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It wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do next, that was the problem.
Its quiet companion floated alongside it, tail fluttering slightly as those blue eyes peered curiously at it.
You know, the voice in its mind said, almost conversationally, you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.
It shook its head. Its sight was clouded; when that burning hatred for humanity had flared in its chest, any doubts or misgivings had turned to ash. Now that hatred had subsided, and thoughts of its birthplace came unbidden.
The creature tilted its head. You were the one that said the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. What do you want to do, Mewtwo?
It was quiet a moment, feeling an odd twinge in its chest at hearing its own name. It was the only original Two left alive, it could remember that much now. Ambertwo, Squirtletwo, Bulbasaurtwo, and Charmandertwo were dead and rotting in the graves he’d dug. (The humans hadn’t even disposed of them; they’d just kept them in those same test tubes as they decomposed. It had gone back, after it had ceased its rampage, and buried them on the island.) And now it was flying alongside the original, and somehow the Two in its name felt like an insult.
I’m surprised you didn’t stay on Mount Quena.
Another odd twinge in its chest. Its friends would have been hunted all their lives had it stayed with them. The Master had forgotten it, but it was painfully aware of how powerful it was, and how coveted power could be. The other clones would be safer without it.
And the boy?
It paused, floating still in midair. The world beneath it slowed to a stop as it contemplated. Time did not flow unless it commanded it, and now it could think in peace.
You know you can’t actually stop time, right? You’re just slowing down your perception.
It ignored its companion and contemplated the boy. The human had struggled tremendously to prevent the violence it had sought to inflict upon the world, had even bodily thrown himself between it and Mew to prevent their fight. Not that the boy could remember any of that, of course. It had erased those memories with a thought.
Yeah, that was pretty fucked up of you, to be honest.
It tamped down the irritation it felt towards its companion. The boy had reappeared, then, when the Master had come to try and reclaim its power. Had freed it from its bonds, and even carried it to safety. The lake waters had healed its wounds, just like any other Pokémon, and it had realized that it could call this world home. It had let the boy keep his memories, and he had gone in peace.
Not, however, that that made finding a path forward any easier. Just because its enemies had forgotten it didn’t mean it had a life to live, and so it simply followed Mew.
Yes, and it’s getting a little obnoxious, considering I do have a life.
It rolled its eyes and continued its aimless flight.
It was all well and good for its friends to venture out into the wild. Aside from some discoloration, they looked and acted the same as any other Pokémon. But there was no other creature on this planet that was like it. All it had to go off was Mew, and the differences were rather apparent. Mew had been born from the glory of the Original One, who had, seeking to sow life on the world its children had formed, created a being to serve as the mother of all common Pokémon. Mewtwo had been born in a lab, created by humans trying to capture the power of Mew for their own petty purposes. It was a mere science experiment, neither common Pokémon nor Legendary.
Stop doing that.
It paused, looking at its companion. The surprise must have been visible on its face, because Mew elaborated.
Beating yourself up all the time. Just because you’re a maladjusted jerk with some serious trauma doesn’t mean you deserve to be insulted like that.
It didn’t bother keeping down the anger that sparked in its chest, and finally spoke. “My thoughts are my own. You’re to cease reading them at once, or I will make you.” The moment it said it, however, it realized that not only did it have no idea how to shield its mind, but there was also no threat of violence it could exact against Mew. As strong as it was, it had a sneaking suspicion that Mew was not only equally powerful, but well-connected.
If it helps to think of me as a mobster, go for it. Maybe you can work out some of your pent-up anger towards Giova—
It launched a Shadow Ball directly at Mew, who dodged deftly, with no change of expression.
OK, got it. No saying the G-word.
“You are a terrible therapist, Mew.”
Hey, if you want therapy, go to Fullmoon Island. I’m just your older sibling.
The world seemed to really stop, then, as it processed what Mew had just said. “My what?”
Well, technically, I suppose I’m your parent, seeing as you came from my DNA, but something tells me that an authority figure isn’t really what you need in your life right now. Besides, I can’t see myself really doing the responsible parent thing after birthing, like, every single common Pokémon species.
It wondered briefly how that even worked.
Ooh, buddy, you do not want to know. All I’ll say is that it was a crazy weekend and that Regigigas may have a slow start, but it sure does—
It raised a paw, shuddering at the mental image. That was enough of that. More pertinently, Mew considered it a sibling. The thought was… unsettling.
Well, duh. Do you think I would have tried so hard to keep you from rampaging if I didn’t care about you?
It paused, briefly. “Is that why you tolerate my following you, despite your ‘having a life,’ as you put it?”
Bingo! I care about you, dumbass. You’re going through a rough patch, I get it. But you know what? If you’re my sibling, and I’m a Mythical Pokémon, then that makes you…
“An artificial clone.”
Mew’s expression dropped into one it could only call exasperation.
A Legendary Pokémon. Now, if you don’t want to be called Mewtwo, think of a name for yourself, OK?
“I… will consider it.” The world’s turning beneath it resumed, and they continued their flight.
Alright, then, off to the summit!
“What summit?”
Right, you’re new. Every so often all the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon meet up and have a big meeting about weighty matters about the fate of the universe and stuff, and Giratina eats all the cheese cubes and doesn’t leave any for everyone else. It’ll be fun!
It wondered whether Mew was playing a prank. A summit of legendary Pokémon seemed like the sort of thing that would be kept private to outsiders, especially one like it.
I told you to stop doing that! You’ll have a seat at the table, I promise. You’ll be with me, and I’m a pretty big deal. The Original One is my dad. …Granted, he’s also Dia, Paru, and Gira’s dad, and Gira’s kind of been disowned, so it’s not an “I do what I want” license, but still, he made me special, that’s why I’m so cute!
It doubted that cuteness or specialness had been on the Original One’s mind when it had created what ultimately amounted to an Egg machine, but it couldn’t deny that Mew had clout. It had seen the way common Pokémon as large as a Tyranitar had genuflected before the little thing, and it supposed that Mew must hold some position in the hierarchy.
Still, it couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of its stomach that this would be a terrible idea.
Those are usually the best ideas. Come on!
There was no other word for it; the hall was insane. The ceiling was tall as the sky, with black-flamed braziers and multicoloured walls. A line of columns marched across the hall, the walls lined with various artifacts that Mew kept whispering the name and function of as it flounced along in human form, wearing a grade-school uniform with a long pink braid for hair.
Every molecule of the place made its nerves itch that it was on enemy ground. It hated being in human form, and it hated the odd bodysuit that its human form wore, with strange light reflections and a complete lack of shape. It hated its bald head, and it hated the sensation of unfriendly eyes upon it.
It winced as shouting erupted from the far end of the hall, where a big man with coarse red hair in cornrows, black skin, and a long red coat covered in black lines and circles threw hands with a lithe woman with wavy blonde hair, pale skin, and a skintight blue wetsuit covered in those same lines and circles, but in red. Both were glaring at each other with unbridled hatred. Groudon and Kyogre, Mew whispered in its head. Ignore them, Rayquaza will sort them out.
“Mew, hey!” There was a patter of feet on polished floor, and a small child in a green yukata slid to a stop in front of them. They grinned up at Mew, apparently oblivious to the snot dripping from their nose. “It’s about time you got here! Get it? Time?”
Mew sighed, smiling patiently. “Hello, Celebi—”
“Who’s that?” Celebi asked, peering up at it. Their gaze made it nervous, as if Celebi were peeling back every layer of its history and staring right at its soul. Mew cleared its throat. “This is Mewtwo. It’ll be joining us at the summit from now on.”
“Mewtwo?” Celebi gaped. “We have a second Mew? But it’s so… tall! And… and mean-looking!”
It winced again, wishing desperately for Mew to see Celebi off, or to at least let it leave and escape the scrutiny of powerful beings. Mew glanced sympathetically at it and shook its head. “It’s good to see you again, Celebi. How have you—”
“Did you hear? Dia and Paru are bringing humans! And Tioga is coming, and they’re bringing a human too!”
Mew blinked, nonplussed. “Tioga? Who’s Tioga?”
“Giratina, duh! They changed their name, remember? Oh, wait,” Celebi paused, suddenly looking thoughtful, “I dunno if that’s still a secret, or if they’ve done that yet, or if they’ve even met Volo – being a time traveler is even harder to sort out when these summits are completely outside of time! So, Tioga might or might not be Tioga, and they might or might not be bringing a human, or even coming to the meeting, but Dia and Paru are definitely bringing humans, and the Original One (praised be its name) isn’t coming, except I think this is the meeting where it did the thing, and it’s bringing a human—”
Mew sighed as Celebi continued rambling. Did you catch any of that? It shook its head, and Mew hung its head in defeat. That figures. Don’t take what Celebi said personally, alright? They don’t really have a filter.
It shivered internally as Celebi scampered off to go bother someone else. It was all too much; the colours were overwhelming, the feeling of rubber on its skin was slowly driving it mad, and that feeling of danger was only increasing. Hey. It wanted to curl itself into a little ball and close its eyes, like it was back in the tube, where nothing hurt. Hey. Its ears were ringing, the shouting from across the room was getting worse, with more voices joining the cacophony, it was more than it could bear, and—
HEY! Breathe.
Startled by the sudden thought, it began taking deep breaths, and Mew’s face swam into view in its vision. It was being led by the hand behind one of the columns, where it sank to the floor, back against the cool stone of the column.
That’s it. Just take deep breaths, OK?
It inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. It missed its cloak. It had taken the thing all the way from New Island, and it had kept it warm through dark nights, trapping body heat in exactly the way this shiny bodysuit didn’t, but it had had to leave it behind in the normal world, waiting for when it returned.
Mew gripped its hand, rubbing a thumb over the back of it, providing gentle comfort. It’s OK, I promise. We’ll go in together. There should be less ruckus in the actual meeting room, alright?
It nodded slowly, rising to its feet, and allowed itself to be led over to the ornate door, into a bigger room with ornate benches and name placards – and sitting on one bench, right next to a bright pink placard labeled “Mew”, was a plain, unadorned placard bearing the words, “Mewtwo”. It stared at the placard, uncomprehending, as Mew slowly broke into a wide smile.
See? You belong here.
It walked over to the bench, trembling, and sat down on the cushion, never once releasing its grip on Mew’s hand as it lifted the placard up. It was a simple, metal affair, the name engraved in capital letters burning into its mind.
They hadn’t tried to decorate it. Hadn’t tried to figure out what it would like. If this summit was outside of time, they could have made the effort. Instead, they’d thrown a simple token out there, and the name felt like even more of an insult than before. You are lesser, it whispered, a pale imitation of Mew.
It put the placard down, eyes shut tightly. Mew’s smile faded, and it whispered soft reassurances to it as the room slowly filled up: the man and woman from earlier, now escorted by a tall figure with olive-green hair who looked extremely cranky; a brother and sister with white hair, long scarves, and triangular hair ornaments, all in red and blue; a woman in a layered white-and-blue dress with blue headpieces, surrounded by three hawkish women in red, yellow, and blue dresses; a man in a dark suit with white hair and a red tie, glowering at everyone in the room as though they had personally offended him; a pair of knights in blue, red, and gold, one carrying a sword, the other a shield. Each addition to the room added another low buzz of chatter that filled its ears – and then the humans came in.
It saw them, in the hands of three more Pokémon – a man and a woman, both looking extremely nervous, in the hands of pompous-looking figures in blue and pink kimono – and the boy.
It startled; what was he doing here, and in the arms of a Pokémon who could only be Giratina? It stared at the figure in the Pokémon’s hands and realized that he was staring right back – and that it wasn’t the boy. The human was taller, older, and blond, with a world-weariness about him that it recognized, to some extent. But there was something about him, it thought, that made him resemble that boy, though their appearance and mannerisms were entirely different.
It squeezed Mew’s hand tighter, suddenly very shaken. Off to the side, it heard a mutter from a figure in grays and icy blues, with a yellow streak in their hair. “The human Gira’s brought has common Pokémon with him in those accursed balls. To bring Mew’s spawn into this chamber is blasphemous.”
Don’t listen to Kyurem. They’re not talking about you.
It felt its stomach twist as the boy in the brother-sister pair began jeering at the humans. What was it doing here, among all these gods? Was its very presence blasphemous? It cast about wildly, and briefly locked eyes with Giratina – or Tioga, as Celebi had called them. Tioga tilted their head slightly and nodded sadly at it, then turned their attention back to the human. All at once, it felt something odd spark within; perhaps it wasn’t the only one here who feared not belonging.
All conversation in the room suddenly fell silent as a gorgeous woman in an orange hikizuri kimono and ornate makeup removed a fan from between her lips. Ho-oh, Mew whispered.
Ho-oh looked around the room, speaking slowly and formally, her voice smooth and regal, musical and pleasing to the ear. “Thank you all for coming. As is the case every time we meet, I am delighted to see new and returning faces.” Slowly, it began to judge that she was speaking to the room as a whole, rather than to any one person, and it could let its mind wander.
“Mewtwo.”
It stiffened, every nerve in its body screaming danger, as it prepared to flee, the name cutting into it like the Master’s restraints. It was back in the lab, being scrutinized as a specimen—
A hand gently patted its face, Mew’s voice whispering gently in its ear.
Breathe.
It let in a breath, and let it out, as Ho-oh continued, “we look forward to seeing you at future summits, and your presence is quite welcome here.”
Somehow, that tore it. It collapsed into its seat, tears rolling down its face. It should have felt relief, it knew, but all that filled its mind was dread. It couldn’t place why; all it knew was that tears rolled down its face and would not stop. Ho-oh kept talking, but the words wouldn’t penetrate the haze, and Mew gripped its hand tightly.
It knew, now, what it was. It was the false premise, it knew, that it was somehow like Mew, when it knew that it was not, no matter how much Mew insisted otherwise.
“…If I may introduce a new fragment of the Original One, its name be praised — Carnifex, and its guest, Akari.”
The energy that shot through the room at that was electric. It saw Tioga stiffen, saw Dialga and Palkia stare at each other, and felt Mew tense. As two human-sized figures entered the room, it felt the killing intent emanating from one of them – that must have been Carnifex – searching, twisting through all of them, and judging them in their turn. Groudon and Kyogre grew still; the siblings ceased bickering; the man in the dark suit skulked in his seat; and it could sense the sheer rage and terror emanating from the human Tioga had brought from here. A memory flashed, unbidden, into its mind; the boy, his face twisted with fear as he carried it to safety in his arms, away from the Master.
The human Akari, standing beside Carnifex, looked simply terrified, hands drifting towards a string of rudimentary Poké Balls at her waist. Its sense of danger magnified. If any being here were to judge it unworthy, it would be Carnifex. Mew shivered. Don’t do anything stupid. Just keep your head down, and—
Mew never finished that thought. Tioga and their human vanished for a split-second, too quickly for anyone not already focusing on them to notice, and a few seconds later, Carnifex and Akari disappeared, leaving the summit in stunned silence.
In that moment, clarity came to it: it had to go. Now.
I said, don’t do anything stupid!
It ignored Mew. It felt its body shift, the accursed bodysuit disappearing, its tail and ears growing as it regained its true form. The heavy brown cloak nestled itself on its shoulders, providing a familiar comfort as it slowed its perception, time coming to a stop. It could see Dialga rewinding time around Tioga, replaying the illusion of their presence. In the same instance, it could see the brother – Latios, said the whisper – preparing to attack the illusion.
Whatever game Tioga was playing, they had been the only one who had understood. Mew insisted that it would belong, but it knew; this was enemy ground. If it stayed here, it would be Mewtwo forever, always compared to Mew, and always inferior. Tioga had nodded. They had known, and it had sensed the killing intent coming from Carnifex. They would need help.
It rose into the air, speeding its perception back up, and fired a Shadow Ball at Latios. The Pokémon whipped around and dodged effortlessly, hackles raised, but it raised its paw, and felt the wild, untamed psychic energy rush through it. This was what it had been created for, supremacy in battle. It lashed out, shredding benches, and slicing at the walls, sending Legendary Pokémon ducking for cover. Mew buried its face in its hands, shaking its head. It let out a primal roar, reveling in what it was, as a name blazed into its mind – the name of its oldest friend, the name it would now claim as its own, a memory and a blessing and a curse all at once. Ho-oh stared up at it. “Mewtwo, please, what is the purpose of this?”
It turned its mind upon her and spoke. “I am not Mewtwo. I am Amber.”
Ho-oh’s eyes widened, just slightly, and Amber bowed its head, turning and leaving her unharmed. It saw the barrage of attacks aiming at it, but none of the attacks seemed to reach, slowing exponentially as they approached it. Palkia strained with silent effort, a pearl forming inconspicuously around its human as it warped the space around Amber.
Palkia’s voice spoke clearly in its mind, more clearly than Mew ever had. Go. Help Tioga. Carnifex wants to kill them.
Amber nodded, and flew from the summit, leaving Mew and the past behind.
Amber was fast, but not fast enough. By the time it found them, the battle was over. Tioga and Carnifex both lay unmoving, and their humans sat in the long grass, motionless. It landed silently, and spoke to the nearest human, the one that had reminded it of the boy. “What is your name?”
The human didn’t look up from where he sat by Tioga’s side. “Volo.”
“Amber. And you?”
“A-Akari. I s-swear, I didn’t know—Arceus took me from my bed, I—”
“Shut up, Akari.” Volo’s voice sounded like a shard of glass; fragile, brittle, and extremely dangerous. He shook Tioga. “Get up, my heart. Please. You have to get up, neshama sheli.”
Amber looked down at the fallen Tioga. “They still live.” It turned its attention to the other prone form. “The same cannot be said for Carnifex.”
Volo’s eyes widened. “They’re alive.”
Amber nodded – its psychic power was working overtime, scanning and analyzing all possible data. “It will take time, for them to recover. But they will.”
Volo looked like he might faint with relief. “Thank you,” he murmured, “I’ll wait for them as long as it takes.”
Amber turned next to Akari. “Are you hurt?”
Akari didn’t answer right away, staring dead-eyed at Carnifex’s body. Amber felt a pang in its heart. Akari couldn’t be more than a child. For Carnifex to snatch her away like this, to force her to bear witness to such brutality – it was evil, put plainly. Amber raised a paw and applied its psychic power with a gentle touch. Akari’s eyelids fluttered closed, and she slept. Amber focused, and saw the battle, saw Akari pounding on a crystal cage, trying each of her Poké Balls, only for not a single one to open as blood flew across the battlefield. Amber twisted its paw, and the memories vanished like dust in the wind.
It rose into the air. It had no plan now but knew that it couldn’t stay here. If Amber wanted to find meaning in its life, it couldn’t just follow Mew. It had to forge its own path, and that path could never lead back to this place – not where the gods stood in the thrall of a monster like Arceus, where it would never be anything but Mewtwo.
“Dialga and Palkia will return you to your time. Farewell.”
Volo opened his mouth as though to say something, but Amber had no desire to be reasoned with. It couldn’t take another conversation with a well-meaning being like Mew or Ash. It summoned its power and found itself once more in the skies over Cerulean City. Its cloak nestled over its shoulders, and it willed the cowl over its head.
Perhaps the circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant, it thought, but there would always be those who would only ever see those circumstances. To truly grow, sometimes you have to start fresh.
Amber flew off, before Mew could find it again.