Chapter Seven: Tim
Mewtwo vanished into the night like a legendary Pokémon from a children's book. The tales often painted legendary Pokémon as protectors, filled with ancient wisdom and benevolent power. Though Mewtwo was certainly as formidable and intense as the legendary myths, he was a lot darker than a children's story.
'There is nothing you can do to stop me.'
Tim shivered as the words echoed back to him. It was true, Mewtwo was strong enough that he couldn't be forcedto stop, but Tim was starting to figure out that he could be convincedto stop. Tim was still a little stunned at how casually Mewtwo had planned destruction for a laboratory that was hintedto have his cells. He was grateful he'd been able to talk the clone out of it. That raging power wasn't without a logical mind. So Tim had to stick with the menacing legendary Pokémon, and act as some kind of moral compass. Not that he was a goody-two-shoes; Tim knew he had his own flaws. But Mewtwo needed someone.
Does he?Tim's mind whispered. The Pokémon was very independent and would hate any suggestion otherwise. Mewtwo was extremely mistrustful of humans, borderline resentful, though Tim didn't really know why. Obviously, he had been abused by Clifford Enterprises, but Mewtwo's anger seemed more deep-seeded than that. He was over twenty years old, and everyone knew he had been manmade, rumored to have been crafted by a shady organization in Kanto. Tim didn't know much about the Pokémon's creation, but he could imagine that 'genetic experimentations' done by criminals wasn't a great environment for a newborn. Mewtwo hated humans and would never agree to a partner—
Whoa, whoa, where did that come from?Tim shook his head; perhaps he was more tired than he thought. He may be considering the idea of a Pokémon partner, but, Mewtwo's own reservations aside, Mewtwo was difficult to handle. He was hostile, mistrustful, and strictly autonomous. Even the most friendly of trainers would struggle to get along with Mewtwo.
Tim sighed and rubbed his forehead. He needed rest; he had another big day tomorrow. He started to get up, then froze and looked back at his computer. After a little deliberation, he sat back down and typed in,
'What does erudition mean?'
OOO
Pikachu loved car rides.
That was one thing Tim had noticed during his time with actualPikachu. The little Mouse Pokémon loved to sit on Tim's lap and lift his head to the open window, feeling the wind run through his fur, like a prideful Furfrou. He was careful with his detective's cap, though, and lodged it firmly in the cupholder before delighting himself with the breeze. Harry told Tim the story of a time Pikachu had lost his cap while they had been driving, and had leapt onto the steering wheel to demand Harry's attention. Harry had nearly crashed the car, but Pikachu refused to budge until they turned around and went back for the cap. It had been an unpleasant experience for both of them, so now…never again.
Pikachu watched the passing scenery, and occasionally called out to the Pokémon outside. Unlike when Tim and Lucy had driven to Dr. Laurent's lab, surrounded by bare, dry fields, this road wove through a forest. Pokémon were everywhere. Wild flying-types claimed the skies, like social Pidgeys, swooping Taillows, restful Pidoves, energetic Fetchlings, and countless more. Tim tried to spot and identify as many as he could. Bug-type Pokémon were warming themselves up in the early sunlight. He noticed several drowsy Caterpie, a few soft-voiced Wurmple, herds of rumbling Paras, and a few Sewaddle weaving their silk. Harry drove them past a pond inhabited by Duckletts and Lotads quacking at each other, Surskits that skimmed over the water's surface, and Yanmas zipping back and forth. It was early enough that Tim spotted a few ghost-type Pokémon that were still out, like languid Drifloons.
"Pokémon laboratories can also provide reserves for wild Pokémon," his Dad told him. "That way, the labs get wild Pokémon to research, lots of space to work, and wild Pokémon get the habitats they deserve."
"Wow," Tim said, watching a flock of Kricketot musically converse. In the brief moment that the car passed the bug-types, xylophone-like music cheerfully drifted in through the windows.
Tim knew a lot about Pokémon, but his profession was more in battling than research. He knew the rules of battles, the moves Pokémon knew, the type advantages, the best breeds…the variables of battles went on and on. Of course, Pokémon research tied into that, but Tim had never looked into it with the same intensity.
As they drove further into the city, Tim noticed an increase of grass-types. Oddish that had their faces buried in the ground, Bellsprout that were trying to look innocent while luring in their bug-type prey, Seedot hanging from trees, Petilil and Shroomish enjoying damp soil near a stream, and cheerful, bundling Bounsweet.
"Well I guess it's called a 'grass-type' lab for a reason," Tim commented.
"I'm certain they encourage the grass-type population as much as possible," his Dad said. He took one hand from the steering wheel to point at what looked like a little doll house on the ground, nestled by the trunk of a tree. "Look, there's a feeder. It's probably stuffed with food that grass-types love."
"Dad—watch the road!"
Tim had just noticed a few Deerling up on the road, and of course,rather than doing the sensible thing and jumping out of the way, they froze up in fear. Tim's Dad slammed on the breaks and the momentum wrenched them all forward. Tim grabbed Pikachu and held onto the little Pokémon tight, its surprise shocking at his arms.
"PIKACHUUUUU!"
But they managed to come to a halt before they reached the petrified Deerling. All three of them were breathing heavily, hearts pounding.
Harry groaned and thumped his forehead on the wheel. "That gave me so much deja vu," he moaned. "I swear, the bridge flashed before my eyes and I thought Mewtwo was going fly down."
Tim coughed at the mention of Mewtwo, but his Dad was too miserable to notice his awkwardness.
Recovering from their stupor, the Deerling exchanged glances with each other confusingly. Their pelts were green for the summer, and their herd numbered about a dozen, spread out on the road.
Harry shook his head and then stuck his head out the window. "Hey! Deerling!" he called to them, honking his horn a few times. "Do you think you can move offthe road?"
The Deerling stared at him. A few of them blinked.
Harry sighed and thumped back into his seat. "It's times like this I wish I could talk to Pokémon again."
"Hey, look," Tim said, pointing up the road, beyond the oblivious Deerling. "There's the lab; it's just up ahead."
His Dad squinted his eyes. "Oh yeah…"
Tim passed Pikachu over to his Dad and got out of the car. He lifted his arms in a gentle but shepherding manner and began to redirect the Deerling off the road. "Come on, please move…"
They were friendly Pokémon, but wild enough that they didn't want to get particularly close to an unfamiliar human. In no time, they were frolicking away. Once Tim was back in the car, they continued up the road to the lab.
The laboratory building was designed in an L shape, but a lot of space around it was closed in with gardens. A few of the enclosures had nets over them, others simply had fences. Tim saw a Gogoat and its young Skiddo prancing along the edge of the fence, and many grass-type starter-Pokémon relaxing or playing within.
Pikachu perched himself up on Harry's shoulder as they walked inside. In the entry room, no one was there except an elegant Lurantis behind a desk inspecting its sickle-like arms. It looked up at them as they entered, green antennae twitching with interest.
"Hey there," Harry said friendlily. "We're here to see the scientists of the labs." He fished out a sticky note and strained his eyes to read his own sloppy handwriting. "A Dr. Alexis, Dr. Drew, and Dr. Richard."
The Lurantis nodded and tip-toed out of the room, leaving them be for a few minutes. Tim glanced around and noticed several examples of plant life displayed: Paras mushrooms, Cottonee cotton, and whatnot.
It wasn't long before the Lurantis returned with a woman in a lab coat. It could only be Dr. Alexis; she had several freckles from the sun, glasses with bronze leaves on them, and dirty-colored hair like the earth tied back in a braid. With the way the Lurantis kept in step with her, Tim got the feeling they were partners.
"Hello there," Dr. Alexis said, stopping before them and folding her hands in front of her. She smiled kindly, but her expression was clearly questioning. "I'm Dr. Patricia Alexis, head researcher of the Grass-Type Laboratory. I'm very surprised to see we have visitors; people don't normally come out this far."
Harry returned her smile. "Yeah, I bet." He did not seem the least bit apologetic or awkward. "My name's Harry Goodman, and this is my son, Tim. And this is Pikachu."
"Pikachu!"
Dr. Alexis's skepticism melted a bit at the sight of endearing Pikachu. After all, who could resist that face?
Tim's Dad continued. "You see, I'm a detective." He took out his badge to show her, and Dr. Alexis blinked in surprise. Behind her, Lurantis tilted its head curiously. "We're working on a case, and we found a chemical at an illegal battle stadium. The vial it was in matches the ones used here, so if you can, we would really appreciate it if you let us have a quick look around."
Tim stopped himself from glancing at his father as he heard the words. It was all the truth, but his Dad was framing it as if they were more concerned about the illegal stadium than the chemical. It was a lot less complicated than saying they were hunting the material that Clifford Enterprises had used to terrorize Rhyme City. It would also be less likely to send any culprits into a panic if they heard it.
Dr. Alexis looked concerned, which was understandable that her laboratory had just been linked to illegal activity. "I can certainly show you around; we do tours fairly often, although usually scheduled on certain days. It won't be a problem to give you one."
"That's a big help," Harry gave a bright smile.
"If you'll please follow me, then." Dr. Alexis turned and went through the door from which she had come, the Lurantis returning to its place behind the desk. Tim and his Dad followed her down a hall of windows and glass doors that showed the enclosures outside. Outside, a Bulbasaur appeared to be trying to resolve some sort of argument between a Treecko and a Snivy. Both of the Pokémon were growling at each other, while the Bulbasaur hurriedly bumbled between them.
"So, what kind of research do you do here?" Harry asked, comfortably sliding his hands into his pockets.
Tim shot his Dad a look. "Grass-type research, Dad?"
His father frowned at him as Dr. Alexis chuckled. "I meant specifically,Tim."
"I mean, he is right," Dr. Alexis pointed out. "But we mostly focus our research on grass-type's health recovery abilities. Some grass-type moves drain health from other Pokémon sources, like Absorb, Horn Leech, and Giga Drain, while other moves are independent, like Ingrain and Synthesis."
She paused by an indoor enclosure across from the sunny windows. Inside, the lighting was extremely dim and the glass was shaded to keep it out. Tim leaned in to see through the darkness, but all he could see were mushrooms. Then he realized that the mushrooms were actually Morelull; he had seen some of these when the wild Bulbasaur had been leading him to Mewtwo. They were still asleep, half-buried in the ground but glowing gently. There was even a larger, brighter mushroom near the back. It had to be a Shiinotic, Morelull's evolved form.
"Our focus is to search for new uses of these abilities, but this laboratory also harvests known medicines from the grass-type Pokémon that live here, and we distribute them to Ryme City markets. Some of these medicines are straight from the Pokémon, like Sleep Powder, while others we mix together here on site."
"Like what?" Tim asked curiously.
Dr. Alexis took a moment to think. "Well, the flowers of Lilligant have an aroma that eases stress, for example," she explained. She began to walk further down the hallway, Tim and his Dad following. "But its flowers are difficult to care for, and do best in the wild. So we collect some from the ones that live here, on the reserve, and mix it with other stress-relievers to spread the effect. There's also the sweat of a Bounsweet, which is very popular as a cooking ingredient for its sweetness."
"Its sweat?"Tim repeated, astounded.
Dr. Aelxis gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes; but we have to purify all that we gather before we sell it."
Tim exchanged looks with his Dad; he could tell his father was feeling as queasy as he was. Tim could think of several sweet drinks that could contain such a thing.
Dr. Alexis went on, leading them down the hall, oblivious to their disturbance. Tim focused on her words to distract himself from this horrifying revelation. "And then we also gather cotton from Cottonee, thread from Sewaddle, berries from Cherubi, bitter but refreshing leaves that grow on Petilil, Sleep Spore from several kinds of grass-types, and many other things."
She then frowned apologetically at them. "I'm afraid with all the materials we send to Ryme City, the illegal stadium could have easily bought one of our vials. Perhaps they ordered medicine from us or one of our distributors."
"Yes, that is most likely," Harry nodded casually. "But still, it's useful to know what other kind of things they might have bought. If we could just see a little more?"
"Certainly," Dr. Alexis nodded. "Whatever you need."
She stopped by another indoor enclosure, this one even bigger, filled with sand, and extremely bright light. Inside, a Maractus and Cacnea were building a sandcastle together.
"This is incredible work," Harry said. "Is there any chance we could meet the other scientists here?"
"Of course," Dr. Alexis nodded, continuing down the hall. She reached a door near the end and lead them through. Inside was a laboratory, neatly stuffed with monitors, tools, chemicals. Two scientists and their two Pokémon were intently watching a Snover on a table. The Snover sat upon a tray of dirt, and Tim could see roots growing from Snover's feet into the soil.
All five of them looked up as Tim, his Dad, and Dr. Alexis entered. The first scientist had short black hair, pale skin, icy blue eyes, and silver glasses. Beside him was a Shiftry, and both he and the Pokémon narrowed their eyes skeptically at the newcomers. The other scientist was a blond man with brown eyes, his hair fairly long and scruffy. His cheerful air and joyous face made Tim wonder if he had come from a beach. Next to him was an Amoonguss, bobbing its large mushroom cap.
Dr. Alexis waved her hand at the scientist with the Shiftry. "This is Dr. Peter Richard," she said, and then gestured to the blond man, "and Dr. Jacob Drew." She then turned to her coworkers. "This is Harry and Tim Goodman. They're detectives following up on a lead of an illegal stadium in Ryme City."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried from Harry's shoulder.
The edges of Dr. Alexis's mouth turned upward in a smile. "Right, and Pikachu, too."
"Pleasure to meet you!" Dr. Drew gave a wide smile and immediately walked around the table with his hand outstretched. He shook both Tim's and his Dad's hands firmly. "We're always happy to have visitors here." He gave a teasing wink. "Better than watching grass grow."
"What's this about an illegal stadium?" Dr. Richard interrupted as Harry opened his mouth. The more serious scientist set down his clipboard and pushed up his glasses.
"They found one of our vials there," Dr. Alexis spoke up.
"Exactly," Harry said. Despite Dr. Richard's skeptical look, Harry remained completely casual and at ease. Tim tried to imitate it. "So we decided to come see what kind of things might have been in the vial."
"What are you up to here?" Tim asked, tilting his head at the Snover. It was sitting there on the dirty-tray, watching them all with mild interest, but looking quite contented.
"Ah," Dr. Drew said, putting a hand on Tim's shoulder so he could adjust Tim to look at the Snover's feet. "We're testing the move Ingrain, and how different soils affect how much health this Snover here can recover."
Dr. Richard sniffed and then pointed to little miniature signs in the tray of dirt. "Each kind of soil is from different regions or terrains and clearly labeled so." The paler scientist lifted up a monitor and held it up to the Snover's roots, watching the information scroll on the screen. Once he had read the report, he picked up his clipboard again and jotted some things down.
Tim thought that seemed…rather boring. Yes, he supposed it would be interesting to know,but doingit? Sorting dirt and watching roots? He wondered if these scientists were truly passionate about their work enough to care.
"Dr. Richard is our more technical researcher," Dr. Alexis explained. "He gets the most precise data, and mixes up a lot of our medicines. Dr. Drew actually professes more with poison-types, and how to reverse the effects of such poison. We sorely need that, as many grass-types know poison-type moves and may resort to them when they are afraid or territorial."
"And you?" asked Harry.
"I do a lot of field research and observation of Pokémon in their natural habitat," Dr. Alexis said with a fond smile. "I also tend to the reserve." She pointed to a basket of Dusk Pokéballs in the corner of the room. "During the storm yesterday, a cavern that was home to many Zubat became flooded, and many of the poor things were hurt. So I brought them here. I've been tending to them, and soon they'll be back to full health." She gave a wistful smile. "That's my real passion, but research is vital, too."
"That's amazing," Harry said. His friendly attitude faded a little and he got more serious. "Now, if I may ask you…do any of you know Dr. Laurent?"
Tim could tell his Dad was watching their reactions, but it didn't reveal anything as all three of the scientists blinked in surprise.
"Dr. Laurent?" repeated Dr. Richard. He seemed to know that Harry was fishing for something, and he was trying to figure out what.
"All researchers around Ryme City have at least heardof each other," Dr. Drew said. "And we meet occasionally, to exchange our studies and results."
"But Dr. Laurent was especially reclusive," Dr. Alexis said apologetically. "I don't even knowwhat she was working on. I only heard about the explosion in her lab a week after it happened. It's very sad."
According to public knowledge, Dr. Laurent's lab had merely been destroyed by a rampaging Pokémon, though not specifically Mewtwo. Nobody else even knew the clone had been there. The lab, to open knowledge, was entirely unconnected to the parade event three weeks ago, although it wouldn't take much to guess that the place was the source of R. Without this coverup, though, the abandoned building would undoubtedly be flooded with people looking for clues about the mysterious legendary Mewtwo. Tim was glad that wasn't the case, as he wouldn't wish violent Greninja or earth-shaking Torterra on anyone.
"Pokémon are dangerous creatures," Dr. Richard shrugged off without looking up from his clipboard. "No matter how much we like to think of them as our little pets."
"Lighten up, Peter!" Dr. Drew chuckled.
Dr. Richard sniffed in a way that reminded Tim of Mewtwo. "We do have workto do, you know."
"Don't let us keep you from your important roots and dirt any longer," Harry lifted his hands and began to back out. Dr. Richard frowned at him, and Dr. Drew snickered. "Thanks for your time."
"I'll show you out," Dr. Alexis said.
Once they were back in the entry room, Tim and his Dad said their farewells and thank-yous to Dr. Alexis.
"I'm glad I could be of help," she said, giving a little bow. "Good luck on your case."
"Thanks," Harry called as they headed out the door.
Tim held his tongue from blurting out questions until he was in the car with his father, doors closed and windows rolled up. "Do you think they're innocent as they say?"
Harry leaned back in his seat, watching the laboratory. "It seems like a nice place trying to do some good for the world. But not everything is as it seems."
Tim tilted his head. "They were all friendly, except Dr. Richard. But that doesn't mean he's hiding illegal chemicals."
"Yeah…" his Dad muttered, starting up the car. Pikachu slid off his shoulder and got up on Tim's lap again. "If they are hiding R, I don't think it's the entire facility, just one or maybe two of them. We didn't see anything to suggest they have anything to do with the chemical, but I don't think we should take our eyes off this place. Something's up. I feel it in my—"
"Don't say jellies."
"Fine. I can feel it in my jams."
Tim groaned and put his head in his hands. Harry was smiling smugly as they pulled out and began to head down the road. Tim leaned back into his seat, holding onto Pikachu as the little Pokémon perched himself up by the window, relaxing for the trip back.
But then—Tim sensedsomething. It made him look up and glance around. He couldn't really describe it; it was like a light was flashing in the corner of his eye or the chill when a ghost-type passed through your body. He thought he saw something move within the forest and almost felt like he was being called.
You are…
There was an odd, echoey feeling in the back of his mind, and that's when Tim remembered—Mewtwo. Mewtwo said he would wait around the lab. He would want to know what Tim had discovered inside.
"Hey—Dad?" Tim asked, swallowing. This was totally suspicious, but he didn't want to keep Mewtwo waiting. Not after the legendary Pokémon had threatened to destroy the place.
"What's up, kid?" Harry asked.
"Do you think we could—stop, for a bit?" Tim bit on his lip. "There are so many cool Pokémon near here, I want to take a closer look. Do you mind?"
Without a word, Harry pulled the car to the side of the road. He grinned at Tim, looking oddly delighted. "Sure, Tim. I'll stay right here and see if I can find any ties between the Grass-Type Laboratory and Clifford Enterprises." Harry opened the compartment with his laptop. "You have fun, take your time."
His Dad had a sly smile on his face and Tim realized that his father probably thought Tim was going to search for a Pokémon partner. Here was a good place to do it. Tim felt an unpleasant wave of guilt at lying to his father, but turned and got out of the car, Pikachu waving goodbye.
Tim walked straight into the woods, knowing that Mewtwo would show himself only when he wanted and not a second before. It was less than a minute before a shadow crossed over him, and Tim looked up to see the commanding legendary Pokémon drifting down to him.
Human,Mewtwo greeted. We have much to share.