(A/N: Alrighty then, Chapter 4 is here. But first, a special thanks to lilpurplebird for the improved title for Chapter 3. A much better one than what I had. Sometimes it's hard to get around those writer's blocks. Anyway, this chapter gets into Mewtwo's past. I like to examine the inner thoughts of characters and wonder what they're thinking and why it they act as they do. So this will mostly be exploring Mewtwo's mind from his appearances in the anime and movies.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Remembering

"Mewtwo!" Mew called again, even though he continued to ignore her. "Mewtwo! Mewtwo! Mewtwo! Mewtwo! Mewtwo!"

He glared at her. "You are bothering me."

"Aww, come on, lets play!" she pleaded.

He tried not to let how irritated he was show. "I told you, I am meditating right now."

Flipping upside-down, she floated in front of him. "Why are you meditating?"

"Because it relaxes me. Perhaps you should try it sometime."

"Too boring." She flipped right-side up. "Come on, let's do something fun."

"I wish to be left alone."

Pouting, Mew flew behind him and began pulling on his ears. "Meditate later. Come on! Play with me! Plat with me! Play with me! Play with me!"

The insistent chant kept going as Mew continued to repeatedly pull on his ears. His frustration was mounting. If she didn't stop that annoying chatter…

"Mew, I am this close to sealing you inside of a PokéBall, and bury you a mile underground at the bottom of the ocean!"

Mew pouted again, but at least she stopped. "You're mean."

He glared at her again. "Then go bother someone else. There are plenty of Pokémon around here for you to play with."

"But I want to play with you."

"Well, I wish to meditate."

Mew humphed. "You're no fun."

For nearly a minute, it was quiet, and Mewtwo was grateful for the silence. But it wasn't long before he heard a boing. His eyes were shut, but his left one still twitched irritably at the noise. The sound was followed by another boing, and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to ignore it. This proved to be impossible as the boing, boing sound soon became constant.

Unable to take it anymore, he opened his eyes and looked up. About 20 feet above him were two large pink bubbles of psychic energy about 3 feet apart. Mew was in between them, having thrown herself into one to bounce her into the other, and back again. She was giggling as she continuously bounced back and forth.

Mewtwo scowled and threw a Shadow Ball into one of the bubbles. It burst and Mew went spinning through the air. Smirking, he closed his eyes and went back to his meditation, not seeing the mischievous look that crossed Mew's face.

Flying up behind him, being as quiet as possible, she got as close as she dared before using Roar. The result was Mewtwo, while still sitting cross-legged as he floated, spinning clockwise through the air until he crashed into a tree.

Mew laughed. It was a very cartoon-like scene. Mewtwo, however, was far from happy, and Mew had to flee as he began throwing Shadows Balls as he chased after her.

The chase finally ended as Mewtwo teleported in front of her. Mew yelped and just barely prevented from crashing into him. Mewtwo grabbed her cheeks and began pinching and pulling at them.

"Just what made you think that doing that to me was wise?" he growled.

"I'm sorry!" Mew squeaked. Had she not been speaking to him telepathically, her speech would have been slurred from him pulling at her cheeks.

"No, I don't think you are," he said, pinching her cheeks even harder.

"It hurts!" Mew exclaimed. "I promise I won't do it again!"

He released her. "That's better."

Mew rubbed her cheeks. "Meanie."

"If I am so mean, then leave."

"I can't leave. I'm your mate."

Not that again. He sighed and looked away. While he'd grown accustomed to her presence and claims of them being mates over the past several days, at this point, it was just something he rolled his eyes at rather than something he got angry about.

"Ooh, look, a city," Mew observed.

He glanced in the direction she was looking in. Sure enough, just beyond the trees there was a city. He frowned at the sight of it. He only ever entered cities at night. Cities meant humans, and humans tended to mean trouble. He preferred to avoid humans completely.

"Come," he said to Mew, "lets put some distance between us and this place." It wouldn't be until later that he realized that his suggesting that they both leave meant that he was including her in his travels.

"But why?" Mew asked, though she followed without complaint.

"Humans live in cities, and it will not bode well if we are discovered."

Mew found this to be odd. "I never had a problem with humans."

He cut his eyes at her. "You can disguise yourself, and even become invisible. I do not have that luxury. If the humans discover me, they will come for me."

She giggled. "I think you're being a little paranoid."

He scowled. "Perhaps, but I choose to tread on the side of caution. Interacting with humans has not ended well for me in the past."

His words brought forth a series of memories he wished he could forget. The fear, heartbreak, confusion, and betrayal he felt when he awoke from his test tube, how his creators cared more for their experiment than about him. The anger he felt as they patted each other on the back while making plans to begin running tests on him with no regard for him, as if he were just an inanimate object for them to play with.

New to the world, unsure of how to deal with all these emotions, he'd lashed out in his anger, destroying the lab, not caring for the lives lost by those who brought him into the world for no other purpose than to be their slave, their toy.

Then there was that man. The leader of Team Rocket, and the worst of them all. He came offering friendship, partnership, equality, a place in this world where he could actually belong. He said he could help him learn to control his powers, something other Pokémon would have learned about as they grew and developed, something Mewtwo had slept through while in his test tube.

Well, he had certainly done that. There had been a lot of tests performed to gauge his level of power, some of them very painful. Then Giovanni had strapped him in armor to suppress his power, claiming it would help him focus. Then he used Mewtwo to do his dirty work, help Team Rocket to capture other Pokémon, and have him battle those that challenged his Gym.

Yet when Mewtwo still questioned his purpose, Giovanni had the gall to tell him that his purpose was to be his slave. So Mewtwo had rebelled and escaped, and Giovanni had pursued him. He'd threatened Mewtwo's fellow clones in order to turn him into his mind slave, nearly killing him in the process. But Mewtwo had escaped again, this time erasing himself from Team Rockets memories.

But he was still being pursued. This time by the scientists that had not been at the lab when he had destroyed it. And why wouldn't they search for him? After being lucky enough to get their hands on some Mew DNA, it had taken several years, millions of dollars, and numerous failures in order to create him. And in the end, they did indeed realize their dream of creating the world's strongest Pokémon. Only they were unable to control him. All the same, they still wanted him back.

Mewtwo knew it would be next to impossible for him to find all the remaining scientists and erase all their data, and get rid of all the data and other information they had on him. Even if he managed to find one and erase that one's memories, the others would just inform them of his existence once more. It seemed he would always be hunted as long as those cursed scientists were out there. So he stayed away from where humans tended to be.

At least they hadn't told Giovanni about him again, preferring to have him for themselves rather than hand him over to the Team Rocket leader.

As Mewtwo dwelled on this, Mew thought about what he had said and considered what she had learned from when she had read his mind. This brought forth a question. "Hey, Mewtwo, who's Ash?"

Caught off guard, he stopped flying, and Mew crashed into him. "What did you say?"

Mew rubbed her nose. "Ouch. I asked who Ash is. Ash Ketchum. I saw him in your memories back when I read your mind, and I also saw him in the memories of that Butterfree I ran into last week."

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. "Butterfree?"

"Yeah, his master, Ash, he Released him so he could be with his mate."

Mewtwo felt his fondness for the boy grow. Before he had met Ash Ketchum, he never would have believed a human could be so kind and so caring, especially towards a Pokémon. It made him feel guilty all over again for what he had put that boy and his friends through. What more, it also made him hopeful that, perhaps, one day, he would be able to live in peace with the humans, though he wouldn't hold his breath over it.

Mew gave him a curious look when he didn't answer. "Mewtwo?"

He sighed. He supposed he could share this. "Ash Ketchum is a Pokémon Trainer that I saw potential in. Back in my… darker days, I acknowledged his strength as a Trainer, and sought to use him in my quest to conquer the world.

"But the boy did not submit to me, nor did he abandon his Pokémon when I took them like I expected him to. He even sacrificed himself to save the Pokémon and stop a terrible battle that I started. He was a very selfless and brave boy that stood up to me, even though he knew he had no chance against my powers."

He still remembered it, how the boy had fearlessly charged at him, fighting for what he believed was right, using his own strength to challenge someone who was relatively a god in comparison. And later, he even threw him himself in between his and the Mew he had been fighting's attack. Due to the magnitude of concentrated power, the boy had turned to stone, much like how a tree would petrify under extreme heat and pressure, resulting in the boy's death. Mewtwo had then watched in utter amazement as the Pokémon, both born and cloned alike, wept for him, their tears of life restoring the boy, bringing him back to life.

"Without him, I would still be lost," Mewtwo admitted. "I owe that boy so much. He taught me the true meaning and value of life. And later, he even saved mine from the madman that sought to enslave me and destroy all that I love."

This was a debt he would never be able to repay. After the boy and his friends had saved the cloned Pokémon from Team Rocket, he had then carried the dying Mewtwo to the Spring of Purification on Mount Quena while his friends fought against Giovanni and his cronies. Even against his fellow humans' warnings that Mewtwo might contaminate the spring, the boy had been resolute in his decision, caring more for healing Mewtwo than the possible medical benefits the spring's purity could provide other humans.

If that hadn't been enough, he had helped Mewtwo realize that he and his fellow clones didn't have to be afraid to go out into the world and live their own lives, for they were all creatures of this world. And so he had allowed the cloned Pokémon to leave his protection and find their own place in the world while he went to find his. And for the first time, he trusted a human with the knowledge of his existence, allowing the boy and his friends to keep their memories.

"He then helped me once again in trying to aid a group of Genesect that had been created from the fossilized remains of their predecessors. And he even provided a home for them where they could thrive."

It had been a shock to see him again, though their reunion could have gone better. After he had left Mount Quena, he had made his home in a human city, travelling around only at night. In hindsight though, this had been a foolish mistake on his part. He had wanted to observe the humans more, but rumors had spread throughout the city of a mysterious Pokémon that traversed within the city at night, eventually alerting the scientists that had created him of his presence. This was when he began to get hunted.

He left the city, but had been pursued by a Pokémon Hunter named Dirk, who actually managed to get the drop on him in a surprise attack, leaving him injured and weak. But after the aid from a few more humans, he was able to escape and find a place he could call home. That was when he met the Genesect.

Scared and confused, these resurrected Legendary Pokémon were lashing out at the world around them, trying to find a place to call home. And getting caught up in this mess, once again, was that boy, this time with a new group of friends.

Mewtwo had recognized him instantly; how could he not? And the boy had recognized him as well. But after having been chased out of the city and relentlessly attacked and pursued by that Pokémon Hunter, Mewtwo had decided not to associate with humans anymore, and so he had given the boy and his human friends the cold shoulder. He regretted doing that now, but he had been upset, not just about being hunted by humans once again, but also because they had decided to play Arceus once more and bring the Genesect into the world, once again for no other purpose than to be slaves.

But even though he had been bitter, he couldn't deny the boy when he had begged to know what was happening with the Genesect. And even though Mewtwo had requested that he stay out of it, the boy did whatever he could to help, earning the trust and understanding of the Genesect, and even finding them a new home. It was then that Mewtwo knew that whether they be human or Pokémon, he could always trust in his friends. And this boy, Ash Ketchum, would always be his.

Unaware of Mewtwo's thoughts, Mew considered what he had just told her. "Wow, so this Ash is like a very important person to you."

Mewtwo nodded. "Yes, he is a very dear friend." He smiled slightly. "For a human."

"Huh…" Mew muttered. "So who's Amber?"

Eyes narrowing, Mewtwo gave her a confused look. "Who?"

"Well, Ambertwo would be her real name, I guess."

"I have no idea who you are talking about."

Mew cocked her head to the side. "Ambertwo. You met her when you were a baby, along with Charmandertwo, Squirtletwo, and Bulbasaurtwo." A blush suddenly stained her cheeks, and she became giddy. "Baby Mewtwo was so cute!"

He scowled. "I have never met any of them."

Mew frowned in confusion. "But I saw it in your memories. You were a baby, and you were flying around with this little girl and three Pokémon with strange marks all over their-"

"You are mistaken. I never woke from my test tube until I had reached adulthood. All I have from before then are a few memories I inherited from the Mew I was cloned from." He closed his eyes. "If those memories were even anything more than sequences of a dream."

Mew studied him with interest. "Let me see something."

She reached for him, her hand glowing with pink psychic energy. Mewtwo's own hand came up and grabbed her wrist just before she touched his head. "What are you doing?"

In response, she extended her finger, tapping his forehead. Mewtwo's eyes widened as he was assaulted by memories that he been erased from when he was a baby. And he remembered.

He remembered awakening for the first time when he was a baby. Not physically waking, but becoming conscious. And he remembered joining his mind to the four others that were hooked up to the monitoring system as well.

There had been a Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Experimental clones, like him. And he remembered her as well. Amber. His first real friend. Along with trying to create a clone of Mew, the head scientist was trying to clone his deceased daughter, but had been unable to create a body for her, only succeeding in producing her mind.

They hadn't survived. They weren't strong enough to survive the cloning process, and so their body had completely degenerated. Mewtwo's mind had been connected to theirs when it had happened. He'd felt them die.

He remembered the pain and fear and loneliness he'd felt as he watched them die. He remembered hearing one of the scientists screaming that he must not remember this. And he remembered Amber's final words to him before he was left alone in darkness. "Life is wonderful."

Mewtwo gasped and back away. Mew cocked her head to the side questioningly. "Do you remember now?" She suddenly became concerned as she noticed how distraught he was. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Crying? He was… crying? But he didn't cry. He was Mewtwo. Mewtwo did not cry.

Yet when he reached up, he felt moisture on his cheeks. This couldn't be. He hadn't cried since… since Amber died.

"I…" He didn't know how to deal with all these memories. "I need to be alone."

He started to fly away, and Mew made to follow him. "But I-"

He turned back to her, his eyes blazing. "Do NOT follow me!"

He teleported away, reappearing high in the clouds. Mew did not follow, which was somewhat surprising. He supposed even she knew when to say when. He was grateful for that he really needed to be alone right now so he could think.

"Amber," he whispered. How could he forget?

Oh, yes, because those scientists thought he shouldn't remember. Because he was getting too upset. Because it would be bad for their experiment. Their precious experiment, where they thought they had the right to fool around with the gift of life.

A new bout of resentment towards his creators filled him. Who were those humans play with his memories? Sure, he may have erased others' memories before, but it was for his own protection, and it wasn't anything they would miss or be affected by. Not like this, not losing a precious friend.

Reaching up, he wiped the tears from his eyes. That's when he saw that something was different about them. They were no longer just drops of water like they had been when they first started to fall. They were now sparkling and glowing. He had seen these tears before. They were the tears of loss, empowered with rejuvenation powers, just like the ones that had brought that boy back to life.

With his memories restored, he realized that back then hadn't been the first time he had seen these type of tears. Back when Amber had died, he had begun weeping the same magic tears. Had the scientists not erased his memories, would he have continued to cry, and would his tears have revived Amber? And not just her, but the cloned Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle too?

"Mewtwo?"

He glanced at Mew over his shoulder. It seemed she had given him some time alone, but then came to find him in the end. He wanted to be angry with her for not respecting his wishes, but she looked so concerned that he couldn't be. Besides, he felt too tired.

"Are you ok?" she asked worriedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

He didn't realize what she meant at first, but then remembered that she had been the one to restore his memories.

"It is… alright," he told her. "Although I am sad, you actually did me a kindness, and I thank you for it."

Mew cocked her head to the side, confused. Why would he thank her for making him sad? He was so strange sometimes. Well, she could at least make it better.

Flying over to him, she hugged his arm, even wrapping her legs and tail around his bicep. Mewtwo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Comforting," she said simply.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "That is not necessary."

"I want to," Mew assured him, nuzzling his arm. "Besides, mates are supposed to take care of each other."

He bopped her on the head.

(A/N: This chapter took a much deeper and more serious theme than what I was going for with this story. It's really strange how these stories can write themselves sometimes. So, yeah, we had a more serious chapter this time, but I hope everyone enjoyed it. I certainly had fun getting into Mewtwo's head in what I felt was going through his mind at the time. Lets see how things go from here.)