Chapter 9

Mewtwo was getting slightly worried along with everyone else in the clearing when dinner rolled around and Ash was not back from his walk. Pikachu mentioned that sometimes Ash's walks could take a few hours as he got sidetracked by battles and looking for wild Pokémon in order to add to his team and he usually was back by dinner but even Pikachu got worried when Ash had not returned as the fragrance of the dinner surrounded the clearing. "I will go search for him." Mewtwo stated before turning to the little Riolu figure that was looking as worried as the rest of the Pokémon around her. "Mew, I will need you to release the transformation on me. I cannot do all that I can to try and find Ash while being in this form."

Mew nodded and with a flash of blue, Mewtwo was back in his normal form and, if his sigh of relief was any indication, he was happy to be out of the Lucario form. Brock stepped forward with Ash's green bag. "Ash carries a supply kit and his other clothes are in there." He said once he was in front of Mewtwo. "He might be lost but when you find him I am sure he will want his clothes. It is getting slightly chilly and the shirt and shorts he has on him right now aren't the best at nighttime."

Mewtwo nodded and took the bag in his psychic grip. "Pikachu," he said turning to the electric Pokémon. "I need you to come with me."

"Pi pikachu chu?" Pikachu said hopping up next to Mewtwo.

"I am choosing you because you are the most capable Pokémon to pick up on Ash's scent." Mewtwo looked down at Pikachu. "You seem to have been with him the longest to truly trust him and defend him like you do and know his smell best as I have never seen you in a Pokéball. I will need that once we enter the forest. My abilities to find him are undoubtedly the best but I will be able to find him quicker with you than just on my own."

Pikachu nodded with a determined expression on his face. "Pika pi pikapi." He said nodding.

Mewtwo looked to the rest of the group. "We will return as soon as we find Ash." He then walked into the forest with Pikachu by his side following the direction Ash took earlier.

As they walked, Mewtwo glanced down at Pikachu as he sniffed around following Ash's scent diligently pausing every so often to make sure the scent was indeed going in the direction Ash went. "May I ask a question Pikachu?" Mewtwo asked.

"Pi pika." He answered.

"How did you meet Ash?"

"Pi chu kapi pika."

"You were his starter? I thought it would have been one of the three original starters that were back with the group."

"Pi? Pi pikachu pika chu cha chi."

"He found all three starters on his journey? That's almost unbelievable."

"Pika pi. Pik pi ka cha chupi cha kipa."

"He seems to definitely be a danger magnet with how he rushed between…" Mewtwo trailed off at the memory of Ash flinging himself between the two colliding attacks of his own and Mew's.

"Pika pi pi kachu chu chi pi pi pik."

"How many other near death instances were there for you to think this is normal?"

"Pika ka."

"That is not an answer I want but for now I will drop the matter."

The walk continued in silence until Pikachu came upon the scent ending by a hill. Pikachu looked down the hill and noticed the small hole at the bottom. "Pika pikachu pi pi." Pikachu whispered to Mewtwo as he smelled two strong scents indicating that wild Pokémon were in the area.

"Two strong scents are mingling with Ash's?" Mewtwo asked Pikachu and then looked at the sky noting that it was getting close to sunset. "We better hurry and get Ash out of there before night falls." He psychically floated both him and Pikachu down to the hole and once on the ground, they peered into it carefully spotting Ash almost instantly.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Ash whispered looking up at the two by the entrance above him. "Something is in here with me and I can't really move."

"Do you know what it is?" Mewtwo asked as quietly as he could as he set the bag beside him and kneeling by the hole on the ground next to Pikachu.

"No."

Mewtwo surveyed the hole noting that his current form would not allow him to enter and sighed in slight aggravation when it was concluded that making the hole bigger might make the tunnel collapse and bury Ash alive. He was relieved to feel with his aura that the two Pokémon that were in with Ash were sleeping soundly with no indications of waking anytime soon. "Listen, I need you to try and stand up Ash." Mewtwo said.

"I…" Ash hesitated a bit looking at his ankle making Mewtwo do the same. "I think I did some major damage to my ankle. I can try to stand but I've used the majority of my energy trying not to scream in pain while I stood up and walked the tunnel before."

Mewtwo nodded. "Pikachu," he said. "I need you to try and get the first aid kit from inside the bag. I'm going to lower you down to hand it to Ash so that he can try to see to his wound enough so that he can stand."

Pikachu nodded and opened the green bag taking out a small red bag with a white box image with a red plus sign in the middle of it. He showed it to Mewtwo and then was lifted carefully with the bag down into the hole by Mewtwo's psychic hold. Ash watched with nervous eyes darting around him as Pikachu descended down to the ground and quickly grabbed the med kit from his friend as he hit the ground looking through it desperately for the one thing he needed. "Where is it?" Ash murmured as he took out bandages, disinfectants, tape, pain killers, medical instruction manuals, needles, surgical thread, scissors, and a whistle that had a flashlight attached to it. "It isn't here…" Ash looked at all the supplies laid around him and tried to think of what to do.

"What do you need Ash?" Mewtwo said as loudly as he dared without risk of waking the Pokémon that were down in the hole.

"I need a wrap for my ankle." Ash whispered back looking up at Mewtwo's concerned face.

Mewtwo looked at what all was around Ash and said, "Take off your shirt."

"What?!" Ash exclaimed in a heated whisper. "I'm not going to get half naked in here!"

"Listen to me Ash." Mewtwo said seriously. "I am not asking this to get a reaction from you, I am telling you to do this because if you take off your shirt and cut it with the scissors there, you can make a wrap for your ankle."

Ash frowned before sighing and taking off his shirt before picking up the scissors and cutting it into long strips of fabric. Once done he put everything but the medical tape back into the bag and turned to Pikachu. "Hey buddy," he said. "I need you to take my shoe off of my foot so that I can try to wrap it."

"Pika pi pi chu." Pikachu said nodding before going over to Ash's left foot and quickly pulling the strings of the shoe to loosen it making Ash wince at the pain that shot through it. Pikachu looked at Ash as his paws gripped the edges of the shoe. "Pika?"

Ash took a deep breath before saying. "Ready." Pikachu then pulled the shoe off making him fall backwards and Ash tried to muffle a scream of agony though whimpers still escaped as tears of pain rolled down his cheeks.

Mewtwo winced at Ash's pain and watched as Ash quickly yet painfully wrapped up the ankle but suddenly, Mewtwo noticed a shift in the air and using his aura, he sensed that the two Pokémon that were done there were waking slowly. "Ash!" He called. "Stand up as quickly as you can! Pikachu, get on his shoulder!"

"I'm trying Mewtwo!" Ash yelled as he heard the rustle of the two large Pokémon that were down there. He struggled against the wall of the tunnel before making it all the way standing upright with Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder. "I'm ready!"

Mewtwo gripped onto them with his psychic and shot them safely upwards through the hole and out of the tunnel before hovering up through the treetops with Ash and Pikachu just as the tunnel collapsed from the moving Pokémon that fully awoke. "Let us get you back to the others so that they can see to your ankle." Mewtwo stated as he slowly flew them all to the rest of the group.

Ash didn't know what to say to Mewtwo but as he looked at him, Ash could have sworn that there was a look of worry across Mewtwo's face as he glanced at the hurt ankle. Ash didn't think Mewtwo cared much about him to worry so shook off the slight feeling of curiosity and focused on the flight over the treetops. It seemed ages before they arrived to the others and as soon as Mewtwo touched down, he pulled out a chair from the table for Ash and set him gently into it as Pikachu hopped onto the table itself and Brock walked over, knelt down by Ash's ankle, and gently unwrapped it. "What did you do to this ankle Ash?" Brock asked as he got a good look at Ash's red, swollen, and awkwardly bent ankle ignoring Ash's groans of pain. "This looks to be definitely broken."

"Aw come on!" Ash yelled. "I can't afford a broken ankle now!"

Mewtwo looked at all of Ash's Pokémon as they all crooned in sadness before turning to Mew who was still in Riolu form. "Can you not heal him?" He asked. "You know the move Heal better than I would."

Mew looked at him before shaking her head sadly. "Only a few Pokémon know how to use Heal on a human but I did not learn as I rarely get in contact with humans." She said to everyone.

"This sucks." Ash grumbled sitting back in the chair with his arms crossed.

"Maybe this will teach you to not wonder off alone after an argument." Misty said ignoring Ash's icy glare. "Maybe next time you will just listen and do what you are told instead of wanting to be all macho about being stronger than a Pokémon."

Ash growled but before he was able to say anything, Mewtwo spoke up. "It is not completely his fault that this happened." He said giving Misty a look that said to back off. "I, too, am at fault for I was the one who argued as well as Ash over a simplistic matter."

Misty gulped at the hard edge in Mewtwo's purple slightly glowing eyes and nodded. "Of course." She said.

"I may not be totally understanding of humans or their mannersomes in both demeanor and attitude but I do understand accountability for a persons or Pokémon's actions that would lead to something more disastrous." Mewtwo said in a tone that left no room for argument for anyone. "I should have sent a Pokémon with him just in case of a mishap as wild Pokémon do tend to challenge humans or create terrains that are dangerous for humans that are not well adept to seeing the signs of disturbance in the area." Misty looked away with a slightly guilty look upon her face upon hearing Mewtwo's reasoning. "I also should not have lost my temper so quickly to you Ash." Mewtwo looked at Ash directly. "I will try not to do such arguments in the future that end in you being hurt."

Ash just stared at Mewtwo but yelped as Brock started to wrap Ash's ankle properly so that they could go to a proper doctor without damaging the injury further. "Careful Brock!" Ash said a bit harshly as medical tape was applied to the finished wrap. "That hurts!"

"Sorry Ash but it is a necessary evil for it to be wrapped up nice and snug so that there is less chance of irreversible damage." Brock said standing up. "You will need to avoid walking until we get to a Pokémon Center so one of our Pokémon will need to carry you for a short while."

"Can't we just go back to my house?" Ash asked. "Mom can do anything a Nurse Joy can plus it isn't too far away."

"No Ash." Mewtwo spoke up making Ash turn his attention to him. "That ankle needs a professional healer to look at it sooner rather than later. Going back would ultimately waste precious time." Ash grit his teeth and looked down at his lap, his fists clenched tightly as his feelings started to overwhelm him. Suddenly, a white shirt was placed into his lap and he looked up to see Mewtwo's surprisingly understanding face. "I feel your fear and apprehension about going but without the help of a Pokémon who can use Heal proficiently, it is your only option."

"Yeah I know." Ash grumbled putting on the shirt as Brock walked over to Misty to grab some leftover dinner that was still in the pot on the other side of the table. "Hey, Mewtwo…"

"Yes Ash?" Mewtwo said looking at Ash.

"I want to apologize to you as well. I just really wanted to prove that I was ready and like an idiot I just made things worse for everyone." Ash looked at his team of Pokémon that were in the field resting yet watching their trainer at the same time. "I'm stubborn and rash but me yelling at you like that was something that I shouldn't have done. I should have listened to Pikachu and talk to you instead of just walk off. I guess I just let my emotions rule over me again. They do that a lot and I sometimes let them control me so I say stupid things I don't always mean."

Mewtwo was quiet for a bit as Brock set a bowl of his stew in front of Ash before returning to the other side of the table while Pikachu looked at the meal in slight curiosity before hopping over to pester Brock for some food. "Ash," Mewtwo said. "If you accept my apology then I will accept yours."

Ash nodded. "That's fine by me." He smiled. "I guess both of our tempers just clashed from the stress."

"I suppose that is true." Mewtwo said. "I do not work well with others it seems. I do prefer to be alone more often than not unlike humans who crave the need to be close to others."

Ash chuckled a bit before gaining a confused look. "Shouldn't you go back to being a Lucario? Just in case another trainer passes by? We are near my town and close to a city so travelers are often coming and going either on foot or in vehicles."

Mewtwo seemed to get a little cloud of depression over his form when Ash suggested him being in his Lucario form. "I'll ask Mew later to do that." He said a bit lowly dreading the feeling that will come with the transformation. "For now I sense no outsider presence so I will stay as I am."

Ash looked even more confused but shrugged. "Alright. So any idea's of which Pokémon should be my ride for the entirety of the journey to the Pokémon Center?"

"The closest Pokémon Center is in Pewter City I do believe so it would probably be best to use a Pokémon that can travel smoothly yet can carry large loads. Charizard would be good but he is a bit too disobedient to trust him to carry you the full way there without some sort of mishap. Pidgeotto is another choice but she would not be able to carry you the full way with the strength level she currently retains so she would be in need of healing not even halfway there. Brock's Onix that I know he has with him is too rough and too unstable of a body to carry you any distance. I would be risking exposure of not being a Lucario if I psychically carried you though Mew could probably transform herself into a Pokémon that would have little trouble carrying you." Mewtwo looked at the Riolu that was playing a bit with the Squirtle and Bulbasaur. "I am unsure if the transform allows a Pokémon to carry more than its original form could."

Ash looked a bit put out from what Mewtwo said but sighed in reservation. "Well lets ask Mew if it's possible for her to carry me to Pewter City. If not we will probably have no other choice than to go back to my moms and have her drive me." He said. "I'm guessing it is because I am injured you can't just teleport me to Pewter City right?"

Mewtwo nodded. "I am unsure if it would work and even if it did, I would not risk injuring you further by trying without testing it over a time period first."

Ash nodded. "Okay then." He looked over to his team of Pokémon and spotted Mew quickly. "Hey Mew!" He called gaining her attention and beckoned her over with his hand. Mew ran on over and once she was by them Ash asked, "Do you think you can carry me if you transformed into a Pokémon I can ride?"

Mew tilted her head for a moment in thought before shaking her head sadly. "No I cannot due to my lack of physical strength but…" she paused in her explanation looking at Mewtwo. "While I am unable, Mewtwo can do so while in another form." She looked back at Ash before running back to the other Pokémon.

Mewtwo blinked slowly as he registered what Mew said in his mind. "I have to be transformed?" He asked as he stared at Mew in complete puzzlement. "I don't understand why it has to be me but if she says it does then I will. I am unsure which Pokémon to choose from that would be easiest for me to master in such short amount of time though."

"Well you could always try a Pokémon who has the same size as you and can walk on two legs though there have been sightings of a couple of legendary Pokémon due to them saving the lives of a few people so that's another option though I don't know what their names were." Ash said.

Mewtwo shook his head a bit. "No." he said gently. "A legendary would bring you too much attention which would risk Mew and I being discovered." He thought a little putting his paw up to his chin. "Maybe a Dragonite? I used one when I sent the invitations for the tournament so it shouldn't be too far fetched that you could explain me away as an old friend who saw you in trouble and rescued you only staying long enough to see that you get the help you need."

"It's worth a shot." Ash said looking down at his now cold soup. "Usually I am hungry but for some reason I don't feel very hungry right now." He looked to Pikachu, Brock, and Misty at the other end of the table and saw that they were all doing their own little thing. Pikachu was playing a little game with Togepi and Misty was going over the map with Brock. He couldn't hear what all they were discussing but from the concerned looks and the little glances towards him alone foretold something that Ash probably was not going to like all that much. "Hey Mewtwo," Ash whispered as a little bit of sadness crept into his emotions.

"Yes?" Mewtwo answered looking at Ash's saddened demeanor.

"I don't know how but I have a guess that my time traveling with Brock and Misty might be put to a halt while I am injured." He said.

"Why do you think that?"

Ash looked at Mewtwo. "They have their own dreams. We all do but they pull us in different directions. When I heal I know that we'll travel together again but they can't be the ones to see to my needs as I heal. I'll have to stay at home for a while most likely and at home I'll try my hardest to take on your teachings to make my Pokémon better at battling. I will always be able to get more gym badges and go on a journey but I can't do that until I am healed so I will just focus on taking your teachings and do actual physical training for myself later."

Mewtwo nodded at him and said, "Let's get ready to take you to the Pokémon Center and we will figure things out from there." Mewtwo nodded to Ash then walked over to Mew gaining her attention. "Do you think you can transform me into a Dragonite Mew?"

Mew nodded. "Why that Pokémon though?" She asked with curiosity.

"Ash encountered one from before so a story wouldn't be too hard to create once we arrive to the Pokémon Center." Mewtwo answered as Mew turned back into her original form.

"It will be different than your Lucario form as you wont be able to talk to Ash."

"I will make do for the short amount of time I will be in Dragonite form though do you think the move Transform will hold if I go into the Ultra Ball?"

"Unfortunately not but if I return you when no one is looking and them immediately send you back out to transform you into Lucario form I doubt that there will be much talk about it from anyone else." Mew smiled at him. "I'm glad you are helping Ash even though you guys had an fight."

"I am just making amends." Mewtwo said. "Why did you suggest me instead of using one of the others?"

"Because while they are strong, they have attitudes that would reveal themselves to a professional like Nurse Joy. Made a mistake like that once with a Caterpie who wanted to be a Weedle but got injured and as soon as a Nurse Joy looked it over she immediately found that it was under Transform and used her Chansey to break the move I put on it so I would rather you being the Pokémon to transport Ash than to risk exposure by trying it on Ash's personal Pokémon and potentially have me being found out about."

Mewtwo nodded. "Very logical of you."

Mew giggled. "Ready for you to be a Dragonite?"

Mewtwo sighed in slight regret for what he would be about to feel but nodded. "Let me help Ash finish packing up and I will be ready."

Mew just shrugged and they both went over to Ash. He had his bag and was looking through it digging out each of his Pokémon's respective Pokéball. There were 4 Pokéballs on the table already but Ash was desperately throwing random things out in search of his final Pokéball. "Where is it?" He was mumbling.

Mewtwo shook his head at the boy and looked at all the things he had thrown out and quickly spotted the lost Pokéball under some clothes. He psychically pulled the Pokéball out from under the clothes and held it by Ash's head. "Looking for this?" He asked gaining Ash's attention.

Ash smiled and grabbed the floating Pokéball before saying, "Charizard, Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Squirtle return!" And in a flash of red, Ash's Pokémon were all in their Pokéball's with the exception of Pikachu, Mew, and Mewtwo. Ash watched as Mewtwo put all of Ash's stuff back into the green bag and smiled as everything but the chair he was sitting on was packed away. "You ready to be my personal transport Mewtwo?" Ash asked with a smile.

Mewtwo nodded and looked at Mew. "I am ready for the Transform." He said.

Mew nodded and once more she and Mewtwo were surrounded by a bright blue glow and as it slowly disappeared, Mew was back in her Riolu form and Mewtwo was a Dragonite. Mewtwo groaned in slight uneasiness from the feeling but quickly recovered and nodded to Ash before turning around to show his back and patiently waited as Brock helped Ash onto his feet and onto Mewtwo's back. He supported Ash carefully avoiding his ankle by doing a piggyback style carry and Pikachu hopped on his head making him growl in irritation. "I only accepted to carry Ash." He growled lowly at Pikachu in Pokémon language.

"Pika pi pi chu cha pika pik." Pikachu said with a huff.

"Fine but only until we reach the Pokémon Center. I am not a personal carriage for you and refuse to be used as such past this incident." Mewtwo then followed after Brock and Misty as they started to walk out of the clearing and onto a road with Mew following.

"We should reach Pewter in about a day if we walk without stopping." Brock said bringing out a couple of cans. "Misty and I will drink some Energy drinks to keep awake long enough to reach there. I doubt Mew and Mewtwo need much sleep as we humans do so they should be fine for the journey, correct?" Both Mew and Mewtwo nodded.

"Let's hurry then." Misty said looking at the setting sun. "Walking in the dark will be trouble enough so lets start while there is a bit of light out still. I have flashlights once it becomes dark at least."

They then started to pick up speed down the road, hoping that they would reach Pewter City sooner than later as the day started to dwindle into night and the stars started to show, shining in hopeful delight down on the group as they all walked on.