Pokemon: Mewtwo and the Mysteries of Life
Chapter 6: "Deeper Connections"
"Fuji?" Koga asked, looking me straight in the eyes as he leaned into my face for a moment with an expression that was hard to read, even for me. Folding his arms in and standing stiff, he closed his eyes as he then thought inwardly for a good solid moment. "I've heard of a Doctor Fuji."
"Well, all I can say is that he's my Dad," I said, not knowing what else to say. His gaze towards me remained mysterious as he went silent and said no more, eventually turning to look up with questions in his hard gaze towards Irwin, who hinted that he would explain later. Remaining stoic, even when his eyes met those of his niece, he watched as Kimi stepped closer to me in a way that said she was curious about me, too, and only shrugged at his silence when she had me take a seat on the divan that stood against an old stairwell that climbed up to a second level of the house.
"Don't take it too personally," Kimi whispered, watching him move to the door to check on Janine, who was outside waiting for her Father, this time doing as she was told about not wondering off. Sitting down next to me on the beige seat, we both watched as Irwin patted us each on the shoulder in passing as he took the rest of my things one by one upstairs at Aya's nod, who had returned to the kitchen to start dinner. "Uncle Koga's that way with anyone that he first meets, a defense mechanism if you want to put it plainly. Especially with new trainers coming over all the time to his gym," She said, grinning a bit with that knowledge. "I can show you the gym later, if you want."
Taking in Kimi's training outfit and the almost Zen-like style of furnishings around the main floor, I turned to where I saw a book entitled, Judo 101: The Way of the Ninja. Looking at the way I thumbed through the volume, completely in confusion, Kimi only chuckled as she then said, "Those are Mom's books. She wants to be a ninja, someday."
Waiting for me to say something, though, she watched as I put the book back down at the same time we felt a thump against the side of the divan, from where on the other side both our partners came running in a sporting game of what looked like chase. However, it was a little too rough for Nari's preference, a statement she made quite clear.
'Ee? Ee-vey!' (Huh? Akira!)Nari squealed, launching up into my arms and away from where Zap stopped chasing her. 'Ee-ee-Eev, Eevee-vey!' (That's not how you play, stop chasing me!)
'Pi-pi, Pichu!' (You started it!) Zap playfully chirruped, crossing his little arms, as the both of them managing now to laugh as Kimi noticed, too, and joined in my chuckle, reaching down to tickle her little partner under its chin.
"Hey Zap, that's not the way we welcome guests you know," She said, meaning exactly what she said as she surprised me enough to take my hand and pulled me with her from off the couch. "Mom will be at it for a while. Come on, I might as well show you around."
Following her past some of the photos around the room, my eyes fell on one of her and her Dad at what could have been her first tournament, if the judo books were any sort of clue. A bit scuffed, she still smiled from where she sat meekly in her Dad's arms with an honorable participation ribbon in her hand, holding it up for the camera as they both smiled. Seeing me noticing, I heard her affirm, "That was from my first self-defense class. I was just starting out, but I didn't make it past the first round. Mom and Dad were proud of me for trying, though."
Looking up to see her holding open her door at the top of the stairs, she gestured for me to follow her into her room to talk. Coming in, I immediately saw a space that stood out in a way that told me just who Kimi was. It was a huge room, big enough to house not even half of her hidden collectibles that stood on shelves that were dispersed in a neat fashion all along and up on the north wall. Picking up a Pikachu model from off of a shelf just next to her bed, she showed it to me as she said, "Each one of these models holds a special memory. This one, Dad got it for me when he and Mom let me take care of Zap after he hatched."
"Pichu," Zap chirruped, jumping up clumsily on the bed sheet just enough for Kimi to reach down and grab him, pulling him up into her lap as she crossed her legs over to the side and allowed him to climb up to where he traveled from her shoulder to the top of her head.
"When was that?" I asked, innocently saying enough to catch her attention as she then shifted and lifted up her knees and held them to her chest with the memory, sitting just on the edge of the bed.
"Last year sometime actually," She said, scratching him just underneath his chin, just short from one of his pink electric sacks as he giggled, stopping when he heard her sniffle. "After that, something happened and … Well, I got it right before Dad had to leave."
Looking up immediately from where Nari and I were sitting on our pallet off the floor, I came over to place a hand on her own in comfort as she looked up in tears, not trying to hide them like she had been doing downstairs just shortly before. "You missed him, didn't you?"
"You don't have to say it like it's any surprise," She said, turning away a bit as I slowly pulled myself back, not sure how to show her I didn't mean any jest by it. "I'm just kidding, but I yes I did. It wasn't really because he wanted to. You've already seen what I try to hide. The truth is, because of it, I can only walk due to a very expensive surgery that allowed me to fully recover from an accident I had a little over a year ago."
'What happened?' I wanted to ask, but Kimi looked up as she connected her eyes with mine. Almost as if she had heard my question, she sighed as she continued with her story, "Ever since I can remember, my left leg always had a certain gait to it, even when I first learned to walk. The term, as I had heard my parents call it one day, described it best. At first, I didn't think it was anything to worry about, but I do recall Papa always kept a close eye on me because of it. The accident I had with It was right after the tournament, in fact. I didn't make it past it the first round like I said before, and it was because my left leg gave out on me. Pushing myself up, I just patted my hand against the floor to tag out and said nothing at first. When Mom and Dad came running to help me back up, they were so proud that I didn't want to worry them about how I was feeling. The truth was, though, I wasn't able to feel anything at all when I first stood up … at first."
"Then it came back, and I thought everything was fine," Kimi said, closing her eyes. Feeling her clench the covers with an almost vice-like grip, I looked up to see tears of painful memory make way down her face. Feeling something inside my mind react, I clenched my own eyes shut with a small groan as I saw a strange memory flash across my own in silence as I saw a runaway cart roll down a hill, right in the path of Kimi as she had pushed herself away from where she had a grip of her Dad's arm to stand and leapt into its path to catch a runaway Egg. Feeling her leg seize up again, she gripped it with a tender tight grip against her chest as she fell and couldn't move. Curling up the best she could despite her pain, the cart missed her head from where she sheltered the precious life inside, but she couldn't pull her knee in time as she then let out a horrified scream of intense pain.
Pulling back, I clenched my head right as Kimi opened her eyes to see me open my eyes, too. Narrowing her eyes at first, she looked at me a little strangely as she asked, "Are you alright?" Seeing me nod, she only shrugged as she then said everything that I saw pass my vision. "We had just exited the gym when it happened, and then from there it's like everything went so fast. Mom told me when I came to that the nurses had to pry the Egg out of my hands. Despite what I felt, he was all I thought about despite the pain I went through. After that, I don't remember exactly what happened. One moment, I was struggling on two feet, and then the next … I woke up to this." Laying out her prosthetic flat on the bed, Kimi looked away in embarrassment as she only sighed, getting ready to say something else, too. This time, only listening, I was surprised to hear her say, "The doctors said that the accident only caused damage to my lower calf luckily, but it had also crushed it, to the point where the nerve damage that caused my gait and what had already been done wouldn't be an issue anymore. You can guess the rest."
"Yeah," was all I could say, turning myself away to look out towards her window. 'Ee? Ee-vey,' Nari cooed, nuzzling my hand as I raised it up to where she had hopped up and onto the bed to where my hand rested near my pants right pocket, where I had Mom's ocarina. I had taken it out of one of the bags to keep close after we got off of the boat. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"Well, thanks, but … It doesn't change that it happened," Kimi said, watching the way I got up to slowly stand in such an idle stance that it made her get up and come over to sit a hand on my free shoulder. "You obviously have been through some things, too. I can sense it." Watching me turn to face her, she only smiled as she then continued, "You've heard my story. Now, why don't you tell me a bit about yours?"
Closing my eyes, I sighed, thinking of my Father's words. "I'm not really supposed to talk about it," I found myself saying anyway, and to be completely honest with Kimi.
'Ee-vey,' Nari said, saying my name really gently to get my attention. Nudging me, she gave me a look that told me that said that we could Kimi if I chose to tell her everything.
"Not talking about it will only make it worse, believe me," was all Kimi could say to my statement after looking at the way Nari and I shared our moment. Turning away after a moment, she got to her feet as she then said, "Think about it. If you need someone to listen, my offer still stands. I'll be right back."
Going back downstairs, I heard her lingering steps fade away as I sat down on the temporary pallet that was laid out for me in the middle of the floor, falling back on it as I caught the descent of the sun just briefly outside the window. Lost in thought, I didn't pay attention when Nari started to paw at me in worry, finally curling up next to me as I held up Mom's ocarina in thought. Remembering something, I lifted it to my lips and played it for the second time since it was given to me.
Playing the instrument softly, its melody filled the room with a lilt that was almost like a song that even caught the attention of everyone downstairs. Continuing to play the simple notes, I closed my eyes and just listened, not aware that I had accumulated a small audience. Coming over to cuddle next to Nari, Zap smiled as he felt my free hand move on his back in a similar gesture Mom did to help me and my sister sleep, me continuing to play the melody with one.
'Never alone, even in a dream,
Evermore you, not just one or two
Life is forever, a memory, a song
Always and forever, it's just as you are.
Life is constant, bright as any star,
Look around here, everything you see
It is something more, a journey, a path
Evermore you or me, it's just meant to be."
Listening to nothing more but the melody of Mom's lullaby, I didn't hear Kimi pause at the top of the stairs with a tray in her hands. Holding her ear to the door that was partly open, she waited politely just inside the door before I finished and looked up to see her as she said, "What's that you were playing?"
"Oh, just something I remembered a long time ago," I said, pausing for just a second, as I then looked up to see Kimi's patient yet kind smile, as I finished, "Me and my sister used to ask Mom for it all the time. I just felt like playing it in memory for … a friend of mine I was thinking of."
Accepting the answer simply and as a start, Kimi sat down the tray of sandwiches and two bowls of ramen soup down, along with two bowls of Pokémon food, between us as she said, "Mom sent this up for us. She wasn't sure if you were ready to come down yet, so … She sent this all up for dinner. Come on, you two, time to eat." Not being told twice, both Zap and Nari both perked their heads up and ran over to the bowls that were mixed with a specific brand of food each and was each mixed with Oran and Lum berries. "Akira, right?"
Looking up at her from where I sat with my bowl, I smiled as I nodded to answer her question. It was the first time she said my name since our first words in the woods. "Yeah, my mother picked it. My Sister's was chosen by our Father," I said, starting with the basics at least, for now.
"You have a sister?" Kimi asked me, listening to my answers carefully, a trait I could sense from her just by watching her. She was curious.
Looking up from their bowls, Nari and Zap watched us with interest, too, as I lamented, "Yes, and her name was Amber. But then … Something happened. There was a car accident, and … She passed away. It left me paralyzed, but …"
"Hey, easy. You don't have to tell me everything right now if it hurts," Kimi said, sitting her bowl aside to concentrate on our conversation. "Is that why you were brought here? Because your sister passed away?"
That was definitely a sure part of it. There was more to Kimi then meets the eye, I could tell, but I didn't know exactly what it was yet. Could I tell her about everything that happened? Would she believe me if I did? "That's part of it. The other part … They want me to forget it, but I can't," I said, gaining Kimi's full attention as she and our partners', too, as they listened, although Nari already knew it all. "There's too much to lose if I do."
"Then … don't," Kimi said, taking my hand as she saw a single tear trickle down from my eye. "Papa told me you went through a lot, but he didn't specifically say what it was. Only you can tell what really happened, and if you want … Whatever you share with me, it will never pass to anyone else unless you say so. I meant what I said, and I know how it feels to keep something bottled in. I'll listen if you want to tell me."
"I want to," I said, making up my mind. Seeing trust in her, I relented and told her everything – about the accident, Amber, Amber(two), the clones, but only lightly about Mewtwo, leaving his name out of it or any mention of Mew. There was a reason for that, one that I kept to myself for now. Throughout the hour or two, though, I told her also how her Father was given charge over my recovery during my time on the island.
"So, your Father tried to clone your sister? Sorry, I just want to make sure I'm hearing this right," Kimi said, seeing me nod my head. "You're telling quite the story, then. I honestly don't know how that would be possible. But this … Amber-two … She had your sister's memories?"
"Yes, but it was almost like a dream in how we could communicate at all," I said, remembering the things she showed me, and to Mewtwo. "Have of you ever heard of telepathy?"
"Telepathy?" Kimi repeated, pausing to think about for a good solid minute before she got up and pulled out an old storybook and turned to a page of certain Pokémon. "I've heard about it before in this book, but it depicts it as a certain ability that only some Pokémon are able to use. It describes it as allowing its bearer to be able to anticipate its opponent's attacks and allows it to dodge their next move, but that's all I've heard of it being used for. But the way your describing it … It's like you can … Wait, you mean you could hear her?"
Nodding my head, the memory of my sister's consciousness, or Amber-two, that part of her was really real, even though it never went as far as Dad intended for it, too. "Dad was only able to recreate my sister's subconscious, at least to my knowledge and only for that brief amount of time, but that part of her that I got to connect with … that was my sister, that part of her was Amber, the part that I will always remember and hold close to my heart, just like another friend of mine I connected with when I was there."
"Alright, now you really have me curious," Kimi said, the both of us starting to laugh as we heard both Nari and Zap yawn a bit. "You'll have to tell me about this friend of yours. No wonder you haven't said much being here after all that. I still feel like there's more you have not said, but I will definitely keep what you told me just between us. And, let me just say … Asking you to forget your experience from a place you had a big encounter from, yeah, that's not going to happen."
A light knock on the wall interrupted us as we heard a light knock on the door outside. Coming in, Irwin came in with a lantern as Aya came in after with a couple of blankets in hand and a new freshly-stuffed pillow.
"Thought these might help get you started," Aya said, sitting them down next to me as I smiled at the design of the top coverlet. "Alright now, girls, bedtime. You have training tomorrow."
"Ah Mom, do we have to?" Kimi asked, feigning a makeshift moan as she caught her mother's playful yet serious gaze, one I knew that meant that she was being humorous but one that also said that she was not kidding.
"Yes, Kitsune, I'm afraid you will have to," Irwin laughed, picking up his daughter into his arms to swing her around and tuck her into bed. "There's no arguing with your Mother. She always wins," he whispered, the both of them starting to chuckle as Aya turned to say, "I heard that!"
"But seriously, girls, it's almost late. You two have been talking for hours," She said, the both of us looking up to see Kimi's wall clock show that it was almost nine. "I think you both are going to get along just fine."
With their help, my pallet bunk was done before I had even stepped out of the closet in one of my own personal nightgowns. Hearing them go down the stairs as they bidden us goodnight, Kimi threw a couple of smaller pillows at me as she laughed, "You still have to tell me."
"Tell you what?" I laughed, picking up Nari as she came out after me and stretched with a small cute yawn. Walking over to sit down on my pallet, I slipped into the covers as a couple of the stars caught my eye outside the window. "You've heard the whole story."
"I know, but I meant about your friend," Kimi said, feeling Zap push his way up from under her covers into a small little ball next to her side.
Meanwhile, at the same and exact moment and back at the base of New Island, the lab was quiet for a change, too quiet. With only a couple of tired aides keeping an eye on stats of the one that continued to sleep in the incubation chamber, no one noticed that the single occupant moved only slightly as he continued to doze with his arms held in, listening to only his innermost thoughts for company. Sensing something that sounded like a melody to him … his mind allowed him to think about it for a second before he recognized it, too. Recalling a small sense of a memory, his eyes opened for only a moment in realization, his amethyst eyes starting to glow iridescently as his mind traced the connection.
'…Kira …?'
Gasping, I recognized the voice, but it was so faint that I knew it was like it came from the edge of a dream. Only hearing my name, though, I didn't hear anything else as I sensed the connection fade, again. Hearing him, though, it gave me comfort just to know that He was alright. "Our connection … It made it through to him," I said, suddenly tensing up as I turned from the window to see Kimi looking at me with a look that said I better fill her in and fast.
"Alright, before I have to tackle it out of you," Kimi said, hearing every word I had said. "Who is 'He'?"
Sighing, I knew I had to tell her now, especially after everything I had just told hear. "He's … His name was …" I started to say, stopping as a tear made its way down my cheek in memory. "Remember when I said that my sister and I meant him when he first awakened? He used it, too. Telepathy. However, He was the only one of my Father's experiments to survive."
"So, He was a clone," She started to say, but stopped only to see the affirmation of my face.
"He was never just that," I said, feeling it evermore, as I remembered my sister's words. "He was my friend, and He lived. They did something to him when my sister's memory faded away. He was so devastated that he actually cried real tears. Then, they did something to make him forget. That's all I was told, but it was some kind of serum that suppressed his grief or something. Then, I didn't hear him anymore. They wanted to get rid of me because I was the only person that stood in the way of them having my Father's full attention. Father allowed me to leave with your Dad for any protection that He couldn't give me there, especially after what happened."
Looking up, Kimi was no more then a few steps away before she gripped me in the tightest hug she could give, tears pouring down her face as she and I both cried. Pulling back, she thumbed away one of her own tears as she then said, "Well, you're not going on from this alone. Not anymore."
Smiling, I knew I made a true friend in Kimi, and nothing was going to change that. Both of us then retiring to bed, she asked me one more question as we both looked out to the same sky from her windows.
"You almost said it before. What was his name?"
"Mewtwo," I said, finally. "They called him Mewtwo."
"Kira," she suddenly said, making me look right at her.
"Huh?" I asked, suddenly realizing that was what Mewtwo called me, too.
"I think I'll call you that, too, if you want," She said, turning over. "Goodnight."
"'Night," I said, somehow not surprised as we all fell asleep to see what the next new day would bring us, which promised to be even better than before.
In this chapter, we learn more about the accident that happened to Kimi and also hint at a few more mysteries of her that you will see in later chapters as the story goes on. Me and her creator promise that, and we thank you for reading.
Credit goes where credit is due, Akira, Kimi, Irwin/Mr. Matsui and the lullaby all belong to us. Thanks, and until next time! ;)
