Chapter 16: Astronomy Lesson

Zorua stopped outside the manor door to shake the snow from her legs and belly. Tyranitar, industrious as ever, had shoveled out the snow from the area in front of the door to help keep them all from tracking it in. Standing up on her hindlegs against the door, she nosed the latch open and pushed it inward. Ampharos and Glaceon followed her in. The delicious scent of baked spiced Apples steamed from the crate in Ampharos's hands, and the clink of bottles sounded from the panniers across Glaceon's back.

She hurried across the lobby and pushed through the library curtain. Absol, Team Arcana, Charizard, and Alakazam were clustered around the table where they'd been working the last few days translating Instruments of Creation. Arcanine and Mewtwo sat at another, discussing something in Mewtwo's ever-growing pile of notes. "You guys coming for breakfast?" Zorua asked, "Ampharos and Glaceon brought baked Apples, and they smell great."

As everyone exited the library, Team Mighty and Growlithe were emerging from their room. Growlithe stopped, snarling, then began to hobble stiff-legged toward Arcanine. Team Mighty parted, allowing her to pass.

"I don't know why you all let a murderer in," Growlithe said loudly.

Arcanine hesitated, turning to look at her, then turned away and kept walking. If it were anyone else, he thought, a battle would be in order, hopefully safely outside the manor. With Growlithe, though, what could he do? Her injury gave her immunity to any physical response, and there was no sense arguing with her. The best, least embarrassing response was none at all.

"Are you all scared of him?" Growlithe demanded, "cause I'm not."

"Growlithe..." Absol stepped forward to intercept Growlithe. She could hear Zorua behind her, moving in front of Arcanine. It really ought to be Team Mighty's responsibility to keep Growlithe in line, Absol thought. Growlithe was their teammate, if only unofficially. Unfortunately, the Mightyenas didn't seem capable of understanding the situation.

Before Absol could move between them, Growlithe stopped and huffed an Ember toward Arcanine's back. She yelped in surprise and stumbled backward as it splashed off his Protect a meter in front of her face. Her hindlegs wobbled and gave out, and she collapsed gracelessly back onto her rump. Absol could see tears forming in Growlithe's eyes before she turned away.

The closest two Mightyenas stepped back reflexively at the same time, then all three of them closed together protectively in front of Growlithe. Arcanine hadn't stopped walking, or even looked back, Absol saw, but his ears were rotated back; if he had done that on purpose, he had timed it solely by sound. Absol wasn't sure how she felt about Arcanine's reaction; all he'd done was let her surprise herself, but still, those were real tears of pain. He could have been more gentle.

Across the lobby, the door to another of the side rooms slammed open. Zangoose rushed out, claws raised and ready for a fight. Scyther and Sandslash were right behind him. The three of them stopped, looking around uncertainly.

"The situation is under control," Alakazam assured them, "Growlithe, Arcanine, I don't care whether you two like each other, but there will be no fighting in the manor. Understood?"

Arcanine gave a single, deep nod. Even if the implied accusation that he had been fighting as well seemed slightly unfair, it was Team ACT's territory, and Alakazam deserved some deference here.

"Growlithe?" Alakazam pressed.

Growlithe looked around for support, at Team Mighty, and Team Arcana, and even Zorua and Absol; failing to find any, she nodded slowly as well.

All of them continued on to where Ampharos was setting out plates of baked Apples and pouring cups and bowls of cider on the crates beside the sandglasses. The smell was amazing

"We ought to get some proper tables in here," Charizard observed, "it's been a long time since we've had enough people at the manor to need them."

"The bandit scare thirty-some years ago?" Tyranitar suggested.

Alakazam nodded in confirmation.

"I'll have some made," Tyranitar said, "it won't take much time from other projects."

"Apple, with a touch of Sitrus and Oran," Glaceon explained, "Tropius's new recipe. I think it will make wonderful cider with a few month's aging, but it's a bit on the sweet side now."

Mewtwo seated himself on one of the crates and motioned for Team Warmth to join him. As they gathered around, four plates of Apples, three bowls, and a cup rose and floated towards them.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Absol exclaimed, drinking deeply from her bowl, "it's not too sweet at all."

"It's definitely too sweet," Zorua disagreed, "here, you can have mine. The Apples are great, though."

#What was that about with Growlithe?# Mewtwo asked.

"Her legs are hurt because of bandits," Absol explained, "I guess she thinks Arcanine was a bandit too?"

Zorua looked around; Team Razor Wind was watching them, but no one else appeared to be listening to their conversation. Mewtwo's mental communication didn't have a volume, and there was no way of knowing who else could hear him. "He kind of was," she said quietly, "anyway, can't you just read her mind?"

#I could.# Mewtwo frowned. #I try not to, without permission, though I can't help picking up some things.#

"Arcanine, did you do that on purpose?" Absol asked, "with Protect?"

"Meant to startle her," Arcanine admitted, "not hurt her."

"She did start it," Zorua pointed out, "it was her own attack."

"I know..." Absol trailed off; there was really nothing to accuse Arcanine of doing wrong. Growlithe's accusations and attacks weren't how Pokémon were supposed to treat each other, especially when they were living and working together. Especially when they were all guests. Had it been anyone other than helpless Growlithe, Absol would have been willing to beat some manners into the offender herself.

"I'm sorry." Arcanine bowed his head in contrition, "be more careful."

"Thank you." Absol leaned over to brush her cheek against Arcanine's. "It's just, she's hurt so much already."

Arcanine's mind wandered as the others talked. Even if he didn't have much to say, even if he wasn't interested their conversations, it was nice to be surrounded by the sounds and scents of so many friendly Pokémon. It felt like home, even if he knew that these weren't the same Pokémon he had known before.

Electrike and the other Pokémon imprisoned in Team Magnezone's base were probably cold and hungry right now. The Magnemites had fed everyone barely enough in normal times, and Treasure Town was probably not as prepared as Pokémon Square or Meadow Town. What would happen to them if the cold dragged on and food began to run short? He hadn't seen any of them, but he could picture them from their voices. He imagined Electrike and Stoutland and Zebstrike huddled in the corners of their cells, abandoned and slowly starving. The perfectly seasoned Apple tasted like ash in his mouth.

Zorua's claws poked into his ribs. "Arcanine?"

"Hmm?" Arcanine blinked and looked around. Mewtwo, Absol, and Zorua were all staring at him. He must have missed something daydreaming, he thought.

"You look like you're planning to kill someone," Zorua said, "still mad about Growlithe?"

Arcanine shook his head.

"What, then?"

"Magnezone's prisoners," Arcanine admitted, knowing that Zorua would disagree, "I have to go back for them."

"Arcanine, we talked about this. If we don't save the world, it doesn't do any good to rescue them, right?"

"Zorua…" Arcanine shifted uncomfortably. He hated arguing. She was right, of course, but it was more complicated than that. "What if they don't survive that long? We solve the puzzle, other teams can open the other doors."

"Wigglytuff Guild will support Magnezone," Alakazam said unexpectedly.

Arcanine looked around; the entire gathering was watching them now. They must have been talking louder than he had thought. It didn't matter, really; his plans wouldn't have remained secret long.

"We still need the guild archives to locate the remaining fragments," Alakazam continued, "Grey is likely to lose access if you attack their allies."

"Whole guild will support Magnezone?" Arcanine asked.

"Chatot runs the Guild," Zangoose said, "and he has an arrangement with Magnezone. Wigglytuff is completely crazy; worse dungeon sickness than Pink or Team Mighty. He's also incredibly strong, and he'll do anything Chatot tells him, so long as he thinks he's in charge."

"Most of the real teams will probably not get involved, but the apprentices...they're not the highest quality Pokémon," Sandslash said, "don't expect them to understand the situation, but they worship Wigglytuff."

"When Team Easy is done, then," Arcanine said.

Alakazam frowned. "I don't think this is a wise course of action, but so long as it doesn't interfere with our work on the weather situation, it's not our fight."

"I told you all he was a bad Pokémon," Growlithe pouted, "no one listens to me."

"I'm not sure this is the best plan either, big guy," Zorua said, "but I'll be with you."

"Arcanine…" Absol began. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know much about Team Magnezone, but in all the stories, Wigglytuff Guild were good Pokémon. They rescued other Pokémon from dungeons, and protected Treasure Town, and they'd resolved the Time Gears crisis. She couldn't doubt Arcanine's word, though; he'd been in Team Magnezone's prison and seen the truth for himself. Did that outweigh all the other stories? It had to. Arcanine was her friend and her teammate. "I will too."

Arcanine looked around at the gathered Pokémon. Mewtwo was inscrutable. Team Arcana focused intently on their breakfast, obviously wanting no part in the conversation. Team Mighty lounged around Growlithe, contented, disinterested expressions on all their faces. They couldn't understand, and they didn't care; their world was limited to the immediate concerns of food and respect and companionship. Growlithe bared her fangs and growled quietly. Team Razor Wind, he thought, might help.

After breakfast, they returned to the library. Through the windows, Absol could see Growlithe and Team Mighty playing in the snow in the courtyard. The three Mightyenas ran in wide loops around her, while Growlithe spun in place, trying to keep all of them in view. When one of them got behind her, he would run in silently, getting as close as he could before she turned to bark and snap at him. When caught, the Mightyena would swerve away, attempting to kick snow at her as he passed.

"So, how much longer are you gonna take to solve this astrology stuff?" Zorua asked.

#Another day or two, I think,# Mewtwo said, showing no sign of offense at her insolent tone, #though, we should still expect to spend several days in Creepy Tunnel guessing the remaining pieces.#

"We?" Zorua knew exactly what Mewtwo meant. Baiting him wasn't much fun; he never took the bait, but she still didn't like the idea of agreeing with him.

#I will be there, of course. I would like your team to accompany me. Team Arcana would be helpful as well, though I understand if they would prefer to stay and work on their translation.#

"Of course we'll go," Absol said immediately.

#Thank you.# Mewtwo smiled. #Absol, I would like to have another look at your dream this morning, if the memory hasn't faded too much. I think there may be something that we missed before.#

"I'm...not sure how much I remember," Absol admitted, "it was really vivid at first, but now I don't know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were standing atop Mount Freeze, just like before, but before, she'd been certain that the recreation matched her dream. Now, she wasn't sure. Which way had Ninetales been facing, at the start? Had they been looking south or east? The sky wavered around them, conforming itself to her thoughts.

"Mewtwo, I'm sorry; I'm not sure how it's supposed to be."

#It's okay. It's natural to forget over time. Don't try to force it, just let it flow.#

The sky stabilized as she settled on east. She couldn't remember, now, in what order Ninetales, Darkrai, had shown her the stars and planets, but his descriptions still made sense. Mewtwo watched and listened as they continued.

#Wait,# Mewtwo said, #over here.# He pointed to an unremarkable patch of sky. Within their shared consciousness, Absol knew exactly where he was pointing, with a precision beyond what one person could have described to another.

"I don't see anything," Absol said, "just background stars."

#I think that I saw something here before,# Mewtwo said, #it didn't seem noteworthy then. Not a star, but a diffuse bright patch, like a comet tail, but more oval.#

As Mewtwo described it, it was there. "You're right!" Absol said excitedly, "I see it now."

#You see what I expected us to see. Unfortunately, now that I've influenced your memory, we can't be sure whether it was real, or a mistake in my own memory. If it were real, though, what do you think it would be?#

"I don't know." Absol thought for a moment. "It's pointing the wrong was for a comet."

#What if it looked like this?# The bright patch coalesced into a disc, not quite a point.

"A planet," Absol said immediately, "but I don't know what planet. It's in the right arc, but all the planets are accounted for...unless, do you think Darkrai was lying to us?"

#I think it was a planet. Remember the picture in Instruments of Creation?#

"Which one?"

#I...# Mewtwo frowned. #I'll explain it to everyone back in the library. Do you think you can show me this spot on your astrology diagram?#

Absol studied the surrounding stars carefully for a moment, fixing their locations in her memory, then nodded. "Yes," she said confidently.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

#In your astrology,# Mewtwo began, #if I were Earth, the sun and planets would orbit something like this.# The Luminous Orb and the discs rose into the air in the pink glow of his Psychic, moving in the arcs with which everyone in the room but himself and Arcanine were familiar. The others all gathered around him to view the demonstration.

"That's right," Absol agreed, "I mean, not exactly, but it's the right idea."

#And from our point of view on Earth, this model is correct.# The Orb and discs returned to Mewtwo's outstretched hands. #But, it's not the only one. Imagine that you were very far away, so far that you could see the sun and all the planets at once.#

Mewtwo took Arcanine's charcoal stick and drew a line around the circumference of the Luminous Orb, from top to bottom. It rose above their heads and began to rotate slowly.

#The sun is the center. It's rotating.# The charcoal line allowed them to see the rotation of the otherwise nearly featureless orb. #The planets orbit the sun, on roughly the same axis. Mercury. Venus. Earth. Mars. Jupiter. Saturn.# As he named each one, a disc rose up to assume its orbit. Mewtwo wasn't looking at his solar system; he stared down toward the table, eyes unfocused in concentration. #There are three more which are much too far away to see from here, but Humans have identified them with telescopes. Uranus. Neptune. Pluto.#

#The planets are all spheres of rock, just like Earth, only so far away that we can't seen any details, just the reflection of light from the sun. If I could make these much larger, and we could all sit on the third disc and watch, we would see the other planets move the way you expect them to.#

Absol stared up at the third disc, head moving to follow its slow ellipse, and tried to imagine what the other discs would look like from there. She couldn't. Mewtwo's explanation made sense in a hypothetical way; she was sitting still, and the paths of the planets seemed simple from here, but if she were orbiting the sun and spinning around at the same time, their paths would seem much more complex. She couldn't visualize what it would look like to go from one view to the other, though. Just trying to imagine it made her dizzy.

#I can't either. That's what all those pages of equations are for.# Mewtwo's hand rested gently on her shoulder, and Absol realized that she was still wearing Mewtwo's ring. Was he listening to her thoughts right now? The idea should have made her uncomfortable, but it didn't. Sharing her dream with Mewtwo had been much more intimate, but that hadn't bothered her either. Was this why Mewtwo and Arcanine's conversations sounded so strange?

Zorua might suggest that Mewtwo was influencing her right now, and that was why it seemed okay, but she didn't think he was, at least not purposefully. He was always circumspect offering advice and opinions. What would he want to deceive them about, anyway? He knew everything that they knew already. If Mewtwo didn't ask for it back, Absol thought, maybe she'd keep the ring for a while and see what it was like.

Mewtwo allowed the scene to continue for several more revolutions, and the discs returned to his hands again, leaving the Luminous Orb alone in the air.

#Now, let's say this is a planet.# Mewtwo's hands pushed all of the discs together like compacting snow into a ball, and the pink glow of Psychic held them there as it rose to orbit the sun again.

#If it were struck hard enough, say by a meteor like Rayquaza destroyed eight years ago, it would break apart.# A berry flew up from their team's items, piled on the table, and gently hit the floating discs. The began to drift apart. #All of the fragments are still moving in roughly the same direction, but at slightly different speeds.# The discs drifted into an ovoid which slowly lengthened along the path of the orbit.

"Like the bright patch you saw in my dream," Absol observed.

"Like the picture with the floating rocks in the book," Zorua said

#Exactly.# The discs returned to his hands once more. He sorted through them, picked one out, and lay it on the table. #Our missing planet, the one rune Umbreon and Espeon can't identify, because only a few of the strongest Legendaries are old enough to remember what it was for.#

"That sounds pretty important." Zorua said, too impressed by the display to remember that she was trying to be rude.

#Well, it means that, if the door still works properly, Arcanine and I have done everything else correctly, Kingler is able to duplicate the disc, and our theory about how it works is accurate, we only need to guess from approximately twenty-three hundred possible combinations rather than twenty-seven thousand.#

Everyone was silent after that. Since Mewtwo's arrival, none of them had seriously considered the possibility that his idea wouldn't work.

"I haven't heard back yet from Excadrill," Tyranitar said eventually, "do we still want his help?"

#I think so,# Mewtwo said, #if I'm wrong, it's probably our next best option.#

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yes," Alakazam said when Zorua had finished, "that's the same story he told us when he first arrived."

"Well, do you believe him?"

She had waited all day for a chance to catch him without Mewtwo, Arcanine, or Absol around. The two of them and Tyranitar walked down the path from the manor to town. She was on her way to inspect construction at Kangaskhan Storage, Tyranitar to consult with Tropius about the storage needs of his wine, and Alakazam to check on Kingler's progress carving their disc.

"I think it's probably true, as far as it goes," Alakazam said, "He does seem to care very much for Arcanine, and obviously they know each other. In any case, we didn't have much choice but to accept his terms. Also, it explains why Magnezone was so eager to be rid of him; I think he expected Mewtwo would take Arcanine away, and he would get to keep the million for himself."

"I guess so." So much had happened in the short time since Arcanine's capture and release that she had already begun to forget the details. "So do I tell him?"

"I don't know." Alakazam sighed. "What he describes is far beyond my own capability, and probably any ordinary Pokémon. While I don't believe that Mewtwo is being entirely forthright, it seems wiser to wait than to risk further damaging your partner. I suppose it will be up to Arcanine, when and if he regains his memory, to judge Mewtwo's actions."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mewtwo set his pencil down, and pushed it neatly into line with the other pencils on his table waiting to be resharpened, then slid his chair back and rubbed his eyes. It was late now; Team ACT had already left for the night, and Absol and Team Arcana's heads were drooping as they worked on their translation. Zorua watched as Mewtwo bookmarked, closed, and stacked all of the books which had accumulated on his table over the last week, then sorted his notes, and Arcanine's, into piles, and tapped each pile on the edge to align them. He hadn't done any of that on previous nights, she thought; it had to be significant. He must be done, or very close.

Mewtwo's fingertips pressed against Arcanine's muzzle for a moment. Their eyes lingered a moment longer, then Mewtwo turned to leave. Pokémon were expressive, sensual creatures, and for anyone else, such a brief contact barely registered friendship. For the two of them, Zorua thought, it was almost sexual in intensity.

In the doorway, Mewtwo stopped and turned back toward them. #Absol?#

"Yes?"

#It's...none of my business, but I think Growlithe could use extra friends tonight.#

"Oh. Isn't she still mad about Arcanine?"

#She's upset about a lot of things, but not at you, I think.#

"Should I go too?" Zorua asked.

#I don't know what your relationship is with Team Mighty,# Mewtwo said, #but I think it wouldn't be amiss.#

Zorua turned sheepishly to look at Arcanine. "Is it okay if I join them, big guy? Not Team Mighty, just to keep Growlithe company? I know you don't like to sleep alone either."

Arcanine wanted to say no. He wasn't mad at Team Mighty any more for attacking him; it hadn't been anything personal, and they seemed like decent Pokémon, despite their oddity. He couldn't dislike Growlithe either, despite whatever grudge she seemed to have with him. He knew it was selfish, but Zorua was his, and he didn't want to share outside the team.

"Of course," Arcanine said instead, bending down to rub his chin against Zorua's back.

Zorua's back arched as she pushed back, and her tail wrapped around Arcanine's muzzle. "I'm sorry. It's really not okay, is it?"

"It is. Growlithe's not a bad Pokémon, even if she doesn't like me. Go take care of her."

"Thank you. Just for tonight; I promise I won't make a habit of it."

Zorua could see Mewtwo smiling as he turned again to leave, and she recalled her conversation with Absol two nights ago. They had never gotten an answer about where Mewtwo was staying.

"Mewtwo, wait," Zorua called after him, "Absol wanted to invite you to stay in the manor."

"Zorua, I thought you didn't want him to?" Absol said.

"I still don't trust him," Zorua said, not deterred by Mewtwo's presence, "but it's not like the manor would stop him anyway. He may as well stay here where it's comfortable."

This didn't mean she liked him, Zorua thought, or that she was forgiving him for what he'd done to Arcanine. He wasn't all bad, though, if he cared to help Growlithe, and having him outside wasn't any safer than letting him in. Also, it would make Absol happy.

#I appreciate the thought,# Mewtwo said, #the library is a bit too public for me.#

"There's another room with a door in the lobby," Zorua said, "by Team Razor Wind's room. I think Team ACT wouldn't mind if you used it."

#Maybe I will.# Mewtwo smiled and turned again to go, #Thank you.#

She wouldn't need her blanket tonight, Absol though; with six of them in the tiny room, there would be plenty of warm bodies to cuddle with, and it would only get in the way. Arcanine didn't need it either, but he might like having it. It was nice of him to be so understanding about Growlithe. She and Zorua would have to make it up to him tomorrow, somehow.

Absol held the front of the blanket down with her forepaws and wriggled her head out through the hole. It was such a simple alteration, and now she didn't have to rely on anyone else to help her with it. Why had no one thought of it before? It must be Arcanine's time with Humans, she thought; if they weak and helpless like he said, it would make sense for them to rely more on tools. He must have picked up some of their tricks.

As Absol removed her blanket, Zorua saw a glint of reflected light on her forepaw. She leaned in for a closer look.

"You know you're still wearing his ring?"

Absol nodded.

"Why?

"I want to understand him," Absol admitted, "and Arcanine too."

"Well, did it do anything?"

"A couple times today, he's responded to things I didn't say aloud."

"And that's not weird?"

"A little. I don't think he did it on purpose. I'm not sure he knew I didn't say it."

Three heads rose to stare at her in the darkness as Absol peered though the doorway into Team Mighty's room. In the moonlight, she could vaguely make out the mass of furry bodies gathered in the center. They didn't welcome her this time, or move aside so that she could join them. Their scent was guarded and cautious, rather than relaxed and welcoming. She could smell tears and pain; Mewtwo was right, she though, Growlithe did need extra help tonight. The scent of Growlithe's medicine, which she had expected to be overpowering, was only mild. That was one good sign; whatever else was wrong, at least Growlithe seemed be be much more restrained with her medicine since she'd been in the manor.

A fourth, smaller head rose to join them, shining eyes blinking slowly in the dark.

"Ab-sol?" Growlithe sniffled.

"May we come in? Zorua's here too."

"Wh-hy?"

Absol knew Growlithe was a proud Pokémon, despite her injury. It would probably be best not to emphasize that they were there to help her, even if everyone probably knew that was true. "We just wanted to be with you."

"Not with Arc-canine?"

"We're not going to pick between you," Zorua said, stepping forward, "You're both good Pokémon, and Team Mighty too, and we want to be friends with all of you."

Growlithe stared back at them for a while without answering. A minute, two, and Absol and Zorua both shifted uncomfortably, unwilling to retreat without a definite answer, but unable to enter Team Mighty's den without permission.

Finally, Growlithe relented. She wriggled aside, making room on the bed. "Okay. I guess we can keep you company tonight."

The Mightyenas relaxed, faces going from wary to welcoming, and shifted to make a space for her and Zorua in the center. Absol stretched out against Growlithe's back like she had before, and Zorua lay against her other side. The Mightyenas formed a ring around the three of them, leaning against them on all sides. She really didn't need her blanket tonight, she though, burying her face in one Mightyena's soft belly fur. It was warm and comfortable and his scent was strong and pleasant, but it wasn't nearly as nice as Arcanine's mane. She and Zorua would have to make it up to Arcanine tomorrow night; maybe she could have Zorua show her the massage she did to make Arcanine's back feel better?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally all the others had gone, and Arcanine was alone in the library. The cool light of the moon through the windows and the warm light of the fire in the stove cast contrasting shadows across the room. He stretched out on the cushions in front of the stove and yawned.

Rolling over onto his back, he wriggled into the cushions. It hurt, but it felt good too, like scratching scores of itching, half-healed wounds all at the same time. There were still bits of metal under those scars, he remembered now, from the weapons the Humans had used, bits that Mewtwo and the Human doctor had been unable to remove; that was why it still hurt after all this time.

He pushed he nose into the cushion. He could smell Zorua and Absol there, and Growlithe, and Team ACT, and dozens of other Pokémon who had used them. He could smell the dusty, slightly mouldy scent of the straw inside, and a faint hint of the Mareep whose wool the fabric had been woven from, however many years ago. All together, it was a relaxing, homey smell.

The library was quite warm with the fire burning. He didn't need it, but he pulled Absol's blanket over his forelegs, and lay his chin down on it. There were plenty of scents there, too; Absol and Aromatisse were the strongest, but he could smell traces of dozens of other Pokémon; Aromatisse was the town healer, so many of them had probably been ill or injured, laying on this blanket on the same straw bed he he had lain on, in her hut after he was captured. It had warmed and comforted them, just like it did for Absol.

It was remarkable, he though, how something so simple like a blanket could help so many people. Did the Mareep ever wonder what had become of the wool he sold? Whatever had happened in the past, he was fortunate to be here now, with friends and teammates, surrounded by hundreds of books in the comfort of the manor.

Not everyone was so fortunate. Electrike was cold and hungry right now in Magnezone's prison. They'd talked for hours, after that first night when everyone had introduced themselves, her telling stories about her team's exploits, and him about Zorua and the bits he remembered from his years alone. She was a friend, even if they'd never actually met. He needed to do something, to help her, no matter how logical everyone else's justification for waiting.

What about the other family he'd had, back in the Human world? He knew he loved them too, even if he could only remember glimpses. Sandslash asleep beside him, hand across the long scar on his belly. He was always calm and rational, like Lucario. How had he gotten that scar? Arcanine was sure that it had been an important moment in both their lives, but he couldn't remember. Vulpix, curled up between his forelegs, just like Zorua enjoyed. Vaporeon, laughing and splashing in the water, challenging them all to a swim, like Absol inviting them to join in pawball. Had the survivors found another place to live? Were they safe with Mewtwo gone? Were they happy?

Arcanine shifted restlessly on the bed. He wasn't going to get any sleep like this, he thought. Maybe a run would help? After pacing side to side across the slate on the floor all day with the charcoal stick clenched in his teeth, some real exercise would do him good.

The ground was still mostly clear in front of the door, but the snow was several deeper beyond that. Mewtwo's tracks were fresh atop those of all the other Pokémon who had come and gone from the manor that day, and Arcanine decided to follow them. It wasn't really a violation of Mewtwo's privacy; if he had wanted to keep his destination secret, he wouldn't have left tracks for anyone to follow.

Within a few steps, Arcanine saw that Mewtwo's trail wasn't heading toward the courtyard gate, but toward the wall west of the door. He looked up to see Mewtwo silhouetted atop the wall, just as he had been when they first met a week ago.

"The moon is round tonight, isn't it?," Arcanine greeted Mewtwo, jumping up onto the wall beside him. Mewtwo had greeted him the same way; he knew it was much more than an astronomical observation, even if he couldn't remember what it meant. It was three of four days waning now, he thought, but it was the thought that counted.

#It is, isn't it,# Mewtwo agreed with a friendly smile, #you couldn't sleep either?#

"No."

#Worried?#

Arcanine nodded. "About a lot of things."

#Me too.#

"My...our...family. Don't remember most of them, still, but...are they okay, now?"

Mewtwo nodded slowly. #Everyone who survived the battle is still alive. Some of them have lingering injuries, like you.#

"Are you still a family?" That was the most important question, in the end.

#Yes,# Mewtwo said firmly. #It's...not the same as before. Sandslash found a colony of wild Sandshrews and Sandslashes. He's a respected elder. The rest of us live among Humans. Not all together, but we see each other regularly.#

"With Humans." It was impossible, Arcanine thought; Humans were the enemy. For as much as they had studied Humans and their science, they always been the enemy, the bogeyman, the mostly-unspoken fear that one day the wonderful life they had created together would be taken away. In the end, that fear had come true.

#They're not all bad. I, well, I dabbled in Human business before. Since the battle, we've found it a necessity. Arcanine, we're not pets. There's no place on Earth where we could hide from Humans as a group forever,# Mewtwo said resignedly, #there are just too many of them. We've had to learn to live among them.#

Mewtwo hesitated. He wasn't happy about it, Arcanine could tell. He could hear it in Mewtwo's voice, and see it in the droop of his ears and tail.

#We've done quite well in five years. We effectively own several small countries. Some day, maybe, we can change how all Humans and Pokémon interact for the better.# Mewtwo hesitated again. #Every one of us would go back to how we lived on Mount Quena, if we could.#

He wanted to comfort Mewtwo, but Arcanine didn't know how. Being the strongest didn't mean Mewtwo had any less doubts and fears than the rest of them, it just meant that there was no one left for him to pass his burden to when it became too heavy. He wanted to lay his head on Mewtwo's lap, but that much physical contact made the Psychic-type uncomfortable, didn't it?

#Maybe for a little while.# Mewtwo's arms wrapped around his neck, fingers tugging through his mane. #I've gotten better at controlling it. But lets find somewhere else to sit before we both fall off the wall together?#

Mewtwo leaned back against the trunk of one of the big Apple trees in the courtyard. It had caught most of the snow, and the soil was merely damp and cold at the base. Arcanine lay between Mewtwo's outstretched legs, resting his chin on Mewtwo's belly. Mewtwo's arms wrapped around him again and held tightly. For a while, neither of them spoke.

"I had eggs, didn't I?" Arcanine asked eventually. He knew he was straying into a forbidden subject, but he asked anyway. He needed to know.

#Your team had three.# Mewtwo looked away.

"Not going to tell me more."

#I'm sorry.#

"I know."

Mewtwo's arms slowly released their grip, and Arcanine knew that it was time to move.

#Thank you for that.# Arcanine knew that Mewtwo meant the hug, not his question. #Still up for that run?#

Running sounded awful, Arcanine thought, but he wasn't any closer to sleep than he had been before.

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What the heck, Desert Cat? It's been a month, and this is all we get?

Well, kind of. The good news is that I have 7k words of the next chapter written already, so hopefully it will be along soon.