Chapter 1

Run.

It was all she could think to do; Vesta had to stay ahead of her pursuers, she could not afford to be surrounded. Fighting them off one at a time would be easy. All at once would be difficult but still possible, so long as they continued attacking from one direction themselves. But if she turned around to launch just one attack, they'd scatter and circle her.

Her physical endurance had given up long ago. She had no choice but to use the powers forced into her body to allow her to keep running, but doing so made her shine like a beacon in the dark, dense forest; even more so now that it was the middle of the night! It didn't help that she left a melted and scorched trail on the once snowy ground behind her as she ran.

Damn! They're catching up! She could hear them behind her, they may just be a bunch of grunts with a few admins, but endurance-wise, training was equal in all members of Team Rocket. Vesta on the other hand, felt her lungs burning, and her legs ready to give out!


Mewtwo was gazing down from a rooftop upon the lights and buildings of Cerulean City. So late at night there was little activity on the streets, a few taxis picking up late night partiers and some couples strolling along the sidewalks looking through the windows of the few stores and cafes that remain open at such an hour; it was near midnight.

What Mewtwo enjoyed most was the park just down the road; in the beginning of December, the city council along with Gym Leader Misty would decorate the trees and trail lampposts with festive decorations befitting this time of year. Almost every town or city would do this, however in some of the larger cities, there was too much chaos in all the flashing and blinking lights and animated decorations; waving Santa Clause statues and such. It was too distracting. But in Cerulean Park – with the fountain as the centerpiece and the large Christmas tree behind it, all the lights giving off nothing more than a steady glow—they gave Mewtwo a warm, calm feeling.

Mewtwo remembered, a couple years back, when he first saw the setup. He'd seen these decorations many times before, but he was so mesmerized with how the simple lights and decorations worked together to make the park feel so welcoming. It struck his curiosity, and next thing he knew, he was perched in a tree in the park, hidden by the branches; he didn't dare take a closer look at the display than that. At night, for nearly the entire month, when human activity in the park was at a minimum, Mewtwo would choose that peaceful area to collect his thoughts. That was his routine, and no one bothered him, because no one could see him.

Or so he thought…

On the night of that Christmas Eve, nearing midnight, a lone human came into the park—cloaked so Mewtwo couldn't see their face—and made a beeline for the tree that he was in. He braced himself; ready to fight, or flee—taking the human's memories with him—when the human stopped under the tree and looked up, directly at him.

It was Misty, and she was carrying a package. Mewtwo's shoulders dropped in relief, she is a friend of course; too much had happened on New Island and—more importantly—Mount Quena to state otherwise. Misty held up the package to him and he reached down to retrieve it—it was obviously a gift, and Mewtwo felt it would not be as meaningful had he'd merely used his psychic powers to levitate it from her hands and into his. Opening the package he discovered it was a cloak, much like the one she was wearing.

Misty asked him if he'd like a closer look at all the decorations, so Mewtwo put on the cloak and felt it was now safe enough to leave the hidden shelter of the tree to admire the park up close. As it turned out, she saw him one evening entering the tree and thought it was going to be just that one half-second glimpse of "the legendary Mewtwo" for the next few years. But then her attention was focused on that tree for a while, and early one morning, she saw him leaving it. So, given the time of year, she bought the cloak and kept it with her until the next time she was sure he was in the park again.

Mewtwo looked back on that night fondly, and to this day, Misty remained aware of Mewtwo's presence in Cerulean City, because she knew the true identity of Matthew, who is the current owner of a cabin, on the outskirts of the city, sitting at the base of the mountain near the entrance to Cerulean Cave. Transform; it was a little trick that Mew taught him that very same Christmas (Misty's suggestion) so he could blend and mingle in the crowds. He didn't mind the solitude, or rather, his Mew side didn't, it was his human side that craved the presence of others; it was why Mewtwo constantly found himself in large cities surrounded by all the noise, he couldn't help it.

Lost in thought and reminiscing about the past, Mewtwo almost missed the bright light in the distance, at the corner of his vision, streaking its way through the forest on the mountain. Fire type on a rampage? He kept his eye on it, but it didn't seem to be starting any wild fires so Mewtwo didn't feel inclined to rush to investigate. Instead, he flew cautiously through the air, using the rooftops as cover, only to gradually pick up speed as the fiery light was making a mad dash closer and closer to his cabin.