CHAPTER 4: POISON

Due to Purity Canyon's remote location and the grandeur of the thick walls of stone cropped around the area, threats from the outside world rarely touched the inhabitants of Mt. Quena. However, in the off chance that it did, the danger was certain to be potent and deadly, for no maelstroms but the worst were capable of penetrating the area and few plagues could stand up against the healing capabilities of the holy waters the place provided.

But there are always exceptions to the usual odds.

The wild pokémon were the first to come into contact with the dangers, and howled an alert to the others. "A demon! A demon is coming!" they cried, and while the clones understood the terror and alarm in their shouts, their terminology confused them. They had been called monsters, both born and created pokémon alike. Their names, in fact, meant pocket monster, due to man's ability to capture them. What would be a demon, in their eyes?

Mewtwo had thought that only humans used such a concept, and when he questioned Briar about the matter, she had admitted that she had never known a case where a pokémon used such a word. The closest she could figure was that there must be some corrupted creature out there in the woods…and since no pokémon was said to be evil, only serving evil masters, she speculated that perhaps a human had entered the basin instead. But the leader had only shaken his head. He could sense no other humans besides her for miles. The closest lived in a cabin at the base of the mountains. No, the invader must be something else…but he couldn't seem to get a lock on it, no matter how hard he scanned the forest with his powers.

That was when the screams of pain and death began to reach them, and the stench of blood filled the air. It made the group moan and bristle with dread, and Mewtwo and Briar, tensions high, tried and eventually succeed in calming them down. They were safe on the island—no one could reach them here unless they were mad enough to try crossing the ice. As it turned out, though, the invader was mad. It thrashed its way to the opposite shore, with a roar that jarred them in their bones. The pregnant Nidoqueentwo groaned in fear at that furious cry, cringing and shaking with the stress of not being able to run or fight.

Briar told Rhyhorntwo to take his mate and the others down to the spring—it was at the center of the island, and by far the most secure area to defend. She also dosed the mother-to-be with a mild tranquilizer—it would not be good the pokémon accidentally induced herself into labor in her panic. Her children still weren't ready to face the world yet. And while most agreed to protect the couple, a few of the more powerful clones stood on the edges of the island to defend it from harm. They were brave, and their courage bolstered Briar. In all, Charizardtwo, Venasaurtwo, Tentacrueltwo, Dewgongtwo, Meowthtwo, Pikatwo, and Scythertwo stood beside Mewtwo and Briar, watching the intruder as it tore apart another opponent on the opposite shore.

Briar could not clearly see what it was from this distance, but she could tell how large it was when she compared its height to the tree-line, and could tell that it was caught up in senseless bloodlust, from how it didn't eat its prey. It was using no special attacks from what she could discern, and the way it was moving disturbed her. It was shambling about and jerking as it moved. Something was very, very wrong with it. What made it worse was while Mewtwo could see it, he could not sense it. That told her that the invader was of the dark element—and to her knowledge, only one species grew to such an enormous size—the dreaded Tyranitar. Usually they were herbivores and rather gentle, but this one was displaying little passivity. Already it proved how lethal, how strong, and how dangerous it was. The wild pokémon had been right to call it a demon.

By why was it behaving this way? Maybe it she got closer to it, she could figure that out.

She looked at Mewtwo. "This isn't right. Tyranitar don't usually act this way. Not unless a trainer is telling them to do things like this—and a human doesn't seem to be controlling this one. I'm not sure anyone could."

He gave her a sharp look. "You wish to do something you know I will not like. What is it?"

She went to Charizardtwo and lay a hand on his shoulder. "I need to get a closer look. That pokémon isn't acting naturally, and it's my job as a breeder to find out why. Charizardtwo can fly me close to it. And if we're in trouble, we can put some distance on it easily enough."

As the clone crouched down, she hoped on his back before Mewtwo could order them against their course of action. They launched into the air and flew over the ice. Mewtwo gritted his teeth as he watched them, and growled after them that they'd best not take any unnecessary risks. The fire pokémon chuckled out an ember of amusement at his worry and that the human to hold on tight. He need not have warned her—she'd learned to ride pokémon a long time ago from her stepmother….

As they reached the shore, she forced herself out of such thoughts, shouting at her mount to hover out of the range of the invader, who was thrashing against an attacking flock of birds. With a sinking stomach, she saw the way it snapped at the birds, the foam on its snout, the lopsided way it moved, the jerking stiffness of its muscles. It snarled at those near it, the roar spraying flecks of frothing saliva from its mouth. In a tight voice, she asked Charizardtwo if the scent coming from its breath and body seemed sweet-smelling. The clone confirmed her suspicions, and so she screamed at the wild pokémon to get away from the invader. They paused for only a moment before continuing their fight to kill the threat and avenge their lost family members. In a quiet voice, Briar then asked the fire pokémon she was riding to do what needed to be done.

He would have to burn them all. By now, most of those pokémon down there had to be infected with the virus that was tormenting the tyranitar. The sickness would lurk in their blood, like a time-bomb, until it broke out and urged them to spread the disease before it killed them. There might be an epidemic if those pokémon were allowed to spread it, and in a confined place like this, it could wipe them all out. Rabies, this far away from civilization, would be as ruthless as it was deadly.

Upon seeing the flames on the opposite shore, Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. He cursed and began to soar towards the two, ordering the other to stay in their positions. He had already foolishly risked Briar and Charizardtwo. He would not risk them too.

The assaulted lasted for a few minutes before the wild ones fled their fire, screeching what traitors they were back at them. But the two outcasts had little time to be offended—The tyranitar had spotted them and now had turned their sights on them as its next victims. To her alarm, Briar realized that it must still be logically thinking on some level—for when weeing that it could not reach them physically, it began to gather the energy necessary for a Hyper Beam to blast them from the sky. Before she could scream for the clone to dodge them out of the way, the demon released the attack, the destructive missile of light streaking towards them. Golden light filled their vision, blinding in its brilliances just before it impacted—

Into an azure barrier which shielded them from harm.

Briar glared around and found Mewtwo floating near them, his eyes and form glowing with psychic energy. Keeping the shield between them and the angered dark pokémon, their leader ordered them to leave.

Briar understood that their presence would only hinder him as he fought the demon, but she couldn't leave just yet without warning him about the creature's bite. Not only did it carry dark energy that could kill him but the virus that would almost certainly destroy him if the element didn't. "Mewtwo, your psychic attacks won't work on that thing—and if it bites you, you're dead! That creature is a biological hazard—you can't let it get back into the forest! You need to drive it onto the ice, fast!"

He shook himself. "If it breaks the ice and plunges into the lake, it will contaminate the water supply."

"I know, bit that's a risk we need to take."

"We?" he thought. Surely she couldn't mean—

"Charizardtwo and I will force it onto the lake using our firepower. Just keep us covered!"

"No! You fool, I said—"

But they'd already begun to dive to confront the monster. As he watched, they set the tree line aflame, the searing heat of their fire turning the snow to steam and sand to glass. The rabid demon bellowed in pain and fury as the hellish flames licked its armor…and it turned towards where they swooped, beginning to attempt to release another Hyper Beam. In sudden panic, their leader forgot that his psychic attack would have no effect on the demon—he released a Shadow Ball towards it, the sphere of psycho-electrical energy bursting like a bubble against its form, leaving a wash of bluish sparks in the air as it faded. Yet in one manner, it succeeded in keeping the others safe—though it did not damage, it did interrupt the monster by distracting it from its shepherds.

As Mewtwo landed on the edge of the ice, he glared at it and said, "Well, will you pursue me? I assure you, I will be far easier to catch and sink your jaws into than my fellows!"

It is not wise to taunt a bear, as they say, but the clone could keep a cool head even in mortal danger. As the demon's eyes locked onto him, the feline turned from him and darted onto the lake. The ice was blessedly thick. He heard the creature roar and began to stampede after him. The lumbering giant was quicker than he'd thought—the clone carefully regulated his speed to keep himself just out of reach. As he drew the demon out on the lake, Briar and her mount flew over their heads, landing in the middle of the crystal surface of the water. With a burst of speed, he left the demon behind and met them there.

"You have done your tasks, Briar, Charizardtwo. Return to the island now—I shall continue to keep it occupied."

Briar's eyes flashed with defiance, but when spying the determined expression on his face, she surrendered to his will. "Fine. But please, Mewtwo, try not to physically engage it. Keep yourself out of its reach—it can't be long before it succumbs to paralysis, and when it does, it won't take long for thirst and the pain the virus inflicts to kill to."

She looked like she wanted to say and do something more, but instead she just murmured for him to be careful. As they flew away to safety, Mewtwo found himself sighing in relief, for no matter how they may wish to fight to keep the others safe, ultimately that was his battle and his alone. He was the leader and it was his duty, not theirs, to put himself in harm's way to protect his clan.

And he could far rather see his blood staining the ice than theirs.

He heard the demon come to a halt several feet behind him and turned, giving the dark one a smug look. "Now it is just you and I. I find I prefer it that was. Tell me, can you defeat me before the virus kills you?"

It howled, spraying disease-rife foam from its mouth. Mewtwo smirked and began to weave about it in a dance of agility and mockery, believing that the creature could not touch him. It could roar, could bite, could unleash rays of lethal light, but none could touch—

From its jaws flew a wash of a sticky, dark green substance that struck him full across the upper body and face. He'd been too close to successfully dodge the unexpected attack. The substance burned in his eyes and mouth, tasting bitter and causing him to retch blindly. He could not see! With growing dread, he realized that without his eyes, his powers, and his sense of taste and smell drowned in the gummy liquid, he had no idea where the rabid tyranitar was. Only his sense of hearing and touch were left to him. Even after releasing a burst of his energies to burn the substances away, this remained the case. And if that wasn't bad enough, any move he made seemed to seep away his strength. With a start, the so-called invincible clone realized what had happened:

He'd been poisoned.

From the shore Briar saw the Toxic attack hit Mewtwo and watched in growing fear as Mewtwo stumbled around in pain and disorientation. The others around her roared in dismay at the successful assault to their leader, more than one taking a step to aid the psychic. Briar screamed at them not to move, and swiftly darted into the caves, retrieving a packet of berries from her supplies. When she returned, she mounted the fire dragon once more and, screwing Mewtwo's orders, yelled for them to charge to his aid. For a moment, she worried about the weight they were placing onto the ice, in fact hearing the crackling of splintering ice beneath them. But Mewtwo needed their help! One in mind, they headed out to join his side.

Mewtwo sensed their coming and paused in his darting away from the demon to shout for them to go back—they ignored him. Soon enough, he felt himself being wrapped in the stinging tentacles of Tentacrueltwo, drawn out of harm's way. In a line, the clones came between the rabid one and the poisoned feline. As they launched their barrage of electrical and ice charges, of razor-tipped leaves and solar wind, Briar drew Mewtwo to the cold ice, murmuring to him to eat the berries she had pressed to his lips. At first, he resisted, but once the girl had managed to slip one onto his tongue and clamped his jaws shut, he ground it between his teeth and swallowed. The pecha berry was sweet…he took some more, feeling the effects of the toxin wearing off. But he still could not see. He told Briar as much. She did not respond, but checked his eyes, seeing their red color and how they watered. Quietly she assured him that his sight would return, but it would take a few days. Before he could respond, cries arose from their fellows to retreat. The tyranitar was enduring their assault and charging towards them!

They began to flee back to the island. The feline and human stumbled along. They were going too slowly…and while time was swiftly running out for the demon, Mewtwo knew they would not escape. He ordered them all to halt, pulled him from the human's grasp, and turned towards the monster.

He called back to them as he walked to the creature. "Keep your positions. It will not get closer than this to our home."

He heard Briar walking behind him. He did not order her to stay where she was. She would not listen to him anyhow.

The giant readied a Hyper Beam, unleashing it. The clone felt the gathering energy and erected a barrier before them, deflecting it back at the one who had created it. It stumbled, barely able to rise this time. When it did, he heard how wearily it panted, saw some of the anger in its eyes be replaced by fear as its body began to spasm and seize. It was almost over.

To all of their shock, it spoke. "Why? Why defend them? They are not like you…"

Mewtwo felt calm pervade him as he heard the rare semblance of sanity rising from the beast. "Yes, they are. We are outcasts, bound together by mutual acceptance within and cruel judgments without. That is reason enough for me to keep them safe, even if it means giving up my own life if I must."

The ruby gaze turned to the girl. "What of her? She is human?"

Mewtwo closed his useless eyes. "That may be. But like is, the world refused to accept her as she was. For that, she is as good as one of us. So I will not allow her to be harmed either."

For a moment, the demon stared at them, before sprinting to them in one last, ad dash, laughing bitterly at his wounds. Briar made to grasp Mewtwo and drag him away, but Mewtwo stopped her. "Do not move. It won't reach us, I assure you."

"Mewtwo, how—"

It stumbled some thirty feet from them and crashed onto the ice. It did not get up from there. Its breathing came in swift, shallow pants, saliva dripping from its mouth. It began to twitch and spasm, and its throat moved in a way which indicated that it might be attempt to drink the snow that melted where it lay. It failed, snarled loudly, and went unconscious, its body still convulsing some several feet before them.

Its wide, white eyes gaze up at them, empty and pale.

"Its movements were weak, slow, and ungainly. Its body was giving out, and so it began resorting to special abilities to bring prey into its jaws. But it won't endanger anyone else now. It is dying."

Then Mewtwo himself stumbled into her hold, sagging in her arms, his limbs shaking with weariness.

"Mewtwo!"

He smiled grimly. "It seems the poison drained more of my strength than I realized." And with that, he collapsed.

Sometime later the leader awoke to spy sunlight leaking through his windows, sore muscles, dry eyes, and a strange weight on his chest. As he lowered his gaze, he found the cause of the last—the human was sleeping beside him, her arm and head using his torso as a pillow. For a swift moment, he felt a sharp pang of aggravation and discomfort at her proximity, but it died as quickly as it surfaced. She seemed at such peace as she slept. Although the dark circles under her eyes testified that she was suffering from acute fatigue. Against his own volition, his head crept up, ready to perhaps touch her face…but he stayed it, letting it fall to the blanket that covered him.

"So our great leader has awakened at last. How do you feel this morning, Mewtwo? Well, I hope."

Ninetalestwo. He turned his head to gaze at her. "I have felt better. The aching is nowhere near keen enough to hinder me, however."

The vixen yawned. "Good. Briar's efforts have paid off then."

"She healed me?"

Smirking, the fox trotted over to them, nuzzling the girl's hair. "Aye, she did. For the past few nights and days she's been watching over you, feeding you substances that act as antidotes to whatever toxin you were exposed to. She cleaned it fully from you, rinsing out your eyes and keeping them cool to help you regain your sight. She was terrified that you might have gotten rabies, but your test turned up negative."

She grinned. "The only time she left your side was to make pincushions of the rest of us. She had us steal full sets of pokémon vaccinations and then turned around and used them on us. For our own good, she said. Not that that stopped Squirtletwo from whining, since she poked the syringe in his—"

"You are saying she's been next to me this entire time, despite the risks that entailed?" He did not specify on what.

His fellow nodded her head once. "Yes. She was very worried about you. It seems as much as she cares for the rest of us, she had a special place in her heart for you. Perhaps it's a feeling of kinship. More than the rest of us, your soul is human."

His expression flickered with displease, and he did not comment on her words. He merely rose, drawing the girl into his arms and standing. The feline jerked his head in a manner that indicated that his fellow clone should lay out on the ledge, and with a grin she obeyed, sprawling out on her side. The leader began to set the girl beside her, but the human seemed reluctant to go, instead trying to curl up in his hold, savoring the warmth of his pelt.

Ninetalestwo laughed. "I do believe she likes you more than me, my friend."

But Mewtwo set the girl down, not allowing her to cling to him. "Warm her. The child must not catch a chill."

The cream-colored vixen rested her tails over the human, a blanket of soft heat. "Certainly. But if I may make a suggestion?"

He was listening.

"You should stop viewing her as less than a mature adult. It would be to both of your benefits if you treated her as an equal."

He did not like what she was suggesting, and so dismissed it with a murmured, "Perhaps." As he began to walk away from the females, Ninetalestwo asked him where he was going, for Briar was certain to throttle her for not finding out where her patient was heading before he left.

He said he was going to a place where he could ease his stiff muscles. And as another thought surfaced, he glanced back at them, holding the human in his eyes. "When she awakes, I would appreciate it if you thanked her for me."

With that he wandered away, as he always did when creatures tried to get close to him. He was better off on his own.