Some weeks after the duo returned to Kalos, Sebastian devoted much of his time relating to the twins.
Between taking notes, he already began making plans on how to help them adjust to their new life.
They were still small, but much bigger than before, obviously grown enough to survive outside their tanks if he were to release them now.
He only delayed it for the sake of their immune systems to develop a bit more, having injections given to them to insure it happens.
Once they were stable, he would plan on waking them up…
But much to his annoyance, Giovanni still kept returning, wanting to see their progress, refusing to leave until he gets what he wants.
"How dangerous will they be?"
"I can't be certain, even when they're out, they'll be far too young to do any form of battling. I've been putting together exercises to teach them how to move about, develop their muscles and basic psychic control."
"And to be battle ready?"
"That could take months, maybe a year before they would be ready. Their bodies are completely unknown. I would need to test them, to make sure they have the strength to handle it. If they can't, it would be like throwing them to a pack of Mightyena!"
"If they cannot fight, then it would be best to destroy them, take their DNA and try again, but faster."
"Are you insane? I'm not going to destroy them like that!"
"You were before when I pulled the plug on your side project."
Sebastian froze, recalling those words, looking away, hearing the man laughing at being cornered.
"I was under a lot of stress…"
"I'm sure you were," he taunted, the same grin never leaving his face. "If need be, you could always dissect one now while the other's still growing."
Glaring at the floor, he listened to the other leave, taking a deep breath, hissing through his teeth.
"Bastard…"
After those strangely chilling words, everyone began to feel anxious, unsure if it was nerves or something else.
It made matters worse when Tyson was made to return to headquarters, therefore if something were to happen, they were nearly defenseless. Only a handful of them carried Pokémon, but whether it'd be enough or not, they weren't certain.
As they started to get things packed in for the night, sleep needed greatly, Sebastian gave the sleeping clones a soft smile.
For some reason, they helped relax him, seeing their peaceful faces.
"Sleep well Beta, Omega."
After talking with Attila and Hun about whether or not the clones might've been dreaming, he decided to start talking to them. With some, it might've looked silly, but it felt oddly comforting, as if they were listening to his every word.
He apologized for disappearing so much, promising to be there when they're born, that he'd help them learn whatever they want.
He made various promises, some he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep, but saying them made it feel true. If not right now, it would happen soon enough, something he would always say, reassuring them and himself.
Lying in bed, he was burrowed deep in the blankets, bittersweet dreams of Fuji standing there, waving and smiling at him. By his side was the little girl from the photo, the little girl whose father tried to bring back…
Amber…
They were so happy, as if thanking him, but for what?
He wanted to ask, but before he could, the world vanished, replaced with the white walls of his room.
He blinked, seeing semi blurred faces, shouts echoing around him.
"Shiranui, wake up! There's something wrong with Beta!" Cassie shouted, shaking the man awake, face filled with panic.
"What happened?" he asked, grabbing his glasses, forgoing with dressing as he followed her in his pajamas.
"I don't know, she was like this when Davin went to check on her. Joel and a couple others are checking the security tapes right now."
As she explained, they came into the room, seeing bodies running about, trying to find the cause as the mentioned clone's heartrate continued rising.
"Have you given her anything?"
"No… I mean we tried sedatives to calm her down, but nothing's working."
"That bastard," Sebastian growled, having a faint idea who's to blame. "Get her out of there now! We'll have a better chance to save her."
Nodding, they began putting in the commands to drain the fluid and open the tank, ready to grab her.
"They aren't working!"
"Get out of the way!"
Sebastian shoved one of the scientists aside, his actions reasonable as he worked the keys, cursing when realizing that the codes and passwords had been changed.
"Damn you, Giovanni!" he found himself snarling.
Turning towards the tank, he felt bitter tears forming, realizing he was going to lose another life.
And like before, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it!
The glass was too strong; he wouldn't be able to break it open with physical force.
"Beta…" he whispered, feeling completely helpless, wishing something would happen, think of something to save her.
A series of crunching like sounds were heard, everyone freezing, staring at the tanks when locating the source.
They could see cracks forming, a bluish glow enveloped around Omega.
Her eyes were cracked open, a blue glow coming from them, revealing she has gained consciousness, possibly due to Beta's suffering.
Slowly, the glow died down, the weight of the water pushing the glass apart, watching as it fell in a heap, both Pokémon freed.
Sebastian stood there, not believing what he was seeing, ignoring how the cold water flooded past his bare feet.
He came out of his stupor when hearing the suffering psychic hacking and coughing, loud wails escaping as she took her first breath.
Not long after, the other one began crying just as loudly.
Both of their eyes were squeezed shut, their voices growing louder as they shivered in the cold.
Before he could stop himself, he walked over, eyes still wide at what he was seeing, hearing in front of him.
He ignored the worried voices of his team, his friends, the glass crunching and imbedding into his feet.
The noises they made, the crying they were making, it reminded him of when his daughters were first born. That day was fresh in his mind, forever imprinted much like how this day will be.
A swell of joy, pride, and most of all relief swept through him as he reached the pair, grateful the tanks were near one another.
With near grace, he wrapped his arms around them both, gently pulling them close, cradling the two.
They were much bigger than an infant, but small enough to hold both with relative ease, the action enough to stop their cries.
"You don't have to be afraid now. You're both safe now," Sebastian comforted, keeping his voice low so not to frighten them.
They looked at him in wonder, large puffy eyes, fur still damp, their faces wetter from their tears.
"You're both okay," he sighed, relieved as he stepped away, slumping into a chair, refusing to let the little ones ago.
They each sat on his knees, their cries long gone, now replaced with curiosity as they began to poke and prod the being holding them.
Their small paws tugged and poked his pajama top, sniffing him, taking in his scent as well as each other.
Sensing no harm, they burrowed in, the cold returning, making him hug them closer, letting them take as much warmth as they need.
Looking up at his team, seeing their stunned faces, relief and worry showing, he understood why. What he did was risky getting near them, knowing they could've attacked out of fear, but they hadn't.
Deep down, he knew they wouldn't attack. They were scared, reacting on instinct, still following that same instinct.
"Davin, get some towels. Joel, you and the others clean this up and collect what you can of the water. Something had to have been put in it or the tubes. It's clear she couldn't breathe, but from what…"
"We'll figure it out," Cassie reassured, as they all got to work on their given tasks.
Feeling paws now at his face, examining the skin, the goatee, the stripe in his hair, glasses he wore.
A small laugh escaped as one made a swipe for his frames, attempting to peer through them before he took them back.
"Now, now, these aren't for playing," he gently scolded, the loving smile never leaving his face.
"Mew?" Beta chirped softly, the first noise to make aside crying.
Sniffing his hair some more, she grew curious as she gave the stripe a lick, making a confused face at the taste as her tongue hung out.
He couldn't hold back a laugh, not realizing a few tears fell from his eyes, loving how innocent and playful they are.
As the mess was cleaned, two of scientists stepped away from cleaning, wanting to examine the clones.
Sebastian agreed, knowing it had to be done, despite how much he wanted to continue holding them, knowing they'll get scared again. But it was for the best, reassuring them that they'll be back when they started to cry.
As if understanding, they settled, getting distracted by the scientists now holding them, pawing at them much like they had with him.
Just as he began to relax, he jumped when his foot was grabbed, pain registering, hissing through his teeth.
"Sorry, Shiranui," Cassie apologized as she brought a stool under his feet, propping them up. "That was pretty dumb what you did, but at least they're okay."
"I know, I don't know what came over me. When they started crying, it felt like I was back in the delivery room. My daughters just born, Meiya out cold from the labor, the girls crying away. The second I held them, they stopped, as if they knew who I was, that I wasn't going to hurt them."
"You really miss your daughters, don't you?"
"I do, I haven't seen them in so long now. Between jobs Giovanni puts me through and Meiya snatching them and taking them to Arceus knows where, I never got to hold them again. It hurt so much losing them like that; it was like a part of me died. If I could go back in time, I would've made sure I was the one to take them. I would've cared for them the way they should."
"What about your ex-wife?" she asked, knowing it was touchy, but had to keep him somewhat busy.
There was a lot of glass, some of it buried pretty deep, sizes all over the place, and it was both feet too. It was going to be a lot of work and a lot of stitches.
Hopefully, there wasn't any permanent damage…
"As much as I hate her now, I would let them see her. She did give birth and maybe has some love for them. But, if she honestly doesn't care, then I won't let them near her, risk her poisoning their minds."
"It must be tough."
"It is, especially now that Giovanni's using them as leverage."
"Oh…"
After that it was silent, the other cringing or making hissing noises as his feet were treated, stitches and bandages covering them.
It was almost impossible to walk, needing help to move before giving up, sticking with a wheel chair until he recovered.
But as the days turned to weeks, the clones showing no adverse signs to their health, he was content to be stuck in the chair.
It simply meant more time for them to hop into his arms, wanting to be held, their more feline instincts showing. It was more prominent by how they walked on all fours than using two legs as Mewtwo had done. That and they would start purring or occasionally let out a hiss if they nipped themselves or each other.
Their curiosity was noticeable, watching with a smile as would others when they'd explore the lab or the play area they set up for them.
He watched as Omega would explore, sitting on her haunches, attempting to peek over tables or shelves to see.
Sometimes she would reach out and swipe something, mostly a pen or some sheets of paper, batting them around.
Beta though was more disastrous with her explorations, making leaps onto the tables, knocking things over with her clumsy body.
One time she had knocked over a bottle of ink, almost consuming it if he hadn't called out to her. The look on her face was priceless, her paw almost to her mouth, ink on one of her fingers to taste it as he wheeled over.
He never struck them if they were overly mischievous; he had to be careful not to upset them too much. But he couldn't risk letting them be spoiled either, grateful they somehow could tell when to stop by his tone.
He knew which clone was which, making it obvious whenever one of the others had trouble doing so.
"How are you able to tell that this is Beta?" one of the scientists asked, clearly confused as Sebastian gently groomed said clone after a bath.
"When their eyes are open, Beta's is a dark, almost plum violet while Omega's is a frosty lilac. While both their coats are lighter than Mewtwo's, Omega's is a little darker, particularly her tail. And most importantly, if you get them to hold still long enough, you'd notice Beta is a little bigger than Omega," Sebastian laughed as the small psychic purred at the attention.
"I don't think I would be able to pay attention long enough to pick those details. That and they move around so much," the other laughed as he gently scratched the psychic behind the ear.
"They are babies and it's good for them to explore. They're learning, and so long as we watch them, they'll learn what's okay to touch and what isn't."
"Like that bottle of ink?"
"Yes."
Within a couple more weeks, Sebastian began walking, albeit a bit stiffly, his feet still tender, but far better than before.
One of the many reasons he loves science so much, the medicine developed has done so much. Because of it, injuries like these last only a week or two than months, possibly a year depending on how bad they are.
Gently, the bespectacled scientist ushered the two into the play area, wanting to help them learn more.
When they were inside, he sat down, wanting to involve himself more with the games he has set up as well as give his feet as much rest as necessary.
"See this?" he asked, watching as they both listened, staring at a blue ball. "I'm going to put it in this cup and move it around with others. When I finish, you'll take turns picking out which one it's hiding under. If you find it, you get a prize."
"Mew!" Beta purred, tail wagging happily.
Both watched, trying to follow as he quickly scrambled the seven cups, making sure not to knock one over.
If they had been something else, he would've gone much easier, but they aren't normal, knowing they're intelligent despite their actions.
When he finished, he gave them a smile, seeing them stare before Omega nudged her sister to go first.
That was something else he wanted them to learn, taking turns, sharing things together, something they both seemed to grasp easily.
Not only would it help them get along better and possibly other Pokémon they may meet, but when they do start to battle. They would need to know not to get impatient, learn how to read their movements to know how to react.
Hesitantly, Beta eyed the cups before picking the one furthest from the rest, smiling as the small toy was revealed.
"Mew!"
"Excellent job," he laughed, pulling something from behind himself, revealing some snacks Joel had made. "Pick whichever you want."
Smiling happily, the older twin snatched up what she wanted, watching as he put the rest away.
Repeating the process, making sure the ball was somewhere else, though by how fast he moved for Omega, he nearly lost track.
As before, the younger one found it, rewarding her with a treat as well, watching as they both ate happily.
It was like this for a while, using various games like these to test their memory and intelligence.
Other games worked on their motor skills, working with blocks to match with various objects, showing them puzzles.
He noticed they each had a preference for certain games he and the others set up for them both.
Beta enjoyed ones she could get her paws on, particularly the more physical games to tussle around with. Omega on the other hand preferred ones to test her mind, playing with various puzzles, finishing some fast, others taking longer.
Slowly he started to make them harder, not so much new games, but how to play them, such as working on their psychic control.
He asked for someone to bring out a psychic to show them what it does, knowing a demonstration is the best method for any child to learn.
Once they started, he noticed how much more fun they were having, Beta using hers to bring things off of shelves she couldn't reach to play with.
Omega would do the same to retrieve a favorite puzzle or picture book, using the same psychic control to enjoy her time.
Doing this, they were beginning to be more independent and thinking things through to solve certain problems.
The idea was risky, knowing Giovanni wouldn't entirely approve, but since they're still young, they can still be molded.
At least that's what he'll tell the bastard to shut him up.
"I think we can take another step," he smiled, knowing he needed to broaden their senses and horizons.
"What are you going to do?" Joel asked as he helped set down the clone's lunch, albeit they retrieved them faster with their abilities.
"Take them outside. They can only learn so much in here before they get bored and restless. They could learn to climb trees and swim in the lake, strengthening their muscles. Use their psychic control to move things about, things that would be heavier than here, which they're allowed to move."
"Are you sure that's wise? What if a trainer shows up?"
"Use your Kadabra to knock them out with Hypnosis and wipe their memories of ever seeing them. If they even saw them to begin with."
"Right," he nodded with a smile as he sat down next to his senior. "When are you thinking of bringing them outdoors?"
"Tomorrow, it's supposed to be sunny out, and we had some rain, but not enough to be concerned over."
"I guess we should also prepare for baths? I'm sure they're going to have a lot of fun splashing in the mud."
"Right, I forgot about that."
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