Chapter 7
As Mewtwo continued to lead the way towards the doors, they opened on their own, revealing a large, near-empty room, with a shallow pool serving as a centerpiece. Arceus was waiting in his usual spot furthest from the doors; if the council chamber were full, there'd be a semi-circle formed around the room, with Arceus at the head of it.
"Mewtwo," Arceus greets, "This is outside your regular schedule. What news do you bring?"
"Team Rocket insults your power yet again," Mewtwo answers evenly.
Arceus was silent for a moment and Mewtwo could sense him bristle. "That no longer surprises me," he said with a spark of annoyance. He suddenly sees Moltres, and then looks back at Mewtwo questioningly.
Mewtwo stepped toward the pool and waved his hand over it. An image of Vesta appeared in present time; she was sitting at the fireplace, still with that blanket wrapped around her. Misty was speaking with her, obviously keeping her calm while they ate some hot soup together.
"Who's that?" Mew asked.
Moltres leaned over for a closer look, and Arceus stepped forward to see as well. There was complete silence and Mewtwo could sense confusion set in, as they couldn't figure out what was so important about this image. Mewtwo opened his mouth, ready to explain, when he heard a gasp come from Moltres.
"So you do sense it." Mewtwo said to the phoenix. Moltres nodded.
"Mewtwo…" Mew said quietly, "This girl. She was born human, without such powers. How—?"
"Is it not obvious, Mew?" Arceus interrupted. "Some arrogant humans have taken Moltres' blood and put it into the girl, thereby granting her this power."
"Team Rocket. And that's not precisely how it works, and it wouldn't necessarily have to be his blood." Mewtwo stated. He wasn't going to elaborate on the delicate procedures that Mewtwo guessed were required for this result, as Arceus cared nothing for long lectures made up of words not commonly heard that did not exist a few hundred years ago. "It could've been a feather, or a claw, or any other biological part of Moltres. What I want to know right now is where they could possibly have obtained it."
Arceus, Mew, and Mewtwo all looked over at Moltres. The bird hesitated and shifted uncomfortably, "They couldn't have gotten it on Fire Island, I guard it to closely, I would've been aware of their presence the moment they crossed into my territory. The only other place I can think of—where they could've gotten it—is the stadium torch at the Indigo Plateau."
Moltres dipped his head in shame, his eyes fixated sorrowfully on the image of the girl in the pool.
"This…this certainly is a new incident. It's almost a variation of your own situation, Mewtwo," Arceus said quietly. Mewtwo was surprised do detect, not anger, but sadness, in Arceus' voice, "albeit…reversed."
Mew looked over at Mewtwo, "How did you find her?"
"She was fleeing Team Rocket; somehow, she had escaped from them," Mewtwo began to explain, "I swooped in, grabbed her, and hid until they left. She had overused her fire-type abilities, and by the time I got her into my house, she was severely hypothermic."
"Mewtwo," Arceus warned, "This sounds hauntingly familiar. 'Swoop in', 'rescue her'—."
Mewtwo stiffened, hackles rising. He scowled—curling his lips and baring his fangs—and turned to Arceus. "Do not finish that thought!" he hissed, taking a threatening stance. That was not relevant to the current situation. Arceus had no right!
Silence filled the room as Mewtwo and Arceus stared eachother down. Mew actually stopped hovering up and down in the air and she wapped her tail around herself protectively. Moltres backed away a few steps as he glanced between Arceus and Mewtwo in confusion. Despite attempting to keep the peace, this was a common occurrence between the two, usually though it would be about Mewtwo accusing Arceus of attempting to control him. Mewtwo usually lost those ones, because it was really Mewtwo letting his past influence his view of others; Arceus' rule over life on the planet was not something to be compared with Giovanni's enslavement of innocent people and pokemon. This however was different, and both Mew and Moltres let out the breaths they were holding when Arceus this time dipped his head in apology and looked away.
Now that the air was cleared, Mew gestured back down at the pool, "What do you know about her situation?" she asked.
Mewtwo let his fur lie flat again and gratefully returned to the more relevant conversation, "Not much." he growled, "She is willing to talk now, but she does not feel safe doing so. I fear that if I do prompt her story while she feels unsafe, it will hinder the accuracy."
"So, to get a proper story from her, what do you suggest? Wait a month to earn her trust, and see if she feels comfortable to talk then?" Arceus asked.
"No, for two reasons," Mewtwo answered. "One being, after a month, the events are not fresh in her memories as they are today. And two, I do not think she nor myself would be patient enough for that whilst under the knowledge that her friends could be suffering punishments for her escape."
"Team Rocket has more captives?" Moltres asked in shock, "You don't think…"
Moltres didn't have it in him to finish his thought, but he didn't need to, they all knew what he was thinking. Mewtwo sighed, "You may need to speak with Zapdos and Articuno. Find out if there has been recent unusual activity in areas they frequent." Moltres nodded reluctantly.
"What do you suggest then? To get a reliable story from her as soon as possible?" Arceus asked.
"To bring her here and speak with the Council of Legends personally."
There was dead silence, Moltres looked at Mewtwo like he'd grown a second head. Mew seemed to stare off into space, obviously attempting to come up with a better idea. But there is no place safer than the Hall of Origin, it was in another dimension altogether.
"You don't think she would be intimidated from being surrounded by so many legendaries?" Arceus asked
"I'm sure she will be," Mewtwo answered, "but she will recognize that even if Team Rocket somehow found their way here, they wouldn't be stupid enough to enter. One, or even two legendary pokemon, they might try their luck against, but a whole horde? Giovanni has always been one to 'bite off more than he can chew' but even he would call that madness."
Silence again as Arceus contemplated Mewtwo's words. Arceus would no doubt destroy or move the portal to the Hall if Team Rocket—or any untrustworthy human for that matter—learned of its location.
"I can't remember the last time a human has set foot here," Arceus said, half to himself, "As far as I can tell, it has never happened. Furthermore, can this girl even be called human anymore?"
"Do I have your permission to bring her here?" Mewtwo prompted.
Arceus was silent for a moment; Mew hadn't come up with any other suggestions, so he nodded, "Yes, I will need a day to gather the council, and it appears she could also use that time to further recover."
Mewtwo nodded in agreement, the meeting was called to a close and Mewtwo teleported to the portal back to Cerulean Cave. As well as the meeting itself went, Mewtwo was not leaving the Hall of Origin in any better of a mood as he entered in.
