Chapter 4

Legends of Different Kinds

The next day the trio headed to the massive building.

Laura had Sprout hack away the tree blocking the entrance and they cautiously entered the ground floor.

They were not met with hostility however. Instead, a grunt near the door whispered to them.

"Hey! It's me, Looker! Being an agent of the International Police, it is only natural I be a master of disguise." He whipped away the disguise, it magically vanishing in a way nobody could understand. "Incidentally, you are a first-rate trainer, something of which I am well aware." He said to Laura.

"I therefore think you will be okay, but I shall warn you anyway. Also, a word of advice; this building, it has two sets of stairs; a trap one must be. But the crooks of team galactic do not seem, shall I say, smart. There should be an easy way to tell them apart!"

In a blur he put his disguise back on.

"Thanks..." Laura replied.

"So what's the plan?" Asked Lucas.

"I shall head left. You two go right. I can handle any opposition I may meet alone." Mewtwo said.

"Alright, good luck and be careful." Laura said as she and Lucas headed right.

Mewtwo encountered two battle-ready grunts right off the bat, but knocked them out with hypnosis. He didn't have time for petty things like battles, particularly in an area where he could blow his cover, and especially in enemy territory. He proceeded and found an X Accuracy on the ground, pocketing it and returning to his comrades.

There was no resistance whatsoever on Laura and Lucas's end.

'This is odd,' Lucas thought 'Surely they'd have gotten word of our actions at the Windworks by now. That leaves one option; this is a trap.'

"Laura," he whispered.

"What?"

"We're walking into a trap. We have to be, that's the only reason they're be no resistance like this."

"Alright. Then let's stay alert."

Mewtwo approached them from behind.

"Greetings. It appears this is the correct path."

Then they encountered more stairs.

Mewtwo probed the mind of the woman at work at a nearby desk.

"Left set." he informed.

He probed a grunt on the next floor for the next two sets of stairs.

"Left again..."

They arrived in a dark room; they could barely see in this low light.

"One moment. FLASH!" There was a blinding flash, and then mewtwo had a glowing ball of light hovering in front of his extended right hand. The three walked for a bit before arriving in a room with a magenta-haired woman and a middle aged man.

Behind the woman was a Clefairy and a buneary.

The woman was messing with a computer.

"Hey!"

"Eh? Did you want something? OH, you're probably here to free the Pokemon. Fine. I, Jupiter will deal with you."

"Jupiter? Do tell me that isn't your real name." Mewtwo said.

"What if it is? Doesn't matter! Time to battle."

Laura was about to accept when Mewtwo pushed her aside.

" I believe I should battle; I have yet to fight any Pokemon from this region, and I believe I should familiarize myself with the "Local Flavor" if you will." He smirked. "That, and I can give her quite a scare."

"Fine! Send out your Pokemon!" Jupiter commanded, sending out a Zubat.

"Very well." He changed in a flash of light and her eyes went wide.

"What...WHat..."

"Surprised? I am Mewtwo, the first Pokemon created by man. I will be your opponent."

He raised a finger in a gun-like position and a yellow ball of electricity formed on his fingertip.

"Zap Cannon."

The Zubat went down.

Then she sent out a Skuntank.

"Be careful! That one's Dark and Poison!" Lucas warned.

"Not a problem. Miracle Eye."

His eyes glowed bright white as did the Skuntank for a moment.

The Pokemon then attacked with Night Slash, which Mewtwo gracefully dodged.

He placed his hands behind him, space between, and a clay brown ball of energy charged in between them.

"HYPER BEAM!"

The attack hit the Skuntank and it fainted.

"Technical Machines... such useful devices."

Mewtwo didn't need type advantage; he was raw power.

"Aren't you tough? It's fine though, our official Pokemon statue investigation is finished. Mars collected energy from the Valley Windworks. We're pretty much finished here. I'll let you in on one little thing; our boss is researching the myths of ancient Pokemon. With the power of Mythological Pokemon, he will become ruler of Sinnoh. I suggest you keep out of Team Galactic's affairs from now on. This is your last warning!"

The lights went out.

When they came back on Jupiter was gone.

Mewtwo returned to his disguise and handed the X Accuracy from earlier to Laura.

"I got my Clefairy back! Thank you! A man who had been in the room when they arrived said. "But that Team Galactic...They said 'Clefairy came from space! Hand it over!' Anyways, I can't thank you enough now, so drop by my cycle shop later, okay?"
He ran off with his Pokemon.

"A cycle shop huh? Alright, let's go." Lucas said.

On their way there, they met Cynthia again.

Mewtwo was finding himself feeling strangely around her since he had taken his new form, but blew it off as instinct from their first encounter.

"Oh! There you are! I was looking for you; I've got something nice." She reached into a backpack and pulled out a Pokemon egg, looking not at Laura, but at Lucas; she knew about his position from Rowan and thought he might be interested in this kind of thing. "Will you take care of it?" She held it out to him.

He was excited, but refused to stoop to that ruffian's level. "Of course! This is a rare Research opportunity!"

"That's wonderful! Keep it with you; it'll hatch while you travel. I'm glad I could help you add to your pokedex."

With that, she left.

Mewtwo recognized the markings on the egg, but kept to himself. He didn't want to spoil the boy's surprise.

Lucas carefully tucked it in his backpack, making sure to allow airflow to a degree.

They then went into the nearby bike shop.

"Thanks for rescuing me! To show my thanks, take these!" He rolled up two bikes, one red, one blue.

Mewtwo understood why there were two; the man knew what he was and knew he could get around faster without the bikes.

"It's the latest model! Take them, I insist! Here's the manuals" He passed them two booklets.

The two wheeled the bikes out of the shop and read the manuals; apparently they were made of a strong, lightweight material and were collapsable, but wouldn't do so during use.

Even Laura could strap hers down to her back and carry it they were so light.

They decided to head east, where Laura caught a Machop and named it Ridge.

However, that was the only good thing of going there; large boulders blocked the way further into the Mountain.

"Perhaps we should head south; I shall drop my disguise and make the travel myself along side the road; I can keep up with your bicycles." Mewtwo suggested.

"Alright, that sounds good. We can make it before nightfall if we go now." Lucas agreed.

Mewtwo took off at top speed to avoid drawing attention, separating the group.

The other members entered the gate... and Lucas's jaw dropped.

"Dad?"

"Ah Lucas, Laura! It's been a while hasn't it? I'm here to deliver something to Laura."

He reached into a bag and pulled out a strange device.

"The Exp Share! Give it to a Pokemon and it'll get stronger without even battling!"

"Cool! Thanks!" Laura decided to give it to Ridge; he a bit behind the rest of her team.

The two then made the trip down cycling road.

After exiting onto Route 207, they met up with Mewtwo, who had taken human form again.

They continued onward, battling three trainers, one a double battle.

Then, Lucas's father appeared again. This time, he had an app for their poketches and Vs. Seekers.

Laura tried out the Dousing Machine app and discovered a Great Ball, buried in the dirt.

The two looked at the lower entrance to Mt. Cornet.

"Oh boy..." Laura wasn't thrilled about going for another stroll in a cave.

Suddenly, the egg began to vibrate in Lucas's backpack.

He swiftly retrieved it and it hatched into a Togepi

"It's so cute!" Cooed Laura.

The Pokemon, however, had imprinted on Lucas and would not settle for being crammed in a pokeball or given to Laura.

"It would appear we have yet another traveling companion." Mewtwo commented.

Lucas sighed and reluctantly carried the Pokemon in his arms, very certain he looked laughable right now.

Laura grabbed Lucas's arm again, and Togepi was not happy to have to share Lucas at all.

Lucas took out a can of something and sprayed it into the air.

While the humans noticed nothing, Togepi and Mewtwo had a different reaction.

Togepi covered its face and Mewtwo gagged.

"What WAS that?" asked Mewtwo.

"Oh...Sorry, it was a repel. Hey, if you take the lead it should ward off any Pokemon."

Mewtwo sighed and walked in front.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"We'll find a way out of here soon enough. We have to."

No sooner had he said that than Cyrus came running down some stairs. He shoved Mewtwo out of the way.

"According to one theory, Mt. Coronet is where Sinnoh began..." he looked away from the group. "In a newly created world...A world where only time flowed and space expanded. There should have been no strife."

"What are you talking about?" Laura asked; this man had a habit of just ranting on when he met them.

"But what became of the world?" He asked her, ignoring her complaints. Of course, the question was rhetorical. " Because the human spirit is weak and incomplete strife has spread. This world is being ruined by it. I find this state of affairs to be deplorable."

"You say some things true. However, I have seen that good exists in this world with my own two eyes; it was that which changed me from what you are now." Mewtwo countered.

"You speak as if you were not human." Cyrus answered.

"Don't give me that, human. Your Commander surely told you what happened in Eterna. Therefore, you know who and what I am. That is why I can say what I have with a perspective different than yours."

"So you say... you are no better than the rest of my kind." Cyrus said, walking away.

After he left Mewtwo stood in silence.

"...I have seen what anarchy brings. Certainly whatever he is planning isn't any better than what he is saying the world is like now. Come, we must push onward." Mewtwo motioned them forward.

It was a short walk however. Soon they entered daylight again.

The sun, however, was advancing to the horizon and the sky was turning orange.

Swiftly heading east, the three exited the gate, with Laura in the lead.

Then a Buneary slammed into Laura's legs.

She picked it up and a young woman ran over, catching her breath.

"Oh thank you for catching my Buneary! If it weren't for you, who KNOWS where it might have gotten off to!" The young woman took the Pokemon and drew a pokeball. "Back into the pokeball you go, Buneary!"

The young lady then introduced herself. "I'm Keira, a Pokemon contest judge. Be sure to drop by the Contest Hall so I can thank you properly!" Keira then ran off again.

"That was random," Lucas commented.

"Contest Hall? Wonder what that's about."

"Ah yes, a rather undignified event, despite the formalities needed to gain entry. Humans dress their Pokemon in silly articles and have them use variations of normal moves to impress a panel of three judges. It may be fun for the trainer, but I doubt the Pokemon enjoy it as much." Mewtwo explained.

"Although I thought they were strictly in Hoenn, it seems they have reached Sinnoh as well."

They headed for the Pokemon center to spend the night.

The next day they decided to look around town. They found the contest hall easily, and decided to visit there first.

They entered and Keira noticed them.

"Oh! My hero!"

Laura's jaw dropped when she saw who Keria was with.

"MOM? What are you doing all the way out here?" Laura asked, shocked.

"Oh, hi Laura."

"No way! Really? Johanna is your mom?" Karia exclaimed. "So you might be a contest star?"

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Johanna replied. "I've never spoken to Laura about contests."

"What? Wait wait, Johanna? I need some backstory here!" Laura exclaimed.

"When I was your age I used to compete in these contests regularly, and was a regular winner too. I'm surprised you two know each other as much as you are about me." Her mother said.

"Oh yes, that's right!" Keria exclaimed. "I need to thank you for earlier! Here's this accessory!" She handed Laura a small jar of Glitter powder.

Mewtwo felt ill but didn't show it.

"Put that accessory on your Pokemon before a contest!" Explained Keria. "It will add a nice touch of sophistication and glamor. Remember, I'm a contest judge, so come join us for a different kind of fun."

"O-okay..." Laura replied, taking in the information.

"If you're unsure of yourself, we have practice rooms as well." Keira turned to Laura's mother. "Alright Johanna, I'll see you."

"Bye!"

Johanna turned to Laura.

"So, who are these two young gentlemen?"

Lucas turned a light shade of pink, while Mewtwo's emotionless gaze remained.

"I-I'm Lucas. It's a pleasure to meet you. I work for Professor Rowan as a research assistant. He sent me to go along with Laura."

"My name is Mewtwo," the Pokemon began in a low voice. "I was sent by Arceus himself to protect your Daughter. I am a genetically altered clone of Mew, hence my ability to take this form. You may tell nobody of that."

Her mother wasn't sure how to take that, but he looked trustworthy.

"Allow me to sing your daughter's praises however; she has twice over stopped the plans of the Criminal Organization Team Galactic and had defeated two of the eight Gym Leaders in Sinnoh. Her team is very strong, and she has an answer for almost every situation. You should be proud of her." The Pokemon concluded.

"All that? You're growing up so fast. What about Lucas?" Laura's mother asked her daughter.

Laura turned red and stood speechless.

Mewtwo came to her aid.

"Lucas is a brilliant mind. He's extremely gifted, and has a serious future in Pokemon Research. Currently he's taking care of that thing in his arms, gifted to him by an old... acquaintance... of mine. He and Laura are simultaneously building the pokedex. His team is strong as well. He and Laura have a synergy when they battle together; it is as if they can read each other's minds. I have never seen them struggle in a double battle." Mewtwo paused. He was going to have his sick twisted fun. "It would be wise for you to know they've made physical contact a number of times. Your Daughter's deathly fear of Zubat and other Cave-Dwelling creatures causes her to instinctively latch onto this boy's arm when they enter a cave. According to my "sister" mew, these two and that strange boy with the infinite energy reserves are involved in some sort of unconscious love triangle or something of the like."

This earned him an attack from Laura nd Lucas, whom he knocked off with a light burst of telekinesis.

Laura's mother giggled.

"What you lack in personality, you definitely make up for in honesty. I'll take your word for it." She turned to her daughter, who was getting up off the floor. "You were probably surprised to see me here, werent' you?"

"Yeah I was!"
"I decided to take a vacation to Hearthhome. I'm just as surprised to see you here!"

"Well, we got here last night and decided to look around today. These contests might be fun, but I've heard that the Pokemon might not be too pleased with them." Laura looked to Mewtwo.

"From the perspective of a Pokemon, although it has never happened to me, being dressed up and put on show is almost as bad as being shoved into one of those wretched devices. Then again, I am rather cold to others, and I have intelligence beyond that of humans."

"But if you're serious about it Laura you think you'll enter dressed like that? I don't think so!" Laura's mother said to her daughter. "When your Pokemon is all dressed up you can't be dressed normal either!" Her mother reached into a bag and pulled out a dress.

Lucas held back laughter, and even Mewtwo smirked.

"I'm sure it will look good on you; after all I chose it."

"Thanks, mom!" She hugged her mother and bid her farewell.

Lucas burst out laughing first. However, Mewtwo's laughter sounded downright evil, prompting him to stop with a cough when everyone in the vicinity of his laugh stared at him before recomposing himself, straitening his tie.

"Laugh all you want, but just don't stare too much when I'm wearing the dress." Laura playfully stuck her tongue out at Lucas and carefully put the dress away; she'd have to come back later. Right now she had a plan: Finish exploring town, beat the gym leader, keep tracking Team Galactic.

Oh, and whatever Arceus wanted her for.

They exited the building.

Then decided to visit the mart, when they saw a sign.

"POKEMON FAN CLUB"

Curiosity piqued, Laura and company entered the building.

"Hello! Hello! How, I say, do you do?" greeted an older man. "I am the Pokemon Fan Club Chairman! When you wish to treat your Pokemon to a treat, what do you do? If I may say so, I feed Poffin to my Pokemon! And why would I do that? Because the giving of poffins is a way of expressing your love!"

The group noted the man was not only eccentric, but long winded.

"For example, if I were to give a Pokemon a sweet poffin, that Pokemon would become more cute! A spicy poffin would add to the coolness of a Pokemon! In such ways I say Poffins have nothing but good for Pokemon! Therefore," He handed a multi chambered box to Laura, "I give this poffin case to you!"

"Uh... thanks?"

"I urge you to fill it with poffins and be generous with them to your Pokemon!"

"Right..."
The three headed out and to the appropriate building to make said Poffins.

Laura and Lucas decided to make a few together, winding up with A dry, Spicy, and sweet Poffin each.

Laura noted she'd have to pick more berries and come back later.

Mewtwo however was having difficulty holding back from salivating and blowing his cover.

He was feeling his base instincts screaming over the spicy poffin, instincts he'd tried to pound into the depths of his mind multiple times.

Once they exited the building, Mewtwo swiftly grabbed the poffin and vanished.

"What in the-!" Lucas exclaimed.

Laura laughed.

"What?"
"He wanted the Poffin. HE wanted the poffin! That's hilarious!"

Lucas began laughing too.

Mewtwo was a deep shade of red under his fur, now in his normal form. This instinct was embarrassing. This situation was embarrassing.

He was the most intelligent Pokemon in existence! He was all powerful! Even nature itself would bend to his will! But here he was, like some rattata, eating some sort of treat like he was...!

He sighed telepathically and finished the food, almost embarrassed to go back at this point.

But, his duty was his duty...

However, Laura had entered the gym and was out of her element; it was pitch black.

However, she was given a flashlight, which helped.

It took Laura a bit to discover the secret to progressing; there were tiles on the floor, colored blue, and she had to go through the door labeled with that symbol.

Finally she made it to the gym leader.

"Oh~hohoho! Finally, you have arrived!" The woman had a thick accent. "Since I came to this country, I have always tried to learn new things; They hold contests in this city? I say to myself, enfin, I will excel! That is why I dress this way c'est une performance! Also, I study Pokemon very much; this is why I have come to be a gym leader. My name is Fantina, and, uh, so is shall be that you challenge me. But I shall win. That is what a gym leader does, non?"

Larua called out Spark; over the past time span, Spark, Sprout, and Buiz had all learned dark moves.

She could win this!

She managed the duskull well, but lost Spark once he was put under hypnosis. Sprout dealt with Haunter after that, but fell to Mismagius. Several Super Potions and bouts of sleep and confusion later, Nigel won the match, and learned confusion.

"I am dumbfounded!" The gym leader said. "So very, very strong! You, your Pokemon, so very very strong! Your power is admirable! I shall honor it with this gym badge!"

Laura took the Relic Badge and added it to her collection.

"It allows you to use Surf and Defog outside of battle. Also, make use of this TM."

Laura received the CD that contained Shadow Claw as well.

Upon leaving the gym she ran into a recomposed Mewtwo and Lucas, who had been off gathering berries and noting what berries made what poffin, and their relation to a pokemon's happiness, research of course.

"Sorry! What did I miss?"

Laura showed him her new badge. "Also, I've gotten over my fear of dark places!"

She explained the small labyrinth inside the gym.

"Impressive," added Mewtwo. "Also, I commend you on being able to recognize type differences without Lucas's help. Whatever Arceus has plannded for you, I think you are up for the challenge."

"What now?" Lucas asked, feeding the Pokemon in his arms a poffin, which it happily accepted.

"I guess we head east."

However, they ran into none other than...

"Ta dahhh! Kept me waiting again, huh Laura?"

Lucas raised a finger. "One moment."

He calmly walked over to the wall and hit his head against it about 5 times before returning to the group.

Charlie kept his focus on Laura. "Let's have a go and see how tough we've gotten, right here, right now!"

"Wait wait! What?"

"You're a trainer now! You should be ready for battles anytime by now! No whining! No waiting ! Let's get started!"

His first Pokemon was a Starravia.

Laura called upon Sparky.

The bird went down fast.

Next was Charlie's own Buizel, which was also destroyed by Sparky.

The third Pokemon was Rosellia, who was defeated by Nigel.

Then came Monferno; Charlie's Chimchar had finally reached its second evolution.

Ridge got his first real battle and annihilated Monferno with a one hit Revenge move.

"Waahh! It goes to show my surefire winning strategy doesn't work! Say Laura, remember what I told you before?"

"Yeah, about your 'Ultimate Strategy'. Why?"

Charlie grinned goofily and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, that doesn't work worth beans! Guess I have to grind it out and toughen the team a bit at a time. I'm off to Solacion Town! Later!"

"One moment," Mewtwo stopped him. "We have to talk about a few things."

"Eh? Oh! It's you! What do you want?"

"First off, my name is not 'You', it is Mewtwo. Before you lose control of yourself and try to battle me with your defeated Pokemon, I suggest you remain calm for once. I am Number 150, Mewtwo. I was created by humans. Now, I'm here from Kanto to serve as Laura's bodyguard. She has been chosen by Arceus for a reason even I do not know. Do you understand?"

Charlie nodded, but his foot was tapping; he hated standing still.

"Second, be wary of Team Galactic. So far we have encountered them on two separate occasions, both times defeating them. Their leader, however, is after something cynical; he wants to destroy this world and recreate it so that he may rule. You are strong, but if they have numbers, they could wear your team down and kidnap you, a ploy to blackmail Laura into ceasing action against them."

"Pft! I'm not worried about those thugs! They can't stop me!'

"So you say. Still, be wary. That is all, you may leave."

"About time!" Charlie ran off.

"You sure it was a good idea to let him know you're a Pokemon?" Lucas asked, wrenching his finger away from Togepi, who had bitten the appendage.

"I don't see why not. If he cannot defeat Laura, he surely could not defeat me." Mewtwo stated.

"And you were insulting his overconfidence," Lucas said.

"Mine is not overconfidence. I have eluded capture for over 10 years now. I'm smarter than your average Pokemon after all. Which reminds me I'll have to ask Arceus something when he shows himself."

The group continued east.

Upon arrival at Solacion the group was once again approached by Charlie.

"YAHOO! Hey Laura! I got something cool! I'll show you as a special favor!"

Laura raised an eyebrow.

Charlie dug through is bag and retrieved a handful of seals.

"I forgot to put them on...Oh right! It's cause I was at the ruins! They're so cool! You gotta check em' out! I even found a hidden machine! It was Defog! Anyways, I'll battle you another time! See you!"

With that the young man ran off.

"Eccentric as ever," Mewtwo noted.

"You mean aggravating as ever," Lucas growled, his Togepi imitating his facial expression.

The group felt very out of place; the entire town it seemed was dressed like cowboys.

"And you called Twinleaf Podunk," Laura whispered to Lucas.

They noticed a fenced area with many Pokemon inside.

Upon further investigation, it was found to be a daycare center.

The group had no need for it however, and continued to the Pokemon center.

Then, they hit the mart and stocked up on supplies.

Finally, the group decided to head north, to go hunting for Pokemon.

They had been slacking in that department lately, and their teams were both incomplete type wise; Laura still lacked a fire type, and they decided to try and find one here.

The grass was even taller than normal, coming uncomfortably up to Laura's thighs.

The discomfort was worth it, however, when she caught a Ponyta.

She named the new addition Ember and returned to the Pokemon Center to heal her team.

After some more time in the grass, Lucas had added a Noctowl of his own to his team.

Then they decided to carry on north, the sun at its highest.

After some maneuvering with their bikes, and a few battles, they found a cafe.

After a few battles within, they left and attempted to head north...

but the path was blocked by Psyducks.

"You're joking right?" Lucas sighed.

"Guess we head east," Laura said.

They walked onto Route 215... and it started raining.

"Awww! This sucks!" Laura whined.

The rain seemed to all but miss Mewtwo in a spherical shape; he had erected a barrier.

His companions looked at him angrily and he silently moved closer and expanded the radius.

Eventually they arrived at Veilstone... and sighed.

Team Galactic was here too!

They hurried to the Pokemon Center and healed the night before "mapping out" the town. By then night had fallen, and they returned to the Pokemon Center.

END CHAPTER 3

Read and Review! The latter lets me know you're doing the former! It also helps me improve the story.

Team Galactic was stopped again, Charlie was defeated, again, and made privy to Mewtwo's identity (although he doesn't seem to care much).