Event 10: Dash

Mewtwo stood motionless and quietly in the center of the room, trying his hardest to mask his impatience. Anton paced around him slowly, viewing him from various angles and hopefully familiarizing himself with his subject. Every once in a while his eyes darted up at Stappy and Eli, who stood equally still several feet away.

In a quick motion, his hand shot out and gripped Mewtwo's upper arm tightly.

The psychic recoiled immediately and pulled his arm away, forcing the human to let go. Perhaps too forcefully, he suddenly realized. Hopefully he hadn't noticed that the force that caused him to let go was more than simply the Pokémon's physical strength.

Anton didn't seem to notice. "Don't be difficult."

"Do not do that", Mewtwo warned him. "Do not grab at me. Do not surprise me. I am not accustomed to such things."

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot… you usually don't manifest." He paused in thought. "But that's kinda why I wanted to check. Um… could you hold out your arm? Please?"

He sighed. 'No' was simply not going to be a sufficient answer for this man. Without any further ado, he extended his arm and prepared himself for the worst.

Anton took it more gently this time and ran his hands along its length, starting at the wrist. He squeezed in several places, but not in a manner that caused pain or caught the psychic off guard. Eventually he gripped the Pokémon's shoulder with one hand and ran the other down the side of his chest.

"This isn't very developed", he eventually said. "But I think you're right about the whole blank slate thing. It's already firm and sturdy. If we put time and effort into it, you could really be a powerhouse." He glanced down slightly. "I bet it's the same, but just to be sure… take a step forward, please."

Mewtwo obeyed, and the human immediately knelt down to check his forward leg. Once again, this involved direct contact, with occasional prodding and gripping. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about this, but he assumed that this was standard for this style of training.

Anton stood again. "Not a hundred percent sure, but here's my guess. You need to focus on your arms and legs. Work on power, speed and jumping." He put his hand to his chin. "This body of yours isn't freshly hatched, though, so odds are you've got the other stuff. Skill, we can look at later. Stamina…"

Without any warning, the human punched the psychic in the chest.

The pain was close to negligible, and Mewtwo tried his hardest not to lose his temper. Anton looked into his eyes and grinned. "Maybe not the toughest Pokémon I've seen, but you can definitely already take a hit. With that in mind…" He turned toward the door. "Let's start with the basics, okay? Follow me. All of you."

As the quartet filed out of the building, the human tried his best to explain. "You're new to the solid body thing, right? In that case, let's not assume that you're experienced with it. Mobility is the high priority. Then strength." He started pacing. "We can do it that way. Um… I'll need to check on the equipment. Stappy, you can help me with that. Uh… Eli, can you take him on the long path?"

The Dragonite nodded dutifully. At the same time, the Feraligatr moved to his trainer's side.

"The long path?" Mewtwo asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"This is how you intend to start my training? You are certain about this?"

Anton scratched his head. "I'm not certain about anything. I'm just doing the best I know." He gave a half-smile. "That's what you wanted from me, right?"

This was not the training regiment Mewtwo had been expecting.

True, Anton had drawn the same conclusions as before. He needed to run better and become physically stronger. But there was no dash. No immediate struggles with the "bench", or whatever the device was actually called. Just a walk through unfamiliar yet surprisingly well-traveled wilderness with the trainer's beloved Dragonite.

"I believe the original intent was for me to receive his training", he pointed out.

At his side, Eli seemed unfazed by the comment. (I don't think any trainer could help you with this part), he argued.

"That speaks poorly of them."

The other's eyes grew serious. (Most trainers I know try to teach us how to mix our running with our battle style. It's rare to meet one that can help us run faster.) He shook his head slowly. (I can't imagine any of them trying to teach us how to run at all.)

Mewtwo looked at him with a startled expression. "Was it that obvious? I do not recall having an opportunity to run in your presence."

(Even when you walk, you move with far too much caution.) He smiled with a hint of confusion in his eyes. (I might not know exactly what you are, but it's clear you're new at this. That's why he picked me. I can help you.)

"I am surprised that you would be his selection. There is little reason to focus on legwork when you are equipped with wings."

(I didn't always have them. Not every event allows them. Even when they do, it helps to get a good running start to cover ground faster.) He held up two claws. (I was given this part for two reasons. First… maybe you can't tell, but I'm our team's best sprinter. Jumper, too. We teach what we know.) He nodded confidently. (There's a reason why Stappy's going to help with the power stuff.)

His voice grew more hesitant. (And second… I've been through this, too. So I know what worked for me.)

Mewtwo looked him up and down while maintaining his attempted pace. "I will admit that you do not appear to have the physique of a devoted runner."

Eli gave him an odd look. (When Anton first trained me, I didn't have arms or legs.)

The psychic's flash of understanding was visible. "You would have been a Dragonair first."

(When my old master passed me along to him, I was still a Dratini. I was raised in the water under the gym, so I usually swam to get around. In fact,) he said with a slight grin on his face, (I'm pretty sure that's how I got my name. Anton thought my body looked like an eel.)

"A weak reason, but a respectable name. Especially when compared to some."

The Dragonite rolled his eyes. (You'd be surprised how quickly you can get used to a name like Stappy.) He grew serious again. (Moving on land was an early problem. The Pokéball usually solved it. Things got better after I evolved, but I still had to learn things like walking from scratch.) He gave Mewtwo's legs a cautious look. (How are they working so far? Is this comfortable yet?)

"I am not certain how to measure such a thing. Give me a clearer goal."

(For now, I want you to be able to move at a quick pace without falling or straining yourself.) Eli rubbed the side of his head with a single claw. (Really, we won't be able to help you get faster until we learn how it's supposed to look.)

Mewtwo's gaze lowered to the path in front of them. "You do not already know?"

(You don't walk like the rest of us. Your legs are... I don't know what to call it. You're always on your toes. You can't shift your weight as much.) He nodded slowly. (We can't show you how to do it. We're better off seeing how you handle the easy part.)

"Thus, in the end, your experience means nothing."

(You should be a fast runner. If you train as long as I have, you should be able to outsprint me.) He gestured. (You have much longer legs. Thin build. Wide and firm hips.) His eyes became more determined. (This will come with time. We will figure it out.)

"To phrase it another way, I will only meet your standards after years have passed", Mewtwo grumbled.

Eli came to a sudden stop. (Our standards? You sound as though you are more interested in being trained than testing Anton.)

The psychic slowed and turned to face him. "Do not misconstrue me", he said quickly. "It is my understanding that he is holding himself and his finances to some degree of a time limit."

(He'll figure out something if he has to.) The Dragonite looked confident again. (I know this isn't the fastest way to do this. But right now, we're using this way because it's the most likely to work.

(We can afford to wait. We can't afford to fail again.)

Anton and Stappy were already waiting when Mewtwo and Eli finally returned to the area near the residence.

Briefly, Mewtwo wished they weren't. His legs were weary, and his feet were once again in pain. He had more than enough willpower to resist the desire to rest them through levitation, but the desire was definitely there. With any luck, he would have an opportunity to use a more traditional form of relaxation.

(Did everything go well?) Stappy asked the other reptile as he reached his side.

(I'm not carrying him), Eli replied with a grin.

"…well, then", Anton said hesitantly. "I hope that helped… um… why don't you sit down for a bit? You look tired."

Mewtwo took his advice immediately. The human smiled slightly and continued. "I'm thinking you might need to start the other part slowly, too. In that case… um… hold on a second."

He moved away from the group and approached one of the other sides of the building. After a moment of hesitation, he picked up something from the ground, turned and headed back toward the Pokémon.

(Is that…?) Eli growled softly to Stappy.

"Catch."

Mewtwo saw a blur of motion heading in his direction. With a quick motion of his right arm, he snatched it out of the air before it reached him. Curious, he looked at it. It appeared to be nothing more than a small white ball, easily gripped and held in a single hand.

He looked up at Anton. "If this is meant to be power training, you have set your expectations particularly low."

"It isn't", Anton responded. "We'll get to that. Right now, just throw it at me."

The psychic obliged. The human didn't appear to be expecting it to come so quickly, and it struck him in the chest. It didn't seem to cause him any harm, though.

"Good aim", he said as he bent down to pick it up. "Try it again."

The ball flew in Mewtwo's direction again. He once again intercepted it and threw it back at Anton. The human caught it this time, pausing briefly afterward to look to both sides. Nothing on his right. Stappy on his left.

With a subtle motion of his wrist, he tossed the ball to his left. Stappy seemed to have been expecting this, as he quickly snatched the ball with his claw and sent it flying at Mewtwo less than a second later.

His hand barely lifted in time to stop it. Unfortunately, he was unable to catch it before it touched the ground. With a suspicious look in his eye, he picked up the ball and threw it back at Stappy.

Stappy didn't hesitate. He quickly deflected the ball with his arm, which traveled to his right over his trainer's head and toward a now-repositioned Eli. Mewtwo had noticed his presence, and was prepared for the inevitable throw.

Instead Eli struck the ball with the palm of his open claw back toward Anton, who caught and threw it toward the psychic himself.

It struck him near the top of his head.

Fortunately, Anton had been right about him, as he had previously learned how to absorb physical strikes. The projectile wasn't particularly painful, either. He merely allowed his body to roll with the strike, sending him into a backward roll. Thinking fast, he attempted to stand upright in a fluid motion. It worked, although he had to use his tail to adjust his balance. Despite their early exercise, his legs had recovered enough to keep him upright.

A second later, the ball came back down from its upward ricochet. After briefly gauging its trajectory, he swung his tail back toward himself, made contact with the ball and held it against the side of his chest. This left his arms free, which he promptly crossed as he glared at the human.

"That was not fair."

Anton, despite himself, smiled. "It wasn't meant to be."

After a moment, Mewtwo allowed himself to smile as well. His tail adjusted to move underneath the ball, which it then tossed lightly upward to where he could quickly grab it with his hand.

The battle was not yet over.

(It is odd), Stappy considered quietly as the group moved across the field, (how sometimes the simple things can be the most fun.)

Mewtwo thought about this briefly. "That may be true." His expression soured. "Still, I do not believe that fun was meant to be one of our objectives." He turned his head to look at Anton. "Why did we do that?"

"It's odd", Anton replied. "I really didn't intend for it to be a game." He held up a couple of fingers. "I just thought, first, you were tired from walking and we needed to do something that you didn't need to move around a lot to do."

His expression lit up. "And second, it looks like I was right, I thought it was a good time to test your skill, and wouldn't you know, you've got a lot of it."

"I suppose I do. How will this affect your training?"

"I guess it means we stick to the plan. Work on strength, speed and jumping. Do a bit of stamina and skill, but it's not the focus." He gestured forward. "And here we are."

Mewtwo winced almost immediately as his attention returned to the large balls that had previously been associated with the "Goal Roll". Those had not been pleasant memories.

"We use these for Goal Roll", Anton explained, failing to recognize how unnecessary it was. "It takes a lot of strength to move them well, but they're just as good for gradual build-up. You should start out with them."

"Are you certain?" Mewtwo attempted to keep his words vague. "You do not possess any other heavy objects that are designed to help increase one's strength?"

Anton was visibly thinking. "…I'm pretty sure I do… but… well, no, we shouldn't mess with those. Not yet."

"Not yet?"

"The thing is… it's still the middle of the day. If I put you on the weights or anything like that, we'd probably want to work to exhaustion. And that means…" He gestured vaguely. "…you know, exhaustion. You won't want to do anything else for the rest of the day." He glanced in the direction where he had left the equipment. "If we're actually interested in spending today training, that's not the way to do it."

An obvious and potentially strongly-worded question immediately came to the psychic's mind, and it took a fair amount of his willpower to keep himself from asking it. Instead, he changed the subject of his thoughts. "In that case, how should I utilize these balls?"

"Let's start slow", Anton answered. "Pick a ball."

It was a pointless step, Mewtwo thought, but it still carried the vague sense that he had at least some small say in what he was doing. Of course, it would have helped if there had been any visible difference between them.

He moved next to a random ball. "This one."

"Okay. Put your weight against it. Somewhere near the center. Not too hard, or you'll strain yourself."

"If your intent is to instruct me how to roll it properly, I do not believe that this step is necessary."

"Maybe not, but I'd like to be sure", the trainer countered. "Besides, even if you know how, it's good for your arms."

Mewtwo sighed and placed his hands upon the ball with no further hesitation. After a small amount of forceful pushing, it began to move. He followed it closely, and before long the task had changed from exerting his strength against it to attempting to keep it under control as momentum kept it moving.

After several minutes of this, he adjusted his path so that he had a clear view of the human again. "Is my current effort sufficient for now", he asked, "or how long do you intend for this exercise to continue?"

Anton hadn't said anything for a few minutes. In fact, he still seemed lost in thought briefly before he managed to verbalize his thoughts unsurely. "…what you said before… that was supposed to be a hint, wasn't it?"

The psychic tried to remember any earlier words he might have said that would provoke such a reaction. Shortly afterward, he gave up trying to narrow it down. "What do you mean?"

"Of course I have other ways to build strength! You were with me the whole time I was training, right? You know as well as I do that I got stronger using the weights!" He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to play dumb!"

"I understand that you do not wish for me to use them yet."

"And yet you brought them up anyway. So… maybe… you think I should be putting you on them?" He started pacing. "Or maybe… you just wanted to see if I know what I'm doing, or…"

Mewtwo sighed to himself. This wasn't the kind of response he wanted from Anton. In truth, he had to admit, the only reason he had brought it up had been completely lost on the human, considering he had no memory of the previous training regiment. And his logic made sense from the standpoint that everything he had been told wasn't a lie. With that in mind… maybe it had been a mistake to ask. If the current problem stemmed from low self-confidence, the last thing Anton needed was a reason to start second-guessing himself.

"No… I still think the ball's better right now", Anton eventually decided. "But still, how about this? When it starts getting late… we can try out the weights, and we can decide if they'll work for you, all right?"

Anton had been absolutely correct about one thing, Mewtwo unhappily considered as he entered the room where he had slept two nights before. After working with the weights until the evening meal was complete, he was not in the mood to do anything else.

It wasn't limited to training or exercises, either. He didn't want to support his weight with his legs. He didn't want to move his arms to pick up the pieces of food, which had apparently been prepared by Stappy this time. Even now, as he lay upon what was probably intended to be a soft, malleable and comfortable surface, he knew that he would have been happier floating in midair, where the only forces acting upon his sore body were telekinetic in nature.

Still, he desired to keep up appearances. Well, not quite. Anton had already seen him float a few times. More importantly, he would want him to keep to the spirit of what he assumed was a temporary physical existence.

Even so, Mewtwo couldn't tell if this was helping. Or the earlier exercise, for that matter. He had learned how to properly maneuver one of the heavy balls, and eventually the training shifted to learning how to pass and receive it. This was far less painful than the prior "shooting" attempt, as it largely consisted of letting the ball leave his control, or bringing a ball already in motion under control.

This was practically the opposite of the first training regiment. Last time, he was confident that Anton knew what he was doing, but was more annoyed by his impatient and demanding manner. This time, he found the activities easier to accomplish, even if they almost seemed trivial, but he could no longer be sure that this would actually benefit him.

…patience. That was one of the key differences, wasn't it? Eli had said that the group didn't want to make any further mistakes. Before, Anton was proudly declaring that Mewtwo would be one of the greatest athletes in existence. Now, he would consider any form of improvement on his part a personal success.

That wasn't the only reason, Mewtwo realized. Perhaps he had been putting too much pressure on the human before. Telling him that he would punish him and leave if he was at any time unhappy with the experience? That would have explained the accelerated pace.

Another factor was the fact that Anton knew just how powerful the Pokémon was the first time. He knew that he could expect more out of him.

Of course, this meant that he had been expecting too much, considering that he was by no means an athlete.

…come to think of it, had the human actually been impatient that first time? He had tried to be just as motivational, repeatedly assuring the psychic that he would improve over time. Really, when he thought about it, it was those high expectations that were giving him the most trouble. In fact, thinking back, it seemed as though…

For now… uh… we just need to find something that you're good at…I mean… once we find it, we can start training it together. That way…

…it seemed as though Anton was expecting him to be a star athlete, and was trying his hardest to reassure himself once he found that his latest catch wasn't living up to his expectations…

Anton had definitely known who he was. Maybe not everything. He had been surprised to find that he could talk, after all.

It's just… this is the first time I've had a Pokémon explain the details of something they do to me. You know… not just giving them instructions, but knowing that they not only understand, but can correct me or…

Or was he? A Pokémon that was capable of speech was a rarity. Perhaps he had already known that, but the experience of actually having it happen had thrown him, as if he was just realizing what it truly meant.

He seemed to know a number of other things about him. Where he lived, his capabilities as a psychic, the fact that he was artificially produced…

…that was not common knowledge among humans. He certainly hadn't been telling everyone he met about that. Not even Sabrina.

Why do you even care? I heard you don't even battle much anymore.

…the way he said that… it implied that he knew that he used to battle… and that at some point, he gave it up… phrased in a manner that suggested that he knew something about his battling while he was still doing it…

…how long had Anton known about Mewtwo, anyway? It was starting to sound less and less probable that the human had only done his research once he decided to use the Master Ball. It seemed as though he had taken a keen interest in his life, possibly for years…

…and now that he was considering the possibility, past events seemed to fit it more and more.

…he called Mewtwo an artificially-created perfect Pokémon…
…while he had brought the Master Ball with him, he had made it clear that he didn't want to use it if it wasn't necessary…
…even after catching him, he continued to try to persuade him, as if he didn't want to force him into anything against his will…
…the way he spoke about the Pokéathlon, it was as though he expected him to agree with his point of view…
…and he got particularly upset whenever his beliefs on the subject were dismissed…
…he took a lengthy break from the training for no other reason than to reassure him that he was a worthy trainer, despite such criticisms…
…and once Mewtwo made his decision to leave, he practically exploded…

This was not the most surprising thing that he had learned about Anton, but it was worth acknowledging. He must have thought very highly of Mewtwo, and welcomed his company, and probably would have done anything to ensure that he could continue training him.

This wasn't a familiar experience for the psychic. In the wake of everything he had done, and everything about him that had been made public, people and Pokémon had formed various opinions about him. Some of their emotions made sense. Fear. Curiosity. Caution. Things such as admiration weren't common. And he certainly wouldn't have expected to have anything along the lines of a fan.

Not that he found the concept unappealing.

But in the end, he had been unimpressed with the human, and chose to leave, and after that last argument, he had taken measures to ensure that he would never find him again…

…and now Anton was acting like a completely different person, even though the rest of his life had been unchanged…

Mewtwo sat up suddenly.

It was an uncomfortable idea, but if his train of thought was going somewhere, he had to acknowledge it.

The final straw that broke his back may not have been the loss of the Master Ball after all. Or his repeated failures to find a replacement for his team. Or even the mental anguish suffered from his later meetings with the psychic.

What if the true cause of Anton's most recent decline… was losing his memories of Mewtwo?

Anton was already sound asleep when Mewtwo appeared in his room.

It had always been easiest for him to form an opinion about other beings when they were unconscious. They weren't doing anything to him. They weren't specifically thinking about him. Or anything else. Everyone had a response to every stimulus, and few of them reflected their true nature as much as their thoughts did when they weren't actually thinking about anything.

Perhaps it was also because he found their minds easier to mold when their real thoughts weren't getting in the way.

...he had to stop thinking this way. It was because he had attempted to remold this human's mind that he was in this situation in the first place. And it had long since become apparent that between the mental blocks, the unexplained feedback troubles, and his desire to not make the situation any worse, a similar approach would not be the solution he needed.

Then again, if his theory was correct, it was possible to have a significant effect on the minds of others by simply existing in the same world as them.

I never wanted you to give up on your aspirations, Mewtwo silently thought. No matter what I may have said and done, I never believed that you were wrong to want to improve yourself.

You still want to believe that we can improve, and become strong enough to dominate at these physical activities, and that you can make it happen. He took an audible breath. Fair enough. I will not give up. And as long as my existence has any impact on yours, neither will you.

I cannot return your memories. He gazed up at the ceiling. Is it possible that forming new ones will help?