Chapter 20

Vesta woke up in her room to the sun's rays shining in her eyes. She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was 8:26AM. Mewtwo must've gone to bed by now, she thought, disappointed; she had a whole list of questions for him and couldn't finish it last night, Misty should be awake now though, maybe she can answer a few.

With that in mind, Vesta sat up, got out of the very warm bed and began to get dressed in the clothes Mewtwo lent to her, just a plain gray T-shirt and black sweatpants. Thankfully there was a thermostat for this room, and the temperature was set pretty high so that Vesta could handle such light clothing; she was still a little hypothermic. That reminded her to check her temperature; the thermometer was in the kitchen. She put on a thick sweater, opened the door and left the warm room.

In the living room, she found an odd sight, Mewtwo was curled up on the couch, sleeping, He has four bedrooms in this house, why doesn't he use one? Then, when she looked up to look out the window at the mountain, she saw a silhouette sitting on the windowsill, a small, pink kitten, with a long, thin tail, staring at her with big, blue eyes. Appearances can be deceiving though, chances were that was no kitten; it was probably older than most legendary pokemon.

Mew? Vesta mouthed to the kitten, and it nodded affirmation. Vesta then tapped her head before gesturing to Mewtwo, Can you read my mind? I don't want to wake him up, Mew nodded again, Well, I'm Vesta. Nice to meet you. Vesta glanced around the room wondering where Misty was, before giving up and heading to the kitchen. Mew levitated into the air to follow.

By the time Mew had entered, Vesta had just put the thermometer in her mouth and was staring contemplatively at the cupboards, Do you think Mewtwo would mind if I made myself some breakfast? Mew shook her head, so Vesta opened the cupboard to look at the cereals. She couldn't come to any decision on one, mainly because most of them were about as grainy as the slop Team Rocket fed them. Thinking about the two others she left behind made her heart twinge with worry and regret, Jack, Thor…hang in there guys…

The thermometer beeped, announcing it was done taking the measurement, so Vesta pulled it out, 115°F, almost there— Suddenly the thermometer started beeping loudly—more like blaring. Vesta's eyes widened in surprise and she dropped the thermometer onto the counter. Mew then took action and used her psychic powers to shatter the thermometer; all that remained was a quiet pile of junk. Mew quickly peeked into the living room to make sure the noise didn't wake Mewtwo up, thankfully it didn't. He's not gonna be mad is he? Vesta asked when Mew returned to her side, Mew just giggled in response, Vesta narrowed her eyes, Guess I don't have to worry about it anyways, I'm not the one who broke it. Mew stopped giggling and feigned offense, Vesta smirked at Mew's act.

Vesta had eventually settled on cooking up the breakfast sausages and hashbrowns she found in the freezer—it was too tempting and might very well be considered gourmet after what she had to endure in Team Rocket—she was worried that the smell would wake Mewtwo, but Mew reassured her by putting up a Light Screen at the entrances to the kitchen. Vesta knew she and Mew would get along great.


By 3:00PM Mewtwo had woken up; Misty was still in heavy sleep-dept at the time so she didn't wake till 6:00. When Mewtwo entered the kitchen to see his decimated thermometer on the counter, he honestly wasn't surprised. It didn't matter much anyways, it was an ordinary drugstore thermometer with a few easy alterations—easy to him, anyways. Misty had a more worthwhile reaction for Mew upon hearing of the thermometer's fate; a loud sigh of relief and "Thank God!" While Vesta and Mew were laughing, it even brought a smirk to Mewtwo's face.

Misty and Mew were noticeably casting Mewtwo concerned glances throughout the afternoon. For their peace of mind, he kept giving subtle nods letting them know that he was alright, and truth be told, he really was feeling better; the crushing weight he felt on his shoulders throughout last night, had mysteriously fallen off. That realization brought to mind one of the many curious phrases that humans have come up with: Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. He couldn't understand why things would have to get worse in the first place, other than putting oneself at their lowest point so the only way to go after that is up, but still, was it really necessary?

On another note, Vesta was handling being near two legendaries at the same time rather well; the real test however was going to be when there are seventeen more added to the list. They were on their way now to the Hall of Origin, once Misty and Vesta had had donned their winter gear, Mewtwo, in his cloak, teleported Vesta, Mew, Misty and himself inside Cerulean Cave, far enough inside, that Vesta couldn't see the city in the distance, but also far enough away from the portal so that she could start steeling herself.

"So… who are we going to meet?" Vesta asked, bundling into her thick jacket as they began walking, their footsteps echoing along the cavern. Mew floated on ahead, summoning a ball of light around her to light the way.

"It's not safe yet for me to answer," Mewtwo said.

Vesta frowned and looked down the corridor.

"Don't worry too much about it," Misty said, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "It's not that they don't trust you, they just can't afford to take any risks."

"I'll tell you when we get to where we need to go." Mewtwo said.

"Which is…?" Vesta prompted.

"I can't tell you that yet either."

Vesta scoffed, annoyed. Giving up on that topic, she decided to change the subject, "When did you learn to speak English?"

Mewtwo cocked an eyebrow at her, "I could speak English as early as I remember. I must have learned the language subconsciously while I was still in the cloning chamber."

"I heard that you always preferred telepathy, but were you always able to speak English vocally?"

Mew giggled from up ahead and Mewtwo glared at her, then he turned to Vesta, "You seem to know quite a bit about me," he said, "considering that all you claimed to have heard were mere 'whispers'."

Vesta hesitated, "Er…yeah, I'll admit, I was lying then," that much was obvious to Mewtwo already though, she'd given him the impression last night that she knew more about him than she claimed; not the best liar, "But you were still 'Matthew' to me then, I didn't realize you actually were Mewtwo at the time. I promise, I'll explain everything when I am speaking to whomever we are going to meet."

They continued on in silence before Vesta prompted the question again, "So…? Were you always able to speak English vocally?"

Mewtwo sighed, "No, I was not. I had finished traveling around Hoenn about six years back and I wasn't quite ready to continue on to Sinnoh. I grew bored during that time I took as a break, so I gave it a try."

"Was it difficult? How long did it take?"

"Lots of concentration, an endless amount of mews and an intense migraine," Mewtwo answered, and Mew looked back at him with a smirk on her face; she remembered Mewtwo talking to himself, and watching his frustration every time he stumbled back into the 'Mew' dialect, "But within the month I had gotten the hang of it."

"'Mews'?" Vesta said confusedly, "Not 'Mewtwos'?"

"'Mewtwo' was the name the scientists gave me," Mewtwo explained, "It has no connection to the genetic aspects of the pokemon languages."

"Right…that makes sense," Vesta said thoughtfully, "I mean…I guess by my logic, had they named you something like 'Marcus'—"

Mew lost it, and she burst out laughing. In response, Mewtwo launched a Shadow Ball at her—eliciting a yelp from Vesta—and then summoned a ball of light to float ahead of them when Mew teleported away. He then glared back at Misty daringly to find her trying her best to hold back her snickering.

When Vesta regained her composure, she thankfully changed the subject again as they continued along the tunnel, "So, just how did you manage to buy a house?" Mewtwo looked at her curiously as she continued, "I mean, I assume you disguised yourself in your human form when you needed to close the deal, and the name 'Matthew' is on the deed, but where did you get the money?"

Mewtwo opened his cloak, pulled out the card tucked into the inner pocket, and handed it to Vesta. She held it close to examine but upon finding nothing unusual, "Just an ordinary credit card. So what? You're a hacker? Identity theft?"

"Hacker, yes. Identity theft, no, though I could pull that off if I really wanted to," Mewtwo stated nonchalantly.

"Please don't," Misty said.

Mewtwo smirked, "That card was made to look and work just like any other, except it's tapped into Team Rocket's funds," Vesta's eyes widened like saucers, "Team Rocket tracks most of the cards that they make…except for one; now can you tell me who in Team Rocket no other member would have any business tracking financially?"

"You made a copy of Giovanni's card…" On top of the awe and surprise, Vesta's eyes began to take on a mischievous glint, Mewtwo could already see the possibilities flying through her head, "May I borrow this for a day? Just one day?"

Mewtwo promptly took back the card, "The 'spite-spending' that I am doing for my house and other necessities, doesn't even put a noticeable scratch in Giovanni's account. I'd rather keep it that way."

For now… Vesta thought, and Mewtwo heard it. She was vindictive to Team Rocket, no doubt about that. Mewtwo remembered when he was like that—when the feelings were still so raw—then having all that spite come back with a vengeance once he'd gotten the card. But he knew that if he made all that money disappear in one day, Giovanni would get it all back just as easily, then he'd change the card and undergo an extreme investigation for the culprit. And if Mewtwo was stupid enough to do it again—highly unlikely—he would have to go through the headache of copying the card again, and make sure there were no trackers placed on it the second time around. Then it would be that constant game of tug-of-war until eventually when Mewtwo knew he would get reckless and make a fatal mistake. No, this way was safest, and if he ever planned to do something as dangerous bringing Team Rocket to the ground, he'd have to do it from the inside.

"Well, we're here," Misty said.

Mewtwo looked up to see the familiar rock wall blocking his path. Before Vesta could speak out in confusion about the seemingly dead end, Mewtwo used his telekinesis to move the rocks aside, forming an opening to reveal the portal on the other side.

"Too bad, I can't go in with you two," Misty informed Vesta, "No Visitor's Pass," she added with a smirk.

"Thank you for everything Misty, though, maybe it's best you return home now," Mewtwo suggested, "You've been away from the gym for a while. If there are still spies hanging around, you don't want them getting suspicious of you."

"Yeah," Misty said, nodding in agreement, "Besides, I got travel plans to make. Brock and I are going to visit Ash in Alola."

That piqued Mewtwo's interest, "How is he by the way?" he asked.

"As hopelessly dense as ever," Misty said, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, "other than that, not sure. That's why we're going to visit him. See you around," she said, waving goodbye as Mewtwo teleported her back to the cave entrance; he wasn't going to make her walk back through the dark cavern on her own.

"Ready?" Mewtwo asked as he turned back to Vesta, she nodded apprehensively, "Then brace yourself; first time through a portal is the worst."

Vesta followed him through the portal and entered the main corridor of the Hall of Origin. She seemed to stumble on her way through, so Mewtwo waited while she regained her footing. Bracing herself on her knees, she took a few breaths, "Oooohhhh, that is so much worse than teleporting," she complained, "My head is spinning and my legs feel like they have turned to jelly."

There was a slight giggle from up ahead as Mew approached from farther along the corridor. That made Vesta look up and notice her surroundings, "Wow…" she said breathlessly, "This place is…" she couldn't find a word to accurately describe it.

"Welcome to the Hall of Origin," Mew said.

Vesta's gaze quickly shot to Mew, "Hey! How can I understand you all of a sudden?" she exclaimed.

"That's Arceus' doing," Mewtwo explained, "Anyone can understand anyone in this place, no matter what language they speak. You reported ahead I presume?" he asked, looking to Mew.

"Yes, but they're not ready yet," Mew answered, "A couple council members are still on their way, shouldn't be too long though."

"In that case, how about a tour?" Mewtwo asked Vesta.

"Are you kidding?!" Vesta asked excitedly, "How many people ever actually get to see the Hall of Origin. I didn't even think this place was real!"

"You're the first human to set foot here," Mew said. As if Vesta didn't already look like she was going to faint from excitement. That actually made Mewtwo feel sorry for the girl though. Her mood was going to make a rapid 180 the moment she begins speaking with the Council. But, while she had this moment now, she may as well make the most of it.


A/N: Just wanted to point out something that came to mind while writing this chapter. It's a minor thing but yes, I do believe that pokemon are separated into the carnivore/omnivore/herbivore/scavenger groups, and yes, I do believe that humans and certain pokemon hunt and eat the meat of other pokemon. I admit, the thought kinda disturbs even me, but it's not like the pokemon company haven't been subtly hinting towards it (Namely a few buffet scenes). But less obvious, and more from my Biology classes in highschool, is that a lot of pokemon have claws and fangs (Pikachu proudly showing his in a yawn in the first episode). Fangs, for example, would not have developed if every pokemon was a herbivore.

I just wanted to point that out in case anyone questioned why I would put something like that in my fic. I wont flaunt it, or specify anything, it just didn't sit right with me to pretend that all they ever eat is tofu.