Chapter 13: Building Character

Morning sun came warm through the windows of the greenhouse, but Mewtwo had been already been up for hours. Today was Little Twos first day of school, and he shared in his sons excitement and nerves. Perhaps it was the slight psychic connection they had, or just the close thoughts of parent and child. Four years had passed since he had come home with Little Two in his arms. It was hard to imagine that time could move so quickly. Every waking moment had been spent catering to his kitten. Ensuring that he was happy and fed, entertained and trained. And now all that effort was about to be tested.

There were many schools in Saffron City, some were private academies, others open to the public. Sabrina and himself had carefully chosen a kindergarten that served both people and Pokémon. While the Pokémon were not held to the same academic standards as the human children, it was a valuable source for learning social skills. And while Little Two was away at school, Mewtwo would finally have a few hours peace to pursue some of the projects that had been set aside for the past few years.

Mewtwo finally rolled out of his hammock and made his way down the spiral staircase to the garden below. He could smell breakfast coming through the double doors leading into the house. Coffee, eggs, sliced fruit. The more he thought about it, the more his life was the farthest from what he had ever imagined in the past. And as he entered the kitchen and picked up his coffee mug that Sabrina had generously set out for him, the more he vowed that Little Two would never know that kind of hardship.

"Morning Dad!" Little Two said cheerfully.

"Morning," Mewtwo rubbed his sons head, brushing his ears back with a light scratch. "Are you ready for your first day of kindergarden?"

Little Two nodded excitedly, and took a big bite of his toast. "Iphm wiff Japhie,"

"Chew and swallow before you speak," Mewtwo gently reminded him.

"Heh," Sabrina smirked. "Wonder where he learned that from?" She set a plate of toast and fruit before Mewtwo, then sat down herself. "Jamie, don't drink all of your juice before you eat."

Jamie smiled sheepishly then set her glass down. "How long are we going to be there?"

"A few hours hon."

"And we'll have to go every day?"

"Except the weekends."

Jamie mulled this over. "I don't want to go."

Little Two, in a show of solidarity, nodded along. "I want to stay home with Jamie."

Sabrina sighed. "The both of you are going, and you will enjoy it."

"Nuh-uh." Jamie shook her head.

"Its going to be fun." Sabrina insisted. "There will be lots of other kids and Pokémon to play with, lots of toys, and you get to learn new things. You want to learn new things right?"

Both Little Two and Jamie nodded. Mewtwo could feel a growing ache deep in his chest as he watched Little Two eat his breakfast. It was a thought that had been pulling at him since he had signed the paperwork enrolling his kitten into the school. Were they people or Pokémon? How would he raise Little Two? So far he had been raised in a human world, and had developed human tastes and habits. The kitten saw himself as no different from any of the other children, and certainly no different from the Pokémon. What a strange path he walked. Mewtwo finally commenced to eating his toast, and Sabrina rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

The kids will be fine. She sent a small telepathic message to him.

Her hand left his shoulder and he sipped his coffee. Mewtwo had never been good at precognition, but as he watched his son, he could practically smell storm clouds on the horizon.


The school was a pleasant place all things considered. It had been built in one of the clearer spots on the hillsides surrounding Saffron city. The building itself was small, and held only four class rooms, an administrative center and a small nurses office, staffed with both human and Pokémon nurses. The playground was big, equally shaded and sunny, and filled with equipment that both human children and Pokémon could enjoy. Bill coaxed the van up to the entrance and parked behind the other cars. Immediately both Jamie and Little Two had their faces pressed against the glass to study the other kids and Pokémon.

Bill slid out of the drivers seat, the rolled the door open, allowing both Jamie and Little Two to step into the sunlight. Sabrina wasn't far behind him, and Mewtwo got the other side door open with no problem. "Remember your backpacks," Sabrina called out.

"Got it!"

"Got mine!" Jamie shook hers on her back causing the equipment inside to roll around.

Bill got the camera out while Sabrina made sure Jamie was all ready. "Be good, and listen to your teachers."

Mewtwo checked on Little Twos bag, then knelt and gave his son a nudge. "You be good too. Follow all the rules."

"Okay Dad, I know." Little Two groaned. He turned to walk into the school building.

Mewtwo hesitated a moment, then took a step to follow Little Two inside. Sabrina calmly stepped before him and placed a hand on his chest. "You stay here."

"I just want to walk him in and make sure-"

Sabrina sighed. "I want to be there for Jamie too, but I also know that we have let go sometimes and let them learn for themselves. Don't let him see that you're worried. Just wave and smile, and show them you have all the confidence in the world in them."

She was right, Little Two would never learn to fly if he kept carrying him. Sabrina, Bill, and Mewtwo stood side by side watching their children enter the school building. Right before stepping over the threshold, Jamie and Little Two turned around and waved goodbye. All three of the "adults" then returned the gesture. They lingered for a moment until the doors closed and the bell rang, then piled back up in the car.

For the moment they were quiet. It was too quiet in the van. Brief panic set in as the more primitive part of their minds searched for their offspring, but then the logical centers stepped in to reassure that their children were safe and happy. Bill started the van up, and it sounded somewhat hollow with the absence of two giggling kids in the back. "So um...where to?" Bill asked.

For a moment there was silence as the three of them tried to process this new found freedom. Finally Sabrina said, "How about some coffee? There's a new shop that opened up downtown. We could go there."

"Coffee sounds good," Mewtwo seconded, still gazing at the building.

"Coffee it is," Bill said a bit more cheerfully. He put the van into gear and drove on.


Little Two and Jamie fit right in to the organized chaos of the classroom. Most of the first day the lessons were centered around everyone introducing themselves, and the Pokémon they brought with them. The students were seated on the floor in a circle, clutching pillows or small toys they had taken a liking to. The room grew quiet when Little Two stood up in the circle and said his name aloud, followed by his favorite song and movie. A Pokémon that talked was a very rare thing. Immediately the other students began asking questions, questions that were seconded by their Pokémon.

Little Two happily answered them all and even translated some of the Poké-speak. Once everyone had been introduced, the teacher let them loose on the playground to burn off some energy. But not before making a point to go over the rules. There was to be no pushing or fighting, share the equipment, and above all else; No Pokémon Battles. The children and Pokémon sang their promises to behave, then rushed out to play in the grass or on the jungle gyms.

Outside the questions continued, with groups of kids and Pokémon following Jamie and Little Two around to share their own thin credibility to playground superiority. Not every student had a Pokémon, some were content to just be around their classmates. However for the ones that did, it didn't take them long to find a little secluded spot behind a few bushes just out of the immediate view of the teachers. The other Pokémon in the class were mainly Bug-types. Weedles or Caterpies, with a Pidgey or two tossed in the mix. One girl had a Starmie, and one boy had a Koffing that followed him around. One by one they were drawn to the hidden space to show off their Pokémon.

Koffing had just made an impressive smoke-screen, and the Starmie brought cheers and giggles from the crowd as it showered the students with a weak Bubble attack followed by Water Gun. All eyes then turned to Jamie and Little Two.

"What type are you?" one of the boys asked.

Little thought about it for a moment. Type? His father had never mentioned a type before. "I don't know...but I guess I'm a Psychic type like my Dad."

"You don't even know what type you are?" one of the boys laughed mockingly.

"Hey! I know," Jamie said suddenly. "Show them that you can fly!"

"Oh yeah," Little lifted his legs from the ground and hovered in mid air. "I can do this."

"Whoa!" the other kids shouted excitedly. "That looks like fun!"

Little Two grinned, then closed his eyes to concentrate. One by one the kids around him began to leave the ground until the entire group hovered about a yard off the ground. Some laughed, others begged to be put back down. Jamie was used to this and just went with the flow, but Little Two had never attempted to levitate so many before, the sheer display of power was staggering. With a giggle, Little Two expanded his influence and the playground equipment along with a few cars in the parking lot left the ground. The school bell rang and Little Two lost his concentration. The kids dropped the few feet to the ground and began laughing and rolling in the grass as car alarms rang out.

"Lets do more tomorrow!" one shouted as they ran back into the school building. Little Two giggled as he caught up with Jamie. Dad had been right, school was very fun.


It's him! Its him! Big White! Big White is here!

An alarm sounded, bringing Candy from her cell. In the hall around her the other Mewtwos began to step forward to the doors of their cells, opening them and peeking into the hall. Candy shooed them away with a sweep of her arm. False alarm, get back to your cells. She continued bouncing up the hall and stopped before the observation room. Dr. Blackwell stood within the room along with her three assistants and her current project laying on a table. M96 had been indispensable in finding the other escaped Mewtwos. She was a particularly powerful clairvoyant and with the aid of proper stimulants both drugs and mechanical, M96 could astral project herself all over the Kanto and Johto region to seek out the psychic and energy signatures of the escaped Mewtwos.

M96 was currently thrashing around on the table, the alarm was due to her high heart rate and other functions that were ramping up off the charts. Candy tested the door to the lab, and pulled it open. Dr. Blackwell stepped aside as Candy went to the bedside to settle M96.

Big White!

-Is dead, Imari, calm down. What did you see? Candy soothed her while Blackwell stepped around the back of the table and injected a sedative into M96's IV. Candy held the other femtwo's hand as she stopped fighting and the alarms shut off. Imari slowly opened her eyes to look upon Candy. Let us know what you saw.

I didn't see, but I felt it. Big White, the exact same power and strength. I was exploring the trails around Route 8 when I felt a powerful and familiar surge of energy.

From where?

In the direction of Saffron City. Imari held Candys hand tighter. Please let me rest, I cannot go back today.

Candy nodded, then stood as Gayle, her trainer, entered the lab. Candy quickly gave her a report. M96 states that she had sensed a surge of power near Saffron City. With a psychic signature similar to Big White.

Gayle nodded thoughtfully. "What a strange coincidence. There have been a lot of strange happenings around Saffron of late. Beginning with when we lost those two teams a few years ago. Everyone who had returned had their minds wiped clean of any memory. Its not a secret that Gym Leader Sabrina has added the First to her collection, but maybe she is hiding more than we had previously thought. I'll talk to Cassidy about sending more agents to the area," she reached out and scratched behind Candy's ear. "Good work."

Candy's good humor returned. Her tail that had previously been held low and submissive lifted a little higher. She would do anything for just that small show of approval. A scratch behind the ear and a kind word. Why couldn't the others see that it was better to work with the humans than against them? Gayle then spoke to Dr. Blackwell. "Imari deserves a rest for the day. If there is an escaped 'Two around Saffron as powerful as Big White, then we shouldn't risk giving our intentions away. We'll need trusted agents. I'm going to volunteer myself and Candy for the job. I suppose that you could work with M68 for the rest of the day Blackwell."

Blackwell seemed a little pleased about the trade-off. M68 was a never-ending source of adaptability for study. Like most of the escaped 'Twos, they had caught M68 by winter of the first year. And like the other escaped 'Twos he had done his best to bypass the failsafe. Other Mewtwos they had brought in were more clever in their methods, be it through modifications in diet, or long hours spent in meditation to use their Recover ability with pinpoint accuracy. But something in M68 was broken, something that made his toxins more effective and required larger amounts of the enzyme to maintain his physical and metabolic integrity.

Candy helped Imari to her cell then followed Gayle up the hall toward Cassidy's office.


Copycat had been making his way down Route 5 when he felt the psychic ripple brush against his senses. For the barest moment he almost lost control of his transformation, but gained it again with a breath.

"You okay?" his travel partner asked. She was a human female, adorable by their standards with a petite frame, natural red curly hair and a fiery attitude.

"I'm alright Izzy, I think the noodle burger we had didn't agree with me."

"Oh yeah, its been giving me gas too," Izzy patted him on the back and walked on.

Copycat took another moment to regain himself, then adjusted his backpack. He would have to find an excuse to step away from Izzy soon and return to his natural form as a Mewtwo. Over the past few years he had become very good at using Transform to take on the aspect of various Pokémon and humans. He could maintain a human form for a few days at the most now, but then he would have to rest and revert back to his Mewtwo form for a nearly equal amount of time. Usually he found a hotel room to hide in for the few days with all the creature comforts he had come to enjoy.

He started after Izzy again, calling to her to wait up for him. He made the regular journey to Saffron to visit the Silph Co-supplied department store and stock up on Potions and other supplies to carry back to the few 'Twos he had found living in the wild. Copycat was unaffected by the lack of enzyme in his system, since his DNA was so malleable anyway with all the Eevee and Ditto thrown in. But there were others that had become more and more genetically unstable. More than once he had helped to orchestrate a raid on a Pokémon Center to use the various healing machines and medicines for his wild kin, but doing that drew attention, and even the smaller Pokémon Centers had beefed up their security.

Even as he felt the last ripple of psychic energy leave the area, he knew this city was about to be overrun by Team Rocket. That would make his task here much more difficult. Saffron was the city the First called home...or rather his masters called home. That still ruffled Copycats fur. He had been searching for the First, not sure what he would say when he saw him. What kind of questions he wanted answered. He had not been expecting to see the First being literally ridden by a human through the streets. That had broken a part of Copycats spirit. But the next day when he saw that the First had adopted the child of Big White, it gave Copycat reason to reflect and reconsider the bigger picture. The First was safe and so was the child of Big White. They had companionship, they were cared for, healthy, and more importantly, both of his masters were big enough names in the Pokémon League that even if Team Rocket did know about him they would be have to be desperate to attack. Still, Copycat needed time to think, and there were still others out there that were lost and confused. So he turned his back on the First and went to find the others instead.

And now it seemed the child of Big White was beginning to wake up to its power. This was something Team Rocket would not glance over. They would be on the move if they weren't already, and Copycat knew just which bitch they were going to send out at the front. He picked up his step and the skyscrapers and hotels of Saffron in the distance, once welcoming, would soon be the site of his newest battleground.


Jamie and Little Two had taken to school life fairly quickly and well. They took turns waking each other up in the mornings, checked their backpacks to ensure the other had everything they needed and waited on each other to finish breakfast before heading out to the van to be dropped off. At school they were inseparable. They finished assignments on time as well as each others sentences. But for all of their schoolwork, the playground was where they really stood out.

Ever since the first day, and Little Two's levitation demonstration, new rules and an extra playground monitor Chansey had been put in place to prevent more dangerous play. Little Two had been given a stern lecture from his father about use of his powers and the appropriate times to use them. All the warnings of course went right out the window when surrounded by their peers on the playground. Jamie and Little Two had a dream to be the best Master-trainer team in the world, and domination on this playground was but the mere first step in their long and illustrious careers.

The bushes they had been hiding behind were trimmed down to allow for an unobstructed view by the adults, but as always they found more little nooks and crannies to hold their illicit matches in. One kid served as lookout while the others held the match, with the unwritten rule that when the lookout gave the word, they would drop everything and run. It was business as usual one Thursday, when Jamie and Little Two slipped behind the blind spot of a maintenance shed on the playground, while their usual decoy went to fall off the swings and draw the teachers attention for a few minutes.

Today's opponent was Toby, another kid in class that brought in a different Bug type every week. Every week he challenged Jamie and Little Two, and so far every time they had defeated him with little more than a Tail Whip/Tackle combo. Today promised to be different. Jamie and Little Two watched amazed as Toby pulled a minimized Pokéball from his pocket, then tapped the button to expand it. It was a real Pokéball, not one of the little key-chain toys that could be gotten at the supermarket, but a real humming little device. A few of the kids that had gathered voiced their approval, and Toby lifted it high in the air.

"Your win streak is over today Jamie!"

Jamie laughed flippantly, just as she had seen her mother do before a match at the Gym. She and Little Two were of course very familiar with Pokéballs of all types, most of them were on shelves in her fathers study. "Unless you have some kind of Legendary in there, you're still not gonna beat us! Right Little Two?"

"Right!" Little nodded and swayed his long tail back and forth, half in his eagerness to battle and half to add to the intimidation factor.

"I'll show you!" Toby threw the ball. "Squirtle! I choose you!"

The ball hit the dirt, then cracked open in a burst of red light, that then formed and solidified into a Squirtle. The other kids gasped and pressed in closer. The Squirtle glanced around confused. This was the last place it had expected to end up. It finally set eyes on Little Two and Jamie. There was something very basic and instinctual that crept up in the Squirtles brain. It wasn't supposed to be here, its trainer was no where in sight, but there was an opponent to be fought. A very powerful and dangerous one, and if it ever wanted to escape, it would have to hit as hard as it could then hopefully get away while the strange Pokémon was stunned.

Toby of course understood none of this, and Little Two and Jamie were too overcome by the prospect of a real battle. Toby shouted a command, not noticing that the Squirtle was already on the attack without him. It used the most powerful attack it had, Water Gun, but even then it felt like too little too late. The stream of high pressured water struck Little Two and sent him rolling along the ground. Jamie shouted in surprise while Toby laughed in triumph. Little Two picked himself up from the ground and brushed away the dirt. "Why you little..." he growled.

Jamie turned her eyes to Toby after seeing that Little Two was okay and wanted nothing more than to wipe the smile from his face. Fine, Toby wanted to play hard, so could she. "Little Two," she whispered. "Psychic."

Little Twos eyes and body began to glow blue, then white. At this point the Squirtle turned to run but found itself penned in by a wall of children. For Little Two it was simple, just a simple focus of his thoughts. The power was there, an unending supply ready to do his bidding. It was like a mental slingshot, hold, aim, release. The energy left him in a rush, a glowing mass of raw plasma guided only by his thoughts. The burst engulfed the Squirtle, consuming it in white flame. The light faded, and the Squirtle dropped to the ground.


For two weeks Candy had been hiding in the mountains. Two weeks out in the wild, sleeping on the ground or in trees, watching over Gayle, her master. Gayle had taken on the disguise of a Pokémon researcher, going around with a pair of binoculars or taking pictures. It was a role she slipped into well. Candy meanwhile waited just out of sight, her senses open for any psychic disturbances. She had no reason to doubt Imari. If their best telepath said the child of Big White was here, then it was here. It had used its power once, and it would again.

Candy had just settled in what had become her favorite nook in a tree when she felt the psychic ripple. Instantly all of the hairs on the back of her necks stood up and her aura answered. She breathed deep to calm herself. There was no mistaking it, that was the psychic signature of Big White. Gayle looked up from her sketchpad as Candy jumped down from her tree. With a nod the Team Rocket agent gave her permission for Candy to give chase. Candy wasted no time. Even though the burst of power had been brief, she would not lose track of it again.

In the city, Copycat had gotten a job as a dishwasher in the back of a restaurant. He had rested in his natural form for a few days and now performed odd jobs around the city to make some extra travel money. He was elbow deep in suds when he felt the psychic ripple. As a human, he had little to no psychic ability. But this was loud on the metaphysical spectrum. For a moment he froze, memories of Mewthree, no, Big White rose to the fore of his mind. If he could feel that, then whomever Team Rocket had dispatched here would as well. He had to get to the kitten before they did.

He wiped the suds from his hands, then announced that he was stepping out for a break before darting out the back door and into the alley. Moments later he left his clothes and human disguise behind him as he transformed into a Pidgeot and made haste for the mountains.

In the home of Gym Leader Sabrina and Pokémon expert Bill, Mewtwo looked up from his work on the hard drive. It had been a long time since he had felt such a strong psychic signature. More worrying still was that he knew the signature. He stood from his workbench and stepped into the hall where Sabrina was already waiting for him. Mewtwo was already reaching for his bag as Sabrina picked up the phone to call the school.


The Squirtle was dead.

Somehow Jamie and Little Two knew it even before Toby had rushed forward to claim the Pokémon. It didn't respond to the Pokéball, and made no reaction when other children came forward to make attempts to move it. Little Two felt the exhilaration of the attack leave him suddenly. Toby began screaming, and the teachers came running.

"I didn't mean..." Little Two shook his head. "I wasn't trying to..."

Jamie covered her mouth and took a step back, feeling just as guilty. She had given the command to attack. The teachers began to shoo the kids away, while Toby was now full-on crying. Little Two began to shiver, but the worst was when the children began to put two and two together. First it was only a few, but then more of his classmates looked upon him with fear in their eyes. If Little Two could kill a Squirtle so easily, what was to stop him from hurting one of them?

Little Two shook his head, as if hearing then denying their thoughts. "No! Its not like that! I...I didn't mean to!"

One of the teachers came forward. "Jamie, come here."

"No, he didn't mean to!"

"Come here Jamie," the teacher leaned in and grabbed Jamies hand, then pulled her away from Little Two. The teachers now stood between Little Two and the students, while the Chansey was already performing a few Defense Curls in preparation.

"I didn't..." Little Twos eyes began to overflow with tears. "I'M SORRY!" he jumped into the air and began flying, blinded by tears, fear and grief. He cleared the fence surrounding the playground, then sped away through the trees. Jamie finally ripped free from the teachers grasp and ran to the fence after him.

"Little Two! Wait!" she cried as arms wrapped around her waist and carried her inside.


Candy raced through the trees, her mind sharp and focused on the origin of the psychic swell of power. She had run through the forest and along the edge of the suburbs at the northwest of the city. There she found a small school for children, and a vast amount of psychic residue in the air. The swell of power had come from here. She circled around to the back of the school to find several humans standing around a dead Squirtle, and the pieces began to fall into place. Her target had attacked the Squirtle then fled. Candy remained hidden in the forest and began searching for the escape route of her prey. She didn't have to look hard as a path of broken branches and disturbed piles of leaves created a trail for her.

Candy took off in pursuit. She wasn't sure what she would encounter, or how powerful the child of Big White had already become. But she knew that she would have to act fast and make sure Gayle was nearby with her stash of Masterballs. She slipped between the trees, scarcely disturbing the ferns and undergrowth when she caught sight of a dark blue tail through the trees. There! It had to be! Her aura flared as she prepared for a battle the likes of which she could only dream of, when a sudden very heavy weight slammed into her from behind. She lost her footing and hit a tree, then went rolling through the undergrowth. For a brief moment, she caught sight of a Donphan with familiar pink stripes along its body charging through the undergrowth. Her quarry, disturbed by the sight of a wild "Donphan," fled even faster through the trees.

Copycat! Candy sneered, rising from the ferns and gathering her stored energy in an aura burst, then planted the hit right on the Donphan's snout as it rolled back for another charge. The Donphan seemed to lose all consistency, and like putty transformed back into a gray and black Mewtwo with pink stripes. Copycat held his bleeding nose, leaving himself wide open for Candy's next assault, which she took full advantage of. She slashed through the air, using every last bit of strength she had to create a psychic shockwave to Cut deep into him. A long downward slash formed across his shoulder, chest, belly and finally thigh, that Candy followed up with a Mega Kick to his groin, bringing him to his knees. Why you stupid slut? Why can't you understand that creature is too dangerous to leave unsupervised?! She grabbed a fistful of his ear, then brought her knee up and slammed him in the nose once more.

Candy, you are so blinded by favoritism that you can't see the big picture. Copycat twisted away, freeing himself from her grip at the expense of a torn ear as he stepped back.

What more could you have asked for? Plenty of food, shelter, and a different fem every night of the week. What else could a slut like you want?

That was going a little too far. His lack of energy after the flight and fight was refueled by his anger at Candy's ignorance. He roared, another transformation taking over as he became a Rydon, lowered his head, and charged her. A different fem every night? You're the stupid one, you had never been bred! Never been forced into a room with a stranger and whipped into a frenzy with pheromones! Never had to feel the desperate cry as your mate's touch slipped off your heart and endure the near-constant breaking of intimate bonds because of forces beyond your control! Candy tried to evade, but Copycat was just a bit faster as he faked to the right, then caught her on his horn as she dodged left. The air left her in a satisfying rush. With a flick of his head, he further braced her on the horn, then began to charge. Anything was fair game, trees, rocks, deadfall, he plowed through them all. Candy's aura reacted with each impact, saving her from the worst of the damage, but still not allowing her to recover either.

Copycat only stopped when he reached a tall, sheer rock wall, a gigantic slab that jut from the earth like the blade of a knife. He lowered his head once more, and rammed into it, only then letting Candy loose from his horn. She cried out for the first time as she hit the wall, then dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap. Once again Copycat didn't give her time to recover as he planted one large claw on her chest, then transformed back into his Mewtwo form. The foot had become a hand, inching up closer to her throat. Candy hissed, her strength gone. So what now? Will you kill me? Rape me?

For the briefest moment Copycat was tempted, but no. He was a genetic mutant, but not a monster. No Candy. I'll let you live. I'll let you live in the hopes that you will one day understand. As for mating. No. I don't think I could ever do that again. With anyone.

He let go of her throat and stood up. It wouldn't take her long to recover, and he had to find Little Two before she did.


As Bill pulled up in front of the school, Mewtwo was already climbing out of the side door. Even with his powers weakened he could still feel it. A heavy psychic residue in the air. There were several police cars out front, and an ambulance van from the Pokémon Center. This was bad. Bill and Sabrina approached the school, but Mewtwo was heading for the playground. He pulled his headset from his bag and slipped it on. He knew, just knew that Little Two wasn't here. Sabrina also sensed the immense psychic discharge in the air and gave the slightest nod to Mewtwo. Mewtwo ignored the Jennies and Joys and other humans in his way. He had to find his son.

His feet left the ground and driven on by both smell and parental intuition, he sped through the trees. Little Twos path was easy enough to follow, but it was the discovery of many fallen trees and shattered rocks that drew his attention. He slowed and hovered in place for a moment. These were new psychic signatures, powerful but unlike any he had encountered...no, he had encountered them once. In Woodland Labs, past the flames and smoke and fear. There were Others here. And until he confirmed if they were friend or foe, he could not trust them.

He kept moving, past the destruction and deeper into the mountains. At some point Little Two had stopped flying, and his psychic residue became harder to find. Mewtwo stopped flying himself to avoid contaminating the area with his own power. He carefully picked his way through the undergrowth, ears up and alert. Finally in a moment of exasperation he called out, "Little Two!"

Only the silence of the forest answered him. Mewtwo took a few more steps. "Little Two!"

Once again silence, then the rough call of a Murkrow. It flew from one tree to another, drawing Mewtwos attention. Mewtwo watched it fly, and noticed strange pink stripes along its wings and back. It landed again, then called out. Mewtwo approached it cautiously, and it flew to another tree, guiding him. With no better leads, Mewtwo followed, calling out for Little Two every few steps. The Murkrow flew, then landed a final time. Mewtwo followed and felt relief consume him when he saw Little Two curled up and sleeping at the base of the tree. "Little Two..." Mewtwo flew over and picked up his son. He looked up to thank the Murkrow, but it had already disappeared.

Little Two awoke in his arms, his bright blue eyes red from tears. "I didn't mean to..."

"Shhh, I know you didn't. Its okay, you're okay."

"I'm never fighting again, I promise," Little Two began to cry again, and Mewtwo did his best to soothe him.

"I'm going to put you in the Masterball, just for a little while until we get home. Okay?"

Little Two nodded as Mewtwo pulled the ball from his bag. The red light flowed over his kitten and after a moment, he held the ball tightly in his paw. Already he was planning on how to get back home and avoid the police while he was at it. They would want to question him, Sabrina, Bill, and maybe even take Little Two from him. He wasn't going to allow that to happen. He flipped on the headset again, thinking of a plan of action when he heard the sound of someone walking through the undergrowth. Instinctively he ducked behind a bush to hide.

He didn't know what he had been expecting. A Pikachu or Pidgey hunting for a snack perhaps. Anything but the sight of a light blue female Mewtwo at the side of an executive Team Rocket agent. Mewtwo held perfectly still, his heart racing at both the presence of Team Rocket and this other Mewtwo. He remembered the League Games, the other in armor that had been killed before him. But this one was without armor. If anything she wanted to be with Team Rocket. And that both infuriated and frightened him. The agent and her Mewtwo female searched with methodical precision. They were a team, and worked together as smoothly as himself, Sabrina and Bill did. He carefully opened his mind to gleen their surface thoughts. They were looking for something, more specifically, someone. The child of Big White. Mewtwo had no idea what or who Big White was, but it was painfully clear that they were searching for Little Two. His options were limited. If he remained hidden, they would find him. If he attacked them, he risked losing Little Two.

The Murkrow was back, making all kinds of racket in the next tree over, drawing their attention beautifully. The blue fem hissed, feral and primitive. Her trainer settled her with a word and soft touch. As they drew closer to Mewtwo's hiding place, the Murkrow dropped from its tree behind them, but as it landed it transformed into a black Mewtwo male with brown eyes and pink stripes. And once again Mewtwo felt the now familiar shock ripple through him, causing his short fur to stand up on end. He silenced what would have been a primitive growl or hiss of his own. Both the agent and the fem turned to attack the newcomer. The strange Mewtwo then led them deeper into the woods, further away from Mewtwo's hiding place.

When the three of them had gone, Mewtwo rose from his spot behind the bushes, still holding the Masterball close. For a moment his mind had gone blank from complete indecision. The stakes just kept getting higher. He wanted to find that black Mewtwo and help him fight the Rocket agent, he wanted to return home to Sabrina and Bill and forget that this whole day had even happened. He wanted answers, there were too many questions. But one answer was clear. No one here was interested in him, they all wanted to get their hands on his son. And he would not, could not allow that. The black Mewtwo had helped him, that much was clear, but why? Obviously Team Rocket had given up on him and Little Two was their new objective. Home was not going to be safe. Both the police and Team Rocket would be waiting there for him. And they would not stop at putting Sabrina, Bill and Jamie in danger to achieve their goals.

Mewtwo looked back down at the Masterball, then sighed deeply. He couldn't stay. The question of People or Pokémon had been answered for him. Little Two could not be around People until he learned more control. Likewise Mewtwo couldn't protect him around People, and too many of them would get hurt. He would have to go somewhere safe until Little Two grew a bit more, and until Mewtwo could heal enough to do potential battle with his own kind. There was only one place he could think of.

He turned the headset up to full power, then rose high into the afternoon sky, leaving the human world behind him and heading for the best place he knew.

Clarity Lake.


Sabrina and Bill had arrived home hours ago, and still no sign of Mewtwo or Little Two. Jamie had cried silent tears most of the way home. She knew that she was in Trouble with a capital "T" and her parents were still trying to figure out what exactly to do with the bombshell that had been dropped onto their laps. The school had strict rules for a good reason, to prevent this exact kind of thing from happening. Bill almost had to physically restrain his wife when she started going off about where the teachers were at the time, and who was watching the kids on the playground. The parents of the boy who had brought the Squirtle in, Toby, were there picking up their child as well. The Squirtle had belonged to Toby's older brother, whom had gone off to study at another school the year before. And even though the teachers didn't say anything, Sabrina and Bill were already discussing the likely possibility that Jamie would need to switch schools.

They had waited on the school grounds for what felt like an hour for Two to return before the police asked them to leave. Sabrina was only compelled to do so when Bill reassured her that Mewtwo was very capable of taking care of himself. So they went home, Jamie was sent to her room while the adults talked. Lawyers were called, statements were given, insurance was contacted, and Sabrina had to make the very hard call of notifying the Pokémon League. They were going to hear about it sooner or later, but it was better to get the ball rolling on her end and just go along with any investigation they wanted to perform. Midnight had come and still no sign of Mewtwo. Jamie had been grounded to her room for the foreseeable future, but her thoughts only concerned Little Two and when he was coming home.

One in the morning came and still Sabrina couldn't sleep. She paced back and forth, Haunter at her side and for once not trying to crack jokes at the situation. Around one thirty the phone rang. Sabrina checked the caller ID, but didn't recognize the number. It was much too late for a telemarketer and she doubted that a police officer would call this late. Still she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Sabrina?"

"Two! Where are you? What happened? Why did you-"

"I'll answer all of that but I have to talk fast, I'm still not positive I wasn't followed." Mewtwo took a deep breath on the other end. "I found Little Two, he's safe. But I also found out that Team Rocket is after him, not only Team Rocket, but the other Mewtwos I freed. I don't know how many there are, or why they want Little Two, but they aren't getting him. Likewise I can't risk Little Two getting taken by the League."

"You don't know that-"

"I can't risk that!" Mewtwo snapped, then calmed. "I'm sorry. I...I saw some upsetting things today. I'm going someplace safe, to rest and heal and get my strength back."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you over the phone in case Team Rocket is listening in. I don't put anything past those bastards. I'm going someplace far away, someplace pure and untouched."

Sabrina took in a deep breath, trying to control the sobs building in her chest. "And when are you coming back? What am I supposed to do with this mess?"

"I don't know when I will be back. Little Two needs training that he cannot get in the human world. I'm very sorry for what happened. I should have done a better job letting him know the dangers of a real battle, how high the stakes can be. If I stay with you, either Team Rocket will come breaking down your door, or some of these others of my kind will. If I'm not there, you, Bill, and Jamie are safe."

Sabrina wiped away a line of tears with the heel of her hand. "I hope you're right. Take care Two."

"I will. I'll keep in touch as I can."

"I love you," she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"I love you too. Tell Bill I'm sorry."

Sabrina lowered the phone when he hung up, then dropped it on a nearby table. Bills arms wrapped her from behind and held her tightly. She turned and buried her head in his chest. He whispered small comforting words to her, and brushed her hair from her eyes and forehead, then kissed her exposed skin. "He'll be alright. Okay? We will all be alright."


Mewtwo hung up the payphone not a moment too soon. He only had enough change in the bottom of his backpack for one three-minute phone call. He'd taken a slight detour from his final objective to make the call at a small Trainer outpost. The morning was already lightening the horizon, casting the sky in tones of crimson and orange. He picked up his backpack and checked on the Masterball. Little Two was still sleeping soundly within. The kitten wasn't going to be happy when he was let out, there would probably be a lot of crying and panicked mews, but he would eventually settle in.

He slipped the pack on and checked the power meter on his headset. Only twenty-five percent battery left. Just enough to get him to his destination, and then he would be completely on his own. No more using the headset as a crutch. He would have to walk...and fly, on his own. With a thought he carried himself into the sky, just a dark speck flying past the sunrise toward the escaping night. After an hour he passed the last line of civilization and into the embrace of a deep forest. He flew just a little lower, navigating his way around hills, smelling the sweet comforting scent of chlorophyll from the plants and trees reaching to catch the morning sun, when finally his destination came into view.

Mount Quena.

At one time an entire lake had sat at the top of the mountain, the product of a series of underground springs that over flowed from hidden ancient lava vents that had since gone dormant. The lake had fed Purity River, a vital and sacred place to Bug Pokémon of all types. In what seemed like a lifetime ago, he had made a home here, along with the Pokémon he had cloned at his Gym on New Island. How young and foolish he had been. How fearful and angry. Team Rocket had discovered his home at Clarity Lake, and began to set up a headquarters there. As much as Mewtwo hated to admit it, human intervention in the form of a young Ash Ketchum and his traveling companions, along with Jesse and James had helped him to defeat Team Rocket. He had erased the memories of the Rocket agents that were there, and as far as he knew, Clarity Lake itself was written off as a dream to them. To prevent the lake from becoming polluted and affecting the ecosystem of Purity Canyon, he had moved the entire lake to the interior of the mountain.

He had moved the entire lake.

The.

Entire.

Lake.

A shiver went through him. Had he really been that powerful? Millions of millions of gallons of water equaling hundreds of tons of weight moved with a thought, and with a complete mind-wipe of all present to boot. Logistics of the maneuver be damned, he had taken no consideration for the ecosystem himself when moving it. His only objective had been to keep it from the humans. But still the river flowed, the water from the lake sought out new ancient vents and cascaded down the sides of the mountain like the worlds largest fountain. So...everything was okay he supposed?

As he flew closer he heard the challenging roar of a Charizard. He knew that Charizard. He had watched it crawl out of the cloning tank with a fury that could only had been rivaled by Mewtwo himself back in the day. The Charizard emerged from an unseen cave and flew at him with speed. Mewtwo rolled in the air, dodging at the last moment, causing the beast to back-wing and swoop in for another attack. Mewtwo felt a grin spread across his features when the Charizards challenging bugle turned into one of surprise and joy. This time Mewtwo collided with the Charizard, laughing as the large Pokémon hugged him.

Settle down, I've returned.

The Charizard let go, then flew ahead to notify the others that had stayed behind. Mewtwo followed it inside the cave, flying past a few waterfalls then to the interior of the mountain proper. Clarity Lake was just as he remembered it. It was no longer a flat expanse of water simmering under the sun. Now the lake was a terraced masterpiece. Stone cauldrons of clear water rose in tiers, overflowing into others and adding to a clear pool rich in plant life. Butterfree clung to the walls, their wings flapping slowly to create a fine curtain of purples and blues. His other cloned Pokémon greeted him, showed him their offspring, wanted to know where he had been and what had happened. Mewtwo landed on the fine mosses and could feel the energy of the place under his feet. He pulled off the headset and saw that he had just made it, the battery was dead. He let it drop to the ground, and turned his gaze upward.

The ceiling of the cavern had been his greatest work. The cavern was filled with natural sunlight. An effect that had been achieved by gathering large uncut crystals and embedding them in the roof of the cavern. In other places there were pockets or holes to let air and rain through. At night, the glow of the stars and moon refracting through the crystal ceiling lit the cavern in an otherworldly light. Sunlight was just beginning to light the interior of the cavern, playing off the pools in ripples of silver. Mewtwo reached into his backpack and pulled out Little Two's Masterball. With a touch he opened it. There was a flash of red light, then Little Two himself appeared before him on the ground, stretching his small arms and yawning. His blue eyes opened and looked around the cavern, a touch of panic in his voice. "Where are we?"

"This is Clarity Lake."

"Where is Aunt Sabrina? Is Jamie here? Why aren't we home?"

Mewtwo sat down on the mosses, exhaustion from the trip now settling in. "This is going to be home for a little while. Aunt Sabrina, Uncle Bill, and Jamie are safe at their home."

Little Two ran over to Mewtwo and hugged him tightly. "I want to go home!"

Mewtwo held him, scooping the small form up into his arms. The cloned Pokémon crept forward curiously, surprised at this new development. "We will go back. I brought you here to train you to use your powers," he shifted his shoulder and carefully turned Little Twos head to look upon the other Pokémon. "These are old friends of mine. And they will teach you too. They are much, much stronger than the other Pokémon at the school. So you don't have to worry about hurting them." Mewtwo wasn't sure himself how much truth there was in that statement, as he didn't know Little Two's full range of abilities yet, but the kitten needed some kind of sense of security.

"I'm hungry Dad."

"There are plenty of fruits and things to eat all around us. Just ask some of the Pokémon where to find them."

"I'm thirsty."

"And there is water right in front of you there."

Little Two looked at the many tiers of pools. "You want me to drink water from the ground?"

Mewtwo sighed. Little Two only ever had experience with the faucets at home, a damn-near magical marvel that spewed an endless amount of cold clear clean water. "The water here is better and tastier than the water at home. Go on, try some."

Little Two climbed out of Mewtwo's arms and went to the edge of the nearest pool. Mewtwo's cloned Venosaur stepped aside and watched Little Two approach the edge of the pool with that grin it always wore, charmed to the core by the kitten. Little Two stopped and shouted back to Mewtwo. "I don't have a cup!"

"Use your hands."

Little Two huffed, but knelt and cupped his hands together to hold the water. The Pokémon watched eagerly as the kitten drank. Little Two finished then giggled. "This is good...Dad! The water is good like you said! Dad?"

Mewtwo had gone to sleep. Exhausted from the flight and stress of leaving the human world behind yet again, and comforted by the mosses, he rested. The Pokémon would watch after Little Two, and if the kitten became too much of a handful, they would awaken him. Little Two hopped over to Mewtwo then gave him a loving nudge. "I'll see you when you wake up Dad."


The autumn sun was bright in Saffron City, it was a perfect fall day. Bill took a seat on the porch of his favorite coffee shop, then took a notebook from his bag along with a pen. He had already ordered inside, his usual; a cup of coffee, black, with a bagel. Sabrina was at the Gym, and Jamie wasn't due out of school for a few more hours. Their lawyers had handled the Squirtle situation, and both Sabrina and Bill had notified the League of the incident. Deaths in battle for inexperienced or unlicensed trainers happened a bit more than anyone wanted to admit, and it wasn't the first time either Sabrina or Bill had to fill out the paperwork to report one. The Squirtles League ID number had been updated in the system as deceased, the circumstances put down as "encounter with wild Pokémon/trainer error." The trainer error in this case was the actual trainer of the Pokémon failing to make proper arrangements to care for his Pokémon. The home had then been inspected to ensure that the other Pokémon present would not share the same fate. The biggest mark against Sabrina and Bill was that Jamie would have to wait until she was fifteen and pass an entrance exam before she could get her trainers license if she wanted one in the future. Mewtwo was still listed as a "wild" Pokémon even though he had been quite domesticated over the years, and there was barely a mention when he gathered up his kitten and fled.

The episode had driven Bill to start taking the book more seriously. Mewtwo had said there were others out there. Which meant that trainers and normal people had the potential to encounter them in the wild. Information was key to keep hysteria down. He opened his notebook and began writing again, laying out his experiences with Mewtwo, his observations. He planned to back up much of the book with information that had been gathered by the Pokémon Centers that treated him over the years, but for now he had to get these raw thoughts down.

"Black coffee and a bagel with cream cheese?" a smooth male voice asked.

Bill looked up from his scribbles to see one of the kitchen staff holding his order. "Yes, thank you."

"We called your name a few times, figured you were busy with something," he set the plate and mug down. Bill watched curiously when he saw the sleeve of his servers shirt rise up just a little, showing a unique pattern of pink stripes.

"What a strange tattoo." Bill commented.

The server tugged the sleeve back down. "Yeah, bad mistake made over one too many beers years ago."

Bill looked up and met the servers eyes. Deep and soulful brown. "You...are not as you seem."

"Uh..." the server grinned nervously. "I'll just leave you to your work, let me know if you need anything."

The next words were out of Bills mouth before he could think about how ridiculous they sounded. "You aren't human."

"Good one sir," the server backed away, but Bill never took his eyes from him, only after a few moments did Bill look away.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to threaten you. But I've seen eyes like yours before. Except they were purple." Bill sipped his coffee. "Dittos change. They can become anything they want to be. But their eyes, the windows to their soul, don't change. I suppose that a Ditto is considered to have perfected its ability when it can erase its sense of self and completely embrace the transformation. I know what you are."

The server paused, then asked, a slight edge of hostility to his voice. "And what will you do about it?"

"Nothing. I would like to know your story, how many of you there are, where, and if there is anything I can do to help."

The server sat down at Bills table, his caution dissipating. "The First lives with you and your wife."

"The First? What an ironic title considering we call him 'Two."

The server grinned. "I don't stay in one place for long. I can't. I have to keep moving. You're right. I do use transformation to hide, get small odd jobs so I can make enough money to buy supplies and move on."

Bill extended his hand across the table. "It's good to finally make contact with another of 'Twos kind. I'm Bill."

The server extended his hand, his sleeve riding up to expose his pink stripes again. "They call me Copycat."