Mewtwo didn't wake up after the transfer. Dragonite put him on life support in the lab, and prayed that Mewtwo's strength was enough to escape from the coma he had fallen victim too. His Dragonite kept constant vigil over his friend, monitoring his life signs for any change, and coming to his aid when his body began to grow weaker. Dragonite was a good caretaker, but he knew that much of this depended on Mewtwo. Only he could make himself wake up.

Mary-Kate and Ashley on the other hand, were much healthier. Thanks to Mewtwo's valiant (or foolish) sacrifice, the two had healed quite well, and in fact were stronger and faster than before. The degeneration evident in them earlier had halted completely, and was quickly disappearing as they healed and sparred on the beaches of Mewtwo's island with Kayla.

It's amazing...even on day one they weren't this strong. Kayla thought as she swam another lap along the beach. It must be Mewtwo's blood that has them so charged up. At the thought of Mewtwo, Kayla felt a pang of guilt. Mewtwo...why did you do it? He had to have a reason. Nobody puts their life on the line for an enemy without a real good reason. But...I may never get to ask him if he doesn't get better.

Kayla climbed out of the water, and smiled comfortably as the sea breeze swept over her unshielded body. As she saw it, she was on an island several dozen miles away from any sign of human civilization, so why worry about peeping toms? With the hot sun and the nice breeze sweeping through the air, it was the perfect way to relieve her stress.

For several days she had been here on New Island 2. The resident Dragonite had shown her a place to stay while she was there- a comfortable bed inside a well-furnished room built with the island. Probably left over in the designs from the lab Mewtwo destroyed so long ago. Mewtwo probably didn't need a bed, Kayla thought, so why he kept rooms in the design was beyond her...unless he expected company when he built it.

Kayla spotted Dragonite walking through the main lab up above them through the large window. Wondering if he had some information on Mewtwo's condition, she grabbed her clothes and hastily put them on as she ran back inside. She ran up the steps and cut off Dragonite as he started walking down the steps to the medical lab. "Is Mewtwo any better?" asked Kayla. Dragonite shook his head and continued down the steps. Kayla, not satisfied with that answer, followed Mewtwo's aide.

The room wasn't a pretty sight- particularly the spot where Mewtwo was. The lab itself was still in shambles from Mewtwo's explosive attempt at Recovery from before. The only light source in this dark room was from a large stain glass window in the ceiling that depicted a white-robed angel flying over the clouds. The multi-colored light fell upon the comatose body of Mewtwo. He was hooked into several machines, including an IV and a breathing apparatus, and covered with a dirty old blanket that probably was taken from some unsuspecting fisherman. All in all, Kayla thought that the mighty Mewtwo she was taught to hate and fear looked fairly pathetic at the moment...and at the same time, kind of innocent.

I always imagined what it would look like when Mewtwo was at my mercy. Never did I expect it to be like this though. Kayla watched as Dragonite replaced the empty IV bag with a full one, and checked to see if the breathing apparatus and monitoring equipment were working. ...Mewtwo, why? Why did you do it? Why couldn't you have told me the cost for the cure my girls needed? I may be an agent of Team Rocket, but even I wouldn't let you undergo such torture.

"...Dragonite?" whispered Kayla. The pokemon looked up at her briefly, then returned to his maintenance work.

"You seem to know Mewtwo fairly well." Dragonite nodded.

"Then maybe you can tell me. Why would he do something like this?"

Dragonite looked at her intensly, as if to look for something in her expression. Kayla simply stared back, showing grim determination as she always did in the face of opposition. Soon, Dragonite seemed to find what he was looking for, and stepped over next to her. Dragonite reached up, and placed his hands on her head. Suddenly, Kayla was engulfed in a white light, and everything started to change.

What's happening? What's he doing to me?! When the environment around her reformed into what appeared to be the outside of a simple church, Kayla began to understand what was going on.

Glimpses of Mewtwo's past? Why am I at a church? Only one way to find out I guess... Kayla readied herself for the worst and entered the church.

****

The funeral for Joy had been one of the saddest occasions to ever occur in the town. People died all the time, but rarely were they so young and innocent. It was a dark day for the people of Pallet Town...particularly for the mother of the child, Sara. During the sermon, she was in a state of shock. Her eyes were dry, but her face was weighed down by a cloud of sadness unlike anything anyone had ever seen on the young scientist. Friends and family at the funeral later tried to comfort her, but nothing seemed to work. Sara, once filled with spirit, seemed lost. When the funeral was completed, she walked home alone. It's not that she told anyone to leave her alone, but the people of the town thought it best that she be allowed to sort out the feelings within her. That was something she had to do alone.

When the former mother arrived home, she solemnly sat on her bed and stared into nothingness. Her eyes were starting to run with tears, but she seemed calm at the same time. Her emotions were non-existent. It was as if her very soul had completely vanished. Her mind knew she had to weep, but her heart seemed unable to grieve. All she could do was sit silently.

Mew peaked his head around the doorway, and looked sadly up into her face. She paid no attention to the little pokemon that slowly floated into the room. He softly mewed to her, hoping to try and bring back the kind smile he had seen her with before. Unfortunately, just the opposite happened. She looked down at Mew, and her eyes began to focus with anger on him. Suddenly, tears flooded from her face as if the dam had been broken. She screamed with rage and raised her fists threateningly towards Mew, which made the pokemon back off.

"Why?!" she shrieked. "Why?! WHY?!!" She fell to her knees and slammed the wooden floor as she cried her lungs out. Mew was overcome with feeling at the display of emotion, and he too began to sob. For a while, they just sat together and cried their hearts out, oblivious to everything but their pain. Slowly, they regained control of themselves, but the pain remained strong.

Sara swiped a balled fist at Mew, which sent the little pokemon rolling across the floor. "You monster! All of your kind are monsters!" she screamed. "If it weren't for you, Joy would still be alive!" She looked down at the trembling creature, who did nothing to react to her anger. All it did was gaze into her eyes with the same kind of pain that she herself held within her. Almost as if... this pokemon felt the same feelings as her. She looked down at her own hands, wondering what had possessed them to do that...what had possessed her to do that. She crawled over to where the pokemon was, and lifted its trembling body into her arms and held him tightly like a soft teddy bear.

"I'm sorry...please don't leave me." she pleaded as she shed her tears. "Don't leave me..."

I won't...

"Why...why did she have to die..."

...I'm sorry, Joy. I failed you...I promise I'll never let it happen again.

Nobody under my wing will ever die without a fight. I promise...

****

Kayla blinked her eyes as she felt herself return to normal. Dragonite removed his hands from her head and opened his own eyes. Dragonite seemed as calm as before, while Kayla had to take a few moments to recollect her thoughts.

That was too weird. It felt like I was actually in Mew's...err, Mewtwo's thoughts. Kayla shook the cobwebs out of her mind. If what I saw was true...then Mewtwo did it because he felt like he had to do it.

"...He feels like he's responsible for my girls?" asked Kayla. "He felt responsible for them...like an older brother." Dragonite nodded and affectionately patted Mewtwo's forehead once more before leaving the lab and Kayla.

He's the first Super-Pokemon...and possibly the strongest one. I guess he thinks he has to protect the others. Like when I attacked his island...

Kayla suddenly felt sick to her stomach. When she took Giovanni's mission, she knew she would face Mewtwo. She knew he was the most powerful pokemon alive...but Giovanni led her to believe he was a cold, heartless monster. What she had just seen and heard were not the thoughts of a monster...more like the thoughts of a mother. She was willing to fight Mewtwo ruthlessly and steal his friends away because she thought that they were his slaves like that of a ruthless trainer. Never did she think that Mewtwo had feelings...feelings of compassion.

No...what have I done? Why didn't I see it before? Hmph, I know why. Because I was so happy at the chance to face Mewtwo and show Giovanni and Team Rocket I wasn't some rookie. I was blinded by my mission...and I may have destroyed what chances there were at stopping Giovanni.

Kayla watched Mewtwo's chest move up and down as he breathed silently, his feline face in a picture of peace she had never seen on him before. The mighty Mewtwo...looking like an innocent little baby.

"...Forgive me, Mewtwo. If only I had known...I would have never hurt you or your friends. It's all my fault this is happening. It's all my fault for believing that lunatic Giovanni could make me a better trainer by joining Team Rocket." Kayla knelt down beside Mewtwo and looked at his sleeping face.

"...I'm sorry."

****

Days passed. Mewtwo's condition hadn't changed, which worried Kayla greatly. Time was ticking away, and if Mewtwo didn't wake up soon, it would be just Kayla and her girls against an army- a fight which they may not win.

In case that were to happen, Kayla trained with her girls every day. Her girls ran drills designed to speed up their reflexes and toughen up their bodies. The two super-dragonites sparred against each other, and Kayla herself worked herself tirelessly to strengthen her body and mind in anticipation. They worked harder than they ever had before.

When they weren't training, Kayla let the girls rest in their pokeballs, since they were usually way too tired to play around afterwards. That was okay by her, since she wasn't playing around either. Usually, she was helping Mewtwo's aide, the Dragonite, with his daily chores. She helped him take care of the other super-pokemon, and Kayla got to know them really well (well, as far as human trainers could anyway). They were skiddish around her, especially since she was their captor just a week before. Slowly, however, she gained their trust. They would let her play with them, and she could even feed them.

Every night before she went to sleep, she visited Mewtwo's room. As a trainer, she felt responsible for him. He was a pokemon- a powerful, intelligent, almost human-like pokemon, but a pokemon none the less. She would make sure he was sleeping comfortably, check his IV and breather, and even give him a pokemon massage like she had learned a while back. Supposedly it helped the healing process and gave the pokemon a power boost as well. Kayla thought that anything was worth a try. Besides...giving Mewtwo a massage while he rested wasn't all that bad a chore. It was like petting a cuddly kitten while it slept. It was so similar, that Kayla could have sworn that she heard Mewtwo purring in his sleep when she massaged him last.

"Well Mewtwo, all I can say is you'll be feeling a lot better when you wake up." said Kayla as she finished the massage. "It's the least I could do for you, since you saved Mary-Kate and Ashley." Kayla turned to leave, but paused midway as a thought struck her mind. She turned back around and looked down at Mewtwo's face, as she had so many times before. She cautiously extended a hand outward and softly ran her fingers through the fur on his face. She lightly touched the tip of his nose, before letting her hand drop back to the side of her body.

"...To think, you're the most fearsome pokemon on the planet." she whispered. "Watching you sleep here, helpless like a newborn...shows me the other side of you." Kayla smiled fondly. "Good night Mewtwo. Sleep well." she whispered. The trainer walked off, her footsteps echoing through the lab as she ascended the steps and closed the door behind her.

****

Kayla slowly opened her eyes, and was instantly met with a beam of light shining straight on her face. She blinked and shielded her eyes from the annoying light and looked at her watch. It was about half past six- just about sunrise. She stood up and stretched her arms out as she greeted the morning. She took her time in dressing before walking through the halls towards where Mewtwo was resting.

Suddenly, Dragonite rushed out of the basement with a panicked look. She ran over to Dragonite. "What is it? What's the matter?" Dragonite motioned her to follow him, which she did. Leading her into the basement, she saw what had him so worried- Mewtwo wasn't there!

Oh no... Kayla rushed up through the main lab and the hallways inside. Nothing.

Where could he be? Suddenly, an explosion in the waves sent a shower of water into the sky and outwards, as if Moses was parting the Red Sea right on this island. Kayla looked outside the large window overlooking the gym and beach to find the source of that explosion. On the beach, a single figure stood, watched the waves crash back to Earth as he created another ball of blue energy in his odd-shaped hand.

Kayla gasped and ran outside, followed quickly by Dragonite. The two of them ran down the beach, watching as the feline figure threw the ball towards the waves, causing them to part as it fought against the weight of all the water and tide. The ball exploded about thirty feet away from the foreshore, causing another geyser of water to shoot into the sky, showering everything within fifty feet with droplets of sea water. The figure breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He turned to them slowly as the water again returned to its original form.

"Mewtwo...you're awake!" Kayla cried.

Mewtwo nodded his head and wiped beads of sweat from his brow. "Yes...*huff* I appologize for not *huff* warning you, but the situation *huff* required immediate action."

Kayla felt a rush of joy in her heart, knowing that Mewtwo was going to be okay. "Mewtwo...please, you have to rest. Look at yourself. You've been living off of IV's for four days now. Your body is exhausted from trying to heal itself."

Mewtwo turned back to the water and held his hand up as he powered up another ball of energy. "I have to get back in peak condition before Giovanni's plan is completed." he said. He tossed the ball of energy with all his might, creating another geyser of water that showered the beach with spray. "Besides...*huff* why do you care?"

"Well, um...you did save my girls. So I owe you one."

"...You don't owe me anything." Mewtwo lifted his arm again to create yet another ball of energy, but this time Kayla grabbed it.

"Please, Mewtwo. The best way for a pokemon to get health back is to eat a good meal and rest. At least for one day." Dragonite nodded in agreement. Mewtwo looked back and forth between the two.

"Very well. I suppose you're right. Sometimes I forget that I'm still a pokemon at heart." said Mewtwo.

"Good." said Kayla. "You wait here, and I'll get us some fruit for breakfast." As Dragonite and Kayla went to gather some food from the island's caches, Mewtwo watched the tide roll in and out.

"Oh, and Kayla." said Mewtwo without turning around. "Thanks... for being there."

Kayla looked at him with surprise. "How did you..."

"You've paid your debt many times over...especially with those really nice massages."

Kayla felt herself turn red with embarassment. "Oh...you like those? They say they make a pokemon feel good."

Mewtwo chuckled. "I'd have to agree there." He returned to his silent reflection, while Kayla went to get breakfast.