Prologue & Chapter 1

[GamzGuy]

He was running. He didn't know why, but he was running.

Maybe it was the guy in front of him. Who is he? He didn't know. But if his own gun was drawn while in hot pursuit, he must be important.

As he was running, visions leapt into his head. Split-second images of a dam, a mysterious laboratory, and then some...

Then there were faces. A shadowed face, hidden by long, dark hair and his furious scowl. An aged scientist, looking at him as if he were yet another experiment. There was a creature – one that he could not identify other than by its bipedal build and long tail – emanating nameless energy, bent on destroying the world...

The shadowed figure ducked into an abandoned apartment complex. Through the side door, up two flights of stairs...Adam lost him on the stairs, and as he frantically searched for his culprit, a phone in one of the rooms rang loudly. Instinctively he rammed the door open with his foot and saw the figure standing in the doorway.

BANG.

Adam looked at his body and in horror saw his orange blood running down his shirt like a faucet. He stared at his killer. He could see nothing other than his malevolent, evil smile. He held a smoking pistol, and a shell clinked on the floor beneath him.

BANG. BANG.

He felt the white hot lead rip through his chest, and in horrible pain he reeled back, almost touching the now blood-splattered wall, coughed up more blood, and fell to his knees, then his face. He heard screaming in the hallway he had just ran through, but he didn't care now who it was. He was a dead man whether they liked it or not.

As his world faded to black, he saw in his mind a vicious, alien smile with bared teeth. It was as if he were looking at a demon, inviting him to his doom, in his last few moments...

[GamzGuy]

-Chapter 1- Meeting of Two Fates

A cold sweat. His shirt was absolutely soaked. Dangit. It was that nightmare again.

He touched his lip. It was wet. Blood too? What the crap is going on with me?!

Adam wiped the blood off on his underwear and slowly got out of his cot. He didn't want to wake the others. Their tiny hotel room was cramped enough as it was, but it was the only one in town that allowed them to have Pokémon with them. One for trainers, no doubt. But having five people and a large Pokémon in a room that was reserved for two people at most...it was a pain, albeit bearable.


The room was full of most of the basic needs. The bathroom had a toilet, faucet and shower stall. There was a cabinet in the room with a TV and shelves for clothes and things (though they were unnecessary, as most people carried them in their bags), and at one of the far ends was a refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee machine and a safe, none of which any of them needed at the moment. It was just an overnight stay, anyways.

There was a large, panoramic painting of the Vermillion City skyline from the harbor over the couch, which he had expanded into his cot. Cousin Josh slept beside him, while Melinda (Mindy) peacefully slept on the bed. Raikou, the large saber-toothed tiger, was curled up beside her. She didn't mind; she was an animal person by nature.


Adam couldn't possibly go back to sleep. He practically feared having that damned nightmare again. He had it too often lately. Over and over again he watched himself chase this shadow, see the flashes of things yet unknown to him, being shot and killed before his very eyes, over...and over...and over again. He couldn't take it anymore. He quietly unzipped his black-and-blue backpack and pulled out his bright bluejeans and a black, almost grayish windbreaker and slipped it on. He grabbed his tennis shoes and a hotel card key, and then silently slipped through the door and out into the world.
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The streets of Saffron were busy with commerce, even at 1:30 in the morning. Adam felt almost at home with the atmosphere and all; he didn't have a care in the world.

Walking along, he saw a small electronics shop across the street, with televisions blaring with the latest local and national news. Walking across, however, he noticed a large, huddled figure in a brown garment sat with its back to the wall in an alley nearby. Its face and eyes were hidden in its shadowy hood, but it was obviously staring at him. Assuming it was a homeless man, Adam thought nothing of it and walked by.


When he was sick of hearing repetitive reports on Pewter Gym's involvement in the community, the newest game season in the Safari Zone, and the increased stock value of Sylph, Co., Adam turned around and stared at the sky for a moment, as if scoffing at the unimportance of the news, then returned on his walk. However, he could not shake a feeling that he was being followed...
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Soon the sounds of commerce and conversation began to fade away, and Adam slowly realized he was reaching a bad part of town. He stopped and looked on, taking in the sights to gain better knowledge of the city he was in. He turned around and was just about to leave when a voice spoke from behind him:

"Hey, kid! How much have you got on you?"

He quickly whipped around and saw a particularly unpleasant-looking man standing behind him in ragged clothes. He had extremely messy hair and unshaved whiskers about his face. He was obviously in need of quick cash.

"Sorry, guy, but I don't have enough even for a cold one now," Adam joked, hoping that he could convince the man to leave peacefully.

"That's a'ight; it's not wut I'm aftah, aneeways," the man replied. "I need more than jis' a cold wun, y'know?" He gave a sneer that obviously showed his intent. "Jis' gimme the whole dang'd thing, and that'll be dah end of it, 'kay?"

Realizing his "plan" didn't work, Adam attempted to reach for his holster, hoping to scare him off, then realized that his pistol wasn't there, having left it at the hotel (after having finally convinced the hotel clerk to let him bring it in).

"Sorry, but I need this money just to survive, myself," he said defiantly.

"Let's try dis a different way," the man said, then called for friends. "Hay, let's show dis guy what happins when we dun't git our way." The three other men that had joined him then began cracking their knuckles with smirks on their faces.

Realizing what he was in for, Adam glared at them, then ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction, to which the men then chased after.


Adam easily outran them and ducked into an alley, where he ran to the near end and climbed into a dumpster, hoping to fool the thugs into leaving. Within a minute, however, the men were banging on the dumpster, shouting at him, "Gittout! We ain't stoopid! We know yah in dah!"

He attempted to hide under some garbage in case they opened the lid and remain perfectly silent, but soon the banging abruptly stopped. Fearing that it was a trick to draw him out of hiding, he remained silent and did nothing. After hearing nothing for at least two minutes, the lid flew open and a voice called out:

"You can come out – they're gone."

"How do I know you're not one of them?" Adam asked. He looked up, but then brought himself about to say, "...Oh."

It was the "homeless man" that he had encountered before. "Are you all right?" the man asked. At least, the voice was male.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Adam answered, standing up and brushing the trash and debris off of himself. He climbed out of the dumpster and brushed a little bit more. He noticed that it was now raining outside.

"My, my, you're a mess now aren't you?" the man observed, walking around and observing him.

"Me? This is nothing," Adam sighed, crossing his arms and staring into space. "You, on the other hand," he turned and looked at the stranger somberly, "you look terrible. Why don't we get something to eat?"

"No...no, I...probably...shouldn't...be with anyone..." he quickly responded, almost surprised at his offer.

"What's the matter, is there something on your face?" Adam asked, curious. "Come on, let me see—"

"No, no! It's fine!" he objected hastily. "There's nothing wrong with me—"

"Well then, there shouldn't be a problem with me looking!" Adam insisted, and then quickly grabbed the sides of his hood. The figure struggled for a second, but quickly gave up, permitting him to slowly reveal his face from under the hood.

Adam quietly gasped in surprise at what he saw. As the hood gave way, a short snout with two tiny slits for nostrils and a nearly emotionless scowl across its lips emerged, followed by its broad forehead. There were two short, stubby horns on the sides of its head (and no ears), and his large, tired, violet eyes stared back into Adam's, as if peering into the very essence of his soul.

"Mewtwo," Adam whispered, and the Pokémon looked away sadly.

"I swore to myself that I would never interfere with humans again," he sighed telepathically. "But now I've broken that oath. By helping you. I know it was the right thing to do, but..."

"But nothing. You did what you had to do," Adam laid his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Mewtwo looked back at Adam. His eyes were nearly hypnotizing, his scowl replaced with puppy-dog eyes. He sighed heavily.

"You and I aren't so different. We've both got problems, but we don't know how to solve them. You, it's morals, me, it's...well...lots of things." He wanted to give him a sympathetic hug, but he restrained himself.

No, he thought, he didn't want to make himself look like a child. This one of his favorite Pokémon, something that he had dreamed of his entire childhood. He watched movies, played video games, played trading cards, drew pictures, everything – this guy was his idol.

As if reading his thoughts, Mewtwo pulled Adam towards him and gave him a large hug. For a second, it was an awkward moment for Adam, but he quickly overcame his embarrassment and hugged back. Mewtwo, sensing his discomfort, loosened his grip and hugged him more gently.
"Thanks," Mewtwo whispered. Adam nodded.

"Hey, I'm thinking of seeing if I can find something to drink," Adam offered. "You want to come with me?"

Mewtwo considered, but shook his head. "No, it'd be best if I leave. You're probably not the only one who needs to be dragged out of a thug fight." He nudged him teasingly.

"Wait...what?"

Mewtwo pulled his hood back over his head, his face now hidden in shadows, and walked out of the alley and onto the streets.

"Wait!" Adam called. Mewtwo turned around. "...Will I ever see you again?"

A moment of silence.

"You will again...soon." He turned and quickly melted into the blur that was the city itself. Dejected that he had lost his chance to welcome a new ally, Adam kicked a pebble and followed in the same direction, knowing that he wouldn't see him again during his own walk.


Neither of them, however, noticed the shadowy figure that was now kneeling where they had stood less than a minute ago, examining a fallen follicle of a pale violet hair that had been ground into the dust beneath a small, feline pawprint.