It's been a while, but this is finally the next chapter, much better than the previous one. In this one, the Twins are sent to the Safari Zone for some poaching, but nothing happens as planned.

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It was dark and cold inside the big metallic cylinder. Sitting on an uncomfortable bench, Mewtwo could hear the loud engine noise and see the masked Rocket, standing in front of him. Mewtwo was nervous. He knew what he had to do, and it made him nervous. Suddenly, a serie of crackles could be heard from the Rocket's mask. When it stopped, he said loudly: "Ten minutes to drop off ! Check your gear !"

Mewtwo put on his helmet and made sure it was well tightened. Then, he took a green backpack and installed it properly. A small metallic lever was sticking out from the right strip.

A red light filled the cylinder, and the Rocket said: "Five minutes to drop off ! Opening rear hatch !"

The end of the cylinder opened, letting a violent wind inside. Mewtwo now stood at the extremity, watching the purple sky over him and the pink clouds under him. One step more, and he would fall. He wasn't nervous now: he was terrified. The C-5 Galaxy which carried him was nearly arrived at the drop zone, and soon, he would have to jump.

"Altitude: 9.000 meters ;External temperature: -46° ; CAVOK ; Ready for drop off !"

Then, the Rocket approached him as much as he could and said: "You'll be falling at 200 kph, so it won't last long. Be extremely careful and open your parachute only at the very last moment, orthe wind could carry you away. Understood ?"

Mewtwo shook his head to say « yes ».

"Right. Caution ! Drop off in 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... The sky is yours ! Good luck, pal !"

Mewtwo lifted his hand to thank him and… well, in fact, he didn't jump. He just stiffened and let the wind pull him outside.

Woah ! It was much more than expected ! The incessant whirling and the rush of adrenaline almost made him sick. He curled up into a foetal position and waited. As he had his senses back, he realized something: it was… yes, it was fun ! Yeah ! He stiffened again, the head towards the ground, and fell straight, like a torpedo. What a feeling ! The clouds had now disappeared and he saw the tiny green forest getting bigger and bigger, under him. Too big. Much too big ! He set upright and pulled strongly the metallic lever. The green parachute spread over him and he felt a violent deceleration. But now, it was cool: the falling was slow, and he managed to control his euphorism. He took a good look at the ground: a big, wild, green forest, with a river crossing all the area and several plateaux. It was Fuschia Safari Zone. The sea surrounding the peninsula had that beautiful pink color it always had at dawn, and in the South, in the middle of a mountainous area, there was Fuschia City, with its world famous Pokemon Zoo.

"Le Français lives here", he thought. "Where exactly ? Surely not in town…"

Mewtwo had always imagined Le Français as some kind of « Phil Cassidy », who lives outside the city, in a fortified campsite, with a bunch of stolen weapons and military gear. Without forgetting, of course, his awesome Machamp.

Presse-Purée… that was one hell of a fight. He had the event's DVD at home, and every time he watched it, he was amazed at the amount of injuries he took without getting killed.

Suddenly, he felt many things hitting and scratching his suit. The trees ! He was already down ! He abruptly unfastened his backpack and landed on the grass.

"Nice landing", said a soft voice. "Now, almost everybody must know we're here, with all that noise."

He knew that voice…

"Nice to see you too, soda can !"

He turn back to greet his older brother. Metal-Mewtwo's armor was now colored of various tones of black, green and brown.

"What's that fantasy ?"

"Camouflage. It's a stealth mission, don't forget."

"But I haven't got…"

"In the suit. It's an electronic device. Watch that."

Metal grabbed his brother's right arm and pushed a tiny button on the glove. Mewtwo's suit and helmet were immediately re-colored in camouflage style.

"By the way, I got bored waiting for you."

In fact, Metal has been in the Zone for three hours to prepare the site.

"I know, but they thought it was too risky to make me do my first jump in the middle of the night. AndI'm a life form, I can't sneak in by hiding in the maintenance equipment, like you."

"But one day, you will fly. When you have enough experience, infiltrations like that will be piece of cake. Anyway, get back your parachute. We can't leave any clue. Remember our mission ?"

"Yes, we're here to capture the Tauros herd. We have 25 targets, they are probably all together, but with such an area to search…"

"What do you know about the Safari Zone ?"

"It's a huge forest which takes 85 of the peninsula. It extends from Fuschia City, in the South, to the North coast, which lines the South of Vermillion Creek. It is officially a natural park where rare pokemons are preserved, but trainers are allowed to capture some. However, these hunts are strictly ruled, so that only a few of the lodgers are captured."

"Exactly, and the Boss wants an entire herd, that's why we've been illegaly sent here. No-one must know about our presence here, it means no super powers here. It's very noisy, and the park security have sensors which detect any trouble. Got the gear ?"

Mewtwo showed him the bag he had on his belt.

"Everything's here."

"Okay, the Tauros like open areas, so they must be in the prairie, at West. Let's get moving."

They didn't walk more than ten meters when…

"Bend down !"

Metal grabbed his brother and threw both of them on the ground.

"Metal, what the…"

"Look at the fourth tree on the left."

On a branch of that tree, there was a small green rectangular metallic box. The box slowly turned around the branch, and they could see a wire connected to one of its sides. On the opposite side, there was a lens.

"A surveillance camera ?"

"Yeah. One of the six thousands cameras spread around the park."

"So, what are we gonna do ?"

"Search your gear pack."

After a brief search, Mewtwo took a metallic device, about the shape and the size of a matchbox, with a small button.

"What's this ?"

"A hacker. It's magnetic. Just stick it to that camera, and it will hack the entire surveillance system. They will stop working, but the hacker will display images of the park to the control monitors. This way, we'll be completely invisible."

"Brilliant. Let me handle this."

With the grace of a cat, Mewtwo jumped on the tree, held a branch with one hand, and with the other, stuck the hacker and turned it on. The camera stopped almost immediately.

"It works", he said, "now we can continue without troubles."

Thirty minutes later, they were at the prairie. Hidden in the high grass, they were watching the Tauros.

"How many ?" Asked Mewtwo.

"Twenty-five. They're all here, just install the trap, and we get back home."

Mewtwo took all the gear he had left in his pack: four small green boxes, a remote control, and a black pokeball.

"Howdoes this work ?" He asked.

"The black ball is called a Herd Ball."

"Herd Ball ?"

"Some of our best capture experts have been working long for this. To make short, it allows to capture multiple targets with one ball. But there's a problem: like a plain ball, it can be used only once."

"So the targets must be very close to each other to be all caught."

"Exactly. That's what these boxes are for. They must be placed like the four corners of a square around the targets. Once they're properly installed, each of them will throw a steel net on the targets. The nets will tie to each others at the center, making the trapped Tauros unable to move."

"But Tauros are strong pokemons. They will just run away, bringing the boxes with them."

Metal shew him some things under the boxes. Things that looked like claws.

"The boxes will be gripped firmly to the ground."

"Okay. And once we're sure they're stuck together, we just have to throw the ball and capture them all. Metal, that's brilliant !"

"Thanks, but the hard part is to install them close enough, and without getting spotted. You place two of them on the left side, I take the right side. Crawl in the high grass and don't make a sound. Here we go."

It wasn't as easy as it looked. Tauros are impressive creatures, and crawling just behind them had something terrifying. Eventually, Mewtwo managed to place the first box without trouble.

"Trap N°1 installed", he said.

"You're late. I have my two traps installed."

"Already ? Well, I should hurry."

He crawled quickly but silently to the place he had to install his other trap. He was about to place it when he felt something stroking his leg. It was an Ekans. He moved his leg softly to push it away, but the snake didn't intend to move. Instead, it started winding around the leg. This time, Mewtwo lost his calm and kicked the ground. The snake moved away, but an unpleasant sound could be heard: a moo. He lifted his head to see what it was: he'd been spotted ! And the herd became excited. A little too excited.

"They'll run away ! Metal, activate the trap !"

"You didn't install the last box !"

"I'll handle it. Do it now, or they're lost !"

The violent whistling of compressed air was heard when the four nets flew off their boxes to form a single, solid and compact net, around the herd. Using his superhuman strength, Mewtwo managed to place the box properly on the ground. But during the operation, four or five of the preys broke free. Without thinking, Mewtwo used Disable to paralyze them and Telekinesis to bring them back. Metal then threw the Herd Ball which captured all the Tauros as it was supposed to. That was close !

But in the park control, a large and dark room full of monitors and surveillance stuff, someone was watching a large panel, representing a map of the park. A little purple light appeared on the West Prairie.

"Sir", said the man, "anomally sensors have detected abnormal activity in sector 24, the West Prairie."

The security chief walked across the room and stood beside the man.

"Is it important ?"

"We have a Purple Code, sir. There is use of psychic abilities."

"Psychic ? How many of our lodgers can use this kind of…"

"No-one, sir. It's not a lodger."

The chief went to speak to a woman who controlled the surveillance cameras.

"Give me a visual of sector 24."

The woman tapped something on her keyboard and an image of the prairie appeared.

"Everything's normal, sir."

On the monitor, they could see some Tauros grazing peacefully.

"There's something wrong", said the chief.

"What, sir ?"

"Look at that Tauros, on the left. He lifts his head. Now look at what happens when he bends the head…"

On the monitor, the Tauros bent his head and… there was an image split, almost impossible to distinguish, just like a subliminal image in the middle of a movie.

"What's that ?" Asked the operator.

"Images turning in loop", said the chief. "Cameras have been jammed."

Then, he moved to a telephone and called the police.

"This is Safari Zone. We have evidence of intrusion in the park. Possible poaching. Criminals are well equipped and have psychic abilities. Please send a squad a.s.a.p."

"Come on, Mewtwo ! Now that the security system has been jammed, we can climb the fence and leave the park easily."

"Wait a second, Metal."

"What's going on ?"

"I'm having doubts."

"There's no point. Everything has been planned."

"No, it's not that."

"Then what ?"

"What we just did… wasn't it poaching ?"

"Yeah. And what ?"

"Well, I…"

Mewtwo took his helmet off and sat on a root. He looked extremely worried.

"Hey, brother ? What's the matter ?"

"I'm… doubting about the morality of our acts."

"The what ? But, Mewtwo, we're criminals, you know that."

"Yes, of course. And at the beginning, I didn't ask myself any question. I thought it was normal, but… after our battle in 404, Moon Street, when we killed the junkies, I… had nightmares."

"Nightmares ?"

"Yeah. Horrible dreams of death and dislocated bodies, it was so realistic…"

He didn't mention the worst of all his nightmares. A nightmare which, to him, was so horrible that he didn't even want to mention it. His brother put a metallic hand on his shoulder, as a sign of compassion.

"That's what we call « combat trip »", he said. "It does that at the beginning, but when you get used to it…"

"Get used ? Metal, how could you say that ? These guys were men, they were living beings, and we… and we…"

Metal saw a tear rolling down his brother's cheek. He realized it was not just a combat trip. Mewtwo has awaken way too early. Fifteen years old. At human scale, he was an idealistic, still innocent teenager: he had that thing the scientists didn't manage to remove before he awakes. A very dangerous thing: he had a moral.

Poor boy, he thought. You're too young.

He put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but as he did that, he felt something weird around. His sensors told him that the wind wasn't blowing the way it should be. Metal had an integrated sonar, like a dolphin, and this sonar told him that there was something moving the air around it. Something small, and very fast… a shot !

Metal pushed his brother back just in time: the tiny projectile passed three millimeters from Mewtwo's nose and landed on a root. Metal ran to hide behind a tree.

"Bend down", he said to his brother, "and put on your helmet !"

"What was it ?"

"Enemy sniper. Must be hiding on a plateau, somewhere at the east. Don't move a muscle."

Metal passed on infra-red view. Now, he saw the world in purple, except heat sources which appeared in red. He got out of his hiding place to search the plateaux, when he got shot on the chest. He got back to hide and examined the bullet: it didn't pierce into the armor. Of course it didn't ! But it didn't look like a bullet: it was long, narrow, with tiny red feathers at one end and a needle at the other. A dart. The needle was full of Novocain.

"What's that ?" Asked Mewtwo.

"Tranquilizer dart. That guy must be a gamekeeper."

"A what ?"

"Fuschia Police Special Forces. Gamekeepers are cops trained to intervene inside the park for counter-poaching operations."

"But how could they ?"

"They must have spotted us when you used your psychic skills."

"Okay, so what should we do now ?"

"Normally, he won't move, cause he can't lose visual on us. Except if he's brought an Arcanine with him. You see, the sniper just has to fasten a cam to his Arcanine's collar, and ask it to track us. This way, he can move and keep a visual."

"So that would mean he…"

Another dart was shot and landed in the ferns, very close to Mewtwo. He bent down and searched for his brother, but Metal had disappeared. Oh shit !

He crawled between the ferns, trying to be as silent as possible. He didn't want to use psychic powers: they've created already enough problems. He came back to the prairie, still crawling in the high grass. He heard a growling. He turned his head to see… an Arcanine. Uh oh…

The dog used the Flamethrower attack. Mewtwo jumped to avoid it, and saw a dart flying in front of his head. Barely missed !

He ran to hide behind a rock, but the dog wasn't done yet: it began running, determined to crush the clone against the rock. Fear paralyzed him.

You forgot strategy and charged like a stupid Rhyhorn. Such behaviors will obviously make you lose.

He suddenly remembered his brother's words. And realized that the Arcanine was doing the same mistake: it was charging mindlessly. He just had to wait, and…

When the dog was close enough, Mewtwo stepped aside and let his opponent rush at the rock and get knocked out by the shock. He was so happy with his victory that he forgot he was on the sniper's shooting range…

He felt a dart sticking in his arm, and immediately felt his muscles going numb. He ran toward the trees, as fast as he could, and arrived in front of a river. Thinking this would make the mad sniper lose track of him, he dove.

Metal was silently climbing the plateau, and saw who he was looking for: the sniper was lying down between bushes, observing the park through the scope of his Arctic Warfare. He wore a military camouflage suit, with a balaclava and a helmet. Metal snuck behind him and made the Ice Cannon appear from his right arm.

"Freeze !" he said, pointing his cannon toward him.

The sniper didn't move a muscle.

"Get up ! Arms above your head !"

He obeyed. Metal found he was very slender. Too slender to be a man.

"A woman ? You're courageous. Turn around ! Let me see your eyes !"

She obeyed. She had piercing blue eyes.

"Take off your mask."

She hesitated.

"Take off your mask NOW !"

She took it off, letting her long turquoise hair flowing freely. She was not bad, for a cop.

"Identity ?"

"Officer Jenny K., from the Fuschia City Police Gamekeeping Department. I was sent here to eliminate a poaching threat."

"And they sent you alone ?"

"Yes."

"Is it some kind of sick joke ? From Special Forces, I would have expected more challenge."

"It's not the opinion of your colleague."

"What ? Where is he ?"

"He had lots of trouble with Arcanine."

"Answer my question: where is my brother ?"

"So, he's your brother ? Well, I lost him when he dove into the river."

"Okay. Leave your rifle here and follow me. We're gonna retrieve him. Oh, and one more thing: if he's damaged, I won't just kill you: I'll burn you alive, very slowly, beginning by the feet. Is that clear ?"

She suddenly didn't seem as confident as she used to. She realized it was… unhealthy to play with that… she didn't know what it could be, in fact.

"Yes", she said, "I understood."

They walked back to the prairie. The police dog was lying against a rock.

"Can I call my dog back ?"

"Yes."

The Arcanine came back to his ball.

"Where did you say he was ?"

"In the river. It's behind the trees, over there."

They arrived there and saw Mewtwo lying on the opposite shore.

"And how are we supposed to cross, Officer ?"

"This part of the river is a ford. You can cross."

"Good. Go on first, then."

Fortunately for her, she didn't lie. They crossed the river and Metal knelt down beside his brother.

"Hey, bro ! Can you hear me ?"

"Yes…"

"Can you walk ?"

"No, I… she…"

"I see. Don't move."

Metal laid his hand on Mewtwo's chest and sent him an electric jolt. Mewtwo screamed in pain.

"Feeling better ?"

The clone got up awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Wow, that's effective."

"Glad you're okay. We better get moving."

"What's the plan ?"

"We're gonna follow this river until we get to the North fence. We climb that fence and arrive in Vermilion Creek. From there, we'll have to swim to the seaside highway. From the highway, it will be easy to reach Celadon City."

"And what are we gonna do to her ?"

"We'll release her once we get out of the park. But if she tells anyone about this incident, I'll get her personally. Understood, Officer Jenny ?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Okay, let's move on."

Suddenly, Jenny snuck behind Mewtwo, grabbed him by the throat and pointed her handgun towards Metal.

"No-one move", she said, "you're both under arrest ! I advise you to surrender now, or it will end dramatically."

"Officer", replied Metal as softly as he could, "you may not want to do that. Please give me that gun now before…"

"You're not in a position to threaten !"

Too late ! She lost her breath when Mewtwo elbow smashed her in the stomach. He then grabbed her arm, tossed her to the ground, and snatched her gun.

He watched the weapon in his hand. It was a small, plastic-made handgun, maybe a G-17 or something like that. He clenched his hand, turning the weapon into a pack of black and gray splinters.

"Pathetic." he said.

Metal approached the blue-haired woman, with his Flamethrower armed.

"No !" said Mewtwo. "Don't kill her !"

"She tried to get us in the back ! I think she had it coming."

"Please, Metal. I told you what I thought about it."

"Okay. If it's for your sake, I can do you that favor. Hurry up, we have a long walk."

They were walking for nearly two hours. The sky grew darker as they walked, and a light rain started pouring. Jenny quickly realized the cybernetic wasn't to be bothered, so she tried her best to ignore him. The other, who she realized was a living being from an unknown specie, was easier to talk to. She thought his relationship with the mechanic one was kinda weird: apparently, they considered themselves as genuine blood brothers, ignoring their nature difference. She learned too that Mewtwo was naïve and hadn't yet completely assimilated what being a criminal meant. When she asked him why he took this path, he answered: « family legacy ». Whoever was the head of Team Rocket ( she didn't manage to make him tell the name, and believe me she tried ), the twins considered him as a father. Strange family…

When they finally arrived at the fence, they were in a real storm, with thunder and a diluvian rain.

"And you're expecting us to climb this ?" Asked a worried Mewtwo.

The fence was in fact a twenty-five meters high wall, made of massive iron. At it's top, there were metallic wires.

"Since we shut down the security system", said Metal, "the wires shouldn't be electrified."

"If they sent her here", said Mewtwo, "I think they have repaired the system."

"Even if they did, they'd never electrify the wires with such a storm. Don't worry, it's dangerless. And you'll have a good bath on the other side !"

"I'm already having a shower, you know."

"Hey guys !"

"Yes, Officer ?"

"What about me ?"

"As promised", replied Metal, "we release you. But you must keep your own promise in mind: don't tell anyone. Okay ?"

"Okay."

Mewtwo stood in front of her and offered his hand.

"Now that it's finished", he said, "I think we should reconcile."

She took his hand.

"I am grateful to you for not killing me", she said, "but in front of the law, you are still criminals. Which means that if I meet you again, I'll have to chase you."

"I don't think you'll ever catch us anyway", replied Metal as he shook her hand.

"We'll see. You know, you're not that bad, after all."

Mewtwo was about to answer, but they were interrupted by a loud, terrifying, dinosaur-like roar.

A huge spiral-shaped cloud was slowly descending from the black sky to the river. It looked like a tornado, one of those tornados you see once in a lifetime, a tornado that looked like the finger of God. But instead of aspiring things, it pushed them away. Jenny and the twins were thrown to the ground, and several palmtrees around them were folded horizontally, and their palms were torn apart. When the tornado touched the river, it created a tidal wave. Jenny sank in the tumultuous water. She was shaked like she was in a washing machine. She was lacking of oxygen. She felt he heart beat like a drum, and her chest contracting. She would drawn, it was the end. She already saw shadows dancing in front of her eyes. One of those shadows looked like a motorbike helmet with the shape of a cat's head. Then, a black-gloved three-fingered hand grabbed her by the waist, and Mewtwo swam to the surface using strong tail undulations.

He grabbed a root to keep their heads out of the water.

"Are you okay ?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks. You're a pretty good swimmer !"

"Where's my bro ? Have you seen him ?"

"No, I… wait, look over there !"

Close to the tornado, there was a huge tree sticking out of the water, one of those trees that are too large to be affected by a storm. And Metal-Mewtwo was climbing that tree.

"Is he crazy ? This is suicide !"

"Don't worry, girl, he must have an excellent reason to do that."

Metal-Mewtwo reached a comfortable and secure position between the branches, close enough to the storm for what he wanted to do. He was sure it was not a natural storm, and he would verify it. He passed his vision on thermal mode. The landscape and the tornado were displayed in blue, and there was something in red, so some hot, living thing, in the core of the tornado. It had a large cylindrical body, about 70 meters long, with a triangulaire head. 70 meters long ! It was the biggest pokemon ever ! And if it had triggered that storm, he was at least as powerful as a legendary pokemon. Better get rid of the threat as soon as possible. The articulations of his right arm suddenly blocked and his arm became straight and rigid, forming a 90° angle with his chest. Then, the metallic skin of the arm opened and a long narrow cannon appeared. His neck stiffened and a scope poped out of his right cheek to place itself in front of his eye. The Surgical Beam, the most precise sniper weapon in the world, was ready for action.

Fire !

A dense red beam rushed to the pokemon's head, but as it reached the tornado, something weird happened: the beam followed the whirlwind and became a red circle of energy. Then, the circle turned to a violent gust which cut Metal's tree in two. The cybernetic fell in the furious water.

"Metal !"

Mewtwo was about to go swim to save his brother, but something underwater was rushing towards him like a torpedo. When it reached them, he realized it was Metal swimming. The metallic pokemon poped at the surface and grabbed the root.

"You swim well", said Mewtwo. "How are you ?"

"I'm not hurt. But I can't destroy that thing."

"« Thing ? » You were trying to destroy…"

"There is something in the core of the tornado. A giant snakeshaped pokemon."

"Then what are we gonna do ?"

"Officer Jenny, is there a possible hideout ?"

"There is a cave under the plateau over there. It's quite deep, so maybe…"

"Okay, I think we should…"

The terrifying roar started again. The waves became more and more violent, and finally their root yielded…

They were powerless, grabbed in the fast waters, but Metal eventually managed to catch his two partners and swim to the cave entrance. The water rushed into the cave to create a waterfall, but Metal grabbed a cornice and they all climbed on it. Saved ! Mewtwo got up, a bit groggy but OK. Jenny tried to stand on her legs, screamed in pain, and fell on the ground.

"What's going on ?" Asked Mewtwo.

"My ankle. It hurts."

The twins lied her on a bench-shaped rock, then Metal took off the ranger and the sock. It was not a pretty sight: the ankle was swollen and was turning purple. An X-Ray analysis confirmed what he feared.

"It's broken. Mewtwo, hold her, it's gonna hurt."

Mewtwo put a hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek, to comfort her. A horrible cracking was heard when the cybernetic twisted the ankle to put the bone back in place. Jenny bit Mewtwo's hand violently to avoid screaming. Ouch ! What idea he had to take his glove off !

Metal said, "I will now throw electric shocks in your ankle to paralyze the muscles and create a natural harness. It's gonna be very painful for a few seconds, but after that, you won't feel any pain. Don't try to walk, though."

He put his hands on her leg, and it started trembling. Mewtwo guessed it really hurted, because the cop's teeth bit deeper in his hand. After about ten seconds, it was over. Jenny released the hand she was biting.

"Thanks", she said hesitantly. "But why ?"

"Why what ?" Asked Metal.

"Why did you help me ? Why did you try to cure me ? Earlier today, you wanted to roast me alive."

"I think we've reached a point to where or personal problems don't matter anymore. We now share the same problem, so we must help each other."

"I guess so. Sounds like Stockholm Syndrom."

"Maybe, but I don't care much about that. I just want to get out of this shit as soon as possible."

"Oh ! I almost forgot !"

She searched her pocket and found a radio transmitter.

"Shit ! Broken !"

"Calling for rescue ?" Asked Metal.

"Yes."

"OK."

He seemed to concentrate for a few moments and said:

"What number should I dial ?"

She seemed surprised but said, "It's Safari Rescue Service, 77-5504."

"Okay, wait a second."

On his screen, informations appeared:

Communication system activated.

Connecting satellite……………..

Communication satellite connected.

Location: Kanto, Japan.

Number: 77-5504.

Safari Rescue Service, Fuschia City. Connecting…

A few seconds later, he heard a male voice in his head:

"Fuschia City Safari Rescue Service here. How…"

"This is officer Jenny K., Gamekeeper", he said.

"Officer K-Yu ? We can see the storm from here. Are you alright ?"

"Could be better."

"You have a strange voice."

"My radio's dead. I'm using one of the poachers' satellite phone."

"Have you found them ?"

"We got separated when the storm came. I'm hidden in a cave, in the North Point Plateaux. They disappeared. How's the situation going over there ?"

"The storm is still too strong to attempt an operation, but it's weakening, I think. I guess we could take off with the chopper in about half an hour. It's not a pretty sight: all the north section is flooded, the fence's still up, that's a miracle."

"Okay, I'm waiting. Over."

Jenny looked at him in surprise. "Satellite communication ?" She asked.

"I've been made to face any kind of situation."

"Who made you ?"

"I didn't answer an hour ago. My position's still unchanged."

The waterfall suddenly stopped. They still could hear the roar of the storm and the « thing » over them, but it seemed that the flooding had stopped. What the hell was this snake playing to ? As there was no more water, the light that came from the ceiling became insufficient. Jenny lit a torch, creating a small circle of red light. Beyond this circle, the cave seemed hostile and scary. Mewtwo, who had been exploring it, came back with an embarrassed face.

"I don't like this place", he said. The young officer could feel some fear in his voice, even if it was actually a mental voice.

"There's too many shadows", he concluded.

"You're afraid of the dark ?" Jenny asked.

"He's afraid of shadows. One in particular. Don't worry, bro, there's no chance he could be here."

"How do you know ? He could be anywhere, now. He could be creeping in this cave, spying us…"

"What the hell are you talking about ?"

"Shall we tell her about that, Mewtwo ?" Asked Metal.

"Yeah."

Mewtwo sat as close to the torch as possible, while Metal began telling his story.

"A few weeks ago, we met… well, we barely saw, a man who seemed to observe us. This man really terrified Mewtwo, I don't know how, or why. I'm not made to be superstitious, but even I felt some kind of… coldness, deep inside. As if this being spreaded such evil energy that it froze the heart of everyone around. Anyway, we made an investigation about him. His name, the Shadow. That's all we know. But we suspect him to spy us, and we don't know why, so he must know things that we don't. In fact, we never saw him again, but sometimes, when it's dark, like in this cave, Mewtwo becomes paranoid and believes that the Shadow is here."

Jenny shivered. That was a creepy story, but the worse is that it sounded familiar…

"Does… does this « Shadow » wear a black suit and ride a silvery motorbike ?"

Mewtwo had a start.

"You know him ?"

"Well, not really. I have a twin, who's a police officer in Viridian City. Two years ago, a gang of motorcycle riders, known as the « Road Scavengers », came in the Viridian County, bringing the usual troubles such as alcoholism, noise, insults to police officers, wild races… in fact, they're disturbing, but not physically violent, you know. Just some punks making fun of the law. Anyway, one night, my sister, Janny, was sent to make them stop their races. She's some kind of a daredevil, not easy to intimidate. One of the bikers, a man exceptionally tall, dressed in a black suit with a black helmet over his face, stood in front of her. Later, she mentioned him as Velociraptor, because it was the name printed on his bike. A silvery sportsbike that stinked illegality, by the way. So this man grabbed her by the collar and said in a voice of black metal singer:

My friends and I would like to have some fun, and it's certainly not a little police chick who's gonna spoil it. If you don't disappear at once, I will become your worst nightmare.

She told me she felt as if she was freezing inside. And she had nightmares long after that incident."

"It's gotta be him", said Mewtwo. "Who else can do this effect ?"

"So", said Metal, "we know he belongs to a motorcycle gang. Could be some rivalry business with the Boss, nothing more. Is he the leader ?"

"I…"

She had no time to finish her sentence, because at this very moment, a whole part of the cave flew away, letting in the furious waves. And all the noise was covered by the terrific roar of that thing, somewhere, that giant snake hidden in the core of the tornado. The water pushed them to the surface, and again, they found themselves struggling against the storm. The tornado had changed its position: the plateau into which they were hiding had disappeared, and that's where the thing was now.

Metal managed to stand on a thick root. Claws appeared from under his feet and grabbed the wood firmly. His body stiffened. His arms positioned themselves as if he was riding a wide Harley, and his chest opened in two, letting out a short but large cannon. "Time to play rough" he said when the Ion Cannon was ready for use.

A large and plugging beam of white energy rushed from the cannon to the tornado, which immediately started shining. It worked, but it wasn't enough !

Mewtwo stood on a rock and saw what was going on. His brother needed his help. He closed his eyes, trying to focus. Air balls won't be enough. He tried to get back the feeling he had the first time he used Bide. Tried to get back the feeling he had the first time he used an air ball. Electric arcs ran along his arms. He could feel it. He felt the energy. He tried to join his hands in front of him. His arms trembled violently. His fingers were burning. A huge ball of blue, pure psionic energy grew between his hands.

He opened his eyes. He focused all his anger on the tornado. And, with a deep wild roar that came right from his throat, he spreaded his arms, letting his Psi Ball fly towards his enemy like a comet.

The Ball reached the storm… and triggered the apocalypse.

Thirty minutes later…

A white and orange chopper was flying over the Safari Zone, heading to the flooded area.

"Looks like the storm calmed down", said the pilot.

He looked at the sky through his sunglasses. A flawless blue sky, one of those that made the pride of Fuschia City.

"Something's weird", he said. "It simply disappeared, not even a black cloud left."

"Ain't you seen the explosion ?" Asked one of the rescuers.

"Of course I've seen it, sir. Never seen anything like that before, and believe me, I've seen many things. I couldn't even explain that, it's just crazy !"

They arrived at the North Point. The place had become a giant wasteland: every plateau was destroyed, there was not a tree still up. In fact, all the area was under a large pool of grey mud.

"Gosh damn", cried the pilot, "it's worse than I thought ! Can't land here, guys, you'll have to jump !"

The chopper went as close to the ground as possible. Two rescuers in orange rainsuits opened the large door. One of them released five Seels in the mud while the other was testing the depth with a plumbline. The Seels, wearing orange collars with the word RESCUE printed on, were swimming around the area, searching for survivors.

"Depth 85cm !" Cried the plumbline guy.

"Okay", said the leader, "jump out !"

The six rescuers jumped in the dirty water and spreaded around. A Seel screamed. Two rescuers arrived and saw a blue-haired woman floating unconscious.

"Bring a stretcher !" they screamed.

Once she was inside the chopper, they awoke her. She had light wounds all over and a shoe missing, but she seemed alright.

"Where are they ?" She asked.

"Where are who ?" Asked the doctor. "There's nobody else outside."

She calmed down, but wondered: where have they gone ?

Outside, one of the rescuers found a sand bank that created a small island, close to the fence. There was a small hole in the fence, but large enough to let someone pass through.

"Sir !" He screamed. "You better come and see this !"

The leader arrived and climbed on the bank. He saw what he had to see: footprints, and a deep rut.

"Can you tell me what this is ?"

"The prints do not correspond to a ranger, even if it looks like. It's a heavier shoe, like a motorcycle boot. And this", he said while showing the rut, "this is a tire print. A motorcycle tire, to be more precise. There was a motorcyclist in this area during the storm, and he left when it stopped."

The rescue leader followed the tire print. It was leading to the hole in the fence.

"What's beyond that fence ?"

"The sea, Sir."

The sea ? The leader was astonished. How the hell could he…

Dusk was setting when a truck left the gas station and took Bridge Highway, the road that leads from Fuschia City to Celadon City. Hidden in the tow, the Twins were sitting, facing each other. Mewtwo had taken his helmet off, and looked exhausted. Metal, as usual, was inexpressive.

"That was a fiasco ?" Mewtwo asked.

"Indeed it was."

The metallic voice sounded exhausted. Metal took the Herd Ball in his hand.

"Anyway, we still have what we were looking for. The Boss is waiting for us."

"I'dkill for a sleep."

He let out a nervous laughter.

The truck passed under a standard lamp. Perched on this lamp, there was a Murkrow. The dark bird let out his gloomy croak and flew away.

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Hope you liked this chapter. There will soon be a face-to-face between the Twins and the Shadow !

A few Extra Infos:

The parachute drop is a tribute to the opening scene of the game Snake Eater.

The Herd Ball does not exist in the videogame or in the anime. It's my invention.

The sniper is based on a famous scene from Snake Eater, where Snake faces a dangerous sharpshooter in the jungle.

The Surgical Beam is one of Metal-Mewtwo's specific skills, I don't know if there's a pokemon equivalent ( some kind of laserbeam which never misses its target, any idea ? ).

The Velociraptor is the name of the Shadow's motorbike. It's definitely not a plain Buell Lightning.

The Ion Cannon is Metal-Mewtwo's equivalent to the Hyperbeam.

Next chapter will be focused on the Shadow's life. See you there !