Two months had passed since the incident and Ryme City was still recovering, Those directly affected by the gas and the merging of human and Pokémon tried to deal with what had happened in different ways. There had been injuries from bruises to broken bones. A few were still hospitalized. Many would probably need psychological help.
The city refused to give up the dream of a peaceful coexistence just because the visionary philanthropist who had been its founder had turned out to be mental.
Other cities didn't shy away from pursuing their own dream of partnerships, living together with a Pokémon partner without Poké Balls, without battle arenas.
News coverage was still going on strong, but it was no longer hours long reports and specials. Lucy Stevens had been pushing reports on what had come out of the partnerships, the trust and friendships, how peace was more important than one near-catastrophic day. People wanted the hope and the good news, wanted to hear about those friendships, of how Squirtles helped put out fires, how the police had many different Pokémon partners like Growlithe and Arcanine that protected them and the public, and so much more.
Clifford Enterprises was working hard on reestablishing themselves, on cleaning up their founder's mess, and Roger Clifford was always on TV, declaring his full cooperation in clearing the company's, and his, name. His father's work had been a dream up until the moment his mental health had been failing, he declared.
The man had framed him, set him up to take the fall, but Roger was fighting for the company and for the city.
xXxXxXx
Harry Goodman knew he had only played a role in the whole disaster that had befallen Ryme City, a small role at that, but still one that had hurt many people. Yes, including him, but looking at the bigger picture he knew he had been one cog in a gigantic machination that had been going on for years.
Because one man had tried to find the perfect cure for himself and had decided to force it upon humanity. It had been a cure for humanity, actually. To evolve into the best possible version of oneself. It would have changed humanity, erased it.
What a load of crap!
Harry wasn't even sure whether Howard had simply felt envious of the Pokemons' abilities to evolve, to adapt, to expand upon their potential, or if it had been greed coupled with desperation, the inability to accept human limitations, and then some.
In the end, looking back, probably all.
Maybe the man's illness had affected his thinking, his rationalizing, because up until he had handed over day to day operations of the company to his son, Howard had been, well, normal. No delusions, no megalomaniacal plans, nothing. He had been the soul of Ryme City.
And then… this.
This hadn't been about genetic manipulations. This had been on a much more frightening and bigger scale.
Looking back Harry knew he had made mistakes. Some smaller, some bigger. The biggest had been to accept the proposal to hunt for an elusive, dangerous, very unique and insanely powerful Pokémon. A Pokémon that had been artificially created so many years ago and had been in hiding ever since.
And Harry Goodman wouldn't be the best investigator with the reputation of always finding what he was looking for if he hadn't dug into the job with everything he had. He had used his various and countless contacts, had followed every trail imaginable, and he had really found Mewtwo.
And he had been the one responsible for the entrapment of this unique creature. He had been the one responsible for the horrible experiments, for the torture, for the inhumane treatment.
Because he had been a gullible idiot!
"Harry Goodman?"
His head snapped up and he blinked rather stupidly at the man standing in the doorway to his apartment-slash-office. Just one man, without a Pokémon partner, his mind registered.
"How did you get in here?" Harry demanded, rising from his office chair.
He had locked the door, hadn't he? And why hadn't his Pikachu alerted him to an intruder? The yellow Pokémon sat on a chair, looking for all the world completely at peace with the situation.
"Your door was unlocked."
"How about knocking?"
The other man smiled slightly. "I did. There was no answer. Deep thoughts, I think."
He was dark-haired with equally dark eyes, lean, tall and clearly on the athletic side. He wasn't as young as Tim, but also not Harry's age. Actually, he was pretty hard to pin down age-wise, but there was something about this guy that had Harry both on the edge and calm in one. He looked… older than his appearance suggested. Not physically, but his eyes… there was something wrong. Not bad wrong, just… not normal.
"Who are you?" he asked, voice hard.
"I'm sorry. Manners. My name is Ash Ketchum. I think you followed me to find Mewtwo."
Harry felt suddenly lightheaded, alarm racing through him, and while part of him wanted to run, another wanted to pull a gun he didn't own, and yet another was somehow relieved to see Ash alive and well.
Yes, he had followed the trail of Ash Ketchum, but he had never met him. He had only ever seen pictures from the younger man's past, when he was just a boy of ten or twelve, so much like Tim had been, and already on the path to be a great trainer.
A little over ten years ago he had disappeared off the face of the earth. No pictures, no newspaper articles, nothing at all. Just faint hints, someone mentioning his name here or there, and not even pursuing the family ties had been successful in finding where Ketchum had ended up.
Harry had had enough to find Mewtwo anyway, because Harry Goodman was a tenacious bastard, was the best in his job - and he had led the elder Clifford right to him. A man who had called this unique Pokémon an abomination.
Maybe it should have set him off, warned him.
The guilt returned and Harry pushed it away.
The guilt had been his constant companion since that fateful day and when he had discovered the truth behind Clifford Enterprises' machinations, he had done his damnest to free the powerful Pokémon.
He had succeeded.
At a price.
Even now Harry felt good over having to pay it, even if it had been a heavy one.
I deserved it.
"There are no hard feelings, Mr. Goodman," Ash broke into his thoughts as he walked into what doubled as Harry's office space.
"No?" he breathed, stunned.
"Mewtwo wouldn't have saved you if he had really blamed you or still held a grudge. And he knows how to hold one, believe me." There was a teasing smile there. "Like the best of them, actually. He's a pro at revenge and masterminding plans to exact it. But he knows you were tricked like everyone else."
Knowing what he did about the clone's creation and what had happened afterwards, Harry could believe that. He had just never figured out how this man was connected to the powerful entity. Why his name popped up in obscure places.
And he was connected.
Deeply.
Clifford had hinted at something, but he hadn't been too clear either.
"So… how can I help you?" Harry now asked.
"This is a friendly visit. To see how you and your Pikachu are." Ash's eyes were now on the mouse Pokémon.
Pikachu puffed out his chest. He was still wearing the little detective hat, something he was absolutely proud of. "Pikapik!"
Harry smiled. His Pikachu was fine, absolutely fine, and there had been no weird or ill effects of the transfer. He couldn't remember anything that had happened after the accident, but Tim had filled him in.
His Pokémon partner had given up his body to save Harry. He had pleaded for Harry's life, had made a deal with Mewtwo, and even if Harry was a little fuzzy on that, he was quite clear on what it had entailed: two minds in one body, one dormant, the other partially amnesiac. This could have gone sideways in so many ways, but it hadn't. There had been more than just chance or luck involved. He didn't really want to know the odds how this could have gone to hell in a handbasket.
He had Tim back. Tim, who had stayed. He had his son with him and they were slowly getting to know each other again. There had been a lot of talking, a lot of explaining, and tears. Over the loss of Tim's mother, the loss of a family, the distance, the time lost. Whatever the mind-melded version of him had said, it had unlocked something inside Tim. He had started to understand his father's pain, the darkness that had made a home in Harry Goodman's heart and soul with the loss of his wife and partner. He had slowly come to accept that his father's decision to leave Tim with his maternal grandmother had been for Tim's sake; to give him a steady home.
The old pain would always be there, but it was a healing of sorts.
And it had made Tim want to stay.
Well, not in his old room. He had declared it a relic and while it had been a shrine of Harry's of sorts, he had agreed to turn it into more office space as Tim hunted for a simple, affordable apartment.
Working together was still new for both of them and Tim had to get his license approved, but he had the knack his father always had for puzzles and following clues.
Harry owed all of that, in part, to Pikachu. He would never be able to make it up to his partner.
"Pikaapik! Pikachu!"
"Good to hear," Ash commented, drawing him out of his musings, and Harry wondered if the man spoke Pokémon of sorts. "But I didn't just come here to check in on all of you. I know you're doing okay. It's also a kind of thank you," he added, meeting Harry's eyes again.
"For…?"
"For showing us where we went wrong."
Harry frowned.
"Mewtwo and myself. You found him through me, so you know there is a connection."
He nodded warily. Oh, he was very much aware that something connected this man with a legendary Pokémon of such incredible power and intellect.
"We've been a team for a very long time and it started even earlier than both of us realized, but we… neglected that connection. It's one of many reasons why Howard so easily captured and detained Mewtwo. Yes, you found him. Yes, you more or less led Howard to him. But Howard Clifford blackmailed him into obedience and cooperation." Ash looked grim. "Mewtwo didn't know the lies were just that: lies. He couldn't reach out to me, had no idea whether I was alive, injured or even dead. So he cooperated. To protect me."
Whoa, Harry thought dizzily.
Pikachu tilted his head and looked at Ash, making small, quizzical noises. Ash chuckled.
"Humans are stupid," he told the Pokémon.
"Pikah-pik!"
Those were two voices and Harry almost laughed as a second Pikachu peeked around the corner, looking exasperated and almost like he wanted to kick Ash in the shin.
Ash grinned down at his Pikachu. Then the Pokémon hopped over to Harry's partner and the two started to chase around the room like two kids fresh out of the burrow. Something toppled to the ground with a thud and Harry rolled his eyes.
"No matter their age…" he muttered.
Ash laughed.
"Dad? What…? Who…?"
Both men turned and Ash kept his loose, unthreatening stance. Harry smiled at his son as the two Pikachus stopped their game and looked at the newcomer.
Harry's partner happily greeted the younger Goodman and Ash's waved a paw.
Tim blinked and cautiously entered the apartment, carrying take-out in a large bag, and Pokémon snacks on another. He had stopped at a fast food place to get their lunch. Now his eyes met Harry's.
"You okay?" he wanted to know, voice holding a careful note with a hint of steel.
"I'm fine."
His son's eyes narrowed a little at the visitor, the frown tell-tale of him raking his brain where he might have seen the man before. Harry decided to do the introductions.
"Tim, this is Ash Ketchum. Ash, my son Tim."
Tim gaped. Of course, as an aspiring Pokémon trainer he had read up on all the important trainers and influential people. Before Harry had caught the name Ash Ketchum in connection with Mewtwo he recalled having seen or heard it from Tim. His boy had been gushing over how he wanted to be such a great trainer, too.
So many years ago.
Before…
Harry bit back the still lingering pain.
"Nice to meet you, Tim," Ash said pleasantly. "I think I have to thank you, too, for saving my partner."
As star-struck as Tim appeared, the realization hit him like a cold bucket of water.
"Mewtwo…! He's… your Pokémon partner?" Tim whispered, shocked.
Ash shrugged. "Yes and no. Something between those two, I guess. Mewtwo isn't your regular Pokémon, as you might have figured out already."
Harry snorted and Tim managed a smile. "You can say that again."
"He's so much more powerful than any of them," Tim said, clearly drawn between awe and trepidation. "Howard called him the most powerful of all Pokémon."
Ash said nothing. Harry understood and his detective skills filled in the blanks at an amazing speed. He had done his homework on Mewtwo, had read all the files Howard Clifford had given him to prepare himself for a possible confrontation, and he knew his son had had encounters with the psychic Pokémon.
A Pokémon that could transfer a human soul into a human body. Just like that. And also undo it. It boggled the mind and whenever he thought about it too much, it gave him the creeps and left him sleepless.
"I know Clifford wanted him for his psychic powers," Tim went on, "and I saw what he did… and it was terrifying and terrible and… amazing. He healed Pikachu. He saved my dad… He saved the city! He undid it all and it was incredible!"
Ash nodded. "Mewtwo is not a bad guy. He might have started out hating humanity, but he's… come around. Sort of." He quirked a little smile. "I came back to thank you, Tim. You and your dad both. You risked a lot and you saved him. And the whole city in the process."
"Wasn't planning on being a hero," Tim told him.
"No one ever does, and then you suddenly save the world."
Both Pikachu agreed wholeheartedly. They were sitting amiably together on the desk, munching on cookies Harry didn't know he had, watching the humans. His partner was still wearing his beloved detective hat.
"Roger's turning the company around, I heard," Harry said, eyes straying into the general direction of the skyscraper that was one of the most recognizable landmarks of Ryme City, Clifford Enterprises. "Doing everything to help with whatever is needed to undo what his father has done. It's good press," he added wryly. "A lot of good press. With the scrutiny he's under he won't take a single wrong step."
"It will take a long time to get rid of the R on the streets," Ash sighed. "They produced massive quantities."
"I know. At least there won't be any more. Ryme City isn't perfection, but it's a good place to be for Pokémon and people."
"Pika!"
He shot his little partner a warm smile and the Pikachu beamed, cookie crumbs stuck to his fut.
"I agree," Ash said calmly. "This is the future. Cooperation, not staged battles in arenas. There will always be the underground fights and school yard encounters, but the world is slowly changing."
"But you and Mewtwo aren't coming back," Tim stated. "To Ryme City."
The other shook his head. "Not any time soon, no. This will blow over, but whoever digs deep enough will know he was here. Someone else might think he would make some prized possession or be useful for whatever their plans are. I'm not going to let that happen again."
Harry heard it in Ash's voice, saw it in the dark eyes, and he knew that the other man would stand by his promise. There was a touch of sharp-edged steel, something old and powerful interwoven in the words, that had him shiver.
"Clifford has a lot on Mewtwo," he said evenly.
"I know. Nothing I can do about it. Or anyone. Even if that data disappears, there will always be more. A lot already exists. All the two of us can do is hide for a while, keep a low profile, disappear for the time being."
"Not much of a life," Harry told the younger man, sympathizing.
"Better than a lab and a containment field."
He winced. Yeah. Much better.
"So I'm not going to ask where you're going then," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Ash chuckled. "Like you would expect an answer?"
"Nope."
"So, can any of you give me a lift? I didn't actually drive here and my mode of transportation is parked a little ways off. And there's no bus stop close by."
Tim cleared his throat and nodded at the food. "How about lunch first?"
"Unless you don't like Assorted Take-Out," Harry joked. "Because my son and I can't really decide on what to get, so it's normally something of everything."
"Sounds good. I'm not a picky eater."
xXxXxXx
Lunch turned into a long talk, Tim finally giving in to his curiosity about Ash Ketchum's life, his travels, the Pokémon he had trained and met. Their Pikachu had curled up together, snoozing, and Harry made coffee as the hours went by.
He felt more relaxed by the minute, mostly because Ash was an easy guy to be around. There really were no hard feelings.
In the end he even told the younger man how he had found Mewtwo and how much he had known about Ash's involvement with the powerful being – hardly anything; Ash had looked rather relieved.
"We're not going to tell anyone about what we know," he promised him.
"Thank you."
"Mewtwo saved us. All of us," Tim added. "He didn't have to. I think we owe him more than anyone can ever repay."
"Keeping us out of the press is thanks enough."
tbc...
