Breaking the Mold

Chapter 3

"You're listening to Radio Hoenn, WRHN, in the morning. Don't touch that dial, because we've got news, weather, and a whole lot of your favorite songs coming up.

"Weather today is partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers around noon, but they'll clear up fast. Cloudy tonight, but we're gonna see some sun tomorrow! Later this week we might get a cool front moving in from the north, but it won't stick around long. It's 72 degrees in Lilycove, 78 in Evergrande, and75 at the Weather Institute. We'll be right back with our guest of the hour, Archie from AMEP."

"WRHN! HOENN IN THE MORNING~!"

'Nice day today. Good day,' Leon the Kecleon commented, crawling back into the cave where the other two waited. 'Good day to go out. Lots of boats.'

Roth growled good-naturedly and ambled over to join his friend. 'Hungry,' he announced.

'You always hungry,' Kecleon complained. 'Eat too much, be a big, fat, useless Slaking. You walking yet, Knot?'

'I'm getting there,' the tall, pale pokemon said optimistically. His limbs had gained some muscle tone, and his wounds had healed. A few light scars were the only remaining evidence of his long journey. He held onto the rough cave wall and pulled himself along slowly, forcing his legs to submit to his wishes. His long purple tail acted as a brace, inching along with him.

As he turned back to the wall, Leon eyed him intently, sizing him up, his colors shifting marginally.

'Keep trying,' he said cheerfully, going back to his usual bright green. 'We go get some food, be back in a while. C'mon, Roth.'

As the two left, Knot glanced up. His eyes narrowed as the curled tail slipped out of sight. Something stirred in the foggy recesses of his mind, but it was gone again before he could grasp at it.

*****************************************

"And the Weather Institute has informed us that all visitors to Mount Pyre should avoid the summit next week due to the high winds and lightning strikes."

"That'll put a damper on preparations for the annual Pyre Fly festival, won't it? Eheheh."

"Yes. Yes, it will. Hardly a laughing matter for the Hex Society, I'm guessing."

"Well, Mr. Archie, do you have anything else to add about the environment in Hoenn? How's the river cleanup project going?"

"It's going well. I'd say we're around 75% there. But there's something else that all Hoenn residents should be aware of, especially those in the greater Lilycove area. We've been noticing that our psychic-type pokemon have shown a dramatic rise in power and general energy levels lately. Trainers in the area, even those just passing by, have confirmed it. We don't have an explanation yet, but we think it may be some sort of atmospheric disturbance. The Magma branch is looking into the matter, and we're hoping to have something to tell you soon."

"And here I thought my Kadabra was just getting stronger! We'll sure look forward to hearing about that. But we're just about out of time for this week, so I'd like to thank Archie, co-founder of the AMEP group, for taking a break from TV to do an interview with us!"

"Thank you, Ted."

"One more thing before you go. What's the best radio station in Hoenn?"

"I'd have to say KLAM."

"..."

"..."

"...This is WRHN, Hoenn in the Morning."

"WRHN! HOENN IN THE MORNING~!"

"Oh..."

Doctor Langes turned off the radio thoughtfully and looked over at Doctor Celac. "Do you think that could be our missing specimen?"

"I'd be willing to bet my life that it is," interjected Professor Hern.

The three looked up. A bunch of plainclothes Team Rocket grunts were sorting through the last of the rubble, picking out anything worth saving and disposing of the rest. Now and then one of the scientists had to stop them from throwing away something useful. The specimens and the small cadre of Team Rocket were currently staying in a Secret Base that one of that grunts had her Golbat carve out of the mountainside.

A few representatives of the AMEP, Aqua-Magma Environmental Protection group, had stopped by to investigate a while ago. They seemed satisfied with the cover story, that a research lab had collapsed due to faulty materials imported from Orre.

"We're done here, Professor," a female grunt said. "If you three are ready, we'll start loading the specimens into the truck."

"I think one of us should stay behind and keep searching for the missing one."

"That's being taken care of," the grunt said with a smirk. "Giovanni's dispatching a team right now to search every inch of Hoenn."

"They'll need to start around Lilycove, and watch for bursts of psychic energy," Hern said, narrowing his eyes at the grunt's tone.

"They know how to do their job."

"Fine." The scientist threw up his hands in disgust. "It can be on their heads when they don't find anything."

"Except Giovanni knows you're the one who lost it in the first place."

Hern turned angrily and stalked towards the Secret Bast. "If you're finished spouting your mouth, we have to get the specimens packed on your truck."

"Can we drop her in the ocean on the way home?" wondered Dr. Celac, eying the smug grunt.

"I wouldn't mind it," said Langes, scratching a mosquito bite. "She'd be right at home with the Sharpedo." He looked around into the trees. "Hey... you ever get the feeling you're being watched?"

Celac turned to scrutinize the greenery. "...Probably just a pokemon. Come one, let's go help."

"Okay..."

*****************************************

Leon turned slowly to Roth, who was hanging in the dense leaves beside him. His eyes spun.

'What thinking?'

'That it good thing Knot stay home. Stay here, I want see something.'

The Kecleon scuttled down the tree, shifting to brown to match the trunk, then green to blend in with the grass. He clung to the shadows, creeping through the trees towards the Secret Bast, watching the humans and their tame pokemon mill about. His tongue flicked out thoughtfully. Turning grayish-brown, he crawled over to the rocky wall and slipped into the small cave.

Inside it was warm and dry. There was a loud whirring noise coming from a machine in the back, which was hooked up to a big metal box. A man with longish gray hair was angrily throwing switches and mashing buttons while a few other humans, mostly in black clothes, picked things up and carried them out. Leon crawled along the wall, pressed as flat as he could get, until he was up near the ceiling, nearly over the metal container.

What he saw there nearly made him fall in.

There were three other Knots. One seemed to be missing a finger. They were covered in healing scars, but the wounds did not seem fresh. Leon's tongue flicked in and out. His rotating eyes darted around the room. Too many people. He slunk down into a corner behind the tank.

'?'

"Kec!" Leon jumped.

'Who is that?' asked a voice in his head.

'What is it?' another joined in.

'It is not us, and not them.' Three voices that sounded like Knot, but not quite. 'What are you?'

'...Kecleon,' he answered, trying to sound confident. 'Who you?'

'We? We are we, we are us,' one replied.

'That no answer,' Leon said, a little annoyed. He eyed the tank, realizing that its inhabitants were as helpless as Knot had been a couple of months ago. 'What you?'

'What?' There seemed to be murmuring as they consulted.

'Specimens.'

'Warriors, some day.'

'Warriors? Who you fight? You can't move!'

'We will train. When we are ready, we will be unstoppable.'

Leon thought for a moment, his eyes spinning slowly. 'Why?'

Silence.

'Why? Because... we will.'

'I know you smarter than that. Why? Got many enemies?'

Muttering. 'No.'

'Maybe one...'

'Maybe one not many. Maybe one enemy, and three you, fight once, maybe twice. Finished.'

'There is a fourth,' the highest voice offered.

A pause.

'You know,' the most self-assured voice said. 'You know our brother. You know about us.'

Leon's heart raced. 'Him, yeah. I found him, fixed him up. Trying to find out more now. Didn't know about you. He said something, I thought it dream.'

The three voices converged in excitement. Leon waited until it died down.

'So you don't know who, what or why you here.'

'Do you?' countered one.

'Maybe. Maybe more than you. But not much.' He hesitated. 'Ever heard of Mewtwo?'

There was a kind of mental jolt.

'N – no. But... I think we should have.'

'What is it?'

'A very strong pokemon. Made by humans to be their weapon. It not like being used, so escaped. Very angry, hated everyone. Not many know about it. I saw a book with it. Only couple people saw it. Years ago. Picture looks like you. Kind of.'

Silence.

'We... are Mewtwo?'

'Probably. Mostly.' Leon's eyes darted around. 'I should go.'

'Our brother... give him our greetings.'

A pause.

'Tell him what you told us,' one ordered; almost threatened.

'Right. Yeah.' Leaon was edging back along the wall to the cave mouth.

"Hey, when did that thing get in?" a man in a long white coat said loudly.

Two black-clad humans ran over with sticks. Leon fled into the trees.