Chapter 20: And
The hurricane pummeled the Lighthouse and surrounding coast for the better part of two days. Cherry and Cad made the best of it by getting caught up on chores, tending to the Pokémon, and occasionally braving the wind and rain to venture to the stone barn for supplies and see to the Pokémon there. The Torterra remained in the field, firmly rooted and enjoying the patter of rain on its shell. By the end of the second day cabin fever was starting to set in. All the movies had been watched, food cooked and eaten, gallons of coffee consumed and Cherry had discovered three new leaks in her roof that she was certain weren't there before. Small ones but they would need to be tended to all the same. Copycat had called her on the cell phone to check in and see if the storm was affecting her badly. Cherry was happy to speak to him while the rain beat on the windows in the kitchen, and invited Copycat and Bill to drop by once the storm cleared if they were able. After she hung up, she went about fixing what she could of the leaks. By the end of the day, the storm was showing signs that was moving on and two of the three leaks had been fixed.
Cad had either slept or listened to music. When the clouds finally cleared, the setting sun was a welcome sight that filled the Lighthouse with ethereal shades of red and pink. Cherry and Cad ventured outside to survey the damage and stretch their limbs. Cad was moreso anxious to get moving. "Hey Cherry, I'm going to fly up and circle around, see what kind of damage the storm might have done."
"No problem, and be careful," Cherry called out and then approached the barn. She opened the doors and the Pokémon sheltering within came out to greet the evening. She looked skyward as Cad took off and for a moment studied the unique way that his otherwise bold coloring provided almost perfect camouflage for flying in a cloudy sky. The light of the setting sun touched the blue curve of his legs and tail in tones of red and gold, further accented by the soft purple stripes on his limbs. His white wings also picked up the stray light of sunset, throwing it back in gentle hues of orange and grey. If she didn't know where to look, he would have blended in with the clouds perfectly. In a moment he was gone, heading southeast. Cherry opened the gate on the corral to allow her Mareep and prized Wooloo to return to their soggy pasture.
Cad followed the coastline, keeping the ocean on his left and forest to his right. There were a few downed trees here and there that he made a note of to tell Cherry about. She seemed to love finding sources of wood to further her gardening ambitions and other projects around the Lighthouse. Granted he would probably be the one hauling it all back, but he enjoyed the exercise. The coming night carried with it a variety of scents that pulled at his instincts, the fresh scent of rain-touched pine and evergreen trees, the musk of wet dirt all backed by the scent of salt from the ocean. From this height he could see a town further south, its streetlights flickered on under the darkened skies. The smell of the town was foul compared to the freshness of the seaside air. And somewhere past all of that, mountains, marshes, an entire world to explore.
It had been years since Cad felt this alive. The wind through his fur and feathers, sharpening his senses in the coming night. While out exploring he felt strong and capable. All that time he had spent cooped up in the firetower, worried and uncertain of the world around him had dulled his ambitions and made him feel lethargic and weak. With a thought and gentle twist of his wings, The blue mewtwo flew lower, partly to feel the rush of air part his fur and touch his skin, but also to see what other Pokémon had come out to roam after the storm. He couldn't help but feel that some part of his mind was looking for something exciting, something to get his blood pumping after spending so long inside during the storm. Most wild Pokémon avoided him, but a few stepped up to defend their territories. Cad felt a familiar tug at his chest to meet them in battle, but hesitated. Never before had his rational human mind been faced with the blunt and primitive instincts that he felt now. Those battles were not worth his time. He was better than that. Instead he flew a little higher away from temptation and more inland with the intent of circling back around to the Lighthouse.
Cherry had mentioned that some of the wild mewtwos had territories, and Cad at the time didn't give it much thought. His supposed "territory," the firetower, hadn't been challenged and frankly he didn't know what he would have done if it was. Well, he didn't know then, but sure knew what he would do now. He had come to call the Lighthouse home, and even now after the storm, after the threat to his new home had passed, he was out here on instinctive patrol to intercept anything that would want to move in and claim his home as theirs after such a powerful weather event had moved through. He chuckled as he thought about it. It was such a perfect clash of what was left of his human mindset in this new life of his. He drew his wings down, fighting against the wind and air currents to push himself higher. The clouds had faded away and now there was only starlight. He couldn't deny that his blood was up, his nostrils flared as they took in new scents. He had to be careful that he didn't lose himself in the moment again.
A familiar scent caught him. He couldn't quite place it, but it was familiar. He didn't just sniff at the wind, now he opened his mouth to taste it, and in return all of those animalistic instincts he had been trying to reason through surged back. He might as well have tried to hold back the ocean. The scent was sweat, blood, and a soft feminine musk. It pulled at him from the bouquet of the forest, a note in the symphony rising above all else. Who was that? From the sky he could see the answer. Down below in the trees Cad could make out red headlights from four wheeled single-rider all-terrain-vehicles running down hidden trails. His senses had grown incredibly sharp and he could practically taste the gas and oil coming from some of them. The pollution stood out boldly out against the canvas of pine scent. A lone light blue mewtwo fem was running through the trees, away from the vehicles and their strange passengers. Now and then one would advance on her and she would take them out with a burst of blue light, destroying the vehicles and the rider in the process. So that was the source of the scent that was driving back his ability to reason.
Cad heard the crack of a Pokéball open and a Charizard went roaring through the trees, followed quickly by a pair of Metagross. The blue fem turned to face her challengers screaming a battle cry.
That cry hit Cad deep. The thrill of the hunt was coursing through him now. He counted the vehicles and flew down closer behind a truck carrying more humans at the rear of the hunting pack. One of the humans had either the forethought or just dumb luck to turn and look skyward, then shouted to his companions, "There's another one!" The Rocked Dan agent raised a weapon toward Cad in flight then fired a beam of ice at the winged blue mewtwo.
Cad easily, almost lazily avoided the beam, he could have seen that coming from a mile away. For the barest second he hovered in midair, overcome by the sheer audacity of the human in question. Cad had no idea who this fem was, or what faction she may serve, but at the moment it didn't matter. Here was a foe that had invaded his territory, shot at him unprovoked, and every bone in his body commanded that he defend it. He suddenly folded his wings and landed on the roof of the truck with a thud, putting extra stress on the vehicles suspension and causing the engine to whine under the strain. Claws extended from his fingers as his paws slammed into the metal roof, tearing it off and casting it aside into the trees. He looked down into the exposed cabin of the truck at the confused humans and saw all he needed to: guns, Pokéballs, and uniforms. The last bit of hesitation he felt at attacking what had been his kind less than five years ago evaporated. It felt good to let the anger loose.
Cad reached in and pulled the driver out, snapping seat-belts and throwing him aside into the undergrowth. The remaining occupants attempted to either aim their weapons or open Pokéballs. The large blue winged mewtwo leapt off the back of the vehicle, feeling the wind catch his wings as he extended his right arm in front of him. Energy in the form of white light swelled up inside him and traveled along his arm. A pitch black ball, darker than the night sky and in contrast to his white wings began to form in his palm and grow larger. With a roar of his own, Cad flung it down into the exposed cabin, causing an explosion that took care of the rest of the occupants. The charred truck veered to the right and struck a tree.
Candy heard an explosion behind her and glanced over her shoulder just in time to see a large blue, winged mewtwo burst from the fireball caused by the explosion and narrow its focus on the next vehicle in the line. New adrenaline and energy rushed through her as she tried to make her escape. Butch's men had pursued her this far and had landed more than a few decent hits on her, but that was all part of the plan. Lead them away from the mewtwos that had escaped the fury of the mewtant, and also to distract them long enough so the Boss and Gayle could escape to a new hideout or safe home. Big Blue back there was just icing on the cake.
As Cad came upon the next vehicle, he heard a satisfying crackle over the riders radio headset, "There's the other one! A big bastard with wings!"
The Charizard that had been set on the fem turned and bugled a challenge at Cad. In its mind, the fem was already beaten, but the larger mewtwo was a more worthy opponent. The Metagross continued their pursuit of Candy and at the sound of a Pokéball opening, Cad saw another Pokémon join the mix. A Salamence of all things. Cad didn't even try to suppress his mirth. The two dragons charged at the winged mewtwo, their eyes glowing hazy purple and red from some deep corruption. Charizard opened with a fire blast, and Salamence flew in close with a Dragon Claw.
With two pokemon set against him, Cad felt a strange sense of analytical bliss settle over his mind. With a passing glance he took in the terrain, the surrounding ATVs, the proximity of the humans and the injured fem. His mind made some kind of subconscious calculation, and he immediately lunged at the closest Pokémon, the Charizard. In retaliation it summoned a wall of fire, bathing the winged mewtwo in the hot flames and forcing Cad to hold his breath. Fighting through the pain, Cad snarled and pressed on through the flames, summoning a weak blue Barrier. Cads greater mass gave him more momentum to use against the Charizard. He burst out of its fire attack and slammed into it with enough force to knock its breath out completely, breaking ribs and causing it to wheeze. It turned to withdraw and without pausing Cad then began to lay into it with an unceasing barrage of punches, each one stronger than the last, pounding the fire type back through multiple layers of trees until it finally lay still.
With its companion now down, the Salamence attacked Cad from the side, ripping down one wing with Dragon Claw, scattered white feathers, then back-winging to gain distance for another attack, this time Dragon Pulse. By now two of the four-wheeled ATVs had broken off from chasing Candy and were closing in on Cad. The riders tossed more Pokéballs and revealed more Pokémon. "Boss says that he wants this one too!"
Dragon Claw, Thunderbolt, Hyper Beam, all were aimed at taking Cad down. This wasn't just a battle, this was an all-out brawl. Candy made a wide turn through the trees and sent an Aura Sphere after the Metagross, and left one of them fainted and unresponsive. She noted Cad, and for the briefest moment she pondered her escape, before circling back around, passing between the two ATVs in pursuit of her, and joined the brawl at Cads side. The enemy of mine enemy after all.
Cad didn't notice Candys arrival, his attention had been focused squarely on the Salamence. He noted the wall of attacks from various other Pokémon coming for him, along with the Dragon Pulse from the Salamence. By some deep instinct, he summoned his Barrier again. The ground quaked and the air became ionic as his body glowed a fierce blue. Sparks ran across his blue fur as the sphere that he projected grew stronger and began to push back at the attacks. The attacks deflected off the glowing thin surface in a brilliant show of sparks and explosions leaving Cad untouched in the middle of the chaos. He could only keep it up for so long however, and there were still so many foes to be dealt with. His attention snapped to the nearest grunts and their Pokémon; Weaviles and Sevipers. With a fantastic show of his fangs, Cad reached out with a paw and telekinetically grasped one then dragged it into others, knocking over more grunts and their vehicles in the process. Those that were tossed into the air didn't have a moment to realize that he followed it up with Confusion, then in the heat of the moment he took to the air again with a heavy downburst from his wings. He felt more energy building up within him then unleashed a Psywave down at the group, a fitting finishing move for such vermin. Tree trunks snapped and boulders rolled away from the impact zone much like Cherry's Wooloo in a windstorm.
Candy didn't let this buffet of aura energy go to waste. She had hid inside Cad's barrier and absorbed the overflow from some of the attacks, adding it to her own impressive stock. As he took to the air, she broke cover and rushed at her enemies like a glowing blue lightning bolt flickering through the trees. She sent another Aura Burst into the last ATV, spilling the grunts riding it and sending them broken across the forest floor in time for Cad's Psywave from above.
Soon there was only the Salamence left and it only had eyes for Cad. It smelled a battle and much like stubborn winged mewtwo, it wasn't going to give up until it had fainted or worse. With the playing field now cleared of minor players it joined Cad in the air. Cad instinctively raised another Barrier and the Salamence responded by cutting clean through it with Shadow Claw, dealing direct damage to the winged mewtwo. Cad had never been in a battle of this caliber and was a bit stunned by how easily the Shadow Claw had cut through his defenses and impacted his body. Fur and skin were sliced and his blood rained onto the ground. Even through the pain he did not lose focus. If anything, he only became angrier. His aura spiked erratically, energy sparking into the air in ways no mewtwo had ever seen. Every creature, both psychic and otherwise, could feel the anger that surged within the winged mewtwo. This wasn't going to be a battle. Cad had every intention to annihilate that Pokémon.
The Salamence in return, prepared and shot a Hyper Beam at his foe.
Cad leaned forward into the approaching Hyper Beam and roared out bringing his hands together and unleashed his own Psybeam in response. The yellow glow of Salamence's attack was instantly overwhelmed by a blue tinged wall of psychic power that erupted from the winged mewtwo. The Salamence had never encountered that much power from one Pokémon before. Cad's Psybeam pushed the Hyper Beam back until the combined energy of the attacks threatened to blow up in the dragon-types face. The Salamence tried to withdraw or dodge at the last moment, but the power and area of attack was immense, blasting it and everything else at a near point-blank range, carving out a substantial chunk of land in the process.
Cad took a moment to regroup and saw that his opponent was definitely weakened, but not yet out. The Salamence was stunned, yet after a moment it began to glow blue, its wings fused to become a blood red crescent on its back. Somehow either its trainer or the Pokémon itself had initiated a Mega Evolution, and now it only had one attack it understood. Outrage. The Pokémon's body burst with energy, sending it into full berserk mode, something that Cad had become grudgingly familiar with by this point in his life. The Salamence began hurling a barrage of attacks at Cad as it flew through the trees, its blade-like wings slicing through the trunks and leaving them toppled in its wake. Like Cad, it would leave this battlefield in victory or death.
Cad's Barrier shot up again reflexively and managed to deflect most of the attacks. The winged mewtwo also grudgingly knew that a Pokémon in a full berserk mode had no ability to think clearly. And as much as he would like to surrender to the battle himself, he had to maintain focus. The Salamence dove at him, each horrifically swift pass through trying to cut Cad in half with its bladed wings. He flew closer to the treeline, enticing the Salamence to try again. He watched the red crescent-shaped wing climb then pivot and dive for him. Cad remained fixed until the last moment when he reached out, grabbed its leg, and pulled it clear out of the air toward the trees and earth. The sudden change of direction and momentum caught it by complete surprise. Before it could twist and slip away Cad slammed his footpaw down into its crescent wing, and forced it to the ground sending up more dust and debris.
The Salamence had cut Cads wings, so in return, Cad was going to rip its wings off.
Candy found another place to hide and recover as more humans began arriving, drawn by the sudden silence of their fellow operatives and impressive Pokémon battle taking place in the air. Now with the Salamence pinned to the ground, Cad grabbed the edge of the red crescent, and began to forcibly pull it apart, ripping the wing-like blade from its back. The Salamence roared in pain, any of the other Pokémon present shied away from the battle and either returned to their trainers, or simply ran. The arriving humans were stunned. They had never seen this level of gore and violence in a Pokémon battle, and they never would again either. Candy crept up to the ones that had been foolish enough not to run, and with a few well-placed Aura Spheres ended their lives without a trace, save for the scent of burnt flesh. Driven mad by fear and pain, the Salamence tried another Shadow Claw, while also biting down on Cad's arm. The humans that hadn't run were dead, their Pokémon scattered, leaving only Cad, his prey, and that troublesome fem that started the whole mess.
Cad had never felt so strong, or alive for that matter. The scent of burning, of blood and wet dirt and sweat threatened to pull him under and make him a slave to his instincts. The Salamence lay still, submissive, bleeding, dying. He tossed the curved red wing aside, then snapped around as Candy slowly approached him, her expression one that didn't fit her appearance. Her breathing was heavy, the smell of her sweat and blood strong as she looked upon Cad with pure admiration. This close she was a wretched thing, parts of her were broken and swollen with numerous cuts and burns from her ordeal in fighting the grunts single-handedly. She stopped within arms reach of him and said nothing, only closed her eyes and dropped to her knees, partly from exhaustion, partly in submission.
Cad was still basking in the afterglow of the battle. His muscles were visibly tense and showing through his fur. His imposing presence dominated over his prey and new found admirer. Deep instincts and powerful urges awakened for a second time within him. Cad recognized them as a desire to keep this violent party going, to track down the humans that had run or find out where they came from and clear out the whole infected nest. He was coming back from the edge but he wasn't in the clear just yet. He breathed deeply and, relaxed his body, dropping his fighting stance and forcing his shoulders and wings to lower. He looked down at the beaten fem and felt a sense of pride, and yes some concern for her. Cad found his voice and asked, "What happened here?"
The fem glanced up with one swollen eye and gave him a wry grin. "You won." Her breathing slowed as she sensed his anger had subsided. "And how."
Cad's tail swayed behind him as he looked around. The place was scarred from all the attacks and any semblance of a road or path was long gone now. "I certainly did." Cad smirked down at her with some pride.
Candys eye closed and he heard her draw a hiss of air through her teeth. She was close to fainting, but her stubborn nature and years of battles in Team Rocket wouldn't let her succumb. Cad knelt, reaching out to her and pulled her in to his embrace. Its okay, you can rest now, I'll keep watch out for you.
"Can't...trust..." but in the end even her stubbornness gave out. Cad held her and stood. She was lighter than she looked, and from all the cuts and bruises the humans had done a number on her before she had run this way. He turned and looked out over the forest and was almost surprised at the level of carnage he had caused. Bodies of the dead lay everywhere, destroyed vehicles, and uprooted trees littered the once peaceful forest. He had been so enraged that he hadn't realized how much damage he had caused. Worse than that, he reasoned with himself that they deserved it. He felt no remorse for the lives he had taken and that discovery alone sent a shock down his spine that caused his wings to shiver slightly.
(Well done.)
It was hard to tell if that was a voice or a thought. It didn't feel like one of his thoughts, the voice wasn't even one of Cads internal mental voices. But it didn't have the psychic pressure that usually came from telepathy. Where are you? Who are you? Cad called out into the night. He was not in the mood for another fight, but by the gods he would not hesitate to bury another foe.
The answer didn't come as a voice, but simply the knowledge that it was just there...to his left. Cad snapped around, his wings raising into a fighting stance to face this new threat even while he held the beaten fem in his arms. His visitor was semi translucent, but the form wasn't hard to make out in the starlight. He was the largest mewtwo that Cad had even seen, even bigger than himself, and easily stood at eight feet in height, not including his earhorns. He had a long tail twice the length of his body, and stark white with a thick muscular build. Everything about him radiated power and strength. (Take your trophy. I will be watching you very carefully. I see big developments in your future.)
The form then vanished, fading from existence just like a ghost.
Cad stood numbly for a few moments. The forest was quiet, the air smelled of death and blood. He let his senses roam in an effort to locate where the...big white mewtwo had gone. But he was alone. After a moment he asserted his hold on Candy then took to the air again, heading for the Lighthouse and Cherry.
Esper was alone in her cell. The concrete walls were cold, and the thin blankets the handlers had given her for bedding did little to keep the chill off. Her cheeks were wet with tears from pain and confusion, worry and concern. She had given birth yesterday and now she was alone, never to see her offspring again. Alone with her thoughts and worry and concern and stress. Well, maybe not entirely alone. She could still feel him in the back of her mind, and he was just as confused as she was. Neither of them knew what would happen next and her heart called out to him in her misery. He was a small comfort, a psychic hand holding hers in the darkness, a voice beyond the wall of her cell. But that voice was getting weaker by the moment. She could feel his thoughts begin to slip, confusion beyond physical means setting in. Disconnected sparks. And even in her own suffering, she tried to ease his. As much damage as Mewthree had caused in his short life, he was just another disposable trinket to them.
Esper was there to feel his hate for the humans that had done this to him, to them, to his offspring. She knew and felt the betrayal. And she didn't argue, and tried not to feed into it, but they shared the disgust and in that found comfort. Just as she could feel the cold walls to her back, she could feel him slipping. His rage intensified, his hate became hard and cold, his body was dying. Still, she was grateful for his presence, just as she knew he was grateful for hers.
And then he was gone.
Some describe the loss of a loved one as a hole in the heart. But holes have definition, a shape, a depth. Esper knew this was no mere hole. It was a sucking void and shapeless entity without boundaries. Holes could be filled. Voids could only be contained. The theft of her offspring and now the death of her mate created a void in her soul that she knew she could never recover from. But she was not alone in this pain, she knew of others, Copycat and Cherry came to mind first, that had gone through this exact same trauma over and over again. How could anyone live after this? How could anyone pick themselves up and keep moving after such an emotional blow?
She pulled herself back to the present, the walls were cold. The blanket thin warmth. Just like with any other battle she had to focus on the here and now. Her kittens were still alive, than much knew instinctively. And she would face down gods to see them again.
Mewtwo awoke to an unfamiliar sound, it was a little like heavy breathing but had the kind of urgency like from a wounded creature. For a moment he searched the dark then found the source. For the past few days Esper had been a guest on his island. She lasted in her own room only one night before Mewtwo invited her into his hammock. There they had stayed up most of the night chatting away like kittens at a sleepover before exhaustion finally drew them into the sleep embrace of sleep. Now he couldn't imagine going to bed without her there to share the warmth. Sometime during the night she had withdrawn away from him and now lay on the edge of the suspended hammock, feet, tail and arms drawn in against the chill in the air as she cried softly in her sleep.
Without a second thought, Mewtwo tossed an extra blanket over her, then pulled her in closer to his warmth and covers. She woke up and blinked away tears, then reached out and drew him closer, resting her head against his chest and wetting his thin fur with a fresh surge of tears and quiet sobs. Mewtwo said nothing and didn't probe her thoughts. He gently stroked her cheek and back of her head, smoothing down her pastel-tinted fur and clearing away stray tears before she finally calmed and her breathing evened. He pulled the blankets tighter around them nest-like and then asked, Bad dream?
Yes. Her mental voice seemed to shake a little but she remained calm.
I've had my share. Mewtwo kissed her forehead and cheeks, licking away the last of the tear tracks. Anything you wish to talk about?
No. Esper then reconsidered. Yes.
Mewtwo listened quietly as she told him about her time in Woodland labs. He had known that she had been through an ordeal, all of them had, but not her personal story. Her dream had been about the loss of her offspring and Mewthree. Even by all accounts Mewthree was not the type of person to shed a tear over, but even Mewtwo had to admit to feeling a bit of pity in the way he had been cast aside by Giovanni. Esper had been psychically bonded to him so she had felt his death as if she herself had passed along with him.
Why these dreams now? She asked. I thought I had left all that behind.
Mewtwo had his own experiences with horrible dreams of his past. The most notable had been his nightmare on the train with Bill all those years ago where he had awoken to find that Bill was ready with a Masterball should things turn ugly. He pulled Esper closer and licked her forehead again almost grooming her, then searched for her tail with his under the covers and curled his own around it. I think...that when we undergo traumatic experiences, it leaves a mark on our emotions and mind. So when we find ourselves going down a similar path emotionally, our subconscious likes to remind us of what happened last time to avoid undergoing the same horrible experiences again. When I lived with Sabrina and Bill, I was having near-constant nightmares about Giovanni and his betrayal of my trust. Because I found myself starting to trust them. It took a long time to overcome that and eventually the nightmares stopped.
So you think that because...we've been getting closer that I'm secretly afraid that I will lose you when I'm weakest?
Only because a similar loss caused you such pain in the past. I'd be reluctant to do the same. Mewtwo rested his head on top of hers. But its different now. You are stronger, we are stronger, and you have a bigger support network. I know its not a magic pill to erase the pain, but the knowledge should help you fight back should these dreams continue to pester you.
Esper lay quietly, letting Mewtwo's words set in. After a moment she closed her eyes again, fully relaxed, and began to purr. Mewtwo closed his own eyes, letting sleep overcome him once more, but not before adding his own purr to hers.
When Cad arrived back at the Lighthouse with the injured fem, Cherry almost dropped her teapot. It was just after midnight before he had returned home, having took a round-about path back to the Lighthouse to throw off any-one or thing that made the foolish attempt to follow him. Cherry had waited up for him, she had made a light dinner that now sat packed away in the fridge and her concern had only grown stronger when she saw and heard the sounds of combat on the horizon. Cad had stumbled into the front door and used his tail to shut it behind him. He placed Candy on a fainting couch that was normally covered in Cherry's projects then faced his wide-eyed hostess. "She needs help, and I need a shower."
Cherry set the teapot down before it could slip from her paw. "Do you know who that is?"
"No, she was being hunted, so I stepped in." Cad said softly. He was tired after the battle and had every intention of getting a hot shower and then going to bed.
Cherry looked him over. "Well its good to know all that blood isn't yours then. Her name is Candy, and she's a member of Team Rocket."
"Oh." Cad grabbed Candy's tail. "I'll just put this back outside then."
Cherry rushed forward and stopped him. "No, no. Its okay. I got it—her."
Cad scowled at the prone and unconscious form of Candy. He had no respect for Team Rocket and even less for the mewtwos that decided to stick with their oppressors. And now he felt used and a bit betrayed that he had brought her home and into his den. "You sure?"
"Yeah, go get your shower." Cherry knelt next to Candy then lifted a hand and rested it on the blue fems cheek, tenderly, almost motherly. Cad continued up the hall and a moment later was standing underneath a nice hot jet of water. He did have a lot of blood in his fur and did his best to wash it clean. Outside in the rest of the house he could hear cabinets opening and closing as Cherry gathered supplies. He couldn't believe that he had wasted all that time and energy on a traitor of all people. But it had been the rush he was looking for. He felt satisfied for the first time in years. He had an outlet for those animalistic urges that were foreign to his human side but primal to his Pokémon side. After he finished washing and started to towel dry, he could hear Cherry speaking in a low voice. "Okay, this is going to hurt...a lot. I'm sorry in advance."
The Lighthouse then rang with Candy shouting out a string of curses, seemed the fem had rude awakening. Cad leaned out of the bathroom and shouted down the hall. "Cherry? Do you need help?"
"I've got it." Cherry answered.
"Who the hell else is in here? I swear I will rip apart anyone who-"
"Candy, don't move, you're going to-"
"Get your filthy hands off me breeding-whore!"
A tense silence followed that comment before Cherry spoke in a low and frankly powerful voice. A far cry from her cute chirps of before. "The door is right there. You are free to leave instead of bleeding all over my home. Or you can stop acting like an entitled cunt and let me and anyone else I see fit tend to your wounds. There is a very large body of salt water out there and you do not want to try my patience."
Another tense moment of silence followed by the sound of chair being dragged across the floor and something heavy sitting down in it. "Good." Cherry growled. "Now sit still. This is going to hurt."
Cad peeked in to see Cherry sitting down on a stool while Candy sat upright on the fainting couch, holding one arm out obediently so Cherry could clean a wound and use her trusty sewing kit to stitch it shut. Candy hissed again and Cherry put down the towel soaked in alcohol that she had been holding. Cherry reached one hand out and held it right before Candy's bruised face, Cherry's eyes then flashed a pleasant pink color as she stated a simple command. "Sleep." Candy wavered a little, fighting the command but she was already exhausted from her own battles. She fell back to the fainting couch and Cherry picked up her towel again. "Cad, could you go to the hall closet and get me some more rags. There is also a basket of medical supplies. Believe it or not, she's not the first one to come in here like this."
Cad found the supplies and returned to Cherry's side. "Here."
"Thanks." Cherry said softly and began to clean more of Candy's wounds.
Cad watched the tender way she tended to the traitor then asked. "You're her mother aren't you?"
Cherry paused for a moment. "Yeah. But she doesn't know that. I was…the parent of a lot of Woodland's mewtwos. They were genuinely trying to make a new breed of Pokémon, and that only works through a lot of testing to ensure that certain traits can reliably be passed down." She picked up her needle and thread again and started to close up another wound. "I know that Candy looks like an adult, but she's really just a kitten. They had a machine that would accelerate growth to the adult stage. I can say that most of us at Woodland labs never had kittenhoods. We were born or created and then poof, grown up. So, be easy on her. Be easy on a lot of us, we really don't have the life experience to know any better."
The winged mewtwo thought it over for a moment then asked a question that had been burning in his mind for the past hour. "Cherry, at Woodland labs, was there a big white mewtwo?"
"Big White?" Cherry almost chuckled. "Yeah, and trust me when I say that all of us were quite happy to learn of his death. He was Giovanni's pet for a little while, huge, mean, absurdly powerful and anyone that was put in the ring against him was not going to come out alive."
"He's dead?"
"Why ask about that asshole?"
"Uh...Candy mentioned him," he quickly said. The last thing the pink fem needed to hear was that the ghost of Big White was running around. Cad helped Cherry roll Candy over so she could clean her wounds and give a sponge-bath to the injured fem, then carried her bandages and all to another small guest room and put her in the bed. Cherry tucked her in and then sat on the side of the bed with a sigh. With his part now done, Cad returned to his room and the blissful escape of sleep.
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Mewtwo asked the next morning.
"I will be fine," Esper answered with a kiss and nudge. "I made the trip once and I know what to expect now. I promise to stop off and take my meals and drink more water on my way back."
Solian, formerly known as Little Two, joined his parents on the main balcony to see Esper off. The past few days had been fun and when his father was in the arena conducting battles, the kitten had Esper all to himself. She had listened to him sing, and accompanied him to other nearby islands where he had picked flowers or wild berries for her to enjoy. They had gotten to know each other very well and it saddened Esper to have to return to Valencia Island where Ivy and Brock waited for her. Solian hugged her around the waist, resting his head on her belly, and she knelt to give him a tight hug in return. "Gonna miss you Mom."
"I won't be gone for long."
"Why do you have to go back anyway? We have enough room here. Its not like you have a job or anything." Solian insisted.
And for the moment, both Mewtwo and Esper were tempted. Esper nudged her son lovingly. "Well, I kind of do have a job. Other mewtwos are still getting sick, and I help Ivy and Brock make a treatment for them."
"We have labs here," the kitten countered.
"And maybe one day we can move the whole process here to New Island." She responded patiently. "But right now I need to get back, but it won't be for long. You can always come visit me and I promise I will come visit you."
Mewtwo watched Esper and Solian share another embrace before she stood up again. He didn't want her to go, but she was right. More importantly she needed to get back to Valencia for a more in depth treatment of her condition. The bruise along her back had been spreading, and no amount of Heal Pulse or tricks that Joy had up her sleeve had seemed to help much. For all of the lab space and his skill, Mewtwo didn't have the data or materials to take over the research that Ivy and Brock had been doing. It made him feel helpless but Esper was in good hands. Valencia was also isolated, and if any outside forces tried to infiltrate the island Ivy and Brock would know and they could be dealt with. It was a safe place for Esper. Above all he wanted her to be safe.
He had offered to fly with her, or find her a ride, or some other solution to ease the distance in the presence in that ever-growing bruise. Esper had fixed him with an expression that mirrored his own stubborness. Don't insult me, the expression had said. Mewtwo had no choice but to trust her. All three of them had packed her a meal for her flight, including water and a small first aid kit in case something happened. She had to leave soon to make the most of daylight.
They said their final goodbyes then Esper floated over the railing and headed south. Solian waved and Mewtwo found himself lifting a hand then lowering it again. She was fast, and now she was gone from their sight. Mewtwo stood for a moment with his arms folded, already feeling the loss of her presence. She would be back. There was no question in his mind about that. He stepped inside the main hall and glanced at the trainers that had gathered for the day. Esper had brightened up the place. He glanced back over his shoulder and for a moment pondered going after her. It was foolish to let her make that long trip alone.
I have to trust her. I have to trust that she knows what she's doing, just as she trusts me.
Out over the open ocean, Esper rose higher into the sky, passing through clouds until she felt the bite of the wind and the sun warm on her back. She wanted to turn around and go back to his side, tell Ivy and Brock to find a new test subject, but that would be selfish. Instead she expanded her senses again to keep watch for any other Pokémon that shared the skies with her. On a clear day like this she could "see" for miles around, feel the elements and savor-
(Esper.)
She came to an abrupt stop, then turned and focused her full attention to the northeast. At first there was nothing, but then she felt it, a small flicker of energy. It was his presence alright there was no denying that. The void caused by grief flared in her chest once more. Mewthree was dead. She knew that. Dead and cold and…
But Solian had the same energy as his other parent, so much so that she had confused the two at times. If Solian had the same energy pattern as Mewthree, then that meant the other did as well, that the other was alive.
Esper abandoned her southern route to Valencia Island and instead snapped around to the northeast, following her heart toward the fading psychic signature on the horizon.
Cad was awakened in the morning by knocking on the front door. That was very strange, normally either he or Cherry would sense them long before they made it this far. He supposed it was due to the events of the night before, and by Arceus was he hungry. He opened the door to his room and looked across the hall to see Candy's bed unsurprisingly empty. A few bloodied bandages lay on the floor as the only evidence that she had been there.
"Coming!" Cherry sang. Cad joined her in the main hall as she opened the door to reveal two humans standing on the other side. "Oh hi Bill! Who's your friend?"
"Cherry, oh good you're alright. This is Lance we came here to..." Bill then looked over Cherry's shoulder at the large winged mewtwo standing statue-like behind her. "He's new."
"Oh! Bill, this is Cad, Cad, Bill."
Bill nodded slowly while Lance seemed to scrutinize Cad. "He has wings..."
Cherry noted the sudden tension in the air. "Would you like to come in? I'm sorry if I didn't get the phone call announcing your visit, I tried to tidy up and-"
Bill stepped inside along with Lance, finally pulling his mew-like curious gaze from Cad. "I wanted to check in on you and see if you were well. There's been a series of violent attacks. One of which was a few miles to the south of here."
"Attacks?" Cherry asked, setting a kettle on the stove. "Like what-"
"Please stop playing dumb." Lance said coldly. "This morning I got a call from the local police department and forest rangers. We found ten people dead and a dozen or so deceased Pokémon. Granted many of them looked to be from some criminal organization, but there are distinct traces of intense psychic energy, and there is a very short list of humans or Pokémon capable of that kind of psychic saturation." He then turned to study Cad, not at all attempting to hide his distrust.
Cherry opened her mouth to say something but Cad spoke up first. "I was there last night. It was a group of almost twenty Team Rocket agents against one mewtwo fem. She fought like a demon, killed them and then fled. I told Cherry about it and she said the fem's name is Candy, a mewtwo that is loyal to Team Rocket." He felt no shame in tossing Team Rocket under the bus.
Bill crossed his arms and then placed his palm under his chin and rested his head on it in a thinking gesture. "That almost makes sense Lance. Especially after Viridian-"
"What happened in Viridian?" Cherry asked.
"Viridian Gym...is gone." Bill said gently. "We have suspected for years that it was Team Rocket headquarters, and now that's all but been confirmed. Something attacked it, although it must have been the quietest army to have taken it down brick by brick and exposed the warren of tunnels underneath. No one living in the area had reported anything out of the ordinary, just some late-night construction work on the roads. We suspect that it was a gang war."
"Good riddance to Team Rocket if that's the case. They finally pissed off the wrong people." Lance spat. "I didn't know they still had more mewtwos that we didn't know about."
Bill gave Cherry a brotherly hug. "I was worried about you when I heard about this attack so close to your home. I'm glad to see that you are okay."
"Sure you won't stay for coffee?"
"Maybe next time, Lance and I have a few more leads to follow up. Cad, it was nice meeting you, and I look forward to getting to know you better in the future." Bill offered his hand to the big blue winged mewtwo, and Cad accepted, giving it a gentle shake.
Cherry stood back and bid them a pleasant goodbye. As soon as the large door shut she almost collapsed on the fainting couch beside the door that had been occupied by Candy the night before. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her pleasant demeanor replaced by one of worry and sudden exhaustion. "Please be careful Cad, I don't know exactly what happened last night but this isn't the human world. There is no trial, no fairness, you already know that humans will annihilate anything they deem a threat to their species," Cherry took another deep breath. "I need a few minutes."
"That's alright, I was planning on going for a walk anyway." Cad put his paw on the door. He felt sudden regret for having caused Cherry this amount of trouble. She wasn't the only one that needed a moment to think, a nice long walk along the beach would do him good.
In the late morning light Cad could see the minor hurricane hadn't churned up much from the ocean floor save for some drift wood and a few interesting shells. He remembered almost tripping over a bucket of shells on Cherry's back porch, so maybe she was collecting them. There were tidal pools filled with smaller sea creatures, rocks that had been carved by wind, water, and time. So many little things to observe in this microcosm of a beach. He had always enjoyed the beach, and feeling the sand between his two giant toes was certainly a new experience compared to when he was human. Observing everything was a stimulus overload. Cad had only ever been to crowded beaches as a human, not a wild untouched beach like this. He had gone a little ways from the lighthouse, and the shore birds had changed as had the landscape. the beach was no longer sand, but now became more rocky. Up ahead he could see a white form navigate the rocks, before lifting into the air a few feet and slowly hovering around them. It landed again, seemingly searching for something between the crags. It moved like a bird but he couldn't quite make out its full form. It looked like it was hunting for food.
As Cad drew closer, he could make out the form more clearly. It was a mewtwo fem, and a beautiful one. Her fur wasn't quite white, but a very light lavender or pink, with darker lavender feet, her hands and tips of her ears gradually blended and faded into the light color of her body. A body that was nicely toned and athletic with the slightest hint of muscle definition under her short fur. Her horn-like ears suddenly picked up as Cad came closer. She quickly grabbed what she was after out of the boulders and lifted from the rocks, ready to fly away at a moments notice. Cad had no intention to challenge her, and just from the slight surge of her psychic aura alone he could tell she would most likely leave him broken on the beach.
Wait, please don't run! Cad said telepathically, perhaps that was more natural for wild mewtwos. I'm not going to harm you.
She hesitated for a moment, then slowly rested her feet on the boulders again, but lightly. She was still ready to bolt at a moments notice. Who are you? She asked. Her mental voice was clear and firm, she didn't look directly at Cad, but instead turned her head and had one ear turned in his direction. Don't come any closer. If you wish to meet, then allow me to come to you.
Cad immediately froze, his formerly swaying tail now at rest. This was a far different experience than meeting Cherry. And he was no longer certain this was the wisest way to approach her. But it still gave him a chance to study her, she never looked directly at him, in fact she turned her head from right to left, as if keeping an eye out in either direction for intruders. She lifted from the boulders, and flew slowly toward him, before veering to the left and making a wide circle around him, taking him in, then landing at his front again, this time closer. As she landed, Cad could sense that her psychic nature had for lack of a better, faded, and she seemed to take on a different elemental feel as she approached him. She was now one with the ocean, a sense of water settled around her as naturally as he had picked up her psychic nature before. There was a dormant weight and power behind her now, and the knowledge that if she chose, she could easily take him out with one hit.
She stopped about two yards away, then held out her hand, as if to ward him off. He then felt a static-like warmth pass over his fur, along his wings, and then his face before it lifted and she drew her arm back. The sensation wasn't unpleasant, but still a bit strange since he had never encountered it before. Then there was only the briefest of mind-touches, like two strangers brushing past each other on the street. Cad suddenly understood, she was blind, had to be. She used her psychic abilities to define his appearance, and also used it to give him a distinct impression of her own abilities, that of psychic and water. It was both attractive and a bit frightening. It reminded him of his own shortcomings. He had the power, he knew that much, but none of the training and focus to make it worthwhile.
"I don't remember you from the compound." she said, her voice carrying a touch of an accent he couldn't quite place. "But if you are here to try to fight or capture me for your master, you will lose, and I will not be forgiving."
Cad was pulled from his thoughts when he heard her actually speak. "I...I'm not from Woodland Labs. Nor do I have a master. The last guy that tried that, well, things ended poorly for him. And I'm not here to fight you. I understand you may be feeling defensive, but you have me entirely all wrong," he wasn't sure how much information he could reveal to her, knowing that she meant every word she said. Did she have a master? Or was she another Team Rocket mewtwo looking for Candy? Instead of voicing any of this, he started with the basics. "My name is Cad. What's yours?"
She relaxed a little. "I am called Esper. And I'm sorry to admit that I think I've lost my way. I thought that someone dear to me was here, but now I can't find a trace of them," she drew up her prize from the boulders to her chest. It was small travel bag now soaking wet from seawater. "And I appear to have ruined my lunch. What brings you to this lonely coast?" she asked.
"Esper? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm staying with Cherry at the lighthouse and decided to take a walk..." he chuckled hoping to disarm her a bit.
Esper's expression changed as well. "Cherry? She's alive? Can you lead me to her? I haven't met anyone else from Woodland. Mewtwo told me that it had been destroyed, and that some escaped. I don't know how many or who. But if Cherry is alive, then she would know. She might know...if I can find who I'm looking for."
Cad was pleased that the tone of conversation had changed from a potential battle to more safe topics. "Cherry is doing fine. She's been searching and keeping tabs on everyone from the lab. There's quite a collection of them! And she's so thorough that she found me too. I could take you to Cherry, but she told me that she needed some space. It's been a... full few days."
Esper's spirits seemed to fall. "Alright then." she looked toward the south. "Its going to be a long flight home. Is there anywhere safe to rest around here? I'll just need a few hours."
"Oh, I thought you were staying somewhere closer. In that case I might as well bring you back to the Lighthouse. Guests usually cheer her up." Cad reached for his side pack, and then remembered he left it hanging on the hook by the front door. Oh well, telepathy would do just fine in this case. He focused as best he could on where he sensed Cherry, and called out. Hey, bringing a guest with me back home.
Esper winced a bit nearby, then glanced around nervously. You are quite loud, I'm sure there are a few confused trainers nearby now, wondering who is bringing whom back home.
As Cad started back along the beach, Esper levitated and followed, wringing out the bag and its contents. She still couldn't believe that she had dropped it midair while trying to take out a sandwich. When the lighthouse came into view again, Cherry was already outside and looking up the beach. Cad! Could you shout any louder? I think some Pidgey over in Viridian didn't hear you! And what kind of guest are you...Mother of Arceus, M93!
Cad just smiled and waved like an idiot back towards Cherry in the distance. He still had a lot of work left to do in fine tuning his mental voice. This time in a much more controlled, direct, and painless manner, he spoke telepathically. I've always had a loud voice. Funny that it carried over to telepathy too. Cherry met them outside and Cad grinned. "Look who I happened to stumble upon."
Cherry greeted Cad warmly, but then tensed up when she saw Esper. "M93," she said softly and with a wary tone to her voice.
"That is an old name, and old title. My name is Esper now, I like it much better, and want nothing more than to put Woodland labs behind me." Esper responded. "Its good to hear you again Cherry," she held a paw out and Cherry accepted it. "Is this young winged Two your son?"
Cherry suddenly cackled. "No, we're not related."
"Oh, so a mate then."
Cherry blushed, then babbled out, "I...I...I.. just found him and now I'm letting him stay for a bit until he figures out what he wants to do with his life." Cherry then reached out and took Esper's hand. "Its good to see that you survived, when I heard what happened at the League games...and in front of all those people, I mean, what the hell did that brat think would happen?"
Cad stood by with wings at rest while the two fems caught up. Then the penny dropped. "Wait? You were the one at Indigo that was shot?"
Esper nodded slowly. "Its been a long recovery, and I've only recently been well enough to venture out on my own. As I'm sure you've already deduced, the bullet cost me my eyesight, but that doesn't stop me. In fact I would say that losing my vision has caused me to have greater perception of the world. I have Ivy and Brock from Valencia Island to thank for my recovery, although Mewtwo himself has been a great help as well. He's encouraged me to train and explore."
Cherry opened the front doors wide. "Well get in here. You're probably hungry, I'll call the First up and let him know you're here. Did you really fly this whole way from the Orange Islands?"
Esper followed them into the Lighthouse proper, slowly, brushing her tail against the floor and walls, using it to define her environment in the same way a blind human would use a cane. "I had left New Island Gym this morning, I thought I had sensed someone familiar up this way, and admittedly overshot."
"That's still a long way. Getting back won't be as easy." Cherry went into the kitchen in search of her burner cell phone, leaving Cad and Esper in the old gym. "Who were you looking for?"
Esper's warm telepathic touch brushed Cad again. "To be quite honest I thought it was Big White."
At the mention of Mewthree's other title, Cad froze up.
"Big White? No chance, he's been dead." Cherry set the table with a small offering of tea and sandwiches.
"I know." Esper said softly.
Cad hung back in the larger main room. Either Mewthree was that powerful even as a ghost or Esper was really that sensitive and skilled. Probably a bit of both now that he thought about it. All of it pointed to the simple fact that to compete in this world he needed more training. He had hoped to ask Candy because even as a Team Rocket pet she would know some trick or another she could share. But she had left and as Cherry had pointed out, was no where near mature enough to help him. Cherry was on the phone with the First, he could hear her speaking in the kitchen. Maybe he could ask the First for training? Spend a few weeks at New Island Gym? No better place to learn than with the First himself.
Cherry tapped a button and hung up the phone, then set it back on the counter. "He didn't sound too happy. He's really cute but he's such a grouch at times," she led Esper to the table, being mindful to push baskets of her projects out of the way so her guest didn't trip.
"He probably won't be happy when he arrives, as far as he knows I was supposed to be on my way to Valencia Island, and not nearly an entire days journey in the opposite direction."
Cherry winced. "Yeeeeaaaahh...but he'll get over it. Girls gotta do what she has to do."
Cad excused himself and went to his room. He had a lot to think about.
After Esper had left New Island, Mewtwo and Solian had began to make their own preparations for departure. He finished up with the few trainers who had arrived that morning and cleaned up the Gym. No battles had been scheduled for the next few days, and Solian would be staying with Sabrina and Bill. The Gumdrops, the band Solian and Jamie had played in, won tickets to the halftime show at the Indigo League Games this year. Roxie, another Gym leader that managed to balance her duties with a career as a rockstar, was going to be playing, and they had tickets to watch the show from the field and then take part in a meet and greet afterward. Sabrina had volunteered to chaperon so everyone was meeting up in Saffron.
Mewtwo had opted not to join his son at Indigo Plateau. Partly because large crowds made him uneasy, and nothing good had ever come of his presence at the League Games. Besides, it was Solian's win and he deserved to spend it among friends and peers without his grumpy storm cloud of a father dragging down the mood. Mewtwo had other things to work on in the meantime, one was the ever-growing bruise along Espers back that no amount of treatments or healing could seem to stop, and the other was following up on Jesse's request to bring Giovanni's daughter Sarah out of her stupor. It wasn't surprising that things were coming full circle, but it was a stain on his past that he felt compelled to resolve. He had intended to ask Esper her opinion, but couldn't seem to find the right moment. Hey Esper, you know that girl that shot you in the head? Well I was kinda wondering if you would mind if I brought her back?
Father and son left the island via the main balcony, watching Nurse Joy bounce back toward the mainland on her personal sailboat. The leftover trainers had departed on the ferry hours agin. Nurse Joy was going to take advantage of a few days off as well, leaving the island locked down and in the care of the resident Pokémon until Mewtwo returned after dropping Solian off in Saffron. They hadn't been flying long when his cell phone rang in his backpack. He and Solian slowed a bit while he fumbled the phone out of his bag and checked the caller ID. Cherry. That was odd, she never called him. The pink fem blew up everyone elses phone but never his.
"Hey Mewtwo, sorry to bother you but-"
"Please make it quick Cherry, I'm in the middle of a long flight and very busy." Mewtwo said curtly, vaguely unaware and not really caring if he sounded angry. He hated these little glowing boxes the humans used and much preferred telepathy, but he did have to admit they were so damn convenient.
"Right to the point then, okay. Uh...Esper wanted me to tell you that she here at the Lighthouse and is okay."
Mewtwo came to a full stop. "At the...why is she...I'm on my way."
"Okay, I'll see you-"
Mewtwo hung up before Cherry could finish, then dropped the phone back in his bag. "Little Two, we need to make a detour," he changed his course and began flying further north.
"Are we still going to Jamie's?"
"Yes, just getting there a bit later than we planned. Esper is at the Lighthouse with Cherry. So we are going to meet her there." Mewtwo began flying faster, Solian to his credit was keeping up admirably. The kitten had no limit to his energy.
"Isn't Valencia Island in the other direction though?"
"It is." Mewtwo didn't think that Esper got lost. She had a better sense of direction than he did. If she had wanted to meet with the other mewtwos from Woodland she could have just said something and all three of them could have taken this trip together. Unless...unless she had been chased, or some idiot trainer tried to catch her, or she came in close contact with a plane, or any of the other terrible things that could have happened along point A to B.
"Dad! Slow down!" Solian shouted.
Mewtwo eased off a bit on his sudden burst of speed. His concern for Esper had been pulling him along and for the barest moment he had forgotten Solian was with him. When Solian had caught up he reached out and took his sons hand and brought him into his protective aura just like he had done when he was teaching him how to fly as a much smaller kitten. Solian almost complained but went along for the ride all the same. One day he would be too big to ride inside his fathers slipstream, and that day was approaching faster than either of them could fly.
Cad lay on his hammock and listened to the pair of fems in the kitchen talk. He only half eavesdropped, gossip was never one of his interests. His headphones sat untouched on the nightstand. Music normally helped him to think, but right now he needed to be alone with his thoughts. He still felt a bit of guilt over the previous night, anger at the way Lance had sized him up like some kind of criminal, and the fact that Candy had run at the first sign of daylight. Bill seemed to be an okay guy and he looked forward to getting to know the human more. Esper was a bit like him, new to this wider world, and there was still the mystery of Mewthree. Was he a ghost? A wandering spirit? He had said that he would be keeping an eye on Cad, but why?
The smell of fresh coffee began to drift down the hall and within minutes he could hear the main door gently open and close, then mostly silence followed by the sounds of clinking mugs, the fridge opening and closing, Cherry greeting someone...Cad closed his eyes and could almost visualize the little idealistic scene in his mind on the edge of sleep. Just on the edge of getting pulled under into that sweet relaxing bliss. Then Cad sensed it. A massive psychic presence unlike anything he had ever encountered. It was like standing next to a tornado, or a hurricane, or some other natural immense unstoppable force. And it was getting closer. It came up the hall, and he could feel his blood begin to rise to the challenge. The presence stopped outside of the half-closed door, and it pushed open just slightly to reveal...
A kitten.
A genuine mewtwo kitten with short bright white fur and a blue tummy and tail. Big blue eyes looked him over before the kitten said "Wow...sorry mister, I didn't know you were sleeping!" The kitten retreated and closed the door. Little hopping footfalls traveled up the hall, and the heavy presence followed it. "Hey Dad! There's someone else here and he's huge and has wings!"
That massive psychic presence pulled Cad out of his nap and caused a nearly defensive surge of adrenaline. Intimidating didn't describe the feeling accurately. The kitten didn't seem like a threat but the raw power that emanated from that small white and blue body was nothing he had ever experienced before. From Candy, to Esper, to this... kitten. That adorable little thing had so much psychic presence? How was it even possible?
Cad rolled out of the hammock and made the short journey up the hall and into the kitchen where Cherry, Esper and one other were seated at the table. Cad could see him, the First sitting at the table, light purple three-fingered hands wrapped around a coffee mug as he looked out the windows and over the ocean and cliffs. But the blue winged mewtwo couldn't sense him. Mewtwo was at one with the environment completely. If Cad didn't have visual confirmation of Mewtwo himself, he would never have known that the First was here. The kitten on the other hand was an absolute powerhouse. Cad had only just begun to really test the depths of his psychic perceptions but already he could feel the discrepancies in power levels in the room. Esper was like a multifaceted gemstone, her energy dense and brilliant. Cherry's energy was akin to a pleasant breeze, refreshing and enjoyable but with the potential to become stronger. And Mewtwo was simultaneously not there and everywhere at the same time.
Cherry gestured to Cad as he stepped into the kitchen. "Mewtwo, this is Cad. Cad, Mewtwo. He moved in last week, he's not from Woodland. He was from an independent, now...uh..." she struggled with a nice way to say 'he dun blown up his creator' and finally settled for, "He's liberated with no opportunity to return."
Mewtwo gave one snort into his mug, more as a quick comment on Cherry's joke than at Cads expense. He set the mug down and looked Cad over. Copycat had mentioned this one in his notebook. Mewtwo lowered his gaze when he realized that he had been studying Cad, comparing, and taking mental notes. Finally he picked up his mug again and said, "Copycat had made mention of a winged one. I am pleased that we meet under favorable conditions Cad."
Cad carefully walked over to the sturdiest chair and slowly took a seat, keeping his wings tucked in and his tail low to the ground. The chair groaned as Cad's weight settled on it. He was the biggest thing in the room but certainly didn't feel like it in the presence of both Mewtwo and his kitten. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Cad almost whispered. That was the honest truth. The last time he had felt this way was when he had the chance to speak to a guest lecturer at college that he studied the work of. So much pressure to make a good first impression without seeming overly casual or completely wild fanboy. He had always wondered what it would be like to meet the Mewtwo. The First. It was an intimidating and a humbling experience. Not only from the vantage point of Mewtwo being a near-celebrity in his world, but the First had also mastered his psychic aura. Cad's mind reached for words, any words so he wasn't just sitting there with his mouth open. "Uh...what... what happens under unfavorable conditions?" his eyes drifted over towards the kitten. The kitten was playing with a golden shell, probably taken from Cherry's stash on the porch, holding it up to the light and watching it refract off the surface and throw light on the walls.
Mewtwo paused in lifting the mug to his lips, then the corner of his mouth turned up in a self-depreciating smirk. "Perhaps that was a bit too strong of a greeting, my apologies. For many years I was the only one, and now there are many more of my-our kind, each with their own ambitions and desires. I prefer to meet more of our kind peacefully than to foster conflict. By nature we have great power within us, and it is up to us to train and use it responsibly. I am not ignorant, and I know conflict will occur, between myself and between the others who have come from Woodland labs and independent sources."
Esper nodded along with him, then held her hand out toward the kitten. The kitten-and his presence- hopped over and put the shell on the table, then climbed up into a chair next to Mewtwo and pulled over a mug of fresh milk and a snack of toast with homemade jam. Esper ran her hand/paw down the crown of Solian's head to his shoulder, as if she were petting him. She then turned her attention toward Mewtwo. "Cad and I met near the ocean. I had accidentally dropped my bag."
Mewtwo sighed, a worried expression rising behind his large purple eyes. Something passed between them and Cad could see it reflected in Esper's expression. The large winged mewtwo wasn't going to pry. Instead he tried to smooth the mood over by acknowledging what Mewtwo had said. "I very much understand what you say. It's been a great pleasure to meet Cherry, and Esper, and you, and him," he gestured to the kitten. "I have no desire to start a fight. I just want to be left alone for the most part. But I understand that violence. I suffer from it too. Probably doesn't help that I was born a human."
That got Mewtwo's attention. He thanked Cherry for a snack and began speaking to Cad privately. Born as a human? Cad told his story once more, Mewtwos expression remained unchanged as he drank his coffee and tended to Solian, letting Esper and Cherry chat and catch up on the gossip of the other mewtwos they had known from Woodland labs. When Cad finished his tale about the destruction of the lab, and the fact that it was now underwater, only then did Cad get a taste of the power Mewtwo was capable of. It was like witnessing some large fish or Wailord rise just beneath the surface of a glass-like pond, only to vanish into the deep again leaving nary a ripple.
I am not upset with you. My anger is reserved for those that carelessly toy with this knowledge. I have lived among humans enough to know that not all are bad, but the depths of their madness knows no bounds. It also concerns me that our kind is capable of the same, his gaze drifted to the kitten, who by this time had settled in on one of Cherry's couches to watch a video on his phone. Esper was curled up beside him, ears turned forward as she listened along. Solian is my son, even though he was sired by another. I love him more and more every day. I must raise him to be understanding, and not cruel.
Cads respect and admiration for Mewtwo only grew. Humans, well funded and ambitious humans could only think of mewtwos as no better than sporting goods. A bigger and better weapon to give them the advantage in a game of all things. The mewtwos of Woodland were created for this game, while others like himself were seemingly created as weapons to, of course, dominate other humans. It gave Cad a unique perspective on both worlds. Cad then curbed his louder telepathic voice to speak privately. For someone that was thrown into this world, I have to admit that you've handled it exceptionally well, all things considered. I had the luxury of being born and having some time to grow up. I'm not very proud of my own... misgivings, and I've done terrible things since. But I've made peace with myself and moved on. And I have Cherry to thank for pretty much saving me, otherwise I'd still be alone, cold, and confused. Now I can just be confused! he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Mewtwo cracked a small smile. Cherry enjoys having someone around. There are some of us that prefer to be alone, and others that need to be around others. I think Cherry is the latter. So many of our kind come through this lighthouse. She may be alone, but isn't lonely for long. He set his empty mug down which Cherry cleared away. I was never at Woodland labs, save to put an end to it, but those that were there were not treated well. They come with their own struggles of which I try to respect, but cannot allow myself to get involved in. I have seen the way you look upon Solian. I want you to look closer.
Cad turned a little in his chair, causing it to creak. The kitten seemed to be a normal, but there were slight differences between him and Mewtwo. Solian had four fingers instead of three, and three toes instead of two. His tail was also much longer, and ended in a more diamond-like shape than the smooth ball the other mewtwos had.
You must be warned you about Solian's other parent. He is dead, or so I've been told, but I also have seen his ghost on occasion. And even without a body, he is still quite powerful. Shield your mind, train and hone your skills. For battles are not just on the physical plane.
Cad couldn't have asked for a better set-up. This whole time he had been trying to find a way to bring up the most pressing question on his mind. Now he just went for it. "Mewtwo," he spoke out of respect. "I am still very new to my abilities, and I need proper training. Would you be able to take me on?"
Mewtwo stood from the table and pushed his chair in, Cad rose along with him, eyes and ears eager to hear an answer. Mewtwo sighed heavily. "At the moment...I cannot take on any students. There is a sickness that has been genetically encoded into the Woodland mewtwos. It causes them immense suffering and a painful death. Until I am able to find a cure or at the very least a reliable treatment, I will be unable to take on students. I am sorry Cad."
Cad felt his heart drop to the bottom of his feet, he lowered his gaze and his wings drooped a little. That he was disappointed was a bit of an understatement. Mewtwo's words cut deep. But it was foolish request to start with. He was a Gym leader, a father, and had so many responsibilities already. Cad couldn't just invite himself into his life. Even though his first instinct was to ask again and keep asking, that would be plain rude and the winged mewtwo wasn't in the position to start making enemies already.
Mewtwo went to the couch and nudged Solian. By now the sun had set and stars were filling the sky. "Come on, time to head to Saffron."
"Yay!" Solian began to gather his things.
"Esper," Mewtwo said softly. "If you wish to accompany us, you would be most welcome."
Esper sat up, for a moment indecisive between staying with Cherry and Cad, or following Mewtwo and her son. She stood up from the couch and then nodded toward Cherry and Cad. "Thank you both. Cad, it was wonderful meeting you, and Cherry, we will meet up and catch up again."
"Come on over anytime!" Cherry called out.
Cad forced a smile and crossed the large entry hall to open the door, "It was a pleasure to meet you Mewtwo, and Esper, and Solian." he said to the three of them as they exited. The large door closed, leaving Cad and Cherry to themselves.
Candy knew that she had been gone too long. She did everything she could to lead Rocket Dan away from Roan and the others that had escaped the destruction of Team Rocket headquarters. She hadn't expected to encounter another mewtwo, and certainly not one with wings near the coast. She had been hoping to find a hiding place of her own to hunker down in before she backtracked. But the storm hadn't slowed her and it certainly didn't slow Rocket Dan as they hunted her. As much as she hated to admit it, running into Cad and Cherry had been good for her, at least the breed-whore had been good for something.
Earlier that day she had awoken in a bed, a human bed, and filled with disgust
not allowed not allowed not allowed
she rolled out of the bed and went into the kitchen. The breed-whore and her new stud lived and kept a human home
don't touch don't touch don't touch
and it took Candy a moment to search through the cupboards before she found a bag of Poképellets to eat. Cherry and her stud ate human food
not allowed not allowed not allowed
it was well known in Team Rocket that human food and Pokémon food were two different things. Human food might as well have been poison, it was not made for the primitive stomachs of Pokémon. Poképellets were engineered for nutrition and catered to the rough stomachs of mewtwos and other Pokémon. Humans had superior and sensitive tastes. Cherry was poisoning herself and Candy refused to let that happen to her.
Candy backtracked for almost an entire day before she found the sewer outlet that she had the others escape through. The cave she mentioned should be around here somewhere, that is if Roan was smart enough to find it and lay low. She should have stayed, backed in with them and gave anyone who came close a lesson they would never forget. But she had led them away, and gotten beaten up for it, but now she had returned. Returned with fresh water and food and a thin plan of taking the remaining mewtwos to a safe house deep in the forest until Cassidy or Gayle summoned her.
She found the cave and knew from her aura sense that they had been here. Imari's psychic aura left residue damn-near anywhere she went. She was a very powerful psychic, stronger than even the First. They had been here, Candy found various plants on the floor that they had used for bedding, but now they weren't here. Where could they have gone? Why did they disobey her orders to remain until she returned for them? Did the Boss find them? Did they return to the safehouses?
Or did they run like cowards?
No, they wouldn't have gotten far with Imari. Imari was too weak to walk on her own, or even fly on her own. And no Pokéball or Masterball could contain her. There was no blood, there wasn't a battle. They weren't captured. They left willingly. They disobeyed her and left willingly.
Candy fell to her knees for the second time in as many days and roared in frustration and rage. Her bellow echoed off the cave walls and out of the mouth, amplifying her cry to that of a beast fit for her anger. She threw the bag of Poképellets down, then ate a handful and drank some of the water. Finally she resigned to crafting a bed from the grasses and leaves they had gathered to make a bed for herself. Tomorrow she would find Gayle and see if new orders had been passed down. It was cold and sleep did not come easy.
Candy admitted to herself
not allowed
that she kind of missed that human bed.
Cad waited until Cherry had fallen asleep. The pink fem had been busy with the domestic tasks of the Lighthouse ever since Mewtwo had left with Esper. He wasn't sure why she had been in a cleaning mood, the place looked fine, the Pokémon were cared for, the days harvest had been put away. The only thing he could think of was that the presence of Esper had somehow shaken her. Maybe it was Cherry's way of reminding herself that she was no longer in the horrible place in her past, going around and cleaning to reaffirm her new life here, in the Lighthouse. Cad gave the fem her space and resigned to ask her about it in the morning. For now he had a lot of thinking to do.
He couldn't sleep. He was exhausted and tossed and turned in his hammock, hovering just on the edge of that sweet bliss before he gave up and dropped out of the hammock. He paced through the kitchen, drinking a glass of water and feeling...confined of all things. The Lighthouse was suddenly too small, even with its larger main room and generous views, he felt too small and imprisoned in it. A walk, maybe a flight would do him some good. Get those restless feelings out and dealt with. He slipped out of the front doors as quietly as he could, he didn't want to awaken or worry Cherry, he could tell that she was already a bit shaken by his adventure the other night. She was still cordial and polite enough but he could still see that bit of hesitation and apprehension in her eyes. She treated him like a time bomb, and Cad had to admit it to himself, he felt like one sometimes.
He would never hurt Cherry intentionally, and that was the thing. Intentionally. He hadn't intended to get into a battle and kill anyone else either, justified or not. He had tasted that edge of his anger and knew that if given the right incentive he could be pushed over the edge, become enraged as the Salamence had, lashing out at everything and everyone until all he had left with was a bunch of guilt and one hell of a mess to clean up. He needed to get control of it before it got control of him.
Cad didn't fly, he walked past the barn and the sleeping Pokémon, then paused to gently pet a sleeping Skitty settled on the fence before continuing toward the cliffs near the Lighthouse. He liked going over there to watch the waves from so high above and listen to them pound on the stone. Feeling his feet on the dirt and grass made him feel literally more grounded, in control. Flying was great, it was exciting and fun, if tiring at times, but it also brought his senses to the fore, encouraged him to lose himself in the euphoria. To avoid hurting those he cared for, Cherry and any others he met, he had to reign that in. He needed training, and he was not about to go seeking out some human. If he was honest with himself the only human he could possibly trust with that role was Lance himself, and asking for his help was an even more unlikely than asking Mewtwo.
Mewtwo hadn't outright said "no" he only said "not right now." But Cad wasn't sure if he had that time to spare. He could feel himself getting stronger everyday, surprising him as he had to re-calibrate his psychic voice or how hard he threw a bale of hay, or anything else really. It was either wait for a spot to open up with Mewtwo and risk injuring himself or others in the meantime, or…
(I thought I would find you here.)
At first Cad sensed nothing, and he almost turned to head back toward the Lighthouse when he felt it, a distinct and strong and now familiar presence to his left. In the silver moonlight, he could make out a shape taking form as if it were collecting the light itself and shaping them into a figure. Mewthree stood next to him, partially translucent, but still bigger and taller than Cad himself. Much like Mewtwo, Mewthree had also mastered his aura, mastered it even after death so that only those he wished would be able to know of his presence. How long had been lurking? What had he seen?
Why are you here? Cad made a fist with his right hand and drew in a deep breath. I know what you are now, I've heard the stories, I've seen the fear and hate in their eyes. Why do you seek me out?
Mewthree seemed amused, his long tail swayed behind him, keeping low and passing through the ocean grasses like a mist. (Mewtwo is not the only one who could train you. I could also show you how to develop your suppressed talents.)
Now there was a thought that had never crossed Cads mind. One part of him rebelled against the idea but another part of him was interested. You? After all of the horror stories I have heard of your heartlessness?How can I be sure I could trust you?
(You can't be sure. You know that already. But perhaps you can find comfort in that I see no value in lies. You are quite the conundrum Cad Wing. A human given the gift of of what your kind would consider a god. However instead of letting the lesser beings exploit you, you showed them exactly what you think of their science. In that you, have my grudging respect.)
Cad bared his teeth. I have no desire to return to being a human. For once I feel set free, everything about that world is far behind me. I accept what I have become and I…
At this Mewthree smirked, a slight uptick of the corner of his lip and narrowing of his white eyes. (Your desire and drive for more power is telling of your human side, but I understand and encourage it. The rage and power you had tasted that night is only a small fraction of the ambition and potential that burn within you. It is compressed and locked away behind you inhibitions, behind your human nature, behind years of conditioning to sit still and behave. I can help bring it out of you, and teach you to control it. Yet I won't do it for free.)
Cad felt his throat grow dry. Mewthree was right and played directly to Cad's subconsciousness. He wanted more power and was actively seeking more of it. But he also needed training to control and master that power. This needed to be addressed. That was the justification he told himself. And as always there was a price. So here came the deal with the devil himself. And what is it you would like in return?
(I have need of a host body. There are places I must go, and individuals I must meet that I cannot interact with as I am. I cannot take just any body, I need one that is both welcoming and strong enough to withstand my energy. You will do nicely. In exchange I will show you how to tear down that barrier around your abilities and train you in how to use them.)
Cad again felt his conscience begin to pound at his heart. How bad could it be? He wanted it, he wanted to finally know what lay behind that closed door in his mind. I have conditions. Cad said firmly.
(I expected as much.)
No killing. I'm willing to give up my soul in exchange for this forbidden knowledge, but no one elses. Cherry remains safe and happy and unaware. I don't know who you are trying to get closer to, but I will not allow their deaths at my hands. I will kill myself and you along with me.
Mewthree grew silent for a moment, then said. (Deal. I have no need to cause others to join me in the aether.)
Cad nodded. I help you, you help me.
Mewthree then circled around behind Cad. (Look to the moon.) Cad turned his gaze skyward and looked up at the moon. He felt Mewthrees hands settle on his shoulders, then sink into them. Instantly his heart began to race as he felt a vapor-like coolness slip between his wings and sink into his skin. Mewthree was filling his body as if Cad were a coat. There was the familiar frustrated feeling of confinement, and then something snapped within him, not unpleasantly either. It was like a bone or muscle finally setting back into place. Cad/Mewthree lifted his arm toward the sky, as if taking the moon in his hand. They stepped off the cliff, but instead of a drop, Cad felt his feet touch sand, then cool water as waves splashed over his toes. They took a step until they stood ankle deep in the ocean in a way that should have been impossible. Cad took his eyes from the moon and looked back at the Lighthouse. Only now did he realize what had happened.
He was huge. No, that was too small of a word for it. He was enormous. The Lighthouse had become a small model, a toy sitting on the cliffs before him. The ocean at his feet was a wading pool, no different from the tide pool Esper had rescued her pack from. Large rocks and boulders that he had seen from the kitchen balcony had become large gravel between his toes.
(In a far away land they call this Dynamaxing. It can only be done in certain places for a certain length of time. But you, my blue and winged wonder, are able to take on this form any time and for however long you wish. Provided that you can keep control of your emotions while you're at it. Your size isn't the only thing that has changed, your capacity for elation, grief, and of course anger have increased as well.)
This power. This unimaginable power that Cad could feel after Mewthree had merged with him. For the first time, he understood. There are some things that cannot be told or explained. They must experienced first hand. Cad could feel not only his power, but Mewthrees as well. He welcomed it, lusted for it. Cad towered over everything. The feeling of power, strength, superiority, a literal manifestation of potential. His muscles tensed, his mind flexing and taking control over this massive body. He wanted this, needed to be massive, enormous, and still it wasn't enough. In the space of a thought, Cad reached out began to draw power from Mewthrees spirit. Hungry and greedy, Cad took charge. Mewthree was just another asset to him. New power coursed through him, muscles bulged as his entire body expanding and growing even larger. Too confined, too small. He wanted to become colossal! He wanted the tips of his ears to graze the clouds, wanted to feel the planet crack underneath his feet, wanted to feel the oceans obey his every whim and winds to respond to his every demand.
The moment was short-lived. Mewthree overpowered Cad with a well-timed flex and burst of energy. Cad was pulled back from his delusion and to the present. Still the two of them now loomed over everything. Nothing was bigger or taller and for a moment Cad wondered if he should peek into Cherry's bedroom window. He shook the thought away. For the first time since he could remember, he felt finally free, not longer contained or confined to small rooms and small minds. His form finally fit his ambitions.
Don't harm any of my friends or family while in my body. Cad repeated.
(I will not harm any other mewtwo while I am a guest in your form. Aside from these training sessions, you will not know that I am here.) Mewthree took control again and Cad began to feel his power wane. For a feared monster, Mewthree was quite gentle in how he literally let Cad down again. (Grow too much too quickly and you will lose control of your senses.) Cads body began to shrink back down again, it was almost nauseating. He wanted to resist it, and part of him did, not after finally feeling the freedom to be himself. He had everything he wanted and it was being taken away from him, set aside to play with another day. He felt drained, even as Mewthree took his body back to the cliff top and set him down on the grass. Cad finally returned to his normal height. He looked longingly up at the moon again.
(I'll be back for your final decision in the morning.)
Cad sat down in the grass before his eyelids closed and he felt the world slip away into the deepest sleep he had known.
The flight to Saffron was spent in companionable silence, but that still made Esper uneasy. Since leaving the Lighthouse, Mewtwo had been a little cold toward her, even Solian seemed to notice it and instead the kitten spent his energy on keeping pace with his father and mother. Esper didn't want to leave Mewtwo's side, but at the same time guilt was chewing away inside of her. She had literally been chasing ghosts on a whim. The world was a beautiful and wild place but it was also dangerous and-
I know its useless to ask you to stop worrying. Mewtwo said softly, breaking the silence and the thoughts in her mind. I am not angry at you. You are fully grown fem and are allowed to travel where and when you wish. I am not your keeper nor master. You are free. I am...concerned and worried for your safety however. I plan to drop Solian off at Sabrina's, and then you and I can find a quiet place and air our thoughts.
Esper was surprised. Both at herself and at him. On some level deep down she had been fully expecting to get punished. Because that was how it had worked in the past. She had been fully expecting an angry Mewtwo and part of her had been covertly getting ready for some kind of massive blow-out. But this wasn't the past, and Mewtwo was far more mature than the handlers in Team Rocket, and certainly more trusting in her judgment than Brock and Ivy were. The realization was like heavy stones dropping from her mind, like boxing gloves slipping from her hands...and this level of trust and consideration would certainly take some getting used to. She flew a little closer to him and then reached up and held his paw. He gave her fingers a tight squeeze back. And just like that everything was okay, the smile returned to her lips and the perk in her flight.
They dropped Solian off at Sabrina's home, gave the kitten goodbye hugs and nudges then took flight again for parts unknown. They didn't have a set destination in mind and instead flew higher above the clouds toward the moon. Their flight eventually leveled off and they slowed, seemingly resting on the clouds. Before she could say anything, Mewtwo embraced Esper, sharing his warmth with her and listening to her heartbeat become steady and strong. Now...please tell me why you changed course to head to the Lighthouse of all places?
Esper tensed a little in his arms, still feeling foolish herself for it, but if she couldn't trust him, then who could she trust? I thought I sensed a familiar presence there. In Woodland I gave birth to two kittens. Solian and one other. I had hope that if Solian was alive, then the other would be as well. I thought I sensed them.
Mewtwo grew quiet. Why hadn't she mentioned this sooner? Probably for the same reason she ignored the growing bruise along her backside. If there was another of Mewthrees kittens out there and in wrong hands that would be bad. Memories of that night rose from their graves. Solian was in the tank. Little Two was so small, so helpless. So many tanks, so many with that thick blue solution at the bottom. If he had just gotten there sooner, if he hadn't stopped to watch that horror, if he had been stronger. If. If. If.
Esper felt his arms tighten around her waist. He had become still and distant again, was he upset over her confession?
Little Two was the only kitten that I found...alive. Mewtwo bit hard on that last word. I refuse to go into detail, I will spare you and anyone else that horror. If I could I would destroy that place over and over again.
Esper felt that thin hope extinguish within her. She had been so sure. The pain that bloomed in her chest now was as if she had experienced the loss all over again, but this time there was comfort. Mewtwo held her tightly and gave her time to grieve.
But if there is a possibility, even a small chance, I will keep my senses open for an energy signature close to Solian's. Mewtwo offered. He knew the risk and pain that came with false hope, and he certainly didn't want Esper to forget that she had one living kitten and an entire life ahead of her. Perhaps he could do something in honor of all those who had passed in Woodland Labs, a memorial of some kind, a place for the survivors to gather and center their grief.
I know you did what you could. Esper said softly. And you saved many more lives, I am eternally grateful that you not only raised Solian, but have reunited us. Thank you.
Mewtwo gently put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. Espers grip loosened on his shoulders and he looked into her magenta colored eyes. He knew she couldn't see him, but her attention was focused all the same. The moonlight danced on her pastel-colored fur. She was lovely, no one else in this world could compare to her. He pressed his lips to hers and heard her surprised yet relieved gasp as she responded to him. Their kiss deepened and her arms tightened around his shoulders once more. It was his first real kiss, and from her own tentative movements, it was hers as well. When they finally parted, Mewtwo rested his forehead on hers, their combined purrs warming the space between them. His next thought was out before he could catch it, like a bird set free. I want you to be my mate.
Esper smiled. Tonight? She said in that teasing coy tone he had come to love.
Mewtwo took her hand and held it. Tonight and every day and night hereafter. By my side, in my thoughts, always.
Esper leaned in and touched her nose to his. There is no place I want to be than with you. I think I've come to love you, no, I know I've come to love you. Will you be my mate?
Yes. Will you be mine? Mewtwo rested his palm on her cheek.
Yes. She returned the gesture.
They kissed again, their hearts finally one under the moonlight.
