Mewtwo's Story

by brycep40

Fifteen years have passed since Mewtwo was last heard of. His crimes were legendary, and his name was feared above all others. Now, he has re-awakened in the hidden gem of Ether Valley; the problem is, he doesn't even remember his own tale. Can he pick up the pieces in time to go head-to-head with an organization intent on nothing but domination? (original plot & characters)

9. To Cerulean City

A couple days passed since that strange episode, but it was still quite funny to think about. Indeed, when Allen first heard the story, he couldn't keep a straight face for an hour. But they all decided to keep it under wraps at present time out of respect for Mewtwo's feelings (though he really didn't mind).

The four of them were again visiting Allen on a rainy afternoon. They could hear the rain pounding against the windows of Allen's new room in the Pokémon Center. He was moved from the ICU that morning, and he was quite happy to have a more normal room.

"I mean, I'm not complaining," Allen said to the group seated around his bed, "but the ICU always made me nervous, you know? I felt anxious whenever I remembered where I was."

"I can attest to that," said Mewtwo, pointing a finger in the general direction of the room, "When I was there about a week ago, I felt exactly the same way."

Allen smiled and said, "Glad to know that I'm not the only one. This room is much better, in my opinion. By the way, do you know what happened to those three Pokémon that were staying in this room? The ones that went rogue this past Saturday?"

Oh yes… those rogue Pokémon… Mewtwo remembered like it was yesterday.

Evening had arrived by the time the three Pokémon were ready to be discharged from the Center. The three of them, Mewtwo, and Gengar were all in the lobby, preparing to say goodbye. The drinking fiasco still fresh in his mind from lunchtime, Mewtwo was determined to display his best behavior.

"I want to thank you guys again for helping us out so much," said Nidoking in a deep and gravelly voice. His thick Irish accent gave the impression that he was a Pokémon not to be crossed, but his posture and eyes begged to say otherwise. "I don' know what we would've done without your assistance."

Gengar stepped forward, hands behind his back, and said in a shy voice, "I'm really sorry that I made you guys do those things. Please, I wish I could make it up to you guys."

Nidoking waved away his apology with a sweep of his massive arm, "Ar, it's no problem. Now that we know why it happened, we can' hold grudges. Don't worry about it."

Gengar bowed his head graciously and said, "I'm happy to have your forgiveness. You know, we should all hang out sometime."

"Maybe," said Nidoking with a small smile, "Me buds and I tend to travel extensively, but we'll try to see you guys again."

He made a slight motion like he wanted to raise his hand to offer a handshake, but stopped as the spark of an idea caused his expression to change like a lightbulb turned on in his head.

"Actually," Nidoking said slowly, "I got an idea…"

Glancing around the lobby, he spotted some spare paper and a pen lying on a nearby table. He took up the pen and wrote down a sequence of digits in an untidy scrawl. He handed it to Mewtwo, who looked down at these digits curiously.

"This is me cell phone number," said Nidoking. "Thank goodness I left it at me temporary residence in this country. If you ever need any of us, call that number, and we'll see what we can do. Okay?"

"That sounds great," said Mewtwo. As Nidoking returned the pen back where he found it and while Seviper and Weezing were watching Nidoking, Mewtwo slipped the paper to Gengar, who folded up and hid it neatly in the palm of his hand. Gengar was more likely to find use for that number than Mewtwo himself. Besides, when were their two groups ever likely to intertwine again?

"It's been a pleasure to meet you guys," said Gengar, using his other hand to shake Nidoking's, "Hopefully our paths will cross again soon."

Mewtwo shook Nidoking's hand and added, "I look forward to seeing you all in the future." His eyes shifted to Seviper and Weezing in the background and he gave both a nod of his head, which each returned. The three of them then turned and left through the Pokémon Center's double doors, Nidoking leading. On they went, growing smaller and smaller against the horizon until they were swallowed by the gathering darkness.

"They seem like a good bunch," said Gengar, still looking after them through the glass doors, "I wonder where they're going?"

"Wherever it is," said Mewtwo, "I hope it's an adventure."

When Mewtwo finished recounting the farewell, Allen smiled and said, "That's great to hear. I'm glad you guys got on so well."

"I am too," replied Mewtwo, "I really want to see those guys again. They said they might drop in sometime."

"Really?" asked Allen, "I'd like to see them when they return! I never got to meet them."

Mewtwo looked on thoughtfully and said, "I'm sure they'll be back again someday."

"Mhmm…" Allen said, nodding to Mewtwo, "But until then, I believe we have some more important things to think about, right?"

Mewtwo gave a very reluctant grin. Today they were scheduled to go to Allen's university and help conduct research on the mysterious Mega Stone. It had been on Mewtwo's thoughts since their visit on Sunday. Indeed, whenever he thought about it, a swooping feeling clenched his stomach until he forced himself to pass over the thought. The panic came and went, reaching various crescendos over the passing time. One day while he was sitting down to some supper in the Pokémon Center, the panic came and reached such a pitch that he had to stand up and take a walk around the village to calm his nerves.

"Oh yeah!" said Gengar, "That's today, isn't it? Oh boy, I can't wait to help out with Allen's research!"

"Yeah…" added Mewtwo in a far less-than-enthusiastic response.

"Well, Gengar, assuming that Nurse Joy checks me off as okay to travel," Allen said with a smile. He leaned over and put a hand on the wheelchair that sat beside his bed. "This bad boy gets me around the Center all right, but hopefully it'll take care of me when we go to other places."

"When will you be cleared to walk around normally?" asked Gengar, eyeing the wheelchair with apprehension.

Allen gave a roar of laughter and said, "With this broken leg and my screwed-up back, I'm lucky that Nurse Joy was willing to clear me for this wheelchair."

"I—but—I mean…" Gengar faltered, clearly aghast as the retributions of Allen's injuries hit him full force.

Allen immediately tried to correct his mistake.

"I mean, I'll be able to walk once both my back and leg heal up. So it won't be for quite a while."

Gengar looked on for just a second longer before burying his face in his hands, moaning, "What have I done!" over and over again.

Allen's mouth was hanging open, looking down at Gengar in stunned silence, and then raised his head to the other three. They could only shrug their shoulders in response. Allen cut across Gengar and said, "Gengar, Gengar, please don't get upset on my account! I'm not holding you responsible for everything! I know you, and you would never want to do that to anybody."

Gengar looked at Allen through his fingers and said, "All the more reason, isn't it? It's my fault and I can't do anything about it!"

Allen's face worked up in concentration. Mewtwo observed this and was under the impression the Allen was doing some very quick thinking. With an odd half-glance to Alder, Allen spoke up.

"Gengar?"

He looked up with the most miserable face Mewtwo had ever seen. Allen looked hard into Gengar's eyes, but far from unkindly.

"You always said you wanted to help fix what you've done, right?"

Gengar nodded slowly, lowering his hands from his face as he did so.

"Why not let me help you so that you can help me?"

Gengar's eyes became very round as these words were spoken. Mewtwo whipped his head to look at Allen and Gengar, hardly daring to believe that his hunch was correct.

"Will you let me be your trainer?"

In the second that lasted an eternity, Mewtwo stared right at Gengar, whose jaw fell in response to these words. Mewtwo saw in his mind's eye the time they were making their way to the town square in response to the call of distress, and heard Allen's voice surface from the memory, I've been meaning to get this done for quite a while, you know.

Gengar's smile could not have been wider when he cried with joy, "Yes! I would love for you to be my trainer!"

It was a priceless scene. Gengar jumped up and shook Allen's hand with vigor while Alder clapped enthusiastically, saying, "Oh this is wonderful! What a powerful display of forgiveness and friendship! I must say that I think you two will make a fantastic team!"

Alakazam, who himself was also smiling broadly, added, You two will go far in all your endeavors. I can guarantee that.

"Congratulations!" said Mewtwo to Allen and Gengar, who looked around and beamed at him. Mewtwo was extremely happy for the two of them, not to mention a little proud of himself. Managing to turn Gengar away from a life of crime made this moment all the more special.

"I can promise you," said Gengar, bowing to Allen, "that I will do everything I can to serve you most faithfully."

Words were simply not enough. Allen shed tears of joy as he leaned forward in his bed to give Gengar an enormous hug. Mewtwo's heart instantly warmed at the sight.

"But to make it official…" said Allen as he released Gengar and reached toward his bag, working to extricate something, "may I have the honor—?"

He removed a Pokéball from his backpack, befuddling everyone in the room to his preparedness.

"Where did you get that?" asked Mewtwo in a manner far from accusatory.

Allen looked around and said, "I always keep this in my bag, just in case the moment I could catch a Pokémon would ever present itself. Some may call it being overly prepared, but I call it optimism."

Mewtwo did recall how Allen said he's been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and he could see the merit.

"I would never have thought of that!" exclaimed Mewtwo, "I'm impressed!"

Allen inclined his head. "Thank you," he said with a chuckle. He turned his attention to Gengar and said, "So Gengar! May I have the honor? Will you be my first 'captured' Pokémon and my starter?"

"Of course, my fine sir!" said Gengar, "I'm ready to be, ah, 'captured'."

Allen held the Pokéball ready in his hand and said, "Okay, then… prepare yourself!" He pushed the button and opened the Pokéball.

As the ball opened, Gengar became white and opaque, like a reverse silhouette. All they could see was his outline. Then, he seemed to have gotten sucked into the Pokéball at high speed, which snapped shut after him. The ball sat in Allen's hand, glowing a dull red.

The ball shook once…

Twice…

Thrice…

And the glow dissolved into nothingness.

Allen pushed the button again to release Gengar. He sprung out of the Pokéball, straightened up, and asked, "Did it work?"

"I believe so!" said Allen, "You are officially mine!"

Gengar gave Allen another big hug and said, "Thank you very much, Allen. I really do appreciate it."

The group sat around and whiled away the afternoon while the rain continued to fall against the windows, making the room feel much cozier. They talked, laughed, and joked, Mewtwo feeling perfectly at ease. There was no better way than this, surely; just the five of them sitting and chatting about whatever came to mind.

What really capped it all off was when Nurse Joy came in at half-past three to talk to them all.

"Allen," she started with a smile on her face, "you've been cleared to leave the Pokémon Center at your leisure. All you have to do is sign out of the Center and use your wheelchair. Isn't that great?"

"It is!" said Allen, "Thank you so much for fixing me up, Nurse Joy, and thank you for letting me leave the Center."

Nurse Joy bowed and said, "It's no trouble at all. The staff and I are glad you've made such remarkable recovery in a short time."

"And it's all thanks to you, Nurse Joy," said Allen, leaning forward to shake her hand. After she exited, Allen suddenly said, "Hey! Do you know what that means? We can finally go to my University and test out the Mega Ring!"

Everyone's eyes lifted as they glanced at one another. Mewtwo's glance, however, quickly transitioned into that of worry. Allen reached towards Mewtwo with his fragile arm, patting him on the back. The sensation of "Don't worry" pulsed through each pat.

"All these lingering questions will soon become clearer," Allen reminded Mewtwo. Mewtwo nodded, his uneasiness reduced, but not completely void.

"Well, shall we head out?" Alder questioned. "There's still quite a bit of daylight to accomplish something before the day is out."

"Yes, of course!" Allen answered. "If we take the train just outside of town, we'll be able to reach the University by—let's see…" He picked up his phone from the bedside table and looked at it quickly before saying, "I'd say around six. Is that okay?"

"I think so," said Alder. "I have to go to my cottage first, but I'll be able to meet you guys at the train station around four thirty."

"All right," said Allen. "Take your time. We'll meet you there."

"See you then!" said Alder, and he exited the room with Alakazam close behind.

After a moment of silence, during which the three of them simply looked around at each other, Gengar said, "So now what?"

"Well," said Allen, "we can get some supper before we leave, because I don't know if we'll have the chance once we're at the University."

"Where is your University, by the way?" asked Mewtwo, for he has so far failed to learn where Allen goes to school.

"Cerulean City," said Allen. "I know it's a bit of a hike to get there, but I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Nor do I," said Mewtwo. "So how about supper? I don't mind eating right now."

No objections were raised, so the three of them left Allen's room (Allen had to be assisted into his wheelchair before he could wheel it around himself) and they entered the lobby's dining area. They filled their plates from the buffet and sat down to a table to eat. For a while, the only sounds were the chink of silverware on plates and the steady drumming of rain on the windows, although it progressively slowed as they continued to eat.

Mewtwo broke the silence with a thought that had occupied him since they sat down, and said, "Allen, what do you study?"

Allen, who had just raised his mug of tea to his lips, stopped and lowered it slowly in response. He looked into Mewtwo's eyes very deliberately before answering.

"Experimental Tactics in the field of Pokémon battles." When Mewtwo responded with a puzzled look, Allen elaborated, "The goals of the program are to significantly change how trainers and their Pokémon do battle, either by making it much easier to execute moves, making it more difficult for the opponent, or giving the Pokémon more adversity in a battle. In short, providing equipment to give the trainer an edge over an unsuspecting adversary."

"How many people are involved?" asked Mewtwo.

"There are four of us on the team. It's a very exclusive program because of the high degree of knowledge required in Pokémon, battles, technology, and everything behind it, as well as the sensitive nature of the research. The four of us keep the secrets between us, not to be shared with anybody else."

"Then why did you tell us about the Mega Ring and Mega Stone?"

"I trust you guys," Allen said simply. "But now that you know how important it is, I don't want anybody to give away the secrets."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Mewtwo and Gengar in unison.

Allen smiled and replied, "I know that none of you would. I'm just stressing how important the idea of secrecy is behind the program."

"Of course," said Mewtwo, raising his own glass of water in a kind of toast to Allen. "I understand completely."

Mewtwo finished his meal in silence, pondering. How did Giovanni manage to get that Mega Ring all those years ago? And the Mega Stone… Mewtwo shivered at the thought of if it would've been found. Mewtwo certainly wouldn't be sitting here right now—probably off destroying the world or something...

Don't think like that, he told himself sternly as they all rose from their table. Be glad for where you are right now, all right?

"Okay then," said Allen, "I think we're about to head out. Are you guys ready?"

Mewtwo nodded stiffly as Gengar replied, "I'm ready."

"Awesome!" said Allen, "Let's head out, then!"

Thankfully, the rain had stopped by the time they left the Center, so the group didn't have to get wet as they traveled to the train station. Allen wheeled himself down the rain-washed streets with good pace, Mewtwo and Gengar walking briskly in his wake. Mewtwo didn't think the train station was very far away from town, but getting there by foot was a different story. The undulations in the land didn't make the trip any easier. By the time they did arrive at the station, Mewtwo was hot in the face and his feet were very cold, Gengar's forehead was shining with sweat, and Allen was huffing and puffing to keep wheeling himself along. The two Pokémon collapsed onto a bench while Allen rolled up alongside them, breathing hard and clutching a stitch in his chest.

"Remind me—" he gasped, "not to… do that again—okay?"

"With pleasure," said Mewtwo, a little winded himself.

After a short while where they all caught their breath, Alakazam and Alder approached the station and found their way towards Mewtwo and the others.

"Sorry for the delay, but now everything's taken care of. We can grab our tickets and get going," Alder said.

"I'll get the tickets for us," Allen offered. "You guys wait by the platform."

After a nod from the group, Allen made his way towards the ticket booth. A young man looked to be in charge, organizing the train schedules on the desk while waiting for tickets to print. As Allen approached the counter, he was greeted with a smile.

"Hello! Where will you be headed today?"

"Five tickets for Cerulean City, please," Allen answered.

The clerk glanced behind Allen and questioned, "Are you including your Pokémon in your count? Station rules state that all Pokémon must remain in their Pokéballs for the ride, so they do not need tickets."

"Oh—then make it three tickets," Allen corrected.

"One moment, then." The clerk printed three tickets marked for Cerulean and handed them to Allen. "Your train is set to head out in ten minutes. Be sure to board quickly and safely, and have a nice afternoon."

"Thanks, and you too!" Allen replied with a wide grin. He made his way back to the others, handing Mewtwo and Alder their tickets.

"The station rules say that Pokémon need to remain in their Pokéballs, so we only needed three tickets," Allen repeated to the rest.

With a nod, Alder brought out his Pokéball and returned Alakazam to it. Allen looked towards Gengar and took out his own Pokéball. Gengar acknowledged the action, and followed suit. With everything prepared, Allen, Alder, and Mewtwo boarded the train.

The train was extremely compact, fit with enough space to seat about thirty people in one car. Nylon fabric covered each seat, and small lights hung over the ceiling. The group found their seats in the row labelled "4-A" and settled in. On the window sill, there was a compartment for Pokéballs to be kept safe, in which Alder and Allen took advantage of. Luckily, this row was handicap accessible, so Allen could simply wheel his wheelchair into the space where the seats would be otherwise. But Mewtwo, like back at the deli, had trouble fitting into his seat, and only managed it when he forced himself in between the bench and the table. Alder looked on for a second, plainly trying not to laugh, and said, "I'll just sit over here then." He sat across the aisle and adjusted himself so that he was facing the other two.

Being a Thursday afternoon, the train was quite empty apart from themselves, so they had free reign to chat about whatever came to mind without fear of being overheard. They rolled through the countryside, Mewtwo leaning against the widow to watch the scenery flick past. The rain started up again as they sped through some dense forests, splattering the windows and darkening the sky outside.

After quite some time of window watching, he turned to the others chatting animatedly about Cerulean City, and Mewtwo listened in.

"I love it," said Alder, "It's my favorite place to go whenever I want to relax. Or, come to think of it, whenever I need a change of scenery. How about you, Allen?"

Allen's eyes widened with the question. His eyes seemed to beam with excitement as he spoke,

"Oh, Cerulean is my hometown! It's so wonderful, from the forests to the small creeks to the lakes, and of course the highly-esteemed Cerulean Gym! Actually, it was because Cerulean's gym became so successful that the Cerulean University was established. Oh, how much I love that city. It's really shaped how I regard life and Pokémon."

Mewtwo, having heard Allen's boast about Cerulean, thought back to when he had first met Allen. He remembered something that didn't sit right with him, so he cut into the conversation.

"Hey, Allen?" Mewtwo began. "I remember when we first met; you had said your goal was to travel all across Kanto, right?"

"That's right," Allen replied with a smile. "Travelling and learning all sorts of things about our world is my dream."

"So, how did you end up at Ether Valley? With a growing University like Cerulean at your disposal, why come do research at such a small town? It seems as if you really love your hometown, so was there really a reason to leave? I'm just curious."

Allen's gleaming face faded with the question. His smile dropped, almost as if he had never been smiling in the first place. Mewtwo noted his facial change and quickly stated, "If it's something you'd rather not talk about, you don't have to—"

"My family and I… had some disagreements. Every time I mentioned traveling or creating a new technology at the University to benefit Pokémon, I was scoffed at. I was told that I was wasting my time trying to improve a world too corrupt, that all my talk of a beautiful world was ignorant. They couldn't see it. None of them could see how beautiful the world was. I know life's hardships had taken a toll on all of them: my mother, father, and my younger brother. Times were tough because my brother naturally had a weaker immune system. But, to just give in to despair and refuse to crawl out of the abyss to see the light, I couldn't do that. I needed to find some way to bring the light back to them."

Mewtwo and Alder sat motionless as Allen continued.

"I told them I had to leave. Not just for my sake, but for their sake too. I needed to study harder, research more about the world, and find just the right thing to prove to them that world wasn't a cruel punishment, but a gift. I had set up an agreement with the University; I could study while I was away, and as long as I documented all my research, I could take a break from my current project. On the map, Ether Valley looked to be an extremely underrated location, so I took the opportunity to spend my time there. I had thought that maybe... just maybe... I'd be able to find what I needed."

Allen shook his head and chuckled somberly, "You know, if my family ends up finding me, they'd look at me now and tell me this appearance was karma for believing in the world. They would say I was punished, but I would still disagree. Despite the current events, I was still able to meet you guys, Alakazam, and Gengar. We may even finish the Project regarding the Mega Stone, of what has been thought of as an impossible enigma. And that… that is part of the precious reward life has to offer."

Mewtwo's brain seemed to have jammed. He sat in his seat, jaw hanging clean open, unable to fathom what he had just heard. He struggled to put his own thoughts into words, but managed to say, "How could your family be so—so short-sighted? I mean—these are your dreams that we're talking about here!"

"Reality hit," said Allen quite bluntly. "Like I said before, my brother has a weak immune system, and a spell hit where he fell gravely ill. Honestly, I didn't know if he would live. Every day I would wake up terrified that my brother wouldn't, and my parents were stressed tenfold by the same idea. I tried to help in any way that I could, but my parents were simply not receptive. Maybe it was the situation talking, but they told me that if I wasn't going to do anything productive for them, then I could just get out of their sight. And so I did."

The loudest silence yet greeted the end of Allen's words. Only the rattling of the train car could be heard as Mewtwo stared at Allen, whose head was hanging as he addressed the table.

"I'm not proud that I left my family, but I was a burden to them if I wasn't doing anything to help the situation. I did what was best for us all, and now I'm working to repay the debt."

Allen took a deep breath, raised his head, and said, "But never mind me." He smiled, albeit a little strained, and asked, "What about you, Mewtwo? I remember that you were going to tell your story, but we never really got a chance."

"That's true," said Mewtwo. "I never did get the chance, did I? Well, I'll tell you now."

And so he did, starting from where he could remember being taken from the small brook that ran through the village to the Pokémon Center. He allowed Alder to fill in the gaps, which made for a more enriching tale. For more than a half hour, Mewtwo talked. He told him about what led him to the library, where he first met Allen. He told him about his hike through the mountains and his trip into the past. He told him everything that happened after Allen's kidnapping. He even told Allen about the drinking fiasco, which was well received by an uproar of laughter.

"... and then we came to visit you this afternoon," ended Mewtwo, watching the scenery again through the rain-streaked windows. They were very close to Cerulean City, for they could see the skyscrapers that dominated the scene, looming into view through the gray haze of rain and fog.

"We must be nearly there…" mumbled Mewtwo, more to himself than anybody. No sooner had he said this did he feel the train slow down slightly as they entered the city limits. A voice came over the loudspeaker and said, "We will be pulling into Cerulean City Station in approximately five minutes. All passengers to disembark, please prepare now to avoid delay. Thank you."

Having been wedged in his seat for more than an hour, Mewtwo was desperate to at least stretch his legs before leaving the train. He made to pull himself out of the booth, but alas, he didn't budge an inch.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know what I expected," said Mewtwo in a bored voice. "I know I was drunk last time, but this is ridiculous."

"Do you need help?" asked Alder, rising uncertainly from his seat. Allen was simply hiding his face, trying not to let Mewtwo see him laugh. He busied himself by recollecting the Pokéballs from the sill compartment and handing Alder's to him across the table with a smirk.

"I don't think so…" Mewtwo said, but his tone suggested otherwise, "I just—need to—damn it."

Though he tried with all his might, he remained resolutely stuck in between the table and the back of the bench.

"I can't believe this," he growled. The train was really slowing down now, and they could see the station through the rain-washed windows. "How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?"

"Give me your hand," said Alder quickly. Mewtwo reached forward as far as his lanky arms would permit and grasped Alder's arm with his left hand and the end of the bench with his right. When Mewtwo had a secure grip, Alder said, "When I say 'pull', we'll get you unstuck, all right?"

"Right," said Mewtwo, praying that this would work as well as Alder was planning.

"Okay… three—two—one—pull!"

"OUCH!"

Though he was now free, a corner of the table had caught him and tore across his side, stinging and smarting. He looked down to see that the cut was bleeding and added to his annoyance.

"Can't we ever have nice things?" fumed Mewtwo.

"I guess not," said Allen as the train shuddered to a halt. "But we can fix that at the University." The loudspeaker announced, "Ether to Cerulean now disembarking on platform five. Time: seventeen fifty-seven."

"That's our cue," said Allen, wheeling towards the doors that just opened, "Let's go." They followed him off the train and into the station.

Mewtwo's immediate impression of the station was that of a great glass bubble. The high, arching ceiling made entirely of clear glass flooded the platforms with gray light. People were bustling about, returning from work or else heading out for the night shift. Some were dressed smartly in suits, some more casually, and some dressed in t-shirts and slacks. On and off the trains they walked, leaving no platform empty. The sight alone was enough to baffle Mewtwo as to how smoothly everything was running.

"Where do we go now?" said Mewtwo loudly in Allen's ear. He had to speak up because of the noise of the crowd and the near-constant speech from the loudspeakers announcing trains arriving, boarding, and departing. Allen simply pointed forward in response and wheeled himself onward, clearly indicating for the others to follow.