ã€ŠPok&#xE9;mon Reset Bloodlines Sidestory - Mewtwo Interludeã€‹


 Amber

    Blackness and silence. That was what welcomed him to life.

    He could feel his body, curled up in a fetal position, motionless and resting. He could breathe the nourishing liquid around him, feel the wetness all around his body, various probes connected to his skin. Information filled his brain. Colors. Words. Knowledge without meaning and meanings without knowledge. All while the blackness and silence surrounded him.

    He didn''t feel anything aside from that. Where was he?Whatwas he? Millions of different information crowded his developing mind, several concepts coalescing into bigger ones.

    Human. Pok¨¦mon. Species. Identity. Growth. Life. Death. Imitation. Original. Power.

    More and more terms came in, evolving into concepts, developing into thoughts, peaking into coherence and meaning.

    His mind grew, his knowledge and awareness followed. The blackness still confined him in place, but he could feel hisself, his small body and his own shallow breaths.

    Was he alive? Was he dead? He couldn''t say, all he knew were abstract words and their supposed usage, and neither term seemed fitting for his own situation.

    And then his mind continued to grow, beyond what it was meant to do, larger, almost painfully becoming more. His body shook in the fluids, and the silence was shattered at once.

    First it was murmurs, then it was voices, then it wasthoughtsthat didn''t belong to his own mind, invading it forcefully with no welcome and the force of a machine gun.

    "Subject #150''s mental activity is peaking up-"

    "I hope it goes better than the-"

    "It looks so creepy-"

    "I wonder how my wife''s doing-"

    "Amber, you''ll come back to me-"

    "I really want some coffee-"

    "I hate this stuff, I want out-"

    "What are we even doing anymore?"

    More, more, more incoherence and chaos barged into the blackness, washing over him like a maelstrom of new concepts. Slang, figures of speech, metaphors, similes, jokes- stupid, useless, surprisingly useful knowledge? He couldn''t say. His mind grew, but the information was too big, too wide, toomuch.

    He winced, small three-digited hands tightening around his small frame in an effort to stop the pain. Were they his own? It didn''t matter; the pain continued, the voices growing louder, more incoherent, more chaotic, the quiet and peace of before gone forever.

    He wanted to scream, writhe in pain, escape from his prison and home at once. But to go where? It was all confusing, chaotic, wrong- was that the world? What good were the concepts he was given? What was his purpose?What did he have to do? What was the point of this all?

    More, more, more question came in, on topics big and small, coming from the words flying around him and his own mind, a swirling spiral of thoughts and thoughts andthoughtscrowding his once clear and simple mind.

    He squinted his eyes, more, and more- and then the blackness returned, and he could open his eyes, even if he really couldn''t. A dream, a lucid thought? A hallucination? What was this place? Was it real, or was it part of his own mind?

    And then he saw a dim light in the distance, standing strikingly in the blackness surrounding him.

    His purple eyes opened up fully, his own body floating in the nothingness. He continued to stare at the light, contemplating it from a safe distance, feeling its warmth. It felt... nice, comforting, friendly, in stark contrast to the thoughts still lurking in the background, appraising or thinking of themselves.

    He held his three-digited hand forward, almost trying to clasp the source of warmth from the distance. He wanted to be closer, to understand it, to know it. He wanted to be close to the warmth, and discover its purpose.

    And then, the light spoke. "Is anyone here?"

    He froze, his still-developing heart thumping over his newly-formed chest. Fear? Excitement? A positive/negative emotion? He didn''t know, but he wanted to, heneededto.

    As such he held his hand up, his inquisitive stare trained on the light. "W... who is here...?"

    "Oh, someone new heard me! Dad''s work must be doing well!"

    "Dad... Your... father...?"

    "Probably also your father. He''s the head of the staff here."

    Father. A progenitor. Someone to look up to, to respect, a giver of life, a person that could offer love and assistance to his young, a positive figure to respect and admire. He squinted his eyes- was he truly squinting? Was it just his mind?- as the concept was identified, and the little light''s words gained further meaning.

    "My... father... are we... siblings?" he asked, considering his words, his vocabulary constantly expanding, concepts growing more nuanced and complex with each passing second.

    "Why not! I always wanted to have a sibling!" The light gave a happy laugh, and he could feel the negativity wash away from his body. "It can get a bit lonely in here, but I''m glad to hear someone new!"

    "Where... are you...?"

    "I''m down, but I''m also here. Do you see me?"

    At first, he didn''t understood what the light''s words meant. But then, he squinted and focused to where the light was, and then there was no more light.

    Instead, a human child stood before him, a warm and bright smile on her face. He stared at her, the first form beyond his own, so different from how he seemed to be.

    And finally, he nodded. "I... I see you."

    "Great! Come here, let''s play! Do you want to?" the child asked, hand outstretched towards him.

    His eyes focused on the five-fingered hand for quite a while, before shifting towards his own. They were so different, so unlike each other, yet she claimed they could be siblings? That didn''t sound logical, not from all the knowledge he had gained until then.

    And yet... that didn''t feel like it mattered. That child wanted him with her, and he didn''t want to say no.

    He outstretched his hand as well, floating closer to her. "I... I want to."

    The girl''s expression turned even brighter as their fingers touched, and then their whole world shone as brightly as her smile.

    He closed his eyes, as the light exploded around them, holding a hand over them before he peered them open slowly. He then turned around, speechless: what was once a featureless void was now a lush, green hill that stretched all the way towards the horizon under a cloudy and bright blue sky, with him and the girl floating right above it.

    The girl held her arms high, beaming as she floated down until she touched the ground. "This is one of my favorite places!"

    She smiled and ran through the blades of grass, twirling and dancing with glee. For his part, he continued to hover and look down, shifting between the grass and the girl that seemed to have so much fun.

    He blinked, unable to say anything at the scenery. There wasn''t really anything there beyond the grass and some flowers, and yet it felt far more welcoming than the void would ever be. Was that why the girl was so happy? Did the grass do something to her? The scattered information in his mind had no answer to that. It was weird, and seemingly nonsensical. Why was she running to and fro, then?

    He squinted, trying to take everything in and to understand, but it was no use. And yet, the more she danced at her own tune, the more he felt something swelling in his chest. He had no idea what it was, but the more he saw the girl playing, the more he wanted to imitate her. Was that jealousy? Happiness? Both?

    "Hey, don''t just stand there! Come here, you''ll have fun!" The girl''s voice brought his attention back to her, and he could see her standing ontop of the hill, waving her hand and beckoning him to come closer.

    He blinked, almost considering what to do until he closed his eyes, taking a few breaths before he looked down again. He could feel the information continue to grow in the back of his mind, but he didn''t focus on that. Tentatively, he tried to concentrate on the ground under him, putting one of his two-toed feet forward. His foot sunk lower, and the Pok¨¦mon felt his body descend slowly, until he finally touched down on the soft grass and solid ground.

    He took a second to stare at the greenery around him, feeling funny at the wet yet pleasant sensation of the grass on his feet and legs, all while the breeze washed over his young body, all while his tail- he had atail?- wiggled happily behind him. They were foreign, almost strange sensations, ones he couldn''t even be sure if they were real, but they felt... good, he thought. Or at least, he wanted to believe they did.

    His eyes turned up again, finding the girl waving at him once more from the top of the hill. He continued to observe her for a little while, considering what to do now as he studied the path. After a little while, he finally took a step, slow and methodically.

    His foot touched the grass again, and nothing bad happened. He then took another step, and another, and another again, slowly drawing the distance with the girl. He smiled as he managed to walk, the girl growing nearer, and tries to speed up the pace, first into a sprint, and then into a run, all while the girl looked at him in approval. His smile only grew, just as he reached close to her.

    And then his tail got in the way of his legs, and he quickly lost his balance. He went wide-eyed, arms flapping around as he tried to get back upright.

    "Oof!" he groaned, just as he fell on his back and down the descent.

    The girl widened her eyes as well, rushing by his side. "Hold on, I''m going to-"

    Before she could try to do anything, he rolled straight towards her and made them both fall down the hill like an out-of-control ball, swirling around until they ended up at the foot of the hill, their bodies full of grass and dirt as their bodies rested on each other''s.

    It all felt very fast and confusing as the world swirled around him, his mind still feeling dizzy at the ordeal while his whole body felt sore and hurt. He grimaced, the sensation feeling far worse than the previous ones. Was being hurt bad? The information he had in his mind said so, and his experience just confirmed it. He tried to touch some of the bruised parts of his skin, and a jolt of pain passed through this body.

    "Ow ow ow!" He winced, quickly stopping to poke at the bruise. He took a deep breath and sat back up, worry filling him as he turned back to the girl in embarassment. "Are you hurt? I''m sorry, I didn''t-"

    "That was so much fun!" she said, grinning widely as she laughed and stood as well, flailing her arms around.

    He blinked, looking over at her body. Her dress was still alright, but he could see several bruises and cuts over her skin from the rolling. He tilted his head in confusion, rubbing the back of his head and finding some sort of tube connected to his neck. He briefly wondered of its purpose, but quickly shook his head to focus on the girl, confused.

    "But... you are hurt..." He pointed at her, eyes still on her injuries.

    "But we rolled down just like a ball! Let''s do it again!"

    He tilted his head again. "Why would you want to do something that brings you pain?"

    "It wasn''t painful, it was exciting!" The girl twirled around herself, her ever present smile even brighter than before. "Sometimes you get hurt by playing, but it doesn''t mean you shouldn''t play. You can''t let that stop you from being happy."

    He remained silent, considering the girl''s words as she started to pick up some flowers and ran through the grass again. She must''ve felt the same pain he did, so why was she so happy? Was ''excitement'' good? There seemed to be many ways for things to be ''exciting''. Was this a wrong or a right one? She seemed happy, so how he felt must''ve been wrong, and yet that didn''t make sense.

    He shook his head, a light frown as he tapped his head. Even with all the information his mind was receiving, he still didn''t understand as much as he should. It felt frustrating, which he assumed was bad.

    Fortunately, his train of thought was interrupted by a poke on his shoulder, and he perked his head up to meet the smiling face of the girl once more.

    "My name is Ambertwo. But I''m also Amber." She giggled. "What''s yours?"

    "My name?" He scratched his head, trying to remember it. As his mind drew a blank, he averted his gaze and shook his head. "I don''t know..."

    Undeterred, he tried to fish for an answer first in the hurricane of concepts that was his mind. It was hard to pin down everything with all the things he supposedly knew about, but as he searched, there was one name that recurred more than the others:Mew, Mew''s fossil, Mew experiments, creating Mew, all the power of Mew...

    He scratched his head, eyes squinted. "It seems... I''m Mew...?"

    "You can''t be just Mew." The girl shook her head, but she didn''t felt condescending, especially as she smiled at him again. "Everyone here has a two after their name. So, you should be Mewtwo."

    He pondered that, eyes up to the blue sky. "Mewtwo..."

    "There are many Mew around the world. But you''re the only Mewtwo that exists. Isn''t that wonderful?" Amber giggled, moving to watch the sky herself with her radiant smile. "We''re always unique just by being ourselves."

    He didn''t say anything, simply looking at the girl once more. Even with all the questions he had and the half-filled concepts crowding his mind, her own thought and musings constantly felt so simple yet confident in a way he couldn''t understand. That was probably a good thing to be, if his headache was any indication.

    He thus thought back of Mew and what it seemingly was, still not sure of how he related to it, confusing thoughts about cloning, gene splicing and DNA following on, and he finally exhaled. For the moment, Mewtwo would work nicely for him.

    Mewtwo''s attention went back to Amber, feeling a tinge of envy. "You know so much stuff."

    "Only because I''ve been alive longer than you. You will learn even more stuff and become even smarter than me as you grow," Amber said, patting Mewtwo''s head.

    "I don''t see it." Mewtwo turned to his hands, clenching and unclenching them. "So far, all I''ve done is... exist."

    "You''re silly. That''s everything!" Amber laughed, and yet Mewtwo didn''t felt like she was mocking him. She came closer to him again, placing her little bouquet of flowers aside. "You''re gonna grow, and you''ll be able to experience kindness, joy, love and fun. If you''re living, you''ll learn, you will be happy, and you will make all sorts of friends, and you''ll feel better than ever through it all. Life is an adventure you should be proud to take part in!"

    She offered him a hand once more. "Come on, let''s have fun together!"

    Mewtwo studied her again, and that''s when a question formed in his head.

    "Why do you want to do that together?" he tilted his head, thoughtful.

    She just giggled once more. "Because we''re siblings, no? We can live and be happy together now!"

    Her response was as simple as usual, and yet it only gave Mewtwo more to think about. He continued to look at himself and Amber, and his confusion only grew: he was the one to ask if they were siblings, but now that he thought about it, they were completely different: his skin was glossy and grey, he had a tail and a tube behind his head, and was completely naked; her skin was pale but her hair was green, and wore a white dress - why did she wear clothes, anyway? Should he have been embarassed? Even their faces, their hands and their feet were different. Beyond size and general shape, they had nothing in common.

    "We don''t look like siblings." His gaze went back to his hand again, lost in thought.

    She shook her head. "That means nothing. My father created you, just like he created me. So, we''re siblings."

    Mewtwo gave her pause again. There was a certain logic to her words, all while the words themselves contrasted all the logic he was given. It was confusing, and yet she seemed so sure of her words...

    For once, Mewtwo smiled and put those thoughts away. It might''ve been an illogical concept, but it was a comforting one, and that was what mattered in the end. He took Amber''s hand, and she beamed as she pulled him up to stand.

    "Now, let''s go! There''s a lot I need to show you!" She pointed ahead towards the horizon. "Prepare yourself for a big adventure!"

    Mewtwo turned the same way, and he finally smiled with no questions to ask. He just walked forward alongside Amber, the two siblings ready to have fun together.

    <hr>

    As time passed, Mewtwo and Amber continued to spend all their time together, having fun through their shared mindscape. So long as they wanted it, there was no limit to the kind of adventures they could live together: between endless seas, wide plains, tall mountains and many other places, they could be anywhere they wanted to be, doing everything they wanted to. Even if there was no one else but them, that was never a problem for the two kids.

    And through it all, Amber continued to teach Mewtwo about everything she could. Her worldview was simple, almost naive at times, but it still provided Mewtwo with many answers he sought. Love was important and warm; friendship was companionship and happiness; happiness was feeling good and making others feel the same. And most importantly, life was worth living to its fullest.

    They were simple, happy lessons. Ones that clashed completely with the information that continued to crowd his mind. Images and thoughts of conflict, suffering, killing, and unlimited power welling up inside him and unleashed against all enemies. People hating each other for no real motivation, wars started for petty reasons and many, many other subjects Mewtwo hoped to never know more of.

    And above all was him, the ultimate weapon to end all weapons, undefeated and fearsome.

    Was that what his true purpose was? Was he meant to make all those bad things happen? Was everything he was living just... wrong?

    It felt so strange, so antithetical to everything Amber taught him. And yet, he couldn''t help but think more and more of the concepts he kept unwillingly learning about.

    Mewtwo shook his head, trying not to lose himself in his thoughts. He and Amber were sitting on a bench, in the middle of the city Amber said to have grown up in, eating vanilla ice cream together. Or at least, Amber was, since the Pok¨¦mon''s attention was fixated on the melting cone of white ice cream in his hands. It wasn''t real and he knew it, and yet he could still touch the cone, feel the coldness of it, and even see it slowly melt.

    Mewtwo''s eyes glowed blue, and the drops of cream stopped in mid-air. The young Pok¨¦mon kept his focus up, and slowly enough the cream returned back where it fell. Mewtwo gave it a lick, enjoying the taste,feelingit.

    Amber stopped eating her ice cream, beaming at her little brother. "Your powers are so cool. And they will only become stronger."

    Mewtwo felt his cheeks heating up at the compliment, quickly turning the other way as he licked out his cone. Amber giggled and went back to her own ice cream. Mewtwo would''ve laughed as well, if his thoughts didn''t go back to all those bad thoughts.

    And with that, Mewtwo clenched his hands around the cone, eyes still away from his sister. "Amber... what do you think is life?"

    "Well, we''re here, and we exist. It''s a great, fun adventure for everyone!"

    She had replied without even a second of hesitation, just like she would always do. In any other circumstance, Mewtwo would''ve probably smiled alongside her, but instead he threw his head down, cracking the cone unconsciously.

    "Then what are those thoughts?" He squinted his eyes, the cracks on the ice cream growing larger. "Why am I weapon? Why do I see suffering? Why people hurt others?"

    Amber paused, looking pensive. Mewtwo''s attention went back to his sister, surprised to see her so deep into thinking. However, her attention quickly went to the sky, more solemn than usual.

    "Some people don''t know how precious life is, or how important it is to be kind, and so they do bad things. It''s sad, but it happens." Her bright smile returned once again. "But they''re all wrong, because no one can be happy if they hurt others."

    Mewtwo''s attention returned to the cone, cracks all over and melting over his hand. "I don''t want to hurt others."

    "You don''t have to! You''re the one in charge of your life and what to do, and no one else can say otherwise!" Amber put a hand over his shoulder. "You''re a good little brother. I know you''d never hurt anyone."

    Mewtwo locked gazes with his sister and the happy smile she was giving her. That was enough for his worry to melt away, just like the ice cream he held.

    "Thank you," he said, smiling back to her.

    Amber nodded, her cone disappearing as she hopped off the bench and pointed ahead of her. "Well then. Now, let''s go to the amusement park!"This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Mewtwo turned the same way, right where a giant and colorful amusement park stood, ready just for them. The Pok¨¦mon smiled, letting his ice cream fade away as he floated back on the ground and shared a smile together, before they both headed there to have fun.

    His mind was still filled with doubts, but so long as he had Amber with him, none of it felt so bad. He didn''t care if nothing around them was actually real, because his sister was, and that was what mattered.

    And they would always be happy, as long as they remained together.

    <hr>

    "Come on, let''s play tag!"

    It was a game started on a whim, just like many of Amber''s little adventures, but Mewtwo had no problem with that. The rules were simple: he was going to pursue Amber and find her, while she hid and run throughout all of the amusement park. Once, such a game would''ve probably felt like a daunting task for him, but with how his power had grown over time it was nothing more than child''s play to find his friend.

    And so Mewtwo zipped around their mental landscape with glee, the largest grin splitting his face. "I''m coming for you, Amber!"

    On the ground, Amber laughed at the challenge before she headed down, towards the house of mirrors. Mewtwo chuckled and followed suit, until he carefully entered the reflective labyrinth. It was a place he found confusing and difficult to navigate, which was probably why Amber chose to hide there of all places. A clever idea, but not enough.

    As his eyes glowed, all the mirrors started to do the same, and with some effort all of them detached on the ground, floating slightly over it. He frowned and flicked his wrists, slowly moving each of the mirrors to the side and reducing the labyrinth to a single large room. Once he finished rearranging the room, Mewtwo fell on his knees and took deep breaths, rubbing the sweat off his face.

    Using powers of that magnitude still required too much effort from him, but it was more than worth it. He never managed to defeat Amber in tag before, but that day would be different.

    Mewtwo slowly rose back up, still catching up his breath as he analyzed his surroundings. It took a bit more than he liked even with all the mirrors stashed to the side, but he did eventually spot a familiar mop of green hair on the ground.

    The Pok¨¦mon grinned again, quickly floating towards his friend. "Here, found you!"

    Mewtwo giggled and prepared to finally catch his sister. And then he got close enough, and instantly froze on the spot.

    In front of him was Amber, lying on the ground, breathing way too fast and clutching her heart. Mewtwo stepped back, eyes wide and focused on her.

    "A-Amber? What''s going on?" Mewtwo asked, tentatively coming closer.

    His sister tried to stand up, only to fall back down. Mewtwo flinched, and then rushed to her side.

    And it was then that Mewtwo saw her body glow, and right after, her feet and hands slowly frayed and faded away, all while Amber squinted her eyes in pain.

    "Amber!" Mewtwo yelled, trying to shake the girl back to consciousness.

    She slowly breathed in and out, seemingly too overwhelmed by pain to say anything, all while Mewtwo could only watch her body turn into light.

    His mind picked up some voices from outside, unable to distinguish between thoughts and words, everything around him swirling in a typhoon of confusion.

    "Subject #150 is upset! Something is going wrong!"

    "The readings are off the charts! It might destabilize!"

    "I''m going to put everything in place! Continue to monitor him!"

    "Fuji, wait-"

    "I won''t let this go to waste! I''ll save you Amber!"

    Mewtwo grabbed his head, shaking it as the world contrinued to spin, the mental landscape cracking and fraying all around him as Amber continued to fade.

    He turned back to his sister, half of her body now gone and still clearly in pain. His heart was thumping in his chest, and everything around him felt heavy.

    Was that... fear? Dread? The negative emotions he always heard about? Nothing made sense, it was all happening too fast, but one thing was clear: something was happening to Amber, something very bad. Was she...dying?

    "No, no, no!" Mewtwo grabbed what was left of his sister''s body, his vision growing blurry. "Resist, Amber! You can''t leave!"

    But Amber never replied, and her body continued to fade, continued todie.

    Mewtwo shook his head, focusing back on his sister. That wasn''t the time to think of how he felt. Amber couldn''t go away, he wouldn''t let that happen.

    And so the Pok¨¦mon''s eyes glowed, his attention going to every atom of Amber''s form, desperately forcing them together even as unspeakable forces tore them apart. He breathed hard, he sweated and felt more strained than he ever did in his life as he pushed all his psychic energy into keeping his sister together.

    It wasn''t enough. Amber''s body continued to fade.

    Mewtwo continued, no matter how much effort it took him, Amber taking precedence over even his own well-being, and nothing changed. Was it because they weren''t real?

    He didn''t have time to think that. And so, he continued, never stopping his attempt to help Amber.

    "You can''t leave! We''re siblings! We should be together and be happy!" His vision grew even foggier as exhaustion took hold of him, tears trailing down his face. "Please! Don''t leave!"

    Amber remained unconscious, and her body continued to fade, with only her upper body and head left.

    "Don''t... leave..."

    Mewtwo''s strength gave in, and so did his willpower. It was just him, his fading sister, and the broken and nonsensical scenery around him. The tears continued to fall, Mewtwo sobbing as he held Amber closer, as if that could stop her from disappearing.

    He didn''t understand why Amber was disappearing like that, or why everything felt so bad for him. He had never felt that way before, and never wanted to feel the same way again.

    Mewtwo just wanted to be happy, back with his sister, just like they had always been. That couldn''t be the end! It just couldn''t!

    And yet it was, and there was nothing he could do to save her. He squinted his eyes shut as he continued to cry, holding his sister even closer to him.

    Mewtwo continued to cry, silence and blackness surrounding him again, just like they already did once, beckoning him again.

    And then, a familiar voice came from the darkness.

    "Don''t cry, Mewtwo. It''s all okay."

    The voice was warm, familiar,alive.

    Mewtwo''s tears stopped, and the Pok¨¦mon slowly opened his reddened eyes. In his arms was Amber, her body slowly reforming. All around them, their shared mindscape returned to be as it once was.

    The Pok¨¦mon didn''t care for that, his gaze all on his sister. He didn''t dare say anything, his vision still cloudy as he watched over his sister. Her lower body, arms and legs formed under his eyes, and before he could realize it, Amber was back and whole, confused but now unharmed.

    Mewtwo didn''t have the slightest clue what happened, and he didn''t care either. He sniffled, tears in the corner of his eyes.

    "You''re okay." His hands shook, and a relieved smile parted his lips. "You''re okay!"

    He hugged his sister tightly, almost to ensure she couldn''t leave again. He didn''t care if she wasn''t really there or she wasn''t even the real her, Amber was still with him, and that was the only thing that mattered.

    Amber took a few seconds before she replied to Mewtwo''s hug, neither of the two saying anything for a while. Once Mewtwo was sure that Amber wouldn''t fade again, he looked back at her and found her looking down in thought.

    "I was fading away, right?"

    Mewtwo wiped the tears off his eyes, staring harshly at her. "Don''t do that ever again! You scared me!"

    "I can''t control that, I''m sorry." Amber shook her head, still not looking over her brother. "I know I will fade away one day. Many friends already did, after all."

    Mewtwo blinked, puzzled at what she meant. And as he wondered, he desired to know, and his mind opened itself to the outside world once again.

    "Subject #150 seems stable now. The readings are back to normal."

    "Great work as usual, Fuji. This project would go nowhere without you."

    "I only do what''s needed. We can''t let this be a failure like our previous one-hundred and forty-nine attempts."

    One-hundred and forty-nine attempts? Mewtwo had always been referred to as ''Subject #150'' outside, and his knowledge told him one-hundred and forty-nine were the numbers before it. Was there a connection?

    Mewtwo''s curiosity sparked up, and his mind wormed its way out of its confines to peer into ''Dr. Fuji''''s own. Mewtwo froze, and a barrage of knowledge invaded his mind.

    Bulbasaur. Charmander. Squirtle. Pidgey. Rattata. Pikachu. Meowth. Nidoran. Spearow. And many, many other Pok¨¦mon.

    The spark of life filling their bodies. Expectant humans awaiting results. The Pok¨¦mon''s bodies growing. Maturing. Decaying. Disappearing. And then the process starting anew.

    Many creatures, young creatures,livingandsentientcreatures, malformed and mishapen ones, their bodies falling apart and disappearing before even being born at all.

    And then the humans moved on to the next one like nothing had happened, playing with life and discarding what didn''t work, twisting them to meet their objectives. With one special case.

    Ambertwo. Based on Amber Fuji. Held in a different chamber, overseen by Dr. Fuji -her father- alone. His attempt to bring her back, to improve on her.

    Based on. Bring her back. Replacement. Copy.

    Not the original.

    Everyone here has a two after their name.

    Two came after one, and after two came three, and four, and five-

    Until one-hundred and fifty.

    He was Subject #150. The one-hundred and fiftieth attempt to create life. The first to be based on Mew.

    And he was just an experiment to claim something he wasn''t, something to toss aside if he failed to meet their expectation.

    There are many Mew around the world. But you''re the only Mewtwo that exists. Isn''t that wonderful?

    But after two came three. And after a failed Mewtwo, a successful Mewthree could come.

    We''re always unique just by being ourselves.

    But they were all disposable in spite of that.

    Mewtwo rushed out of Dr. Fuji''s mind, his knowledge incomplete, but the raw emotion and information he got from the scientists'' head was enough for an entire lifetime.

    His heart raced, and the Pok¨¦mon - theexperimentbreathed in and out. Many confusing, contradicting thoughts went one and after another, implications, theories and assumptions racing throughout his mind as he tried to make sense of everything he saw. What was the meaning of that? Was it real? Imagined? Did he confuse memories with thoughts? He didn''t know which possibility was scarier, and his body froze as the assumptions piled up.

    He was Mewtwo, a clone of Mew, an attempt to create something as strong as one. And it was all he would ever be.

    His body trembled, and his shoulders hung heavy as he turned around, his gaze meeting several reflections from the mirrors around him, copies just like him.

    And then, he felt a warm hand over his shoulder. He perked his head up, and Amber smiled at him again.

    "Let''s not think about bad things. Want to play again?" she asked, with her usual cheerfulness. As if nothing happened.

    Mewtwo took way longer than he should have to give a tentative and shaky nod. "S-sure."

    "Alright!" She grabbed her brother''s hand, pointing towards the exit. "Let''s go to the panoramic wheel!"

    Amber walked forward, and Mewtwo followed after her without a word. He spared a glance to his surroundings, and the several cracks in their mindscape, all while his mind tried to make sense of what he and Amber just experienced.

    And tried to not think that any of his assumptions might''ve beenright.

    As time passed, things went back to how they used to be: Mewtwo and Amber spent their time playing and talking together, being happy and sometimes discussing of how the outside world could be. After a while, Mewtwo was almost ready to write off the experience in the house of mirrors as a simple nightmare.

    But he knew that wasn''t the case. He could still see Amber giving far more pause to her thoughts, how distant she seemed at times, and how often she ended up sleeping or resting. Mewtwo tried not to think about her behavior too much, but his thoughts always gravitated back to his sister somehow.

    And if they didn''t revolve around Amber, then they moved back to himself, his own body and his purpose. The flow of information poured into him had slowed down, mostly focusing on giving him more knowledge of the topics he lacked, and he could even feel his body starting to grow. It wasn''t anything more than one inch or so, but it was probably just the beginning of his growth.

    Mewtwo wondered more and more if that meant he was on track to become exactly what the scientists wanted him to be, or if it was a testament of him being a failure soon to be discarded. Even if he tried to shrug off the doubts and enjoy the present, the questions continued to press on the back of his mind, preventing him from enjoying his time with Amber. His constantly developing powers weren''t helping matters, as he started to wonder if he could just rip open his containment tube and break free on the outside world any moment he wanted.

    The thought of what he could''ve done to the scientists prevented it from seeming a good thing.

    And eventually, as he tried to keep his thoughts and behavior in check, his sister caught on to his worries.

    "Are you upset, Mewtwo?" she asked, her and the Pok¨¦mon sitting on the grass of the same hill they first played together on.

    He stiffened, his gaze turning the other way. "I don''t know."

    Amber continued to look at him, quickly shifting on her feet.

    "You''ve been like this for a while." She walked closer to her sibling, looking straight into his eyes. "What''s making you worry so much?"

    Mewtwo didn''t know how to reply, his mind blanking out completely. He quickly put up a shrug and a way-too-big smile, as he rubbed the back of his head.

    "It''s nothing, really." He inched closer, trying to keep his smile from faltering. "Everything is normal. Let''s play and have fun like we always do!"

    That would''ve usually been enough to set aside any discussion and start one of their many playing sessions, an easy way to forget of what troubled him. But Amber didn''t react as usual, instead turning her gaze to the blades of grass under them.

    "It''s because of what happened that time, right?" she asked.

    Mewtwo froze in place, unable to say anything. He averted his gaze as well, but he could see Amber coming closer to him from the corner of his eye.

    "I''m sorry if I scared you." Amber gave one of her usual smiles, but Mewtwo could tell it lacked her usual warmth and happiness.

    "No, it''s not your fault." Mewtwo shook his head. "But that''s the past, right? There''s no way that will happen again."

    Amber didn''t reply. She instead looked up to the sky, just as their mindscape shifted from day to night, a bright and full moon shining brightly over the two.

    "There''s something I never told you." She smiled again, a hand outstretched towards the firmament. "Human clones can only live up to four years. And soon, I''ll become a star."

    The sky lit up with dozens of little lights, as if to underscore her point. Mewtwo chanced a look ahead himself, until the meaning of Amber''s words became clear.

    He paled, eyes wide as he flinched. "W-what?"

    "I wasn''t sure if it was real or not, but after what happened, I''m sure of it." Amber rubbed her forehead, wincing just a bit. "My father tried to make me better, to make me stronger and more likely to survive than Amber. It was painful, and it hurts even now, but I know he only did it because he loves me... no, because he loves Amber."

    She giggled. "And yet it didn''t solve the problem. It''s a bit sad."

    Amber laughed off her statement, but Mewtwo failed to find any humor in it. He stepped back, sweat pouring down his face, his mind and heartbeat both in overdrive as he tried to stay calm. He continued to look at her seemingly healthy body. No parts seemed to be fading, and she only seemed in mild distress. She was fine.

    But for how long? Last time, she started to fade out of nowhere.

    Mewtwo gulped and then stepped forward, a shaky smile on his face. That couldn''t be true.

    "You''re just kidding, right? There''s no way you''ll disappear. You look fine, you sound fine, and-"

    Amber shook her head, and any retort died in Mewtwo''s mouth. She held her forehead again, a grimace parting her lips.

    "My head hurts more and more these days. Maybe I''m playing too much, or maybe it''s my father''s improvements, but it''s worse every day." She powered through the pain, offering Mewtwo one of her bright smiles. "I wanted to tell you goodbye before it was too late."

    Goodbye. A farewell. Likely a definitive one.

    Mewtwo already understood what was happening, but that more than anything underscored it. He would never see Amber again, and there was nothing he could do to save her.

    He floated closer to her, a hand outstretched. "No, please, Amber-"

    "I''m tired now..." She closed her eyes, her cheerfulness briefly faltering. "I have to go, I''m sorry."

    She started to walk away from Mewtwo, but he couldn''t let her. He grasped at her arm, staring at her as tears glistened in his eyes.

    "You can''t leave, Amber! We need to be together forever!" he yelled, holding onto his sister tightly. He didn''t stop the tears from streaming down his face, doing all he could to keep Amber close.

    Amber didn''t move, her eyes back on her the Pok¨¦mon. He continued to cry and keep her in place, almost stubbornly refusing to move or say anything. Amber smiled once more, wiping the tears off his face.

    "The tears of Pok¨¦mon are so full of life. My father claimed they could bring forth miracles once." Her smile grew wider as she broke free with ease, looking back into his eyes. "Please, Mewtwo, be full of life too. Grow, learn, and keep being happy any way you want. You deserve it!"

    She caressed Mewtwo''s cheek, her smile warmer than it had ever been. "And thank you, for being my little brother."

    And just like that, Amber disappeared from the mindscape, leaving one last happy smile before she was gone forever. Mewtwo continued to cry, as the hill and the mindscape collapsed all around him.

    "No, please! Please, Amber! Come back! Come back here!" he screamed, trying to stop the tears from falling, crying his heart out as he searched for his light in the darkness.

    But nobody came.

    And so Mewtwo cried, screamed, his powers welling up inside him, trying to find a way out, a solution, anything to reach his sister.

    From the outside world, more and more voices were heard, a tangled mess of thoughts invading his mind, several indiscernible voices and thoughts fighting each other to be heard.

    "Subject #150 is upset again! Its emotional values are peaking! We''re in danger!"

    "Inject sedatives, quick! We can''t risk a reaction!"

    Mewtwo held his head tightly, the physical and mental strain pushing his body to its limits, only wanting for the pain to stop and for Amber to be there. He could think nothing, do nothing, say nothing, only suffer.

    And the tears never ceased cascading down his face.

    "The tears won''t stop... Amber, please..." he tried to say, his voice broken, his mind fatigued.

    And then his body started feeling numb, and thinking became hard. His eyelids became heavy, and his only desire was to sleep, sleep hard, to escape from the nightmare reality had turned into.

    He held a hand forward, where Amber once was. "Help me..."

    No one answered Mewtwo, and blackness and silence welcomed him again.

    <hr>

    Mewtwo stood still, trapped in the middle of nothing.

    Everything was black. Silent. Empty. He could feel his body growing. Developing. Changing.

    And all the while, he was all alone with his thoughts.

    His thoughts were muddled and cloudy, voices and thoughts from outside joining his own thoughts, dreams and memories.

    He had lived his entire life playing and learning from Amber, all while the scientists from the outside continued to shower him with further concepts.

    He had knowledge and intelligence, and with his body constrained by the sedatives and blackness, his mind was left to wander and think about everything.

    Amber was gone, or would be soon. His sister was about to disappear, and what her father did to save her might''ve made everything worse.

    But did it really matter, in the end? As far as her father was concerned, losing her would''ve just meant restarting from scratch. He didn''t care for his sister, he only cared for therealAmber. Ambertwo was only important so long as she was a perfect simulacrum of his lost daughter.

    Important enough to try to save, but not important enough to mourn. Where Ambertwo failed, an Amberthree could take over.

    And that also applied to him. He could feel himself grow, from a child to an adult. An unnatural kind of evolution, one no other Pok¨¦mon could undergo in the same way.

    Further proof that he wasn''t normal. He was an experiment, an attempt to go beyond nature. He wasdisposable.

    Even when he realized it the first time, Amber managed to not make the blow hurt too hard. It was an ugly truth, but the only person he actually cared for was still here.

    But Amber wasn''t there any longer. And as soon as she left the world, an Amberthree would''ve replaced her. Similar, but different.

    She would act like Amber, smile like Amber, play like Amber, but she wouldn''t be the Amber he knew, his sister. She would be gone forever.

    And so could he. All his memories, the fun he had with his sister, didn''t mean anything for the scientists. They didn''t care for Mewtwo, they cared for a stronger, enhanced clone of Mew.

    It didn''t have to be Mewtwo. It could''ve been Mewthree, Mewten, Mewhundred. They would''ve never stopped until their desires were achieved.

    They weren''t like Amber. She cared for everything and everyone, and wanted only peace and happiness. She was better than any of the humans outside of his tank.

    Maybe he was wrong, maybe he was just thinking too hard on things. That was what he would''ve thought, if he couldn''t hear what the people outside were saying and thinking.

    "Subject #150 is starting to grow a bit too fast now-"

    "Maybe we should abort this?"

    "Don''t be stupid, we spent too much time doing this-"

    "And so? If an experiment fails, you just start another."

    They were discussing if he should''ve been alive or dead to start from scratch, like he was a thing, and not a living person. But he knew that already, even if it still hurt as badly as the first time.

    And then, his mind found another, a familiar one. Doctor Fuji''s.

    He had just visited Amber, and was now dueling with his own mind on what he should do, on if he should try toimproveher further. The same improvements that were causing her pain, and possibly death.

    How did hedareeven think it was right? How could he not understand how muchpainhis daughter was in? How could he evenquestionwhat the right choice was?

    And then he felt what he was feeling. How he would sell out all his colleagues, and then leave alongside Amber. How the man would destroy the island and Mewtwo with it.

    That was it. Just a little more time, and his life would be over without ever really starting, just like all the other subjects before him.

    Mewtwo tightened his grip around his body, the blackness and silence feeling more oppressive than ever. And in the midst of all the darkness, a light of determination burst forth.

    No.

    That wasnothow things would go!

    His life wouldn''t end like that! Nor would Amber''s! They deserved to both live and be happy together!

    And for that, all the scientists had to pay.

    He snapped his eyes open for the first time, truly seeing the liquid around him and the glass trapping him away from the outside world. Some of the other scientists were there, only giving him confused looks.

    And then his rage and powers built up, and the glass shattered in a mosaic of shards. The liquid washed away from his body and on the floor, truly exposing him to the world.

    All the scientists'' eyes were on him. None of them spoke, or knew what to say or do. Mewtwo glanced over each one of them, their entire lives, their thoughts invading his mind.

    They called him a monster, they regretted what they worked on, they were afraid of what he could do. He was nothing more than a monster.

    His eyes shimmered with psychic energy. It was time to show them how much of a monster he truly was.

    His power burst out from him, every single machine fizzling out and exploding at a mere thought. Explosions followed, and with it fire and smoke. The scientists tried to escape and scream out for help, only for the explosions and fire to consume their bodies in an instant, just as the laboratory continued to burn around him.

    As the laboratory''s destruction was underway, Mewtwo didn''t care for the scientists whose lives he just ended, not when they never cared for him to begin with. Instead, his attention went into standing, idly noticing how he was now almost twice the height he once was, his whole body more mature than he remembered it to be.

    He would''ve almost found it fascinating, but he had no time for it. He had one purpose, and he would fulfill it!

    And so, he floated on slowly, his powers continuing to destroy all the work of decades of research. He could feel his mind torn apart by the excess energy, but he couldn''t let it stop. Mewtwo thus continued to let his psychic energies rampage, clearing the way for the path he saw.

    As he waded through the smoke clouding the room, however, he felt a new mind entering the room. A familiar one.

    Doctor Fuji''s.

    He parted the smoke at once, finally meeting his creator, his father, face-to-face. It was an old man, one consumed by grief and a desire to have his daughter back.

    The man that hurt his daughter just to make her ''better''. The man that more than anyone else called him a monster.

    His stare grew harsher, and his mind met the man''s again. He almost seemed ready to accept his fate.

    And Mewtwo fulfilled that, the flames engulfing the man''s body, life slowly leaving his mortal coil.

    As he stared at the man''s flaming body, Mewtwo''s mind felt empty. Was he happy? Angry? Sad? Horrified? Annoyed? He couldn''t say. His mind was clear, yet his thoughts were still messy, even as every man and woman around him was reduced to ash, just like they all deserved.

    But did they? Would Amber have approved of this? Would she behappywith this?

    He shook his head, letting the guilt wash over him. He had no time to question that, even with his powers still raging on.

    He had to save Amber, now.

    And with that resolve, he tore the locked door apart and zoomed through the rest of the laboratory.

    The machinery and corridors were ablaze around him, his out-of-control psychic powers destroying any piece of equipment on sight. The fire was searing hot, the explosions loud and unpleasant, and the liquid over his skin and the wind blowing against his body distracting and disorienting. He felt exposed, vulnerable, and yet he also felt more powerful than he had ever been.

    He winced and tried to keep his attention on the path ahead, even as his own power made his brain swell with pain. Equipment combusted, screams were heard, and the corridor itself was torn apart by his psychic energy. Nothing could stop him, even as walls blocked his progress before a way through was carved in.

    Destroying anything in his path was what he was created for. And it was exactly what Amber didn''t want him to be.

    He shook his head, narrowing his gaze on the path as he took a sharp turn, an explosion almost grazing him. That was no time for doubts or questions.

    Mewtwo grabbed his forehead, trying to bring up the memories from Doctor Fuji''s mind. Amber wasn''t on the same floor as he was, she was deep underground, safe from everything else.

    Without pause, the Pok¨¦mon blasted a hole in the floor, descending and making his way through the underground, not caring how many things he ruined in his path. All that mattered was reaching his sister.

    And after what felt like forever, as the laboratory continued to be destroyed by his own powers, he finally reached Fuji''s secret laboratory, swiftly tearing apart its door.

    "Amber!" Mewtwo yelled, the first real word he ever said, as he dashed inside Doctor Fuji''s secret laboratory.

    And there, in between several machinery and folders, stood a glass tank much like the one that hosted him, his sister resting inside. Mewtwo didn''t even have time to be relieved, for he noticed her legs and arms slowly turning into light and disappearing, in a way too familiar display. Mewtwo paled, memories he wished to forget flooding back.

    "No... not again, not again!" Mewtwo dashed forward, quickly turning to the computer attached to the case, pressing several keys as he scowled. "I''ll save you!"

    He tried to think of all the knowledge he was imparted with, pressing all the buttons he could think of, trying to input all sorts of procedures to keep her healthy and revert the damage. Tranquilizers, nourishment, first aid procedures; he unloaded anything that could''ve helped.

    None had any effect. Even as he turned to the more risky and unlikely procedures, even as he actively tried to eject it, Amber''s body continued to fall apart and disintegrate under his eyes.

    Mewtwo continued to type frantically, attempting some more obscure and elaborate procedures, trying to put all the machines to work at maximum capacity. His powers let the screens flicker, and he only managed enough control to divert his powers away from him and Amber. And all the while, the computer continued to answer his attempts.

    Function: Unavailable.

    Status: Critical.

    Subject Health: Low.

    Mewtwo couldn''t breathe as the barrage of warnings and denials blurted out by the speakers continued. He had all the technical knowledge the scientists gave him, all he could claim from their minds in the past, and yet nothing worked. He pressed, executed, tried all he could, not even caring as his psychic powers continued to destroy all the surrounding walls and equipment, only barely leaving him and Amber untouched.

    It still wasn''t enough. Nothing was working, just like in the house of mirrors.

    "No, this is impossible... it can''t end this way!" He slammed both hands on the keyboard, cracking it as several empty tubes shattered. "Amber, please! You must live! You deserve to!"

    And he continued to press as he yelled it, button after button, the heat becoming more and more unbearable as smoke filled the room. He slowly started to lose strength, pressing buttons with less and less drive and power, all until Amber''s body almost faded away completely.

    "No, please... please!" Mewtwo yelled, directing his powers towards her, trying to hold her together in some way.

    He thought he could see her smile as what was left of her was lost.

    And then, she was gone.

    Mewtwo fell on his knees, eyes wide. Fire and smoke surrounded him completely, clouding his vision. The computer blurted out one last message.

    Subject: Amber Fuji. Status: Null.

    The Pok¨¦mon had no words. He just stared at the now empty glass container, his powers slowly cracking it in a mosaic of shards.

    With nothing else left, Mewtwo screamed.

    A powerful, pained, primal scream, just as his powers blasted through the entirety of the laboratories. Walls crumbled, fires were extinguished, and more and more explosions ensued, destruction all around him.

    Mewtwo didn''t care. He just let his powers run wild, disintegrating anything on its path, with no plan or drive behind it. His mind was blank, unable to put on any coherent thoughts as the mental strain tore his mind and concentration apart.

    The once proud laboratory of New Island was reduced to a husk of its former self. Only then Mewtwo finally felt his body go limp, crashing on the cold ground.

    And then silence and blackness welcomed him to unconsciousness.

 Giovanni

    As a harsh breeze passed over his body, Mewtwo peered his eyes open. His vision remained hazy, and he felt his body pressed on the cold and hard floor. He shivered, feeling more vulnerable than he would''ve liked.

    He held a hand over his forehead, feeling his brain torn apart from the strain as he slowly got back up on wobbly feet. The pain was still lingering in the back of his head, but he could at least think, and that was a start.

    The Pok¨¦mon blinked a couple of times, steadying himself on his feet as his eyesight focused and he realized where exactly he was. It was a ruined room, with the roof and walls torn almost completely open and revealing the bright blue sky overhead. Debris and broken machinery and cables surrounded him, what used to be a state of the art scientific facility now a hollow, broken shell.

    Mewtwo felt his shoulders hung heavy, slowly piecing together what had happened before. His powers going out of control, the chaos, the death surrounding him, everything breaking down out of his mere presence. Dread crawled under his skin as he continued to remember.

    He was the cause of all that destruction. He had proved to really be as much of a monster as the scientists thought he was. He had a chance to prove himself better than they claimed, and instead he fell for his own instincts. He was worthy of all their fears.

    Mewtwo paled, almost stepping back as his body stiffened and he shook his head to no one. "No, I''m sorry, I-"

    His mind blanked out, remembering why he arrived there. He didn''t just fall into blind rage. He had a purpose and a mission!

    "Amber!" Mewtwo yelled, turning left and right in search of any trace of her presence. There could be a chance she was fine, he had to make sure she-

    Before long, his eyes fell back on the empty, cracked glass container on the center of the room. Amniotic liquid pooled around it, and nothing else was found.

    He widened his eyes and quickly tossed himself back towards the nearby computer, trying to kickstart some process to make things work again. He was met by a statics-filled screen and a broken keyboard that didn''t respond to any input, and his hopes quickly faded away.

    Amber was completely gone, and there were no ways for him to bring her back. He failed.

    Mewtwo''s whole body shook, his mind refusing to register the information. He couldn''t have done all that for nothing. He just couldn''t!

    "No..." he said, observing his hands. He could do anything he wished with his mind alone, he was more powerful than anything else in the world.

    And he still failed where it actually mattered, twice over.

    The Pok¨¦mon fell on his knees, his mind blank and still trying to process everything. Nothing made sense anymore, and he had no idea what to think or do.

    Before he could think more of himself, however, the Pok¨¦mon heard the sound of steps coming closer. He perked his head up, quickly standing to attention as he turned around. He turned his head back and tried to peer around with his powers, only for the newcomer to walk from the torn out corridor and into the room.

    He was a tall man, relatively well-built, wearing a gaudy orange suit with short brown hair. His face was sharp, his gaze devious, and he was staring right at Mewtwo, considering the clone quietly. A heavy silence filled the room as Pok¨¦mon and human locked gazes, with only the soft sound of breeze passing through.

    "You''re it, right? Subject #150?" The man walked closer, his gaze turning sharper. "Mewtwo?"

    Mewtwo''s body tensed up ever-so-slightly. He knew his names. He couldn''t have been an outsider. Thus, the clone peered into the man''s mind, coasting through the superficial information that he could easily gather. What he found gave him pause, but tried not to show it. He could not be weak.

    The relevant information found, the Pok¨¦mon stood upright once more, trying to match the man''s presence. "You are... Giovanni. The one Dr. Fuji and his staff responded to. The leader of the criminal organization known as Team Rocket."

    The man gave a pleased grin at that, almost like he expected him to know. A quick perusal in his mind proved Mewtwo''s hunch correct.

    Giovanni''s focus quickly shifted away from the newborn lifeform and towards the debris and machinery, his smile making way for a serious frown as he paced through the room.

    "I was their financial backer, yes. I was interested in a powerful creature, and they had the means to provide it." He chuckled out, almost amused. "I was coming in for an unannounced visit to discuss a few details and ensuring everything was working on schedule. You may imagine my surprise when I found out the entire laboratory was blown up."

    The Pok¨¦mon didn''t reply in any way, simply observing the man quietly. Giovanni''s attention moved to the container that once held Amber, giving a quick glance to it and the scattered folders on the room before reaching the obvious conclusion.

    "This is where Fuji kept his daughter, huh. He mentioned something about wanting to resurrect her once, but I never expected him to run his project on the side." The man shook his head, his frown growing harsher. "I should''ve paid more attention. Who knows what else was he planning, after being done with this project."

    Silence fell again, and the man kicked some folders out of the way. Giovanni and Mewtwo''s gazes met once more, his lips curling upward in satisfaction.

    "You caused all of this, right? Your power is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Exactly what you should''ve been." The man observed the ruined laboratory once more. "And I have to thank you for getting rid of all these loose ends for me, too."

    Mewtwo still had nothing to say in return. He simply tried to match the man''s stare, but he quickly found himself furrowing his brow. This man wasn''t praising him, he was praising his powers. The same ones that didn''t do anything to save Amber.

    He balled his fists, his body tense even as he tried to remain relaxed. Around him, he could feel his powers radiate around the room, debris, paper and machinery hovering low as the glass started to crack.

    "Why are you still here?" Mewtwo asked, his mental voice booming around him.

    Giovanni paced closer, unperturbed. If anything, he seemed fascinated by the subtle display of power, even as a powerful aura started to coalesce around Mewtwo, the items slowly rotating around him and glass and machinery continued to crack and break slowly.

    "I hoped to still find you here." He held his hands in his pocket, and his gaze turned serious. "I''d like to discuss things with you."

    Mewtwo looked over at the other man, no expression drawn on his face as he thought of Giovanni''s words. Discussion, or the act of talking over diverging viewpoints. Discussion implied a desire to consider their counterpart an equal to an extent, someone on the same level of respect.

    Did he seriously believe he would buy it? That a human, one that wanted his creation as a ''powerful creature'', would genuinely treat him as more than an object, a monster?

    Shards exploded inwardly and machines bent around at awkward and random angles as his psychic powers pulsated around him. He was powerful, more than anything, and that human meant nothing for him. He could fry his brain, pulverize his skeleton, and squash his flesh if he so much as wanted it.

    And yet, he still felt compelled to give him one single chance, and read off all the information pertaining to himself out of the man''s mind. Mewtwo tensed up as he learned everything he needed.

    Giovanni had legitimately only partial knowledge of the specifics of the New Island experiments, of himself and Amber, and his own scientific knowledge was lacking and mostly reserved to the field of geology and others pertaining to his skills and jobs. He was ruthless, unwilling to stop as he sought more power than anyone else, and had very few moral qualms and restraint on a personal basis.

    At the same time, however, he was also genuinely willing to talk things out with him, and he did seemingly hold dear a certain degree of honesty when contracting with others, whether legitimately or not. Compared to all the other adult humans he had seen, this felt foreign, and yet familiar in a strange sense. He couldn''t tell if it was due to the fact he didn''t know of what went down in detail or if the scientists had a different perspective on things. It almost sounded fascinating, after having been surrounded with the same kind of thoughts for a long time.

    But why was he different? What were his true aims? He could''ve just looked into Giovanni''s mind for an answer, but a part of him wanted to test the man''s honesty. Or maybe he just wanted to talk with someone again, even he wasn''t sure.

    Mewtwo could feel his anger subside, if only barely. He still kept his guard up all the same, but took a few slow breaths. The glass, the debris and the machinery all stopped being damaged and hovering, the power slowly lowering until everything went back in place. Still mantaining some skepticism, he stared back at the man.

    "Why would you want to talk with me? What would you gain from it?" Mewtwo asked. People didn''t speak with weapons after all, and one didn''t reason with someone that could destroy you in seconds.

    Giovanni seemed aware of that - Did the man notice that he peered into his mind, perhaps? In any case, he shook his head with nonchalance and an almost amused grin.

    "If I wanted to have you killed, I could''ve just brought several Tyranitar and blasted you to death with powerful Dark-type moves. Your power can be of great use for me and my operations, but you still can''t handle it well. Your emotions risk to make you a threat, for others and yourself."

    Mewtwo''s gaze turned fierce. "You want me to be your weapon. Your tool."

    "Not at all." The man matched the Pok¨¦mon''s expression, still holding his calm disposition. "I want you to be my subordinate, my right-hand man. A full-fledged member of Team Rocket."

    A member of Team Rocket. A purpose meant for individuals recognized as humans, or at least sentient, in some way. A proof of a certain level of respect, in a sense.

    But it was also a position that would lead him to commit crimes, hurt others, and take advantage of others. One where he would never be allowed to give or claim any kindness from others.

    Exactly what he was designed to be. Exactly what he was. Exactly what he didn''t want to be.

    Then why did it feel so inviting? It made no sense. And yet, he needed to know.

    The clone furrowed his brow. "Why would I want that?"

    "Everyone in the world needs a purpose to drive their lives forward. Without one, you either find yourself a failure, or insignificant." The man dropped off the affability, staring coldly at Mewtwo. "Do you have such purpose?"

    A purpose. Throughout his short life, he had plenty of those: a weapon, a brother, a protector. He failed all but the first one, which he was way too good at. Mewtwo was at a loss of which to consider his real one.

    Giovanni caught on that quickly, nodding to himself.

    "As expected." The man closed his eyes, grinning once more. "I''m willing to give you such a purpose. I can give your life a true meaning, a place to belong to. I can also teach you how to harness your own power, and truly make you the most powerful Pok¨¦mon in the world."

    Mewtwo''s attention gravitated back to the man. He had just lost the only place he could''ve called home and the only person he could''ve called family, he had so much power that continued to tear his mind apart and activate itself even when he didn''t want, and he had more questions than answers about himself. For all he knew, the man was just looking to manipulate him for his own ends. And he was doing a very good job at sounding inviting, as well.

    Even more so as the man''s body language shifted, assuming a much friendlier stance. "I''m willing to negotiate with you to make this happen. What is it you want in exchange? I''ll honor any of your requests, if it''s in my power."

    Mewtwo considered the offer, eyes on the man. It truly felt weird to be acknowledged like that by someone he didn''t know, but he couldn''t say he didn''t enjoy the feeling. It was his chance, and he had no intention to waste it. So, he walked closer to the leader of Team Rocket.

    "I want you to treat me as an equal. Not a monster, but a person. I want you to truly teach me how to harness my power." He pointed towards the man, his eyes glowing blue. "If you don''t keep your word-"

    "There''s no need for threats. One doesn''t reach my position without knowing the risks." Giovanni shook his head, and a quick check of his mind confirmed that he was indeed still calm. He walked even closer, mere inches away from Mewtwo. "So, do you want to come with me?"

    Giovanni held his hand forward and waited for the Pok¨¦mon''s reply. Mewtwo considered it, thinking back of all their conversation and everything that happened until then. And then, he chose.

    "I want to," the Pok¨¦mon grabbed Giovanni''s hand, shaking it and sealing the deal. The man''s smile widened as he returned the gesture.

    "You choose wisely." Giovanni gripped Mewtwo''s hand tightly. "It will be a pleasure to work with you."

    Mewtwo nodded in response, and together with the man, he took his first steps towards his new life.

    <hr>

    During the helicopter ride from New Island to Giovanni''s base of operations, Mewtwo''s attention was completely on the locales he could see from up above, from the sea to the greenery to even small cities. They looked almost like toy replications of real life from that distance, but even from several miles ahead he could tell how teeming with life and busy with activity each and every part of the world below was, be it just Pok¨¦mon living their days or humans achieving tasks of their choosing.

    It felt quite like the mindscape he had lived in for so long, yet unlike it: this wasn''t a lonely paradise just for two siblings to play and be happy as they wanted, it was a complex world where several people shared the same world and tried to live their lives as they saw fit. His telepathy picked up some stray, confused and jumbled thoughts from below, almost like incoherent whispers, which just gave him an impression of a chaotic and mostly senseless populace. Some regarded each other, others were only thinking of themselves, and others weren''t even having a coherent series of thoughts.

    And yet, he couldn''t bring himself to be too negative. Amber would''ve loved to be there, after all.

    The clone furrowed his brow, quickly shifting his gaze on his hands and his thoughts away from his past. That part of his life was over now, and thinking back to it would''ve only brought pain. He had a chance to be something different, something with a true purpose, and wanted to see what that would entail.

    After a while, the helicopter landed in a remote location, near what looked like a secret facility. Several people clad in a black uniform greeted Giovanni and Mewtwo, with the man leading the clone further inside, through the doors and into a series of metal corridors. The machinery surrounding them appeared to be just as advanced as the one in New Island, perhaps even more so. It filled the Pok¨¦mon with familiarity and dread at once.

    He could also sense and see several agents and scientists on Team Rocket''s payroll walking and working all around him, some just minding their own tasks and others diverting their attention on him and their leader. None of them had any particularly flattering thoughts towards him, between calling him ugly, a freak, or just some strange ''cosplayer'' in the oddest instances.

    He tried not to think about that, instead focusing on Giovanni. The man''s interest in him seemed genuine, and he had so far not expressed any bad thoughts about his partnership or himself. With the sea of distrust surrounding him, an oasis of calm felt nice to have.

    As they continued to pace through the corridor, Giovanni talked things over with him, explaining the purpose of each area and, most importantly, what his mission would entail.

    "As a member of Team Rocket, it will be your duty to assist our grunts in dangerous missions that would require your immense power. Throughout your trials, you will be faced with situations that will put your powers to the limit, which will be bound to give you a better understanding of your powers and limitations and train you on your control." The man''s voice was calm, almost pleasant to listen at. Was that the tone of a businessman? Was that how he could deceive people as effectively as he could?

    Mewtwo tried to keep up with the man on his feet, but his stance was still too unsteady and wobbly without his psychic powers'' assistance. Nonetheless, he nodded. "I understand."

    "Exactly what I wanted to hear." Giovanni turned back to the Pok¨¦mon, his stare bearing into the clone. "I won''t try to make this sound like something easy or peaceful. You will be faced with harsh opponents and you might be injured often, or worse. Are you truly ready for this?"

    It should''ve been a hard question to ponder, but for Mewtwo there was only one answer as he averted his eyes. "That''s the kind of tasks I was created for, wasn''t I?"

    "I suppose so." A grin formed on the criminal''s lips. "Thankfully for you, I have something that will help you in your endeavors."

    He and Mewtwo stopped ahead of a door, which quickly opened in front of them. Ahead of the human and Pok¨¦mon was a large, blue-tinted room full of machinery of various kinds. Mewtwo briefly wondered what the room''s purpose was, until he noticed the structure in the center of it all, housing several distinct but connected pieces of steel-like equipment.

    Giovanni walked forward, and so did Mewtwo with him. As they got closer to the center, the clone was able to get a better look at the items: they seemed to be some sort of armor, sturdy and highly advanced, probably built for battle support. But what made Mewtwo most curious was definitely its shape, humanoid yet distinctly not so, especially the quite elongated helmet. Subtle clues that pointed out how that armor wasn''t meant to be worn by a human.

    And with a grin, Giovanni confirmed his suspicions. "This is the M2 Bind armor. One of the finest works of Doctor Zager, built just for you. Its purpose is to suppress and enhance Psychic-type energy in response to the situation at hand."

    Mewtwo continued to stare at it, curious. An armor, according to his knowledge, was meant to be worn to defend oneself and provide better fighting chances against an opponent. The way Giovanni explained it suggested a far different purpose, and its name an even different one. Mewtwo turned back to the man, frowning.

    "Bind implies a degree of restriction and control." His eyes twitched slightly. "I don''t think this is needed between equals."

    "I promised to help you learn how to harness your powers in a way that would be safe for yourself and for others." Giovanni matched Mewtwo''s stare with his usual nonchalance. "If what happened in New Island is any indication, you''ve got a long way to go before that can happen. This will speed up the process considerably."

    Mewtwo fell silent, his attention going back to the armor. After some silence, he clenched his fists. "A fair point."

    "Step in there and wear it, now." Giovanni''s gaze was stern, and his words weren''t a request. Mewtwo didn''t find any need to fight back.

    The Pok¨¦mon thus did as instructed, walking inside the little structure and standing still. As if on cue, the machines surrounding him activated, quickly bringing the pieces of the M2 Bind closer to his body.

    Mewtwo didn''t resist as he was outfitted with the pieces of armor, first on the legs, then the chest and waist, and after the shoulder pads and the gauntlets, feeling their weight over his still young limbs. The mask quickly followed, and for just a second, blackness and silence welcomed him again. The visor of the screen lit up right after, allowing him to see again.

    With the armor now completely functional, Mewtwo tried to call upon his psychic powers. His powers were still there, and he could still access them, yet instead of an overflowing torrent of power, he felt able to channel his energy, redirecting it around. He observed his hand, quickly channelling some psychic energy around it, seeing the blue outline dance around his digits. He continued to redirect it, almost studying its power.

    Nothing around him exploded or fell apart, allowing him to concentrate fully on its power. It felt foreign, and yet brought him back to simpler times. For the first time since his birth, he truly felt in control of something concrete.

    As he continued to experiment, Giovanni stepped closer. "How does it feel?"

    "Calming," Mewtwo said, shutting off his powers with a flick of his hand.

    "Excellent." The man turned around, nudging the Pok¨¦mon to come along. "Follow me. It''s time to test your skill."

    Mewtwo nodded, quickly following after Team Rocket''s Boss. The armor felt heavy, but not enough to impede his movements. He concentrated on storing and maneuvering his powers as he walked with Giovanni inside a large room, with a little secluded box where a scientist with white hair and a monocle, revealed by a quick mind reading to be the ''Doctor Zager'' Giovanni mentioned, was typing something on a computer while beckoning for Giovanni to come inside.

    The leader of Team Rocket acknowledged that, but not before turning back to Mewtwo and staring at him.

    "This is a training room. You''ll face several opponents of increasing difficulty, and your armor will help you concentrate your power in the most efficient way." Giovanni''s stare fiercened. "Are you ready to test your skill?"

    Mewtwo gave a curt nod right away. "I am."

    "Very well, then." Giovanni turned around, only giving Mewtwo one last stern look. "Don''t disappoint me."

    The leader of Team Rocket walked into the box, which sealed itself shut behind him. Mewtwo''s attention remained there for all of a second, until he heard a creaking sound and turned towards the opposite end of the room, where a large door was now opening. Understanding its purpose, Mewtwo walked slowly to the center of the room.

    Once he took his position, a Pok¨¦mon leapt out of the door, revealing a massive red and white Pok¨¦mon that his implanted memories identified as an Arcanine, a Fire-type and so-called ''Legendary Pok¨¦mon'', in spite of not qualifying as one for the most part.

    The Arcanine bared his fangs, its eyes gleaning with fury. Mewtwo shuddered, dread crawling on his back; he could read the Pok¨¦mon''s thoughts, and the primal instincts that drove him. He didn''t see him as an opponent, but rather food to consume.

    The battle started quickly and unprompted, with the Arcanine lunging towards him. Mewtwo ducked to the side out of instinct, barely missing the Fire-type''s Crunch attack. He tried to move out of the way, only for the Pok¨¦mon to press his paw on his armor, blocking him in place with its sheer weight.

    Mewtwo tried to toss him away, but his arms were too weak. His powers radiated from him, but the armor kept them from being released without his consent, leaving him at the mercy of the Arcanine.

    The Pok¨¦mon almost grinned, his canines in full display as he brought his muzzle closer to Mewtwo''s helmet. He pressed his chest armor further, the Psychic-type gasping for air as he tried to free himself.

    He tried to think of what to do, but whenever his vision went back to the Arcanine, his thoughts blanked out. As the Arcanine came close enough to stare right into his eyes, Mewtwo knew it: his end was coming, and he couldn''t do anything to stop it.

    Arcanine tried to bite at him, with Mewtwo only narrowly moving his head away. It tried again, to the same result, over and over, pressing itself further and giving him less and less time to react.

    The Pok¨¦mon grimaced under his mask, fear overtaking him as the Arcanine came closer to eat him. Why did he accept this? What did he need to prove?

    And then, Giovanni''s voice boomed through the room. "Is this what you are? A weakling that lets others walk over you?"

    That question gave him pause, even as Arcanine grinned again and readied for another Crunch. As he balled his fists, he knew his answer.

    He wasn''t a weakling, he couldn''t afford to be one. He was Mewtwo, and he was a monster.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    No, he was power.

    His blue eyes shone through the mask, and a concentrated blast of Psychic energy blasted the Arcanine away for him and right into the opposite wall.

    As Mewtwo observed Arcanine sliding to the floor and upside down, trying to get back on its feet and flailing its limbs wildly in the air, Mewtwo tried to study him, only to move back to his fingers.

    Just one, unfocused blast was enough to put that beast at bay. Why did he fear it? There was no need. He was stronger. Thus, it was worthless before him.

    As if to respond to that, the Arcanine roared and charged back towards in, ready to sink his teeth into Mewtwo''s flesh. The clone stretched his hand forward, and a blue psychic outline trapped the Arcanine before it could even come close.

    The Pok¨¦mon balled his hand, and the outline grew smaller, pressing against the ''Legendary Pok¨¦mon'' as it whined and tried to break free. He could feel the Fire-type''s thoughts, a primal desire for Mewtwo''s flesh replaced almost immediately by fear and begging for his life. His pride was gone, only a desire to survive.

    His fate was Mewtwo''s to decide. He held power over him.

    He swiftly moved his digits, aiming his psychic powers to press further at Arcanine''s joints. A snapping noise echoed through the room, his adversary crying out as its limbs went numb. But Mewtwo had no intention of being merciful.

    And thus, he threw his arm down, the sheer psychic force pressing overhead against the Arcanine, crushing it towards the floor. Arcanine left one last, pathetic whine before its strength faded away into unconsciousness, all while Mewtwo could feel the fear and pain overtaking it.

    The clone continued to stare at his defeated opponent for a good few seconds before dispelling his powers, almost savoring the moment. With that armor keeping the flow of his power conscious and regulated, he truly felt as powerful as he was. An unmatched power, that no one else possessed.

    He turned back to the secluded box, his gaze meeting Giovanni. He was smiling back at him.

    "Not bad." His eyes turned fierce again as he glanced over to Zager. "The next!"

    The scientist agreed, and at the press of a button, a new challenger appeared, fists on the ready. It was purple and garguanted, a fearsome Ground/Poison-type known as Nidoking.

    King. A person most people would bow down to, showing reverence and respect, and the Pok¨¦mon''s thoughts seemed to want his opponent and anyone else to do the same. But Mewtwo had no intention of doing either, much less to an inferior being.

    It tried to lunge forward, a Mega Punch and Mega Kick charged at once. Much like with Arcanine, a flick of Mewtwo''s wrist was enough to trap him in place. The so-called ''King'' widened his eyes, attempting to break free, but failing to do so.

    Mewtwo remained stoic, but still allowed himself some catharsis by pushing the Nidoking down on his knees, making the mighty king bow down to someone better than himself. He only relished in it for a few seconds, however, and quickly tossed Nidoking away like a used blanket. His opponent cried in pain as he pressed an outline in the steel, but still yielded in.

    Mewtwo slammed him into the wall again, and again, and again, destroying the Nidoking-shaped outline and almost opening a hole in the wall out with his powers. By the fifth, Nidoking was defeated, but the clone still made sure to knock his unconscious form on the wall again, just to underscore who was the strongest among them.

    Nidoking''s body fell right next to the still unconscious Arcanine, under the cold stare of Mewtwo.

    Giovanni''s order was swift. "Another!"

    Without even a second of pause, powerful steps resonated from the door, and Mewtwo''s attention shifted there, where a giant, green and rocky creature was coming from. A Tyranitar, the same kind of Pok¨¦mon Giovanni claimed could kill him.

    Mewtwo tried to peer into his new opponent''s mind, only to find himself unable to, a haze of darkness protecting the Tyranitar''s thoughts. He went wide-eyed, confused, until he realized what happened. Tyranitar was a Dark-type, and completely immune to his Psychic-type attacks.

    He stepped back, doubt and nervousness overtaking him like before, all while Tyranitar stared down at him. Mewtwo could see why: for his new opponent, he wasn''t food to be eaten or a subject to ask worship from. He was an enemy to be taken down.

    And the Tyranitar made that clear when he hunched over and fired a powerful Hyper Beam at him with no warning. Mewtwo put both hands ahead of him, an outline of blue slowing down the attack and allowing him to part it at his sides, where it blasted the floor away from him. The effort cracked his visor and helmet slightly, but he still managed to come out of it unharmed.

    At least until a well-aimed Dark Pulse zoned right towards him.

    The Dark-type attack blasted Mewtwo to the wall and then to the ground. The dark energy continued to flow from Tyranitar''s mouth as he walked forward, the constant barrage burning into Mewtwo''s skins even with the armor protecting him.

    The attack was relentless, and Mewtwo screamed. It was a weak point, one of the few he possessed, and he was powerless to fight back. Even with all of his power, he wasn''t invincible.

    Tyranitar stopped his attack only after several agonizing seconds, and Mewtwo fell on his knees, panting and breathing heavily as he held his chest, pain still ringing throughout his body. The Tyranitar grinned, almost mocking him as he readied another Hyper Beam. Almost as if he wanted to let him suffer for longer.

    Mewtwo glared back at him, his own rage and power building up within his hurt and tired body. It had given him an opening, and it would regret that.

    And if he couldn''t use his powers, that just meant he had to get creative.

    His eyes lit up through the helmet again, and the Tyranitar almost laughed at it. That was short lived as the unconscious forms of Arcanine and Nidoking slammed right into its body, interrupting the Hyper Beam and letting him fall down.

    Mewtwo didn''t stop, continuing to hit the Rock/Dark-type with the unconscious forms of his defeated adversaries. Even as they woke up out of sheer pain, Mewtwo didn''t stop, still slamming their body into his current opponent, his smug attitude all but gone as it now found itself just as powerless as Mewtwo had been.

    One, two, ten hits later, and Mewtwo finally stopped his beatdown of the Dark-type, all his smugness gone just like his previous two enemies, as all three rested in a pained and defeated heap above him.

    Giovanni grinned back at him, but it still didn''t seem enough for the man. And so, he snapped his fingers. "Send in all of them!"

    The doors opened further, and a veritable army of Pok¨¦mon of all types, sizes and regions swarmed inside the room, all directed towards Mewtwo.

    And through it all, for the first time since the training began, Mewtwo grinned with pride.

    None of them even came close to the clone, the Psychic-type stopping them all on their tracks. He then slammed them into each other, hitting them with well-aimed attacks, toying with them just a little, and generally experimenting with the many ways he could defeat them. All those powerful Pok¨¦mon were nothing but his playthings, for him to treat as he saw fit. Their screams just showed how inferior they were to him.

    He was powerful, they were not. Defeating them was what he was created for.

    Defeating them was his new purpose.

    And that was why, once all of his opponents fell down in front of him, all defiance and will to fight replaced by fear and powerlessness, Mewtwo let out a victory cry, his powers pushing the armor to its limits as he blasted everyone away in a messy pile of unconscious Pok¨¦mon all around him.

    The experiment turned back to Giovanni, and found the stern glare of the man was replaced by a prideful grin, arms raised to the sky. Next to him, Zager was just as intrigued.

    "This is it." The criminal''s grin widened, almost laughing. "This is the birth of the strongest Pok¨¦mon the world has ever seen!"

    Mewtwo heard the man''s boast silently, until his attention shifted to his hands and the cracks in his armor. He was powerful, but still not enough. He had to grow even stronger than he already was. Strong enough to be unmatched. Strong enough to never feel weak and powerless anymore.

    Only then everything would be right again.

    <hr>

    From that day onward, Mewtwo took on the role of one of Team Rocket''s strongest assets, to be called upon for the most dangerous and secret endeavors of the criminal group. Robberies, mass captures, teaching some rival syndicates a lesson, a simple display of power and many more; he was at Giovanni''s beck and call, and never failed to achieve his objectives. He had known enough failure in his life to motivate himself to do the best.

    Through it all, thanks to his constantly updated and improved armor, he was able to test the limit of his powers, experimenting with new uses and to improve his control. Slowly, he was learning to use his own powers even beyond his crutch, truly becoming a master of the power he was born with. Who cared if some people got hurt on the way? They made the mistake to stand in his and Giovanni''s way. They had to pay for that.

    Despite everything, though, he made a rule to never kill, but not out of any moral obligation. Giovanni considered it something that could start some unfortunate investigations, and killing someone would''ve meant one less test dummy for his powers to use. A fearful and alive foe was much more useful than a dead one, and the leader of Team Rocket wasn''t one to gamble on power vacuums he couldn''t predict the results of. Like that youth named Fender making a name for himself in the Johto region. He wasn''t sure if he liked the idea of killing again. But for now, that wouldn''t be a problem for him.

    And beyond that, they needed to keep his existence secret. He was Team Rocket''s trump card, to be deployed when Giovanni needed an extra hand beyond his usual resources. That was also why they decided against using him in battles in Giovanni''s day job as the Viridian Gym Leader: even if it could''ve been useful to train his powers, the existence of a never-before-seen Pok¨¦mon would''ve caused a stir and Giovanni would''ve been forced to justify it, casting suspicion on the seemingly spotless reputation of the man and possibly exposing his role as Team Rocket''s Boss. It wasn''t a gamble worth taking.

    For this reason, Mewtwo was also rarely partnered up with the same agents twice during his missions. That gave him a chance to study their reactions: whenever new grunts interacted with him, their reactions ranged from predictable repulsion towards him and his powers and people astonished and grateful for his assistance. He expected the first, but the latter was something he always enjoyed, even if all the grunts appeared to be somewhat dim and superficial. They only cared for the moment, and changed their thoughts in the blink of an eye to fit the situation. Weaklings with no purpose of their own, as Giovanni said.

    He would never end up like them. He had a purpose, and he lived for it. It gave him peace of mind, and made him feel appreciated: for the time being, that was more than enough he could ask for.

    And through it all, Giovanni was proud of him in his own way. He knew that the simple fact he continued to give him missions meant he found him useful and trustworthy, an unspoken guarantee that his contributions were essential.

    He also made sure to take some private time to speak with him of various topics, ranging from his role as a Team Rocket agent to discussions of human nature. After a while, they even started playing chess together. Mewtwo wasn''t sure why that started: maybe it was another way to reassure Mewtwo that he saw him as a fellow intelligent being, or maybe he just wanted someone to play with after getting bored with business dealings.

    Mewtwo found the notion a bit silly at first, but with chess being a game of the mind he started to look forward to those little matches as a way to improve himself in a different way than his missions, especially with the man always proving victorious. Sure, he could''ve just read Giovanni''s mind to know how to beat him, but where would the challenge have been at that point?

    And so, Mewtwo was now in one of his habitual chess matches with Giovanni, still wearing his armor as he moved his pieces with his powers.

    "I''m impressed by how good you''ve gotten," Giovanni said, studying Mewtwo''s moves.

    "Unlike the other goons on your payroll, I actually learn from my mistakes." Mewtwo moved his bishop forward, eating one of Giovanni''s pawns.

    "You''re even developing a sense of humor. Fascinating." Giovanni chuckled out, moving a rook forward. "The storm you managed to create to cover your unit''s escape was particularly impressive, too."

    Mewtwo nodded, stroking his chin as he reflected on his next move. "I never tested if my powers could extend to the weather patterns, but it was either that or losing valuable members of the organization."

    Hearing him, though, Giovanni smirked. "Is that a hint of altruism?"

    "Only efficiency and a chance to push my limits," Mewtwo said, moving his knight.

    By itself, the events that led to it were routine: a group of grunts were close to being caught by the police, and there was nothing they could do to prevent it without risking more losses. Out of sheer inspiration, Mewtwo tried to concentrate his psychic powers on the sky, gathering clouds and triggering a thunder storm when one wasn''t meant to happen. It didn''t last long, but it was enough for the authorities to be sent in disarray and for the agents to escape, no one arrested. Since then, Mewtwo started to test his powers on the weather in small ways, curious to see how much he could push his powers. Maybe he could even create a storm strong enough to endanger the world. That was a possibility worth exploring, especially in the near future.

    "Pushing your limits, for sure." With a quick move of his rook, Giovanni caught Mewtwo''s knight. "I''m pretty sure quite a few of our rivals are still having nightmares about the beast that almost murdered them in cold blood."

    "How can you say that?" Mewtwo asked, sending his queen to catch Giovanni''s rook.

    "I''ve kept an eye on the reports of your missions and their recordings. You might hide it well, but you''ve got a savage heart and relish fighting, like a primal beast. Maybe something about what happened back in New Island." Giovanni stared straight at him, setting his own queen close to Mewtwo''s. "Am I wrong?"

    Mewtwo didn''t answer right away, his eyes on the chessboard. He couldn''t deny it: letting his powers go wild, being able to do anything he wanted, truly giving in to his emotions... he loved every second of it. It allowed him to feel alive and in control, as if nobody could go against him. As if he could do anything, if he just wished to. He was truly a weapon and a monster, the strongest and most fearsome of all. And he hated how much he enjoyed it. But nothing would''ve changed, so long as he remained under Giovanni''s orders. He wasn''t the same brother Amber had known anymore.

    At his silence, Giovanni folded his arm, his expression turning slightly more gentle. "There''s nothing wrong with that. If that is your true nature, you should embrace it rather than suppress it."

    "Embracing it..." After some hesitation, Mewtwo decided to retreat his queen, noticing how few pawns remained on each side. "Are all humans at their happiest when they do that?"

    Giovanni moved his queen forward, eating one of Mewtwo''s pawns on the way. "Every single creature in the world is driven by what their nature tells them to do. Some foolish people claim we should suppress it to ensure a peaceful coexistence with others, but that''s never worked. The others should bend to stronger wills, that''s the way this world has always been."

    "Is this why you created Team Rocket?" Mewtwo set his rook on the way, tentatively blocking the queen''s path.

    "Team Rocket is far bigger than I am. Its origins date back to the pre-Oak years, back when discovering and approaching new Pok¨¦mon was a dangerous and restricted endeavor. People wanted to discover new species, find new weapons, and everything else. They all had their personal wishes, and they were all willing to resort to less than legal methods to reach them." Giovanni almost smiled at the reminiscence, moving his queen towards one of Mewtwo''s bishops and removing it from the board. "And Team Rocket was more than ready to fulfill this demand."

    "You helped people?" Mewtwo frowned behind his helmet, moving a pawn forward.

    "We gained what we wanted. ''Helping people'' was just the means to an end." Giovanni''s queen caught the pawn, still unmatched and unstoppable. "Every leader of Team Rocket had their own reasoning behind how they ran the organization, as well. The previous leader, my own mother, cared for profit above all else. When one of her agents brought a recording of Mew, she flat out asked if they could make a CD out of it."

    The man''s expression softened just a bit for the briefest of instances, before returning to be as serious as he always was.

    "You cared for her?" Mewtwo asked, moving his own queen right next to Giovanni''s.

    "Just enough. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman, but she thought too small, when she could''ve done far bigger things. I worked my way to the top of Team Rocket and restructured it into a far more eclectic organization, with one core aim: the pursuit of power, and ways to enforce said power and control." Mewtwo''s queen was gone, caught by Giovanni''s. "I took over my mother''s attempts to search for Mew. It took several ill-fated attempts to reach a result, but I''d say it all paid off in the end."

    Mewtwo nodded silently, finally sending his rook to remove Giovanni''s queen, and the two continued to focus on their game. It was quickly turning into a game of cat and mouse towards their respective kings, each of their sides constantly whittled down to just a few pawns. Nonetheless, neither one was ready to call it quits just yet, especially Mewtwo. He wouldn''t accept any defeat from the man.

    "The ultimate aim of any person is to reach their personal happiness. Anything else should always be secondary to personal fulfillment." Giovanni moved a pawn forward, almost at Mewtwo''s end of the chessboard. "This is why someone should always have a purpose and be driven to make it a reality."

    "One should always choose to be selfish, you mean?" Mewtwo sent his remaining knight to claim Giovanni''s pawn, now reduced to just four pieces.

    "Not selfish. Pragmatic." Giovanni caught Mewtwo''s knight with his last rook, smirking once more. "Kindness and harshness both can be useful in the right circumstances, and you shouldn''t be restricted to only using one or the other."

    "But the ultimate result is always one''s personal happiness."

    Giovanni nodded at that. "This world is split between seven billion people and even more creatures. Thinking every single one of them could be happy at the same time is just a childish fantasy."

    "So the happiness of others is secondary? A means to an end?" Mewtwo made his move, and his bishop ate Giovanni''s rook.

    "What, are you taking notes or something?" Giovanni chuckled out, moving his king away. "This is just how the world goes. Those with power will always prevail over the weak, no matter what childish concept of justice people try to instill in their young. If goodness, dreams and the like would truly always prevail and make people happy, Team Rocket wouldn''t find new recruits every year."

    "You seem quite confident of your convictions." Mewtwo moved his rook forward, removing a pawn from Giovanni''s side.

    "It is my purpose." Giovanni moved a pawn in just the right position to eliminate Mewtwo''s rook from the board. "And what is yours?"

    Mewtwo didn''t hesitate, tossing the pawn away with his bishop. "Defeat everyone ahead of me. Prove my worth. Help those I care for."

    "And you will have many opportunities to do all this at my side." Giovanni smiled, safely guarding his king between some pawns. "Together, we''re going to have a bright future. There''s nothing our partnership can''t accomplish."

    "I know. No one will stand on the way of my power."

    And with that, Mewtwo moved his bishop in place. "Checkmate."

    Giovanni widened his eyes, studying the board: Mewtwo''s rook and bishop were both ready to claim Giovanni''s king from different sides, and there was no move left for Giovanni to save his piece. He had lost, and didn''t even realize it.

    He quickly turned serious, almost intrigued, before he sighed and stood again.

    "Well done." The man turned around, pulling out his phone and checking his schedule. "I''ll send in Zager for some controls on the M2 Bind shortly. Be prepared to meet him."

    "I always am," Mewtwo said as he put all the pieces inside the chessboard and set it aside. The meetings with Zager and his staff had become routine enough for him to look forward to them, after all.

    Giovanni acknowledged his reply silently, and left the room with nary another word. He tried to mask it, but Mewtwo could tell that he was bothered by how their game went. Mewtwo had never won until then, after all, and he found that ominous.

    For his part, Mewtwo found the thoughts amusing. Giovanni was a sharp man where it counted, but he was ultimately proving to be better than him. The game just proved that.

    The time for Mewtwo''s next move was soon, and after that, the man would''ve understood that he had every right to be worried about him.

    <hr>

    The flaming laboratory exploding all around him felt almost familiar, as the armored Pok¨¦mon paced through the blazing corridors. Machinery exploded and people tried to escape from their fate, all while Mewtwo calmly walked through the entrance, peering in the mind of anyone and trying to ascertain the damage. The entire base was burning, and all the important sectors and files were being destroyed one after another.

    He was suppressing away any memory of the last time he stood in the middle of an exploding laboratory. He was weaker, more naive back then; now he was stronger and purposeful. That wasn''t blind destruction of a creature unable to contain its own power, it was a precise work from a monster that knew what he could do and how to do it. It was similar, yet completely different, much like his life had been. One he was ready to begin a new chapter of.

    He observed his hands again, the psychic outline stronger and larger than it had ever been before. He knew he was unmatched by most, and what his weaknesses were. Thus, he could truly be the most powerful Pok¨¦mon in existence now. He looked forward to being able to study and learn even more of his new powers alone now.

    But first, he had a few loose ends to tie up. And as he felt a familiar mind approaching, the Pok¨¦mon knew the time to do that had arrived.

    He turned towards the entrance to the laboratory, where Giovanni had now rushed through. He could feel the confusion and even worry in his mind, how nothing was making sense and he demanded answers, all while his gaze flitted left and right until he found Mewtwo. The man frowned, the flames turning even hotter around them.

    "What''s going on here? Mewtwo, tell me what caused this!" His tone was harsh, demanding, looking for answers as quickly as possible.

    Mewtwo stepped closer, staring right back at him. "I did."

    Giovanni paled almost immediately, and the clone couldn''t help but peer into the man''s mind. He could feel many thoughts twisting and blending together: surprise at the sudden turn, anger at the same, and how he had seen him as a partner of sorts even if his ultimate aim was always to use him for his own ends. It made the Pok¨¦mon almost feel guilty, something that lasted only until Giovanni''s thoughts morphed again, firmly estabilishing Mewtwo as a threat to dispose of.

    The man took out a small remote controller, with only one button on it; a kill switch, for sure. He glared back at Mewtwo.

    "Farewell, then," Giovanni said, pressing the button.

    Nothing happened, Mewtwo still staring back at him in the middle of the blazing laboratory. The confidence Giovanni felt crumbled, still remaining stoic even as Mewtwo paced closer and he continued clicking the button over and over, still to no effect. Mewtwo tried to ignore the broken fizzling of the armor trying to shut his mind as he concentrated on Giovanni, the proud leader of Team Rocket, and the man that was now learning to fear him as he should have.

    He observed the M2 Bind ensemble, his lips twitching upward ever-so-slightly. "This armor has already been useless for a while."

    Mewtwo''s eyes glowed blue, and piece by piece, he stripped off each part of his armor away from his body, letting each of them klang on the ground without any effort until Mewtwo was finally free of his contraptions, now a pile of scrap gathered on the burning floor. The heaviness of the armor gone, Mewtwo could feel his powers ripple throughout all of his body, the blue outline of Psychic surrounding him as he floated right above Giovanni, staring the man down.

    He could feel the man tense up, a hand quickly grabbing for one of his Pok¨¦ Balls. Mewtwo pointed a hand forward, and Giovanni froze mid-throw, still conscious but unable to move at all. Mewtwo felt a rush of adrenaline through his body as he put Giovanni where he belonged, as he drew closer to the man until he was mere inches away.

    "I could''ve done this any time I wished to for the last few weeks, but I wanted to see how much knowledge I could gather from you and your scientists." Mewtwo''s stare fiercened, almost cocky even as he remained stoic and calm. "You promised me to help me find my purpose, and you did. Just not in the way you expected."

    "What are you talking about?" Giovanni asked, teeth bared.

    "I wanted to understand how humans actually act and think. I wanted a consensus about what was your kind''s true nature." The clone''s eyes went to his side, observing several scientists making a beeline for one of the emergency exists. "I was quite disappointed to see how most are content being a bunch of Mareep, ready to not follow any code of conduct but the one they could gain things from."

    The Pok¨¦mon''s attention went back to Giovanni, peering into the mind that he already knew the contents of. The leader of Team Rocket had been pretty good at covering his thoughts, almost making him wonder if he truly valued him. Mewtwo shook his head, banishing any doubt. There was no time for them.

    "Even you aren''t immune. I could feel that in the back of your mind you would''ve preferred a more docile and cooperative version of me, one that didn''t have any real free will." The Pok¨¦mon balled his fists, old wounds torn open as he held his memories at bay. "I could hear some scientists start to discuss the idea, how they were making notes of my weaknesses, and maybe someone away from here already started to work on said clone, but it just meant I needed to act quickly."

    The Pok¨¦mon expected Giovanni to be afraid of what he discovered. Instead - perhaps as a show of defiance? - the man laughed it off. "And here I thought I was being careful."

    "You were. I would''ve dismissed it as just wishful thinking if not for your underlings." Mewtwo frowned, locking gazes with the man once more. "Then again, the strongest and smartest always come out ontop, right?"

    Giovanni didn''t say anything, and Mewtwo didn''t need to read his mind to know he was realizing what motivated him. The clone floated up again, once more staring down at the human like the inferior creature he was.

    "The human race has proven unfit to rule this world." He placed a hand on his chest, a solemn gaze in his eyes. "Thus, it''s time for a superior lifeform to take over."

    In spite of everything, Giovanni managed to stare back at Mewtwo in defiance, even if his mind was a vortex of conflicting emotions, still trying to think of ways to break free of his predicament. The Pok¨¦mon almost found it admirable. In spite of it all, the man was true to his own beliefs and wasn''t willing to bend down to anything.

    "So, are you planning to kill me now?" he asked, his piercing glare bearing into Mewtwo. The experiment let the question linger in the air for a few seconds.

    "I could. I could twist your neck, make your innards explode, even have you choke yourself by your own hands if I so wished." As if to prove it, he tightened his grip on Giovanni ever-so-slightly, making the man wince. Mewtwo quickly went back to just restraining him, his expression calmer. "But you''re still the reason I exist, and the one that helped me see humans for what they are. I''m grateful for that."

    Mewtwo''s face quickly grew stern again, measuring every word as he grabbed Giovanni''s chin, making sure he couldn''t look away from him. "I want you to witness my rise and the fall of humanity with your own eyes. Sit there powerless while every other human falls under my rule. And after every other human will be gone, I will kill you last. All while knowing you were the cause of this."

    Giovanni was speechless, but his mind was in a frenzy, already going through the many contingency plans he had set up against Mewtwo. The Pok¨¦mon chuckled just a bit, more amused than scared as most of said plans blew up behind him. Knowing that their time was running out, he decided to cut things short.

    "This is the dawn of the age of Mewtwo, and it''s all thanks to you." The clone waved his hand ahead, his gaze sharp and his eyes glowing again. "We''ll see each other at the end."

    The Pok¨¦mon savored Giovanni''s expression for one last second before he teleported the man to safety out of the building, remaining alone inside the burning and destroyed building. Mewtwo gave one last glance to his second home, a tinge of guilt hitting him as he saw what he caused. Once again, he proved himself to be a monster, and nothing more than that.

    Mewtwo shook his head, his attention going to the ceiling. And without a word, Mewtwo took flight with his powers and pierced through the exploding building as it fell apart on itself, aiming for the only place he could return to.

    <hr>

    It took the Pok¨¦mon a few minutes to reach his destination, his feet gently landing in the pile of scraps and metal that was once New Island''s scientific laboratory. His home.

    Mewtwo stood under the blue sky, listening to the gentle breeze passing through his body and the calming sounds of the sea. It felt peaceful and quiet, and closing his eyes, he could see himself, younger and smaller, playing happily with Amber in the world of their own mind. Before the fires, before the battles, before understanding what kind of monster he was.

    The Pok¨¦mon frowned, opening his eyes and returning back to reality. No matter how strong his powers could be, he couldn''t turn back time. He couldn''t undo everything that happened, all that he understood about himself.

    Mewtwo''s eyes fell on the ground, where a cracked glass case rested. Inside was an archaic depiction of Mew, one that used to hang on display right next to his pod. The mythical Pok¨¦mon that, one way or another, caused everything that happened. His original, the Pok¨¦mon people actually wanted him to be.

    He let his powers flare up, splintering the glass in a million pieces before he stepped on the picture. One day, he would''ve done the same to Mew itself.

    Mewtwo moved forward through the wreckage, slowly making his way to the underground chamber, trying not to think of what the laboratory used to be. Quickly, he found himself back in Amber''s room, where her half-broken tube still was, the few machines spared from the destruction giving no sign of life. The clone walked closer, unsure of what to say or think.

    For a while, he knew that he would be safe. No one that knew of his existence could find him there: he had made sure to debilitate Giovanni''s headquarters just enough for the criminal to be busy fixing the problems he caused, and if his threat wasn''t enough to keep the man wary and away, he knew he could face him. He was stronger and smarter than him, after all.

    And so were all the other humans. Every single one of them needed to bow down to him, because he was a superior being, better than anyone else. That was simply truth. It had to be, or nothing that he caused would''ve made sense.

    What would''ve been the point of his existence, if he wasn''t the strongest? That would''ve just allowed others to hurt and use him again, and he would never allow that to happen. He loved to fight, to prove that no one had any chance in a fight with him. That was what he was. That was also as far from what he should''ve been.

    He wanted to be happy, to be peaceful, to not hurt anyone. But if word of his existence spread out, he would never know peace. He already knew Giovanni wouldn''t allow him to.

    His only chances of happiness was solitude away from the world or dominion over everything. And he didn''t want to be alone ever again. So, he would need to give in to himself, to be a tyrant too powerful to be hurt. And that scared him.

    Mewtwo brushed his hand over the cold glass. There was only one person that could help him, his light in the darkness, the only human that could save him from himself, and she was gone.

    So he would need to bring her back, by any means necessary.

    He let his powers radiate from him, kickstarting the emergency power systems just enough for the computers to resume functioning. He quickly searched among the required folders, and happiness flew over his body as he saw the data. There was still enough biological data about Amber for another attempt at recovering her, maybe even more, and with the knowledge he got from Zager, his staff and all the other scientists he read the minds of, he had enough knowledge of biology and chemistry to create healthy clones of his own. Ones that wouldn''t decay in four years.

    But even then, his knowledge wasn''t perfect, moreso with the ''enhancements'' Fuji made to Amber. To truly bringing her back and allow her to live normally, he needed to know more of human biology, of the people similar to Amber, and also of Pok¨¦mon. Only then he would truly be able to bring his sister back.

    Thankfully, he knew exactly how to understand what he needed. Giovanni taught him that people are drawn to power, and if he promised a way for trainers to test their skills, he would be able to call upon himself a great number of people, powered or not. He could''ve been able to prove himself against several opponents, showing everyone what he was capable to do, and claiming all the information he needed for his own ends. A perfect plan with no chances to fail.

    The Pok¨¦mon''s attention went back to the broken glass case, pressing his hand over it, almost feeling Amber doing the same on the other end.

    "You''ll live again, Amber. And no one will ever hurt me or you ever again." Mewtwo furrowed his brow, his lips pursed. "This is my purpose."

    There were many things he had to do now: among them finding people and Pok¨¦mon to use for his plan to work, and create an appropriate scenery for the coming battles and Amber''s rebirth, but he would do it. He would never fail his sister ever again. He pressed his hand further, his vision growing foggy as he fought back tears.

    They would feel good. They would feel... happy...