*Thoughts*

"Speech"

"Telekinesis Talk."

When they reappeared, Mewtwo found himself in a forest, just outside of Ectruteak City.

He turned around upon hearing footsteps approaching; Suicune, Raikou, and Entei appeared, looking tired.

"That was a fail," Raikou murmured.

"Massive fail," Entei agreed solemnly.

"It's not our fault," Suicune huffed. "she's still depressed over that jerk. I don't see why."

"You've never been in love, Suicune." Entei shrugged.

"Have you?"

"Don't you remember my old girlfriends? My problem was that they were all mortals."

"True, I guess...Raikou, you're with me, right?"

Raikou was silent.

"Raikou?"

"...Suuuuuuure..."

"Depressed over 'that jerk'?" Mewtwo wondered.

"Ho-oh and Lugia broke up." Marshadow shook her head. "Certain other relationships in your life can affect your personality, and thus Lugia...wasn't the best boyfriend. Or the best at making decisions, as you saw."

At Mewtwo's growl, she continued.

"Ho-oh's a sweet, sensitive lady, and she felt for his kids as well, but unfortunately her efforts to help weren't received very well. Even when she quit, her relationship with Lugia suffered, leading to a very...emotional breakup. She's not getting over it. Like at all."

Mewtwo glanced at the dogs, who continued their trudge to Ectruteak.

"The boys are trying to help her, but nothing's working; this is starting to damage their relationship as well."

"By Arceus...this is too much..." Mewtwo muttered, rubbing his temple.

"Maybe we should go back?" Raikou offered. "It's Christmas, after all...she usually likes spending it with us..."

"Not this year." Suicune growled. "I say we just let her sulk. That's clearly what she wants."

"She's just sad. Maybe if we try something else to cheer her up--"

"For what purpose?! All she's gonna do is whine about how Lugia could've done better!! Or how Lugia could've done something that only lovers could do!! All she cares about is Lugia!!"

The other two backed away at Suicune's outburst, which left him panting.

He turned away.

"Face it, guys. That jerk's all she cares about. Let's just spend Christmas by ourselves."

As he began to stalk off, the other two looked at each other sadly before continuing on.

"Why would you show me this?" Mewtwo asked, confused. "It doesn't seem as...drastic as the others."

"Even the little things have their effect," Marshadow replied. "This may not seem like a lot to you, but to someone it is."

She turned and began walking away.

"Come now. We have one final thing to see."

"We aren't teleporting?"

"I feel that walking will have more effect this time. Now come along."

(Trigger Warning, if you have a weak stomach reading this next section is not advised)

Mewtwo was really dreading whatever he had to see next; Marshadow's "walking effect" had the result she wanted in making it worse.

His dread meter shattered as the bar went up when he found himself in front of the lab he'd been created in...that wasn't blown to smithereens.

"Why," He spat, "Are we here?"

"For the grand finale." Marshadow walked into the wall, gesturing for him to follow.

Reluctantly, he did; the inside seemed abandoned, for the most part.

"You," She began, "Are the only successful clone of Mew. All others are failed amalgamations breeders use to get more Pokémon. After you were finally created, the cloning experiments were...ahem...forcefully stopped."

Mewtwo shivered as they walked past several familiar tubes.

He glanced at a certain one, nearly stopping when he recognized the little girl's name on the plaque.

However, Marshadow kept speaking, pulling him along.

"But without your successful creation, there was no reason to stop. No reason to not capture Mew and continue to use her until she could be used no more..."

When they reached the final room, Mewtwo gagged at the sight.

A fully-rotten, barely recognizable corpse was trapped in a broken tank, glass shards sticking into it with dried bodily fluids staining the area around it.

Mewtwo could see the remaining eye halfway open, blackened and green from years of decay.

He backed away from the disgusting scene.

"You can see that they eventually began taking full body parts away in a desperate attempt to make something work." She shook her head. "But alas, here we are."

"Why...why is it still...here...?"

"Mew kept breaking out. They eventually had to get her a special tube to stay in. Unfortunately, around that time was when they were taking away full pieces of her body, and thus making her significantly weaker. She was on the verge of death during her last breakout attempt, and when she failed the tube did...that. Got stuck. She pretty much suffocated to death, but because she technically did escape she was smiling."

Mewtwo begrudgingly looked back at the body; on the rotten face he could barely make out a twisted smile.

"Mew's dna wasn't paying off, and when this happened Giovanni got so mad he fired everyone, made sure nobody would ever speak a word of it, and packed up and left, leaving everything behind. Since nobody knows where this is, the government probably won't find it--considering how many years it's been, he was probably right."

The clone realized that he was shaking.

"This isn't real." He snapped, breath hitching.

"Yes, it is."

"No. It can't be..."

"You're in denial."

A flash of light, and the two were returned to the black void, outside reality.

"As I said, you're in denial." She continued. "Understandable, as this isn't exactly something you see every day. This isn't the reality you're used to."

"That's all ludicrous," Mewtwo snapped. "Just because I was never created does not mean that all of my friends would be sick or dead."

"But they weren't your friends," She hummed. "Not there."

"But--"

"If that's what would happen if you'd never been created, what do you think will happen when you die?"

That made him pause.

"Your complete and total absence caused a crucial impact. If you, having been born and having an impact, were to die, how do you think that will effect them?"

He remained quiet as he thought about that.

He thought of all the fun--albeit crazy--times he'd spent with Zapdos and his sisters, or just Zapdos; or the times he, Zapdos, and Latios spent together, making bets or just hanging out as friends...

Even when he ended up bonding with the dogs through their newfound siblinghood with the birds, he found himself making good friends...

Or...the way Lugia would address him with his children, as if he was one of his own...

While he and Mew didn't get along the way he would have liked, he still cared about her in some way; he certainly didn't want her to die...

Eventually, he sighed.

*Perhaps it wasn't pity after all.*

"Now, kid, it's choice time."

When he looked at her, she continued.

"You can go on to eternity, and we can act like this never happened. Or...I alter reality a little, and you can come back to life. Your decision."

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Please consider getting help before doing anything drastic to yourself. Whether you personally know them or not, there is someone out there who cares about you, even though there are times when it really doesn't feel that way.