Once I returned from a trip and found my mom with a bruise covering the side of her face. She'd fallen and hadn't told us (luckily it was nothing serious – just the nastiest looking bruise ever). I spent the next couple weeks watching that bruise change all sorts of weird colors (and shapes) until it finally vanished. Cara's going to be in the same boat for these last couple chapters.

I've been looking forward to this chapter for so long!

Polaris-Ponyta, Link-Raichu, Charren-Charizard, Tlaloc-Braviary, Kinesis-Alakazam, Yarak-Talonflame

Mewtwo, Lily-Mom Mewtwo, Twilight-young Mewtwo

Chapter 28: Borrowed Wings

"Cara."

A voice… fuzzy and distant.

"Cara…"

It was dark. Where was I?

Something warm and soft touched my forehead. I groaned and opened my eyes. I shut them again and coughed. My eyes burned. I couldn't breathe. But something nudged me again. I tried to push myself up, but felt thick and heavy. Slowly the pieces clicked together in my muddled mind. I was face-down on the ground. My eyes were burning because they were full of dirt, and it was hard to breathe because I was inhaling dust. I reached up a hand and brushed my face off. When my hand touched my cheek, I gasped. It hurt.

I opened my eyes again. Polaris was standing in front of me, her head lowered in front of me. She nudged me again. Kinesis limped into view, looking battered and exhausted. I reached out an arm, wincing as the back of my shoulder burned. I placed my hand on Polaris's soft cheek. She shut her eyes and pressed against my palm. I braced myself against the pain and tried to sit up.

I couldn't move my legs.

My lungs flooded with ice and my breath choked out.

Polaris took a step forward. "Cara, it's okay. Look behind you."

I forced myself to inhale, then looked back. The cliffside above me had collapsed. The pile of dirt, rocks, and rubble had slid down, covering most of me. A small tree lay across my legs, pinning them. By some miracle, my head was free, so I hadn't smothered in the landslide. And when I tried to wiggle my toes, I found that they worked fine. I was just stuck.

"Hold on," Kinesis said. "I'll get you out." He raised his spoons, and the landslide rose off of me. He looked me over, checking for serious injuries.

Shivering, I folded my legs under me. Bruises throbbed up and down my calves, and everywhere else. I was covered in scratches too. I winced, and that movement sent pain shooting across my face. I must have a fantastic black eye. And my shoulder was coated in something warm and sticky. What had happened? I'd slammed shoulder-first into the cliff. Then my cheek hit a projection. The rest was from the fall and the landslide. But the dirt that fell on me had acted as a cushion when the tree fell on my legs. I'd been seriously lucky, even if I hurt like hell.

Tlaloc! Where was he? I straightened up, and spotted him nearby. He was unconscious, and like me he'd been partially buried by the landslide. His side rose and fell steadily. With shaking hands, I found his Pokéball and returned him. The dirt crumpled down to fill the empty space where he'd been. Jeez, I was shaking so bad.

Polaris turned, showing me something on her back. Yarak, was draped across her shoulders, also unconscious. I returned him too. I didn't have my Pokéball belt on, so I dropped both balls into my backpack.

"What happened?" I croaked. Then coughed again and spat out dirt.

Polaris and Kinesis tensed and looked away. Dread filled my stomach and I clamped a hand over my mouth.

Polaris's ears drooped. "Mewtwo went to meet the boy and the Pikachu. But there was an ambush. Machines caught Mewtwo. Kinesis tried to help him, but a Greninja stopped him. I attacked the machines that held Mewtwo, but they got him in a truck. I chased them, but a Ditto came out of the car and froze the road. I slipped, and they got away."

Only Polaris and Kineses had been with Mewtwo. I'd had all the rest of the Pokémon with me. And of course Greninja had a type advantage, which meant that Kinesis had his hands full fighting his opponent while Mewtwo was stolen. Again. I could feel both Polaris and Kinesis filled with shame. I made myself stand as pain snapped across my body. Though the pain wasn't the cause of my tears. "Good job, you guys. Thank you. Let's go get him back."

I returned Polaris and Kinesis, and sent out Charren. I climbed on her back, explaining everything through telepathy. As she hurtled toward Ryme City, I pulled out my phone and called Tim.

"Cara?"

"Tim! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm going to see Howard Clifford. I just saw his son capture Mewtwo." Tim's voice was hard to hear while we were flying. I'd have to keep this brief.

"I'm sorry I missed you. One of the Greninja got to us. You're in the city? I'll meet you there."

Howard Clifford had founded Ryme City. He had a building somewhere, so it wouldn't be too hard to find him. From there, I'd learn where Howard's son had taken my friend. As we flew, I did my best to clean my bloody shoulder with one hand. It started bleeding again.

Ryme City came into view, and Charren doubled her speed. But when the buildings rose up around us, Charren back-flapped, coming to an abrupt halt. The streets below were flooded with purple gas. The festival had started, and parade balloons were burst open and gushing R. The city was filled with panicked Pokémon.

Panicked, yes. But it was different than the berserk Charizard that had inhaled R. These Pokémon seemed afraid, not crazed.

And something else was strange. Everything was set up for the festival, but there were no humans. As Charren soared above the clouds of R, we saw only Pokémon. No people. What was going on?

A familiar shape flashed past a cross street. I gasped and Charren flew after it. "Mewtwo!" I shouted. As we rounded the corner, we saw a group of humans that was running from Pokémon. And these Pokémon showed all the signs of inhaling R. They raged and charged, all of their self-control gone. What was different? I reached out to Mewtwo through telepathy. But there was nothing. It was like hitting a wall. Like trying to talk to… a human. "No," I whispered. There was something on Mewtwo's head. The neural transmitter we'd seen in the holographic records. That's what it was for. It was controlling Mewtwo! As I watched, Mewtwo raised his arm toward the humans. The crowd burst into light, and everyone seemed to melt. The humans faded away and disappearing into the Pokémon.

"Charren," I whispered.

"That gas," Charren said. "It somehow makes it possible for Mewtwo to force a human inside of a Pokémon. Like what he did with that Pikachu, except Pikachu was willing to receive the transfer."

I stared down at the city full of humans that now found themselves inside Pokémon bodies. They huddled together in fear, or staggered around in their strange new forms. "Why aren't they doing anything? They have Pokémon powers! They can fight!"

Charren glanced back at me, as though this was obvious. "Cara, you may have spent some time as a Pokémon, but none of these people have. They don't know what to do with their powers. They wouldn't even know how to fly if they had wings."

She was right, of course. I'd had to learn how to be a Pokémon. Just like Harry. We had to free Mewtwo. But there was no way to get to him. If Charren went after him, she'd inhale R and go berserk. I couldn't send out any of my Pokémon. We could only fly overhead, completely useless.

Except…

"Charren!"

She looked back, meeting my eyes. She could tell what I was thinking. And after a couple seconds, she nodded. I bit my lip and placed my hand on her neck. "Thank you. If all goes well, this won't take too long. Let's do this." I slipped my backpack off and slung it around her neck. Charren circled higher, finding Mewtwo. She tucked into a dive, hurtling straight toward him. We plowed through a cloud of R gas. Charren's eyes clouded over and she let out a snarl. But her momentum was still carrying us toward Mewtwo. He spun in the air and rose his arm. Light filled my vision, blinding me until the world seemed to dissolve.

I was spinning through the air, choking on the thick R. What had happened? Had I fallen again? A fall from this height would… was that a tail? Yes, a tail flailing behind me. My own tail. I hadn't had a tail in years. Or wings. My memory locked into place and I flapped, righting myself and slowing my tumbling descent. I landed heavily, stumbling forward into a car. Wow, if I didn't know how to fly, that fall could have killed me.

I looked at my arms propped against the side of the car. Orange scales and claws. I stretched out my wings and tested my muscles. I was a Charizard again. But this time I was in Charren's body.

Which meant that I no longer had a black eye or a slashed shoulder. I could move without pain.

I straightened up and breathed out a puff of flame. I could do this. Being a Charizard was like riding a bike – you never forget how to do it. Right? Well, time to find out. I leapt into the air. And tilted back to the ground. I flailed, waving my arms and tail as I tried to stay upright. Deep breaths. Stay calm. I found myself remembering how to move. I banked, using cautious wingbeats to take me along the road. Where had Mewtwo gone? I scanned the city, but instead spotted two familiar forms beneath me. A Pikachu and a Psyduck.

I dove, stopping myself in time for a heavy, clumsy landing. Harry and Psyduck jumped back in alarm.

"Please tell me that's not Cara in there," Harry groaned.

"It's me," I said. Then I glanced at the Psyduck and hissed. "Lucy?"

The Psyduck nodded. "Cara, Howard Clifford is controlling Mewtwo."

"Howard Clifford? The old guy? I thought his son was who we were after."

"He's possessed Mewtwo somehow," Lucy said. "The R did something to the Pokémon, that let him fuse us together. He claims that this will make humans better."

"Hah," I spat. "Make us better by stealing Pokémon bodies? Not for long. I'm going after him."

"I'm coming," Harry announced.

Lucy wouldn't know how to use Psyduck powers. But Harry had been a Pikachu for a few days. He'd have at least a little more control over his current form. I crouched, letting him jump onto my shoulders. My backpack was still slung around my neck. Harry held onto the strap to keep himself in place.

A thought struck him. "Wait a minute. You know how to fly?"

In response, I took to the air. I waved back to Lucy, then soared over the city. "Remember I told you that I had once been a Pokémon with amnesia?"

"Are you telling me that was for real?"

"Yes. I was a Charmander for a while. I even evolved into a Charizard. This was years ago, but I mostly remember how to fly." I thought of carrying a certain Raichu while I was a Charizard. It was like old times, though I was with a different friend. I grinned.

"You look like you kind of enjoy being a Pokémon."

I glanced back at Harry. "Well, yes. I love it. But if it means stealing a Pokémon's body, that's not okay."

"Fair point. Wait, stop!" I flapped to a halt and Harry pointed in through a window. "That's Howard's office. And there's Tim!"

He was right. Through the windows of the skyscraper, we could see Tim in a room with several other figures. A man that was tied up on the ground, a Loudred, and a man in a chair. The man in the chair had a device on his head, identical to the one on Mewtwo.

"Look out!" Harry shouted. I swerved as something shattered the glass just above the office windows. I spun around to see Mewtwo shooting toward us. No, not Mewtwo. Howard, controlling Mewtwo's body.

"Harry's Pikachu," he spat. I dove as Howard shot another attack at us. I circled around the building, him at my tail.

"Pikachu, he's after you!"

"No kidding!" he hollered back. "I have an idea. I'll distract him. You go help Tim."

"You've got to be kidding! You want to fight Mewtwo alone?"

"There's no way he knows how to use all of Mewtwo's powers. I just need to keep him busy so you can help Tim, and get that device off of Howard's head."

I hesitated. I hated the idea of leaving Harry alone to fight Mewtwo. But he was right. It would be way faster to deal with the old man. I just had to do it before anything happened to Harry. "Okay. Be careful!"

He cracked his knuckles. "You got it, chief. I'm great at distracting people." I dodged another attack, wincing as it scorched the tip of my wing. Harry jumped into the air and zapped a nearby parade balloon. It exploded, making Mewtwo swerve and fall behind. I shot up and over a nearby skyscraper.

"This is my stop," Harry announced.

"Good luck," I called as he jumped free. At least he'd learned how to use electricity, so he wasn't completely defenseless.

He saluted and I returned the gesture. Howard appeared at the far side of the building. He ignored me and went after Harry. I grit my teeth and shot away, crashing straight through the window of Howard's office.

I landed on the carpet with a thud and blinked in surprise. Lucy was standing in front of me. But Lucy was down in the streets, stuck in a Psyduck's body. This Lucy turned to look at me, but there was nothing human about her eyes. They were small black dots. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. I reached out with telepathy. Yes, this wasn't a human at all. It was a Ditto disguised as Lucy. But Ditto can't turn into humans! And Torterra aren't supposed to be as large as mountains. This was another lab Pokémon.

Tim was here too. Both he and Ditto had stopped and looked at me when I broke through the window. But Ditto turned back toward Tim. Before either of us could react, the Ditto Lucy punched Tim in the chest. I charged, ramming my head into her. Ditto melted when I hit, slipping free. She reformed behind me as a Machamp and threw a punch at me.

My body went into Aikido-mode. I stepped to the side, grabbed Ditto's wrist, and swung around, hurling her toward the broken window. Ditto yelped as she stumbled through the broken glass and fell. I turned to Tim, who had extracted himself from a broken bookshelf and staggered to his feet. He backed away from me.

"Cha-ra" I growled, trying to say something like my name. But there wasn't time for charades. Ditto would be back. Across the room, there was Howard slumped in the chair. He was unconscious, and wearing the neural link that let him possess my friend. I pointed at Howard and mimed removing something from my head.

Tim followed my gaze and nodded. I spun back to the window where Ditto flew into view, this time as a Braviary. She used Gust through the broken window, hurling me to the back wall. Tim dove out of the way. I regained my feet and used Flamethrower. Ditto dodged out of sight, then emerged and crashed through another window. Where Tim was. She became Boufallant and charged. Tim dove under a table and I threw myself onto Ditto's back, She reared and slammed me into a chair. I winced, but held on, my claws gripping the thick Boufallant fur. I dragged myself farther up and opened my jaws. Fire Blast hit Ditto on the back of the head, and she crashed to the ground. I fumbled in my backpack, my claws clumsy with the zipper. I had one more of Mewtwo's black Pokeballs. Ditto was starting to get to her feet. But I threw the Pokéball and she disappeared inside. Panting, I snatched the Pokéball and dropped it into my backpack. Tim was making his way through the wreckage of the office, toward Howard.

I saw movement out the window. Mewtwo, still controlled by Howard, was floating just outside. He had Harry by the scruff of the neck. I growled and shoved a desk out of the way so I could get to the window.

Howard turned toward us, and his mouth fell open as he saw Tim reach out to lift the neural link from the unconscious man's head. Howard's mind crashed back into his own body. He yelled in fury, falling from his chair.

Outside, Mewtwo swayed, and fell from the sky.

I gasped and hurled myself out of the window. I tucked my wings, accelerating, my dive. I closed the distance between me and Mewtwo and managed to hook an arm around his middle. By reflex, I shifted my wings to adjust for the new weight. My momentum slowed a tiny bit. That was when I saw something else falling. Something small and yellow. Mewtwo had dropped Harry! With a strangled cry, I sped up my dive. But I'd lost ground. I couldn't get to him in time.

"No!" I roared.

Mewtwo shifted. He threw out an arm, and his psychic energy caught Harry ten feet above the ground. He reached out with his other hand and took control of me, bringing my dive under control. He lowered all of us gently to the street.

"Are you okay/?" I gasped. My heard hammered and I was shaking.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Harry said.

I turned to Mewtwo, who was testing his fingers and tail, making sure they were his again. "I think I'm fine as well." Then he grimaced. "I feel violated though."

"Ugh." I shuddered. "No wonder. How creepy, to have some weird old man control your body."

He put a hand to his temple. "You saying it like that makes it worse."

"Sorry. Thank for that great catch, by the way." I glanced to Harry, still horrified at what had almost happened.

"Pikachu!" Tim shouted, sprinting out of the building.

"Tim!" Harry cried, running to meet him. The two of them checked each other, making sure they were both in one piece. When they finished talking, Harry looked to Mewtwo.

"Please tell me you can fix this mess."

Mewtwo smiled and inclined his head. "I will undo what has been done." He took to the air, rising high above the skyscrapers. A pulse of bright energy erupted from him, filling all of Ryme City and covering everyone who had been fused with their Pokémon. I felt myself grow warm, then with a dizzying whirl, I stumbled on my feet. Charren was beside me once more, shaking her head and squinting around in confusion. We both had our bodies back. And unfortunately for me, that meant that all of my injuries were back too. I put a hand against the wall to support myself.

"Wait, you were Cara?" Tim exclaimed. "You were just in a Charizard!"

I grinned. "You looked like you needed help."

"You missed it Tim," Harry said. "Howard turned everyone into Pokémon. Lucy was in that crazy Psyduck."

I tried to straighten up. And as I turned, Tim and Harry gasped.

"What in the name of Arceus happened to you?" Harry cried.

I grimaced. I had to stop doing that. Moving the muscles of my face made my black eye hurt. "Do I look that bad?"

"You look like you just lost a fight with a Rhydon!"

"Did you get that beat up by the Ditto?" Tim asked.

I touched the bruise on my cheek and winced. "Ah, no. When I flew down river to find you guys, one of the Greninja attacked. He knocked us out."

"Well, you have a good excuse for being late. I think you should see a doctor." Harry looked me over again. I could only imagine what a mess I was. I was still covered in dirt too.

Another man came out of the skyscraper. It was the man that had been tied up in Howard's office. Tim must have freed him. Which was good, because I'd entirely forgotten about him.

Tim raised a hand in greeting. "Roger." So, that was Roger Clifford. His own father had tried to frame him for this mess.

Roger looked at Charren. "Was your Charizard the one that fought Ditto?"

"Actually, that was me."

Roger opened his mouth, as if to protest. Before today, it would have been a ridiculous claim. But instead he just nodded. He turned to one of his employees. "Call a nurse, will you?"

I wanted to protest, but someone probably should look at my shoulder. I couldn't tell how bad it was. Lucy returned with her Psyduck and came to meet us. I was glad to see them okay.

The police arrived, heading into the tower to arrest Howard. An ambulance came next, and I sat in the back of the truck as they cleaned and bandaged my shoulder. Then tested for a concussion. By the time they checked the rest of my scrapes and bruises, the police were wheeling Howard out of the building in his wheelchair.

Roger watched them take his father away. "The strange thing is that no matter what his flaws, deep down I blame myself for not being there for him." He looked at Lucy. "You. You were working on this story. Had a lead on it before anyone else even knew."

Lucy smiled, "That's correct."

"Good. Right, you're going on camera. I want you giving an in-depth report for CNM tonight, primetime. And make sure you close with: 'Roger Clifford pledges to undo all the harm his father caused. Starting with the Pokémon he experimented on.'"

Did he know I'd caught three of those Pokémon? I was relieved that someone would be taking care of the others. I wondered what he'd do with those massive Torterra.

Roger turned and headed away. Lucy's broke into an overjoyed grin. She had been an intern, and now she was breaking a huge scoop. I gave her the thumbs up. "I can't believe we did it!" Beaming, Lucy whispered something to Tim, then headed off to get ready for her news debut.

My heart sank. The news. Mewtwo would be all over the TV. Cameras across the city must have caught today's disaster. I'd tried so hard to keep Mewtwo's existence quiet. But now that would be impossible. How many people would want him after seeing what he was capable of? At least he'd be safe back on Avalon.

Mewtwo dipped down out of the sky and landed beside us. I hugged him. And he hugged back. When he saw my face, his mouth fell open. He touched the edge of my bruised cheek, scanning me to make sure the head injury wasn't serious. "Cara, what happened?"

I grimaced. "Now you know why I wasn't there to protect you. I'm sorry. Twice in a row I wasn't there when you needed me."

"Cara, you're friends with Mewtwo?" Harry exclaimed.

I gave a sheepish grin. "He's one of my best friends."

"And I suppose she's my best friend," Mewtwo said. "But she's better at making friends than I am."

I laughed and hooked an arm around him. He looked again and my cuts and bruises. I could tell he wanted to heal some of them. "Don't worry about me. There's someone that does need your help though."

"Yes." Mewtwo turned to Tim and Harry. "There is one last thing I must fix."

Tim and Harry exchanged hopeful glances. "My father," Tim said.

"The father you have been looking for has been with you all along."

Harry stared at Tim. "What's he talking about?"

I watched them as the truth slowly sank in. Tim crouched in front of Harry. I was trying not to laugh with relief, but that would have come off as really rude in a moment like this.

Mewtwo lifted a hand, projecting an image to the three of us. I gasped as Harry's car flew off of the overpass and slammed to the ground. Harry dragged himself from the wreckage and collapsed. Even though I knew it was only a memory, I had the urge to run over and help him. In the memory, Mewtwo flew down from the sky after he chased the Greninja away.

"Help, please!" Pikachu sobbed. "He's hurt! He's… I'll do anything!"

"You've done well," Mewtwo said. "Some humans may be evil, but you have reminded me that not all of them are. Harry Goodman, your Pikachu offers his body to save your mind. There is a son. With the son's return, I can repair the father. Your memory will be gone, but your heart will know who you are." Mewtwo surrounded Harry's body with his psychic powers. "I take this body so that you might live. Return with the son." Mewtwo's power grew to surround Pikachu as the two were merged.

The image faded.

Once more, Mewtwo poured his power onto the Pikachu standing before us, then to Tim. Mewtwo read Tim's DNA as if it were a blueprint, giving what he needed to repair Harry's body. A glowing form appeared on the ground and solidified. A man lay face down, unconscious. As Mewtwo finished, the glow faded. Tim stumbled, and Charren grabbed him before he fell. Pikachu slumped and lay unconscious too. It must have been hard on all of them.

"He will sleep," Mewtwo said. "But they will be fine."

"Th-thank you," Tim said, still looking dizzy. He knelt beside his father.

Mewtwo inclined his head. Then he turned to me.

"Go on home," I said. "I'll stay with them and make sure everything's okay. Thanks."

Mewtwo lifted into the air. He smiled and raised an arm in farewell. Tim and I watched Mewtwo fly from Ryme City.