XI

Union Cave was dark inside, and the air was humid. It stank as well. We walked in silence, our feet clomping on the rock floor and echoing off the walls. As we walked, I thought I spied one or two pairs of eyes watching us in the dark, but I couldn't be sure. The place gave me the chills. And by now my feet were really killing me. Between walking all the way from Olivine to get here, then having to walk all the way through here…it was too much. I reached down and took out Meganium's Poke Ball and threw it down, revealing my grass type.

"Meganium…will you give me a lift, buddy?" I asked it. It looked at me for a moment, then bobbed it's head up and down, and walked over to me. I hopped on, relieved to get off my feet. Meganium walked with slow but large steps, and I had no problem keeping up with Ash and Gold.

"Know what? That's not a bad idea." Said Ash, taking out a Poke Ball as well. "Snorlax! Give me a ride, please?" The Snorlax yawned, stared at his trainer with tired eyes, and nodded slowly. Ash jumped up on it's shoulders.

Gold soon followed suit. "How about it, Kangaskhan? A ride for your pal?" Gold's Pokemon also gave him a lift. We continued into the dark, all three of us riding our Pokemon.

Finally, I broke the silence. "So…do you guys really think we'll be able to stop Celebi?"

"I don't know… I hope so." Said Ash.

"We have to." Said Gold. "If we don't, the world is doomed!"

"I know, I know…"

The silence settled in again, and for the next few minutes, the only sound was our Pokemon's footsteps on the hard floor of the cave.

Suddenly, however, I became aware that something was going on up ahead. It started as a very faint noise, and steadily grew louder. We heard shouting and screaming.

"Dudes, you hear that?" I whispered.

"Yeah… but what the hell is it?" Ash said back.

"Only one way to find out, right?" said Gold with a grin. We slowly drew closer to the source of the commotion.

We rounded a corner in the tunnel, and what we saw afterwards almost made us scream. Backed into a corner was a pair of Mews, the most rare and elusive Pokemon in the world. It was a male and a female—I could tell because one had a bluish glow and the other was slightly pink—and they looked very angry. And with good reason, because surrounding them was about fifteen members of Team Rocket, their Pokemon out and closing in on the Mew couple. Whenever a Pokemon got too close, they shot it against the wall with a Psychic blast, but the Rockets persisted, closing in.

We watched in horror, and finally I whispered, "We gotta help them, guys."

"Are you crazy? There are like 15 of them and three of us!" Ash shot back fiercely.

This didn't bother me in the least. "Charizard and I will handle this, OK? You guys stay back."

"Don't be stupid, kid…" Gold started to say, but by then I was already sneaking up behind the Rockets. Ash and Gold looked at each other and shook their heads, then turned to watch.

I crept up behind one of the officers, and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, looking wildly about.

"Who was that? Who's there?"

Before he could say anything else, I decked him clean across the face, flooring him. The other Rockets spun around.

"Hey! Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing here?" They shouted. One of them charged at me, and I took Charizard's Poke Ball and flung it at his head, knocking him down. The impact also opened the Poke Ball, and Charizard appeared in a burst of light.

"C'mon, boy, we got work to do!" I cried. Charizard nodded his head, and then turned, snarling on the Grunts. They approached him menacingly, only to be forced back at the force of a Flamethrower.

"Charizard, advance! Take care of these assholes!"

Charizard roared and lumbered into the group of men, breathing fire left and right. Soon, though, he found himself surrounded by several other enemy Pokemon the Rockets had released. He looked left and right, knowing he was outnumbered.

Then, suddenly, there were more flashes of light, and soon a Lapras and an Espeon stood beside Charizard. Ash and Gold stepped from the darkness, saying, "Looks like you could use a bit of help."

"You guys rock!" I cried, and then we all turned on the Rockets. "Show no mercy, boys." I growled.

"Lapras, Hydro Pump!"

"Espeon, Psychic attack!"

"Let's have a Fire Blast, Charizard!"

Our Pokemon obeyed, and the Rockets, bombarded by the special attacks, ran for their lives down an adjacent tunnel.

We breathed heavily for a moment, then I exclaimed, "Yee-ha! We did it! We beat them back!"

"Nice work, dude." Said Ash. "Not a bad bit of battling."

"Thanks, Ash. You rule!"

We then turned to where the Mews were floating, watching us in silence.

Finally, I spoke. "Well, we saved you."

The Mews were silent for a moment, then the male said in a deep voice, "That you did."

"Well, we just wanted to show you that we stick up for all Pokemon, no matter what they are!" said Ash.

"I see."

"Well, I guess we'll be going, then." Said Gold, and we climbed back on our Pokemon and headed for the tunnel.

"You may not leave." Said the Mews from behind us. We turned around slowly.

"What?"

"We cannot allow you to leave." They repeated. "This is our secret hideaway. We are hiding here from people like Team Rocket and yourselves. You have found us, and thus you must be eliminated."

I gulped. "E-e-eliminated?"

"That is correct."

I looked to my friends. "Guys, I think we'll need all our Pokemon for this."

They silently agreed, and soon eighteen Pokemon stood before us. The Mews said nothing, yet one by one, each of our Pokemon was flung against the rocky wall and was knocked out. We could only watch as each one went flying. Shortly, a heap of fainted Pokemon lay in the corner.

"As you can see, there is no escape." The Mews said softly.

I was scared out of my wits. Not thinking, I muttered, "Man, only Mewtwo could beat these guys."

The Mews froze, and their eyes widened. Finally one of them asked, "What…what did you say?"

"I…I said that only Mewtwo would be able to beat you two."

The Mews looked at each other, and then the female spoke.

"How do you know of Mewtwo, boy?"

I struggled to speak. "He…he's the most powerful Pokemon in the world. He was created on Cinnabar Island through genetic engineering."

"No, that is not true." They said. "Mewtwo is an organic Pokemon like us. Please sit down and we shall tell you of his origin."

Still nervous, we quickly sat down on the cold stone floor. The Mews floated in front of us and began to speak.

"Firstly, you may address us as Mother and Father Mew, understood?"

We nodded.

They seemed to sigh, and began the story. "The scientists on Cinnabar will tell you that Mewtwo is a product of genetic engineering…however, this is false. Mewtwo is…our child."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes. Father Mew and I were raised in captivity in the lab on Cinnabar, and many efforts were made to get us to produce offspring. Finally, we mated and gave birth to a son, Mewtwo."

Father Mew continued the story. "When he was born, the scientists immediately shifted their attention from us to him. At first, Mewtwo was very docile, even playful at times. The scientists spent much time with him, teaching him about the world. Meanwhile, in his time with us, we helped him realize the full power of his Psychic abilities, which far exceeded ours."

Mother Mew picked up again. "As our son grew, the scientists became less and less friendly with him, and soon started treating him like a mere animal far below themselves. Naturally, our son grew angry with them, and often dreamed of eliminating them and escaping to go off on his own."

"Right," I commented, "That's how the lab got destroyed."

"Yes, that is true," replied Father Mew, "However, that most unfortunate incident was our fault."

"Your fault?" asked Ash, surprised.

"Yes. Mewtwo, angry as he was, was still hesitant to act on his desires for freedom. Mother Mew and I, however, could not stand to see our son be so miserable. So we took him aside and encouraged him to break free. We told him that he should always trust his feelings, and that no Pokemon was a prisoner. Filled with our support, he turned on the Lab staff and broke free, leaving the lab in ruins."

"His father and I were scared for our lives, as the scientists would find out about our deed and surely would destroy us. And so, we ourselves fled far away from that dreadful place, and sought refuge here. However, we have never seen our son since." A tear came to Mother Mew's eye, and she bowed her head. Father Mew placed his hand on her shoulder.

Ash, Gold and I exchanged looks which silently asked, "Should we tell them?" Finally, Gold spoke up.

"Well, you two aren't going to believe this, but…Mewtwo is back."

They both looked up sharply. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yep. I was spying on Team Rocket and heard that an army of about one million Mewtwos has been created."

Their eyes widened, and finally, Father Mew stammered, "Who…who would do such a thing?"

"Our baby," wailed Mother Mew sadly.

"It's Celebi." Said Ash.

"Who is that?"

"Celebi is the guardian of Ilex Forest." I told them. "He has returned after 5,000 years and is angry at the world for taking Pokemon for granted. So he's amassing an army and is planning a massive attack."

Mother Mew began to weep softly. "Our son…our son…why would he be exploited so?"

Father Mew addressed us. "Boys, it may seem like a tall order, but you must stop Celebi at all costs."

"Actually, we were kind of already planning to do that." I said.

"Bless you." They said. "Where were you off to?"

"Azalea Town," replied Gold, "To see Kurt."

"Ah yes…Kurt knows much. Surely he can aid you. Go now, then. You have our support."

"Um…" Ash muttered, glancing over at our Pokemon lying motionless on the floor.

"Oh…forgive us." They said, and Father Mew drifted above them and cast a brilliant silver light upon them. One by one, our Pokemon got to their feet.

"Now hurry!" They ordered, "If it is as you say, time is a luxury we do not have! Go!"

"Will we see you again?" I asked quickly.

"You may…we cannot be certain. Now go!"

Ash, Gold and I quickly mounted our Pokemon and hurried down the tunnel towards the sunlight.