
For a moment, she sat there, breathing hard, suddenly seeing the pink in the east telling her it was nearly sunrise. *What a strange dream. Why would I dream that? What did that...figure put into my hand, in the dream?*
Her hand!
She drew in a sharp breath. Her hand was curled around something! Something small....
She brought her hand up close to her eyes and slowly uncurled her fingers. She was not sure whether to be afraid or awed. Only one thing was clear.
Her dream had been very real.
In her hand was the mysterious object she had seen put into her hand in the middle of the night. In the early morning light, the amethyst-colored stone sparkled brightly, and the material it was set in did indeed feel like a seashell.
Sharie let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. So someone had visited her during the night and given her....something. But--what was it for?
When Madhea awoke a few minutes later, Sharie was still staring at the charm, her face deeply contemplative.
She did not even see Madhea watching her, and jumped a bit when Madhea spoke using the psychic voice projection she had come to favor.
"I never saw you wear that piece of jewelry before, Sharie."
Sharie looked at Madhea, but still felt unable to say anything. She held it up between them, the sunlight catching on the jewel in the center. It was the exact same color as their eyes.
"I've never worn it before, that is why," she said slowly, finding her voice at last. "We had a visitor last night, Madhea, and I have no idea why this was put in my hands."
Now able to talk, she told Madhea what she had seen.
"A green creature?" Madhea asked. "Was it a pokemon?"
"I don't know, Madhea. I did not recognize it. I could not even see it's face clearly."
"Better keep it, then," said Madhea. "Maybe there was a reason it was given to you."
Sharie wasn't sure, but Madhea's words did carry merit. She strung the charm around her neck on the same chain she kept a golden locket she always wore, for safekeeping.
Whatever the reason for the charm, she did not know why as yet.
****
More weeks passed.
Madhea was now three months old. She had continued to grow rapidly, now the size of a small child. Except for the continuing hints of her frail side, she had thrived. With all the love Sharie had given her during her early vital months, there was a security and stability about her nature that both Sharie and Mewtwo themselves had missed out on. When she did something she was sure of herself and her actions, and did not doubt every little thing. Part of Madhea was happy and easygoing, mixed with a side of her that was just as serious, and deeply contemplative, seeing a world in far deeper tones than most people would normally see things or even think about them. Perhaps, Sharie reflected, this would be the greatest trait she shared with the one like herself, Mewtwo.
She had become an odd mix of personality traits, too--in some ways, Madhea acted her age, loving to play and have fun like any child would do. But she also strongly reflected the deep wisdom she had been born with and Sharie had encouraged to grow. It was the mind of a child with the intelligence and reasoning of a much older person, pokemon or human. It was a mix that could easily get her into trouble.....or give her the ability to quickly think her way out of it.
Madhea's powers had continued to surge out of control several times. Each time Sharie had brought her under control and trained her in various uses, but Sharie could not fully explain why it was happening in this manner. It was nothing the scientists had done, for they had done the exact same enhancements to Madhea as they had done to Mewtwo, and Sharie had long since determined that they had not messed up anywhere. Sharie's best guess was that the Mew she had been cloned from also had powers of such a quirky nature.
The way Sharie was training Madhea was vastly different than what Giovanni had used on Mewtwo. They worked together, often becoming like one mind at times. Sharie had her own signature attack, the Psychic Triwave attack. It was an attack she had discovered herself years before while experimenting with her abilities. No psychic pokemon she had ever met knew it offhand, much less any other psychic *human*, even her father. It wasn't known to science or the League in general. However, she found out that some psychic pokemon were capeable of learning it. She had already taught her father's favorite Alakazam--the same one who had first told her father she was Psychic as a baby--and an Espeon at another lab such a move. She had even taught her father such a move, though it was on a much weaker scale. Using his psychic powers for attack purposes was not a talent of his. Still, it was a rare move and she felt safe passing it on to Madhea.
With Madhea's consent, Sharie had also set out to do what Giovanni, in his arrogance, had not thought of to do--teach Madhea moves outside her type. Giovanni had found Mewtwo so powerful that training his Psychic powers was all that he felt was necessary. Telekenetically Mewtwo might be able to control elements, like kicking up storm clouds or summoning waves of water from nearby water sources. Even controlling temperature he could do telekenetically. But using the actual move type itself, outright Water Gun or Blizzard, Sharie doubted he had been trained on.
But with so many new pokemon discovered, and the discovery of the Dark type, she did not want Madhea relying on just that and nothing more. Rumor had it that Mew was capeable of learning all the specialty moves of other pokemon. Sharie decided to put this to the test, and already Madhea knew a wide variety of moves besides Psychic ones.
For her own safety, Sharie also made sure her Physical Attack also grew as well as her Special abilities. Madhea's health continued to improve as constant exercise increased her Defense as well as her Special Defense abilitiy.
For the most part, Madhea was healthy now. There was one dark shadow, though. A few weeks before Madhea had caught a case of pokemon flu. In most pokemon, this was very mild.
In Madhea it had turned into something very serious. Her weak immune system could not handle it. It had taken three days before Sharie had overcome the flu in Madhea with the constant care she gave.
In fact, she was amazed she did not catch it herself--humans weren't exactly immune. Maybe she had, and just did not know it--she seemed to grow increasingly worn out as the days passed, although she strove her utmost to hide this from Madhea.
For now, Madhea was fine.
The flu incident only doubled Sharie's conviction, however, to get to Mt. Quena. Madhea was extremely powerful now, her stats going higher in leaps and bounds every day that passed.
None of that would do her any good with her frail edge still able to kill her. It was Sharie's ferverent hope that the waters hidden in the depths of Mt. Quena would remove Madhea's weakness, take away the ghostly pallor to Madhea's skin, and restore her to full health. Maybe it would also unleash the hidden potiential Madhea had, the powers being held back from her because of this lasting frailty. The only danger she could think of is Madhea having so much power unleashed on her at once that neither one would be able to handle it. It was a risk Madhea had said she was willing to take.
Whatever the outcome, Sharie at least wanted her to be fully healthy. Madhea deserved so much more than what she was limited to now, even though she was already as powerful as many other pokemon were ever likely to be.
****
Sharie and Madhea broke through the forst edge one day, and an awesome sight greeted them, leaving both a bit breathless from wonder.
In the far distance rose, at a great height, the Johto reigon's greatest natural wonder.
Mt. Quena!
Sharie was the first to find her voice. "That's it, Madhea! That is Mt. Quena! Isn't it grand?"
Madhea's eyes were wide. "And Mewtwo actually lived at the top of that thing? Mt. Quena is out in the open!"
Sharie reached down and picked her up, hugging her absently. "Look around you, kiddo. The geographical traits of this area are pretty unique. From now on we could be buffeted by storms, blizzards, or even typhoons. Very few humans ever visit this area, and even fewer have ever *considered* trying to climb Mt. Quena. Of the few that have, only a fraction of them remember it, due to Mewtwo's erasing their memory. Luna Carson and Cullen Calix are the only humans around for miles, and even they don't remember."
"But you said they were good guys, not nasty like Giovanni," mused Madhea.
Their hearts are in the right place, but most of the problem, I think, was Cullen. He is a medical researcher for humans, and his emphasis on the waters of the spring and clarity lake were for exploiting them for human needs. He cared about pokemon and all of that--he even sacrificed his first sample to save a couple of pikachus--but his mind dwelled a little too much on what it could mean for humans. In those instances, he forgot about pokemon. He would probably have still tried to expose the secret of Mt. Quena's waters to the ouside world. Mewtwo did not want that chance taken. Luna most likely would not have herself, but she had developed feelings for Cullen. I think Mewtwo decided it was best if she was left in the dark as well."
"Mewtwo would not do that to you, would he?" asked Madhea anxiously. "You've taught me how to resist someone trying to telepathically erase my memory, but are you strong enough to rebuff Mewtwo if he tries?"
It was one time Sharie was able to provide Madhea with a clear answer. "Madhea, I believe that is the one area where I know how I stand against Mewtwo. For some reason, I have always been obsessed with protecting myself against mental intrusion, to the point I am sure not even Mewtwo can do it. Other than that, though, it is likely his powers supercedes mine easily. Besides," Sharie turned and planted a quick kiss on Madhea's forehead. "I don't want to forget you, Madhea. Losing you will be bad enough, if you stay. Losing your memory would be doubtless much worse, because Mewtwo can try to erase the memories in my mind--but the memories in my heart can never be breached. And that area, my little friend, is where the bond we share resides, and my love for you. That, I can never forget."
Madhea hugged her fiercely. "Neither will I," she vowed. "Neither will I! Whether I leave or stay, what we have shared I swear I wll never forget! You gave me life, and you have loved me with everything you have. I will never forget."
"And Madhea, you gave me the ability to feel inside my heart again for the first time in more years than I can count. After all we have shared, I could never forget it, either, no matter what the outcome is to be. Come on. Mt. Quena isn't far now."
****
They had barely started walking again when an enormous roar stopped them in mid-step.
Beneath their feet, the ground shook.
Another series of loud roars filled the air, and the area around them quivered.
From behind Sharie, Madhea gave a gasp and lost her footing. She had to clutch at Sharie's slender legs before she hit the ground.
"Mew!" she cried aloud, so starlted she forgot to speak psychically. "What's happening?"
"I don't know," Sharie answered. "That is too loud to be just any pokemon battle! There may be trouble, Madhea--we must see what is going on. Someone may be hurt!"
Another searis of roaring quakes knocked Sharie flat, and Madhea stumbled with her. Dizzily Sharie made her way to her feet, ignoring the sudden pain in her ankle.
"Stay behind me, Madhea!" she warned.
Together, they approached a hill that ended abruptly, telling Sharie there was a cliff below it. The roars seemed to be coming from below.
Cautiosly, Sharie scooted to the edge, gripping the grass for all she was worth. The strong ground quakes could easily knock her over the cliff edge so fast she would not be able to telepathically fly out of harm's way before she hit the ground and killed herself.
On her stomach, she scooted over to the edge of the cliff and peered downards.
The sight that greeted her shocked her clear to her toes.
This was not how she pictured she would meet Mewtwo--trying vainly to battle off a crazed Tyranitaur!
****
Sharie came out of her shock moments later when Madhea edged up beside her and peered over the cliff herself, seeing what was below. She gave a soundless gasp at what she saw, then turned huge, scared eyes to Sharie.
Sharie already was pulling her pokedex from her pack.
"That is a Tyranitaur like I told you about," she said softly. "Rarer even than Dragonite. Probably one of the greatest danger to any psychic pokemon ever. Let me see it's level...."
The pokedex gave her a reading on the monster's level.
Sharie almost fell over the cliff in surprise. No wonder Mewtwo, a Legendary Pokemon, was having such trouble!
That Tyranitaur was at level 100! Peak level!
Twin sets of amethyst eyes met each other's. Both knew that if they did not do something fast, even a legendary pokemon like Mewtwo could well be history.
But what could be done?
****
End chapter 3.
Got interesting towards the end, eh? Keep an eye out for part 4, when Mewtwo meets Sharie and Madhea for the first time. How are they going to react? Can they fight off such a pokemon? Because not only is Tyranitaur a dark-type, he is surely at a much higher level than even Mewtwo is....stay tuned.