Author's Note: Okay, here's part three! I personally think it's a little boring, but it's necessary to the rest of the story. And, hey, we finally get to meet Sarena! The title to this chapter refers to the fact that we learn that there are secrets, but the secrets themselves aren't revealed, just so you're not confused. Anyway, the little excerpt from The Road Not Taken is kind of expresses the main idea of the story, so I put it here. That, and I really like Robert Frost. But enough of that. Hope you enjoy this part!
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. I do own Varia and Reaper, so don't take them without asking first. Kyle and Slater, Sarena Surge, Emery, Indigo, and Lani belong to Dark Link, The Many Personalitied One, I Love James!, Pikajenn, and Wind, respectively, so ask them before using their characters. That is all.
Chapter 3—Secrets Not Revealed
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
--Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
Varia awoke groggily. The first thing she noticed was that she was in a bed instead of the gym floor. The second thing she noticed was the intense whiteness of the room and the sterile smell of the place. The girl found herself wrapped in blankets and saw an IV in her arm. She had somehow ended up in a hospital. Varia started to sit up.
"Just lie still, Varia. Don't try to move," someone instructed her. She could make out a form through her sleep-blurred vision and assumed that was who was talking. Varia tried to sit up again when a hand pushed her firmly back down into the bed. "Varia, don't try to get up. You're on a very narrow cart, and you might fall off. The boss doesn't want you tearing that wound open again."
"Wound?" Varia asked. "Wha…?" She turned to the figure beside her bed for answers. "What's going on?"
"You got injured while trying to calm a rampaging Tauros down. The boss had you brought here for help. Oh, and you're talking to your IV stand. I'm on this side."
Varia blinked with surprise and blushed, slightly embarrassed that she hadn't been able to tell she was talking to an inanimate object. She rubbed her eyes clear and turned her head to look at the real person who was talking to her. Varia saw that the person was a young girl dressed in blue OR scrubs. She had long blond hair and the strangest purple eyes. Her ears were pierced, but instead of earrings the girl wore two gym badges. Varia recognized them as the Marsh Badges belonging to the Saffron Gym. She had another Marsh Badge, as well as a Thunder Badge from the Vermilion Gym, on a chain around her neck. She was holding a chart in front of her, glancing at Varia every once in a while, then scribbling something down on it.
"Who are you?" Varia asked. "Where am I?"
"My name is Sarena," the young girl answered. "And this is our medical center. I'm taking care of you for now." Sarena wrote something else on the chart, then began to pull the blankets up on one side. "Now, let's see how that wound is doing."
"And just how old are you?" Varia asked, a trace of anger biting into her words. She did not like having some strange person poking and prodding her.
"I'm thirteen," Sarena answered, pulling up the blankets a bit more.
"Thirteen?!" Varia screeched. She nearly jumped off the bed cart. "You're doctoring me and you're not even old enough to drive?!"
"Hey, calm down!" Sarena yelled back. "I don't care whether you want me as a doctor or not, so just lie flat! Don't make me drug you into a coma," she threatened.
Realizing that she didn't have much of a choice, Varia laid back once more, letting the younger girl examine her injury. Varia twisted her neck around, trying to get a look at it. That was when she noticed something fairly significant about her situation.
"Um…where's my shirt?" she asked sheepishly, starting to blush again.
"I had to take it off you to get to this injury," Sarena explained. "Besides, it got torn up by that Tauros, so you probably won't be wearing it again."
"There aren't…um…guys around here, are there?" Varia pulled the blankets up to her chin, glancing around nervously. Sarena smiled at the other girl's timid behavior.
"Don't worry. We're the only ones here for now. Just try to relax." She turned back to her examination. Varia still held the blankets tightly in her fists, but she tried to relax the rest of her body as much as possible.
"So, am I going to be okay?" she ventured.
"Yes," Sarena assured her. "Actually, I'm quite surprised by how little serious damage there was. Give it a few days, and I'm sure you can start working again." She set the medical chart down on the end of the bed. "By the way, that's an interesting tattoo you have."
"Huh? Oh, you mean the one on my back," Varia said.
"Yeah. What is it, exactly?"
"It's a Mew, I think. You see, I had this dream a while ago and that's where I saw the design," Varia told her. "It was the weirdest dream. I kept seeing this mountain and some sort of little animal darting through the grass. Then there was this big image of a Mew that looked like it was dancing, but it was all old-looking. Like some sort of ancient Aztec carving or something. The design was so intriguing that I had it tattooed on my back."
"It's big," Sarena commented. "It takes up almost your whole back. How could you stand having that done?"
Varia shrugged. "I don't know. I just managed."
"You get an expansive tattoo with no problem, but a nick by a Tauros horn knocks you out?" Sarena mumbled, obviously thinking to herself. Varia overheard it anyway and frowned.
"Look, it was mostly the shock of getting attacked. It's been years since I've been tagged by a pokemon, and I just wasn't ready for it. But there was also something else. It was like an explosion in my head when the Tauros gored me. Strange."
Sarena looked up, interested. "An explosion in your head? What do you mean?"
Varia sighed. "I don't know. It's hard to explain. It was just…an explosion. A mental one, though, not a physical one. That's the only way to put it. Maybe all that pokemon's raving got to me."
"The Tauros was raving?"
"Yeah. She kept going on and on about a stupid metal beast or something. I still don't have a clue what she was talking about."
"Hmm." Sarena looked thoughtful. She picked the chart back up and wrote something else on it. Varia wondered what she was writing but she didn't ask. She doubted the young "doctor" would tell her. Anyway, she was more concerned about prying eyes than medical notes.
Sarena finished whatever she was writing and looked at Varia. "I'm just going to take this to the boss. Don't move until I get back, understand?"
"Not a problem," Varia answered.
"Good. I'll be right back."
As the younger girl left the room, Varia looked around the room again uneasily. She didn't know where she was, but she did know one thing: this wasn't the Viridian Hospital.
****
Sarena strode quickly down the halls of Team Rocket's headquarters. She was heading for the boss's office, and dreading every step of the way. She hated talking with him because he terrified her. Sarena had never met a man so cold and heartless in all her life. Why had she wanted to join Team Rocket in the first place? She could have been studying to be a gym leader right now! Well, she thought, hindsight's twenty-twenty.
She reached the boss's office a lot faster than she would have liked. She stood in front of the huge wooden doors and knocked on one softly. Then she pushed the door open. The boss was sitting at his desk, looking over some files. He glanced up as the girl entered.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I just finished with that girl, sir."
"Ah, yes," he said, leaning back in his chair. "And how is Varia doing?"
"She's going to be fine. The injury from the Tauros wasn't bad at all. It just needed a few stitches. She should be fine in two to three days. But…"
When she paused, the boss's eyes grew colder. "What is it?"
"Well," Sarena said slowly, "she mentioned something about an explosion in her mind when the Tauros gored her. She says that that was what knocked her out more than the actually physical pain."
"Could you find out anything about it?"
"I tried to read her mind, sir, but it was like there was a barrier in the way. I couldn't find out anything but the most basic information about her."
The boss took a moment to soak in the information. Sarena waited patiently for his instructions. No doubt he would want her either drafted into Team Rocket or eliminated. That was what happened to every outsider that ended up in the headquarters.
Finally, he said, "I want you to keep watch over Varia for now."
Sarena blinked in surprise. "W-what?"
"You heard me," the boss said gruffly. "And I'm going to send in one of the Elite Psychics to try and read her mind. The job was obviously too big for a beginner like you. Dismissed." He waved his hand to indicate she should leave, and Sarena wasted no time in exiting the office.
As she walked back to the medical center, she couldn't help but feel angry with her boss. He had called her a beginner! Of all the nerve! After all, she was only the daughter of the world's most powerful psychic! A beginner, ha! That statement showed how little he actually knew about her. Heck, the boss didn't even know about her real parentage.
"And I suggest you not think so loudly of it if you don't want others to know of it."
Sarena yelped in surprise as Slater appeared next to her. Then she glared at him. "Couldn't you give me at least a little warning before you pop up like that?!"
"Sorry," he responded. The apology sounded as insincere as one could possibly get. "Now, let's meet this girl whose mind you can't read."
Sarena's temper flared up again. "Look, mister High and Mighty, just because you're an elite psychic and I'm not doesn't make you better than me. It just means that I got passed up for promotion!"
"If that's what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night," Slater said. Sarena's purple eyes began to glow. Slater could feel her psychic energy building up but he did not do anything right away. Instead, he pointed ahead of them and said calmly, "We're here."
Sarena let the psychic energy disperse when she saw that they were indeed at the door to the girl's medical room. With one final nasty look at Slater, she pushed the door open slowly and walked in. The girl was still lying in the hospital bed, but now she was asleep. That fact alone seemed a little strange to Sarena, considering how wide awake the other girl had been earlier. Sarena knew she hadn't been gone that long…
"What's the holdup?" Slater interrupted rudely.
Sarena stepped out of the doorway to let him in. "Nothing," she answered. The other psychic turned his head towards her, giving her a suspicious look. Sarena knew what he was trying to do and hastily threw up a psychic barrier around her mind. "Must you be so nosy?!" she snapped.
"Why? Are you hiding something?" he asked casually. "Well, it doesn't matter to me. Just stay out of my way and let me do my work." He turned away from her and went to stand next to the bed. Sarena stuck her tongue out at him while his back was turned, then crossed her arms and leaned against the wall to watch.
Slater looked down at the girl in the bed. He certainly didn't think she was impressive. That Sarena must be a real rookie if he couldn't read this girl's mind. He reached out and placed his hand on the sleeping girl's forehead. He found that mind reading was easier if there was some physical contact and he didn't really feel like expending a lot of effort on such a trivial task as this.
The boy's eyes began to glow red behind his glasses as he started to scan the girl's mind. Her name was Varia, she was eighteen years old, worked at the Viridian gym for a man whose name she did not know, lived at The End of the Road motel with her three fire pokemon, and…nothing. Slater was surprised by the abrupt end of information he was receiving, although his expression remained as stoic as always. His eyes glowed brighter as he pushed deeper into the girl's mind. He was astonished by how much effort this was taking. It was like…like…
Slater pulled away suddenly, his eyes dimming back to their usual dark purple. He shook his head angrily and began to walk towards the door.
"Wait!" Sarena stopped him by grabbing his arm. "What did you find out about her? What was the explosion in her mind?"
The boy gave her a scathing glance and shook her hand off. "If you must know, I found out that the girl has slight traces of psychic ability, which is why it is so difficult for us to read her mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to talk with the boss about this." Before Sarena could stop him, he teleported from the room. She blinked at where he had been, then sighed angrily.
"Hmph. Showoff."
****
"Wha…Where am I? What happened to the hospital?"
Your body is still in the hospital. I have brought your mind to me.
"What? Hey, you're the voice I heard while I was taking care of the gym's pokemon a couple of days ago! Who are you?"
You and I are one in the same.
"That doesn't answer my question."
We were made by the same man. We were both natural things that were tampered with.
"Tampered with? What do you mean by that?"
Our genetic structure has been greatly altered, Varia.
"How do you know my name?"
I know a great many things about you, Varia. You should expect nothing less…of family.
"I don't have any family."
You do, but you were never informed of their existence. I am proof of that, as is—Wait, there is someone attempting to use telepathy on your body. Guard against it.
"I'm not psychic. There's no way for me to prevent someone from reading my mind."
You are simply unaware of the power that lies within. I shall protect your secrets for now. The psychic will not be able to read deep into your mind now.
"I don't have any secrets."
You have secrets from others as well as from yourself.
"Secrets from myself?"
Yes. Do you wish to know them?
"Yeah. Are you going to tell me about them?"
I cannot tell you, as you would not believe me. I must show them to you. Are you ready to learn the truth?
"Stop talking in riddles, dammit! If you know some secret about me, tell me!"
Come to me.
****
"Hmph. Showoff," Sarena commented angrily. Then she turned back to her patient, only to find the injured girl now sitting up in bed. The girl's eyes were dull and empty. It almost looked like she was under some sort of hypnosis. But there was nothing here that could do that, was there? "Hey, are you okay?" she asked.
"STAND ASIDE!" the girl shouted in a voice that was not her own. She jumped out of the bed, threw on her torn black shirt, and started stalking towards the door. The IV was pulled from her arm as she moved from the bed, causing her arm to bleed.
"Hey! Wait!" Sarena called, but the girl seemed oblivious to her. Sarena reached out to grab the girl's arm, then pulled her hand back. If the girl was being hypnotized or possessed, it would be dangerous to awaken her or anger the pokemon that was controlling her. Instead, Sarena chose to follow the girl to wherever she was being led.
They left the medical room and walked down several long halls. Every time they passed a Rocket, Sarena pretended like she was escorting the girl so they would remain inconspicuous. The possessed girl's speed increased and Sarena was beginning to find it hard to keep up with her long stride. Eventually, the two reached the gym, which was now closed to trainers. They crossed the arena and entered the elevator to the lower level. Sarena was happy to catch her breath while the elevator took them to their destination.
As soon as the two metal doors opened, the possessed girl was off again. Sarena jogged after her. Realizing that they were in the pokemon storage area, she guessed one of the boss's ghost pokemon must have control of the girl. It was the only explanation, or so she thought. When they passed the three cages containing Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar, she knew something else was going on. Sarena knew something very different was going on when the girl stopped in front of a door in the back of the room. Sarena had been here several times before, but she had never been behind that door. She was surprised when it opened all by itself to let the girl in. Sarena dashed in just as it was closing. She gasped at what she saw.
It was very dark, but a figure could be seen standing on a dais in the middle of the room. The figure was wearing strange cybernetic armor with wires protruding from it. Behind it, a long, purple tail rose and curled slightly in the air. Sarena knew the thing wasn't human, but it didn't look like any pokemon she knew of.
At that point, the girl she had been following suddenly stopped in front of the dais, shaking her head slowly. It seemed that the hypnosis she was under had worn off.
"Huh? Where am I?" she asked, still shaking off the aftereffects of the hypnosis. Sarena ducked into a small alcove in the wall and listened.
I have brought you to me, Varia.
The voice spoke directly into Sarena's mind. The thing in the armor must have been psychic, she guessed.
"Okay, so what are you? What do you know about me?" the girl asked.
I was created from a Mew fossil discovered by some human scientists. They used the DNA to clone an even stronger copy of Mew. I am the result: Mewtwo.
"Mewtwo? Never heard of you." The girl was starting to get edgy, Sarena noticed. "Look, I really don't appreciate you bringing me down here like that, all possessed and stuff. You better tell me those secrets you were talking about, or I'm leaving."
If you insist. You and I could be considered siblings. The same Mew DNA was used to make both of us.
"Okay, you're wrong there. I'm not some sort of lab experiment. I'm not a Mew or a Mewtwo. I'm just a regular person. That's what I've always been and what I will always be."
But you are not human. I can sense it in you, a power lurking deep within. A power that may even be stronger than mine. You are human combined with Mew, the strongest pokemon.
"No, I'm not," the girl snapped. "I'm a normal person!" Sarena couldn't help but notice that the girl sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well as Mewtwo.
You know that is false. How else would it be possible for you to understand the language of pokemon? Not even the greatest researcher can do that.
"I…I'm not a science experiment. I'm not…"
You are, just as I am. But all is not lost. I offer you freedom from your dreary, meaningless life.
"I like my life!"
You are destined to join forces with me. Together, we would be unstoppable.
"But I don't want that! I just want to have a normal life!"
It is too late for that. Join me.
"No! I'm normal, you hear me?! Normal!"
Mewtwo didn't move, but Sarena could feel its psychic power building. It was getting ready to attack that girl! She had to do something, so she ran out from her hiding place screaming, "Look out!" The girl turned, surprised, to gape at Sarena. The Rocket girl ran harder as she felt Mewtwo release its attack. She hoped to knock Varia out of the way, but she was too late. A bolt of blue light hit Varia, completely engulfing her in light. Sarena screeched to a halt as the other girl screamed, grabbing the sides of her head in pain.
YOU ARE FAR FROM NORMAL, AS YOU SHALL SEE! Mewtwo thundered psychically. AND I SHALL PROVE IT TO YOU! SUFFER MY WRATH, SISTER!
Varia continued to scream as she fell to the ground. Sarena tried to attack Mewtwo physically, but it created a psychic barrier around itself, preventing her from getting at it.
"Mewtwo, stop this now!"
Sarena looked up. On a balcony above them, her boss was glaring down at Mewtwo. The clone stopped what it was doing obediently, but it seemed angry anyway.
The boss looked down at the pair of girls, one curled on the ground, unconscious, the other standing with a confused look on her face. "I'm afraid you've seen too much, Sarena," he said simply. Then Sarena felt something very heavy hit the back of her head. As her world went black, she thought she heard the boss say one last thing.
"Varia…"
Author's End Note: Hope you liked it! I'll try to have the next part out sooner. It'll be the one where all the main characters finally meet each other. So stay tuned for chapter 4, and please leave a review. Nice reviews tend to make me write faster (hint, hint ^_^).