CHAPTER THIRTY:
MONSTERS
-Udon-
It seemed fairly simple.
In order to stop Mewtwo, Hassel and I needed to go back to where it all began. In Cinnabar, there was a museum dedicated to Mewtwo and his origins. It had been built atop the laboratory that he was created in.
We figured there could be something there that we could use to end him once and for all.
"When he killed my friends… the Elite Four… he tried to kill me too, but for some reason he was… weak. He couldn't do it." Hassel explained while we walked.
I looked over at him. Why in the world would Mewtwo not have enough power to kill Hassel?
"I thought he was one of the most powerful Pokémon in existence," I said. "I mean, he was created using Mew's DNA."
"That's why we're going to Cinnabar," Hassel said. "To get answers."
Cinnabar was actually an island, so to get to it, we needed to take a ferry. This meant I, most likely, had to ride in another Pokéball. The thought of it didn't phase me, though. Probably because I had already been through hell and back, with losing Ruffles and everything.
"I'm sorry about your friend, by the way," Hassel said. "I know he meant a lot to you."
"Yeah, he did," I said back.
"I know I tried to kill you guys a few times, but I know what it's like to lose the things you hold dear," he said. "The Elite Four were more than a team to me, they were family."
A flood of memories came washing over me. I still felt awful about leaving Amp, Aura and Loom. I hoped they were alright.
"To them, I'm grateful," Hassel continued. "I just wish it didn't have to end this way."
Even though he and I didn't have a great past, Hassel wasn't actually a bad Pokémon. He just followed the wrong leader.
"Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry about your friends too."
As we kept walking across the small path we were on, something caught my eye. It looked like Mewtwo, floating in front of us.
I stopped in my tracks and grit my teeth. Mewtwo was right there. I needed to kill him. My paw lit up, sparks flying off it everywhere.
"Udon? Are you okay?" Hassel asked. "What's going on?"
"Do you not see him?" I asked, raising my voice. "He's right there!"
Hassel looked in front of us, but didn't seem as shocked as me.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Who's right there?"
"It's Mewtwo!" I yelled. "Don't you see him?!"
The strange thing was Mewtwo was just floating there, staring at us. He hadn't tried attacking us.
"There… there's no one there…" Hassel stated.
What did he mean by that? I could clearly see the monster that killed my friend. I had to do something.
"Udon… listen to me," Hassel said. "You're seeing things. Mewtwo isn't there. It's all in your head."
Tears started to flow down my face.
"B-but…" I stammered.
"I know you wanna kill him, you really want to," Hassel said. "You probably feel like, if you do this, you'd be getting back at him for what he's done. But he's not there. You need to calm down."
I took a deep breath. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was like before, back in Bliburn. I sat down on the ground and waited for my head to clear. Soon enough, in a few seconds, the figure of Mewtwo faded away.
"A-am I crazy?" I asked. "Why is this happening to me?"
"You're not crazy, you're just under a lot of stress," Hassel explained. "Trauma will do that to you."
"Will I ever get better?" I asked.
"I don't know," he answered.
In my head, I had figured that, once I killed Mewtwo, I would be freed of this curse. But now I didn't know. There was still a chance I could go back to normal.
I had to hold onto that hope for just a little while longer.