บท 78: The Musings of a Legendary

In the wilds outside of Cerulean city, a certain being was floating in space in a cross-legged position, encased in a layer of blue psychic energy.

"Mmm..." Mewtwo hummed as he meditated, and thought on everything he had seen today.

To learn more about the relationships between trainers and Pokemon, he had followed Ace Ketchum and his companions around for the day as they journeyed to and explored Cerulean cave. And what Mewtwo witnessed was curious to say the least.

First was when Ace encountered the Nidoran, which he readily sent his own Pokemon out to combat before he captured it. But from Mewtwo's point of view, it seemed more like he had simply bullied the Pokemon into submission.

Similarly, he then captured nearly all of the curious Pokemon known as Ditto in Cerulean cave upon reaching it.

Granted, the Ditto had been the ones to attack them. But Mewtwo didn't think that gave Ace and his companions the right to rip them all from their home in a manner similar to Team Rocket.

And his expression grew darker later when he'd heard them discussing with their professors about experimenting and researching the Ditto.

Immediately Mewtwo had recalled the numerous experiments that Team Rocket performed on him in order to learn more about what he was capable of. The mere thought of which made him furrow his brows since he did not think Ace Ketchum was a human who would permit such a thing, much less encourage it.

And that was before he watched as Ace literally bullied his new Tyrunt into submission as well.

Mewtwo had been more than a little stunned to see that, and even more stunned still to see that none of Ace's other Pokemon seemed to mind. Instead they all seemed indifferent to how he treated the literal infant, and only focused on the Soft Sand he'd set out for them.

But then, as he watched over the young Tyrunt, Mewtwo noticed that rather than resent Ace or his other Pokemon, it began to grow attached to them. Despite Ace bullying it into submission, it saw him as more of a parent than an oppressor. And Ace treated it in kind, rewarding it when it behaved, and disciplining it when it misbehaved.

This relationship confused Mewtwo, as he had no idea what a parent/child relationship was like, and couldn't recognize one as he watched it go on.

And now he was meditating in the middle of the forest, focusing his psychic powers while ruminating on what he had observed and learned today as he waited.

Mewtwo did not move a single muscle as he waited for several hours, with late afternoon changing into evening, and then into night. And as midnight crept up on him, the one he had been waiting for finally appeared.

"It's about time." Mewtwo stated as he moved for the first time in hours.

"Sorry. We had a few new additions to our team to get up to speed. One of them is even a self absorbed little brat." Lucario stated as he appeared from the brush.

"I saw." Mewtwo stated, making Lucario narrow his eyes at him.

"Are you turning into a peeping pervert?"

"I don't even know what that means, so I'm not going to respond." Mewtwo stated, making Lucario roll his eyes.

"So are we going to do this or what?" Lucario asked as he prepared to fight.

"You're the one who wanted to do this to begin with." Mewtwo stated in a voice that sounded bored, even as he too prepared to fight.

But first, they needed a change of venue.

With a wave of his hand, Mewtwo teleported them both to a different location where they could spar to their hearts content without alarming anyone near Cerulean city.

...

The next day Mewtwo flew through the air at high speeds, on his way to check something rather than watch Ace Ketchum for the day.

Currently there was nothing but a massive expanse of water under him as he flew through the skies, but soon he passed a large man-made bridge that was shortly left behind as he flew over the open ocean once more.

At the speed he was going, Mewtwo soon reached land as he crested the coastline near Viridian city. He knew this area best, as it was where he had been based during his time with Team Rocket.

But instead of remaining near Viridian city, Mewtwo turned south as he headed for a different place altogether. Pallet town.

And as the sleepy little town appeared in his view, Mewtwo slowed while simultaneously cloaking himself with his psychic power as he approached the largest building in the town, professor Oak's lab.

Mewtwo intended to study this 'professor Oak', and see if he was like the scientists of Team Rocket.

He wasn't hard to locate, as Mewtwo knew what he looked like from spying on the calls made between him and Ace. But what had surprised him was that this Oak was nothing like he'd expected from his time amongst other scientists.

In the short time he'd been around the scientists that created him, Mewtwo learned from their minds how they only cared about the success of their experiments, and not the moral or ethical implications of them. And while he was at Team Rocket, all the scientists there cared about was collecting and analyzing data, no matter what lines they had to cross in order to acquire it.

Such were the methods of all scientists.

Or so he had thought.

Now however, Mewtwo was watching as professor Oak actively tended to and cared for all of the Pokemon under his care personally, wether they were his own, or the numerous Pokemon captured by his three assistants.

And amongst the numbers Pokemon that the professor was caring for, Mewtwo didn't sense any thoughts of fear, pain or resentment. Instead, they were all happy to see the professor and his attendants, particularly the young woman.

Even the Ditto that Ace Ketchum had captured the day before had already adapted and accepted their new lives, in which Mewtwo could sense that they were happy to no longer have to fear other Pokemon like they had in the cave. Now they were safe, and were being regularly fed a couple times a day with good quality food.

In exchange, they happily allowed the professor to collect a few drops of their gelatin-like bodies for study, which did nothing to hurt them like the numerous shots and such that Mewtwo had received in the past.

As the day and his observations went on, Mewtwo even descended to the ground to examine the area, people and Pokemon up close. And there he saw that all of Ace's Pokemon were hard at work training to become stronger, even the little Magikarp.

And as he read their minds, Mewtwo learned where the loyalty towards Ace came from within most of his Pokemon, how several of them had once been trafficked and suffered from abuse or neglect in the process. They had only been freed thanks to Ace, who then took them all in and was raising them to become strong enough that they would never be treated like that again.

Eventually, with even more questions now than he'd had before arriving here, Mewtwo left the lab and the numerous Pokemon behind as he returned to Cerulean for his nightly sparring session with Lucario.

This time Lucario didn't arrive so late, and was sporting a brand new accessory that contrasted his blue and black fur.

"Like it?" Lucario asked smugly as he showed off his new bright red jacket, which had a bright yellow R on it.

Unlike other jackets it had short sleeves that only covered his shoulder and biceps, while the jacket itself only covered his chest.

"I suppose...?" Mewtwo said as he looked Lucario up and down impassively.

"It's even got chocolate pockets!" Lucario exclaimed as he happily took out a bar of chocolate and began to munch on it.

"..."

Mewtwo was silent as Lucario scarfed down the chocolate, but as he began to lick the remnants from his fingers, he couldn't help but to ask, "why must you act in such a way about mere sustenance?"

"'Sustenance'? Chocolate is NOT just 'sustenance'!" Lucario declared passionately.

"It is the most divine thing to ever dance across my tongue! It makes every single dish better, like pancakes, ice cream, fruits, burgers, pizza, steak, and especially pasta!"

With each word Lucario's fervor increased, until he sounded like a pastor praising the lord. Meanwhile Mewtwo just gave him a blank look without saying anything.

"Oh come on!" Lucario exclaimed to Mewtwo's silence. "Even YOU must have a favorite food!"

"I do not, as I have never partaken in consumption of sustenance." Mewtwo answered, stunning Lucario more than a little.

"You mean, you've never eaten ANYTHING?"

"Indeed. I have no need since I can absorb the energy my body need from the surrounding atmosphere, similar to the process you call photosynthesis." Mewtwo explained, surprising Lucario even more.

"Man... You REALLY need to get out more." Lucario said while shaking his head, and removing his new jacket so it didn't get ruined during their spar. But as he did that he also pulled another, smaller, chocolate bar from one of the pockets.

"Here. Try it." Lucario said as he offered the chocolate to Mewtwo, surprising him this time as he looked from the chocolate to Lucario a few times before slowly reaching out to accept it.

"Actually, nah." Lucario said suddenly, as he hurriedly stuffed the entire chocolate bar into his mouth before Mewtwo could take it.

"..."

Mewtwo blinked at Lucario as he processed what just happened, and the fighting/steel type just smirked victoriously for some reason as he swallowed the chocolate. And for reasons he didn't understand, that smirk REALLY annoyed Mewtwo.

When their spar ended for the night, Lucario went home with far more bruises and injuries than he had the last two nights, but the victorious smirk from fooling Mewtwo never left his face. Something that annoyed Mewtwo far more than he'd care to admit.

And as the day dawned, Mewtwo flew out to find a remote area to meditate for the day.

As he flew he spread his psychic powers around him to analyze the area, which allowed him to sense every single human and Pokemon around him for miles. And his mind brushed the consciousness of theirs, his curiosity grew.

Similarly to Ace Ketchum, the vast majority of trainers Mewtwo's mind brushed against cared for and adored their Pokemon. As he passed them he would see them sharing meals, grooming each other, training, or simply traveling side by side to the next town or city.

An their Pokemon adored them in return.

It was only a few humans who didn't show the same care and devotion to their Pokemon as Ace and the others, but despite this their Pokemon still deeply respected them since the humans in question made them significantly more powerful.

Eventually Mewtwo found an isolated place far from humans where he didn't need to worry about being discovered, a small pond that was feeding a waterfall on the edge of a cliff face.

Hovering in place above the green grass, Mewtwo began to meditate as he focused his psychic powers in a way that rested him, similarly to sleep.

Hours passed as early morning turn to midday, and then to afternoon before the sun sank lower in the sky. But then, something caught Mewtwo's attention as he felt a surge of panic.

It was a panic so strong, that he decided to investigate out curiosity.

...

*A few moments before*

"Chu Chu!" Cried the little Pichu as it darted about energetically, followed by a small group of playful Pikachu with a lone Raichu.

"Pika pi!" One of the Pikachu cried out playfully, before they found themselves playing at the edge of a cliff face. But none of them were worried, as they played around this cliff every day.

At least, not until something caught little Pichu's attention.

"Chu Chu!" Pichu cried out excitedly as it noticed a large and fat berry growing from a small tree hanging out over the edge.

"Pika pi!" One of the Pikachu cried, telling Pichu not to try and get the berry, but Pichu didn't listen.

As the smallest of the group, it was the only the one who could go out on the small tree and get it. But as it did so the others were all trying to get it to come back since they didn't want it to fall.

"Chu!" Pichu declared as it reached the berry, and tugged on it to pick it from the tree.

"Chu Chu!" It declared victoriously when the Barry came free, and it held it up above its head for them all to see.

But as it did so, some of the rock holding the tree to the ledge came loose.

"Pika!" One of the Pikachu cried as the tree suddenly dipped, making Pichu loose its balance before it clung to one of the branches desperately, while also refusing to let go of the berry.

"Pika pi!" Another Pikachu cried, telling Pichu to let the berry go.

"Chu!" It cried back, saying it wasn't going to.

"Raichu!" The Raichu declared worriedly as it draped it's tail over the edge to try and get Pichu to grab on. But it was too short.

And then, the rock finally gave way as Pichu, the berry, and the tree began to plummet to the ground below.

"""PIKA!""" The Pikachu all cried as their friend fell to what could only be its death.

"P-pika...." One whimpered, before they all began to cry and consul each other at the loss of one of their friends.

"Is this one of yours?" A voice suddenly asked in their heads, alarming all of the Pikachu and the Raichu as they looked around alertedly, before a Pokemon unlike any they had ever seen appeared.

It was flying out past the edge of the cliff, but with it, encased in a blue bubble, was their friend, Pichu!

"""PIKA!"""

They all cried as Pichu was slowly lowered to the ground in front of them, it's eyes closed as it tightly hugged the berry. Apparently it hadn't realized yet that it had been saved.

But when it was gently placed onto the ground, Pichu opened its eyes curiously to see all of its friends gathered there before it, as well as the strange Pokemon that saved it.

"Now then." Mewtwo said, turning to leave since he didn't intend to stick around. But before he could...

"Chu Chu!"

Mewtwo turned back to see the little Pichu calling out to him, thanking him for saving its life as its friends all surrounded it and thanked him as well.

"I did it on a whim. There is no need to thank me." Mewtwo stated as he turned to leave yet again.

"Chu!" The little cried yet again, making him turn back to see that it was offering him the berry it had nearly died to get.

"I do not need it."

"Chu Chu!" It cried with insistence.

And with all of the other Pikachu and the Raichu giving him the same look, Mewtwo sighed as he grabbed the berry and pulled it closer to himself with his psychic powers. And with them all looking at him expectantly, he then bit into it to show that he'd eat it.

"..."

"How curious..." He uttered to himself as he tried food for the first time.

Mewtwo knew nothing of the different pallets of taste there were, but he found the sensations dancing across his tongue to be...pleasant before he tried swallowing the berry.

"Thank you." He said to the little Pokemon, before turning and taking off as they all cried out their thanks to him yet again.

"Curious indeed..." He mused quietly as he ate the rest of the berry, before throwing the seed away when it was all that was left.

Returning to the spot where he'd been meeting Lucario, Mewtwo continued to meditate there until he too arrived an hour or so later.

"Yo. Enjoy another day of peeping?" He asked him.

"I did not today. I was meditating in the mountains all day." Mewtwo answered.

"Oh?" Lucario uttered as he removed his Ranger jacket. He could tell that something was off about Mewtwo, but he didn't necessarily care enough to ask.

"Just to let you know, I won't be back tomorrow." He then said, making Mewtwo look up at him sharply.

"You were the one who wanted to spar to begin with, and now you don't want to?" He asked irritably.

"Tomorrow is the last day before we challenge the Cerulean city Gym Leader. I don't doubt my own strength against theirs, so I'm going to spend as much time as I can until then helping my teammates get stronger before we challenge them." Lucario explained.

"Ah, yes." Mewtwo uttered as he recalled the Gym battles Giovanni once had him participate in.

"What are these Gym battle for by the way? I know of them since Giovanni had me fight challengers, but I didn't understand their purpose." Mewtwo asked curiously.

"They're proof of a trainer and his Pokemon's strength." Lucario readily stated.

"Eight Gym Badges are required for them to participate in the Pokemon League, an elite tournament whose victor can gain the right to challenge the Elite Four. The strongest group of trainers in the entire region."

"I see..." Mewtwo said as he thought about it.

"If you're that curious, then you can watch the match between my partner and the Gym Leader the day after tomorrow. It'll let you see what they're supposed to be like." Lucario offered.

"I'll....think about it." Mewtwo answered, before teleporting the two of them to begin their nightly spar.

...

The next day Mewtwo was flying lazily around the region with nothing to do, something that seemed to be increasingly common ever since he left Team Rocket.

This time his attention was being taken by wild Pokemon as he watched them go about their daily lives.

Mewtwo found them fascinating, as he had been taught by Team Rocket that strength was everything. Yet here these 'weak' Pokemon were, going about their daily lives seemingly without a single care.

The weak existed to serve the strong.

That was the undisputed law of the world, or what he had been taught. And in some cases Mewtwo saw it firsthand.

He watched as a Raticate was busy foraging for roots and berries, only for an Arbok to surprise it. As a result the Raticate ended up becoming its meal instead, as the Arbok slowly squeezed the life out of it before consuming it.

But then he saw otherwise, as a powerful Nidoking attacked a herd of Tauros and Miltank for a meal. But with the Tauros working together while the Miltank took shelter behind them, they were able to run off the significantly more powerful Pokemon.

What Mewtwo took from was that even individually weaker Pokemon could become strong if they worked together against a common enemy.

This was a new concept for him to grasp, as Team Rocket believed solely in the survival of the fittest individually. They would defeat those who bested their underlings, but if you were too weak then you were readily discarded by the organization, like Petrel had been after Mewtwo brought him back.

From the herd of Tauros and Miltank though, Mewtwo didn't sense any of that. Instead, they possessed a sense of community that would fight to defend every member of the herd, regardless of how weak they were.

Community...

It was a word Mewtwo knew of, but was completely unfamiliar with since he had no one in the entire world. He was all that existed of his species.

He may have been descended from Mew, but he had never even met or interacted with his fore bearer.

...

That night Mewtwo traveled to Cerulean city to observe Ace Ketchum and his companions yet again, since Lucario had already said they wouldn't be able to spar that night.

And there he found both Ace and Lucario putting numerous Pokemon through different drills as they worked to master new moves, and strengthen the moves they had already learned. And once the current group was finished, Mewtwo watched as Ace changed the Pokemon he had with him for a new batch to continue training them as well.

He watched for the next several hours as Ace and his Pokemon worked.

He had his three Rattata running drills to increase their speed and movement, as well as to deliver a powerful strike with their teeth to end any match they were in instantly.

His Magikarp and Feebas were all swimming desperately against a current generated by his Buizel, who was also training his tails to swim faster.

Meanwhile all of his Pokemon that possessed the rock or ground typing were participating in their new routine of bathing in Soft Sand, which Ace had apparently gone back and collected more of in the last few days.

The ones who were training the hardest though were his grass and electric types, who were all bound and determined to earn a slot on his team for the battle against the water type Gym Leader.

And amongst them, Mewtwo was surprised to see that even the Nidoran, Ditto and Tyrunt that Ace had 'bullied' into submission were working as hard as possible, with all three now looking up to their trainer despite their first meeting.

They were all different species and types, but Mewtwo realized that they all possessed the same sense of 'community' he had seen from the Tauros earlier. They all worked to help one another grow stronger, and he could tell from their minds that they would defend each other, to the death if necessary.

"How curious..." Mewtwo mused as he continued observing them, even as they called it a night on their training and went to bed. He wondered what Ace and his Pokemon would show him tomorrow when they challenged the Cerulean city Gym Leader.