Chapter 3: Master

After the explosion, I ran and ran — along the outskirts of the city I now knew was Goldenrod City, thanks to the flyers I had seen. Thankfully, the police sirens hadn't moved in my direction and I was able to avoid anybody who was out and about in the city at that time of night.

I had come across a part of the train track that ran underground a few city blocks away from where the gigantic radio tower sat, and promptly ran inside of it. I'd realized somewhere along the way that, as a Mewtwo, I had slightly better eyesight than I did as a human, and so a dark place to hide seemed like the best place to wait out the attention of what I did.

I killed a man.

I didn't even know his name and I killed him. Exploded his house — had basically disintegrated it — and all because he had tried to catch me.

He tried to enslave me.

It was different from this side of the game, being a Pokemon. Being forced into a fucking Pokeball wasn't fun, but the response to it shouldn't have been murder. I should have stopped at maybe busting out his windows or knocking the rest of his fence down.

His Machop was probably dead too.

I put my weirdly-shaped face in my weirdly-shaped hands and cried. Sadness quickly turned to frustration and that feeling eventually churned into anger, and before I knew it, the service tunnel I was hiding in lit up like I was at a rave with violet light.

Get a grip. Calm down...don't want to explode stuff while I'm underground.

My breathing slowed and I stopped shaking — I hadn't even realized I was — and I leaned back against the slimy concrete wall.

I knew now what I needed to do. I had to get a grip on this. If I could find someone in this anime world that wouldn't instantly try to capture me, who could help me…

Honestly, I couldn't remember the professor's name from the Johto region — or really, any region besides Kanto. Professor Oak was all the way in Pallet Town, though; from what I remembered of the city I was in, I was basically on the far left side of the Johto-Kanto world map. It would take probably a week or more to get there, and I was already starting to get hungry and thirsty again.

I could find someone closer. I think Bill lived around here? Or maybe his parents? I shook my head; I couldn't remember. It had been too long since I played Pokemon Gold and, in that game, Goldenrod City had like twenty buildings and it was considered huge. From what I could see on my journey into the tunnel, this Goldenrod was an actual city. It was big. I probably passed at least seven skyscrapers and twenty different businesses, and I was on the outskirts of town.

No, it couldn't be here. It just…

I yawned and sagged into the wall. Suddenly, I was absolutely exhausted.

My brain was fried and the police were probably looking for me — and it was probably going to be getting daylight soon anyway, in which there was no way I could move around in public — so I resolved to table my game planning session for at least a few hours.

I let my body slide to the floor and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the migraine pulsing behind them as I let myself fall into a restless sleep.

The vibrations of the magnet train woke me from my panic nap, and I was quickly snapped out of my daze as the chilled outside wind that followed its passing seeped into the chamber I had used for a bedroom.

I stretched and slowly got to my feet, feeling along the wall in order to make my way out of the dimmer section of the tunnels and toward the live tracks. I poked my head out from around the corner and peered down the tracks. The sunlight was a dull orange, signalling it was probably sometime in the afternoon, but it didn't look like it was going to be dark enough for me to go outside for another couple of hours, at least.

I took the extra time to refresh myself — as much as was possible in a tunnel — in an old janitor's closet that happened to have both a sink and a mirror. The sight of me in the greasy mirror was eerie, to say the least. Grime covered most of me from my time in the tunnel and the wilderness before that; probably the creepiest thing, though, was the glow of my eyes.

The iris was the same pinkish-purple as my underbelly and tail, and they seemed to shine or glow like a light was sitting behind them. I shivered and glanced back down to the sink, continuing my mindless washing routine as I tried my best to ignore the stranger changes to my anatomy.

As my paw-hands washed behind my head, they encountered probably the second creepiest thing about me as they wrapped around the fleshy tube that connected the back of my head to right between my shoulder blades; I almost gagged as I felt it twitch like a muscle flexing.

What the fuck was this thing for? I poked and prodded it gently and was rewarded with a tugging sensation at the back of my mouth, like I was squeezing my throat. I paused at that and considered if this thing was a second throat, or maybe extra nerve endings or something?

Experimenting, I wrapped my stubby fingers around my ultra-thin neck — seriously, it looked like a mild breeze would decapitate me — and almost instantly realized what was going on. I mean, I think…

My throat didn't feel like a throat at all — not like the tube did. My throat felt like more like my ankle would if I were to give it a squeeze. Well, my human ankle anyway; not the strange elongated foot thing I had now. To put it simply, my throat felt more like solid bone or maybe a thick spine surrounded by a thick wall of muscle.

I reached back to the tube and gave it a squeeze at the same time I tried to breathe in, and almost instantly I coughed at the constriction of my airway. I let the thing go and turned my head back and forth in the mirror. This tube thing was my airway — and I also assumed my esophagus — while my neck was actually just holding my head up.

This is so fucking weird. And gross. I cringed again, thinking of how vulnerable having my throat be hanging behind me was. Sure, it felt like it had its own wall of muscle surrounding it, but from my experiments, it didn't seem all that hard to leave me gasping for breath. And if someone or something managed to sever it, I would probably suffocate in a matter of minutes.

I shivered and continued my ministrations, trying my best not to look at my external neck-tube again.

By the time I was finished, I looked more or less clean. The hair on my arms was slick with something; either soap or...not soap. I didn't really want to know. Without further waiting, I snuck out of the tunnels and into the twilight of Goldenrod City.

I'd decided sometime between finding a place to use the restroom and washing the grime from my body that the best thing for me to do was to get the hell out of the city and figure out my psychic powers. Mewtwo could fly, if I remembered that Pokemon movie correctly. I was tripping along at barely three miles per hour, running into trouble, when I could be getting where I need to go in as little as a few hours by the air.

Resolved in my plan, I continued in the direction of the shoreline, where I knew I would be less likely to run into people at night as I made my way south, if the radio tower was anything to go by.

As I went along, I focused my abilities on washed-up bits of wood and sea-shells, trying to move them this way or that. After a half hour of walking down the beach strip, I'd only managed to move two of the sea-shells. Most of the pieces of tree-bark had disintegrated and the majority of the sea-shells either shook slightly or cracked in half — only one had exploded. I clenched my fists and breathed out. It was like there was no middle ground; it was either off or turned up to eleven.

Suddenly, a camera flash went off from somewhere behind me — illuminating the treeline I was heading toward — and I froze, crouching down. Why hadn't I seen someone lurking on the beach? My eyesight was pretty good nowadays. I turned to look over my shoulder and realized I was horribly, hilariously mistaken.

It wasn't a camera flash.

It was a motherfucking Alakazam, one of the strongest psychic Pokemon, who had apparently teleported onto the beach. And it had a human girl with it too, half-hidden behind the five-foot-tall yellow Pokemon; both of them eyed me with cold gazes and I saw the girl twitch slightly.

Somehow, that was a signal for the Alakazam to advance, and as it took a step forward, I could see more of what the girl looked like.

The most startling thing about her were the stark colors she wore — white leather pants that rode low on her hips and a pink tank top that exposed her shoulders and lower stomach. She had dull black hair that fell in waves down to her shoulders and she watched me with crystal-blue eyes as I observed her.

I took a step backward, clearly uncomfortable with this trainer who was obviously familiar with Psychic types and would probably want to catch me. I'd had quite enough of that for one lifetime.

The Alakazam took another step forward before pausing, shifting its head slightly to the left. The girl narrowed her eyes and the Alakazam seemed to respond to her silent command again. This time, its eyes glowed an electric blue and I felt the air charge with something like static — similar, though weaker, to the sensation I usually felt when using my psychic abilities to…

Oh, well shit.

I had no time to do much of anything before an invisible force struck me like a semi, hitting every inch of my body at once and forcing me down to my knees as I skid back from the force.

It felt kind of like I might expect getting microwaved would feel like — like a phantom burn. The feeling faded fast and I stood erect again, narrowing my eyes. I wanted to respond in kind, but I knew that, right now, I could either give them a nice tingly feeling or disintegrate them. Maiming or disabling wasn't really in my wheelhouse right now, so, despite my instincts telling me to destroy them, I took a breath and spoke.

Who are you? I asked. What do you want from me?

The Alakazam paused and lowered its arms, half turning back to the girl like before. She cocked her head and continued to stare.

A Mewtwo playing stupid? Not very believable.

Her...voice? I could hear her in my head! That made her...psychic, too? The corner of her mouth quirked, showing the first real sign of emotion since she showed up on the beach.

I didn't mean to…

To kill Jose Smith and his Pokemon? She finished, contorting her face back into the blank mask. I could feel your psychic energy all the way back in Saffron City when you attacked him. You definitely meant to kill him from what I felt.

I...I'm… I trailed off, realizing now exactly who I was talking to. A psychic trainer who uses psychic pokemon from Saffron City? This...this had to be Sabrina, the gym leader.

Hmm… you've heard of me, then? She quirked her lip again and I froze. Was she reading my mind without me projecting my thoughts?

Yes, she answered, inclining her head and scrunching her eyebrows together. You're broadcasting even if you don't realize it, which is odd, for a psychic that is as strong as you are. I would think a Mewtwo to be more than capable of shielding its thoughts…

I'm… I was a human being, I tried to project images of my life at college, going to Pokemon Go raids, and generally getting smashed at parties and sleeping through classes. I wasn't sure exactly how much, if any, was getting through. I woke up inside those ruins with the Unown and suddenly Pokemon are real and I'm a fucking Mewtwo. I panicked.

The Ruins of Alph?

Yes. I nodded, swishing my tail and shifting my weight from foot to foot. The adrenaline rush from Alakazam's attack was beginning to fade and my muscles were starting to feel the burn from so much drama in such a short timespan.

"Ha ha!" she tilted her head back and gave a laugh, verbalizing for the first time, and shook her head. "It's ridiculous, but you absolutely believe what you've shown me today."

She nodded at the Alakazam and, though it was still facing away from her, it reacted to the movement and seemed to flicker out of existence in a flash. It had...teleported? I flinched, expecting another sneak attack, but nothing happened.

The Pokemon league contacted me as I was already en-route to Goldenrod to investigate the attack, Sabrina continued, seeming unconcerned at being alone on the beach with me. Your species is rare, but there have been a very few number of other Mewtwo sighted and so they recognized the attack for what it was.

Somehow, a picture of what I believed to be Cinnabar Island's Pokemon Mansion appeared in my mind, a ruin of smoke and cinders from where the Mewtwo they had bred there had escaped and killed the scientists working there. It was like a complete story synopsis suddenly appeared in my head.

It was different from the scenes I remembered from the Pokemon Movie. Was this what happened in the game, then? I couldn't remember; maybe it was, or maybe it was a mish-mash of Pokemon history. I mentally shrugged; the details weren't really important right now.

I was sent to contain you as best I could until the gym leaders and elite four members could arrive to assist, but I can see that that is no longer needed.

In another flash of light, Alakazam was back. He — she?. It turned to face Sabrina and they seemed to communicate telepathically for a moment. I strained to try and listen in, but only caught a faint buzzing in my head.

I'm sorry, I said. This all sort of just happened; I was dropped into this world with psychic powers and I don't know how to use them. I just want answers — I want to find out if it's possible to turn me back into a human being, or get me back to my world. Preferably both.

I will help you with your abilities, Sabrina replied. Both she and Alakazam turned to look at me again, and I could see the yellow Pokemon moving to partially shield her like it was when they first arrived. I am no expert in transformation or transmigration, but there are some in the Johto-Kanto region that might be able to assist you in those areas.

Unfortunately, she continued, reaching for something behind her and making me tense up again. The Pokemon League cannot allow a wild, untrained Mewtwo to roam free after killing a trainer — even accidentally.

Her hand came back out, and in it was a goddamn Master Ball. The bubbled purple-and-pink sphere was unmistakable, and at the sight of it I freaked the fuck out.

Yeah, this was not happening. With a thought, I blasted the Alakazam with a psychic attack. It shook under the force and quickly collapsed, knocked unconscious.

Sabrina didn't look concerned. In fact, she looked determined. She glanced to the side — toward the city — and I saw why she was so confident.

Dark type Pokemon lined the grassy hill that sloped down into the sand of the beach. I counted a Tyranitar, a couple Houndoom, and a Sableye. All with their trainers safely behind them, hunkered down near the road.

I know it seems cruel. By all counts you're just a person with quite a bit of bad luck, but you have a body count and you are out of control. I can help you with your gifts so that you don't wind up hurting someone again.

And of course you have to capture me in order to do so? I spat, trying and failing to move her with my abilities. Whatever those dark type Pokemon were doing, it was rendering my abilities inert. I felt that I could hurt her — kill her — if I really tried, but I was afraid to push that hard after what happened with that man and his Machop.

I didn't want to kill another person, but I didn't want to get trapped in that fucking ball, either.

Yes. You are a legendary Pokemon who is not discrete in your movements — you haven't mastered your abilities and so you are ripe for the taking. I can guarantee that you will always be running from trainers until one eventually captures you.

Having me as your trainer would also allow you freedom from being captured by others. Pokeballs would never work on you while you have one of your own. She held up the Master Ball and levitated it above her palm, the sphere glowing green as she did so.

No. I shook my head, preparing to run. I couldn't fight with all those dark Pokemon, but I could sure as hell make a break for it. I took a step backward.

"This won't be a permanent thing," she said aloud, moving closer as I took steps backward. "After you are in control of yourself, you will be free to leave. I want you to know that while it's true that I will enjoy having a Mewtwo as my Pokemon, I will not use you as my slave, like you are imagining."

NO! No no no no no! I trailed off, turning to run. I got only a few yards before I felt the Master Ball hit me in the back of the head and the familiar glow encompass me.

I shrunk and compressed and was forced down again, but this time my raging abilities could not break out of the Pokeball. After an eternity, I felt the distorted walls of the Pokeball jerk to a standstill and I lost consciousness again.

End notes: Ayyy. I'm so glad some of you like this story. And yeah, that dude is totes D.E.D. dead. The next chapter will be like 1K words and will be an interlude (of which I figured out breaks up first-person stories nicely and provides extra info from binging Worm), but the one after that is 4K plus, so it kinda makes up for it. Funny enough, this story was going to be a Mew TF one before I changed my mind at the last second and made it Mewtwo. Maybe I'll write another one of those later on after this one gets abandoned or actually gets completed.