The rain was forcing them to dash into the University's front lobby. They all stood dripping over the threshold, clothes completely soaked through, Mewtwo chilled to the bone. Squelching across the lobby, they followed Allen to the front desk, who was addressing the receptionist.

"Allen Greene," he said, holding up an ID card he had procured from his bag. "And can my friends here get some ID cards as well? I don't think they want to have to register as a guest every time."

"Certainly," said the clerk, "but I'll need them to fill out some paperwork first."

"Yeah, of course," said Allen. "We'll need four forums, if you don't mind." He and Alder withdrew their Pokéballs and released Gengar and Alakazam. Alder motioned for the two Pokémon and quietly explained what was going on to them.

The clerk pulled out the forums, clipboards, and pens, and handed them across the counter. Allen accepted them with a word of thanks and distributed the materials. They all settled down across the lobby, and began to write.

For a time, all that could be heard was the scratching of their pens. Mewtwo, his hands being quite inept at holding objects that small, simply used his psychic power to fill out the forum, his pen suspended in mid-air. All he had to do was mentally dictate the writing. Gengar glanced over, throwing the occasional look of jealousy. Mewtwo responded with a smirk.

"When you're finished, gentlemen," called the clerk from the desk, "you'll have to come back here so that I can take photos and print your new ID."

Mewtwo finished his forum and stood up, following the clerk to a backroom where it was already set up for taking photos. He directed Mewtwo to sit down while he adjusted the camera.

"All right, are you ready?" When Mewtwo nodded, he said, "Okay, picture in three—two—one—"

Click!

Instantly, the photo appeared on a small screen that was previously black. Intrigued, Mewtwo leaned in for a closer look. There he was, looking back at himself with a small smile. He remembered what he used to look like: angry, irritated, and ungrateful. It was a welcome change.

"Does this picture look good?" asked the clerk.

"Yes!" said Mewtwo. "Thank you very much, sir."

"No problem at all. Now if you'll follow me…"

They returned to the front desk, where Mewtwo's new ID card was printing. The clerk said, "We use different formats between a person's ID card and a Pokémon's. It's easier to tell the two apart." The clerk picked up the newly printed card and attached a lanyard to it, to which he handed to Mewtwo. The card was purple, had his picture on it, and included many of the details he had written on the forum. He strung it around his neck for safekeeping as the clerk said, "Welcome aboard, sir."

Mewtwo shook his hand and replied, "It's a pleasure to be aboard."

The clerk motioned for another volunteer to step up. Alder stood from his chair and followed him to the back room. Mewtwo resumed his seat, and Alder came back not too long after. He received his card and resumed his seat as Alakazam went for his picture.

"Look at this!" said Alder as he leaned across Alakazam's vacated chair, holding out his card to show Mewtwo. He took it with a bemused expression and looked at Alder's card. His was not purple, but white instead, accompanied by a picture of him smiling widely.

"Nice picture," Mewtwo chuckled, handing back Alder's card before Alakazam sat back down, holding his own ID by the lanyard and swinging it in wide circles like a lasso.

Gengar returned, clutching his card and crying with laughter. He held it out for them to see. His picture had a grin even wider than Alder's and his eyebrows were raised, almost in a surprised fashion. They all burst out laughing as Gengar strung his card and lanyard comfortably behind his head.

Once the laughter died down, the four of them returned to the front desk, where Allen had been waiting for them. Allen was happily making conversation with a man who looked only a few years older than himself. The man was wearing a stained lab coat, signifying that he must have just been working on some sort of project not too long ago. His slick brown hair curled at the ends, and he maintained a prim posture. As Allen noticed Mewtwo and the others walk towards him, he immediately shifted his conversation topic.

"Ah, and there they are!" Allen exclaimed. "Tim, these are my wonderful friends I mentioned earlier. From right to left we have Mewtwo, Alder, Alakazam, and Gengar."

"It's a pleasure to meet some of Allen's close friends. Name's Timothy Bishop, or Tim for short. I've been working in the same Department as Allen since before he was even admitted into Cerulean. Once he arrived, we've been paired up on many different team research projects, and I must say, I've missed him. Despite his current condition, it's great to see that he has been successful in making some new friends. And great ones, from what I hear."

"Nice to meet you as well," Alder replied first. "We've had quite the journey with Allen, but that's a conversation in itself for a later date. What sort of research have you been working on? From the looks of your coat, it seems like you've been very busy."

Tim chuckled at the question.

"Oh, this?" he asked, pointing to the pale purple stains scattered on the left side of his lab coat. He smiled and glanced towards Allen. "I was just finishing my research in regards to the different types of poison Pokémon can produce. I was working with some samples to test a theory, and it ended up getting a bit messy. I was headed to grab a clean lab coat, but I noticed Allen had returned, so I couldn't possibly just walk by him."

"You always were enthusiastic when it came to research," Allen chimed in. "He doesn't look it, but when Tim puts his heart into a project, he becomes utterly engrossed in it."

"True," said Tim with a small bow, "I'll never rest until I've finished my project, even if that means nights and weekends. But that doesn't bother me, at least."

"To each man his own passion, huh?" asked Mewtwo. Tim nodded in agreement.

"Not to change the subject, but I've heard that you're all here to help with some research, correct?" asked Tim, looking at them all good-naturedly.

"They are," responded Allen. "But let's go down to the labs before we say anymore, shall we?"

"Yes, let's go!" said Tim, and he led them out of the lobby.

They all took the stairs to the lower level while Allen used an elevator. As Tim led the group, he said to them, "Allen will know where to find us, so we'll meet him there."

They exited the stairwell and walked into a white-walled corridor. Here, more corridors split off, but none as large as theirs. There were many doors that led into testing rooms of varying sizes. Mewtwo had never seen anything like this.

"So where are we going?" asked Mewtwo aloud.

"We're going this way," said Tim. He pointed up the large corridor and began to walk.

The group followed. Mewtwo looked into the labs that he was passing by. Most were dark and unoccupied, although here and there was the occasional person sitting at a computer or writing something down at a table. All of them were wearing the same white lab coats that Tim had (less the purple stains).

"What were you working on, by the way?" asked Gengar, looking up at Tim.

"Poison research," he said briskly. "I'm looking at how the poisons produced by various Pokémon can be implemented in a defensive manner rather than offensive. I think I can create a formula based off of these venoms that will safeguard a Pokémon from most poison attacks. It's like an antidote, but you don't have to wait for your Pokémon to get poisoned before using it!"

At the very end of the corridor was a pair of large double doors. When they arrived at the doors, Tim said, "Allen wanted us to use this lab. It's the largest and best one in the building." He withdrew a key card from his pocket and swiped it through an electric lock, which opened the doors. They all stepped inside while Tim flipped on the lights.

Tim wasn't kidding; this was a large lab. Large machinery sat along the walls, along with scores of electronic devices, spare lab coats, cabinets, instruments, and tools. And even this room had rooms, for smaller ones sat on the outside looking in on the right and left of where they stood. Lab tables were scattered around the room, but a large amount of floor space further back was completely clear of materials.

"Wow," said Mewtwo softly. Despite his mounting nerves, he couldn't help but be awestruck at the sheer size and sophistication of the room.

"Yeah," said Tim a little quietly himself. "Some of the University's finest equipment is in this room. Everything you'd ever need is right here, but I don't know why Allen wants us down here. He wouldn't tell me, but he said it was very important."

Mewtwo nodded gravely, "It certainly is."

Moments later, the lock on the doors clicked again behind them and Allen entered the room wearing a lab coat with Greene embroidered opposite the front breast pocket. Tim stepped forward and said, "So Allen! What are we doing that you wouldn't tell me about before?"

"Testing a breakthrough," said Allen. "Remember the Mega Ring project we've been working on since May?"

"Yeah…" said Tim slowly, "What about it?"

"I think we've found the source of power."

For a moment, Tim was absolutely stunned.

"No way!" breathed Tim, "What—how—?"

Allen simply pointed at Gengar, who briefly explained about the rocks he had found in the ravine near the Seafoam Islands fifteen years ago. Tim seemed to be blown away by this information, and stammered, "I—this is incredible! Just—wow… this really is a breakthrough…" He ran his fingers through his hair, looking on in disbelief. Finally, he turned to Allen.

"How do we test this?"

Allen shrugged and said, "I'm not sure myself, but I think we should get all of our notes and documents first before we move on."

"Yeah…" Tim said, evidently trying to pull himself out of a daze. "Yeah… you're right… We'll get—I mean, I'll get our stuff from the office." He dashed to the door, yanked it open, and called excitedly behind him as he exited, "I'll be back in a minute!"

"Tim really is something when he gets excited, isn't he?" asked Mewtwo, staring at the spot that he had vanished as the doors snapped shut.

Allen chuckled and said, "You learn to live with it after a while. He's brilliant, mind you, which is why he heads this research team. But he can get a bit eccentric like that."

"Must be exciting," Mewtwo muttered with a smile as Tim rushed back into the room, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a clean lab coat which also had his name embroidered on the front. Tim set the briefcase on the nearest table, undid the clasps, and opened it to reveal folders upon folders packed with pages and pages of notes. He spread them out on every table, murmuring to himself as he organized the loose pages.

After he successfully covered all available surfaces with notes, he withdrew a blank paper and pen and said, "Forgive me for asking, Mewtwo, but I need to take some notes on you. You can only get so much from the references we have, and I need an anatomically correct drawing before we proceed. May I?"

"Err… sure," said Mewtwo. No sooner were these words out of his mouth did Tim begin taking notes, copying Mewtwo's appearance with surprising speed and accuracy. Within minutes, he had already filled one page and moved on to a second... then a third... then a fourth. Mewtwo swore he could smell burning paper from the speed of the note taking.

"How many notes do you need, Tim?" asked Mewtwo warily halfway through the fifth page.

"This should be enough," said Tim, checking everything he had written down so far. "Thank you for letting me take these." He gestured to the pages on which the ink was still glistening. Mewtwo glanced at them and was slightly surprised to see his own image on the papers. They were certainly anatomically correct; there was a full body drawing, a profile drawing, limb drawings, and many other sketches. Tim shuffled all the pages together and put them in the back of a full folder marked "No. 133 - 151." When the folder had been opened, Mewtwo caught a glimpse of a sheet clear in the back titled "Mew." His curiosity was sparked.

"Tim," started Mewtwo, "can I see that folder?"

He wordlessly handed the folder across the table and scooted across the room. Mewtwo opened the folder straight to the last pages, flipping past the notes on himself and instead arriving to Mew.

Immediately, Mewtwo noticed that this paper was much older than anything else in this folder. It had yellowed a significant amount and seemed quite tattered. The handwriting looked different, and when he checked it against Tim's most recent notes, he saw that they didn't match up. Somebody else had written on this, and whoever it was certainly had less than stellar handwriting. Mewtwo pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down while he removed these aged papers from the folder. He bent over the papers and began to decipher the notes:

MEW

(no. ?) 151

April 23, 1996

Mew is one of the rarest Pokémon in existence. Only a select few have ever been able to lay eyes on this mystifying Pokémon. Mew's ability to become invisible at will, as well as travel through air and water with apparent ease, makes it all the more difficult to spot, much less to capture.

From the reported sighting of Mew we received, it is describes as very small at only one foot tall. Pink and bipedal, Mew has a wide, short snout, triangular-shaped ears, and wide, blue eyes. Its front paws are small with three fingers while its feet are quite large in comparison to the rest of the body. The tail is long, ending in an ovoid tip.

Although very little is known about Mew, we hope to discover more about this truly remarkable Pokémon, for we believe that it contains the DNA of all living Pokémon to date. No doubt that research will need to be conducted.

But the notes didn't stop there. A scribble across the page separated this writing from the next. Mewtwo read on:

July 5, 1996

Mew was founded and captured deep in the jungles of South America by part of our research team. The other half claimed to have seen Mew just minutes before we met up, or about the time we captured Mew. We believe that Mew is unique, and that there is only one in the world.

Mew's appearance is precisely what we received earlier this year, therefore confirming that this Pokémon exists and is not a mirage. We plan to perform some tests and experiments once we return to Japan.

July 10, 1996

The confirmation of Mew as a legitimate Pokémon was a big step. We can now perform experiments to try and unlock its potentials, which seem to be promising as we set up for testing. It is unknown how long these tests and experiments will last, but it will undoubtedly be a long process to extract and effectively test a DNA sample. Standby on updates to come.

October 2, 1996

After spending much time on attempting to acquire a valid sample of DNA, we have succeeded. Mew is being kept secure as we conduct more experiments. Hopes are high as we attempt to discover as much as we can about Mew's DNA structure.

October 11, 1996

Several days of testing on Mew's DNA have proven to be enormously successful. It is confirmed that the DNA matches the genetic code of every Pokémon we've compared it to. We plan to continue comparison against every Pokémon we can afford to test.

October 27, 1996

After nearly four weeks of testing, our team can say with confidence that Mew holds the genetic code of all Pokémon, effectively making it the ancestor to every Pokémon that exists. Mew is still kept secure; however, the team wishes to perform further experiments with the DNA. We have decided to attempt to enhance the DNA we have acquired from Mew. The theory being that because Mew's genetic code applies to every Pokémon, a test subject will not reject the new DNA and will become more powerful. We hope this holds true as we begin the next phase.

Having reached the end of this page, Mewtwo set it aside, his curiosity burning white-hot. But the next page had been torn in half across the middle. It was a very untidy tear, almost like it was done in a great hurry. New and unfamiliar handwriting was on the remaining paper, which followed the same format as the previous entries. Confused, he continued to read:

February 6, 1997

The DNA of Mew has successfully allowed us to create a clone. After some months of failures and setbacks, this is a major success. The clone has been christened Mewtwo as a result of the successes of these experiments and the uniqueness of the original Mew. Mew will remain secure and protected for possible further research as Mewtwo will become the subject of experiments to increase potential power.

In an instant, Mewtwo felt his heart stop dead cold as he read the last few words.

Here it was; the evidence that he was to become a tool of mass destruction. He was only an experiment to these researchers more than fifteen years ago and nothing more.

Is this what was going to happen to him all over again today? Was he just going to be another experiment along with his friends?

But before he let his emotions run away, he stopped to think. He, Gengar, and Alakazam had volunteered for this, knowing full well that the experiments could be unpredictable. But this time, they were going to try and get some good out of it all. They were going to put the Mega Ring to good use.

They were going to succeed.

Mewtwo turned over the half-sheet of paper in his hand and found the shortest entry yet:

September 1, 1997

Mew has been lost. Went missing after Mewtwo escaped from our laboratories on Cinnabar Island. Current location is unknown.

Mewtwo laid down the crumbling piece of paper and buried his face in his hands, sighing deeply. Even though it happened a long time ago, he could picture the scene in his mind's eye—people panicking as he proceeded to destroy their labs, mass confusion, and in the midst of it all, the loss of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in studying Pokémon.

He clenched his fists, hating himself for ruining so much. He could feel the anger rearing in his chest like an Ekans out of tall grass. Why was it always him? Why?

Mewtwo stuffed the papers back into the folder and whipped out the ones on himself, determined to learn more. In the same handwriting as the half-sheet and on paper the same age was written:

MEWTWO

(no. 150)

February 6, 1997

From Mew's DNA, our research team has managed to create a clone. This clone has been christened Mewtwo. We will be experimenting with its genes in a short time. For now, Mewtwo is being held safe and secure separate from Mew. Updates to come.

February 10, 1997

Mewtwo's DNA is proving to be very moldable. The next phase of research will be to expand Mewtwo's powers. We believe that Mewtwo's abilities can be greatly strengthened and we can introduce some new ones as well. Hopes are high as we move to begin this next phase of experimentation.

May 16, 1997

The gene modification is proving to be very successful, albeit some side effects are making themselves present. Mewtwo has now demonstrated enormous battle potential through more than three months of work. His power is quickly becoming unrivaled by anything we throw at him, even when challenged by a type advantage. At this time, only the most skilled and prodigious belligerents are able to defeat Mewtwo—a notable example was a victory by Alder Flynn's Alakazam of Ether Valley on April 21. But Mewtwo is always learning, which is very promising to our research team.

Unfortunately, some issues are arising from the side effects aforementioned. The modifications have led to a rise in mistrust, which in turn leads to a certain amount of distancing between him and our training team. With the passing time, his personality is growing colder and he is becoming less and less receptive to the feelings of others, even discarding them at certain times. Hopefully this will be straightened out with discipline and time.

Mewtwo's physical appearance has also been gradually altered as a result of the constant changing in his genes. He has grown an extraordinary amount compared to when we began work on February 6 of this year. Mewtwo is bipedal, stands at six feet seven inches and weighs in at over 200 pounds. His skin is no longer pink like that of Mew, but is instead white with a touch of gray and lavender. His complexion has taken on distinctly human characteristics, including a clearly defined neck, much longer arms, and a breastplate of armor attached to the back of his skull by a tubular appendage. His head has horn-like features, a very small nose and mouth, and narrowed eyes. The bottom half of his body is much wider than the top. His tail was also altered a great deal, becoming much thicker and longer than Mew's (but still ending in an ovoid tip).

Despite these changes, we push on to make Mewtwo the pinnacle in Pokémon battling.

July 3, 1997

Mewtwo is becoming more and more difficult to handle. During training sessions, he seems to not know when to stop attacking, which has led to nasty injuries for the Pokémon that challenge him. He is also resisting commands given by our trainers, sometimes ignoring them completely. The gene alterations may have brought about these unfortunate occurrences, but we plan to crack down on his habits as soon as possible.

No changes have occurred in his physical appearance, except for perhaps a slow, gradual narrowing of the eyes. But this is impossible to verify.

August 27, 1997

Mewtwo attacked a member of our team today, injuring him seriously enough to earn the victim a trip to the hospital. Though Mewtwo was quickly subdued, we are worried about his actions. Our research team is concerned that we altered his genes too much, resulting in an irreversibly vicious behavior. No amount of discipline is having any effect on him. We plan to keep Mewtwo out of the path of others while we decide on his fate at a later date.

September 1, 1997

Mewtwo has destroyed and escaped our laboratories at Cinnabar Island. He was no match to any Pokémon we threw at him. We made Mewtwo far too strong with the combination of a mind bent on nothing but victory in battle. He has absolutely no regards for the personal safety of others, nor does he care about how much he injures his opponents.

His current location is unknown, but on no account should any individual approach Mewtwo or attempt to find him. He is considered lost at this time.

As Mewtwo read these last few entries, his brain seemed to have been struck dumb, processing the information at a snail's pace. Once again, he could vaguely see the terrible deeds being committed. As he closed his eyes and bowed his head in disappointment, shame burned his insides. He could vividly see himself wreaking havoc in this laboratory, trashing the place without a care for others.

"Mewtwo,"

The voice was coming from a long way off, almost like at the opposite end of a tunnel. It barely roused him from his reverie until he heard a second, much louder bid for his attention.

"Mewtwo!"

He jolted upright. He hadn't noticed how slouched he was over the table until his eyes flew open in response to the voice nearby.

"What? What's going on?"

"Nothing yet," said Allen as he wheeled himself closer to where Mewtwo was sitting. "But we're about to begin testing, and we need you present."

Mewtwo didn't look around when Allen was approaching. He was staring blankly at the notes resting on the table, not taking in a word of what his eyes were seeing. Fear began to fog his brain as Allen drew right up to Mewtwo.

"What's wrong, Mewtwo? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," said Mewtwo far too quickly to be believable. When Allen pulled a skeptical look, Mewtwo closed his eyes and sighed, "No… I'm not okay. I'm far from okay."

Mewtwo looked up at Allen to find his head turned slightly to one side.

"Why do you say that?" asked Allen.

"I'm just not," said Mewtwo in a low voice that shook slightly. "I'm scared that something's going to go wrong. I'm worried that I'll accidentally hurt somebody. I just—"

He glanced at the notes scattered before him. Allen noticed this, and comprehension dawned on his face.

"Mewtwo," he said quietly, leaning in and looking at the notes as well, "that was many years ago. Things change, and so does science. What they did to you was out of line and uncalled for. Nobody should have been allowed to alter you that much just to strengthen you for battle.

"I've read all of the notes in that briefcase many, many times. If there's one thing that I can tell you about Pokémon numbers one fifty and one fifty-one, it's that they don't match up. You saw the half-sheet of notes on Mew, right?" Allen asked, gesturing towards the folder. Mewtwo nodded, and Allen continued, "Somebody else wrote those notes, as well as the ones on you. That tells me there's some sort of discrepancy in there, and that we shouldn't completely trust what was written. That's why Tim wanted those notes on you, Mewtwo. It was to help fill in where the original lacks."

In response, Mewtwo quickly opened the folder and rifled through the pages to take out the notes that Tim took earlier. Upon closer examination, the drawings and the accompanying notes were mostly on his physical description, going far more in-depth than the ones on the yellowed paper and consistently referencing the drawings that accompanied them.

"It's just details on my body…" said Mewtwo in a dejected voice. "Anyone could've seen that much,"

Allen pointed at the last lines of text on the fifth page, something that Mewtwo had overlooked. He picked up the sheet:

Although Mewtwo's physique is undoubtedly fascinating to study, his personality is by far the most interesting. In immense contrast to old research and popular belief, Mewtwo is not a savage Pokémon hell-bent on victory. He does not demonstrate the widely believed attitude of cold indifference to others and their well-beings. Mewtwo is in fact an empathetic Pokémon. He is extremely protective of his friends and allies and is concerned for his opponents, not wishing to do them severe bodily harm.

Fifteen years have passed since Mewtwo was last seen. We can only guess what has happened to bring about such a change in what was once the most dangerous Pokémon to ever exist.

A single tear leaked out of Mewtwo's eye as he set the paper down. To know that another being recognized him for what he is, and not what he was, was more than he could put into words. In a voice barely above a whisper, Mewtwo asked, "How did Tim know?"

Allen shrugged and said, "When we were talking while you guys were getting ID cards, Tim was shocked to see you. He was worried because he obviously didn't know how you would behave, other than what he's read from those." He gestured again towards the notes on the table. "I had to tell him about the real you and how you saved me, took in Gengar and turned him away from the brainwashing, helped to fix up the town square, and your willingness to volunteer for testing. Needless to say, he's convinced that the new you is the real you."

Mewtwo felt like his heart was swelling with joy in response. All he could say was, "Thank you, Allen, from the bottom of my heart. I really do mean it. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you—truly I don't."

Allen grinned in an embarrassed sort of way, saying, "It was the least I could do for you, Mewtwo. I am forever in debt to you for saving my life."

After a short pause, Allen looked around to the back of the room where the rest were conjugated and said, "I think we're about to begin." He turned to Mewtwo with bright eyes and said, "Are you ready to make history?"