Chapter 5: Silenced

"Clear, the ground, he's coming in!"

"Get this place cleaned up,"

"This soon? Damn we weren't expecting the Boss today!"

The helicopter landing pad outside of Woodland Labs extension of Team Rocket's criminal empire erupted in sudden activity. They all knew they should have expected the Boss. Last night there had been an episode. What should have been a routine round-up of new specimens had turned into a disaster. They had lost a transport, ten agents had been injured, and two outright killed. There had also been rumors of an escapee. Although the head count performed last night had shown that all the experiments had been accounted for.

The sky darkened and the air whipped wildly sending debris and the reek of gas over the landing pad, through the parking lot and into a nearby building. A huge black helicopter landed softly, the landing wheels giving a slight squeak as its weight settled. A pale face peered out of one of the portals, red hair pulled back and piled atop her head.

"Fiore."

Jessie looked down at her knee, where her husband Giovanni had placed his hand on her leg as he said her pet name. "Why are we here Gio?" she asked impatiently. She hated this place. It smelled like death and despair.

"I have business to attend to. However I don't know how long it will keep me." He answered in his customary direct tone.

"Hence the reason you asked me to pack a few things," she looked over at her bag in the corner. Giovanni never packed anything. He always had clothes waiting for him.

The helicopter hissed as the door opened, gradually equalizing the pressure. Jessie had underestimated in the past the capabilities of this particular piece of equipment. Giovanni was the first to stand, a few other agents before him guarding. "Jessie." He snapped, then held out his arm for her to take.

"Alright." She stood. Giovanni pulled her roughly to his side. He didn't say anything yet shot her a glance that told of horrors to come if she protested. Jessie kept her mouth shut and looked toward the ground. She had to keep up appearances, make sure she resembled the good little wife. She put a smile that would make a beauty pageant winner jealous and stepped outside with her husband.

The air was hot yet refreshing, as a warm summer day should be. It was what Jessie had to come to expect of Woodland Labs. As soon as Giovanni's foot hit the ground, they heard a loud cry of delight and the patter of little feet came running over.

"Papa!"

The Boss of Team Rocket knelt and scooped up the little girl that had come running toward him at full speed. "Sarah, school out already?"

"Yes, a month ago. Remember?" Sarah always seemed to have a permanent scowl. She then glared over his shoulder. "What is she doing here."

"Is there a reason why she wouldn't be?" he countered, his voice deep. Giovanni was an asshole, but he thought the world of his daughter.

"I don't like her," she wiggled, then fell to the ground, catching herself. "The dolls are coming along very well."

Jessie studied this child. The girl who had everything, yet longed to be noticed by her father. Her mother vanished. No one knew if she was dead or alive. Jessie knelt, Sarah backed away, an animal-like scowl twisting her otherwise lovely features. "Here." Jessie pulled a doll out of her bag, and held it out to Sarah. It was a porcelain doll dressed in red velvet as if she was about to go to a party, or meet her dream prince.

Sarah eyed the doll, then crept up and snatched it away.

"What do you say Sarah?" Giovanni grabbed her shoulder and pinched in that way that only seemed to work on children.

Sarah bit back her cries as long as she could, then gasped. "Thank you!"

"You will stay with your mother today."

"She's not,"

"She is now. Accept it," he let her go. "I have business to attend to."

Jessie watched him stalk away. The man could move fast when he wanted to. "Hey Sarah, why don't we go over some of your school work?"

"I don't need school. I'm going to be a Pokemon Master."

"Even Pokemon Masters need school."

Sarah looked at Jessie as if the woman was some form of lower species. "I'll tell my dad on you."

Jessie gave up. "Then you better go and catch him," she moved toward the front entrance, toting a small rolling suitcase behind her. Sarah fell into step beside her. "I would have liked to go swimming today. There's a nice fresh lake nearby, want to join me?"

Sarah just turned her nose up in the air and ran past her.


"Where is he?"

"This way Boss."

Giovanni followed his security detail to the lower levels of Woodland Labs. He was pissed, and everyone in his path knew it. Only the stupid or the self centered would dare step in his path now. Last nights failed harvest was unforgivable, and all associated parties had already been dealt with.

"Ah, Sakaki, just the man I wanted to see."

Giovanni paused, then looked to the side where a woman wearing a short skirt and a lab coat stood holding a clipboard. "Blackwell. How is he today?"

"Not too good. That's why I needed to see you." She checked off something on the clipboard, then put the pen back behind her ear, locking it in her long black hair. "I wouldn't recommend visiting the project just yet. There are still a few tests that I need to run on him today."

"Tests that can wait." Giovanni said in a warning tone.

"Very well, I will postpone the testing and have a presentation ready when you return. Although don't say I didn't warn you." She slipped back into the lab she had come from, shutting the door. Giovanni peeked through the glass window set in the wall so that activates in the lab could be monitored. A pink and white Mewtwo lay on her side on the table.

"What is that woman doing now?" he moved away, continuing to the end of the hall. A huge metal door greeted him, locking bolts firmly in place along with numerous warning signs.

(You're late.)

Giovanni smiled a little. "Getting more powerful aren't you my friend, I can hear you through the door now." The Boss pulled out a security card and swiped it through a slot to the side. The door buzzed, and with the sound of turning gears, pulled open fully. The agents took a prudent step back.

Giovanni entered the room alone, armed only with his gun that never left his person. The room was round, along all sides were bullet and impact-proof windows showing labs, scientists scribbling at clipboards and tapping away on computers. In the center of the room, a single intense light illuminated a cell constructed of plasteel three inches thick. Inside the cell sat a Pokemon.

Giovanni paused for a moment to examine his newest toy. It sat in the center of the cell, seemingly meditating, a few IV's and other such tubing had been placed in its arms and legs. Shackles held its wrists and feet bolted to the floor. Not that they would do much good. If the Pokemon were so inclined it could easily break them.

"I am here." Giovanni stopped before the cell.

The Pokemon looked up at his masters entry, his tail picking up from the floor. Around him on the walls were the remains of the last person that tried to feed him. The creature was massive, when on its feet it stood eight feet tall, and easily close to four hundred pounds. His form was muscular and toned. A thick strong tail that was twice as long as the beast was tall ended in a diamond shape. The Pokemon was ghost white from the tips of his ears the the tip of his tail. Deep emerald green eyes tracked Giovanni's approach.

(You have returned.)

"Hello Mewthree, my pet." Giovanni pushed a sequence of numbers on a keypad on the wall, and the plasteel panels of the cell slid up into the ceiling. "Have you been well?"

(More tests, more poking, more prodding. More of everything. How I have longed for your return.) He tilted his head, meeting Giovanni's hand to accept the scratches and pats.

"They know they're aren't supposed to give tests on days that I'm here."

(And you expect Blackwell to listen? She has the run of the compound whether you're here or not.)

"I shall talk to her of that," he placed his hand under the Pokemon's chin. "Feel up to a few battles today?"

(If you can find a suitable enough opponent.)

"I shall try." Giovanni then pulled out a pass card and unlocked the shackles, freeing Mewthree. Immediately the room filled with the Pokemons presence. Giovanni felt a slight vibration move through him as the creatures awareness spread and explored.

Mewthree was grateful that the man had given him life, although he would never forget that day. He remembered his heart beating, the vibration of machines through glass, and when he had awakened, there was this man…standing there with his eyes aglow and a gun pointed directly at his face. Not two breaths had left his new lungs before the man began to speak. He would never forget those words either.

"Don't even begin to wonder about who or what you are. I will tell you who and what you are. I created you, you are my servant that will battle for me. If you have any questions or hesitation about your place in this life, make it known now so I can put an end to the problem."

Mewthree didn't have any questions or hesitation…this was his place, and he wanted to live. Not even two minutes aware and already he had sold his soul. He was devoted to his Master, loved him and bonded to him in ways that no other Pokemon could understand.

Giovanni snapped his fingers and the Pokemon rose to his full height. His long tail swayed almost serpent-like behind him. The differences between a Mewtwo and Mewthree were subtle, but they were distinctive. Where a Mewtwo had a three-fingered hand, Mewthree had four. Mewtwos had two toes on their foot, Mewthree had three. More telling was the overly long tail that swayed and searched the room, and the difference in height. Mewtwos stood between five and at most six and half feet tall. Mewthree towered over all the others.

(I hope I have not displeased you Master.)

"No. I have been away on business, however I am staying the week to train and over see the next harvest."

(I am gladdened by this news)

The Boss felt these words vibrate through his mind. He smirked as Mewthree fell into step behind him.

(Tests had been done today.)

"You had mentioned. What kind?"

(I believe one that had taken more blood than necessary. It has left me light headed.)

Giovanni nodded. "Blackwell had mentioned something. What is that bitch up to? If she keeps going like this, I believe I'll leave you in charge."

(You would trust me to that extent?)

"I trust you more than anything else in here."

Mewthree felt a warmth in his heart. Who would have thought that the man who held a gun to his face would become his best friend?

"I had asked that no tests be done today. My visit shouldn't have been a complete surprise." Giovanni hissed. He stumbled a step when he felt Mewthree's affectionate nudge at his back. "Be more careful!"

The hall seemed to vibrate at Mewthree's chuckle. (As you wish, my master.)


"She's cute." Jessie gestured to a female Mewtwo, with shades of pink and white on her fur.

The Mewtwo backed away, toward a corner of the cell.

"I won't hurt you." Jessie held out a hand, and took a step forward. The Mewtwo shied back again, showing her teeth. Jessie's smile faded as she glanced over to the handler. "What is her number?"

"M93."

"Ninety-Three? How many Mewtwos do you have here?"

"Right now…seventy five."

"And how is the breeding?"

"Not too good. While all of the females are fertile, we're very choosy with the males. We still haven't had a successful live birth."

"But…why?"

"We don't know."

She looked back to M93. "And why has she been quarantined?"

"Oh, she's in the running to be bred with Mewthree."

Jessie froze. "I wasn't made aware that Mewthree was to be bred…and if I don't know…then my husband doesn't."

"It was Blackwell's orders," the girl said quickly, all too willing to pass the blame onto someone higher ranking than herself.

Jessie nodded slowly. "I see…and what else has Blackwell been doing?"


Giovanni released Mewthree into the room they had set aside as a battle ground. There was another Mewtwo across the room, its handler standing silent. The room was mostly dark, there were no halogens here to light up the dark corners, only sparse fluorescent tubing that failed to cut through the gloom.

Mewthree took his place on the floor, his opponent M59, shown by the tattoo he had on his right leg, stood across the room obviously shaking in fear. Battling Mewthree was usually a punishment for something they did wrong. M59 couldn't think of anything he had done wrong.

A whistle blew, and M59 jumped to the center, as did Mewthree. Giovanni called out a basic mega punch that was typically rewarded with a satisfying splatter. However M59 ducked and spun at the last moment, landing his own punch across Mewthree's jaw. Mewthree stumbled back, shaking his head, trying to clear his mind. Giovanni paused for a moment, watching. Mewthree NEVER got hit, let alone let the hit faze him. He cursed under his breath. If Blackwell had done any tests to bring down his condition from anything other than perfect, he would have her raven-haired head on a platter.

M59 took this chance to follow up with another punch. His fist never landed on Mewthree. His fist instead landed five feet behind him. M59 looked up in a panic to see that Giovanni had drawn his gun. The hand…and arm in question had been blown clean off.

The handler covered his mouth, looking at the arm twitching on the floor. Scientists and handlers ran past them to Mewthree, and began checking his vitals. Giovanni came in and pushed them away. "No one…no one gets near him during the remainder of my stay! Understand?"

They backed away then looked to the other Mewtwo, and walked away.

Giovanni knelt beside Mewthree, inspecting him.

(I am fine Master, I am well.)

"Blackwell you said?"

(Yes.)

"Come." Giovanni stood, and Mewthree followed. M59 held what was left of his arm crying silently. He knew that crying out loud would only make them kill him faster. He wanted to live.


Blackwell glanced up when the door to her lab slammed open. Giovanni entered, drew his gun, and fired three times. Blackwell bit her bottom lip as three of her staff fell to the ground. Giovanni then stepped forward and rested the still hot barrel of the gun less than an inch away from his face. Blackwell didn't even so much as blink.

"You have some explaining to do Blackwell."

"And I shall, I was getting my information ready when you shot my assistants."

"Explain now." Giovanni snarled.

"To put it simply, Mewthree is dieing."

"How? You yourself said—"

"I know what I had said. Back then the accelerated growth of his cells enabled us to release him early. However, what we did not perceive was that his cells would never slow in thier growth. Its the reason he shot to eight feet tall in two days. Now his cells are beginning to deteriorate. He was young, but now he's getting older, and he'll die within the year."

"And why didn't you fix this problem?"

"You gave us a budget. To just 'fix' it would far exceed the budget and most likely wouldn't work anyway. We have tried to clone him using the data already on file, and that is when we noticed just how quickly he is aging. None of the clones have survived, they became genetically unstable early in their development. Excessive testing has been done in an attempt to isolate exactly what genome or mutation has allowed Mewthree to reach stability."

"And why didn't you inform me of this when you first noticed it?"

"Because I know you would have him destroyed, and there still have one more option, be it a desperate one."

"And that would be?"

"To breed him." Blackwell stated flatly.

"He's killed the candidates every time we've tried."

"I know that. With good reason too, they were far from worthy. That pest is very picky," she sighed.

"And what will breeding do?"

"We made a mistake in accelerating his growth. If we bred him the old fashioned way the offspring will grow and adjust they way they should, becoming more stable. We've already chosen a few candidates, almost genetic blank slates in a sense," she began to collect a few papers that had spilled.

"Why not try artificial insemination?"

"Two reasons, it's cheaper to have a mother, and two, YOU go get a sample of his semen," she pushed her glasses up her nose. "We need to hurry . He is becoming more genetically unstable by the day. His defeat in the ring proved that."

Giovanni put his gun away, then leaned against the wall.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have three more assistants to hire." She stepped over the body of one, then out the door. Giovanni waited for a moment, then stepped into the hall, Mewthree stood waiting for him.

( I think I startled her,) he smirked.

Giovanni didn't answer, his expression remained hard.

Mewthree studied him. His Master was never this cold, at least not toward him. His Master silently led him to his room, his cell, locked him back in place, and left.

The Pokemon watched the door close, then tugged on the restraints. Usually Giovanni would leave them a little loose, so he could at least move his wrists and ankles a little. (Did I do something wrong?) He looked around at all the scientists, busily tapping away on their computers. Robotic arms dropped from above and put the IVs back in his arms and legs. Mewthree still stared at the door, his tail tapping patiently. (Is there some business he needed to attend to? Why was he silent, why…What did I do wrong?) Even when a handler came by to give him his food, he didn't eat, or even take his small pleasure at killing them.

The light in the lab behind him went out, the scientists closed up, their jobs done. Mewthree stared at this new oddity, the light gone…the cell grew a little darker. Those labs were never closed, the lights were always on. Why was that one shut down? Maybe that bitch Blackwell had something to do with it.

Mewthree looked back to the door, awaiting his Master's return.


"And these are the best you could find?" Giovanni scrutinized the five female Mewtwos before him.

"They are all perfect in their own right. Each can hold their own very nicely in the ring, each of them have good temperament, and each is almost genetically a blank slate." She handed over a clipboard with their stats written on them. "If you have any questions, this may help answer them."

Giovanni flipped through the files. "One per day? Not all at once?"

"With Mewthree, we aren't taking any chances. We must also consider the strain on him. We don't want him dead yet."

Giovanni turned his attention to the first of the five. They stood in a line, their handlers close by. The first shivered yet stood at attention under his heavy gaze. Slowly he moved down the line, looking each one in the eye through their helmets and armor. Each one seemed to shiver or feared him in some way. However there was one who did not. She stood in the center, shoulders back and at ease. Giovanni looked down at her leg and read her number etched in the armor, M93.

"If she survives this process, I do believe I have a new gift for my daughter."

"You want to give her a 'two? Are you positive about that Sakaki?"

"She is my daughter, and she is a skilled trainer. Time to strike some terror into the heart of the League."


Mewthree's head snapped up as the heavy bolts in the door turned. His tail lifted and his ears perked. (Master?) he called, his spirits rising with the hope of seeing his master again.

Giovanni pushed the door open with ease, then stepped in the room with Mewthree, hands behind his back. "Forgive my early dismissal yesterday. I had a few matters to attend to."

Mewthree watched him unlock the cuffs. (What kind of matters?)

"You'll see."

Mewthree rose when Giovanni bid him to, then led him from the room, through a few more halls, then stopped at another lab.

(Why are we here Master?)

"I have found a mate for you…five of them to be exact."

(I thought you said I could choose my own mate.)

"We don't have time." Giovanni opened the door to a large cell. There was another door to his right that led to on observation booth. Blackwell stood inside, clipboard in hand, scribbling. In the larger cell a female Mewtwo sat in the corner, cowering. Mewthree observed the situation, then took a step back.

(No.)

"Need I remind you exactly who has your life in his hands?"

(I am not cattle like them! You said it yourself!)

Giovanni turned, his gaze harsh. "Get in there or you will cease to exist."

Mewthree felt something crawl up inside him…some emotion he had never known before…it wasn't fear. He knew fear, this was…betrayal….betrayal from a friend. Yet he did wish to live. He remembered waking in the tube, Giovanni…Maybe this was why his master had been acting strangely, he was worried, or…the man hadn't yet pulled his gun, which he usually did by now. So his actions must be sincere.

"Well?"

Mewthree looked up at her, her thigh tattoo read M62. He stepped over the threshold, and the door shut behind him.


"He killed another one?" Giovanni asked Blackwell.

"Well, not killed just yet. She's in immense shock, bruises on her neck from his hands. Don't give her much longer though. Wish they wouldn't struggle so much, then he wouldn't hit them." Blackwell mumbled to herself.

"And Mewthree?"

"Pissy as usual." She scribbled a bit more on her clipboard. "We'll go ahead and put her in observation. Don't expect much though." She moved across the room, reading her notes. "He's too aggressive…Sakaki, think I could give something a try?"

"What?"

"Well, if we gave him a sedative to take the edge off his anger and attitude, the next one stands a chance of living past two days."

"You know how I feel about that."

"Oh come on. He'll be a carcass like the rest of them soon. Might as well do it now," Blackwell pushed her hair back from her cheek. "Besides, the next one is the one that goes to your daughter IF she lives…ah, I seem to have your interest now."

Giovanni grew silent for a moment. "Go on. A minor one."

"Wouldn't risk any other." She went made a few more notes. "He's yours for the rest of the day."

"Have someone put him away."

"Don't want to do it yourself."

"What use is a broken doll?" Came a voice from the doorway.

Blackwell looked up to see Sarah standing there with Jessie behind her. "How did you get in here?" The comment seemed to be aimed more at Jessie than Sarah

"That's what he's thinking." Sarah came in and climbed up on her father's lap. "What good is a broken doll?"

Giovanni gently pushed her away. "On second thought, I'll handle Mewthree myself."

Blackwell watched him leave. "Sorry kid, looks like Dad's trying to avoid you again."

Sarah glared at the woman. "You're fired."


A day later, the lab door creaked open again, yet this time it was not Giovanni. This time it was Blackwell with a few assistants and Agents armed with Pokeballs. Blackwell stepped inside, pausing before the plasteel cell to observe Mewthree before speaking. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm here in stead of Sakaki."

Mewthree didn't say a word. If she took one more step closer She'd be little chunks of smeared woman across his cage. That little thought gave him much pleasure. His good spirits faded as Blackwell stepped up to a panel on the wall, the one that held the fluids they pumped into him on a daily basis, and injected something in one of the tubes. Mewthree could feel it moving through the tubing along the ceiling and finally into his arm. It burned, a burn like nothing he had ever felt before. Blackwell stood back waiting, watching, analyzing

His head began to swim. He couldn't think. His limbs seemed to have become weighted down and there was a pounding in his ears. It was all Blackwells fault, she did this, why couldn't he think? Where was the Light? Vaguely in the distance he heard the panels of his cell slide upward. Hands came in and tugged on the cuffs, pulling him toward…toward where? Hands, wall, concrete, more doors, a whole lifetimes worth of doors, always opening and closing, the hall that went on forever, the place under the mountain, in the tomb under the mountain. Where was he anyway?

When all had finally stopped, he was in another cell. Concrete floor, drain in the middle, flat gray walls. Observation window, Blackwell and Giovanni stood like cardboard cutouts behind glass. There was another in the room. One who was not afraid, or at least didn't show it, one who stood back with a questioning gaze at this new oddity before her.

His grip on reality slipped. It was like he was sliding off a blood-soaked ledge, scrambling to grab something, anything to keep him grounded but he slipped into nothing. Not darkness, not light, simply nothing.

Once again he surfaced, falling back through the earth and coming out of the other side, falling then rising through oceans, breaking the surface and suddenly able to comprehend again. It was over. She lay quietly in a corner, and he on the other side of the cell. Slowly he stood, the room still spinning under his feet, and approached her. He stood over her, waiting for her to rise again, no matter how long that would be. The door to the lab opened, Sakaki, Blackwell, all these others poured out as if the room had been some kind of clown car where a never-ending flow of agents poured forth. The cell had grown to immense proportions. All of the humans looking back at him, looking at him and his...mate?

They moved too quickly, the whole bunch of them flying forth like dark sparrows. Hands once again shackled, and mind reeling back from the over load of his senses. The long hallway again. Never ending doors, never ending…Cell. Cool air of the cell, tiny pinpoints of fluid seeping into his veins, weighted arms, weighted legs. Bobbing in the ocean. Two lights. Two small points of light in the distance. He could sense her, could feel her confusion in the back of his mind. So heavy, then sleep. Finally sleep.


Mewthree awoke to a massive headache. The events of the day before a blur in his mind. He had mated again…but this time it was different, so why couldn't he remember? Why was everything so…he felt her again. She was still confused, but warm, and for the moment content. He was aware of her, and she was aware of him. This feeling, this sensation of togetherness. Mewthree had never had a companion before. There had only been Giovanni. All the others were inferior, weaker.

No. The presence in his mind insisted. Not weaker, only different. The presence was a great comfort to him. His loneliness lifted as he explored this new aspect of his life.

Blackwell entered the lab again, and injected the fluid once more into the IV drip on the wall. Mewthree grabbed the edge of sanity and slid, his mind returning to chaos.


Night. One window left. One single source of light. The others had all been turned off. The steady vibrations of machines coming to him in waves like a pulse. Like blood pounding through his heart, like blood all over the floor, whether from the recent handler or female he couldn't remember. He must have just recently killed something. His hands and feet were stained. Where was Sakaki? Where was his Master? Giovanni would never allow him to get this dirty. Would never allow day-old food to litter the bottom of his cell. He could sense her, the other, just barely. Her presence in the back of his mind like a whisper in a hurricane.

Right now breathing became his prime concern. A pain flowered in his chest. One from his heart. He took in deep breath after deep breath, attempting to set the pain right, to put it back in its place. An electric shock went through him, setting the beat right again. Still only one window…still only…

The scientist stood, collected his files, and turned off the light.

Coldness. Memories. The other…

Who was she? Why didn't they just allow him to stand over her until she had recovered? He wanted to see her again. Where was his Master? Why had he been cast aside like a disposed toy?

His body was no longer his. Pain kept coming up in the oddest places. He couldn't move. Why hadn't Giovanni come yet? His Master was supposed to care for him!

Mewthree had no method to keep track of time. Occasionally there was a crack of light when someone would remember to feed him. The rumble of machines, after a while even the tubes in his arms and legs stopped their steady drip of fluid. But she was there, in the back of his mind, a precious memory.

One day he felt everything go. Mewthree now knew that he was dieing. Giovanni had forsaken him. He was no longer the ultimate beauty that stood at Sakaki's side as he traveled the compound, he had become old and frail. It was the day he could no longer sense her. In his final hours, something had awakened inside him, awoken too late. He struggled to stand, his manacled hands reaching for the clear plasteel walls.

(Sakaki…) He called in vain. (Sakaki!…SAKAKI!) His throat made a noise. "Sa…SAKAKI!" Nothing but darkness and glass. His Master was gone. She was gone, and he knew true loneliness. But for the first time, he also knew hate. Hate for the man he had trusted, and hate for the precious jewel that had abandoned him in his time of need. (Revenge….I will have my revenge for this…)


"I honestly have no idea how he's still alive." Nurse Joy escorted a group of scientists and Pokemon behaviorists into a conference room. "Gym Leader Sabrina of Saffron brought him in about a month ago. He had been here before with a severe head injury, in which part of his brain had been destroyed. What is remarkable, is that aside from the loss of his psychic powers, his mind was fully functional. My cousin warned that any usage of his psychic powers could result in yet more damage, however, Mewtwo took this risk.

"A Mew informed us that Mewtwo sacrificed his powers to save the last of the wild Pokemon, and almost sacrificed his life," she ran her weary gaze over her audience. Solemn sad faces started back at her in disbelief. "I am formally requesting that we use our combined knowledge to save this truly rare and incredible Pokemon. However that task will not be an easy one." Nurse Joy pushed a button on the table. A hologram came to life, slowly spinning and giving a three-dimensional view of what looked to be a brain. Most of it was red with small areas of green flecked here and there. "The green areas are the places that are still intact. The red depicts areas that are either burned or missing altogether,"
A few gasps came from the scientists. One deep voice rose. "Even if it is a rare Pokemon, it doesn't deserve this."
Nurse Joy brought her hand up to her chin and looked at the floor. She had tried to put and end to Mewtwos misery. It took a long time for her to put aside all of her training and make the choice. For a week she pondered over the right combination of chemicals that would make him pass with the least amount of suffering, and when she finally had it, it took another week to work up the guts to use it. The memory came back to her with painful clarity. Mewtwo's body spread on a table, the syringe in her hand... right before she was about to put the needle in his arm, his eyes opened. They seemed to beg her, pleading to let him live another day. She had eventually ran from the room and poured the lethal cocktail down the drain and deleted the files she had made for it. She couldn't bring herself to kill something that wanted so much to live.

Nurse Joy looked up from the ground, fighting back tears. "That...That isn't an option."
"When will be able to see him?" Professor Oak asked from the opposite end of the table.
"As soon as you have a chance to review this data." Nurse joy spread a few binders and files on the table. "For now, I will leave you to peruse the data," she slowly stepped out of the room.
It's been so long... She walked up the hall and entered the room containing Mewtwo. He was back in the water set-up. A string of bubbles started up the side of the tank at her arrival. He hasn't even moved this week, I wonder if he's still alive... His face twitched in pain, then relaxed again. "We're trying Two. I could have you soaking in a vat of Superpotion and it wouldn't help." She checked his settings, and then looked up when his hand hit the glass, like a reflex that was left in the nervous system. "We're doing all we can...hang on Two."


So much confusion, so many questions. He didn't remain conscious for long, or what would pass as consciousness. It hurt too much to see, to think. He wanted to melt, become nothing again, become a part of everything again. Being dragged down into a pool, deep blue surrounding him, getting darker, deeper, no light...black, grey, pain...so much pain...Grey...Blue...

...Surfacing, a room a friend, tears, words he could no longer understand...sinking...

...A lab, the tube. Dr. Fuji...Ai...Ai...where are you? Sinking...

...Familiar sounds, laughing, talking, feelings of joy, someone coming close, a red ball, so bright, his reflection, pain, slipping back again...

...It was a bright open field. Sweet wind on his skin, sweet smells...a voice. "What are you doing here?" He turned, a familiar face. Her eyes...eye...Ai...Ai! "You're not supposed to be here yet." She walked up to him, she was so big. He felt little, she picked him up. She was warm, but he felt cold. "Your friends miss you." He buried his small face in her chest.

"I want to stay with you Ai."

She kissed his little head. "You're always with me, and I'm with you." Slipping...cold...pain...tears. Another face. Friend? She was crying. He felt her pain. Stop. Stop crying. Air...Slipping..Blue...

...Grass... his mind recited. Little plants that sprout up all over the ground, covering the earth in their beauty, stopping the dirt from blowing away, from becoming nothing.

Red. The color of hurt and anger, yet also the color of excitement, the color of passions. A small red dot on the wide expanse of green, both things canceling each other out. Green being calm and comforting, and red putting a touch of chaos in it all.

Grass...Red... His eyes opened wider, he forced himself to focus, forced himself past the pain, forced himself to think. Red...Red Past the pain, past the green, focus on the anger, focus on the passion, focus on the love...it came to him. Rose. A single flower in the garden of grass, a Rose nodding softly in the air. Rose. Pain.

Slipping...


"Sabrina?" Bill whispered. Sabrina was sitting on a stone wall in her garden, looking at Mewtwo. "Love?"

She was silent, like stone, just staring. Looking at the Pokemon sitting in the grass, his face blank. She used the heel of her hand to wipe away tears.

"Oh my sweet." Bill sat next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and did his best to comfort her.

She seemed not to notice his presence. She finally ripped her gaze away from Mewtwo and looked at the ground. "I'm tired of crying."

Bill remained silent. Two hadn't moved since they brought him home from the Center. His condition had been stabilized, but his expression was constantly blank. He seemed to look at nothing, said nothing, ate nothing, did nothing. "It's been hard." He said without thinking.

"Five months Bill. He's been like this for five months."

"All he needs is time Sabrina."

"Time we don't have!" she shouted suddenly. "There are no wild Pokemon left! As a master, a Gym Leader, and Trainer, I feel ashamed! Ashamed that the rarest Pokemon in the world is a man-made creation, ashamed that the same man could heartlessly try to kill Two! Ashamed that my best friend has ended up a vegetable because of my carelessness!" She stood up, pulling away from Bills arms. "I feel responsible. Responsible for the whole damn race and how we have single-handedly managed to destroy others." She walked over to Mewtwo, then folded her arms. "We can't give him that care he needs. I want to take him to Professor Oaks. He offered to take care of him, and is more qualified than we are." She gritted her teeth, determined not to cry again.

No... Surfacing.

"Sabrina, you can't just pass him off on someone else like that! He needs you!" Bill stood up.

I do need her.

"Professor Oak is the best choice. He may need me, but what am I supposed to do if his eyes just roll up in the back of his head and his heart stops beating like it did two months ago? What am I supposed to do?" Gritting her teeth just wasn't working. Sabrina bit her tongue.

"And what will Professor Oak do? Pallet doesn't even have a Pokemon center." Bill walked over and unfolded her arms. "Calm down."

"I've been going grey over this. A headache started five months ago and hasn't stopped."

"And you want kids." Bill gently held her.

"Kids talk back. Kids let you know what is going on." Sabrina tried to remain calm.

Friend...

"Two does as well, but you just need to learn how to listen." He rubbed the small of her back to comfort her.

"How do I listen then?" She leaned into him, letting all her anger leave her. She felt suddenly very tired.

Pain

"Like now. Look at his eyes. He may not be able to show it, but he is aware, he knows what is going on. Two has a gift, a human would be dead, as would any other Pokemon, but somehow he is still alive." He watched Mewtwo over Sabrina's shoulder. "Do you know what keeps me from feeling hopeless about Two?"

"What?"

Bill smiled shyly. "I think about his children."

Sabrina backed slowly away. "I do believe you've lost it hon."

"I'm serious, just wait. He'll have so many kids he won't be able to count them all." He looked into Sabrina's eyes. "It will just take time."

Mewtwo watched silently as Bill put his arm around Sabrina's waist and led her back into the house.

Sinking...Surfacing...

I won't go silently back! He fought it, focused on the rose. I will not go back easily, I need to be aware...The rose, stay focused on the rose...

Sabrina turned around and looked back as Mewtwo's arm lifted. "Bill! Look!" Bill turned and gasped.

Mewtwo wore an expression of concentration, his arm lifted, as if it was some heavy weight. The rose... his hand reached, and fell short. He leaned forward. I will... His hand closed around the red object. Softness under his fingertips. Beauty.

Mewtwo leaned back, the rose broke from it's stalk. He sat back on his legs and brought the rose to his face, slowly inhaling the sweet scent. I will learn again, I will know again, I will live again...I WILL BE.