[Saffron City]
[Zeryph]
We stumbled slightly as we came out of the teleport. We'd been an hour into the trip when Kaorah chose to remind us that we've been to Saffron before. And, because of that, we could save a lot of time if we just teleported. So, we did. I pulled Solais's ball from my belt and let her out, the Absol stretching as she was set free.
As is always the case in Pokemon, the use of a fast travel ability landed us right in front of the Pokemon Center. Which meant, it was easy to just go right on in and get our rooms.
"So, guys," I said as I began to unpack things for the time we're here. "Who wants to do a Dungeon, today?" I asked.
"I'll go." Mewtwo was the first to speak up. "Especially since I'm going to do most of the fighting in the Gym, when we get there." He said.
"I'll go, too." Solais said, next. "Can't have him doing all the work."
"Might surprise you but, I'm going to sit this one out." Kaorah said.
"Any reason why?" I asked.
"Let them get more battle experience out of this. Besides, as they said, they're going to be the primary fighters, coming up." Kaorah answered.
"I'm also going to stay out." Pidgeotto said. "You guys have fun."
"I'm going, since even if I don't fight, I'm still the team healer. You said it, yourself." Melanie said.
"Alrighty then." I brought up the portal spell, then cast it, tearing open a hole that would grant us access to the newest dungeon in the list. I was the first one through. Once the three coming with me were through, I closed the portal.
--Dungeon Three--
--Objective: Clear the Dungeon--
--Rewards: 10,000 cash, 5,000 EXP.--
--Optional Rewards: find in chests--
I read out the information, making sure that my active team could hear it. The door in front of us hissed as it unlocked, then slid open, revealing the first room. Much like the previous dungeons, it was crowded with enemies.
Ya know…the crowds of expendable enemies facing three powerhouses, kinda makes me think of Dynasty Warriors, ya know? Not that it's a bad thing. They don't reward EXP anyway, it's the bosses who do, as stated previously.
Mewtwo was the one to start the engagement, charging a Psycho Cut in each hand and then teleporting into the largest group he could. He swung his arms outwards as he landed, causing the enemies hit by his attack to shatter like glass. And it devolved into chaos from there. His sudden attack threw off everything, sending the enemies in the room, into a panic.
Solais joined him, using Night Slash to great effect, dealing with those that survived Mewtwo's attacks. Melanie stayed back, casting her healing spells as they were needed, while also using Force Cloak to defend the two of us, from any stragglers that broke off. Who would then be introduced to one of her lightning bolts.
Mewtwo's rapid use of teleport, combined with swinging attacks just before teleporting, meant that there wasn't really a way to react to his attacks in time. Without having to worry that he might hit an ally by accident, he really went all out. Within a few minutes, he had the room cleared of hostiles. He'd broken a sweat, but didn't seem winded.
With the enemies cleared, we began the next part of the usual routine, searching for chests. We found three, two with some cash in them, one of which also had extra healing items. The third, held an empowerment seed. The only thing was to choose who got it.
"Mewtwo, would you like to have this one?" I asked. "You're, currently, the primary fighter."
"Will it even work?" He asked.
"Yeah. But your form's going to be a 50/50. You have two mega forms, if I remember right." Even though he's never actually shifted into one of them. "If you feel like you can't handle it, let me know. I have the ability to cancel it out." Something that was added, as a just in case. It's for if one of my team starts to lose control, but it's a last resort.
[BGM suggestion- "Rumble of Scientific Triumph."]
"Alright….here goes." Slowly, he lifted the seed to his mouth, then quickly ate it. "So…is there supposed to…!" His eyes widened as he began to glow. The light quickly brightened, until it was nearly blinding. There was a blast of psychic energy, strong enough to crack Melanie's hastily cast Force Cloak. Solais even slid away from Mewtwo's position. Not far, but she did.
When the light faded, Mewtwo had changed. The first difference was that he'd grown a foot taller. His horns had grown longer, and with how they were positioned, formed a sort of V-crest. A second tube had formed on the back of his neck. His eyes changed in color, turning a pretty shade of blue, I'll admit that.
Two purple growths had formed over his shoulders. His tail had gotten shorter, while his legs grew longer, explaining the extra foot in height. His arms and legs had also become bulkier, with growths on the back that could add for extra protection, in the event that he needed to block an attack.
His fingers had changed, gaining a little extra length, and slimming down from what they were originally. And an aura of blue-violet energy had formed over his body. He inhaled, slow and deep, before lifting his hands to look at them.
"How do you feel, bud?" I asked.
"This…this feels…incredible." I walked up to him, reaching out and covering one of his eyes with a hand. He closed his other eye, and I noticed the left side of my vision blacking out. There was a quiet gasp, as he saw what he had become.
"You look good." I felt his face warm up. "Want to go test it out?" I asked, as I pulled my hand away.
"You better believe it." He responded. "Let's go." We started to head forward, towards the door to the first boss room. It opened as we approached, revealing the first of our opponents. An armored Garchomp, which, according to Observe, was level ten. He was already in his Mega form, too, so he was waiting for us.
"May I…have this one to myself?" Mewtwo asked.
"Sure…all yours." I stepped back, putting plenty of space between myself and the enemy. Melanie came up to my side, and cast her Force Cloak. Solais moved in with us. The Garchomp charged, as soon as the arena's door sealed shut. Mewtwo's Psystrike sent him away, almost half way across the arena. The Garchomp would recover in the air, diving into a Dig.
Mewtwo's response was to begin to levitate, gathering energy in his palms before beginning to fire at the ground, just ahead of where his invisible (to us) opponent was. I can't tell for sure if he landed any hits or not, due to obvious reasons.
Mewtwo continued to track the target, his eyes widening as blades erupted from the ground within the Force Cloak. The next thing we know, we're in his place, and he's slamming a full powered Psystrike into the ground where we just were, striking at the Garchomp who was just beneath the ground. The Garchomp withdrew, just barely avoiding the follow up, a second Psystrike that surely would've done some damage, if the first one hadn't.
Mewtwo teleported away, then lifted his right hand. The ground shook slightly as he yanked his opponent up from below, the Garchomp's expression changing to one of concern. He apparently hadn't thought that his opponent would try that, and had been caught off guard.
Mewtwo teleported again, an overcharged Psystrike charging in his left palm, which was buried into the enemy's abdomen. There was a roar of pain, and a loud bang as the attack detonated, kicking up dust. The Garchomp shot backwards, out of the cloud. He slammed into the wall behind him, hard.
Mewtwo began to gather Psychic energy to his hands, the glowing aura flowing into his palms, held just inches away from one another, at his side. As the Garchomp broke free from the wall and began to charge, he let the attack loose. A huge purple beam shot from his hands and slammed into the charging Dragon at full force.
The Garchomp shielded his face, and continued to inch forward, his scales standing up to the powerful blast. As it faded out, he lifted his arm blades, believing to have won, as his opponent appeared exhausted. He swung downwards, and for an instant I thought that I'd lose someone. Only to be relieved when there was no blood, just light gray mist.
"I win." Mewtwo reappeared above his opponent, just as his afterimage began to fade. With a swipe, of his right arm, cloaked in energy, he cut right through the Garchomp's body with a Psycho Cut, and the dragon's head fell from his shoulders. I ignored the notification about Mewtwo scoring a critical.
He landed a short distance away, as his Psycho Cut faded. Unlike before, he actually sounded winded now. With the power he put into his attacks, I'm not surprised.
Level Up!
Zeryph
Level 4 (0/4,500 to next)
HP: 305/305
Mana: 475/475
STR: 45
END: 45
AGI: 40
INT: 50
LCK: 40
CHA: 42
PER: 50
WIL: 44
"Feeling okay, bud?" I asked. The EXP from the boss had been enough for me to finally hit level 4. It seems kinda odd, honestly, that I haven't actually been getting levels.
"Winded, but otherwise, fine." Mewtwo answered. "This power feels…great. If I had known I could do this, all that time ago…I would've been out so much sooner." Yeah, and also there's what the system pulled for the background while you fought, but I'll share that later.
"Good. We've got…one more boss to go." I said. "Which means, plenty of practice." The door to the next area hissed as it opened. "All yours, go nuts." After Melanie gave him a once over, he left the room. The sounds of battle reached our ears, soon after.
"So…" Solais started to say. "Think he'll remain the strongest on the team?" She asked.
"For now, at least. Melanie's got her magic, but it's limited. I think that the only way someone's going to outpace Mewtwo, eventually, is either another, stronger legendary, be it Arceus or one of His Creation Trio. Or, a Pokemon with powers not from this world."
"Like what, exactly?" Melanie asked, as we walked through the doorway, nothing paying us any mind in favor of trying and failing to fight Mewtwo. This serves as a good reminder to not have him do any normal battles often. He's way too strong, as far as early game is considered.
"Like maybe…Sage Mode, or something. That'll…take a lot of explaining. I'll worry about it later." I answered. In my past life, I actually had made up a Lucario character who could in fact, use Sage Mode. And, yeah, I realize how busted that sounds, because it absolutely was. But it was purely a for-fun thing.
Mewtwo finished with clearing the room of enemies, before walking up to the next door. We all moved to join him by it, prompting the door to open. A breeze began to blow through as the door opened, carrying snow flakes along with it.
Standing in the center of the room, was a Lucario. He had battle scars, on the parts of his body that were visible, beneath a suit of armor. A scarf was wrapped around his neck, and blew in the breeze. His hands were brought together at his chest, just above the metal spike, and his head was bowed. His eyes were closed, but had opened as we entered the room.
He bowed, as the door slid shut. A gesture which I returned, out of respect. As he pulled his hands apart, a large bone made of Aura formed between his hands. He shaped it into a staff, and took up a stance. His right eye, instead of the usual red, was yellow. While his left, solid white, with a scar present. Indicating that he was blind in that eye.
He frowned, his good eye focusing solely on Mewtwo, though he'd noted the rest of us, as well. With his left hand, he reached up to the scarf, and pulled on it. The fabric unraveled, and then he tossed it into the air, before lowering himself. Just as it began to touch the ground, he vanished. There was the sound of his staff hitting something, as Mewtwo just barely blocked it. His Psycho Cut blades formed over his arms, and he began to fight back, although, the Lucario's speed meant that all Mewtwo could do for now, was defend.
In the span of about ten seconds, the Lucario broke through his guard, and hit him with an Aura Sphere, knocking Mewtwo off his feet. He bounced to a stop, and groaned as he slowly got up. He waited for Mewtwo to stand, and then began the process again. It would seem that I might be wrong about what I had said earlier.
After about ten minutes, Mewtwo had begun to tire out, even getting to the point that his Mega form had worn off. He was bruised, and breathing heavily. As his powered up state slipped away, he sank to his knees.
"I…yield. I can't fight any longer." He said. What would happen next surprised us. The Lucario dispelled his Bone Rush, then he walked over to Mewtwo, and offered a hand, helping Mewtwo to stand when it was taken. They walked over to us, and I put myself in the position to support Mewtwo.
For the second time, the Lucario bowed to us, before returning to the point where he had started. He knelt, before bowing his head and closing his eyes, taking up a similar position to the one he'd been in when we arrived. So…was it intended that we couldn't beat him on our first visit? That's what I'm getting from this.
Melanie began to heal Mewtwo's bruises, which didn't take her long to do. I cast the portal spell, and we began to leave.
"Take your time…train. When you're ready, come and face me again. I'll be waiting." The Lucario said to us. I wasn't expecting him to say anything, yet he did. We stepped through the exit portal. Mewtwo leaned against me as we left.
"Hey, welcome back…what happened?" Kaorah asked.
"We…ran into a surprisingly tough opponent. Mewtwo yielded." While there is disappointment from losing, but I'm proud too. Because Mewtwo knew what his limit was, even with his transformation. I helped Mewtwo sit down on the empty bed, before going for my massage oil.
"He did? That's…a surprise." Kaorah said. "Still, can't be upset at him for knowing his limits." Exactly.
"I did…get to experience Mega Evolution." Mewtwo said.
"Really? What did you think?" Kaorah asked.
"It was an incredible experience." Mewtwo answered, shifting so that he was lying down. I got onto the bed next to him, and began to put some of the oil onto my hands, before I set to work, starting at his shoulders, earning a low purr from him.
"Feels nice, huh? Yeah, one of the best parts about the dungeons. Is that they're followed up with a massage." Kaorah commented. Mewtwo didn't respond. I started to move down his arms. When I finished with them, I moved over to his back, starting at his shoulders once again and beginning to slowly work downwards. I saw a faint blush begin to form on his cheeks.
It was at his lower back that I stopped, before reaching down to midway down his thighs, and continuing. The room had faded mostly into silence while I worked, save for the quiet purring that I was earning. It didn't take too much longer to finish up, and I stopped once I had.
"Seems like you enjoyed that." I commented.
"Yes…I'll admit, that I did." He responded. "I don't feel sore, now. Thank you." He said.
"No problem. Want to go get something for lunch?" I asked.
"Sure." He answered.
"Anyone else want to come with us?" I asked the others.
"Know what…nah. You two can go on your own, just bring us back something." I wonder…if Kaorah's trying to set something up. The fact that the others agreed with her also hinted at something going on.
"Well, I guess…if that's the way it's going to be, then…alright. Come on, bud, let's go get some lunch." I said to Mewtwo. We left the room, soon after.
"Do you think that maybe…something's going on?" Mewtwo asked, once we were out of earshot.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, normally, we do almost anything related to meals, as a team. And also, today was the first time Kaorah didn't want to go with us for a Dungeon. I'm starting to think that…" I cut him off.
"No, I doubt it's…anything serious. She probably just wants to be lazy, for a day." I said. "I don't think it's anything serious."
"Yeah, probably…although, maybe…They might be trying to get us to be alone, like it's a…date, or something. I don't think that's what's going on, but…maybe." He said.
We left the Pokemon center, and started walking towards some restaurants we'd seen several days before, when we first passed through the area. Mewtwo suddenly frowned, as though he sensed something.
"What's up?" I asked.
"This way…quickly." He started to move, as if he were following something. And, I followed behind him. We moved through a few alleys, on the trail of whatever he had sensed, until we came to a dead end. There were two bodies ahead of us, and a golden fox standing above them, her nine tails raised, the tips lit by golden orange flames. The Ninetales quickly realized that we weren't with the others in the alley, and relaxed.
"Thank goodness…you aren't with…them." She spoke. She sounded winded, so she must've been running for a while.
"Are you alright?" I asked. I walked past the downed Rockets, ignoring the smell of burnt flesh, which is likely to draw attention.
"Yes, I'm fine, just…tired." She sat down, her tails curling around her on either side. "So, how did you know about what was going on? I'm sure you didn't hear us."
"This guy." I patted Mewtwo on the shoulder. "He has an impressive sensory range, and he sensed, either you, or them." I said.
"It was the Rockets that I sensed, not her." Mewtwo commented.
"I see. Listen…they were after me for a reason. There's a…place in this city. They had me held captive there, for…harvesting." She said. Mewtwo and I shared a glance. "It's…as bad as it…probably sounds." She said. "I was…hoping to get to a police station but, they cornered me first. You two arrived not long after."
"We'll be glad to help. Mewtwo here has…person experience, shall we say." I replied.
[Quest added!]
[ "Death to the Rockets!" Stage 1]
[Shutdown]
[You've found out about an illegal operation. You have an opportunity to see to it being shut down.]
[Objective 1: Stop the operation]
[Optional: Kill all the Rockets in the base. Or: Report the base to the police in Saffron City, and let them handle it.]
[Rewards: 20,000 cash, 1,000 EXP.]
[Failure Conditions: N/A]
[Note: Depending on how you complete this quest, things can change going forward. What you pick is your decision, but your path is locked in.]
And…sudden quest notification. I think, based on the main title…this will be focused on the total elimination of Team Rocket. Whether by seeing them all imprisoned, or…extermination. I read off the quest, mentally. Making sure that only Mewtwo would hear it.
[It's your choice, bud.] I said.
[I think…we…should personally strike at them. They've been taking lives, themselves.] He replied.
[Are you sure that's the path you want to take? Taking lives isn't easy. Not when it's real, rather than simulated, like the dungeons.]
[Yes, I'm sure. After all that Team Rocket has done to me…and now, hearing about what they're doing to other Pokemon. It's…] He sighed, out loud. [I would feel better…if we just get rid of them.] He said.
[If that is your choice. But…if we take the violent path, we're locked in. And they may eventually retaliate.] I said.
[I know…but, we'll be ready when they do.] I guess…he's right.
"We'll interrogate these guys, if they're still alive, and figure out where the base is." I said. "Do you have a trainer?" I asked the Ninetales.
"Yes, I do. I was stolen from her, a while back." She responded. "I'll try to get back to her. Good luck, and, be careful." Mewtwo and I stepped aside, allowing the Ninetales to leave the alley.
"You as well. Mewtwo, tear the information from their minds if you must. That base is our priority now." Mewtwo knelt, and placed his hands on the grunts' heads. He closed his eyes as he concentrated, and it would take several seconds before he opened them again.
"I've got it. Should we get the others?" He asked.
"No, not this time. It would take too long, and these grunts will likely be considered missing. It will put them on alert, if they are." I answered. "We go, now, and we hit quickly. I brought this," I held up an Empowerment Seed, "from the dungeon we ran earlier. You'll handle the fighting." I said, as I handed it to him.
"As far as Pokemon go, if they surrender, knock them out. Or, knock them out anyway. All Rockets are considered expendable." I looked him in the eye. "Listen, focus only on the mission. Don't get caught up the moment you cut anyone down. This is not like the times you've had team support. And this is not like the dungeons. If you freeze up, we could both get seriously hurt." I said.
"I understand." He took the seed, with his right hand, then grabbed the hand I was holding it with, in his other. The world blurred around us as we teleported, to a place just outside the city. A Rocket Grunt was there, but he wouldn't get a chance to make a sound, as he was cut down without a moment of hesitation.
With that out of the way, Mewtwo took a slow, deep breath. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, taking time to mentally prepare himself. Though the dungeons are tough, they're nothing compared to this- what's going to be the hardest thing we've done so far. Things are only going to get tougher from here on out.
And to think things are ramping up so soon. It's a surprise, but honestly, I welcome it. It makes the experience unique, as a whole. And also will effect how the next seven regions after this one will go. Which means, throwing off what I already know will happen, in some way. At least for me, since I think the System will somehow keep Ash and those who travel with him, from ever discovering what I do when I'm not around.
Unless of course, it's something important enough that we all need to be in the same place at that exact moment.
"I'm ready." Mewtwo said, raising the seed to his mouth before quickly eating it. His power flared up as he shifted into the Mega X form, from earlier today. "Let's do this." He blasted the door open, and we entered the base. A sound briefly drew our attention back to the entrance, where a barrier had formed.
[Barrier in place]
[Until the base is clear of enemies, nobody is allowed to enter or leave.]
[You are cut off from the outside, until you are done.]
"Well, looks like we're locked in." I commented. "But that means, the enemy will be, as well. You focus on the fighting. I'll try and see if there's anyone to rescue." I said.
"Understood." Mewtwo replied. We began to move, with him taking point. The initial shock of our infiltration, gave us the advantage when we started to encounter Grunts. Mewtwo's new habit of teleporting between every attack, to always strike at an angle that wasn't defended, really came in handy.
Which meant, that as we began to take out patrols, there wouldn't be time to call for help. Eventually, that would come to an end, as patrols started missing scheduled contact. Which meant, that the alarm was, after several minutes, finally sounded. And as such, that was when the fighting really started.
We began to encounter trainers who were ready for battle, but not ready for what they were facing. Mewtwo was an absolute terror, using the power of Mega Evolution to force a path through every enemy in our way. And with every enemy that fell to a seemingly unstoppable force, morale got lower, and lower, until finally it broke. And the Rockets began to flee rather than fight, all of them moving towards what seemed like a single place.
And we pursued them, Mewtwo cut down all who were caught. And, finally, we reached the point of their final stand. An underground warehouse. A warehouse, storing illicit materials. Both made and...harvested. Our reason for coming here. Mewtwo began to exert his Psychic pressure, a crushing force weighing down on those around us. Some of them fought through, and those who didn't, found themselves forced to their knees.
The ones who fought through it, chose to face us. They were slaughtered in moments. Those who couldn't fight...I'm not proud to say, that we executed them regardless. There were only a select few who survived. Those who surrendered...who Mewtwo probed, and found to be innocent, to have not been involved in any way, with what was going on here. Or, those who weren't here by choice.
They would be rendered unconscious, with the memory of what happened here, stripped from their minds. And, nearly half an hour after it started, the attack on the base came to an end, with our objective complete. The base fell into silence, allowing us to search for any captives, of which there were plenty. We cut them free, and guided them to the exit. The barrier had dropped, allowing us to leave.
The Pokemon whom we had saved, thanked us. Not for what we had done to their captors, but for saving their lives and allowing them to be free again. Even after what we had done, being seen as a hero by at least someone, felt nice.
I dismissed the notification about the quest completing just as it appeared, feeling no need to read it again. The cash was added to my inventory right away. Mewtwo's form reverted with a flash of light, and he sat down with a sigh. There was blood, splattered on his body and his hands. And some had gotten on me, as well.
"Hey...you gonna be alright?" I asked.
"I don't know...maybe." He answered. "I just...need time to think. About what we'd just done." I nodded. It won't get any easier, especially since there's no console dividing me from this world now. This is as real as it can get.
"Let's...go back to the Pokemon center and...get some rest." I said. I felt Mewtwo grab one of my hands, and the world blurred once again. We teleported straight to the shared room, startling the girls with our sudden appearance.
"Zeryph...what happened?" Kaorah asked. As Mewtwo went to clean up, I began to explain everything, down to the last detail. By the time Mewtwo got out, I had finished the story. The room fell into silence, while our teammates processed the information.
"That's..." Kaorah started to speak. "I don't...even know...what to say."
"To think Team Rocket really was that bad..." Solais said. "And...they have more than just the two bases we now know about."
"They do." Mewtwo said. "From what I managed to get when I was extracting information. What goes on in one base, is kept secret from all the others. Only Giovanni and the other leaders know about what goes on. And so far, we've only seen...you already know. And there's the cloning work that...I came from."
"Yeah. We should make it our goal, to deal with the Rockets wherever an opportunity is presented. We will wipe them out, even if it takes a long time." I sat down on my and Kaorah's bed. "For now, let's focus on something else. Planning for the Gym." And so, we spent the next few hours planning the next day. Sabrina's gym was going to be an experience, for sure.
[Break.]
[02:00 Hours]
I shifted in my sleep, before slowly blinking my eyes open. I gently tapped the arm that Kaorah had wrapped around me, signaling that I needed to get up. She released me from the embrace, and as I sat up and began to stretch, I noticed something. Mewtwo was still awake, staring up at the ceiling. Had there not been moonlight shining through the curtains, lighting the room with a dim, bluish glow, I wouldn't have noticed.
"Hey. Can't sleep?" I whispered.
"No...at least, not for long." He answered.
"Bad dreams?"
"No, just...can't really stop thinking about...yesterday, and what we'd done." He said.
"Want to go somewhere so we can actually talk about it?" I asked.
"Sure...so we don't wake the others." I got up from bed, after giving Kaorah a kiss, much like I have before. Grabbed a shirt from my bags, and put it on real quick. Quietly, I unlocked the door and opened it.
"The roof has a patio, I believe. Think that'll work?" I asked, and received a nod. We stepped into the hall, quietly locking the door and shutting it behind us, before we began to head upstairs. It took several minutes to reach the rooftop patio, and we found somewhere to sit, that was away from the edge. Even if it did have a protective fence, I still wasn't going to sit that close.
"So, what's bothering you?" I asked.
"I thought about what we did earlier, and...I've made peace with that." He said. "I wasn't sure how to feel...after that. Considering what Team Rocket has done to me in the past. Ultimately I've decided...killing them out of vengeance isn't going to do me any good." I nodded.
"So, instead...it's out of justice. By...slaughtering the worst that the team has in its ranks, we're ridding the world of people who are truly evil, but...maybe, there are those who can be redeemed, and those who can't."
"You're right. If we just slaughter everyone, there will be none to be redeemed...none to warn the world against taking the path that they once did." I said. "Scanning their minds, and seeing what they did while in Team Rocket...might be the best choice to make."
"But at the same time, Team Rocket aren't the only villains in the world. There are poachers, and the teams in the other regions. We will have to deal with all of them eventually. But, I can't say exactly when. And even then, we can't do things like we did today, all that often. Because, the more we do it, the more likely we are to get found out. Which means...we get targets on our heads." I said. We sat in silence for a little bit, before Mewtwo said anything again.
"Zeryph, there's...something else." He pressed a hand against my forehead. "Don't speak. Just..." he sighed "just...watch." Images began to flash through my mind. Starting from the moment of his creation, to...to when we first met. The entirety of Mewtwo's time in the Viridian City base, before I arrived, played back in my mind.
"Why...?" I said. "Why did you...show me that?"
"Because it's...it's out of trust. You...deserve to know what I went through. Because...I trust you enough to let you know. Just...please, don't share it with anyone." He said.
"I won't...you can share it when you're ready." I replied.
"Thanks."
"Since you've...shown me yours, it's only right." I bowed my head.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. The past forty-one years of my life."
"Forty-one? But I thought you're eighteen."
"I am. Just...you'll see for yourself, save for things too embarrassing to share, or anything that's private." I closed my eyes. "Whenever you're ready." And so it began. My entire first life, twenty three years, passing before my eyes once again. I blocked what was in this world, as it had already been seen.
And as it came to an end, Mewtwo staggered backwards with a shocked gasp. As he got himself together, he brought his hands to his face, letting out a low sigh. He fell into a stunned silence, and I was fine with letting him process what he'd seen. For the first time, ever, my first life was known to someone.
"Is it...true?"He finally spoke, a short and simple question.
"Yes...it is. Every second." I answered.
"That's..." He trailed off, seemingly unsure of what to say.
"Come on, let's go back so you can actually get some rest. We've got a gym battle tomorrow." I started to head back down, but a hand grabbed my wrist.
"Zeryph, wait. There's...one more thing." He said. "After all that, I feel like I can safely say something like this...even if...if there's no...equal ground." I didn't speak, I just smiled. "My time in Viridian was...Hell, to put it lightly. And then you just...arrived one day, and suddenly...I'm set free."
"I didn't know what to think. And, that was the best day of my life so far. You came along and set me free, even if...if it's only for a year. Listen, I've...in the past several days that I've been on your team, I've grown attached and...I don't want to go back, ever." He said, stopping and taking a deep breath.
"Zeryph...I...uh..." He took a breath. "What I'm trying to say is..." He closed his eyes, bowing his head.
"I...love...you..." Three words, no sound...barely even mouthed. And yet, I felt warm. I can't help the smile that I'm sporting. Even if he didn't really say it out loud, I still read it. And it confirms what he'd once said, that he felt it was too soon.
"Let's just...go and get some rest. I'll, see you tomorrow morning." He started to leave, but was stopped by a stiff arm, and a hand on the shoulder.
"Hold on now...you didn't get to hear what I think." I looked him in the eye. "You can't just go and drop a bomb like that, and not wait around to hear the target's response. It doesn't look good if you just run."
"I'm not going to think any differently of you for something like that. In fact, I'm proud of you." I didn't let my smile go away. "You worked up the nerve to say it, after all this time. And even after what you saw, the whole truth...you didn't let it affect how you felt." I took his hands in my own.
"And...you're no Gardevoir, with their emotion sensing. But...you don't need that to know how I feel. If you really do love me, then you'll know how I feel in return." I said.
"So...does that mean that?" He started to ask.
"Yeah...I'll give it a shot." I smiled, again. "Just, don't expect anything big, right away." I said. "Come on...let's go get some rest. But, first. This is for you." I leaned in, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. I felt his face heat up, just before I pulled away.
I shot him a grin, then began to head back to the room.
[Third person]
Mewtwo slowly raised a hand to the cheek where his trainer had kissed him. His face felt hot, and he felt the sting of tears in his eyes, though not of sadness. His heart was racing in his chest, and yet, a smile worked its way onto his face. He balled his other hand into a fist, lifting it into the air in a silent celebration of victory. He'd done it, he really managed to do that.
And he couldn't be happier. His eyes blinked open and he gazed upwards at the moon, slowly lowering his left hand to his side. With his right hand, he wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes. They weren't even into a fifth of the fifty two weeks that he was to stay with Zeryph.
And of course, some worry did set in. About how...that conversation would go. Not only because of what he and Zeryph had done earlier, in the Team Rocket base. But also...because of what would inevitably be Zeryph's refusal to give him back.
Yet, the idea that Zeryph would be much less willing to give him back, if he already planned to...made Mewtwo feel happy. He lifted his right hand to his chest, feeling for his heartbeat. He began to breathe, using the exercise he once learned to calm himself down.
He spared one last glance at the sky, before turning and starting for the door to the stairs. He did need rest after all, with tomorrow's upcoming gym battle.