Mewtwo's Tale

"Mega Umbreon, use Double Team."

Mega Umbreon's Double Team instantly filled the entire Cerulean Cave, leaving Mewtwo disoriented by the sheer number of afterimages.

"Now! Shadow Ball!"

Mega Umbreon's Shadow Balls closed in on Mewtwo from all directions.

"Crash!" Caught dead-to-rights by the immensely powerful attack, Mewtwo was blasted backward to shatter the rock wall behind him.

"Go! Poké Ball." (The Master Ball Giovanni had given him earlier was a defective prototype that Mewtwo had smashed instantly; it seemed Master Balls weren't so easily developed.)

After wobbling for a full minute, the ball finally clicked shut.

"Haha! We successfully caught Mewtwo!"

Xiao Yan picked up the Pokémon Ball and embraced Umbreon.

"Professor Oak, look!"

Xiao Yan released the Mewtwo he had just captured.

"You actually managed to catch Mewtwo?!" Professor Oak looked thoroughly astonished at the sight of him.

"This is created using the Mew Gene..." Professor Oak said.

Just then, Mewtwo suddenly raised his arm and struck an aggressive stance.

"Stop!"

Xiao Yan grabbed the arm Mewtwo had raised. The very next second, Mewtwo used Confusion to hurl Xiao Yan away viciously, then burst out through the window and flew off.

"Are you all right, Xiao Yan?" Professor Oak helped Xiao Yan back to his feet.

"This Mewtwo is truly a dangerous fellow; we need to find a way to deal with him," Professor Oak said. At that moment, Xiao Yan walked over to the window, gazed up at the azure sky with a furrowed brow, and wore a deeply contemplative expression before finally saying, "I'm heading out for a bit," and leaving Professor Oak's Laboratory.

"Damn it! Everyone looks at me with that gaze... Are they terrified of my strength? Or..." "Do they refuse my existence?!" Rage churned within his chest, and he let out a furious roar that rolled like distant thunder, carrying far, far away.

Xiao Yan rode on Charizard's back, searching the high skies for Mewtwo. Pikachu, sitting atop Charizard's head, helped look as well. They searched nearly the entire Kanto region from Pallet Town to Indigo Plateau without catching a single glimpse of Mewtwo.

(Wait, could he be there!) Xiao Yan had Charizard fly toward the ocean.

"This is the place." Carrying Xiao Yan and Pikachu, Charizard landed on Cinnabar Island. It was already nighttime, but as a tourist hotspot, the main streets remained lively in the evening with plenty of tourists out exploring the night market. Xiao Yan had Charizard fly toward the deep mountains.

"Back here again..."

Xiao Yan and his two Pokémon stepped onto the familiar grass. No lighting fixtures had been set up in these deep mountains, leaving them to rely solely on moonlight and fireflies for illumination once night fell. The group approached the small cabin as waves of roars echoed out from inside.

(He really is here...) Xiao Yan pushed open the wooden door. At that moment, a Swift shot out from within, and Charizard immediately countered with Flamethrower to block the attack, shielding the Pikachu and Xiao Yan behind it.

Mewtwo flew out from inside, glaring angrily at Charizard and preparing for a fight, while Charizard likewise geared up to battle Mewtwo.

"Stop! We're comrades; no infighting." Xiao Yan stepped between the two Pokémon. Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Charizard reined in its emotions and calmly stood by to await orders.

"How do you plan to persuade me?"

A cold voice echoed inside Xiao Yan's mind. Hearing it, Xiao Yan froze for a moment, and the Poké Ball he had been holding slowly lowered.

Xiao Yan listened to the chill embedded in Mewtwo's voice, feeling no displeasure-only a trace of surprise, as this was the first time Mewtwo had spoken to him of its own accord.

"Surprised? First time seeing a Pokémon that can speak?"

"Not really. Besides, you aren't the first Pokémon to talk to me." The first to establish a telepathic link with Xiao Yan had been Arceus, and the Suicune and Entei he subsequently captured were also capable of telepathy. Xiao Yan had long since grown accustomed to conversing with Pokémon.

"Hmph!"

Mewtwo let out a light huff at Xiao Yan's words, though to Xiao Yan, that huff somehow sounded full of tsundere flavor.

"Are you being tsundere?" Xiao Yan had seen his fair share of Pokémon, but this was his first time encountering one quite so tsundere.

The exact moment that question finished, an intimidating aura radiated from Mewtwo.

"You're courting death!" A purple smoke drifted from around Mewtwo. Mewtwo's overwhelming dominance leaked out, accompanied by his razor-sharp voice.

"Calm down!" Faced with Mewtwo's aggressive pressure, Xiao Yan showed no fear; he had already experienced this kind of aura during his previous battle against Mewtwo.

"Why aren't you asking me why I hate humans?" Hearing Xiao Yan, Mewtwo gave a cold huff.

"If you want to talk about it, I can listen." Xiao Yan sat down on the grass, striking a posture ready to listen. Mewtwo fell silent; all Xiao Yan could do now was wait for him to resume speaking.

"You know, I am a Pokémon cloned by humans using the Mew Gene. They called me a new-generation Pokémon, but I'm nothing more than a copy."

Mewtwo spoke his first words with a tone of utter disdain. After a brief silence, he continued, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"After I was born, I merely lived a muddled existence locked inside a cultivation tank. Within this robust body they manufactured, a crucial piece was missing, yet I had no idea what that vital piece actually was."

Through Mewtwo's bewildered tone, Xiao Yan sensed his hollow life. He did not interrupt, choosing instead to keep listening as Mewtwo told his tale.

"That day, I witnessed vivisection for the first time. Humans took captured Pokémon and subjected them to dissection, splicing, and even attempted to fuse different types together to create multi-typed Pokémon. Such experiments happened day after day, without fail. Countless lives were sacrificed in the process; some Pokémon left this world the moment they were born, before they could even open their eyes. Back then, I could sense the sorrow of those vanishing lives, one after another."

Mewtwo took a deep breath and continued his narrative while Xiao Yan listened patiently beside him. When he reached the part about vivisection, Xiao Yan's mood turned heavy, and he felt a profound sorrow over the matter.

"For the sake of science! Those were the words researchers always had on their lips. Selfish humans-can you casually trample other lives just by fabricating a reason?"

A furious roar rang out beside Xiao Yan's ear. He didn't know how to answer the question; after all, the trampling of life occurred not only between humans and Pokémon, but among humans themselves as well.

"I hate humans who don't respect life! Pokémon weren't brought into this world for your human experiments. Even though Pokémon possess far greater power than humans, you still place your trust in them. I don't understand-what on earth is the point?"

Here Mewtwo paused, readjusting his breathing rhythm while waiting for Xiao Yan's reply.

This question had echoed through the world for hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years, yet no one had ever found the correct answer.

Xiao Yan gazed up at the sky. Though the night sky was dark, twinkling stars dotted the expanse; faint though the starlight was, it kept the pitch-black void from feeling lonely.

"I only know that I've grown alongside Pokémon, supporting each other and accomplishing countless impossible things together. They are my comrades." Xiao Yan stroked Pikachu and Charizard as he gave Mewtwo his answer.

Mewtwo offered no reply, merely huffing softly before falling silent once more. The scene grew still.

"Mewtwo, will you come with us?" Xiao Yan asked.

Mewtwo said nothing. Blue energy gathered in his palm until the sphere of blue energy grew to roughly the size of a basketball, at which point he suddenly hurled it toward Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan reached to his belt, grabbed two Poké Balls to recall Pikachu and Charizard, and extended a hand toward Mewtwo.

(That fellow's gaze...)

"If this is your answer, then I accept it." Xiao Yan said calmly.

A massive explosion erupted instantly, kicking up a storm of dust and billowing black smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Xiao Yan stood unharmed right where he was. It turned out that the moment Xiao Yan extended his hand, Mewtwo had used Teleport to suddenly appear right in front of him and deflect his own Aura Sphere away.

"Your answer-I have indeed received it..."

Xiao Yan looked at the huge crater blasted into the cliffside behind him; he knew Mewtwo had protected him at the very last second.

"Hmph! I'm just tired. Put me inside that thing; I'm going to sleep." Mewtwo pointed at the Poké Ball by Xiao Yan's waist.

Xiao Yan smiled wryly at the tsundere Pokémon, picked up the Poké Ball, and recalled Mewtwo inside.

(He might just be different from the others.) Lying on the bed inside the Poké Ball, Mewtwo let out a yawn and drifted off to sleep.

Elsewhere, a twin-tailed girl was tidying up a study. Sitting at the desk, an elderly man suddenly looked out the window at the nocturnal starry sky, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.

"Grandpa Fuji, what are you smiling at?" The twin-tailed girl asked curiously as she looked at the old man.

"I can sense that Mewtwo is very happy right now. It seems he's already found where he belongs."

"Mm!" Hearing the old man's explanation, the twin-tailed girl resumed tidying the study.

(Mewtwo's heart was opened by that boy back then... It seems my judgment is still quite good!)