Chapter Four: Mewtwo
Mewtwo had been watching the entire battle, his anger slowly rising with each passing moment. Originally, he hadn't sensed anything of his cells—but then, their presence had arisen from the clamoring psyches. It was like a few Wishwashi hiding beneath the waves of the ocean, nearly impossible to track. So Mewtwo had to wait for the exact moment when he could find the position of his cells and reclaim them. He watched like a Swellow gliding above the waves. But every second near this site grated on his nerves. The mere existence of such a primitive place of savage battling felt like a spit in his face.
When he had first come into the world, the relationship between humans and Pokémon had insulted him. Pokémon rolled over to the wills of their humans, battling each other and allowing themselves to be subdued merely for the amusement of the weaker creatures. After his horrible treatment at the hands of Giovanni, he had assumed all human-Pokémon relationships were like his had been.
But then he had seen the human child—Ash—run directly into the paths of crossfire beams, either one able to kill him, in order to stop a truly vicious fight and save the Pokémon. The human had given his life to do so. It had shown Mewtwo that there was something moreto the relationship. Although he didn't understand exactly what that was, he didn't scorn it.
But these impudent battles, in which two Pokémon were thrown in a cage to duke it out, was exactly how he had originally perceived human-owned Pokémon—and he despised it.
Mewtwo had watched through the window as the rain let up, frustrated the more he observed. The human detective and his young one made their way through the stadium as if it were normal, although he knew that Pokémon battles in Ryme City were illegal. They didn't seem interested in the battle that was going on, but instead searching for another human within the herd. Then, they had sent their Pikachu into the arena against a Charizard.
Things got interesting when the younger human, the son of the detective, broke away from his father. Mewtwo had watched him from above, and it became obvious that the human boy was looking for something. It was then that Mewtwo had detected the elusive presence of his cells. Now fully alert, Mewtwo followed the boy's gaze to a pair of Aipom as they fled out of the warehouse, with both the detective and his son right behind them. Mewtwo turned away from the window to watch them, and as they got outside, he suddenly pinpointed his cells; them.
Mewtwo's cells each carried a bit of his psychic energy. It was exceedingly difficult to isolate—they were so small, and they were now altered to become the R chemical. But like a single Floette in a field of flowers, he knew it when he felt it. And the Aipom held some.
Mewtwo had just made that deduction when the two Aipom sprinted off in opposite directions, the two humans soon following suit.
But where should he go? He couldn't tell which Aipom had the cells, or perhaps both of them did. He needed to retrieve every last one. But, if these two humans caught the cells, he could track them down later, while the Aipom could go anywhere. So which human would be more likely to lose their goal?
Well, the adult detective had managed to find and catch Mewtwo, even if that had been with advanced technology at his disposal. He also had the Pikachu companion to assist him. Mewtwo would follow the boy's Aipom. But with the rain now died down, he had to be a lot more careful about being seen.
Staying close to the rooftops so he wouldn't be flying directly over anyone's head, Mewtwo took after the boy. He swept from roof to roof, eyes locked onto his prey. The young human chased the rampant Aipom across the docks before it fled into an old, shabby warehouse. Mewtwo couldn't exactly burst through the front door as the Aipom and human had done, so he flew up to the roof, found a broken window, and slipped in.
It was dark inside, and quiet. Unlike the battle stadium, this warehouse was abandoned and filled with clutter. There were towering crates and mazelike pathways that weaved through them, and a thousand possible hiding places for a small, clever Pokémon like an Aipom. The only light came in through the dirty windows and the open door which the human was coming through.
"Hello?" the human called. Mewtwo paused, perched on one of the rafters in the shadows, glancing at the boy from the darkness. Did he expect the Aipom to respond? Or did he think anyone else was in here? Mewtwo already swept over the place with his mind and only felt the two other presences in the vicinity. One had what he was after. "Aipom? Come out, can I just talk to you?"
Mewtwo instinctively scoffed at the human's foolishness, only to immediately scold himself—he had just done something just as improvident. As if to mock his mistake, the scoff echoed throughout the warehouse.
"H-Hello?" Mewtwo felt the human's mind spike in fear. Mewtwo didn't move, hoping that if the human heard nothing else, he wouldn't realize that an Aipom couldn't make that noise. "I know someone else is here—come out!"
Mewtwo had no intention of doing that; that is, until he saw the human draw his cellular device. He scowled, silently. Humans, they always called for more, they could never handle anything alone. No, they needed groups,and Pokémon.
He had already shown himself to this human. It knew he existed, and had proven that it didn't want to harm him. Mewtwo would rather notinteract with the boy further, but it was better than drawing even more attention to himself, or encountering the detective. So, containing his aggravation, Mewtwo leapt off his perch and landed only a few feet before the human.
The human squeakedand stumbled back as Mewtwo straightened. Even when they were on equal ground, Mewtwo was easily taller, the boy hardly coming up to his shoulder. No longer trying to hide himself, Mewtwo allowed his psychic energy to radiate freely, like static in the air.
"Mewtwo," the human boy breathed. His eyes were wide with alarm, and a touch of fear. Mewtwo wondered if it was because the boy knew Mewtwo was a powerful, dangerous Pokémon, or because last time they had encountered, Mewtwo's controlled body had wreaked havoc on the entire city. Perhaps both.
Indeed, human,Mewtwo acknowledged, staring down at him. I did not expect our paths to cross again.
"I thought you had skipped town," the human managed to get out.
How presumptuous of you.Mewtwo flicked his tail. I prefer not to broadcast my location to the rest of the world. I am sure you can understand why.
"Yeah," the human murmured, straightening up. His fear and alarm were slowly leaving him. He peered at Mewtwo skeptically. "Have—Have you just been here?" Mewtwo narrowed his eyes and the human hurried to clarify himself. "I mean, in this warehouse. Is this where you've been since what Mr. Clifford did?"
Certainly not,Mewtwo almost growled at the notion. As if he would simply sit here for days—weeks—on end.
Mewtwo had intended for his tone to cut that subject off with no further argument, but the boy did not seem to get the message. He only swallowed in a brief pause before speaking again. "Well, you must have been hiding out somewhere," the boy said. "I don't think you could get around the city without someone seeing you in all that time. So you must have been keeping low someplace."
This human was wasting his time with its ridiculous assumptions. Mewtwo knew the Aipom was still hiding in here with his cells and he needed to find it, pestering boy or no.
Disregarding the vexatious human, Mewtwo turned around and began to weave his way through the larger square containers. They towered above him and were packed close together, with only enough room between them to allow one person to navigate through. It was not unlike the city itself, and reminded Mewtwo of some of the more complex caverns he had discovered in his travels. The broken windows above allowed in some grey light from the overcast sky outside, but the area was filled with shadows. Mewtwo kept an eye out for appealing hiding places for a mischievous little Pokémon.
"Hey—wait up!" the human boy called behind him.
Mewtwo glanced over his shoulder and saw that the human was following behind him. So much for the hope that he could just ignore it and it would go away. Instead it called after him like a Litleo after its Pyroar mother. Did it really think it could give him commands? Mewtwo didn't reduce his pace at all, yet the human managed to catch up nonetheless.
"If you haven't been living here, then why are you here now?" the human asked.
Mewtwo paused at a gap between two containers. It was dark and narrow, but wide enough that a nimble Aipom could slip through. He lifted a hand and used Flash, summoning a purple light in his hand that glowed like a miniature star. He directed the light into the musty crevice, but it only revealed dust and empty space. He dropped his hand and the Flash vanished.
The human edged forward and leaned over to look into the crevice. The boy got into his personal space, and with a grimace, Mewtwo turned and moved on.
But the human persistently followed behind him. "Did you hear me? I asked you—"
Yes, I did hear you.Mewtwo gritted his teeth. But I fail to see how it is any of your concern.
The human was thankfully silent at that. Mewtwo had a small respite before it began talking again. "I think I can be concerned since thousands of trainers have come to the city looking for you. You helped me and my Dad, so I'd rather you not get attacked by them."
You are incorrect; it is still not your concern,Mewtwo said as he rounded a corner. I can handle any human trainer, so it is best you leave me be. The human trainers who pursued him were not a threat. He was strong enough to fight them and quick enough to escape them. He had done so for his entire life. Over the years, only a small handful of trainers had managed to track him down and confront him, but he merely tossed their Pokémon aside and wiped their memory. There were a few who had spotted him without his knowledge. In those cases, they were able to tell the tale. Still, that didn't harmhim.
There was a soft sound from outside, and the empty, cold walls of the warehouse echoed it across the space. The boy's head shot up at the subtle noise; "Did you hear something strange?"
Mewtwo had already determined that the sound could not have been the Aipom, for he could still sense the Pokémon lying in wait. He was certain that the sound had been from a wild Pidgey or other flying-type Pokémon outside, completely irrelevant to his search.
I heard nothing but you. Is that what you meant by strange? Mewtwo intoned slyly to the human, and then continued on.
He heard the boy's dry scoff accompany the echoes of the narrow halls. "Ha-ha, very funny." Mewtwo ignored that and kept moving forward, the boy, unfortunately, soon catching up with him again.
"There are a lot of places the Aipom could hide here," the human asked, falling into pace behind Mewtwo. "It could be anywhere."
It will not escape me,Mewtwo said darkly, knowing that the Aipom could hear him as well. There was a small twinge of fear in the air.
The human was thoughtfully silent for a moment, and then changed the subject.
"I think you're lying about staying here," the human said matter-of-factly, still easily walking behind Mewtwo. "No one in the city has seen you in almost a week. I thought that you had gone somewhere else, but if you've been in the city that whole time, then you must have been hiding. And since I found you in this warehouse—"
Why are you so persistent about this theory? Mewtwo snapped over his shoulder.
"Trying to be a detective," the boy said back easily. "Is my theory right?"
Mewtwo was fed up with this human's preconceptions. If you mustknow, I am tracking down the cells that thedoctor—Mewtwo psychically spat the word—stole from me.
The human blinked at him as Mewtwo turned down another path. "You mean Dr. Laurent? When you were caught by Clifford Enterprises?"
No, I mean the Nurse Joy down the road. Who do you thinkI mean?
"So you're after R!" the boy's eyes lit up. Mewtwo had no idea if it even understood his sarcasm. "That's great! My Dad and I are investigating R, too, to stop rogue trainers from using it."
Your enthusiasm about a hunt for dangerous material is inapt, Mewtwo said, turning down another path.
"It's not that—it's that you'relooking as well," the boy said.
Mewtwo tuned the human out for a moment as he found a container that was cracked open a few inches. With a wave of his hand, the container's door slid aside, and Mewtwo leaned his head in, again summoning Flash to his hand. But there was only empty space. He stepped out right as the human stepped within, and Mewtwo briefly humored the idea of locking him inside. But the pesky human kept his foot in the door and then came back out. With another careless wave, the container's door slid fully shut with a rusty clang.
Mewtwo patrolled forward, reaching out his mind to feel the eddies of psychic energy. His prey was tucked away with his cells, hiding and hoping he'd pass it by, but he felt he was getting closer with each step.
The boy's jabbering drew him out of his thoughts. "The chemical is extremely dangerous and could hurt both people and Pokémon."
I do not care about humans or Pokémon,Mewtwo said bitingly, pausing a moment to be sure the boy's distraction hadn't made him miss anything. They are my cells and I cannot let them fall into the grasp of mankind. I must destroy them with my own hands.
"Wait," the human paused and Mewtwo inspected another alcove. "You don't care at all about how others could get hurt?"
Laboratories flashed before Mewtwo's eyes. Dr. Fuji's lab, where Mewtwo had wiped out the entire island, inhabitants included. Giovanni's base, which he had decimated, with no consideration of what or who he destroyed. And most recently, Dr. Laurent's lab, which he had left in ruins. People had gotten hurt each time he escaped those situations, when he had done what he needed to do…or recklessly lost control of his temper. Some people had died.
It wasn't that he was indifferent. He cared about a select few humans, like Ash Ketchum. And after the detective—the boy's father—had helped rescue Mewtwo from Dr. Laurnent, he had saved that human's life in return. The loss of innocent life was always ill-fated. But sometimes, the humans deserved what was coming to them.
He didn't think this boy would like his answer, though, so Mewtwo didn't give it to him.
Silence descended upon them once more, this time more tense. Mewtwo used the opportunity to listen for the Aipom, but he heard nothing. He knew it was in here, he could still sense it. It was just hiding…and hiding well.
Mewtwo reached a dead end. He knew the Aipom was close, but these crates made the warehouse a difficult area to navigate. He turned around, only to find that the human was blocking his path. The boy had a searching expression, trying to figure him out, trying to read him. Whether the boy was purposing debarring Mewtwo or simply not paying attention, Mewtwo had little patience for it.
Move,he said to the child.
"Answer me," the impertinent human shot back.
It was so unexpected that Mewtwo did not process the words for a moment. Then the rage stampeded in.
Howdarehe take such a tone, how dare he try to counteract Mewtwo, how darehe make such demands of him. In two words, this insolent, reckless human had made three deleterious offenses. Mewtwo lashed his tail and decided to put this human in his place. His eyes glowed blue and fear briefly crossed the boy's face before Mewtwo reached out and shoved him back with his psychic powers. As if the child had been pushed hard, the boy flew out of Mewtwo's way.
It wasn't enough force to harm him. From the way the boy cried out, it was clear he thoughtit was. Humans were such fragile creatures, but this wasn't even enough power to even bruise his skin.
Path now cleared, Mewtwo swept right up to the human. He could have easily flown over the boy, but that wasn't the point. Every human needed to understand that Mewtwo was controlled by no one.He knew this one was young, and thus he was showing a great amount of leniency. But still, Mewtwo would not be dictated.
The human flinched minutely as Mewtwo approached, and Mewtwo stopped before him. He looked down as the child cowered on the floor, standing tall yet showed no other signs of threat. It was unnecessary; his power was already established.
Do not attempt to command me, human,Mewtwo said coldly. I may be grateful for what you have done for me, but I saved your father and undid the damage of Howard Clifford. I consider us even. I advise you keep the balance in your favor.
With that, Mewtwo turned back down the path and continued his search. Perhaps the human would be scared off, finally understanding that Mewtwo was not to be trifled with, and let him look in peace. If the boy hadn't already been of assistance to Mewtwo, then he would have wiped his memory and tossed him out at first sight.
Mewtwo had scoured through half of the warehouse when the human caught up with him again. The boy still dared to even be near him? Mewtwo was surprised and somewhat puzzled, but refused to show it. The human's reckless tenacity reminded him of…Ash.
The boy began speaking almost immediately. "Were you actually going to hurt me?"
Mewtwo did not bother to so much as glance at him, though the question made him more uneasy than he liked. If I had wanted to harm you, you would be harmed. He paced around another corner. I have a task to do. You were in my way; I moved you.
There was a thoughtful moment before the boy spoke again. "I have a task, too," the boy said. "Look. My Dad and I are after R; you're after R. All of us want it off the streets and out of reach of those who would abuse it. I think we could do this a lot faster if we worked together."
Mewtwo froze, and then slowly turned his head around to look at the human. He could tell by the boy's expression that he was entirely serious. He truly believed in that ludicrous idea.
Mewtwo bared his teeth with rage. I do not needany assistance,he hissed. Especially not that of humans.
"I'm not saying you do," the boy said cautiously, lifting his hands in a pacifying way. It wasn't working. "But I think it would be easier, and faster. And—" he added, pointing a finger, "—there are a lot of new trainers in the city, looking for you. It'll be hard for you to work while being hunted by so many people. But I can go in places you can't, and do so much less suspiciously. And, what if those visiting trainers find some R and decide to take it home with them, back to their regions? What will you do then?"
Mewtwo blinked, taken aback by the actually valid points the human was making. Mewtwo may have travelled across the world, but hunting down any humans that might smuggle off his cells would be a wild Farfetch'd chase to be sure. And he needed to retrieve them all as soon as possible, before someone who had experience with genetics, cloning, or nefarious experimentation got their hands on any. He couldn't waste his time breaking or sneaking into places that a human could easily infiltrate.
"My Dad and I know the city," the child went on. "We have access to the police department, too. Combine that with your abilities, and we'll stand a much better of finding all the R before anyone leaves the city with it."
Mewtwo hesitated. Being near humans hardly ever ended well for him. But he needed to get back his cells. If some greedy human, like Giovanni, got their hands on them…it could be disastrous. By those standards, the boy's proposal was the lesser of two evils.
There was also the fact that without the boy and his father, Mewtwo wouldn't be close to his cells right now. When he had encountered the battle arena, he had failed to sense them through the emotional chaos of the humans. He had almost left, but remained when he saw the boy and his father. Because he had stayed, eventually he had felt his cells emerge. Was this some odd twist of fate?
It was extremely concerning that the psychic chatter of the humans in the arena had somehow blocked the whisper of his cells. It could only assume that the doses of his DNA were even smaller than he had realized, or perhaps the changes to them made it more difficult to detect them. Whatever it was, he could not rely on his psychic senses alone to find the rest.
Mewtwo was still mulling it over when a small sound echoed across the warehouse. Mewtwo's head snapped up, his attention diverted. Everything seemed still, but he knew that something was different, now. The Aipom was no longer hiding, no longer just waiting them out. It was going to make a break for it, Mewtwo could feel its mental preparation like a distinct scent in the air.
"…Mewtwo?" Mewtwo held up a hand to silence the human; no doubt the boy knew something was up, but his limited senses meant he couldn't detect everything. Mewtwo remained perfectly still, not willing to strike until he was certain where his prey was.
Then—it made a break for one of the broken windows, climbing up the walls towards its escape. Mewtwo flew up above the crates, fast as a pouncing Liepard. His psychic powers reached out and snatched the Aipom in an invisible grip. The Aipom screeched in alarm as Mewtwo yanked it away from the walls, making it flail helplessly in the air.
Mewtwo relaxed a little now that he had finally caught the evasive Pokémon. The Aipom scampered in the air for purchase but it was completely trapped. He drew it closer to him and it began squeaking nervously.
"Please let me go," it whined. "What have I done to you?" With a whimper, the Aipom curled its long tail around itself and clenched its eyes shut, too afraid to look at him. Mewtwo was quite used to responses like this from other Pokémon, and it did not deter him.
You have something that belongs to me,Mewtwo replied. He held out a hand to the Aipom suspended before him. Hand it over.
With some reluctance, the Aipom bent its tail around and dropped a vial into Mewtwo's awaiting hand. The glass vibrated with the wild, stormy energy within. His cells, at last. Now that they were in his grip, he sensed their energy, clear and unobstructed. He had these ones back, at least, but there were still more out in the city.
"I didn't know they were yours,"the Aipom mumbled. "I was just following my trainer's instructions. He wanted us to hide them. Those aren't even his, but his friend's."
Mewtwo considered the Aipom for a moment, wondering if its relationship with its trainer was truly the 'partnership' it should be. But this Pokémon wasn't his enemy, nor was its trainer. It had nothing else he wanted. As for the other Aipom of the pair…
Can you lead me to the other vial?
The Aipom shook its head. "We were supposed to hide and then meet our trainer at the edge of the docks once things had died down."
That was…interesting. So this Aipom didn't know where the other one was,but where it would be.He subtly pushed his way into the Pokémon's mind; he Aipom shook his head in discomfort at the intrusion. But Mewtwo saw the rendezvous location easily. He knew exactly where it was.
But… Mewtwo glanced down at the human, who was looking up at him, no doubt only understanding his own side of this conversation. He still had thatthing on his tail.
Mewtwo slowly lowered himself to the ground, along with the Aipom. Once he had set it down, he jerked his head at it. Run along.
It didn't need telling twice. The Aipom was up the walls and out the window in record time. Mewtwo watched it go, and then turned to the human.
The boy looked somewhat amazed. "Wow. You actually got it." Mewtwo narrowed his eyes, and the human quickly added, "I thought the Aipom would have gotten out of the building by now."
Mewtwo scoffed. Again with your presumptions.
"I'm glad you found it," the boy said, and began to reach for the vial.
At once Mewtwo drew it back and pierced the human with a threatening glare. This stays with me.
The human drew back as if he had been struck and grimaced. Mewtwo lashed his tail, but the human didn't entirely back down. "Look, I know you said you need to destroy your cells, but that's police evidence. We could use that to find the rest. I promise we won't actually usethe R, and we can destroy it afterwards."
I am not leaving my cells in human hands. This is immutable.
The human's face twitched and Mewtwo guessed he didn't know what 'immutable' meant. But the indication was clear from his tone.
The human crossed his arms. "In that case, you're not being more harmful than helpful in this investigation."
Mewtwo continued to glare at him for a moment, before he silently gave a lengthy sigh.Very well, he capitulated. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. But he had to admit, the boy had points. He took a step forward. I shall arrive at your residence tonight to discuss how we can be of assistance to each other in searching for my cells. He gave the boy a pointed look. But do notshare this with your father. I want as few humans as possible to know what I am up to.
The boy grinned. "That's fair. Thank you."
Mewtwo ignored the gratitude and flew up to the window he had come in from. As he slipped through, he wondered what he had just gotten himself into…and where it would lead him.